A few things to note: the front wheel bearings you installed are commonly shared with the E28, however the E30M3 front ABS tone ring is specific to the car, so you'll need to go back and swap your E30M tone rings onto the new wheel bearings for ABS to function properly. Secondly, you installed the subframe brackets you painted upside down/on the wrong sides. If you use those diff spacers, I assume you also got the correct matching subframe bushings from Condor, but the subframe bushings and diff spacers need to match or you will have drivetrain alignment issues. Those Condor front offset control arm bushings are known to move in the bracket once you drive the car and throw off the alignment, so it is common practice to drill and tap the bracket and install a small bolt/screw as a "set screw" to hold the bushings in place to keep them from moving over time if Condor doesn't do that already. And a side note, the factory E30 M3 front strut housings that you aren't using are valuable, so don't throw them out, as are the E30M brake calipers/carriers. Massive Brakes are the go to for a BBK, but the factory braking system is more than capable of stopping the car well, even with a bigger motor, so if you wanted to spend money elsewhere, stock brakes are adequate.
Willwood Brakes is the way to go in my opinion. I built the exact car several year ago. Great job my friend. Keep on going ! You are my favorite channel to watch.
Great work :) Just a tip, don't know if you bought oem front bearing, the abs ring on the front bearings are m3 spesific only, many use the 5 series, but you have to move over the abs ring from the oem bearing :)
Miss my e30m3 .. if id do another one, id drop the hard bushings in the diff and the two in the carryer, it makes all noises into the cabin like crazy.. love your builds!
Nice project the e30 m3 , their prices are skyrocketing which makes it a really good investment . In my opinion since you had the subframes and all the arms off you should've clean the underbody and protected and a fresh coat of paint . Keep up with the good content.
Hi Matt, thanks for this, very enjoyable viewing. With the front struts, make sure there is no powder coat on the bearing faces - I think I saw some of it cleaned up, but if there is powder coat there, it will crush to dust and your front bearings will go loose. Also please check the torque settings for your front bearings - basically, it’s a big number, and you can’t get it on the bench. You need to torque those bearing nuts up on the car, probably with a great big lever on a breaker bar. (We had these issues on 4 E30 race cars we built)
When you were doing the front brake lines a tip is to cut the braided section and put a socket on it and hold the tube end with a socket. Use the impact or something to take it off. Less chance of twisting it off.
i love how u show the bolts..ur camera angles rock! and bro u a beast only other guy i seen install something like this is devin when installed the rear diff where he had to hoist it up over his shoulders
Just a helpful tip, the auto part stores have specialty tool that you can rent. You pay up fornt but when you return it you get your money back. A ball joint press is available for rent i believe
Matt, I’ve been watching your channel from the beginning. If that squeaky jack isn’t your shop mascot, I don’t know what is. I think I need a squeaky jack tee! Never ditch that jack!
I suggest getting a cheap harbor freight motorcycle jack. I use mine for everything except motorcycles since I sold mine lol. Hoisting stuff under the car, rolling stuff around the garage etc. Super handy and way less sketchy than a floor jack. Recently used it to replace the gas tank in my old truck without dropping it on my face.
Wilwood 6 pot front 4 pot rear would be my advice, my s54 touring pulls up well on them. I had to replace most suspension items in my car as it was a UK import and had rust deep on all suspension parts. I am interested in your choice of going steal control arms and not alloy cost perhaps, my understanding is all M3s run alloy, I guess it reduces unsprung weight; however, I think geometry is the same.
Willlwood is always the best bang for buck in my opinion. However, I think you might be able to do a BMW upgrade to the f30 brakes. Not sure but I think I remember watching something on that.
Big Brake Kit: I went with FC RX7 calipers on my e30 and they were a super easy install. You'll need corrodo brake discs and caliper adapters from Garagistic (if they still make them) or CATuned. For ~$550 I don't think you can do better (unless you want to stick with BMW only parts for this build).
