Slowly but Surely- 325iX, 325iS, and E30M3 resurrection

[blue91lx]

Originally Posted by DocWalt

That leather cleaned/shined up REAL nice

Thanks, man! I was pleased. I almost sold the wheel, I'm glad I saw the project through.

I'm trying to use this stay at home order to complete a few looming tasks that I've been putting off.

Started working on getting the Smilies sorted. I installed the good passenger side, finally found a good used H1 high beam for the drivers side in Germany, and painted the rings in SEM Trim Matte Black.

I still have yet to jump the relay so the low beams stay on with the high beams (never did it when I converted to ellipsoids the first time).

Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr
Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr




I wired up my VDO TR7412UB-OR head unit retaining the factory amp and whatnot. Works and sounds great....and finally no more wiring eyesore. I have a Cantaloupe BT 5908 that I was going to use, but decided to just toss this thing in since the wiring was destroyed from someone in the past.

Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr
Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr




My m20 engine harness didn't have a firewall grommet because Matt needed it for his 24v harness. I was never able to get a grommet over the plug for whatever reason, so I installed the harness from a lower mile parts car. No more worrying about rain driving.

Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr
Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr



And last but not least, my kidney has seen better days, and ECS (I know, I know) had ONE Sport Evo kidney (51132233001) on sale so I figured it was meant to be and bought that and some new clips! I need to repaint my euro grills and I'll be all set.

Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr



My plan is just to keep buttoning things up on the car so it's ready for the engine. I need to install the offset firewall plate for the steering shaft grommet for the Z3 rack conversion (mine is just shoved on there currently), and I have a really nice crack free dash I've been saving that I'd like to put in. I also have some matte black trim rings and am going to do red needles for an 80s Porsche cluster vibe that I'll get to when I do the dash, and need to install R134 O-Rings because I'll be installing AC back in the car with the new engine.

[blue91lx]

I've been putting this off long enough..... pulled the minty crack free dash from rusty parts iX today and installed it in Linda!

Nicey nice

Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr



And then I pulled the dash in Linda

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I took the opportunity to replace the expansion valve with an r134 unit and some fancy green orings

Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr
Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr




All done


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And for anyone who has done this job..... getting this back bolt back in is an accomplishment in and of itself. I am proud to say I succeeded

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Swapped my vin tag over to the new dash and gave it a fresh coat of 303

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And a nice before/after


Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr
Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr

[DocWalt]

Ooooo, so nice!

[blue91lx]

Originally Posted by DocWalt

Ooooo, so nice!

Thanks!! I'm certainly glad to have that behind me. My Pops and brother did the M3 dash back in PA, so now all of the E30s are crack-free!

[blue91lx]

I am happy with how this came out. European "smilie" headlights, european headlight grills, a new OEM "Evo" Kidney (has foam that seal to hood), and SEM Trim Black headlight trim rings. I still didn't paint the grills, but oh well.


Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr

[blue91lx]

I scooped up a time capsule '87 eS for a little project in the interim. It was headed for the grave, but I changed its course.

The gentleman I purchased it from bought in '90. He was torn up watching it leave! It needs brake/fuel lines as they are rusty. The car runs fine, though. I'm swapping in a spare subframe, trailing arms, brake lines, fuel lines, etc from a rust free parts car and will do a tune up and see where that gets me. I LOVE the pacific blue over white.

A thorough pressure wash and cautious scrub revealed a nice car underneath.

I also bought a $25 m20b25 from a nice guy outside Cincinnati. I've got a few spare 885s at this point, one of which I rebuilt already with a billet 272, new rockers and other parts. Given how long my stuff has been at the machine shop, I'm just going to toss a normal m20b25 back into Linda to enjoy and work out the ancillary systems, finish the exhaust fab, finish the r134 setup, hopefully get a MS2 setup dialed, etc etc. So when it comes time for whatever engine is done, I can just swap and tune, all while actually enjoying the car in the mean time.


Oh, and someone (KW) FINALLY started producing E30 M3 coilovers with manufactured spindles, so I don't have to cut up my insanely expensive ($1600ea) OEM strut housings. Needless to say, I preordered them as soon as I found out about them. https://www.bimmerworld.com/KW-Coilo...-102200DB.html



Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr
Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr
Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr
Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr

Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr
Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr

[blue91lx]

aaaand she gone

Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr

[DocWalt]

That was quick, lol

[blue91lx]

Originally Posted by DocWalt

That was quick, lol

I’ve been focusing more on lower value flips opposed to my normal “make everything mint and sell for a premium” to better fit the larger demographic of folks who have cash in hand they want to spend out here.

