KyleB

awesome, there are a couple of us here that also have E30s. Below is mine, OEM M Technic kit (took some work to fit it to my '87), Alpina wheels, 2.9L stroker, etc. It's hard to fathom the car turned 30 years old this past December.



No threadjack intended, back to your regularly scheduled 5er programming

phenryiv1

What are the specs on your 2.9?

I have an SETA 2.7L bottom end with an "i" 885 head (rebuilt prior to assembly) and M50 injectors, but that is it. There is some chip in it but I don't know what- looking to get a properly-configured tune some time. The differences between the 2.5L and the 2.7L SETA bottom end are pretty noticeable- I can't imagine what a 2.9 is like.

I was going to install a different head (272 Schrick cam, port/polish) on my stock 2.5L bottom end but ended up doing the SETA 2.7i when a buddy's rally car got crunched about 1000 miles after building/installing the 2.7i SETA motor in it. We had it towed to my place and we pulled the motor and put it in my convertible and it has been a blast to drive. The only other significant mechanical things are a lightened single mass flywheel and a 3-clutch LSD (also scavenged from his destroyed rally car).

phenryiv1

The only bad thing about the bolsters is that BMW does not tend to put the best leather in their cars. My E30 seats had to be recovered, my E36 seats are in the process of being redone, and nearly every BMW I have owned, driven, or worked on has had leather issues at the 10-12 year mark. These E6x seats seem to be nicer than the E30//36 so maybe that won't happen, but the outer bolsters seem to give way fairly easily on these cars. My usual trick is to get a passenger seat and to swap the skins onto a driver's seat frame when that happens but this Auburn leather would be a LOT harder to find in a junkyard or online, if that happens. With the less aggressive bolsters these may have a tendency to be more resilient than sportier seats. I'd probably love to have them when driving but my guess is that the E61 won't see the types of cornering forces that I see in my E30 (and hopefully soon in the E36).

Those headrests are awesome, though. I wish that mine had that extra neck pad. Is that sewn in/on or is it attached to the headrest posts? If attached, is is a part of the back or the headrest?

KyleB

my car started life as a stock '87 325iS

stock M20 block bored to 86mm. 10.5:1 Wiseco forged pistons, stock 'i' rods, forged 524td crank. Top end is 885 head, Schrick 284/272 asymmetrical camshaft with Schrick valve springs and titanium valve retainers, M30 injectors. stock valves. also have a Metric Mechanic lightened flywheel, stock gearbox, rear diff was rebuilt and has a 3.91 ring and pinion set taken from an M6.

intake is the stock manifold with M30 AFM conversion (swapped over the board from the M20 AFM), custom made intake elbow. Manifold is BavAuto header, Y-pipe goes into a single 2.5 pipe with Magnaflow catalyst and Magnaflow 2.5 in/out muffler. I also have a small shot of NOS hooked up that I never, ever use

I didn't port the head when I built the motor. I drove my friends E30 with a hogged out Korman head and 288/288 cam, and the car was totally gutless until around 4000 RPM. I do want to take the head off to put an MLS head gasket on, when I do that I'll probably take a dremel and smooth out the intake ports just a touch.

Your E30 looks super nice, thanks for sharing

KyleB

they're integrated into the headrests. I believe those are actually the 'comfort' seats in OPs photo, I have them in my E60 as well. I'm pretty sure only the comfort seats have that extra padding built into the headrest.

phenryiv1

Not much exciting stuff for now but I did get the windows tinted.



Looks a little less like an old man's car now:









40% all around. Wanted the top strip but the tinter was uncomfortable doing the top strip until I looked into whether it might mess up some of the built in functions.

Alpine003

Very nice Wagon(my twin) OP and Nice Mtech2 Kyle. I miss my OEM Mtech Appearance package vert.Really any of my e30's. Got this one stored away for sunny days in the summer and is the only e30 left in my arsenal.

phenryiv1

Does anyone have a VIN for a vehicle with those seats so I can look in RealOEM and check it out?

phenryiv1

As much as I'd love to have an M3, I don't know that I want it to be a "kept" car. To own a car like that, I'd have to drive it. And I don't know if I'd want to risk damaging it.

Not that I would not like one but I think I'd rather (for practicality's sake) have an S5x-swapped late model coupe or even a DASC-equipped 318is. At least those I'd feel like I could drive without bleeding value with every mile.

Alpine003

Yes, I feel the same way NOW. Just give me a facelifted e30 318is with manual windows and slicktop with a LSX motor in it.

Glad I got to rack up the miles on her before values shot up though so I got my satisfaction out of it guilt free.