E30 325i Recommissioning
Discussion
I've had my half-heatedly track prepped E30 squirrelled away in a lockup for almost a decade now. It last saw the glare of an MOT tester in July 2009. In 2010 I took it off the road, with the intention of trailering it to track days. Bought a big 4x4 to do so and have done a grand total of one trackday since!
In the intervening years, the usual story that makes interesting cars end up in lockups happened (girl, wife, house, DIY, house2 etc).
Now I'm at a stage where I've got some free time and a bit of free cash to let this see the light of day again.
So, a bit about the car. I bought it as a pretty standard 325i, way back in 2005. From a chap who was going to track prep it, but was tempted away by a cheap Delta Integrale instead. £500 saw me take home a 325 with a cracked cylinder head but crucially only the tiniest bit of rust.
Had the head replaced, and set about stripping the interior with all the skill you'd expect from a 24 year old IT graduate. I cringe today at the current value of the parts I took to the tip then.
Straight off to its first trackday, a marshals freebie at Brands indy, stock standard minus the interior:
Anyhow, the waffle free summary is that I drove this poor thing as my daily drive for a few years, gradually doing bits and pices here and there to it.
As it stands now, its headlines are:
Standard M20 engine, with silly lumpy Scrhick cam, cheap knockoff tubular manifold and remap.
H&R Cup suspension, -60mm all round, full powerflex rebush.
4pot front calipers+ g60 disks, big brake ducts front and rear.
Stripped the interior but never got round to fitting a cage.
The plan now is to get it road legal again and just drive it for a bit and see what I think of it now. It's not going to need much to get it through an MOT I reckon.
I suspect I'll end up dialling it back a bit, and making it a more usable road car. Again, cringing at the £500+ of interior that went to the tip.
I'll use this thread to keep track of what happens to it in the next few months.
Today I had a spare afternoon off work, so I went across town to show the E30 some daylight for the first time in 14 months or so.
Put the battery back in, and it could barely make the boot light come on, let alone start the car. So I chucked some jumpleads on The F
ing Renault, and hooked up to the BMW. Flicked the code immobiliser on the BMW on, and spun the engine on the starter until the oil light went out. Code in and it fired right up as if I'd left it yesterday.
The clutch was a different matter. After some pumping of the pedal I managed to get the bite point at least 3mm off the floor, and lurched it out of the garage lest it gas me to death within the minute.
(the boot and back seat are full of wheels and tyres, hence the rather odd stance here; oh and a flat left rear tyre)
It settled down to a nice idle straight away. Well, as nice an idle as you get with a 288 degree cam in one of these.
Three of the tyres still had a good 20psi in them, back left was completely flat. They all look in decent enough condition for 10 year old tyres, and should see it through the MOT. A set of AD08R will go on soon after.
The engine seems OK. It'll need the cambelt doing, and a bunch of rubber bits replacing. The top hose and thermostat housing are looking a little the worse for wear.
The rust is worse than I'd hoped but better than I'd feared. Most of it is cosmetic and I can tidy it up myself. This on the back left corner is the worst externally.
There is a big patch up in the bulkhead, where the inner wing meets the screen scuttle and the footwell. It won't trouble an MOT but it needs fixing.
The most immediate concern after belts and hoses is stopping the passenger footwell filling with coolant the whole time. I remember something about the heater valve, maybe o-rings (or that might be P38 RangeRovers). Either way, I can see a day upside down in the footwell in the near future.
So, tyres pumped up, I cut short the Lumpy-Idle Appreciation Society meeting and shuffled it back into the garage just in case the fuel gauge showing empty was actually true as I didn't fancy having to push it back in.
Took the battery home to stick it on charge, although i vaguely remember it was a bit dodgy beforehand, so I fear it may be goosed completely now.
Next up, I have to decide whether to trailer it somewhere to get the belts done or just risk driving it to the MOT first. I suspect the former as it means I get to have a play around in a rented flatbed van.
