E30 320i (1988) - my first...

[kiruji]

I've hankered after an E30 for the last 20 years and now I've finally bought one...

A bit of background: when I first got into drifting around three years ago, I was looking for a 325iS but couldn't find one so bought a Nissan 200SX (S13) instead. I've since spent a lot of money on the S13 and love it, but it's off the road for an engine rebuild at the moment so I decided to spend a few hundred quid on something RWD and fun.

Obviously, my first thought was an E30, especially as another member of the Nissan SX Owners Club was selling one! So, I've bought it for a couple of months of slidey fun while my S13 is being built up into a proper beast.

The 320i is standard apart from some lowering springs and an induction kit. It's covered 128,000 miles but still feels quite tight, the gearbox is a bit sloppy but not as bad as I expected. The steering is quite vague at dead ahead but tightens up nicely in a corner, even if I haven't quite gotten used to the large steering wheel yet... It still pulls well too!

Here are pics of it taken by the seller:





















They're not the best pictures and don't clearly show the massively rusty driver's door, the ripped to shreds front seats or the rusted shut sunroof - not to mention the super-scored front brake disks!

The car was very pink along the drivers side, not so bad on the passengers - it looks like it's been resprayed at some point. I spent Saturday clay-barring and polishing with Poorboys. It brought back a lot of the colour and is a big improvement. I also used some gel stuff to bring the plastic trim back up to black from the nasty grey it had faded to. I also welded the diff to stop it spinning all of its power away through the inside wheel!

I'm going to replace the disks and pads. I'd like to replace the interior, the front door and get the sunroof working properly. I have a replacement panel but it won't open. Not sure what to do to it without damaging it yet! I could really do with replacing the bonnet too as it looks like it's been dropped onto something sitting on the engine - there's a big dent poking out right in the middle!

By the way, can anyone tell me what's missing from the front bumper? Obviously something should clip in there, but what - and does anyone have them?!

Then I'm going to sell the car when my S13 is ready - amazingly, in 48 hours of ownership, I've had three people offer me the money I paid for the car when I'm finished!

I love it - I wish I had room to start another project!

[Jon_Bmw]

A lower lip clips onto the valance, or you can get an "is" lip which is deeper at the two sides. "IS" lips go for about £50. Normal ones a tenner.

If you give people an idea of where you are located, someone close to you is likely to have one.

It looks like a nice starting point, but does a 320 have enough power to drift?(joke)

Jon

Fellow s13 enthusiast, guess you are on the SXOC?

[kiruji]

I'm in Telford

Is there something other than the lower lip missing? Should the two holes have grills or something in them?

The 320i will do a rolling burnout until the tyres pop but it's pretty tricky to drift it due to the low power - in the wet it'll be fine, in the dry it's nigh on impossible in anything other than 1st! It's also VERY different to the S13... It wallows a lot and has a nasty habit of snapping from oversteer to understeer very harshly. I'll get used to it though ;)

Any easy little tricks to up the power?!

And yep, I'm on the SXOC - I'm one of the West Mids reps... You might recognise my car if you're on the SXOC at all, an orange and white Sil80:

[Jon_Bmw]

Sorry yes i missed that bit totally, either fog lights or blanking plates. Fog lights are £45 for a kit usually, blanking plates a couple of quid. No brainer for a run about in the summer.

I'm not on there very often sadly, I use it mostly for scouring the parts for sale. Could do with some wheels to fit over s14 calipers as some pikey stole some of ours.

I like the Sil 80, very nice

[kiruji]

Thanks

I've added lower lip and blanking plates to my to-buy list!

[nwmlarge]

removing any rear based weight might help inducing oversteer quicker
although i'm sure thats like teaching me nan to suck eggs to you

[kiruji]

I don't want to strip this one out as I'm going to be selling it before long... In the wet it goes majorly sideways anyway with the welded diff - it's ace fun, I'm loving it at the moment, slow speed drifting is hilarious

[Pal318is]

Welcome to the Zone and also ownership of the badass E30

Sounds like your having fun with it already...good luck with your quest to make a little better!!

I have a lower lip if your interested too bud

Pal

[jay23]

i have a door same colour in good con, 07756138656,

[kiruji]

Thanks for the offers dudes, but I now have a lower lip, the missing blanking plates and another door ;)

[e30bmlover]

nice looking car my friend.........original, that what i like.