The other ride: Replacement BMW E30 318is

[Setanta]

So my old cruiser 325e coupe with BBS kit got rear ended by a P-Plater in a Subaru. Apparently 4WD and ABS can't out-brake 28year old technology I really have stopped thinking about modifying the DC2R because at 50K kms - it's just fun to drive and the cash to result ratio just isn't worth it. Boot floor has been compromised and the assessor thinks the rails are kinked. Rear bar may be slavagable but it's old plastic so who knows.

Enter the replacement E30.


It's in good shape - body is straight other than the front guards which were cut instead of rolled professionally (because apparently spending $50 a corner to get them professionally rolled is too much WTF?) and a bit of rust - worst is a hole under the battery tray in the boot plus surface rust in the boot floor. When I inspected it I should have checked the sunroof drains - driver's side is stuffed and leaking into the car - I know this shit happens so why I didn't check I don't know. I also missed some chassis stress next to the front battery tray - this was also an issue with my 325e - but it's repairable so I can live with it. Front bar is a fiberglass repro of a Mtech 2 bar - as a kid working on rust repairs in the 80s... fiberglass was my friend I have the scars to prove it! So repairable. AC needs a re-gas. Not 100% on the repro MTech2 bodykit fitment - going to re-do it.





On the plus side it came with fitted BC coilovers, the M42 16valve twin cam had been sealed up professionally and doesn't leak oil, the Getrag gearbox is smooth, the exhaust is aftermarket and has a pleasing nasty little snarl to it (more pleasing than the DC2R) and it comes with (repro) RS rims with nice dish to them.

[Setanta]

Work so far:
4 new tires - the P-Zeros were badly cracked and shimmied at over 100km/h - on with a decent set and the shake has gone. Geometry re-set as it hadn't been done when the car was lowered - backyard workshop deal I think. The wheels chafed at full lock - no more.

Cleaned the engine bay (hello laundry stain removers and cold-power, works a gem and doesn't damage paint or alloy)
Relocated the HT leads as they were rubbing on the cam cover (more on this later).



Re-set the coil-over stiffness - they were set to 22 and 24 for the road WTF? Backed off to 5 and 5 due to rear wheel camber (more on this later). Ride is firm yet comfortable - much more so than the Type R.

The big one and the reason that IMO you should never mod a car without researching. The BC system is a good entry-level setup but there is a massive issue in running coil-overs in any E30. Fronts are fine as the original system is MacPherson Strut but the rears are not. The spring is located on the trailing arm and the shock has its own tower. If you remove the original springs and drop in the BC system then you are stressing the rear strut tower as it is now sustaining the spring and shock. The bump isn't so much an issue (distribution of stress over the top of the strut top) but the rebound is and eventually the towers will get damaged or the bolts will tear through the bodywork on rebound. Which is why research is good - all it needs is reinforcing plates (also used to reinforce towers on Z3s) from BMW. Except they are no longer made. Of course when the BCs were fitted by the PO in August, there were no plates added. But a guy in the US made up quite a few sets so after giving them a once over with rust guard primer and top coat, on they went.


As shipped from the US


Painted with rust guard


They spread the road shock and take the pressure of the nuts rather than the shock-tower. Later on I'll reinforce the underside with weld-ins as well but that's more for track use/abuse.

Interior then got a good going over as the sunroof leak had let water into the rear passenger footwell. 3 days of airing carpet and putting kitty-litter in old socks (kitty litter absorbs all moisture - throw it out when done plus a wipe-over all interior surfaces and floor with glen20 and it smells fresh. Too fresh, I dropped in some nil odor but (as I always do) used 10 drops instead of 2. Car now reeks of nil odor but that will fade.



Oh yeah... Momo

I also spent 2 hours dislodging tar/gravel/dirt from the wheel arches. Are kids today not taught that if you leave it there then it's a trap for rust. I panicked and thought it was bog - thankfully not

[Setanta]

To do list:

Clean up surface rust in boot, wheel-well and tiny amount under rear seats. Repair the broken under-dash cover (why the hell did BMW make it out of cardboard????).





I have a ton of window seals etc that I bought for restoring the old series 1 325e - about 80% of the parts cross-over to the series 2 318is. I've also done an OEM parts order of bushes, seals, clips, elephant trunk (more on this when I fit it) etc through pelican parts in the US. Why pelican and not BMW Australia? Because what has set me back 700 Aussie dollars when buying from the US was closer to 3 grand if I purchased in Australia. Also, on some parts it's actually faster to get it from the US than from the Aussie suppliers to get from Germany. 2 weeks as opposed to 3 months (in some past experiences).

There's an occasional misfire at speed - the HT leads are most likely the culprit - they are the originals. Being a 318is it runs one coil per cylinder - these are original too. I've ordered an aftermarket coil on plug setup from the US as it's actually cheaper than replacing the OEM leads and coils ( http://www.hqautosport.com/products1.html ). This will also give me space to hang something off the exhaust ports in the long run

Rear camber is shit on a lowered E30s. They'd be at home over my old toilet in Malaysia but not so good for handling and tire wear. Enter the weld in an adjustable camber/toe kit and while I'm at it replace all bushes while the rear sub-frame is out. ( http://store.garagistic.com/ocart/bm...orrection-Kits ).

While I'm fitting those I'll also be fitting an Ireland Engineering reinforcement kit - reinforces the front sub-frame, engine mounts and rear sway-bar ( shopping list from here http://www.iemotorsport.com/bmw/E30-...-steering.html ). I'm also trying to track down the front tower weld-in braces that the convertibles got as top mount braces are hard to fit for the M42 motor - it sits higher than the M20 in the 6cyl and S14 in the M3.

