E30 Zone

Hello all, I'm currently going through the decision making process of which e30 to buy and which will give me best value for money in terms of a conversion.
My target initially was to boost a 325i, was going to aim for approx 300bhp-350bhp. I want to do it on a budget as I have the ability to do all work from my own garage and this will be an ongoing project to keep me occupied. As I've been looking for the potential car I have come across some nice 320s and 318s which seem to be good value for money but obviously lack the potential under the bonnet. So my main question is if you were starting out what path would you take considering insurance costs in terms of vehicle and which engine would you chose to convert and boost? Thanks in advance.

buy the best shell you can find !

generally a low spec 318 shell will be in better condition than a 6 cyl one. the 6 pots weight pulls the shell seams open around the bulkhead area..

strip the glovebox, rear trim and door cards out, pull the carpet too, BEFORE you ££££££

colour and running gear unimportant TBH, ABS is the only thing to consider, if you want it, buy a car so specced, retrofit is a PITA

all the rest will bolt up no issue, given your HP target most tired OEM stuff will not be up to the task IMHO.

HTH

I was going to rebuild the engine,check for wear and tear, replace any potential problems and upgrade with the modified gasket and arp headbolts to help support the turbo setup. I've been searching the forum to try and find an average build price? Has anyone got a rough estimation to how much they have spent on a diy turbo setup including standalone management etc. Thanks