The Story
Picked this one up in barely running condition back in 2019 from Syracuse, NY. At the time, it had a poorly done respray of the factory color (Royalblau Metallic). After getting it running, I immediately did an auto-to-manual swap and lowered it on Spec E30 suspension.
Shortly after purchase, I discovered it had minor floorboard rust. The dilemma was: pay someone to fix it or learn to do it myself. I bought an Eastwood 135 welder and taught myself how to cut and weld up the floors.
The rear tail panel got pushed in during a minor accident back in 2020. Thankfully the damage was strictly cosmetic. I had the tail panel replaced and the whole exterior professionally painted. In the process, I converted to plastic bumpers and added all new exterior trim.
I am currently prepping to be boosted by late 2023. As of May 2023, I have the car running on Megasquirt 2 Plug and Play. The engine is the 2.7L ""Super ETA"" Inline 6, exclusive to the 1988 model year and known for being dog sh*t slow. However it comes from the factory with the same 885 cylinder head found on the 325i, making head work a breeze. In my opinion, with a bit of head work, it's the best E30 engine for either an NA build or for boost!
*****SEPTEMBER 2023 UPDATE*****: Car is finally boosted! After 4 years of gathering and hoarding parts, the build was completed over the course of 2 months. The goal was to make no cuts to the chassis and factory wiring harness, which was done 99% successfully. Basically, this entire turbo build is completely reversible if ever necessary. Currently street tuned to 14 psi. so no numbers available yet. Working on perfecting the setup before tidying up the engine bay so please don't judge harshly. Build list has been updated with as much details as possible in order to potentially help others. For any questions, feel free to reach out to me on Instagram @s0uth.paw