Hi Matt. Graham here from East London, South Africa. I'm actually envious of you. This was my dream, 20 yrs ago when RUclips wasn't a thing. Rebuilt 3 BMW'S with no record 😢. With your inspiration, I think at the age of 51yrs, I should start again in my spare time. I'm a Estate Manager for a private school. Keep up the great work and videos ❤😊
When he says, “For the final time” when installing something, make a mental note. How many videos later will he remove it to either fix something or make a performance mod? That subframe will come off within 3-4 videos!
What Matt can do on his own is incredible as is the quality of the super interesting builds. Hands down best pound for pound automotive youtube channel 🤯
You Can put Porsche 996/Cayenne brakes on the e30, but Then you just have to switch out the e30 hub with a e36 hub, and add a bracket in the kit. And the best part is that you can still fit 17” wheels.
Nice work. You should re zinc plate and yellow chromate the hardware. Unprotected hardware will rust very quickly. I do have a Racing Dynamics rear sway bar that fits an E36, not sure if it would also work for an E30.
@ ah, it really doesn't cost that much. I've been doing it for a couple of years for my Porsches, and you can get all the stuff for about 300 total, and you have it for all your projects!
Get rid of that solid rear differential bushing. It will be horrendous, replace the rear cover with an e36 medium case ‘twin ear’ cover. You will need to make up a mounting point but it will be a hell of a lot stronger and nicer to drive! Also New wheels on the 997 😍
currently doing the same job on my '98 Z3. Yep assemble everything possible on the subframe before lifting!. with regard bushings most in the Z3 fraternity stay OEM as poly is way to harsh, E30s will be heavier so may not be such an issue. Also it's easier to assemble the brake components before putting in the drive flange...finally be very careful using a torch on brake lines if they have fluid in them as they will explode. Ask me how I know ! ..
Hey Matt, Great video! I noticed, though, that it looks like the new rear wheel bearings might have been damaged when you Installed them. It's important to press the wheel hub in rather than hammering it, to avoid issues. Just a heads-up! Greetings from Germany!
Your diff output flanges are taken from an e46 330i diff. Original output diff flanges from e30 M3 have 6 drilled holes @60° instead of e46 330i placed in pairs. Check if you have and lsd diff or an open diff
Hi Matt, Diff Nuts at 4:04. Are they in safety? Doesn’t seem to be enough thread into the nylon lock feature of the nut. Think your spacer might be too thick or you need longer threaded studs. Trying to help a brother here, not pick at you. Great work, admire all you do.
Wilwood is excellent, however Brembo is appropriate for a European car. Wilwood is a better look for American projects. And round it off with BBS wheels.
Matt, buddy, I get that a press is expensive, but, pounding stuff like bushings into their wells can be destructive. I also do not have a press, but, a variety of sizes of c-clamps on hand should take care of most of those times when you have to do this. Just a helpful hint. Love the vids, man, have been subscriber since I found you. Keep on keepin' on, my friend!
A few things to note: the front wheel bearings you installed are commonly shared with the E28, however the E30M3 front ABS tone ring is specific to the car, so you'll need to go back and swap your E30M tone rings onto the new wheel bearings for ABS to function properly. Secondly, you installed the subframe brackets you painted upside down/on the wrong sides. If you use those diff spacers, I assume you also got the correct matching subframe bushings from Condor, but the subframe bushings and diff spacers need to match or you will have drivetrain alignment issues.
Those Condor front offset control arm bushings are known to move in the bracket once you drive the car and throw off the alignment, so it is common practice to drill and tap the bracket and install a small bolt/screw as a "set screw" to hold the bushings in place to keep them from moving over time if Condor doesn't do that already.
And a side note, the factory E30 M3 front strut housings that you aren't using are valuable, so don't throw them out, as are the E30M brake calipers/carriers.
Massive Brakes are the go to for a BBK, but the factory braking system is more than capable of stopping the car well, even with a bigger motor, so if you wanted to spend money elsewhere, stock brakes are adequate.