Though I need to find somewhere Gloucestershire-ish with some E30 knowledge first.
Put the battery back in, and it could barely make the boot light come on, let alone start the car. So I chucked some jumpleads on The F
ing Renault, and hooked up to the BMW. Flicked the code immobiliser on the BMW on, and spun the engine on the starter until the oil light went out. Code in and it fired right up as if I'd left it yesterday.The clutch was a different matter. After some pumping of the pedal I managed to get the bite point at least 3mm off the floor, and lurched it out of the garage lest it gas me to death within the minute.
(the boot and back seat are full of wheels and tyres, hence the rather odd stance here; oh and a flat left rear tyre)
It settled down to a nice idle straight away. Well, as nice an idle as you get with a 288 degree cam in one of these.
Three of the tyres still had a good 20psi in them, back left was completely flat. They all look in decent enough condition for 10 year old tyres, and should see it through the MOT. A set of AD08R will go on soon after.
The engine seems OK. It'll need the cambelt doing, and a bunch of rubber bits replacing. The top hose and thermostat housing are looking a little the worse for wear.
The rust is worse than I'd hoped but better than I'd feared. Most of it is cosmetic and I can tidy it up myself. This on the back left corner is the worst externally.
There is a big patch up in the bulkhead, where the inner wing meets the screen scuttle and the footwell. It won't trouble an MOT but it needs fixing.
The most immediate concern after belts and hoses is stopping the passenger footwell filling with coolant the whole time. I remember something about the heater valve, maybe o-rings (or that might be P38 RangeRovers). Either way, I can see a day upside down in the footwell in the near future.
So, tyres pumped up, I cut short the Lumpy-Idle Appreciation Society meeting and shuffled it back into the garage just in case the fuel gauge showing empty was actually true as I didn't fancy having to push it back in.
Took the battery home to stick it on charge, although i vaguely remember it was a bit dodgy beforehand, so I fear it may be goosed completely now.
Next up, I have to decide whether to trailer it somewhere to get the belts done or just risk driving it to the MOT first. I suspect the former as it means I get to have a play around in a rented flatbed van.
Though I need to find somewhere Gloucestershire-ish with some E30 knowledge first.
Edited by agent006 on Tuesday 2nd July 16:38
Edited by agent006 on Tuesday 2nd July 16:39
helix402 said:
I think you need a new hose onto the fuel pressure regulator too.
Yes, the total is somewhere between that and "every rubber part fitted to the car". It's actually really interesting coming back to this car, with an extra decade of knowledge, and spotting things that I hadn't the first clue about before.
Nice, OP. Haven't seen a 325i on the roads in a while. Loved my '86 Schwartz 2 door, was handy enough to keep the oily bits in good working order but my welding skills never progressed beyond a week at college - combine that with it living outside in my tenure and various speed holes had appeared by the time I swapped it for something that wouldn't bankrupt me on an 80 mile daily round trip for work. I did give it back to my mate who I originally bought it from, 8 years before - who is still restoring it, 12 years later. At least it's indoors now.
You definitely have a good base to start from - was it a cat equipped model from the factory? A couple of friends also ran them at the same time as me, one a chrome bumper '87 and another a '90, we used to take the piss out of the '90 owner as the official specs said the cat model was 170bhp, not 171 of the original! As if one horse made the difference...
You definitely have a good base to start from - was it a cat equipped model from the factory? A couple of friends also ran them at the same time as me, one a chrome bumper '87 and another a '90, we used to take the piss out of the '90 owner as the official specs said the cat model was 170bhp, not 171 of the original! As if one horse made the difference...
anonymous said:
[redacted]
I would have been tempted to give it a go, but time is tight and now I can afford to pay someone to do it for me!Cheapstraightsix said:
Well done for not being tempted to sell it in the last decade!
I’ve got one of the heater valves you require doing bugger all in the garage send an email of its of use?
