So guys, we are nearing the end here. If you've followed me and this blog (which started with my second every entry on Steemit) you know what I been through with this built and that I was originally aiming for a final look of this sort:

What would it take to get there? Well the obvious and quite simple if pretty expensive measures are:

• 5 lug wheel hub conversion with brake upgrade front and rear
• source, refurbish if necessary and rubber the BMW/BBS RC090 8x17 3 piece wheels
• sand down and paint the 'is Lip' that's the small front spoiler that came with the sports package
• tint the rear windows
• install the black roof liner
• fix the entire paint job all around (has dents, scratches, dull patches, etc.)
• remove the exhaust system and wrap the headers and x-pipe and install a stainless steel muffler with appropriate pipe diameter
• move the battery to its original position (in the trunk)
• retrofit hydraulic power steering (with E36 steering gear)

Sound manageable? Sure is. I tend to think this can be done with 1 day removal, 1 day parts work and 1 day reassembly so 3 days ain't bad. Total cost? I have most parts so wheels, lug conversion, muffler and paintjob would big ticket items so round about 4K. Given the fact that I paid 1K for the body and the E30 prices are excalating right about now it would be well worth the investment even though it would still be a built - not a stock classic.

Now I'm not sure whether that matters to me in the end. I guess it's a question of wanting to keep this car forever or part ways at some point which is easier the more original it is. At this point throw some BMW wheels on it, replace the exhaust system with the stock one and throw a vintage BMW radio in and you got yourself a 100% authentic E30 - albeit with a very potent engine for a 320i but that is not visible from the outside.

So Quo Vadis E30?

The interior is pretty much final and all around nice with the grey soft cloth Recaro buckets and all black trim. I have power windows, central locking and all kinds of other shenanigans that I could retrofit. I would forever miss the AC because retrofitting that means stripping the interior completely and half the engine bay. Another thing I thought about is either installing a new black carpet or painting the current one to have an all black interior in conjunction with the factory black roofliner from my old 325i. Sound system upgrades can also be done easily on the E30 and with great effect. I even managed to source some of the factory sound system mirror tweeter assemblies.

Now when I set out to build this car keeping it forever and building a great base for what would become my perfect E30 was in fact the goal. That was more than 5 years ago. The work, obstacles and nerves/blood/money that went into it are surely a reason to seriously contemplate whether to carry on or not but shouldn't be weighed so heavily because that is a labor of love and it's one of those the journey is the goal things and I'll forever preserve that satisfaction once it was done. Then again, it was 90% done due to time/money/nerve constraints.

VIN 2043002 - That Sheet Metal

Now that ultimate M20 engine I built is one of the aspects of this car that are absolutely most valuable, rare and remarkable but therein actually lies one of my biggest concerns. Before I get into that though let me share some impressions of the other most remarkable aspects - the purely epic sheet metal condition of this particular E30. Without a doubt the number one concern in selecting and building old cars:

I mean good God! This is one of the best E30 2-doors in Europe just look at those rocker panels.

If you know anything about old cars, the power of corrosion and 80s BMWs in particular you will be salivating now and for good reason. It is the reason I bought this car even though at the time I had never even laid eyes on it, only my mechanic had told me "it is that good, no worries".

So with that out of the way what's the issue with the engine?

That Engine

Well, there isn't one and that's the thing. It is exactly what I built, a high output, high compression, fine tuned 2-valve, electronic fuel injection, high octane powered straight 6 that screams to high heavens. It outruns modern diesels with ease between idle and 3.000, challenges contemporary gasoline powered so called high performance sedans between 120km/h and 180km/h and outright puts to shame the 911s and M5s over 180km/h right up onto the top at around 240km/h. All that in a car that weighs less than 1200kg/2400lbs. It is quite thrilling, very loud but very composed and always controllable.

Matter of fact, every time you let the rear end lose the steering wheel naturally rotates into opposite lock. I've literally drifted hands-off and corrected purely with the throttle. Not sure if that's due to suspension geometry or the lack of power steering or the large wheels but it is everything an E30 should be.

The thing is there's not much smoothness left which is what I always loved about the E30. Sure the new cars are super smooth but they are smooth through electronically actuated throttle control, dynamic/electric power steering, tons of sound and heat insulation and a myriad of driving aids. An original 325i E30 is silky smooth just by its mechanical nature. There is no vibration at idle or when revving, the cabin doesn't heat up through the engine bay heat and the driving dynamic is nicely dialed with or without hydraulic power steering through a nicely tuned suspension which connects you to the road fully but retains a certain amount of subdued insulation.

All of that is what I loved about my 1987 325i which I bought in 2008 for 1200 bucks with a modest 192.000km on the clock. I now have a practically brand new car, all tear and wear parts are replaced, the engine is new, all insulation and damping is new and guess what? I ruined the BMW smoothness basically removing it completely.

Due to the 272 Schrick camshaft and sharper valve actuation the engine idles and revs somewhat rougher, not racecar rough but noticeably and far away from the stock silk. The headers because I didn't wrap them disseminate a lot of heat so that the cabin gets quite hot and in addition because I didn't install a resonator behind the cat (max performance and all) the M20 tends to sound raspy, metallic and not at all bassy and potent. Sure the engine is new, will probably last more than 300.000km and can be rev'd up down and sideways all day every day from -20 to +40 degrees and always simply demolish anything you throw at it but the general driving experience is just that tad away from comfortably pleasant. It doesn't feel like it performs with ease, it simply explodes and screams.