Awesome tips here thank you! The ABS ring thing is annoying to find out now that I fully installed them lol
You truly are a bimmer daddy
BBK, e46 330 front brakes and e46 328 rear brakes is a god combo that won’t break the bank
Try 35 years old! I've also got an '89. An E30 325ix touring. Hard to belive some E30s are already turning over 40!
Starting to come together! Cant wait to see it driving down the road!
Looking at the scale of these parts it’s shocking how large new cars have become.
I know right??
Willwood Brakes is the way to go in my opinion. I built the exact car several year ago.
Great job my friend. Keep on going ! You are my favorite channel to watch.
Appreciate that, I'm glad you're enjoying the content!
Love the videos… keep up the work
FYI white vinegar works great to remove rust and way cheaper
Great work :) Just a tip, don't know if you bought oem front bearing, the abs ring on the front bearings are m3 spesific only, many use the 5 series, but you have to move over the abs ring from the oem bearing :)
R1 Concepts big brake kit. Great quality and reasonable pricing.
For the big brake kit you should define first which wheels you want to mount so you can check your clearance
Miss my e30m3 .. if id do another one, id drop the hard bushings in the diff and the two in the carryer, it makes all noises into the cabin like crazy.. love your builds!
classic M3 legend .... next up restoring a 964 or 993 lets goooooo
Nice project the e30 m3 , their prices are skyrocketing which makes it a really good investment .
In my opinion since you had the subframes and all the arms off you should've clean the underbody and protected and a fresh coat of paint .
Keep up with the good content.
Rabbit hole I don’t want to go down lol
You may want to look into roll center spacers for the front. They may be tough to find but are worth it if you plan to lower the front.
Great point, makes a huge difference.
Hi Matt, thanks for this, very enjoyable viewing.
With the front struts, make sure there is no powder coat on the bearing faces - I think I saw some of it cleaned up, but if there is powder coat there, it will crush to dust and your front bearings will go loose. Also please check the torque settings for your front bearings - basically, it’s a big number, and you can’t get it on the bench. You need to torque those bearing nuts up on the car, probably with a great big lever on a breaker bar. (We had these issues on 4 E30 race cars we built)
Yup I removed all the coating with a scotch brite.
Enjoy your content and admire your energy!
Ha. Your channel influenced me to keep my 996 C4S and now it’s going to make me keep my e30 Alpina C2 tribute. 😊
Awesome projects!!
so clean
Loving this build
Oh man i love it great job. Order the MZ3 rear diff cover it has bigger diff fins and when car is on the ground looks awesome from the back
I’d change it for an e36 twin ear myself tbh as they are much stronger
Maybe eventually. Baby steps!
Looking awesome!
Nice work✅
When you were doing the front brake lines a tip is to cut the braided section and put a socket on it and hold the tube end with a socket. Use the impact or something to take it off. Less chance of twisting it off.
F30 340i brakes all round, cheap and more than capable for the lighter E30, look good too
Thank you for posting bro!
Love condor. I use the bushings on my e90. Great stuff!
One of the best looking cars of all time!
That’s right!
You can do F30 M Sport 4 piston front 2 piston rear calipers and they are not that expensive! 💪🏽
Nice video lad. Looking forward to seeing the engine going in
As for the bearing race you can weld them and they fall off
Need a set of good snap ring pliers. Game changer.
I do!!
Great update Matt, as always you’re my favourite on RUclips.
Thanks!!!
Nice job!
I love the e30 project
i love how u show the bolts..ur camera angles rock! and bro u a beast only other guy i seen install something like this is devin when installed the rear diff where he had to hoist it up over his shoulders
Thanks for the compliments!
Nice job matt!!! From Uruguay!!! E30 owner, Best binmer ever made
Speak to Lee Massive at Massive Brakes... probably one of the best e30 BBK manufacturers around.
He has an option for every requirement.
Really enjoy your content, great job Matt
Absolutely awesome to watch!!
Love seeing the progress. You should get yourself a wire wheel/grinder.
