My 89 325i
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OK so here is my car. I bought it in July 2011 from an enthusiast out of Tampa. He only had the car for a few months (he bought it from a guy out of Seattle who pretty much built up the car to what it is) and put it on the market when he bought an old E28 project of his that became available. The car started life in Alabama as a plain-jane 325i. But the gentleman from Seattle basically turned it into an 325is. It has 175k on the odometer and has original paint in the front. At some point in time the rear fenders and rockers were repainted.
The seats were re-upholstered with OE stitch pattern and the rest of the interior is original and like new. Aux VDO gauges were installed in the center cubbie. It has an Mtech1 steering wheel and I added a UUC weighted shift knob and Schroth 4 point harnesses to hold me in the seats on track days.
The motor is stock original but the previous owner had just replaced the rod bearings, oil pump, & oil shaft two months before I bought it. He also had the oil pan resealed and refinished the headers with new gaskets and heat shields. The only performance upgrades is a Turner Conforti chip and a Supersprint cat back exhaust.
A Z3 steering rack was put in as well as a MZ3 shifter with a short shift kit. Sachs clutch w/lightweight flywheel. The rear diff was built by Jim Blanton of Performance Gearing. It's a 3.73 diff with 40% lock-up. An MZ3 finned cover was also installed.
Suspension-wise it has new Bilsteins in the front, older Konis in the rear. H&R springs and Ireland sways. Also a racing dynamics strut brace.
The car came with Team Dynamics Motorsports (15x7) wheels with a new set of Yokohama Neovas. I use these for the track. For street driving I put another set of Yokos on a used set of 14" basketweaves I had lying around. I put a set of Hawk HP+ pads in the front for the track. But surprisingly they aren't too bad on the street when it comes to noise and performance. They are terrible in the wet if the brakes are cold. Rear brakes are stock.
Fluids I use Amsoil 20W-50 for the motor, RedLine for the trans and diff, ate Super Blue for the brakes.
Did I forget anything?
It's a sweet little ride for a daily driver and the occasional track day here and there. It wasn't the color I wanted (white) but it was the best E30 mechanically that I could find. I didn't have the energy to build up a car. I just wanted one where someone else donated the blood, sweat & tears.....and $$$.
I don't have any good pics of it. Let me know if you want any specific shots of it and I'll take em and post em up.
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I've never really had any issues with the rear breaking out at all. It's always stuck like glue for me even with a decent amount of weight removed from the rear. But I'm only an intermediate driver and I've never driven a stock E30 on track to compare. My old 73 2002 with a 2.4 Metric Mechanic Motor would lose the rear a bit mostly in turn 3.
I've never weighed the car. It's probably stock weight or maybe a bit more with some of the add-ons. Those 15" wheels are noticeably lighter than the stock wheels.
I was content with the stock HP but as my driving skills have improved, a little bit more power would be nice as long as the car doesn't get much heavier. It's a ton of fun to reel in the big horsepower cars with ease. But then when they point you by on a straight, they'll just gun it and I get outhorsepowered and I'll have caught up to them by the very next turn. I kind of enjoy the disadvantage because you really got to be perfect and sometimes get creative with your line to find a way around some of those guys. The lack of power has made me a better driver but I feel I'm ready for a power boost. But the car is too nice to go total Frankenstein on it yet. Although if I did grenade the motor I'd seriously consider an M50 swap. I don't think I or the rest of the car would be ready for an S50. I don't wanna get killed out there.
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I think that motor was rated around 180HP. It was a nice track car but wasn't very practical as my daily driver for 5 years. I like the E30 much more.
I've only driven Road America. I'll be doing Octoberfast again this year for sure. I'd like to do an event at another track like Blackhawk or Gingerman or something just for a new challenge. But money and time will be a factor if I can pull something like that off.
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