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1991 325i Cabrio - Schwrzy

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    1991 325i Cabrio - Schwrzy

    Hey Everyone!

    Its officially been one year of owning my first E30 so I figured it was time to give it it's own thread. I've had a love/hate relationship with pre-E36 BMW's, but I've always liked how compact the E30 was without it being too small like some older VW's. After owning a few sedan's and coupe's, I knew my next project fun car was going to be a convertible. I actually bought a beat E36 cabrio a few years back, collected a bunch of parts for it, then sold everything for profit before I even had a chance to enjoy it. Fast forward to last January, I was watching La La Land when saw a red E30 cabrio in the opening credits.

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    Right there and then I knew what I wanted. I really didn't know much about E30's other than there being somewhat of a large cult following for these cars. I casually started searching google and craigslist to learn more about the different models and body types. I quickly realized that I wanted a late model vs an early model and that it had to be a convertible. That was really my only criteria since my plan for it was to be a cruiser and nothing else. If I could go back, I would've added 5 speed to my criteria but since my E39 is a 5 speed, at the time I didn't mind it being an automatic.

    Around that time I happened to download the Offerup app and started searching there too. Before you know it, I came across an ad for a "BMW Convertible 325ic" advertised at $1000. It was a one owner black on black automatic 1991 325i convertible with 135000 mile and the description read "Runs been sitting for 3 years ...needs TLC...great car to restore...engine xcellent...no drips...needs battery ...o2 sensor and brakes..." I figured what the heck, it was only 20 minutes away so I sent a message and was there looking at the car about an hour later. At first glance it looked pretty rough and it was. The body had the original Schwarz paint with scratches, dings, and dents but all the body panels still had the original VIN tag. The interior was beat, sport seats didn't function well and had faded Autozone covers on them, dash was cracked, steering wheel was filthy, knobs were missing, and carpet was faded. I then started the car and immediately noticed the overhead check panel lit up like a Christmas tree. The engine did idle normally so that was a plus but the exhaust rumbled like it was running a straight pipe. After driving it around for a few blocks, the transmission shifted well but there was a loud grinding noise and metal clunking noise coming for the rear left. The owner suggested that it was the brakes but I figured it was the wheel bearing. The clucking noise luckily ended up being the metal strut cover. The convertible top window was brown and the frame was stained but the top was still presentable, I figured replacing the window would be an easy fix, boy was I wrong. I thought to myself that if I can get it for under $1000. This may be a good project to build from the ground up. Again if I could go back in time, I'd add crack free dash, clean paint and body panels, better top, and recent timing belt maintenance to the criteria list when buying an E30. After some wheeling and dealing, the seller and I agreed on a price and I drove it straight home crossing my fingers that it wouldn't break down. I had to take an Uber back to pick up my e39.

    Here are photos from the Offerup ad:









    TL,DR
    Watched La La Land, saw red E30 convertible in opening credits, bought a rough condition E30 convertible, now broke one year later.
    Last edited by Mike36; 06-05-2019, 03:16 PM.
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    #2
    (;


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      #3
      Okay back to the timeline.

      I decided I would keep the car after a weekend of inspecting it. It idled well, wasn't over heating and everything about the car functioned with the exception of the A/C.
      Even all the bits that I thought were missing from car were found in the glove box, trunk, or under the seat. From that point I went ahead and started restoring the car to make it the cruiser that I wanted it to be. First and foremost had to be the seats. If I want to drive the car with the top down, I didn't want the crusty seats to be the first thing people noticed. Luckily I found a cheap set of front comfort seats and rear convertible seats and swapped those in right away.







      After taking care of registration, smog, and insurance, I knew I should perform some general maintenance so I could drive it without worrying about it stranding me anywhere. I didn't really have time to try it myself so I decided to take it to a trusted mechanic.

      Maintenance included:
      Timing Belt
      Timing Belt Tensioner
      Water Pump
      Valve Cover Gasket
      Rocker Shaft End Plug
      Alternator, Power Steering, A/C Belt
      Radiator
      Oil Change

      Did myself:
      Spark Plugs
      Brakes
      Windshield Wipers


      Once I got the car back, I went ahead and took care of the exhaust leak and sound. A cool R3V member (literally had a warehouse full of E30 parts) reached out to telling me he had a full exhaust for me.





