Hey guys! I'm a month into my e30. I bought her a with the plan for a semi project build and hopefully keep me occupied and happy. I'm coming out of an e46 M3 that I bought straight out of college. It was such an amazing car, but I was missing the joy of putting in some wrench time on it. It was too difficult to modify as it was my only vehicle and was just too expensive for me to do what I envisioned for it. So I picked up a 2001 740iL, sold the M3, and then bought the e30.
Through high school, my dad and I restored a 1979 Honda Civic CVCC from the ground up, and that's what I really want to do. It'll take some time, but I also have a ton of free time. This time, it'll be my choices and my money.
Now onto the e30 stuff. I picked up this car a few weeks after selling the M3. I tried to be more patient and selective, but this one popped up on craigstlist located only down the street. Definitely not my first choice in paint but other qualities really grabbed by eye. Clean body besides the front bumper, one dent, and rust under the battery. No biggie. Paint is faded, but it'll get repainted during this whole ordeal. The major selling points...the interior is absolutely amazing. One minor dash crack and everything else is almost prestine. Also, the PO had all the records sorted out, over $4000 the past 3-5 years. He even had an excel spreadsheet of the miles since the odometer stopped working. All said and done, negotiated to $2900 and the project begins.
Here are my plans. I just purchased a set of Fortune Auto Coilovers. Next will be wheels and then start piling up the swap parts for an S50 or S52 swap (whichever low mileage motor I find first, preferable S52). Looking to make the swap as clean as possible. Nothing ruins a car than a hack job swap. Will piece together things as it feels necessary such as sway bars, brakes, interior, etc. Eventually it'll be painted.
This will be a very slow moving thread, don't expect things to be done in one weekend. Once I get the motor, I'll have to do it at my parent's house 3 hours away on weekends until I rent a place with a garage. Here it is at it sits.
I just did the axles and wheel bearing a few weeks ago to make it driveable. Also added an aftermarket stereo as the oem one didn't work. The greatest discovery was that the electric antenna worked!
1989 325I
Through high school, my dad and I restored a 1979 Honda Civic CVCC from the ground up, and that's what I really want to do. It'll take some time, but I also have a ton of free time. This time, it'll be my choices and my money.
Now onto the e30 stuff. I picked up this car a few weeks after selling the M3. I tried to be more patient and selective, but this one popped up on craigstlist located only down the street. Definitely not my first choice in paint but other qualities really grabbed by eye. Clean body besides the front bumper, one dent, and rust under the battery. No biggie. Paint is faded, but it'll get repainted during this whole ordeal. The major selling points...the interior is absolutely amazing. One minor dash crack and everything else is almost prestine. Also, the PO had all the records sorted out, over $4000 the past 3-5 years. He even had an excel spreadsheet of the miles since the odometer stopped working. All said and done, negotiated to $2900 and the project begins.
Here are my plans. I just purchased a set of Fortune Auto Coilovers. Next will be wheels and then start piling up the swap parts for an S50 or S52 swap (whichever low mileage motor I find first, preferable S52). Looking to make the swap as clean as possible. Nothing ruins a car than a hack job swap. Will piece together things as it feels necessary such as sway bars, brakes, interior, etc. Eventually it'll be painted.
This will be a very slow moving thread, don't expect things to be done in one weekend. Once I get the motor, I'll have to do it at my parent's house 3 hours away on weekends until I rent a place with a garage. Here it is at it sits.
I just did the axles and wheel bearing a few weeks ago to make it driveable. Also added an aftermarket stereo as the oem one didn't work. The greatest discovery was that the electric antenna worked!
1989 325I
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