e30 1990 restoration starting

[paulgarbis1986]

hello everyone 😄
finally got a 3dr e30 and getting my garage ready to get her stripped up for restoration.
IMG_20220407_183148.jpg
for color I think of going for dolphin grey. if anyone has pics of his to mp me will grateful 🙂

https://ibb.co/8YsZ1pW

https://ibb.co/rtBQxFj

https://ibb.co/fkDV152
got some questions since I will start gathering part while working on rust and paint work.
car now is 316
thinking of m20b25 turbo
suspension and brakes from 325 and staying 4lug.

[paulgarbis1986]

question on brakes is how easy is to find bigger brakes on 4 lugs..?
is it chearer and easier to go 5 lug and use brakes from newer models?

[richardodn]

Personally I would stick with the 325 suspension with disks all around. Every 5 lug conversion (except the M3) is some kind of compromise. There's a great wheel selection available for 4 lugs too. And unless you're going for a high performance engine swap, the 4 wheel disks are all the brakes you need.

As for Delphingrau Metallic, It's a great color. I have an old 5er with it. However I've personally grown so tired of grays and silvers and that's such a beautiful blue on the car now. But color is a very personal thing, so do what makes you happy.

[paulgarbis1986]

m3 parts are crazy rare here in Greece..and generally so too expensive. 325 brakes can handle 300hp on a turbo m20?
I keep watching videos and reading but still can't find exactly what are the changes...many ppl tell me to go for e36 front and z3 rear. but I don't want to mess with body and rolling fenders if wheels stick or touch.

[paulgarbis1986]

m3 parts are crazy rare here in Greece..and generally so too expensive. 325 brakes can handle 300hp on a turbo m20?
I keep watching videos and reading but still can't find exactly what are the changes...many ppl tell me to go for e36 front and z3 rear. but I don't want to mess with body and rolling fenders if wheels stick or touch.

[richardodn]

The 4 wheel disks are probably up to the task, but someone who's actually run a high power e30 would have a better opinion.

The best discussion I've ever read on the pros and cons of the various 5 lug methods was on a site called extradrei(dot)com. It no longer exists, but you can still read it on the Internet Archive's Wayback machine. https://web.archive.org/web/20160420...rei.com/?p=141