87' 325e

[ben312]

ok so i just picked up an 1987 325e two door from my buddy for 1000. it needs new fuel pumps and a starter. so in total will only run me 1300 for the whole car and to make it running and road worthy. body is in good condition, only one minor rust spot on the rear driver side, just before the fender, under the trim. but we are already in the process of cutting it out and fixing it. dash has cracks out the asshole, but im not worried to much about that at this point. paint is fading bad so it will need new on the paint. that said anyone with any suggestions on a color? the car had be broken into at one point and the rear passenger side window was busted out but has been replaced. the main problem with this is that while it was busted it happened to rain, and the rear seat has some water damage. we currently have it out, to get at the fuel pumps, and it is being steam cleaned. i am hoping this will clean it up a bit. the arm rests on the door panels are now black and i think they look pretty good against the tan interior. also the mirrors have just been painted black and look nice. i am hoping to make this into a sporty driver, trackish car. basicly i want to be able to run a track or auto-x event, but also be able to take it out on the street and still have a somewhat conforable ride.
the so far "wish list":
Quaifle lsd
a short throw shifter
we are already putting on a cold air intake
new exhaust system
front and rear skirts
"clear tail lights"
Hella Quartz Headlights
new rotors (drilled and slotted)
high performance calipers
Stainless Steel Braided Brake Line Kit
Swaybars
want to drop it a bit but no idea on springs or shocks
Performance Chip
and i want to redo anything to do with handeling at all.

this will be a long project but it will be fun. if anyone has any ideas or suggestions on anything, or anyhting else they think i could/should do to the car, than let it be said.
the car is still not running and is sitting in my buddy's garage, so no pics right now but soon.

[ben312]

looking for any suggestions on brakes, subframe, control arms, shocks, springs, sway bars, or basicly anything i can throw on there

[dannyyisntt]

Billy sports and h&R springs

[ben312]

alright while im still pretty young (im only 17) and have only the basic knowelge of cars. my family is not into cars at all so im kinda lost about some stuff still. some of my buds are pretty smart about them but im more or less the dumb ass or the group. so forgive me now cause i will end up asking alot of stupid and easy questions, but im here to learn so thanks for any and all help anyone is willing to give.

[mattdk318i]

searching on these topics on this forum will return a wealth of information

[ben312]

yea i have already been doing quite a bit of reading up on most of this but right now im mostly just looking for some brands and such that anyone has had good expericens with. the problem with just going into the shocks and springs section or any other such section is that there is such a wealth of information that its hard to find the parts/tech that aim at what i want to do with the car.

[SamE30e]

Instead of the Quaife LSD. Pick up a 3.23 LSD or a 3.73LSD if you don't care for a bit of higher rev's or don't use the highway much.

It will make the world of difference and will most likely be cheaper.

[ben312]

well it will become a DD for a lil bit. and than once i get enough money the work can begin. it may stay as a part DD untill everything i want is done so the Quaife maybe better

[iwantspeed]

I would suggest you read up on the hp that wont be added when you add a cold air intake and an exhaust.

if your looking for more sound and a small increase in hp and all your maintenance is up to date then go for it.

I would recommend that you add 3.25lsd diff and a chip on an e that will wake up the car.
Before you start modifying the car, it would be wise to replace maintenance items first. Once your done with that then start with suspension first then move on to the brake system. You have to be able to stop quickly before you start modifying your car to accelerate quicker.

high performance calipers and drilled and slotted roters are not necesary
I would recommend
rebuilding your stock calipers
getting brembo blank rotors
and hawk pads
with some teflon coated braided stainless brake lines
ate blue fluid
and a new master cylinder
that will be more than enough brakes for you.

someone mentioned hr race bilsten sport shocks and i agree with them I like that setup.

Enjoy your e30 and mod carefully

[87e30]

too many suspension possibilities to list. Sounds like you're in no hurry. REad the suspension forum a lot and you'll begin to learn.

H&R race springs or Ground Control coilovers are what I'd recommend to you.

Paired with your choice of Koni's or Bilstiens for shocks.

[ben312]

yea all the up-keep work has already been done, the cold air is already to go im just waiting on the adapter to fit the intake boot.

[rThor432]

I remember when I bought my '87 eta for $1000 with a dead clutch. Sounds like you've got something similar there. Post up some pictures of the thing when you get a chance.

Some ideas/points for your "wish list"--

Quaifle lsd-- Your car might already have lsd, it came factory on a lot of cars. A factory lsd from a car in a parts yard would be a lot more cost effective, unless you have your heart set of the Quaife.

a short throw shifter-- OEM short shifters from M3's, Z3's, Z4's, etc can be had for $50-60 at the dealer. The Z3 M coupe shifter rocks. There's a whole thread about it though, so read up.

we are already putting on a cold air intake-- The factory system is a cold air intake system. Generally, removing the factory system and popping a cone filter on it will cost you power/efficiency, if anything.

"clear tail lights"-- Ebay has em. Wear a flame suit though.

new rotors (drilled and slotted)-- Those are good if you want the racey look, but not necessary at all. Brembo OEM blanks are excellent rotors. Slotted/drilled rotors usually just hurt pad life from what I've seen. 96% of customer track cars I work on use blank rotors without the slots/drilled holes.

high performance calipers-- E30 M3 calipers in the front will vastly improve your stopping capability.

and i want to redo anything to do with handeling at all.-- Change your rear shock top mounts out for Ground Control mounts or at least E46 M3 convertible mounts. Get rid of your toasted control arm bushings and replace them with '95 M3 bushings at least or Tree House Racing's eyeball arms if you want to spend a bit more.

My '87 eta was very well setup, for gas mileage, track use, street use, or whatever. I had about $1500 into it with the suspension gone through and some trick parts on it. Shop around and you can find some good deals. Good luck.

[ben312]

it already has slotted rotors on the front. i'll probly just end up matching the backs. and yea heart is set on nothing yet, was just throwing a few things out there. thanks for the good feedback tho

[JasonC]

If you put a cone filter on it. Make sure you have a heat shield too. Cause if not. The car will run slower then if it did with the stock air box. And welcome to the site. I too have a 87 eta. The only performance mods that i've done to it is a header and exhaust, CAI, and bypassed the throttle body coolent line. They helped alittle but nothing to really have a "wow!" factor to.

[ben312]

whats everyone's thoughts on running a pipe from the cold air to behind the grill?
my friend has done this and im not sure if is a cheap way to get out of a heat shield or if it'll end up sucking water. anyone know what im talking about? ever seen it done?