      Shortly after, I took the car to get polished and waxed. It looked much better but you can still tell the paint is worn and thinning out. Getting a paint job would probably be the last thing I do to the car I decide to keep it that long. At this point I've already replaced the door molding, rocker panel molding, smoked turn signal lenses and converted the top from automatic to manual.







      Last edited by Mike36; 02-23-2018, 11:24 AM.
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        #4
        Next up was the suspension, I initially wanted a ride that was comfortable and not too low so I decided to go with H&R sports matched with Bilsteins. The install was straight forward and I also replaced the top hats since all the suspension seemed to be original from when the car was new.

        Before and After



        After looking at tons of E30 pictures online, I decided I would try to find a set of BBS RS's to complete the look that I was going for. I knew that wouldn't be easy so I was open to other mesh type wheels that could replicate the look of BBS's without having to to buy reps. I knew I wanted 16's but was willing to settle for 15's if necessary. I came across a set of 16" OZ Vegas so I picked those up along with a set of 5x114 to 4x100 adapters.







        Literally a week after buying the OZ's, I found a set of BBS RS001s for cheap on EBay. I contacted the seller and went that night since he was local to me. Then about two weeks later, I was visiting my grandma out in Perris, CA (middle of nowhere) and found a set of HRE 501's made specifically for an E30 for stupid cheap so I picked those up too. I decided I would run the HRE's until I build the BBS's to the exact specs I wanted. At this point I sold other wheels in my collection since I now had three sets of wheels for the E30 that would ultimately become two sets. More on that in a bit. They funny thing about the OZ's and HRE's is that they were both black which is my least favorite color for wheels.














        Before and after



        Around this time, I had also installed an IS lip and deleted the third brake light by replacing the trunk lid.



        This is me on the way back from Bimmerfest! I had the HRE faces polished but left the windows black. I think I'm over that look now and will be having the faces powder coated gold.

        Last edited by Mike36; 02-23-2018, 02:42 PM.
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          #5
          So after owning the car for about 5 months and tying all the loose ends, it was time to update more of the suspension components. I went ahead and purchased everything but was just lagging on doing the installation. Plus it was summer and it was too hot to work on the car outside. I had another cool R3V member (E30335i) reach out and offer to do the work for me at a reasonable price. I usually would of done it but I was having back problems for the last two years so I figured I'd take it easy on myself and let someone else do it. This included the following:
          Motors mounts
          Transmission mounts
          Lower contral arms
          Lower control arm bushings
          Front sway bar links
          Rear bearings (left one was toast and getting louder)
          Differential bushing
          Differential fluid
          Brake fluid

          Since I left the car with him for a few weeks, I decided to build the BBS's to the exact specs I wanted. I was initially going to build them from 15x7 to 16x7 & 16x8 using double stepped lips and barrels from the OZ Vegas. I happened to be browsing VWVortex and got lucky by finding the exact lips I wanted to build them to 16x8 & 16x9. I took the lips and barrels to VRWheels and had them machined to fit the RS faces. I decided to leave the centers in their original finish and rebuild them as is. I may go with Negaro centers down the rode but I feel silver suits the wheels best for the time being.



          Next to RM's for reference





          In addition to building the wheels, I decided to powder coat the chrome window trim and door handles in gloss black to give it a sleeker black look. I also ordered some euro bumper trim and fog light deletes to clean up the front and side profile.

          Sorry for the blurry pics





          Some closer fitment photos. 16x8 ET14 & 16x9 ET14







          Last edited by Mike36; 02-23-2018, 12:43 PM.
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            #6
            Since the car was coming together as planned, it was time to address some small issues. I repaired the torn brake sensor and eliminated the the ABS light. I also replace the coolant level sensor and flipped over the windshield fluid sensor and eliminated those two lights. All that's left is the brake light on the check panel. Hopefully i can tackle that sometime next month.

            Once I installed the BBS's, I realized that I wanted the car lower since it looked much taller with 16's. I again got lucky and found a set of new H&R Race spring for less than of what they go for new. The install was straight forward but the rears were much lower than I expected. I had to get 10mm spring pads for the rear

            Rear Race springs and Sport front springs with the reverse rake for a week



            Installing fronts



            Race, 325i Sport, 318i Sport? for reference



            Although the car looked better, the cowl shake was now even more noticeable. Uncomfortably noticeable! The sport springs were much better for daily driving but I sold them as soon as I installed the race springs. I may find another set and install them with drop hats and call it a day if I don't do coilovers. One of the first things I purchased for the car was a strut bar and a raceskids x-brace. It was a bit tricky to install at first but Ejnight quickly responded to one of my messages and it took 5 minutes after that. The xbrace definitely eliminated a majority of the of the cowl shake but I feel like the race springs are still a bit too harsh. I was reading that they pair best with Koni instead of Bilsteins.



