E30 '90 325is

Some of you may have noticed my 540i trade to OutsideGroove for his 325is over in the classifieds. Well, we got the car home and have started tinkering. My 11 y/o son and I took a few days last week for road trip to VT to pick up the car. Road trip will now be an annual event for my son and I. He's great traveling companion, terrible navigator.

Plans will be to return it to factory-ish condition as a possible first car for my son in 4 years. First parts from Rockauto are showing up this morning. Control arm bushings and rear sway links are here. All 4 seat back brackets on the sport seats are broken and will be welded up today. Pics will follow as work transpires.

The trade.

On the road home.

Parts included in the deal are Koni struts, GR-2 shocks, BavAuto springs, rear shock tie bar, race shock bushings, 2 sets of basket weaves with snow/summer tires, new rear brakes, M skirts/flares, extra non-LSD rear end. And best of all it has a clear title.

Lemförder box says I need to find a German mechanic with coveralls and wrench to perform the suspension work though. Darn!

Good luck!

I notice the car is missing the front spoiler lip. My car was as well. It's available from Pelican Parts ($130ish + the clips) and needs to be painted (black bumper paint from FLAPS), but does make the front end look more finished. Be warned if you install lowering springs - that lip is easily scraped off...

I picked a lip up from Rockauto for about $70. I don't think it's an exact match but it'll do. I hope a lip from a early, non-IS car doesn't show up. I'll let you know what I find out.

Signed up for an autox on Saturday. I need to get to it.

Glad you made it back, Bruce. Did you ever talk to Spencer about the wheels?

Spencer turned me on to a BMWCCA autox this weekend 10 minutes from my house so we're gonna make the trade on Saturday. Thanks for hook up Jay.

Turns out the BavAuto springs and strut inserts are for a 318i. I knew this but my brain didn't put it together until I was looking at it last night. Strut inserts are Boge Turbo gas. Also have strut housings and complete non-vented front brakes with what look like new calipers. Anyone need 318 E30 parts?

Chrisjones = canoe

AngryCorvair wrote: Chrisjones = canoe

"He's dead, Jim"

VWguyBruce wrote: Spencer turned me on to a BMWCCA autox this weekend 10 minutes from my house so we're gonna make the trade on Saturday. Thanks for hook up Jay. Turns out the BavAuto springs and strut inserts are for a 318i. I knew this but my brain didn't put it together until I was looking at it last night. Strut inserts are Boge Turbo gas. Also have strut housings and complete non-vented front brakes with what look like new calipers. Anyone need 318 E30 parts?

you should ask SPencer about those too, haha...he has a 318is.

I was thinking about doing the Waldorf autocross, but I think that I'll be up in Rockville working on someone else's LeMons e30 to try to get it ready for Watkins Glen in like 2 weeks :)

If that falls out, I may come up to the dorf. But probably in the WRX :)

I'll be there. Stock E30 minus the KYB shocks, HD shock mounts and the shock bar. Hopefully that'll help it rotate some.

On a control arm bushing note, lubrication is key I found and removal of the corrosion on the tip of the control arm. If your tool bends it's too tight.

How'd you do? Tell me you beat Spencer, please :)

Nope, didn't beat him. My best was a 52.29 and I think he was around the 46 second range. He did have the suspension, tires, motor and I'm down one cylinder as well. I'll get there. Kevin is selling his Bilstein Sports and I'm very tempted to buy them.

I was surprised how well this car handled on what was more or less a factory suspension. Minus the GR-2 shocks and the tie bar in the rear it was stock. Once you get used to the body roll on these cars they handle pretty well. You've got to wait for it to plant then point and shoot. I can see the draw of the E30.

Video from autox.

http://s13.photobucket.com/user/VWguyBruce/media/1990%20325is/87594393-2086-4E27-B8CE-83EF8DFAFDC7-903-0000006D7101FA72_zps610ecfd6.mp4.html

This weeks goal will be to get all the injectors pulsing, oil changed and valves adjusted. Then start making tools for to change the rear wheel bearings.

