JGraves

[jgraves]

Hi everyone, I'm new to this forum and it's nice to know that there's a forum that is strickly for M42's.  I own a 1991 318i with 208,000 miles on it and a 2001 330i.  I drive my 330i a lot more than my 318i, because my 318i is still a work in progress.  I recently had it repainted in July.  I was considering putting an S52 with a 6 speed in it this coming spring, but I've owned it for two years and the M42 is so strong now with no oil leaks.  It really amazes me when I get her on the New Jersey Turnpike going over 90 mph with the big boys.  Of course she wasn't that strong when I first bought her.  She had serious oil leaks from the engine, rear differential, oil pan, power steering pump, and transmission.  So it took alot of time and patience to get her right, but now she runs better than my 330i.  She was a trade in at the dealership I work at when I'm not working for the US Army.  I'm still currently on active duty for the US Army from a deployment to Iraq.  The previous owner lived in Arizona and moved back to New Jersey when he traded her in.  I jumped on it as soon as I saw her, because to find an E30 in New Jersey with no rust is almost impossible to find.  I did do two things to my car that freaks people out when I got her repainted.  I had actual M3 fender grills cut into both front fenders and I had all four door handles chromed like the old 2002's and 635's.  You either hate it or love it.  Personally I love it, because it doesn't look like the same thing everyone else has.  The first week of December, I'm getting an Alcantara headliner and the rear dash where the speakers are covered in Alcantara.  Then, in January I have a set of E46 power heated sport seats and new carpet installed.  My upholsterer swears he can even fit the rear seats that came with the sport seats into the back of my 318i.  Then finally by March, I want to get another dash and a custom center console installed and hopefully I'll be done, but we all know that with an 18 year old car there's always something to improve.  Of all the things I have done in the 50 years I've been of this Earth, nothing and I mean nothing has ever humbled me like it did in May 2009 or made me more proud than to meet the Super Bowl Champions, The Pittsburgh Steelers and the 44th President of The United States of America, President Barrack Obama at The White House.

[xwill112x]

ok, you kinda digressed there at the end. lol

[toddnos]

yea, you lost me at the end...

[quinn11m20]

bump on the end too.

[ezbst]

Well how's about that for a slice of real Americana... with some chrome door handles thrown in for good measure.

[jgraves]

Yeah that's right, I put the chrome door handles on it because I get so tired of seeing each and every E30 looking exactly the same with no personallity.  Yes, I did meet the President of the USA and after two combat tours in Iraq it made it worth meeting him instead of the previous one that wasn't worth a damn.  Everyone seems to forget that George Bush is the real reason our entire economy is fucked while he and Dick Cheney lined their pockets on the deaths of Americans in Iraq as they got richer from Haliburton and the oil profits.  But no, that's not the American way is it?  Let's blame everything on who's running the show now.

[dwtaylorpdx]

The BS started long before Bush he just rode the train, it has been wrecking for 30 years.

On topic, the door handles sound like a good idea. I can't decide on the fender gills,

Dave

[jgraves]

I originally was going to do an S52 conversion on this 318i and that's why I cut the E46 fender grills into both front fenders.  The M42 does not want to die or part with the body.  The engine is still so strong it amazes everybody that has ever driven it.  Now, I'm still debating whether it's worth it or not to even do the conversion unless I start having problems. She has well over 200k miles engine and still running strong.