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I figured this car deserves its own thread.
One night in the summer of 2021 while perusing the local BMW facebook group, one of those ought after opportunities presented itself.
A one owner, low mileage, all original '88 325iS in manual. A no brainer.
There was lots of chatter but thankfully I was the first person that the seller deemed "serious" and it was meant to be.
Thankfully it was parked inside a garage for 20 years so it is rust free, a term that gets overused these days.
I wasted no time in getting it home, but sadly didn't have the room so something needed to go - thus the Pajero Evo lost its place :(
I sold the Evo off to the US, but am farrrr happier having a clean e30.
As the e30 hadn't been started in what must have been 18-20 years, I dropped the tank and started looking around.
I found a replacement that I cleaned up while also refreshing the lines.
I quickly sorted out the missing spoiler and trunk paint situation:
With the tank in and some very basic maintenance, it fired to life under its own steam, which at least meant it was mobile.
It was always intended to be a slow burner of a project, but was made even slower by a cross-country move.
Now in a place with more space, I started collecting parts for a complete mechanical overhaul and suspension/brake upgrade.
I needed (that means I'm justifying things) to convert it to 5x120 as all my wheels are that pattern for the other car, and the cost of a conversion is about that of a set of wheels & tires anyway.
I cut down a spare set of e30 spindles ready for some coilovers and a hub conversion:
Cleaned up a spare rear subframe and rear trialing arms:
Did the timing belt, water pump, thermostat, and all accessory belts:
Stripped and cleaned all removed, bolts, and fittings:
Converted the front spindles using the IRP kit. This is the second time I've used it and cannot fault it. The white car has seen a tough life and there has never been and issue.
The rear consisted of new e30 bearings with e46 325i brakes. All new handbrake hardware and an SRS Concept caliper adapter. Brand new OEM calipers too.
BC Racing DS Series with 10k front and 12k rear
Cleaning and assembly:
Then you need to make sure that you roll the arches on your one owner 140k km pristine car.
Finally, sitting back and admiring..
It was missing something, so I cut and bent a piece of aluminum to fill the front plate void. This took 10-15mins and I nailed it on the first try lol
..and just in case anyone is wondering what an Alpina front spoiler looks like with diving boards, the answer is it looks very good IMO
By the way, the interior is ridiculously clean too
Today I'm off to register it officially and start enjoying it on days where it isn't raining - meaning I'll probably drive it twice per year.
One night in the summer of 2021 while perusing the local BMW facebook group, one of those ought after opportunities presented itself.
A one owner, low mileage, all original '88 325iS in manual. A no brainer.
There was lots of chatter but thankfully I was the first person that the seller deemed "serious" and it was meant to be.
Thankfully it was parked inside a garage for 20 years so it is rust free, a term that gets overused these days.
I wasted no time in getting it home, but sadly didn't have the room so something needed to go - thus the Pajero Evo lost its place :(
I sold the Evo off to the US, but am farrrr happier having a clean e30.
As the e30 hadn't been started in what must have been 18-20 years, I dropped the tank and started looking around.
I found a replacement that I cleaned up while also refreshing the lines.
I quickly sorted out the missing spoiler and trunk paint situation:
With the tank in and some very basic maintenance, it fired to life under its own steam, which at least meant it was mobile.
It was always intended to be a slow burner of a project, but was made even slower by a cross-country move.
Now in a place with more space, I started collecting parts for a complete mechanical overhaul and suspension/brake upgrade.
I needed (that means I'm justifying things) to convert it to 5x120 as all my wheels are that pattern for the other car, and the cost of a conversion is about that of a set of wheels & tires anyway.
I cut down a spare set of e30 spindles ready for some coilovers and a hub conversion:
Cleaned up a spare rear subframe and rear trialing arms:
Did the timing belt, water pump, thermostat, and all accessory belts:
Stripped and cleaned all removed, bolts, and fittings:
Converted the front spindles using the IRP kit. This is the second time I've used it and cannot fault it. The white car has seen a tough life and there has never been and issue.
The rear consisted of new e30 bearings with e46 325i brakes. All new handbrake hardware and an SRS Concept caliper adapter. Brand new OEM calipers too.
BC Racing DS Series with 10k front and 12k rear
Cleaning and assembly:
Then you need to make sure that you roll the arches on your one owner 140k km pristine car.
Finally, sitting back and admiring..
It was missing something, so I cut and bent a piece of aluminum to fill the front plate void. This took 10-15mins and I nailed it on the first try lol
..and just in case anyone is wondering what an Alpina front spoiler looks like with diving boards, the answer is it looks very good IMO
By the way, the interior is ridiculously clean too
Today I'm off to register it officially and start enjoying it on days where it isn't raining - meaning I'll probably drive it twice per year.
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