New guy with E30 in Madison
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Hi everyone,
Found this site searching the internet for project ideas and fixes for my new e30. Bought an admittedly big project, 1991 325ix 4dr stick sterling silver/red but couldn't stand to see it parted out or crushed so starting the journey this spring. It runs and drives interior is mostly good shape but has some structural issues (that four letter word RUST) that'll keep it sidelined until I address them when it's warmer out. Its not my first foray into e30s but its my first one on purpose. I learned to drive stick more then a few years back on a mid 80s 318is? Honestly all I really remember it was black, recaro seats, 2 drs, and the clutch was crap (not a good car to learn on AT ALL lol) but it was the most fun drive and I've regretted letting it get sold to this day. I'm building a list of items to fix and upgrade on the car while its in storage till spring my big item I'm researching right now is upgrading headlights (thats actually what I was looking for when I found this site through a member's post in r3vlimited) so anyone with insight/experience its definitely welcomed.
Thanks
ps always down to help out others on projects especially in the Madison area its how I learn best so whether its holding a flashlight or something more let me know.
fnf01
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ps always down to help out others on projects especially in the Madison area its how I learn best so whether its holding a flashlight or something more let me know.
Welcome!!
Where in the Madison area? I am in Cottage Grove / Sun Prairie on the east side of Madison. Flashlight holders and wrench turners are always welcome in my book!
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Welcome!!
Where in the Madison area? I am in Cottage Grove / Sun Prairie on the east side of Madison. Flashlight holders and wrench turners are always welcome in my book!
I'm on the west side Hilldale neighborhood near the Target. Let me know! Part search is off an running! Just picked up some sport seats from Chicago, will need to be recovered and looks like the mechanism refreshed/fixed and a roof rack from Minneapolis shortly. Let me me know always down to help and learn something!
PSA!! Will say loud and clear to anyone who asks DO NOT do business with a dude out of Detroit that runs "BMW Rescue"! First complete a$$ on the phone immediately, when he states phone only red flag one. Second posts conflicting prices on craigslist, his "site", and ebay and then gets quite upset when you tell him you'll pay the lowest one you see red flag two. Third he nukes a deal on sport seats (yes I was gonna drive 7hrs each way (never seen Detroit so two birds one stone) over $30 and then demands I not only pay the "discounted" price but also GIVE him my original comfort seats and he is keeping the headrests and three strikes your out. WTF. STAY AWAY!
Good news is I saved 8 hours and probably $200 bad news still haven't seen Detroit.
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I'm on the west side Hilldale neighborhood near the Target. Let me know! Part search is off an running! Just picked up some sport seats from Chicago, will need to be recovered and looks like the mechanism refreshed/fixed and a roof rack from Minneapolis shortly. Let me me know always down to help and learn something!
PSA!! Will say loud and clear to anyone who asks DO NOT do business with a dude out of Detroit that runs "BMW Rescue"! First complete a$$ on the phone immediately, when he states phone only red flag one. Second posts conflicting prices on craigslist, his "site", and ebay and then gets quite upset when you tell him you'll pay the lowest one you see red flag two. Third he nukes a deal on sport seats (yes I was gonna drive 7hrs each way (never seen Detroit so two birds one stone) over $30 and then demands I not only pay the "discounted" price but also GIVE him my original comfort seats and he is keeping the headrests and three strikes your out. WTF. STAY AWAY!
Good news is I saved 8 hours and probably $200 bad news still haven't seen Detroit.
Checked his site out. Appears to have stuff way overpriced. My prices are better then that.
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Welcome to the site. Always good to have another member with an e30!
Looks like BMW Rescue posts his stuff on the Detroit CL without prices, and on his website with high prices. Bad combination. Nice to see your addiction though that you're willing to make the long drive for e30 parts. You'll fit in here fine.
Second to YoungCR's recommendation for visiting the Ford Museum if you happen to ever make it to Detroit. Be sure to take the Rouge Factory tour. Fun to just spend time and watch the truck construction process, and the dance between automation and people. Afterwards you'll have this urge to buy an F-150 but it'll pass.
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welcome! excited to see another e30.
for your first lesson, the seats you refer to as "recaro" are in fact just "sports seats". Recaro neither manufactured or branded any seats in an e30 (except the uber rare and expensive e30 m3 Evo). the misnomer most likely exists because e21s had factory option Recaro seats which resemble the later e30 sport seats.
Dan
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Thanks everyone for the welcoming and suggestions when I make it to Detroit. Straight6pwr I've been reading that same sentiment about recaros and I fully believe it but the seats that were in the little black coupe that got away 100% said recaro in small little letters on back of seat (were your back rests) and I'm 95% that they also said it down low on the outside edge somewhere. Now were they oem to the car idk, where they even real recaros idk. But 100% the seats in the car said "recaro" were black cloth and were super f-ing comfortable lol.
