So long story short, I recently picked up my second E30 and am now trying to decide what to do with it. The price was right, so there’s some $ to throw at upkeep, maintenance and possible race prep. To start, here’s a few details.
This cut and pasted from the original CL ad.
[color=#ff0000][i]The car:
84 US market coupe
Lapisblau paint
rear bumper is in a bad way (falling off)
has rust, although fairly minimal in most problem areas
has dents and dings
good glass. 30% window tint.
under body is unbelievably solid. really solid.
body is better than 95% of E30s on the road in MN.
rusty battery boxes, fender lowers, tail light surrounds rear lic. plate lights, front nose panel. none of the areas are severe and most have ceased since application of POR15 two years ago.
Sealed beam headlights included
crappy wheels and tires included
front brake calipers are both reman units as of last year. pads were new then. all other brakes done in 2009.
brake rubber lines have some cracking in them, 30 year old stuff, happens.
the engine
1993 325iS engine, trans, DS
tack welded oil pump nut
ebay long tube headers
magnaflow 2.25" exhaust done by Tim’s custom exhaust
19# pink injectors, stock ECU w. lambda.
extra bung for a wideband is in the downpipe
M42 radiator
runs awesome. never been over heated
E28 M5 engine mounts
E34 oil pan
harness X connector spliced into the main E30 harness.
Tach, speedo, temp, fuel gauges work. MPG does not.
6,750rpm fuel cut.
oil changes A3 rated oil only every 4,500mls. leaks a tiny bit out of dipstick tube.
the transmission:
S5D 250G from the same E36.
no grinds, no leans, no noise. butter smooth.
Z3 1.9 Blunt Tech SSK installed. like butter, again.
E21 trans mounts
Interior: (don’t ask for pictures, I don’t have any)
there is a dash…
a super awesome (not) custom console with four switches for various functions
interior lights, cigarette lighter.
NO SEATS front or back
NO PARTITION BETWEEN CABIN AND TRUNK. steel has been cut out. just has a large opening to the trunk.
car made 172rwhp on the dyno and weighs 2350lbs or there about. It scoots!
Suspension:
Eibach front sway bar
Eibach prokit springs
Bilstein sport shocks and struts (all of this stuff is two years old, low mileage on it)
control arm ball joints are solid, however boots are torn.
strut housings were brand new BMW parts in 2010, as were inner and outer tie rods[/i].[/color]
So like most E30’s, there’s issues and this is where you guys come into play. I’m looking to repair and upgrade this car with a focus on track use and although I have 5 years of E30 racing under my belt, this is with Chump Car and Spec E30 rules and parts are just enough different where I figured I’d see what advice you have.
So it’s an M50/S5D 250G swapped car and obviously this is a major hurdle right off the bat with Spec rules. The good news is as part of a team that’s raced/damaged/fixed/crashed multiple E30’s over half a decade I have more access than most to parts (Blunt is a 10 min drive)/motors/tools/help. We have multiple M20’s sitting around in various states of disrepair so getting one going is certainly possible. I recently started working and my list of projects includes;
Replacing both front control arms with Lemfoerders (almost done, offset FCAB decision still to be made, but a Condor package is being looked at)
Replace front sway end links (was thinking Lemfoerder again although I’m sure there’s better race stuff out there)
Replace front upper strut mounts (need advice here as there’s lots of choices-OEM, OEM offset (crash mount), UUC front camber plate/shock mounts, Vorschlag Spec E30, Ireland Spec E30 camber plates)
Replacing all soft brake lines with ECS Stainless (fronts done, rears tonight)
Replaced all fluids (done)
Remove a really bad 2.93 open diff and replace with a 2.93 LSD with M Coupe diff cover (250G has a 1:1 5th, so a 2.93 scoots with the current M50. This diff cover could be swapped over to a 3.25/3.64/3.73/3.91/4.10/4.27 down the road). New 2.93 diff could have a race appropriate bushing (Condor) installed before it goes in or could be set aside for install in the correct M20 ratio diff later on.
Upgrade the rear sway (looks original)
Swap springs over to H & R Race
Possibly do a complete reinforcement kit before it all goes back together
Cage
Belts
Seat
Fire
Etc.
I know this is a lot of misc info, but some input about the best path to start down would be much appreciated before I make too many bad decisions. Thanks Guys (and hopefully Spec E30 racing Gals).
