BMW E30 BUILD
Our BMW e30 2 door coupe only cost $1100 bucks. We plan to restore it, so lets find out how much it really costs to bring an e30 back to life.
GREAT DEAL?
We found a BMW E30 for sale on Facebook Market place listed at $1500. We just had to see it. The owner told us the cylinder head was cracked and that the car had some rust.
So we negotiated the price to $1100 and towed the E30 home.
We immediately started tearing out the interior and that’s when we discovered how bad the rust really was…
The floor and firewall were completely rusted out. Unfortunately, the battery tray and the heat shield made it IMPOSSIBLE to see all the rust during the initial inspection.
We were devastated, but on the bright side, the frame rails were still intact. Challenge accepted! We purchased an MP140i welder from Eastwood, picked up some 20-gauge weldable sheet metal from Lowe's, and began the process of fixing all the rust on our E30.
Meanwhile, we pulled the cylinder head and took it to a machine shop. We jacked the car, dropped the transmission, and pulled the engine with a modified Harbor Freight Truck crane.
The cylinder head ended up being fine, but the block was cracked. The costs were quickly getting out of control so we planned to stick with the M10 engine instead of an engine swap.
PARTS LIST
Next up was putting together a BMW e30 parts list all while trying to stay under a total budget of $5000…
E30 DRIVETRAIN PARTS
| Parts | Price | Source |
|---|---|---|
| M10 Engine Replacement Block | $250 | N.C. BMW Graveyard |
| Cylinder Head Job | $300 | N.C. Cylinder Head Specialties |
| Replacement GETRAG 240 Transmission | $250 | N.C. BMW Graveyard |
| Head Bolts, Upper/lower Gaskets, Timing Chain | $240 | FCP Euro |
| Clutch / Clutch Hoses | $264 | FCP Euro |
E30 BRAKE SYSTEM UPGRADES
| Parts | Price | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Chase Bays Brake Line Relocation | $359 | Chase Bays |
| Chase Bays Single Piston Brake Booster Delete | $239 | Chase Bays |
| Chase Bays Caliper Brake Lines | $149 | Chase Bays |
| Chase Bays Front to Rear Brake Lines & Rear Hard Line Delete | $319 | Chase Bays |
| Rear Drum to Disk Conversion | $200 | N.C. BMW Graveyard |
| Brake Calipers / Pads | $250 | FCP Euro |
We have decided to remove the entire stock brake system and replace it with a setup from Chase Bays. The brake booster will be eliminated, and the drum brakes, along with the rear trailing arms. The rear brake system will be upgraded to a disc brake trailing arm system from a newer E30 model.
E30 SUSPENSION UPGRADES
| Parts | Price | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Raceland Classic Coilovers | $449 | Raceland |
| E30 Complete Bushing Kit - Poly | $280 | Garagistic |
| Konig Dial In 15x7 Wheels | $700 | Konig |
| Hankook Ventus V2 205/50R15 | $328 | Amazon |
The Raceland coilovers are a fantastic budget-friendly option that can lower the stock ride height by up to 3 inches. While our preferred brand is BC Racing, their price is about three times that of the Raceland coilovers. Additionally, we need to address the poor condition of our bushings.
And finally the e30 will be sporting Konig Dial In Flow Form Wheels that also support Konig AROCOVER. Those will be a future upgrade or we might decide to 3d print a custom set ourselves.
TOTAL
The total cost for the drivetrain, brake, and suspension system parts and upgrades amounts to $4,497. Additionally, we incurred expenses for sheet metal repairs and a few miscellaneous items, including a battery trunk relocation kit. We estimated another $1,000 for these expenses.
In grand total we, spent $4,497 + $1,000 + $1,100 = $6,500.
Overall that’s not too bad considering we included brand new rims and tires. You could go with the stock bottle caps and save another $700, but we’d rather the car look a bit better.
Since we decided against the engine swap and we're already $1,100 over budget, the next logical step would be to install a turbo on the M10. However, a turbo setup will also require an upgraded fuel system and ECU. Therefore, we'll save that upgrade for the future.
RELATED POSTS