Tuesday was a grand day at the junkyard. Every few years I hit it big and this was the day. The first E30 I checked had Bilsteins on it. I knew it was going to be a good day. I scored:

• Handful of switches, screw, bits, clips.

• Nice aftermarket arm rest with cup holder.

• An almost new factory cat back muffler with all the hangars and new hooks up to the cat. It was hanging by one hangar.

• Bilstein HDs with very tight control arms, housings, sensors, what appear to be HD shock bushings and newish strut/shock bearings.

$116 total.

I'm considering going back and grabbing the whole rear beam disc to disc. The whole thing looks pristine.

I think I'm going to give these 318 BavAuto springs a shot. I'm not finding anything else in my price range used and no one is buying these. The weight difference at the front seems to be 43 lbs. With the Bilsteins, handling may be acceptable. Must be better than cut springs.

are the springs for the early 318? I picked up an e30 for a budget autox, and the damn thing tends to grow on you. sadly, the four r615 tires cost me more than the car

VWguyBruce wrote: Nope, didn't beat him. My best was a 52.29 and I think he was around the 46 second range. He did have the suspension, tires, motor and I'm down one cylinder as well. I'll get there. Kevin is selling his Bilstein Sports and I'm very tempted to buy them. I was surprised how well this car handled on what was more or less a factory suspension. Minus the GR-2 shocks and the tie bar in the rear it was stock. Once you get used to the body roll on these cars they handle pretty well. You've got to wait for it to plant then point and shoot. I can see the draw of the E30. Video from autox. http://s13.photobucket.com/user/VWguyBruce/media/1990%20325is/87594393-2086-4E27-B8CE-83EF8DFAFDC7-903-0000006D7101FA72_zps610ecfd6.mp4.html This weeks goal will be to get all the injectors pulsing, oil changed and valves adjusted. Then start making tools for to change the rear wheel bearings.

Interesting, I've run a lot of events there but never seen them put the start up at the top.....nifty. Car looks good on course though....I can hear the cylinder miss though, haha...

Well, once it got warm here the miss went away. Just started running better for no good reason. Idles a bit high but otherwise doesn't stall and revs as it should. NOW, yesterday I filled it up at Costco and proceeded to shop for an hour or so and after the rain stopped it had gotten ridiculously warm rather quickly. I came out to an angry brown mess seeping from under the car and the pungent smell of fuel. After a very brief inspection, there appears to be a leak around the seam in the tank. I can see all kinds of rusty goodness up there. Now to find a tank. The first bite from a NE car. . Wondering if the problem has been fuel pressure?!?

When I head back to the junkyard to inquire about rear beam and I'll see about the tank while it's just hanging there. I seem to remember that Brandywine used to punch holes in their tanks to drain the fuel. Maybe they've changed their policy. We'll see. New tank prices are $227 shipped from everywhere now. Amazon will get it to me in 2 days.

The 318 springs are from an early car. I also have the strut housings.

So much water under the bridge since my last post. In fact, I actually forgot about starting a build thread but having one keeps my projects moving. May, June, and July of 2013 were full of finishing up our house in Maryland to sell and moving the household to the DFW area in Texas. So here's the update for those that don't know...

Shortly after my last trip to pull the Bilstein's from junkyard, I went back and pulled the entire rear beam and everything that was bolted to it. I also grabbed all of the heat shields as mine were corroded and the one over the muffler was gone. Started buying CondorSpeed bushings for the rear end swap and found some H&R Sport Springs on CL for $80(maybe $100, I forget), picked up a $15 strut brace and a free hood in silver that was much better than the one on the car. Move then took priority.

The earlier grab of the rear muffler section was a smart idea because the day before I was supposed to pack our household goods the muffler on the car blew out catastrophically and simultaneously the rear hanger on the beam rusted through. Easy fix.