At the end of the day I completely missed what actually attracts me to the E30 and BMWs in general in the first place - that smooth, effortless and powerful drivetrain. Now you might say "just insulate the headers, modify the back end of the exhaust system with a resonator and new muffler or even throw in the stock system and be done with it" - maybe so but I'm thinking the overall concept just doesn't work for me after all.

I almost miss the lack of torque that the original 2.5 M20 had because it made the fireworks at the top all the more exciting. The stock M20 featured a 260 degree camshaft - this has a 272, Alpina used a 268 in the B3 2.7. Most people who built M20s say things like "the engine isn't right until the lights in the instrument cluster start to flicker" indicating a desired rough idle with cams like a 284/272 or even 298 etc. - that just isn't my thing.

Having 17" wheels on this car doesn't help it come across as smooth or effortless but it needs to be said the grip levels, acceleration and stopping performance are out of this world for an M20 non-M E30.

Should I stay or should I go?

Now, I can hear you thinking "duuuuude you put all this effort in, have a perfect engine and body and you ask for is some toning it down so just do it and ride the happy wave". Part of me is thinking the same.

A few more or less simple modifications could be:

• stock wheels in 15" or 16"
• a new 260 degree stock cam
• either modify the exhaust or replace it with a stock one
• add insulation

Still would have to fix the remaining issues I never got around to which is part of the reason I'm not sure I want to spend any more time on it:

• doors need to be completely stripped to install central locking, replace window sealings, replace windows, potentially power window actuators, put in 325i door cable assembly
• new door sealings left/right
• hookup/fix electrical components like lightning for glove compartment, trunk, interior, speakers
• paint needs to be fixed all around
• roof liner installation which includes removal of all windows

After all of that it would still be a modified 320i but who cares it'd be a very solid and (hopefully) smooth high output 80s sports sedan - the essence of the E30 so to speak.

Then again, it's been 10 years with the 325i initially, then that car with a low compression 2.7 engine, then that car with the new engine and then the new body with the engine and tech out of the 325i. In addition, I've had a 316i bought in '02, a 318i M10 with chrome bumpers bought in '05 and then the 325i in '08. I might just be over the E30 for now.

I drive a lot of long distance nowadays and that requires relaxed high speed runs - something which runs counter to even the most refined E30. Anything above 160km/h is simply loud and I don't have the time or opportunity to only enjoy the country roads. I suppose I could just park it for now and think on it some more but something is telling me to part ways at this point.

Maybe find another base some time soon and then incorporate all the lessons learned from this one. On the contrary, getting rid of this engine and body would be painful and probably a losing proposition over the long run even if profitable for now. All I know is at the moment and probably for the rest of the year I won't have the time or money (maybe even lacking the nerve) to do whatever I laid out above to the car. It's been quite the run and I reached my goal which was to build it and have it technically and mechanically running perfectly with a registered plate on it.

Is the Journey the Goal?

I've lately asked myself this question, probably many people do after a long project whatever their vice. I never understood those people who built a car and immediately upon finishing it putting it up for sale. It's slowly dawning on me what they're on about. In the end this should be about fun and passion. So fixing what I built into a state that I actually want at this point almost seems like more work and even less fun - the financial aspect aside. My mechanic always tells me he gets this idea now and then and then 6 months after selling it he buys another one. To be honest, I believe that but I think I want to go through it rather than keeping this car.

At some point finishing the project took a toll on the balance of why I built it in the first place and what investment (financial but more importantly time and effort) would be worthwhile to finish it and the balance tipped towards finishing whatever the cost regardless of compromises made. These compromises now lead to a situation where I would have to disassemble half the car (again) to bring it to a point where I think I want to have it. More work, more journey, less fun, less driving. I feel I have to say Goodbye for now.

What do you guys out there think? Let me know in the comments.

Hope you enjoyed my reflecting and ranting on about the ins and outs of custom builts. If you have any questions let me know.

For the gearheads out there, here are the engine details:

Engine was in storage for close to 2 years. Ran like a charm from the get go except a hung up fuel pump that tried to get in the way.

Headers from Friedrich Motorsport

Engine details:

ALPINA Bosch Motronic (B3 2.7 map)
SCHRICK 272deg cam
SCHRICK valves
SCHRICK valve springs
BMW valve seats
IRELAND ENGINEERING Rocker Arms
BMW Rocker Arm Shafts
IRELAND ENGINEERING Adj Cam Wheel
M20B25 Head (cleaned, leveled -0.2mm, new valve stems)
M20B27 Block (129hp) (cleaned, leveled -2.0mm, new everything)
BMW M20B27 Crankshaft (newly balanced, new bearings)
M20B25 Pistons (version with narrow piston skirt)
M20B25 Piston Rods (new bearings)
GOETZE Piston Rings
M20B25 Intake and Throttle Body (new sealings)
NGK ZGR5A Plugs
LIQUI MOLY 15W40
324td large radiator (desert version)
M20B25 fuel injection with new pump
All relays new
All filters new
Friedrich Motorsport stainless steel headers
Friedrich Motorsport X-Pipe
200 cell metal ceramic cat
Standard M20B25 muffler
3.73S 25% locking differential
Head and Block sealed entirely with VICTOR REINZ

Engine has 6.000 mls.

Steem on!