Pretty easy to swap out thankfully.
Not been tempted to sell, also it's been worth bugger all until very recently. Even then its value is in being a relatively rust free shell. Half arsed track cars aren't worth a great deal no matter what they started life as.I’ve got one of the heater valves you require doing bugger all in the garage send an email of its of use?
Pretty easy to swap out thankfully.
Thanks for the offer on the valve, fortunately (or not) I'm two minutes down the road from the huge new Costwold BMW dealer so I'll be troubling their wonderful parts desk regularly. Having owned an early 90s Audi before, and dealt with their woeful parts supply, I want to support BMW by buying new bits where I can.
Again, now I'm a proper grownup, I can afford to spend a bit more on this than when I first used it.
Having said that, I've set a £1,000 budget for getting it road legal, including tax and insurance; so to start with it's not going to be a lavish restoration.
Got a quote for transporting it across town to the garage now. Also got an estimate for the first round of service work, to be roughly:
Cambelt & waterpump
Fluids & filters service
Cooling system flush & new thermostat
Brake & Clutch fluid
Change master cylinder (very long pedal on the 4pot brakes, so swapping to a 750i MC).
For all that lot, plus an MOT plus whatever bits get spotted along the way, I'm hoping for change out of £1,000.
The tyres on it now will pass an MOT but despite being in quite good nick they're both 15 years old and fairly crap Toyos. I'm weighing up Uniroyal RS3 vs Yokohama AD08R at the moment, with the outside chance of Michelin PS3. Being on 15" wheels means the Uniroyals are under £40 each, and even the Yokohamas are under £80.
Hopefully will be on the road by the end of the month with any luck.
Cambelt & waterpump
Fluids & filters service
Cooling system flush & new thermostat
Brake & Clutch fluid
Change master cylinder (very long pedal on the 4pot brakes, so swapping to a 750i MC).
For all that lot, plus an MOT plus whatever bits get spotted along the way, I'm hoping for change out of £1,000.
The tyres on it now will pass an MOT but despite being in quite good nick they're both 15 years old and fairly crap Toyos. I'm weighing up Uniroyal RS3 vs Yokohama AD08R at the moment, with the outside chance of Michelin PS3. Being on 15" wheels means the Uniroyals are under £40 each, and even the Yokohamas are under £80.
Hopefully will be on the road by the end of the month with any luck.
agent006 said:
Having said that, I've set a £1,000 budget for getting it road legal, including tax and insurance; so to start with it's not going to be a lavish restoration.
I’m really curious to see how this goes, as I’m in the process of doing this exact thing with an e30 and tracking the progress on here. I was impressed with footman James for insurance, can’t offer any advice though as I’m very much in the camp of asking for help because of total lack of knowhow despite enthusiasm. Where are you doing your shopping for tyres, as you’re looking to fit AD08R’s and I wanted to do the same but couldnt find any in 15”.
Brilliant project and will follow with interest!!
I had a very good price off Footman James for the insurance too. I ran out of space on their modifications form though, so I'll have to ring them to actually get a proper price.
For the Tyres, I'll give my usual local independent place a call and see if they can get the AD08r for a decent price. If not then I'll order from Demon Tweeks and get Protyre to fit them. I'm not sure I can justify the extra cost over plain road tyres for the use this will get for the moment though. I'm not planning any track days for it yet. Camskill have got the Rainsport3 for £37.50 each which coming from a decade in modern cars seems utter madness, but I mustn't let the cheapness cloud actually buying a decent tyre.
EDIT: Although do bear in mind I run 195/50/15 which may not necessarily be a stock tyre size.
https://www.demon-tweeks.com/uk/yokohama-advan-neo...
For the Tyres, I'll give my usual local independent place a call and see if they can get the AD08r for a decent price. If not then I'll order from Demon Tweeks and get Protyre to fit them. I'm not sure I can justify the extra cost over plain road tyres for the use this will get for the moment though. I'm not planning any track days for it yet. Camskill have got the Rainsport3 for £37.50 each which coming from a decade in modern cars seems utter madness, but I mustn't let the cheapness cloud actually buying a decent tyre.
