derBayerische March/April 2023 - 31

An E30 Restoration, Part 2
By Ryan Groll
Last spring, we spoke at length with entrepreneur and BMW enthusiast Ryan Groll, who was in the process of restoring his 1987 E30 325is.
dB: Would you refresh our readers'
recollection of the car and the
restoration project when last we
spoke?
Groll: Here it is, a recap plus
updates on PROJECT NUGGET!
I started this project initially to learn
more about a car; I was very specific
as to what I was looking for and
quickly surrounded myself with fellow
BMW enthusiasts to help guide
me in making the right decision on
which model and year to restore.
The motivation for restoring this car
was to complete something I have
never done before, and to get my
kids involved (Ellie, age 8, and
Ashtyn, age 5). To start, the car was
March I April
a single-owner vehicle, a 1987
325is manual, and was just fine
when I purchased it. It had just a
small amount of rust, cracked dash,
a few minor interior issues, and the
occasional misfire. Once the car
was in the garage, I began disassembling
things, but because I have
never done this before I took my
time. I took a lot of pictures and
documented everything on the computer
with notes. I would research a
section of the car and learn how to
disassemble it before I even touched
a wrench. I practically was building
the car in my head before I even
opened the hood.
I quickly stripped the car down
to the unibody and trailered it to a
local body shop to be corrected
and painted. From there everything
was addressed by myself and
friends/family. We started with the
engine: the head and block made its
way to the machine shop where it
was hot tanked and prepped for
slightly higher compression pistons
and a different camshaft. The motor
was assembled by myself and my
father-in-law, a long, extensive, and
great learning opportunity for me.
Long tube headers from IE and high
flow cat and custom pipes were
fitted, along with a cold air intake,
Conforti Turner chip, cleaned and
flow-matched injectors, all new
hoses, hardware, gaskets, and an
upgraded E36 aluminum radiator.
Any part not replaced on the motor
was disassembled completely,
cleaned, repainted, and rebuilt
by me.
It was a serious adventure
learning about every component.
The exterior received a full facelift:
I sold the old diving board bumpers
and cow catcher to a fellow CCA
member and replaced them with a
new Euro bumper conversion, a new
valance, and a full Mtech 1 kit that I
bought from Euro Classics. I am
currently waiting to install a few last
minute pieces, such as the side
skirts and the euro fog lights. With
regards to old plastic and chrome,
I stripped, sanded, and repainted it
all. All exterior gaskets and seals
31

derBayerische March/April 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of derBayerische March/April 2023

derBayerische March/April 2023 - Intro
derBayerische March/April 2023 - Cover1
derBayerische March/April 2023 - Cover2
derBayerische March/April 2023 - 1
derBayerische March/April 2023 - 2
derBayerische March/April 2023 - 3
derBayerische March/April 2023 - 4
derBayerische March/April 2023 - 5
derBayerische March/April 2023 - 6
derBayerische March/April 2023 - 7
derBayerische March/April 2023 - 8
derBayerische March/April 2023 - 9
derBayerische March/April 2023 - 10
derBayerische March/April 2023 - 11
derBayerische March/April 2023 - 12
derBayerische March/April 2023 - 13
derBayerische March/April 2023 - 14
derBayerische March/April 2023 - 15
derBayerische March/April 2023 - 16
derBayerische March/April 2023 - 17
derBayerische March/April 2023 - 18
derBayerische March/April 2023 - 19
derBayerische March/April 2023 - 20
derBayerische March/April 2023 - 21
derBayerische March/April 2023 - 22
derBayerische March/April 2023 - 23
derBayerische March/April 2023 - 24
derBayerische March/April 2023 - 25
derBayerische March/April 2023 - 26
derBayerische March/April 2023 - 27
derBayerische March/April 2023 - 28
derBayerische March/April 2023 - 29
derBayerische March/April 2023 - 30
derBayerische March/April 2023 - 31
derBayerische March/April 2023 - 32
derBayerische March/April 2023 - 33
derBayerische March/April 2023 - 34
derBayerische March/April 2023 - 35
derBayerische March/April 2023 - 36
derBayerische March/April 2023 - Cover3
derBayerische March/April 2023 - Cover4
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