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Thanks everyone for the welcoming and suggestions when I make it to Detroit. Straight6pwr I've been reading that same sentiment about recaros and I fully believe it but the seats that were in the little black coupe that got away 100% said recaro in small little letters on back of seat (were your back rests) and I'm 95% that they also said it down low on the outside edge somewhere. Now were they oem to the car idk, where they even real recaros idk. But 100% the seats in the car said "recaro" were black cloth and were super f-ing comfortable lol.
most likely aftermarket Recaros. i wouldnt qualify any of the e30 factory seats as comfortable!
Dan
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So just got back from a parts run to Michigan! Sadly still not Detroit, happily super stoked with the deal I got (major understatement) and the haul of goodies!
The list (all for E30 ix)
Full set of ix body kit(?) All 4 wheel well flares and both side skits, I know these pieces are NLA and figured at the price they were going I should scope them up incase something happened to the ones on my car
A complete black non ripped interior! Comfort seats, rear bench and back, all the seat belts, and all four door cards (this is the only damage one has a V shaped cut, and I believe drivers door pocket thing is cracked. I reeeeeaaalllly like the red interior in my car but its cool I could swap it all out for black and the seats would be perfect, but I'm not gonna do that. Question I might start a new thread on it but I'll research first I need to know if I can get the ix sliders off the comfort seats and swap with the sliders on the set of sports I picked up yesterday? The ix slider handle is bent and a little longer so it gets to more the middle of the seat and away from the tunnel in the car. I'm putting the sports in the car once I get them reupholstered and would like ix sliders on them while still keeping my comforts original as well (since I'm keeping them).
I even got all four doors! Windows, switches, locks, regulators, everything! Sadly the rust has really done a number on my drivers door and well I might not even bother trying to save it and might just paint and swap this one. Time will tell what I do but pretty stoked. Also grabbed a bunch of miscellaneous nobs and switches, windows, heated seats, heater, fan, etc. Was going to grab the OBC and the gauge cluster but not enough time and really didn't need it.
And finally if that wasn't enough I got a set of US Hella Ellipsoids!
Pumped!
But also need to chill now two bigger trips in two days to get parts haha.
ps Almost mad the guy was parting out a 89ix because all he wanted was the LSD to go in some honda civic, the car was on pallets, no drive train, everything but the little pieces and gauges gone from in the car and the hood trunk and doors off. He had been moving it around his place to quote hime "roughly" with the fork lift and was now done with it and going to scrap it. After making the deal for the big pieces I asked to take a look at what was left of the body and he says "if you brought a trailer I woulda just loaded this up and gave it to you"........I woulda brought a trailer
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the seat sliders are all the same, except the handles.
i bought a set of sport seats with crusty sliders and swapped over clean ones from comfort seats with success.
Dan
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Welcome,
I've got a 1991 iX also. Bought it crashed and cant figure out what to do with it. I just cant bring myself to part it out or sell it. Haha.
Im always in Madison and my shop is in Baraboo if you need help or want to help!
Thanks I might reach out for sure, this one definitely has some work that needs to be done but totally feel you couldn't let it get crushed or parted so just gonna roll up the sleeves and give it a go. (the one you got doesn't happen to be a black automatic does it?)
I also think I tried to buy this car... Was it email only? No phone number? He never emailed me back
Yep it was, originally thought the ad just never came down but finally got a response. Honestly it was one of the worst back and forth I've had, to get a phone number alone was ridiculous and then to try and reach him I might has well have been using a tin can and string. What should have been 2 day deal was 2 plus weeks after waiting 2 weeks for initial contact. I'm happy with what I got but I won't delude myself too much in how hard I tried to get this done and what I gave up.
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the seat sliders are all the same, except the handles.
i bought a set of sport seats with crusty sliders and swapped over clean ones from comfort seats with success.
If anyone else is wondering swapping rails on seats is completely doable. I did swap over IX rails to sport seats, I cleaned up some rust repainted and lubed and good to go. I also have taken that set of sports and got them fully functional which they where supposed to be when I bought them but how often is the ad every 100%
Been looking around for upholsters/kits in leather to redo just the sport seats. So far not terrible but also not real appealing prices especially compared to their full interior prices. Still 70% of the full price, which I mean the sports are a lot more work then a back seat but I'm still looking around. I'm pretty close to just trying a re-dying diy job on the original tan to go to red but with the wear they have its almost not really worth it. Also considering buying the leather and sewing it up myself, I was fairly involved in my other car's reupholstery job and I can work my way around a sewing machine.
If anyone can recommend an upholsterer or kit let me know!
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