For sale is a 1989 BMW E30 4dr sedan, echanically built towards NASA SpecE30 racing rules, ith unfinished interior.
Full album of Photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/mmerritt/E30
I bought this car in 2009 with the goal of building a track car & eventually racing SpecE30. In the interim, ife has changed to the point where I've never had time to actually race. I've put less than 10 (yes, en) miles on it. I do have a clear title from the previous owner; I have not registered it as it was always intended only to be a track car (trailered to the track) and I have not driven it on the street other than taking it around the block once a month or so to keep it in good order. It can be registered if that matters to you.
Exterior: The car was silver (Lachssilber) but has been resprayed Alpine White II with clear. The paint/body work was done by a professional painter "on the side" and the goal was to make it "good enough" for a track car, ot a 100% show car paint job. It presents well, ut you can pick it apart if you look close enough. Much better than most E30s.
The bumpers F&R each have a crack or two but they're pretty decent.
Engine: Original & stock, ith a fresh timing belt, ater pump, oses & plugs. New fuel pump. It cranks immediately every time and idles like a BMW should. Clutch ran removed, sing the AC fan (electric) for cooling. Comes with a new fuel filter that you can install. Probably should have an oil change based on time, ot mileage.
Transmission: original & stock, hifts perfectly. Short shift kit installed, ew bushings & such, t's a dream to go through the gears. UUC red poly trans mount bushings.
Clutch: new OE clutch, aster & slave cyl & stainless lines
Diff/Rear: Swapped to 3.93 LSD, reland poly mounts, ubframe reinforced, oly RTABS; new (rebuilt) CV axles & rear wheel bearings
Suspension: SpecE30 kit from Turner; H&R Race springs, ilstein Sport shocks, T sways; new front control arms, UC front camber plates, &R reinforcements
Brakes: All 4 calipers rebuilt; new OE rotors (Brembo F, BR R), awk Blue pads F, awk HP+ pads R
Exhaust: Paul Poore SpecE30 exhaust; perfect for track, ou'll want a quieter muffler for street use (I have no clue about emissions testing, e don't have it in AL, on't know if it would pass or what is required)
Wheels/tires: Bimmerworld wheel studs installed. Tires are used "rollers" only; wheels are BBS knock-offs, n decent shape, ot SE30 compliant, can probably find the OE Bottlecaps if you want them
The car was worked on during summer 2010, at for a while, orked on in summer 2012, at a while, hen "finished" mechanically in summer 2014. It went to the shop for alignment in April 2014 then to paint/body in August 2014. After paint/body, had Stephen of Stephen's Garage in Birmingham, L (now Oxmoor Automotive), ne of the best E30 mechanics anywhere, o through the car. All he fixed were a leaking heater valve, epaired the power windows, nd corrected a minor installation error of the short shift kit. Since then it has been in my garage, ranked & driven around the block once a month or so.
Interior: Ready for you to finish to your requirements. Dash & doors intact, ower windows all work, EATS ARE INSTALLED FOR TEMPORARY USE ONLY. NO BELTS. The seats are cheap fiberglass eBay seats and I wouldn't recommend you use them. There's a set of expired harnesses in the trunk also.
The original interior was gray cloth and had been trashed by a previous owner's kids, ogs, r a wolverine attack.
+ Headliner is in pretty good shape.
+ All 4 power windows go fully up & down.
Issues:
Odometer doesn't appear to be working. Stopped at 226,934
Fuel gauge is sporadic, oose connection on sending unit. Easy to fix if it annoys you.
Car was originally from PA; there was some rust, nd we cut out and repaired it. Front floor pans, R fender, quarter (under battery) were main areas of concern that were repaired.
AC removed but heat/defrost work. Blower fan works on high only.
If you want a track car, uy some good race seats & harnesses and drop the car off at Kirk Racing here in Birmingham to have a cage fitted.
Or, f you want a street car, ind new carpet & seats and it will look awesome.
Mechanically, he car is ready to roll. To actually race in SpecE30, he air filter needs to be changed back to stock/OEM. I'd upgrade the motor mounts. Otherwise, othing has been modified outside the rule book (to the best of my knowledge). Obviously you need to add spec tires/wheels (I can probably find the stock Bottlecap wheels if that will help make a deal), nd build out your interior & safety equipment (seats/harnesses/cage/fire suppression/nets etc.). Bolt down the battery, ou may want to do a crank scraper, tc. The good news is, ou don't have to spend a lot of time & money UNDOING unnecessary work that does not comply with the SpecE30 rules, nd a whole dang lot of hard greasy work has been done for you, long with several thousand dollars in parts.