Then follow up with an under-body brace ( http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=144004 ) and sump armor - will have to be modified slightly for the RHD steering rack ( http://www.red46.net/store/c2/Sump_Armor.html ).

I'm also trying to source a LSD as the Aussie 318is didn't come with one - every other country did. Good news is they go for 300US plus shipping. I'm after a 4.11 to match the existing final drive.

Add to the list rust repair, respray front and rear bumpers, paint new front guards (already located) and then drop in decent front seats because the comfort seats suck!

Then track down a set of real RS wheels, drop on a massive brake conversion ( http://www.massivebrakes.com/brake-s...front_300x22mm ) and then look to a turbo kit - approx 2 grand from a guy that builds them for the M42 in the US.

Not to sure if I'm going about this the right way but I have more enthusiasm for modding this than I do the DC2R. I may be going over the top but what the hell, I plan on having fun.

Meanwhile, my youngest daughter (6) has her eyes set firmly on a convertible or a Baur "we could work on it together for when I get my license".

[Apu]

Liking very much, Peter!

[Shakeel]

You are a very cool dad/teacher/person haha. Nice Pete!

[kevinnguyens]

whoa im digging this! very clean considering the age! how did you go about clearing up the rust in the boot? got some in my boot too needs a little attention!

[Apu]

Won't the LSD from the 325 work?

[Setanta]

LSD will work... except mine was blown and I'd replaced it with an open diff on the 325. I'm trying to source one - but I need to find a medium case as they handle more power. BTW - need to talk seats...

Kevin: I used a sanding block to rub back the rust, hit it with rust convertor and then a few coats of rustguard undercoat followed by rustguard topcoat. It's a very average job for now but until my seals arrive from the US it will do. Once I get the seals in and the leaks sorted (identified almost all of them) then I'll rub it right back and get it professionally sprayed and painted.

[Setanta]

Might as well update on the boot work - cross-copied from another forum:

Today's effort was the boot. wire brush and sanded back the surface rust and then hit it with rust converter. once dried I followed up with rust guard primer and top coat via a spray can. It will hopefully hold it at bay until I drill out the 2 screws that a PO had in the boot that have rusted in. I can't get leverage on them so they can stay there until I get serious and have the boot resprayed.

Shitty paint job pics incoming





I'm thinking that a curved bit of rubber from Clarke rubber for the tyre to rest on to stop it from chafing the paint might be worth looking into once the paint has set.

I also looked at the rust out under the battery - not as bad as I thought but still average. Doesn't seem to be the bodywork, just the inner box shape so I'll look into cutting it out and adding new metal. Rest of the well is in good shape.

[Setanta]

I should really update this:

* Rust in the boot under the battery cut out but I still have leaks in from the roof - replaced all the grommets and felt seals in the rear window trim but that didn't resolve it so I have to pull the rear windows and headlining to work out if the sunroof tray is rotten or not. I'm thinking it's either a disconnected/perished hose at the tray or it's rusted. Hoping for the former. I had a shadowline trim fly off on the Hume, straight under a truck - fortunately 2 door and 4 door E30s share the same trim so I painted over the chrome and whacked it back on... and added a dab of sikaflex to keep it there. My oldest daughter (nopix) came to the wreckers with me, laughing at me trying to take one off gently and bending it. She grabbed the next one and had it off in half a second with no bends in it .


* Front spoiler fixed but I need a new one. The fiberglass is stuffed. All kit panels sikaflexed on.



* Guards repaired from where stuffed shocks/bushed flogged the wheels against the lips - they were twisted and rusty but a mate hand beat them back out, gave them a subtle flair at the front and then got a buddy to blend the paint.

[Setanta]

* MTech 2 Steering wheel added along with Mtech 2 spoiler.



* OEM fog lights to fill in the empty gaps - I picked up most of the brake ducting as well but haven't fitted it yet. Old valance under the kit is flogged out - I have a new straigh one sitting in the garage which will do a better job of lining the fogs up.





* New valance... one day I'll fit it



* Converted center console to hold drinks



* New radiator hoses and heater hoses. As a result the damn plastic piping on the side of the block broke under pressure. New one of those too. WTF is with BMW and using shitty plastic in high temp areas.

[Setanta]

* Off the road and waiting for a center bearing to arrive for the prop shaft as it shat itself completely. To go with that it's getting a replacement rear subframe with camber/toe adjustments welded in. Hopefully that will get rid of the nasty rear camber from lowering.



* OEM E36 eccentric bolts/washers to dial it in.



* I also sourced a 4.11 LSD to go on at the same time. Same ratios as the open diff. Will replace the seals before I drop it in.



* COP kit from the US is on its way as I wanted to replace the 4 coils and leads (all original from 1990). It's cheaper to do a COP kit than it is to buy OEM original.

* To do list: short shift from a Z3 and E36 power steering rack seeing as mine is about to give up the ghost and I hate the lock to lock compared to the DC2R and CRX

[Setanta]

* How she sits now after a run to Victoria for my oldest's wedding

[Setanta]

Dammit, now I just want it back on the road after that last pic

[Setanta]

LSD fitted, adjustable camber rear subframe fitted, AC hose blown and need to fix a sunroof drain hose that is leaking into the boot.

The handling has improved dramatically not that the rear tyres are square to the chassis and not looking like a stance wannabe waiting for some stupid tyres and rim combo

Took it up the Yarramundi -> Springwood mountain twisties and it took it like a charm