Newbie - Finally got an E30

[camshaft]

Hi guys, been around here for a while now. I already have an E36 325i vert in Boston Green, (some of you may have seen this at the Ace Cafe),and a Merc C200 Kompressor. Finally picked up an E30 325i 4dr on Saturday from the sales section on here.

Good lil motor, needs a bit of work tho.


I'm planning to convert this into a drift practise car, which anyone can jump into and blast around the circuit at Bovingdon Airfield next year. Not really fussed if it gets dented or breaks, since hopefully my potential sponsors will be able to take care of that side of things.

Being new to E30's, I'm after a bit of advice regarding suspension, brakes, bodykits, wheels, etc. I want to keep this as cheap as possible, but also make the car look good on the track.

The car doesn't have power steering, so can I upgrade this to make it a bit easier to drive? - I maybe able to get hold of an E36 M3 rack

Will need to get hold of some old rims for the part worns, and a set of road wheels - any ideas what size & style would look best on a 4dr?

Looking to change the bodykit, to give it a better look - any ideas would be helpful, again bear in mind the price.

Other thoughts I had are - Eibach lowering springs, halo headlights, clear indicators & crystal tail lights.

Cheers in advance for you help - BTW will be down Ace tonight.

Cameron

[dobbie82]

15" bbs for the track wheels oh and 15" bbs for the road too

[orangecurry]

I'm a bit confused
1) if you have an 'off' whilst racing, the first things that will be broken are bodykit and front/rear lights, so I wouldn't spend any money/effort there;
2) bodykit adds weight

I'd do the suspension for sure

...and Dobbie is spot-on; the 15" BBS is light and strong - perfect for everything; make sure it IS BBS and not a copy IMHO.

[cliffybabe]

loving the

[320Touring]

good work sir- get it stripped- great fun

[jonmsm]

If you want to make it a drfit car - first thing you want on there is a LSD.. or just weld the hell out of the current diff so its permenantl locked - that will make it very driftable... but also completely un-road usable. If you intend to use it on the road then go for th LSD route. Stick with no power steering, - less pwoer draw from the engine and makes the steering more predicatable (less to go wrong). BBS is a good plan, and some nice 15" ones will provide cheap part worns. Then spend money on roll cage, bucket seats and harnesses... if you crash drifting it could be messy - safety first. THen if you have any money left MAYBE consider the lights/body kit but that should be LAST on your agenda. If anything, look for brake upgrades, as well as maybe a bit more power once you have the cage/buckets sorted... oh yes and dont forget to strip the NUTS out of the car. When you start pulling the interior out you wont believe the amount of weight of padding and sound deadening in their!

Jon

[camshaft]

Cheers guys, and especially to Jon for the info. I was trying to buy a 535 like yours before I bought the E30 - but it didn't happen.

Ok the original plan for this car was to store it either on, or near the airfield. Then anyone who comes down to Bovingdon can have a go. However, with sponsors, this car will need to be taken to drift/bmw shows to get their names about. I have a few drivers who will help out doing this.

For this reason, I was thinking of blinging it up, and changing the bodykit, but fully understand it is likely to get damaged - emm will have to think about that. Although, one of the potential sponsors is a bodywork guy.

I can get hold of an LSD from a 325is for £150, but would need it fitted - costly? The LSD would then mean the car could be driven to shows rather than trailering. I don't have a trailer or tow hook either. Incidently which is better for drifting - welded or lSD?

Stripping her down sounds right - had planned to do that anyways One of the other sponsors is a performance tuner, so he should be boosting the engine power.

Roll cage - do you know where I can get one and have it fitted - I'm not that hands on with my cars.

Ok on the hunt now for some 15" BBS wheels - dirt cheap! Tyres to be provided by potential sponsor. Will need at least 10 - concrete surface at Bovi eats them!

Thanks again guys

[E30BM]

Put an M Tech 2 Kit on it & Set of 17" Azev A Rims on it & it will look Dark !