For those who think that it's impossible to find a rust-free E30 for less than $1000 in Michigan, I submit this:
Now, there are some issues. As you can see, it's several shades of blue, the paint that it has is peeling in many places, there are a few very minor surface rust spots, and the rubber trim is pretty dry-rotted. In addition, the interior is trashed, the driver's seat is a black sport in rough shape that's just sitting in there, the passenger's seat is the (likely) original tan sport with big holes in it, the back seat looks OK but is partially removed, and the carpet is all stained, nasty, and stinky. On the plus side, the dash isn't too bad, only one crack.
Oh yeah, and it doesn't run. Previous owner thinks it was the fuel pump (which is why the back seat is out), he says it's getting spark. I will begin diagnosis once I put a battery in it. So far all I've done is haul it home, powerwash the ever-loving crap out of it on the top, bottom, and under the hood, and push it into my barn. But it's a solid, rust-free 5-speed E30 coupe, so I think it was worth the $800 I paid for it. The underside is just beautiful. Maybe you Southerners see these all the time, but up here in the land of salt, they are quite rare. It was originally a California car, still has a sticker in the door jamb from some shop in San Diego. It's an eta car, and I don't know if it has an LSD (doubt it), I couldn't read the tag. It's an 85.
First priority is to get it running. Once I get a battery in there I can start to see what's what. I'm also going to basically gut the interior. Once I do that I'll see what can be fixed or cleaned, and what has to be replaced. I suspect a lot of it will be the latter. I will clean up the exterior trim, replace only what's necessary, and either take it to Maaco for a cheap paint job, or I might even give it a whirl myself. Plan is for the car to be a 60/40 street/track car. So it'll have a full interior and a radio and such, but also probably some kind of racing seats and a 4-point bar.
Suspension-wise, I'll probably keep it simple and do H&R sport springs and Bilsteins like everyone else does with these cars. I think probably every bushing will need to be replaced, and I need to hunt down an LSD for it. Brakes will get a simple refresh with good pads and fluid. It's good enough for the Spec E30 guys. I will probably go with some nice, cheap, light 15x7 wheels so that I can have a wide variety of cheap 205-15 tires to choose from.
Then there's the engine. I know, I know "LS1!!!!!". Sorry, no. Not in the budget, not within my capability, fabrication-wise. Right now the two leading contenders are the "2.7i" combo of eta crank and 325i heads and pistons, or an M50 swap. Both are well-documented and have been done plenty of times by plenty of people. On the outside edge of possibility is an S50/52, which would be just as easy as the M50, but much more $$$. But much more power, too. In any case, I won't be getting seriously into the motor stuff until fall at least.
So, this is to be more or less a full restoration project. My first. I've done engine swaps, minor bodywork, major suspension work, replaced entire braking systems, etc, but I don't have any real fabrication skills to speak of. My goal is to have the car more or less sorted and on the road by next spring. I'll record my progress in this thread. I welcome any and all comments, shots, advice, namecalling, or anything else you have to offer.
