1991 325i Cabrio - Schwrzy

[Mike36]

Vert is looking great!
What size tires do you have on your 16x9s? I'm having problem finding my current size 225/40s.

Thank you sir!

I already had 205/50/16 but I'll go 215/45/16 when it's time to replace them.

[Mike36]

Long due update.

I've been happily enjoying my car this summer, it was a bit easier to drive now that I have A/C. Here are some pics from one of the Angeles Crest drives.







Random parking pic.



It's funny how things work out sometimes. Awhile back I had told someone that I planned on getting my 5 speed swap done sometime in October/November, didn't really think it'll happen. I was getting discouraged after searching Craigslist and Offerup. There seemed to be lots of different parts available here and there but I couldn't really find what I was looking for. I wanted a late model swap with airbag pedals in relatively good shape without breaking the bank. Seems like e30 prices are steadily increasing and good parts get snatched pretty quick. One day I happened to take a small detour on my way home from work and noticed a green e30 convertible with a parking ticket on it. I remember seeing it a few times on my way home but never made anything of it. After seeing the parking ticket, it occurred to me that this may be one of those cars that gets moved back and forth due to street cleaning but doesn't get driven. The next day I decided to leave a note asking if it was for sale and long story short, I ended up with a 1993 e30 5 speed convertible.







Honestly, it was a nice car and I'm a bit bummed that I parted it out considering it was a 1993 late model e30, it ran great and shifted even better. I almost considered swapping everything over from my black car and calling it a day but it had to many issues that I didn't want to deal with. First and foremost, the interior was literally an ash tray, the new top and seats smelled of cigarettes. The front and rear had body damage and the driver side quarter panel had been repainted. I was able to slowly strip it and make my money back including having the 5 speed swap parts pulled in exchange for the motor. I was mostly interested in making my money back and getting a free 5 swap in exchange.

Fast forward to today, this is how my car currently sits thanks to E30330I:







I'm replacing all the maintenance parts, even the recently replaced clutch. Do it once, do it right.


Along the way, I've picked up some random parts that I think are cool. They may or may not go on the car. The steering wheel is a spot on match so I may rock that for a bit. I'll be to paranoid about getting it dirty so it may just become a wall ornament until it's time to get sold. The gauges were a random purchase on eBay, haven't decided what to do with those either but I got them for cheap. The ///M Momo button and oem ///M shift knob cover are definitely going on though.















Oh and I finally solved my brake light issue by bypassing the 3rd brake light!

[2mAn]

Awesome update! Is your rear end a 4.10? LSD or open? What was in the parts car?

How long did it take Ian to do the swap?

[Mike36]

The green car came with an open 3.73 :( I’m still going to swap it in until I find a LSD. I thought about keeping the 4.10 but that’s also open.

Well I dropped the car off Friday morning but he wasnt able to start until Sunday. He ran into a small issue removing the auto transmission but he had it out the next day. I told him to take his time because he did me a solid by keeping the green shell at his place until I get the title sorted out. So far so good, the last thing that needs to be swapped is the differential and for him to put back the exhaust. I’m thinking he’ll have it done by Sunday, so one week total.

[Jokester]

Update?

[Mike36]

Time for my biannual update.

So the last two years of ownership have been pretty smooth considering the car is 28 years old now. Maintenance and upgrades have been pretty straight forward with a few hiccups here and there but everything has always worked out.

Earlier this year, I had a relative bump into the rear of the car and crack the rear bumper. I had and extra cracked rear bumper so I cut a piece of it and matched the shape to what was missing on my old bumper. I then used black vinyl to join the piece onto the bumper, It actually came out pretty good.

Then a month later, someone then backed into my front bumper and caused the same damage.








Fortunately, 2_man referred me to R3V member Jokester and I bought a set of clean bumpers from him at a good price.






This was me fitting an Ebay special Mtech 2 front valance before installing the new front bumper. I'm sure this wont last long but we'll see. I'll post reviews once its painted and installed.






And after the front was all cleaned up. I think its time for cleaner high beam housings.






While dealing with the whole bumper situation, my power steering rack decided to take a poop. I went ahead replaced it with a used rebuilt ZF unit but that one unfortunately took a poop on me after about three months.
I'll just drive around without power steering for the time being I guess.










I was able to snag a 3.73 Diff from Jokester before the prices started shooting up. Local CL and offerup ads are listing them for $500, thats crazy! This will most likely be installed by the next update.










I decided to use a free afternoon to clean my ICV. Idle felt a little smoother but nothing else. It definitely was dirty on the inside, at least I have the peace of mind that it's clean now.






I did manage to go down to Bimmerfest this year. It was pretty much the same as previous years, good times. Here's the one photo I took.




I finally took the time to replace my power antenna with the 318ti/Z4 shorty mast upgrade. The install was straight forward but I unfortunately get static if I'm listing to AM radio with the headlights on. Anyone have a fix of this?







Lastly, I've had a set of disassembled HRE 525 wheels for about 7 years now. I finally got all the pieces together so I could refinish them and go down to the HRE Open House. If you haven't been, you should definitely go.
I'm kind of a wheel whore so that place was kinda like a big toy store for me. Here's a step by step process of me refinishing the wheels. I mounted them them by using 4x100 to 5x120 adapters, fitted with 205/45/17, 17x8 ET16 after 18mm adapters for those wondering.




































Till next time fellas.

[2mAn]

Very cool, the wheels came out great!

[mike.bmw]

Great job on the wheels! Do you put clear coat over them after or will they stay looking that good with regular cleaning?

[DREWHALL]

Car looks great! Sorry if I missed this, are you still on the race springs? Drop hats in the front or anything special? Thats where I want mine to sit and keep going back and forth on coils vs the quick swap of springs/shocks.