Bmerdoctor650---91 318i Sedan---Greta

[Bmerdoctor650]

Hey guys,

I've been in the e30 game for a while now. This is my fourth e30 but first m42 car and first sedan (which i have grown to love). I've owned two late model 325i coupes and an 84 318i coupe.

A little backstory about Greta:

One day i received a phone call from one of our regular customers (family owned bar) saying "One of my friends is sick (Phillip) and has one of those cars that you like, i'm sure he'll give you a good deal on it. He just needs to get rid of it." I was skeptical at first because i've had several people tell me the same thing but usually the car is a pile of junk or a convertible (not a fan). The very next night, I went to scope out the car before i actually talked to the owner. At first site it looked a bit rough. Dented driver side fender, flat tires all around, antenna hole rusted, driver side key hole missing/rusting, and just overall dirty looking.  Surprisingly, the doors were unlocked so i took a peek inside only to find out the interior looked to be in very good shape, minus the dash. I was a bit disappointed with some of the features i previously mentioned, so was still a bit skeptical about making an offer on the car. A week goes by and the car is still there.  With no offers and no intentions to sell to anyone else,  i figured id shoot him a low offer of $500.  To my surprise the guy says he'll take it. That day, after work, i went straight over to Phillips property to talk to him about the car and why hes selling it. Phillip informed me that the fuel pump was dead so i went to the auto store and bought a battery and a can of throttle body cleaner.  I plugged in the battery and everything turned on (first good sign) and then i proceeded to pull the intake boot and spray a good amount of throttle body cleaner into the boot.  Turned the key and she fired right up! (good sign #2) Now i know the car runs but its going to need some work.  With cash in hand Phillip was a little hesitant to let his baby go but knew it would be going to a good home. Phillip ended up passing away about 2 weeks after i bought the car from him due to stage IV cancer. Im very grateful for this car and it almost seems like having obtained this car was meant to be. Now, the proud owner of a 91 318i sedan, i didn't know where to start.

[Bmerdoctor650]

First orders of business was to replace the fuel pump and fix the fender issue so my wheels/tires could clear.





I also replaced the water pump with a unit with metal propellers instead of the OEM plastic properllers. Didnt seem to snag a photo of this.  Next was to take care of the mess under the intake and replace the intake/valve cover gaskets. While removing the valve cover, 6 threads ended up stripping on me  so i got my helicoil kit out and started replacing threads. I'm sure i'll eventually have to do this job to each threaded hole on the valve cover, but i'm only fixing what is necessary in the moment.

[DesktopDave]

Nice save! Thanks for posting your project, welcome to the 'club!

[Bmerdoctor650]

cleaned up the mess under the intake


GRETA by chris kallas, on Flickr

how i routed the coolant hose from the plastic pipe to the engine block:


Untitled by chris kallas, on Flickr

Untitled by chris kallas, on Flickr

Untitled by chris kallas, on Flickr

[Bmerdoctor650]

Somewhat finished product for now..

GRETA

Since i have a e30 parts car, i decided to pull the rear end from it and start refreshing all the bushings and reinforcing the subframe/trailing arms.

GRETA


GRETA

GRETA

[Bmerdoctor650]

GRETA

Started to drill some holes for the is spoiler:

GRETA

[Bmerdoctor650]

GRETA

GRETA

GRETA

GRETA

[G FORCE]

Late to the game, but I do like what you've done with Greta! What did you do to the rear spoiler as far as prep. I need to do mine as well.

[Bmerdoctor650]

Better late than never! I cleaned it really well with degreaser and alcohol and then applied a flexible bumper paint that I picked up from my local auto parts store. I only applied a few coats but probably should have done a few more. Good luck!

Late to the game, but I do like what you've done with Greta! What did you do to the rear spoiler as far as prep. I need to do mine as well.