EDIT: Although do bear in mind I run 195/50/15 which may not necessarily be a stock tyre size.
https://www.demon-tweeks.com/uk/yokohama-advan-neo...
agent006 said:
I had a very good price off Footman James for the insurance too. I ran out of space on their modifications form though, so I'll have to ring them to actually get a proper price.
For the Tyres, I'll give my usual local independent place a call and see if they can get the AD08r for a decent price. If not then I'll order from Demon Tweeks and get Protyre to fit them. I'm not sure I can justify the extra cost over plain road tyres for the use this will get for the moment though. I'm not planning any track days for it yet. Camskill have got the Rainsport3 for £37.50 each which coming from a decade in modern cars seems utter madness, but I mustn't let the cheapness cloud actually buying a decent tyre.
EDIT: Although do bear in mind I run 195/50/15 which may not necessarily be a stock tyre size.
https://www.demon-tweeks.com/uk/yokohama-advan-neo...
The RS3s are bloody good tyres; certainly not cheap, but as you said, deffo a road tyre!For the Tyres, I'll give my usual local independent place a call and see if they can get the AD08r for a decent price. If not then I'll order from Demon Tweeks and get Protyre to fit them. I'm not sure I can justify the extra cost over plain road tyres for the use this will get for the moment though. I'm not planning any track days for it yet. Camskill have got the Rainsport3 for £37.50 each which coming from a decade in modern cars seems utter madness, but I mustn't let the cheapness cloud actually buying a decent tyre.
EDIT: Although do bear in mind I run 195/50/15 which may not necessarily be a stock tyre size.
https://www.demon-tweeks.com/uk/yokohama-advan-neo...
Vredestein Ultrac Vorti's are cracking tyres too; see if Camskill have them in your sizes
In my experience running older BMWs there are plenty of good providers for the big bits (starter motor, alternator, water pumps, pulleys and belts) that are reasonable value.
You'll feel good enough about 'supporting BMW' when you have to spend £200 on a small bag of plastic bits and some bolts as there's no aftermarket support for these bits!
You'll feel good enough about 'supporting BMW' when you have to spend £200 on a small bag of plastic bits and some bolts as there's no aftermarket support for these bits!
So, today was the day.
Transporter turned up as arranged, and we just about got the BMW onto it. It's pretty low, with a 60mm drop all round; and the exhaust centre section hangs down quite a bit too. With some planks and a bit of patience it went on OK. Fortunately the transporter bed has a cutout in the middle that exactly the width of the E30 front chassis rails.
Awaiting a verdict from the garage. It's definitely more than a day's work, which should neatly see off my £1,000 budget in one go. Not heard anything yet which I'm taking to be good news (!).
Having it out and about again reminds me just how bloody good it looks.
Transporter turned up as arranged, and we just about got the BMW onto it. It's pretty low, with a 60mm drop all round; and the exhaust centre section hangs down quite a bit too. With some planks and a bit of patience it went on OK. Fortunately the transporter bed has a cutout in the middle that exactly the width of the E30 front chassis rails.
Awaiting a verdict from the garage. It's definitely more than a day's work, which should neatly see off my £1,000 budget in one go. Not heard anything yet which I'm taking to be good news (!).
Having it out and about again reminds me just how bloody good it looks.
Spoke to them this morning. He said it still looks in good nick generally body wise and shouldn't have any problem with an MOT once they're done. It's having the cambelt done this morning, and should be ready tomorrow. I am fully expecting the initial £700 estimate to be over a grand 'plus the vat'.
Given how amazing it looks even in its sorry state, I can't say I'm that bothered about the cost at the moment.
Given how amazing it looks even in its sorry state, I can't say I'm that bothered about the cost at the moment.
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