            After looking at some euro E30's on IG, I decided to source some rear headrest brackets since I already had an extra pair of head rest from the original seats. While I was back there, I removed the leather from the tonneau cover and removed all the adhesive. I had to take it to a car wash to use a buffer and compound to clean it off what I couldn't since goo gone was taking forever and a day.



            Last edited by Mike36; 02-23-2018, 05:16 PM.
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              #7
              At this point, I was happy with the overall look of the car other than having to replace the dash board and fix the A/C. A member in the regional CA subforum requested help from R3V members to volunteer for an Annual Buddy Walk out in Orange County. Since I was free that morning, I decided to help him out with two other members.











              Right around the corner was my first Socal Vintage. I had a chance meet some of you guys and put a face to your car/user ID, good times. There was a good turnout but all our cars got super dusty because of where they were parked.

              Two super clean M3's, a sexy red MtechII vert with painted hard top next to them, a S54 e30 and bagged & stanced E30 behind them.



              Last edited by Mike36; 02-23-2018, 03:34 PM.
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                #8
                Great looking convertible with gorgeous wheels! Definitely turned my head at Socal Vintage. When I was searching for my e30 I went back and forth between coupe and straight up cruiser convertible. After seeing your convertible I definitely second guessed my decision. Might try to pick one up in the future.

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                  #9
                  Come out to the gtg tonight!
                  Simon
                  Current Cars:
                  -1999 996.1 911 4/98 3.8L 6-Speed, 21st Century Beetle

                  Make R3V Great Again -2020

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                    #10
                    Time to update time thread. Okay so since my last thread I've installed an X-brace, recovered my front bumper & valance with 3M gloss black vinyl and redid both my dash and interior.

                    After installing H&R race over sport springs, I had the perfect height but the worse ride. I went ahead and purchased an Ejnight Xbrace and skid plate. I highly recommend it to any convertible owners out there, it made a huge difference with the cowl shake and handling.



                    Gas station shot:

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                      #11
                      Car Wash:



                      Waiting for a quesadilla from a local diner:



                      Creeper pic with 2mAn



                      Here is an interior redo shot, I went ahead and ordered from Lseat.com. I definitely recommend them if you're a DIY'er, leather is thick and fitment is pretty spot on.



                      Meeting up with Betty: Julien (His Cardinal vs my Scarlet interior)



                      Last edited by Mike36; 07-20-2018, 04:41 PM.
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                        #12
                        looking good.. SUB'D
                        I BUY/SELL REFURBISHED CM5907s & CM5908s

                        HOWTOs:
                        DB vert plastic bumpers
                        OEM Keys
                        MTech1 docs

                        88 ix Lach/Card
                        91 ic Calypso 3.1
                        86 Cosmo 2.7

                        OEM+ or bust!


                        reelizmpro: I will always be an e30 guy.. I still do all of my own labor
                        TrentW: There's just something so right about a well-built M20 in an E30
                        e30m3s54turbo: I save my money for tuner parts.

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                          #13
                          Not many updates since I recovered my interior, I'm hoping to have the door cards and rear speaker covers redone before Socal Vintage. I did however buy a cool matching Momo Club 3 steering wheel. I've never really been a fan of after market steering wheels but I wanted something that would compliment my interior and still look OEM. I stumbled across this Momo 350mm wheel that had both a center leather pad and some red one it. The install was straight forward and I figured out how to replace the Momo horn button coin with a replica BMW one. I think it fits well in addition to giving the interior a slightly more modern look. Mtech 1 wheels have always seemed to me a bit outdated for e30s.






                          Last edited by Mike36; 08-24-2018, 02:54 PM.
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                            #14
                            Doing it for the IG.



                            Good news! I should have my 5 speed swap coming soon.

                            To be continued...
                            Last edited by Mike36; 08-24-2018, 04:22 PM.
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                              #15
                              Vert is looking great!
                              What size tires do you have on your 16x9s? I'm having problem finding my current size 225/40s.

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