Before the move I sold the extra set of basketweaves for $100 and the BavAuto springs for another $100 to the same guy. Car is starting to make me money but not for long

Car was shipped to Texas without issue and I started prepping it to be my daily driver. Idle got weird in the July heat, worked on idle, some vacuum lines, gas tank started to leak when I filled it all the way up, blower motor gave up and I wished like crazy the AC worked. Tried to get the AC charged and found a shop that had plenty of R-12 freon. System was holding pressure but then when they started to add the second can of freon, they got bent out of shape when the bottom of the dryer blew out because it was so corroded. Oops Their advice was take it to the scrapyard it was too rusty to work on. I told them they were a bunch of spoiled wusses. Silver hood seemed to be drawing attention from the local constabulary. Decided to get it wrapped.

Misfire came back shortly thereafter and changed out the injectors with some RockAuto clearance injectors. Had a blowout during the commute sometime toward the end of summer 2013 and bought some wheels and Falken tires from Discount Tire. Commute with the noisy right rear wheel bearing had been driving me crazy. When we swapped that out, another fuel leak developed near the fuel filter. Found this and replaced all the fuel line I could reach.

Taking a break from the reliability repairs, I spent an afternoon installing the springs and dampers. Used a double spring pad on the bottom of the rear springs and E46 or E90 dropped hats up front. Picked up a strut bar at some point for $15, the car came with a rear shock tie bar and solid rear shock mounts. Prepped for the BMWCCA autocross season for 2014, I hit their first event and ruptured the rear brake line. There was a fair amount of corrosion at the bend where the fuel lines and rear brake line bend up into the engine compartment. Limped it home with almost not brakes.

Thanks for reading, will post more later.

That is a great looking car.

Uncoiled wrote: That is a great looking car.

Thanks, from a distance!

Walking around the car I've realized there was more done to it than I remembered. Battery, stereo head unit, odometer gear repair, oil pan replacement, plugs, wires, power steering delete. Etc.

Old oil pan, patched by PPO, previous previous owner.

In the bottom of the pan you can see the bolt installed to help fill a void.

Thought I could get it welded but it was pretty soft and welding aluminum around here is as much as a new pan. Happened upon this sweet reinforced unit for $150 shipped.

Also picked up a Red46 skidplate. You'd be hard pressed to find a beefier E30 plate for better price.

I think that makes me up date but who knows.....

Here's the stuff to be installed once I get started tearing things apart.

More updates from the Christmas break process later.

I'm tired of ordering parts, I have all the rubber hoses on-hand.

Tell me the truth people, am I going to regret not installing stainless braided brake hoses while I have this thing apart?

Looks like you have a lot to keep you busy!

New OEM brake lines will be fine and probably last decades, especially in Texas. The SS lines give a tad more feel to the brakes, and are obviously a good idea for people like me who rallycross, but for street use you should be fine with rubber ones.

That said, SS ones are generally not much more expensive than new OEM lines anyhow.

I was also thinking it was kind of funny that at one point I had a black e30 with silver hood and now my hood is matte black with white diagonal striping as well ;)

Thanks man! Exactly the answer I needed. All in, I think I have less than $20 on the brake hoses. Every one of them was on clearance.

Yeah, there's a lot to do but it's much easier with the underside pulled out. I've been whittling away at it and it's coming along. Haven't had any serious broken hardware or roadblocks. Minus my dumb @$$ pulling the driveshaft apart by accident before I marked it. Will need to be balance.

The rear diff was the first piece off of the car but waiting on parts. I needed to arrest the rust on the shifter rear bushing bracket so decided to de-scale the diff and spray both at the same time. The diff probably lost a 1/8" total outside diameter and a couple pounds in weight due to the rust. Pictures speak for themselves.

This is the dustpan from the day I worked on the rear end and diff. Those big pieces are from the diff.

I found that a ballpeen hammer was the most effective at removing the soft scale and getting down to what was left of the solid case. After de-scaling tonight.

Biggest load in the dustpan so far.

Cleaned up and ready for rust treatment.

After 2 light coats of the Permatex Rust Treatment. First time using this stuff but I like the aerosol A LOT. Small pieces I sprayed already a nice shade of black. Will follow up with Rustoleum Rusty Metal Primer thinned down to really soak in.

Thanks for watching. More later.

Question of the day:

Should I put a coat if paint on the top of this new gas tank and spray some undercoating on the bottom? OR Leave it with the sweat shop paint job and just install it?