I can answer questions on the car; I can walk you around it via Facetime or Skype even. I've had an E30 or E36 (or multiple, nd other BMWs) at all times for the last decade. BMW CCA member. I've dabbled in autocross & track days in the past. I've owned this BMW the longest, ut driven it the least (almost none at all) -- ironically, t's the one I was building to be the car I always wanted, ut life has just changed. It's time to move on.
I don't know exactly how to value the car. I have around $8-10k in it as it sits, ot including any of our labor. I don't expect to get that back, ut I don't intend to give it away either. This is not a distress sale; I've procrastinated even listing it for almost a year. If the car appeals to you and you have a value in mind, et's talk; I'm reasonable. I'd like to find a buyer who sees value in the current state & potential of the car, nd willing to make a fair offer. I'd rather not waste time if you're going to have to get your wife/bank/dad to approve, nd I don't want to trade for an old leaky boat.
Detailed parts/build info follows:
4/30/2010 Pelican Parts $402
- Tie rods (outer), way bar end links, teering rack boots
- Oil filter (Mahle), uel filter
- Spark plugs (Bosche WR8LC+)
- Radiator, ater pump (Graf), ater hoses (all)
- Thermostat housing gasket
- Alternator belt
4/30/2010 BimmerWorld $850
- Brake rotors (4) (F: Brembo, : PBR)
- Brake pads (F: Hawk Blue, : Hawk HP+)
- Bimmerworld Wheel stud kit (black)
- Rear shock mounts
- Bimmerworld EVO stainless brake lines
- RedLine Gear Oil (Diff: 2qt 75W90, rans: 2qt MT-90)
- Ate Superblue Brake fluid (3L)
- Rear shock tower reenforcements
- E30 front subframe reenforcement kit
- Engine mounts & transmission mounts
4/30/2010 Turner Motorsport $1,198
- H&R Race springs (SpecE30)
- Bilstein Sport shocks (SpecE30)
- ST Sway bar set (22mm F, 9mm R)
- BMW Motorsport tow strap
- Sway bar end link reenforcement kit
5/1/2010 O'Reilly (Pulaski) $142
- Brake caliper (Rebuilt) Rear (2x) $41.07 ea
- CV shaft (Rebuilt) (1x) $50
5/6/2010 NAPA (Fairfield, L) - CV Axle shaft (new, ftermarket) $131
5/7/2010 O'Reilly (Pulaski) $96
- Brake caliper (Rebuilt) Front (2x) $36.95 ea
- Thermostat $13.75
5/12/2010 O'Reilly (Hueytown) $48
- Timing belt & tensioner
- Cam shaft seal
5/11/2010 FCP Groton - Front Left control arm (Meyle) $86
5/11/2010 UUC - Front camber plates/strut mount kit SPC72065 $306
5/13/2010 Ireland Engineering $179
- Poly diff mount
- Poly subframe mounts
- Poly RTABs
5/13/2010 Paul Poore - Spec E30 exhaust $281
6/4/2010 Pelican Parts $36
- Air filter, il filter
- Misc cooling system parts
- Front brake caliper bolts
12/16/2010 Vines - electric push fan & mount brackets $20
3/28/2011 UUC - Transmission mount urethane bushings - red bolt-through TM-RACE $53
4/7/2011 Pelican Parts $192
- Misc shifter/trans/clutch parts & fasteners
- Rear wheel bearing & misc parts
3/12/2012 Pelican Parts $71
- Clutch master cylinder
- Shifter ball cup bushings
- Oil filter
3/25/2012 Pelican Parts $25
- Clutch slave cylinder
4/12/2012 UUC $29
- Stainless steel clutch line
4/12/2012 Bavarian Auto $43
- Bolt/washer/nut x2 - rear subframe mounts
5/6/2012 Pelican Parts $62
- E-brake hardware kit (springs, tc.)
- Axle rebuild kit x3 (for CV boot clamps)
6/16/2012 O'reilly - Battery $126
7/12/2012 Vines - rear caliper guide pins $20
7/14/2012 O'reilly - front brake bleed screw $4
4/14/2014 Vines - Fuel pump Bosch $180
4/16/2014 Alignment - McKay Service $77
4/17/2014 Exhaust install - Gibson $20
8/9/2014 O'reilly - Battery (warranty exchange) $0
8/13/2014 O'reilly - Paint (Alpine White II) $281
9/1/2014 Mike H. - paint/body
9/8/2014 Tom Williams - new roundels front & rear $69.74
9/18/2014 Stephen's Garage/Oxmoor Auto - fix leaking heater valve, ower windows, ix short shifter $807