E30 325i Rag-Top

After a few sunny days and feeling that summer is around the corner I have started to get the vert out of hibernation ready for summer. Battery on charge, a few bits off for panel and paint, some bits to bolt back together. So, it will probably start to rain for the whole summer once it’s all back together and on the road? 🤣

That is glorious!!

Rear floor damage, will need to go on chassis machine to check alignment plus a good few panels to be replaced. If you’ve got the gear and know what you are doing would be a good project. And yeah, they are writing cars off far too easily these days.

Making me think more and more about going Tech1 on my vert…

Castrol Edge 5w30 is half price in Mitre 10 Botany of all places at the moment. Not sure if it’s just there or all Mitre 10s.

I saw that on BookFace and whilst it’s a nice older BMW my first thoughts were where are all the Alpina bits? There is a photo of the car sporting the Alpina stripes earlier in its life, but no sign of any other bits being added.

Wait for a long week-end to hold up the most people.

@Neal you won’t get clicks and likes and subscribers for your YouTube channel with that kind of positivity. Got to sensationalise things to get the attention. Not sure what age the engine in question was but for ages the servicing and oil changing has been “condition based” and there’s a time factor as well. And that’s all before you get into what oil to use.

All For Sale posts must have a price, as per the forum rules, can you please add one?

A few of my reference books mention it on the 325i sport. Sport box ratios 3.76 1st gear, 2.33 2nd gear, 1.61 3rd gear, 1.23 4th gear, 1.00 5th

Always very difficult to put a price on historic race cars, and whilst it is originally a Frank Gardener JPS car it doesn’t sound like it was one of the “main” ones, not run at Bathurst by JPS Team and not one of JRs championship cars. If I get those lotto numbers I would buy this in a heartbeat!

A bit out of place amongst all the Americana at the Howick Hop but still getting lots of attention!

@325iRod I’m pretty sure I’ve got a couple of blue coupe door cards in the garage. Drop me a pm if you’re still looking.

What tyres are you running on it at the moment? Happy with those or you need to change? Check with you local BMW dealer, they should be able to offer you the Bridgestones as they were a factory option. They seemed pretty good on the 3 Series I have driven.

Another couple of parts orders to arrive and I could give the repro E30 chassis a good nudge I reckon…

Their announcement about buying all the stock is a little mis-leading as BMW are still producing many of those parts, so there will be more stock coming to BMW shortly. Including the full rear quarter panels which E30Norway only make the smaller flared guard part which does not attach in the same. I have seen varying comments on fit and quality of their parts online, some positive some negative. Not sure I would use an E30 Garage part on a genuine M3, if there was a genuine part available. But that’s just me and I do get discounted pricing. The trademarks question is a good one, if it’s something that isn’t available then that’s good,for owners, if it’s a part in competition to the manufacturer it could be interesting.

1. Yes make the complaint to NZTA with all the facts, photos of the arms showing they have not been recently fitted would be good. 2. Sounds like dealer has had long enough to resolve issues, lodge a claim ASAP to try and head off the “closing down the business” bullshit.

Would depend on how much of the original tooling is still around I should think. I know you can get shells for Mk1 and MK2 Escorts, classic Mini in Uk as most of the tooling was still around and is used. Not sure the same would apply for the E30, some older parts are still being made so some are around, but lots of steel parts are now NLA. E30 Garage Norway seem to be reproducing a lot of press parts, not sure how good they are though. They restore / convert old shells to M3 spec so could be close to having the whole lot?

YELLOW MINI!! Double punch.🥊

Shows how big cars have got over time, current 3 Series v 90s 3 series. Same when I park my old 3 Series next to the wife’s 1 series! Same with all cars though, not just BMW!

Post up a picture of this, on early E30s the in tank pump and the fuel sender are on the same frame.

Because when you’re looking at buying an E30 practicality is high on the list of “must haves” 🫠 Only thing better, apart from the boot, in a Compact than an E30 are the engines.

EV company car for the win! Zero fuel bill, RUCs paid. Also next to no brake dust as regen braking is used 99% of the time for single pedal driving (wonder what old 3pedals would have to say about that) so don’t have to clean alloys that often. Amongst other things 😜

Been doing quite a few trips in the dark recently and noticed a hell of a lot of cars with stupid aftermarket lights bolted on. Many of which would be illegal / WoF fails. Including - utes with LED light bars across the bonnet and above the cab - it’s Auckland FFS not Nevada. Old Toyota with “line” style white lights around the rear boot and bumper? Lots of people movers with blue lights at the front for headlights and fog lights? Good old retro “neons” lighting up the road under the car - many so badly fitted you can see the actual light under the car! Half the drivers in Auckland are confused if it rains let alone if it’s dark and there’s what looks like a UFO coming at them.

As above Euro plinth or full plate frame to mount it properly to the bumper. Bolting or taping it straight to the plastic bumper just looks huckery imho. The front radar under the plate, which I see you’ve got from your photo, is also very temperamental with where the plate is positioned so worth doing properly.