Just a helpful tip, the auto part stores have specialty tool that you can rent. You pay up fornt but when you return it you get your money back. A ball joint press is available for rent i believe
I have a ball joint press tool but it won’t work with this stuff.
awesome job bro......
Matt, I’ve been watching your channel from the beginning. If that squeaky jack isn’t your shop mascot, I don’t know what is. I think I need a squeaky jack tee! Never ditch that jack!
Ahahaha thank you!
I suggest getting a cheap harbor freight motorcycle jack. I use mine for everything except motorcycles since I sold mine lol. Hoisting stuff under the car, rolling stuff around the garage etc. Super handy and way less sketchy than a floor jack. Recently used it to replace the gas tank in my old truck without dropping it on my face.
When I get a bigger garage, yes!
Wilwood 6 pot front 4 pot rear would be my advice, my s54 touring pulls up well on them. I had to replace most suspension items in my car as it was a UK import and had rust deep on all suspension parts. I am interested in your choice of going steal control arms and not alloy cost perhaps, my understanding is all M3s run alloy, I guess it reduces unsprung weight; however, I think geometry is the same.
Rim ideas: Azev A, BBS Honeycomb, Borbet A
Willlwood is always the best bang for buck in my opinion. However, I think you might be able to do a BMW upgrade to the f30 brakes. Not sure but I think I remember watching something on that.
Willwood Big Brake kit is the best option
This i the kind of videos that made me stuck on ur channel, thx for uploading it
Cheers from Sweden 🙏🏻
Happy to hear that!
25:21 not completely sure,but I think the e38 Brembo brakes fit on there with maybe a slide modifications.
Wilwood brakes with red calipers
Another great video Matt !
Big Brake Kit: I went with FC RX7 calipers on my e30 and they were a super easy install. You'll need corrodo brake discs and caliper adapters from Garagistic (if they still make them) or CATuned. For ~$550 I don't think you can do better (unless you want to stick with BMW only parts for this build).
thats a super looking car,great video,great content
Wilwood brakes would be the way to go…. plenty options and great bits of kit
Awesome content! Had fun watching.
Hi Matt. Is there oil in your diff? I've recently seen a french ladd who forgot to fill is E30 diff. He destroyed it
I do need to check that lol
10:10 isnt what i signed up for, but def what i stayed for lmao
Ahahaha
Hi Matt. Graham here from East London, South Africa. I'm actually envious of you. This was my dream, 20 yrs ago when RUclips wasn't a thing. Rebuilt 3 BMW'S with no record 😢. With your inspiration, I think at the age of 51yrs, I should start again in my spare time. I'm a Estate Manager for a private school. Keep up the great work and videos ❤😊
Go for it, you def should!
danm mat u look in shape , keep the good work love ur video
Hi Matt!!!!! I love the E30 as I love them other projects
Great stuff…best BMW shape since the E9…
When he says, “For the final time” when installing something, make a mental note. How many videos later will he remove it to either fix something or make a performance mod? That subframe will come off within 3-4 videos!
I hope the subframe stays lol
Another great! Fun! Video to watch. The best shade tree mechanic on RUclips
Thank you so much!
What Matt can do on his own is incredible as is the quality of the super interesting builds. Hands down best pound for pound automotive youtube channel 🤯
Appreciate the support!
Massive Lee BBK, hit condor up with Suspension Techniques Swaybar Set - E30
Thank you!
You Can put Porsche 996/Cayenne brakes on the e30, but Then you just have to switch out the e30 hub with a e36 hub, and add a bracket in the kit. And the best part is that you can still fit 17” wheels.
@Ulises sanchez, has a very good video that shows the whole process😊
I like that idea!
you should invest in a ultrasonic cleaner. it would make those brand new with the right cleaning solution.
This is expensive stuff right here 😆
just came back from replacing the 2 main subframe bushings in my e36 318ti compact 2 hours ago kind of ironic lol
Willwood 100% no question
Stoptech should have kits
Nice work. You should re zinc plate and yellow chromate the hardware. Unprotected hardware will rust very quickly. I do have a Racing Dynamics rear sway bar that fits an E36, not sure if it would also work for an E30.
