BMW 325i 1989 restoration

[MrFinland]

For a long time a little update.
We had to build an extra garage for Chevy where we can store it for the winters. At the same time, we built more storage space.

I haven’t had time to do anything for BMW in about seven months because all the time went into the garage expansion. My hands were also so painful that I had to heal them.

[MrFinland]

Yesterday I went to the garage a bit to continue welding BMW for a long time.

[MrFinland]

Originally Posted by Russell Ashley

Still following along. You are doing nice work. We don't have snow here so it was never driven in salt, so I never had to contend with any rust thankfully. My BMW was a 528E, I'm not sure if that was a E30 model as I never heard it referred to by that number. Keep up the good work.

Thank you so much Russell Ashley! That your BMW 528E has probably been an E28 model. It's a great car!

[MrFinland]

A few weeks ago I bought another BMW E30 -90. This is 318is (16 valves) and it has been standing for about 5 years. Here is also the original sport interior and sunroof. The engine is a bit tuned and has 162 hp. I’m supposed to make this look completely original from the outside.

[MrFinland]

It’s been a long time since I last posted anything here. Restoring my own BMW 325i stopped for about a year when I restored my wife’s BMW 318 iS car. Here are some project images from the 318 iS.

[MrFinland]

More BMW 318iS project pictures...

[MrFinland]

More BMW 318iS project pictures...

[MrFinland]

More BMW 318iS project pictures...

[MrFinland]

More BMW 318iS project pictures...

[MrFinland]

More BMW 318iS pictures...

[LEEVON]

You sir have some great fab skills! Nice transformation!

[LS short box]

Nice work.
I took the easy way out adding power to my 99 E-36. I swapped in a LS/T56 combo. It was a great project.

[LT7A]

Mr. Finland! Good to see you back Ilkka! You did a nice job on your garage addition. Glad to see you get started on your next car. I wonder about the story though. Did your wife see it and like it so much that she wanted one? And because you are a smart man, you built hers first? Haha. There is a 318is in my neighborhood that has been sitting since 2007. I have stopped by and let my neighbor know that if they want to free up their driveway, that I would be happy to help them by buying that car. It is black like yours, but just the 318 sport. I will be following along and glad to see that you can get back to your 325e. I really like your plan of putting a longer crankshaft in there. And with those forged pistons you should be able to run a high compression ratio. I like turbo cars, but large displacement naturally aspirated ones have instantaneous power which is also fun. Welcome back. I hope that you and your family have been doing okay with this worldwide crazy pandemic.

[MrFinland]

Originally Posted by LEEVON

You sir have some great fab skills! Nice transformation!

Thank you very much LEEVON! I’m just trying to do my best and I hope that’s enough.

[MrFinland]

Originally Posted by LS short box

Nice work.
I took the easy way out adding power to my 99 E-36. I swapped in a LS/T56 combo. It was a great project.

Thank you very much LS short box!
Wow! Great BMW E36 for you! Was it hard to get the LS engine to fit? How much horsepower and torque is there? I have also had several E36 body styles and those are good to drive, especially the coupe was really good and stable to drive on the track.

[MrFinland]

Originally Posted by LT7A

Mr. Finland! Good to see you back Ilkka! You did a nice job on your garage addition. Glad to see you get started on your next car. I wonder about the story though. Did your wife see it and like it so much that she wanted one? And because you are a smart man, you built hers first? Haha. There is a 318is in my neighborhood that has been sitting since 2007. I have stopped by and let my neighbor know that if they want to free up their driveway, that I would be happy to help them by buying that car. It is black like yours, but just the 318 sport. I will be following along and glad to see that you can get back to your 325e. I really like your plan of putting a longer crankshaft in there. And with those forged pistons you should be able to run a high compression ratio. I like turbo cars, but large displacement naturally aspirated ones have instantaneous power which is also fun. Welcome back. I hope that you and your family have been doing okay with this worldwide crazy pandemic.

Thank you very much LT7A! Nice to hear from you for a long time too.
As for my wife’s car, I said she wants and needs a summer car. HAHA! Otherwise I would have had to sell it, but I didn’t want to sell it because it’s a pretty rare original 318iS with a 16-valve engine.
Does your neighbor's BMW also have the same body style as our E30? You have to buy it so you can enjoy a little fun BMW. Is it 8- or 16-valve?
I have started restarting my 325i and will upload more project pictures of it here one day. I had a dream to get the engine in place this summer and get to try a new engine, but I don’t have any time to get the chassis and engine bay ready by then. I also like the turbo engine but I want this 325i to look original but still more powerful than standard. Here in Finland, a lot of turbo engines are also built for these and that is why I want to do a little differently than everyone else.
Our family has done well with this pandemic so far, hopefully you too and your family also. More annoying is that crazy "neighbor" Putin who attacked Ukraine.

[LS short box]

On my E36 project it had a built LS6. Small cam. 390 HP on the chassis dyno. I bought a bunch of used M3 stuff as others were upgrading their cars.
I like the build/fab part and I am cheap so going off of pics on the internet I built the motor/trans mounts and the headers. The LS fits well. Upgraded to a aftermarket radiator. Fabbed the 2.5 inch exhaust. You can buy a complete kit to do the swap.
The down side is the rear end. It's a bit fragile if you have sticky tires. I didn't have any problems but others have.

[Russell Ashley]

Mr Finnland, you did a beautiful job on that 318is, almost makes me want my old 528E back. You know body work very well. I like those plaid seat covers.

[KShortell]

It looks GREAT!

[MrFinland]

Originally Posted by LS short box

On my E36 project it had a built LS6. Small cam. 390 HP on the chassis dyno. I bought a bunch of used M3 stuff as others were upgrading their cars.
I like the build/fab part and I am cheap so going off of pics on the internet I built the motor/trans mounts and the headers. The LS fits well. Upgraded to a aftermarket radiator. Fabbed the 2.5 inch exhaust. You can buy a complete kit to do the swap.
The down side is the rear end. It's a bit fragile if you have sticky tires. I didn't have any problems but others have.

The great and powerful E36 you have now. I like it when it looks original but still has a lot of power. Your car has more power than the original M3. Have you welded more sheet metal to the rear frame and body mounting points? On one of my E36 325i, the entire rear axle tore off the body. Sorry my bad english, hopefully you understand what I mean.

[MrFinland]

Originally Posted by Russell Ashley

Mr Finnland, you did a beautiful job on that 318is, almost makes me want my old 528E back. You know body work very well. I like those plaid seat covers.

Thank you so much Russell Ashley! I would also like 500 body models of the E28 in the series, but my wife thinks there are enough hobby cars now and she said that no more cars are reportedly needed.
That interior of the 318is looks the same as a skirt for Scottish men. Nevertheless, I think it looks good too.

[MrFinland]

Originally Posted by KShortell

It looks GREAT!

Thank you very much KShortell!

[MrFinland]

I finally got to continue restoring my 325i. I took off the front and rear axles and sandblasted the parts and took the parts to the painter.

[LS short box]

I didn't add any metal structure to the back of the car. The was just a cruiser with zero track time. I know per Bimmer Forums many do add metal reinforcements to spring perches and cross brace between the wheel wheels. As I understand the convertibles have a bit more frame structure due to the convertible top.
Your parts are looking good.

[MrFinland]

Originally Posted by LS short box

I didn't add any metal structure to the back of the car. The was just a cruiser with zero track time. I know per Bimmer Forums many do add metal reinforcements to spring perches and cross brace between the wheel wheels. As I understand the convertibles have a bit more frame structure due to the convertible top.
Your parts are looking good.

Alright. I think the rear frame will last intact if you drive wisely.