(The only way I could convince the lady to get a third parts car was if I promised to sell by the end of the weekend)

[PAdutch]

Originally Posted by blue91lx

I’ve been focusing more on lower value flips opposed to my normal “make everything mint and sell for a premium” to better fit the larger demographic of folks who have cash in hand they want to spend out here.

(The only way I could convince the lady to get a third parts car was if I promised to sell by the end of the weekend)

Ooo those ladies and the dirty looks. Don't they know our love for old, junnky cars cannot be denied. At this point I my wife is pretty accepting of purchasing parts cars just to get out of the house.

Those KWs look nice and the price is reasonable considering you get a spindle with it. The prices for E30 M3 cars and parts never ceases to amaze me.

[DocWalt]

Yeah... M3 specific pricing is insane.

Rad that your family is helping you out with such terrible jobs like replacing the dash!

[blue91lx]

Originally Posted by PAdutch

Ooo those ladies and the dirty looks. Don't they know our love for old, junnky cars cannot be denied. At this point I my wife is pretty accepting of purchasing parts cars just to get out of the house.

Those KWs look nice and the price is reasonable considering you get a spindle with it. The prices for E30 M3 cars and parts never ceases to amaze me.

she already knows when I bring a car up what is going to happen and immediately just says "no". Although I will say, it's not out of ill will- she is a good monitor of my stress level, and likes to look out because my answer is always, of course, more cars!

Originally Posted by DocWalt

Yeah... M3 specific pricing is insane.

Rad that your family is helping you out with such terrible jobs like replacing the dash!

The M3 KWs are a godsend to the market- it takes a lot of the pressure off trying to find these parts, especially the ones that BMW doesn't make. Plus, the only proper way to do 5 lug on an E30 without killing geometry, bump steer etc is by using E30 M3 parts.... and because of value spikes that has been made impossible.

I've been trying to find an M3 gauge cluster for my iS but they're all $2K (Link) now haha, it's just insanity.

It's just crazy because the M3 wasn't even that popular throughout it's life.... they traded hands for 10k for just about ever, until all of us young bucks finally got some money and started buying our poster cars.

They made few enough M3s that I do believe the values will at the very least be stable....... but the 911 hype...... everyone with money drove one of those cars.... there are too many for the insane value spike to live on long term, but I'm sure many will disagree.

The thing about the M3 that has me torn is that...... my iS is just a better car all around. The M3 is the same suspension/strut inserts/geometry, just 5 lug.

It's literally just an E30 with flares and a 4cyl that makes no torque. So if you talk to *most* M3 owners that have kept the s14, it's not that fun of a car. A $15K engine that makes 180hp. This is why I haven't really pushed to bring the car out here.

An S52/S54 (E36M/E46M) swap makes the car a lot of fun, but then it kills the value. So ultimately, it's just a poster car for most, or for folks that like clout/attention.

The "value" of the driving experience is not equal to that of what it's worth... it's not even close.

So it just has me thinking, before I dump a ton of money into it, if I should just let it go and put the $$ towards a car whose driving experience value = it's actual value, but will also rise in value (or just won't drop).

Like a clean E46M3, M Coupe Roadster, 997 Carrera S, 348, 355, etc.

[PAdutch]

It sure seems that the M3 is a car that gets restored an doesnt get driven very often. Sure seems like prices are still on the rise, if you can, it probably makes sense to hold onto it as an investment if nothing else.

If you want a driver get an iS and make what you want out of it.

[blue91lx]

Originally Posted by PAdutch

It sure seems that the M3 is a car that gets restored an doesnt get driven very often. Sure seems like prices are still on the rise, if you can, it probably makes sense to hold onto it as an investment if nothing else.

If you want a driver get an iS and make what you want out of it.

Yep, that's what my red iS build has been! I'm essentially building my ideal driver car.

You hit the other side of my consideration, which is to just keep it around and slowly fix it up as an investment. You're right, they don't seem to be going down in value, so to sell now would be pointless if it were just to buy another car.

[blue91lx]

After failing miserably to find a clean, stock STI Hatch replacement for the Fozz, the build is underway.

