new here with e30 and ideas!!!

[the jeepman]

Hi guys! I just picked up my first BMW and i am a changed man. I have always owned Jeeps and other 4wd's but this is my first car and i am blown away!

Dont get me wrong here, as i am a European car nut and have always been 1.

I have been reading euro car mags for prob. ten years or better!

Anyways the car is a 1985 325e with some miles. runs great, has great torque, and gets good mpg's.

however, the speedometer is not working and i cannot figure it out! cleaned out the electric wireing boot on the dif and that did not work so i need ideas.

i am buying a dinan chip on ebay this week, just b/c the price is right. is there much of a dif between this dinan one and the john conforti (sp) chip i am always hearing about?

What kind of HP can i get out of this car N/A?

I pretty much bought this car to make a hartge replicar and am looking for any parts i can find as well. i had no idea what i was getting into as vintage hartge e30 parts are a bish to locate!!!

I am in the process of planning a turbo setup for this car as well, so i am going to be asking many ?'s guys.

If anyone is in the midwest, i am located in indiana and would be willing to pay for help.

I need new seats, wheels and tires, suspension parts, aftermarket body effects, and really anything anyone wants to get rid of!


also, how do i post a pic?

thanks,
noob

[ldsbeaker]

Unfortunately, being an "eta" (325e) you will have a low revving (= low hp) car. You will have to do something like an engine swap or the like in order to use a turbo effectively.
Your speedo is controlled by the "SI board" search for that on www.BMWe30.net, www.bimmerdiy.com, or here for a writeup. YOu might either need new batteries, or a new board. Not a big deal to do the batteries.
Your car has 121 hp stock, and the most hp increase you'll see is from a chip, they usually open things up quite a bit. (quite a bit meaning you might get another 15-25 hp, I think)
As far as HP limits, if you know anything about HP, you know that it is directly related to Torque and RPM, the latter of which, the eta does not have. You're kinda limited. (R3vlimited, that is... haha)
You have a few options:
convert to an "i" engine (168 hp, much nicer to turbo), do a newer engine swap (M50, S50, M30, S14 (gasp), or S38 (double gasp)), or you can get a numerically higher differential (get LSD while you're at it) and your car will feel a bit peppier. (3.25 or 3.73 are popular; 4.10 is really high, but you'll kill your top end speed)
Some really good places to go for E30's are www.r3vlimited.com, and www.e30tech.com; the people are really knowledgeable, have really great ideas, and they have made most of the really stupid mistakes already, saving you the trouble.

all of this is my opinion, as well, I am by no means the final authority.
Go Midwest! My fam lives in MO.

[the jeepman]

I really dig the torque thing that my eta has going on. Now, dont get me wrong here, i am a true die hard and knew completely what i was getting into performance wise. I think a small, low boost turbo that spools up quickly, along with the required exhaust (2.75 inch front to back) and some mild head and intake work all pulling about 7.5 psi would be a killer setup on the streets.

My buddy had a Mustang SVO that i drove more than him so i am kinda up on the turbo thing still. We got it stock and when it was sold we were running mid 12's trapping 122 mph. that car pwnt all in many catagories.

That is what i want, with a little less hp and more torque.

Any other suggestions? anyone???

[JoeMadoo]

When i first got my 86 325es, it went 0-60 in just under 13 seconds... lol.
If you know how to work ebay, your eta can be an "IS" killer in no time!
A performance Chip is defintly the biggest bang for your buck, I got mine for $40. It takes the lag between 1500-2500RPMs right out. It will also raise your Rev Limit to about 5400RPMs.
A 3.73 Differential in my opinion is the second biggest bang for your buck. It puts all that torque to the ground in no time. Top Speed is about 140, which isnt bad :-)
A combination Freeflow Muffler and a Cold Air Setup will give you maybe like 2HP, it will sound alot sexier though.

Let me know how your Turbo quest goes, I'm interested in doin that myself.