Zinc would be great but I don’t have the time or budget for that. Not building a show car here.
@ ah, it really doesn't cost that much. I've been doing it for a couple of years for my Porsches, and you can get all the stuff for about 300 total, and you have it for all your projects!
Please keep it red🤌🏻
Aside from brakes. ECS has the master cylinder upgrade kit to consider from a 7 series
I’ll have to research that.
Looking good. Should have been titled pt.4 Hammer time 😂
Hahaha yes!
Bimmerdaddyllc3557 shared some good info. Might want to revisit those. The car is gonna be tight Matt, nice work 👊🏻
Appreciate that! 🙏🏻
Get rid of that solid rear differential bushing. It will be horrendous, replace the rear cover with an e36 medium case ‘twin ear’ cover. You will need to make up a mounting point but it will be a hell of a lot stronger and nicer to drive! Also New wheels on the 997 😍
It’s not solid. I’m hoping it’s not too bad. And thanks!
Whoa something fishy going on here. That looks like MY dream car! I’ll be over next Saturday to pick it up 😂
Ahahahaha
currently doing the same job on my '98 Z3. Yep assemble everything possible on the subframe before lifting!. with regard bushings most in the Z3 fraternity stay OEM as poly is way to harsh, E30s will be heavier so may not be such an issue. Also it's easier to assemble the brake components before putting in the drive flange...finally be very careful using a torch on brake lines if they have fluid in them as they will explode. Ask me how I know ! ..
I’m hoping it doesn’t vibrate too much lol
Hey Matt,
Great video! I noticed, though, that it looks like the new rear wheel bearings might have been damaged when you Installed them. It's important to press the wheel hub in rather than hammering it, to avoid issues. Just a heads-up!
Greetings from Germany!
They are good just not fully seated in yet
Your diff output flanges are taken from an e46 330i diff.
Original output diff flanges from e30 M3 have 6 drilled holes @60° instead of e46 330i placed in pairs.
Check if you have and lsd diff or an open diff
I bought it used. It’s LSD
Hi Matt,
Diff Nuts at 4:04. Are they in safety?
Doesn’t seem to be enough thread into the nylon lock feature of the nut.
Think your spacer might be too thick or you need longer threaded studs.
Trying to help a brother here, not pick at you.
Great work, admire all you do.
I’ll check on that. Thanks!
Torque wrench what??? 👏
Just a heads up, its always recommended to use red loctite on lug bolts not blue.
The instructions said blue
Good maths Matt 😉😂 still will let you off as the rest of it is quality 🙌
Wilwood is excellent, however Brembo is appropriate for a European car. Wilwood is a better look for American projects. And round it off with BBS wheels.
VERY NICE 👍💪
Calipers look e46 330s but not sure
Matt, Matt, Matt! Wear a respirator when you're painting. Yes, even outside!
How much stiffer are those bushes compared to something like polybushes.
Hey Matt, what's your day job?
Landscaper
BMX biker
@@matt13rosshaha, yeah right
Matt, buddy, I get that a press is expensive, but, pounding stuff like bushings into their wells can be destructive. I also do not have a press, but, a variety of sizes of c-clamps on hand should take care of most of those times when you have to do this. Just a helpful hint. Love the vids, man, have been subscriber since I found you. Keep on keepin' on, my friend!
The main problem is actually space. I just don’t have any in my garage.
You should putt a s54 B2 30 in it would be nice
Yes! 🙌 🥳
Why are you lowering the diff?, usually this is done on raised vehicles to fix axle angles? Is,is this going to be a Baja M3?
Condor has info on this on their website.
what did you spend on E30M3 hubs, or did you use E28 hub with stock speed rings
They weren’t too expensive from rock auto
Bon Appetit! 🤣
Hi mat. Are you sure the differential cover is original m3? I have one myself, but my cover has cooling stripes on the whole thing.
It’s from a non M.
Does the rust dust get in between the garage floor panels?
I’m guessing not