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And so it begins...

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    And so it begins...

    I bought the car about a month ago for 1000 bucks. I finally got the 325is registered and now i am ready to start suspension, brakes, and frame re-enforcement. I need ideas... I'm doing an m52 with a big turbo. Around 400-500hp. I need suspension and brakes that can handle that... but i'm still on a budget. Please give me some ideas. I want to do everything the right way, so the cheapest way to do it the right way would be good. If you know what i mean

    Ben


    #2
    #1 Fix The Fender

    #2 Bumper tuck

    #3 Be realistic, no small budget will allow for a m52 turbo, your best bet is to shoots for a m50 vanos w/mods at around 200hp, then lighten your car. It's not all about power its about your weight/power ratio.

    Comment


      #3
      I say go for it, and swap out those bumpers for the plastic bumpers, I can see its an '88 so they will go right on.

      Comment


        #4
        Oh, and take the sticker off the windshield

        Comment


          #5
          First off... Its not that small of budget... around 10 grand. Second, i'm starting with suspension and brakes. I will do all of the cosmetics after the swap. MtechII full, headlights, wide wheels, headlights, black grille, fender... For now i just want some ideas on full suspension, brakes, frame re-enforcement along with cost. Thanks

          Ben

          Comment


            #6
            If you have a welder, put the car up, get all the tar off, grind the paint and crap off of the seams in the frame, you know, where metal meets, and weld the entire length of the seams, this will help to stiffen the car up compared to the simple spot welds on the car as it came from the factory. Get a cage installed, and make sure it connects to the subframe mounting points, strut/shock towers, sway bar connections, cross bracing under the engine, and make sure you get enough head clearance with a helmet on in it.

            If it's going top be a strictly street car, and you're too much of a puss to roll in a helmet with a full cage, then have a welded-in rollbar to provide a frame to brace the rear suspension points.

            An average full racing cage is 2,500-3,500, maybe more with high-quality reinforcing and paint.

            I suggest doing a 5-lug, getting someone's used racing setup, with a BBK and K&W V3 or AST coilovers. Those are my dream shocks, YMMV.
            '89 325i track sloot
            '01 530i daily

            -Enginerd

            Comment


              #7
              Originally posted by whiltebeitel View Post
              If you have a welder, put the car up, get all the tar off, grind the paint and crap off of the seams in the frame, you know, where metal meets, and weld the entire length of the seams, this will help to stiffen the car up compared to the simple spot welds on the car as it came from the factory. Get a cage installed, and make sure it connects to the subframe mounting points, strut/shock towers, sway bar connections, cross bracing under the engine, and make sure you get enough head clearance with a helmet on in it.

              If it's going top be a strictly street car, and you're too much of a puss to roll in a helmet with a full cage, then have a welded-in rollbar to provide a frame to brace the rear suspension points.

              An average full racing cage is 2,500-3,500, maybe more with high-quality reinforcing and paint.

              I suggest doing a 5-lug, getting someone's used racing setup, with a BBK and K&W V3 or AST coilovers. Those are my dream shocks, YMMV.
              Thanks a lot! That is an expensive setup, i was hoping for something maybe a little more affordable, around 3000 for brakes, suspension and cage.

              Comment


                #8
                You intend to built a 450hp BMW motor, and modify the suspension and brakes to support the finished product for $10k?

                Keep us posted,

                kroberts

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by siexyy55 View Post
                  Please give me some ideas. I want to do everything the right way, so the cheapest way to do it the right way would be good.

                  Ben

                  just crash it off a cliff now. If you have to find the cheapest way to do something, I suggest building a moped. Building a 500+ rwhp car, and the word cheap don't belong in the same book, let alone compound thought.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by siexyy55 View Post
                    Thanks a lot! That is an expensive setup, i was hoping for something maybe a little more affordable, around 3000 for brakes, suspension and cage.


                    Good thing the human brain comes with an o.e. feature called dreaming...


                    oh yeah, modified used ghetto brakes from a camaro, roll cage built of 2.5in O.D. exhaust tubing, and used TIEN's off a dc5 teggy and your set.

                    exhaust rollcage... 350.00
                    used shocks/bailing wire/hoseclamps... 600.00
                    used chevy brakes/machineshop/re-drill 300.00

                    That still ends you up with 1750.00 in your pocket, well used funds for vtec stickers and other gofast parts like toyota trd seatbelt pads, and 4.5 in fartcan. This ride is gonna be madd tytes..

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Just do your homework and you will see just how little $10k is when heavily modifying any vehicle.

                      Fast, reliable, and cheap. You can only choose two for $10k.

                      However, there are lots of ways to keep your project close to your budget in mind.

                      1. Learn how to take advantage of DIY's.
                      2. Buy second-hand parts.
                      3. Make friends on this forum, there are lots of knowledgable people who will tell you what NOT to do.
                      4. Read, read, and read about other people's swaps. Then read some more.

                      Another option is to sell this and buy a swapped car. Then do any ancillary modifications you want.


                      -Brandon

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Originally posted by BrandC View Post
                        Just do your homework and you will see just how little $10k is when heavily modifying any vehicle.

                        Fast, reliable, and cheap. You can only choose two for $10k.

                        However, there are lots of ways to keep your project close to your budget in mind.

                        1. Learn how to take advantage of DIY's.
                        2. Buy second-hand parts.
                        3. Make friends on this forum, there are lots of knowledgable people who will tell you what NOT to do.
                        4. Read, read, and read about other people's swaps. Then read some more.

                        Another option is to sell this and buy a swapped car. Then do any ancillary modifications you want.
                        This is the most useful post so far in this thread. Your best bet will be sell the car you have now or keep it, whatever. Buy someone elses project that they are dumping off. For example, I had around 10k to build a swapped E36. I wanted all the same stuff as you, and did it. The only thing about my project was the budget went under half way through so I ended up spending 15k instead with no money left to tune. By the time I had troubleshooted out all the bugs and made a reliable streetable race car pretty much, I was completely sick of it and sold it. I ended up selling it for 7k. And you'll see spot on what I just said with most everyones swapped E30's. They dump tons of money in (what you dont want to do) and sell it for a bargain because you cant get all your money back out of a project.
                        The guy I sold my last project to took the car, for a fuckin bargain, and finished what I had started. Soon he's going to win mucho events.

                        Soo basically, for 5-8k, you can buyy a car thats already been swapped correctly. Take the rest and buy a full Ground Control setup, good tires, sway bar kits, and bushings. You would have a very competative car then.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Don't weld the body with one looong weld. If the weld breaks splits at any point, the whole weld will go too. Instead, do a bunch of smaller runs. Do not do a continuous run. The cage should stiffen-up the whole car-provided you have tie-in point fore and aft and side-to-side.

                          Get a book or 2 or 3 on chassis modifications and stiffening. Don't mess around doing what people just tell you to do. Do your research first. 400 hp on a little e30 requires way more mods than just brakes and suspension. It was never designed for that kind of hp.

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