Pictured:



Whiteline Forester Swaybar Kit BSK003 (sways, bushings, mounts, HD enlinks)
KYB GR2 FXT Struts
Group N Front Upper Strut Mounts
Moog Rear Upper Strut Mounts (Group N was overpriced)
Pedders Front LCA Rear Bushings
Whiteline Front LCA Front Bushings
Moog HD Inner/Outer TRs


Not pictured:

Wiseco 8.9:1 100mm Pistons (K598M100AP)
New OEM 79mm STI Nitrate Coated Crank
Low Mile newer STI Turbo (forget what VF series it is)
Group N Engine Mounts
Forester Specific Swift Springs
100mm JE MLS Head Gaskets
Subaru Engine Gasket Kit
TGV Deletes


I'm going to do the suspension first, and when the E30 engine is in and running I'll pull this off the road to do the engine build!



Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr


I only had time to get the rear sway fitted today. What a world of a difference this alone made. The kit comes with some nice reinforcement plates for where the endlink mounts to the lateral arm. The links are HD and adjustable- I just adjusted them to stock length and set the bar in the middle position for now.

Hopefully tomorrow I'll get the time to do the front LCAs, ball joints, tie rods and sway. I made the mistake of ordering the springs from Vivid racing, and they're the only part that isn't here, with no tracking or ETA. Live and learn.

Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr

[rocknrace03]

Originally Posted by blue91lx

After failing miserably to find a clean, stock STI Hatch replacement for the Fozz

Ugh, sickening isn't it? I look all the time and I own a 2018... Fingers crossed for new hatch in 2021?

[PAdutch]

A rear sway bar is usually my first mod anymore. All the modern cars have alot of understeer built into them. A rear bar substantially improves that. Wish I woulda did it to our forester, that thing was pretty rolly poley.

Are you putting wide tires on that thing?

[blue91lx]

Originally Posted by rocknrace03

Ugh, sickening isn't it? I look all the time and I own a 2018... Fingers crossed for new hatch in 2021?

I hope so man.... I was so close to the perfect car and it sold in minutes. But there has legit only been one contender this whole time and I've been searching for years.

I've always said I'd never buy a new car, but if they released an STI hatch I would preorder one haha.

Good thing is, the nicer I keep the Fozz, the more it appears to go up in value seeing as it's a factory manual, Sports trim car.

Originally Posted by PAdutch

A rear sway bar is usually my first mod anymore. All the modern cars have alot of understeer built into them. A rear bar substantially improves that. Wish I woulda did it to our forester, that thing was pretty rolly poley.

Are you putting wide tires on that thing?

Man, you're not kidding. I don't even have the front bar on and it transformed the way the car rotates.

Regarding tires, I'm in a pickle. I would love to, but I've been scowering wheel threads at night for like 5 years now, and the only wheels I like on a subtle drop are the 08 Sports XT wheels which are only 7" wide. If I were going super low I'd rock RPF1s or NT03s, but since I'm only doing the Swift springs (because towing), the only wheels I truly think transform the car are those factory Sport wheels.

This will be my exact setup. I am likely going to run a slightly wider tire than I have on there now, but don't want to go too bulky.

My buddy works at a Subaru dealer here in Indy and gets me wholesale, so I have a set on order that'll be in 6/30/20.

Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr
Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr

[blue91lx]

For anyone who has done Subaru ball joints.... I'm sure you'll feel my pain in having to drill out the seized ball joint bolt in the spindle. I had to drill out the other side years ago and replaced with a nut and bolt. Now they're both done.

Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr
Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr


Front cradle support off, and a comparison of the bars.

Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr
Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr


And then I pulled apart my front axles to replace the boots (again), and found that the outer joints were both shot. I've had vibration issues with parts store axles in the past, so I ended up having to order a pair of OEM axles, which were quite painful.

Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr




And I was dragging my feet on pressing out the front rear LCA bushings, but got it done this evening. I have no good way to press out the front bushings that show zero wear, so I think I'm going to leave them alone. In hindsight, none of these bushings were bad, but per usual I order parts before fully assessing.

Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr
Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr
Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr

Oh, and after pressing in that first bushing, I measured a 0.3mm offset that I didn't catch initially, so my caster on one side will have to be adjusted. Luckily there is more than enough adjustment in the rear bushing slotted mount holes to get me to OEM spec.

[DocWalt]

That all looks like ****ty grunt work, lol