JP 91iS

[Jorgeconrico]

Dude, the car is coming along nicely. Can't wait to see it when its complete. I like the 15" baskets, they look good. I wish i could find a set. Good luck in Montana man.

[JP 91iS]

Dude, the car is coming along nicely. Can't wait to see it when its complete. I like the 15" baskets, they look good. I wish i could find a set. Good luck in Montana man.

Thanks Jorge, so far Missoula has been good.  There is a set of 15" Ronal LS basketweaves in the sale section.  They are like these but with a nice fat dish.  I'd trade mine for those.

[bimmermanic]

Thank you so much for your post! It is really helping me with my e30 project . I basically bought a car with the same issue of neglect, poor body work and accident all rolled into one (1991 E30 318is) So i will use ur resto as a guide to help me.  Thank u again

[JP 91iS]

Thank you so much for your post! It is really helping me with my e30 project . I basically bought a car with the same issue of neglect, poor body work and accident all rolled into one (1991 E30 318is) So i will use ur resto as a guide to help me.  Thank u again

 Enjoy the addiction!



I've got the 318 doing temporary dirty work - bought a roof rack to haul new furniture to my new place.  It was meant for the 86es, but will be worn on the 318 until I put it in storage for the winter.

[longtallsally]

Hey I sent you a PM about your fan.  I found this thread and got my questions answered.  You have basically done everything verbatim that I am in the process of doing outside the motor (I think mine is in pretty good shape).

Exceptional job!

[JP 91iS]

Thanks, I replied to your pm.  It's been way too long since I've done any work.  My poor 318 is being neglected, not to mention having to be parking on the street!  Oh well, soon winter will be here and I'll have it safely stored away.  Good luck with the projects.

[Haraise]

Any tips on what steering wheels/shift knobs/ebrakes from different models work in the E30?

I'd like to replace everything with leather like this.

[JP 91iS]

Any tips on what steering wheels/shift knobs/ebrakes from different models work in the E30?

I'd like to replace everything with leather like this.

Lets see, I'm not sure about steering wheel fitment from other BMW models but there will be issues with spline count and column diameter.  You would probably be able to make any steering wheel fit with the correct adapter, but I'm not sure how that works.  
As for the shift knobs I'm pretty sure any model BMW shift knob will fit any other, I think they all use the pressure fitting with the two notches for alignment.  
For the ebrake handle, I can't remember what model the seller said mine was from, but you'll have to research that to be sure anyways.  I think the main fitment issue is length since the e30 handle is long and the boot won't meet up with a shorty handle.  You could just get whoever makes the custom ebrake boots to customize it for whatever length of handle you end up with.
I definitely prefer the all leather feel.  And was really glad to get rid of the accordion ebrake boot.  Plus the mtechII wheel makes me happy(er) every time I get in the car.

[eric16v]

Great job with the car man! I just had a quick question regarding the center consil. Will any two button consil fit in place of a three button. I have access to one from an earlier model with out airbag. I noticed that the airbag models have that bracket and non airbag models dont.
Thanks

[AcSchnitzer318is]

I'll echo everyone else... excellent work so far.  Hope Montana is treating you well.

If you haven't addressed your rear clunk yet... I've found 9 times out of 10 it's worn rear shock tower mounts.  They are cheap to replace and make the car 10x quieter inside.  Buy the upgraded aluminum ones for like $40 and never have to worry about them wearing out totally and sending your strut insert up into your rear deck.  :thumbsup:

edit: more details on the clutch stop pls.  My extra travel has always annoyed me but haven't had the time/drive to do anything about it since working on my turbo install has taken all my effort.  But for $5 I'll give it a shot.

[JP 91iS]

Great job with the car man! I just had a quick question regarding the center consil. Will any two button consil fit in place of a three button. I have access to one from an earlier model with out airbag. I noticed that the airbag models have that bracket and non airbag models dont.
Thanks

No the cutout on the drivers side of the center console is different for airbag cars and non-airbag cars.  The difference is that with the airbag system the drivers side lower dash area was beefed up so the knee bolster is bigger and there is a large metal bracket behind it.  I just swapped everything out since I no longer have an airbag and all that stuff was just extra weight.  Plus I like they way the non-airbag knee panels look.

But you could just cut out the side of the non-airbag console to fit around the airbag knee panel.  It will be hard to make look good though.

edit: more details on the clutch stop pls. My extra travel has always annoyed me but haven't had the time/drive to do anything about it since working on my turbo install has taken all my effort. But for $5 I'll give it a shot.

Thanks for the nice comments.  The noise from the rear is less of a clunk as it is a rotating whump.  I haven't worried too much about it but I'll give the whole system a look over whenever I do the suspension.

What else did you want to know about the clutch stop?  I followed all the parts in the photo in post #49 and there is additional info at the link in post #55.

[ChrisPino]

Hello i have E30 318is , i installed a chip in the ECU and the car is running awsome , but after i installed a Volvo fan when the fan start working at the second speed the car didnt idle good , the RPM goes up and down . Can anybody help me ?

[jacco]

wowww!!

nice ride.
respect al the hard work you've put in the car!

grtz

[Hybrid775]

i'm also thinking of sandblasting certain parts, so what is your sandblasting setup?...did u have a hopper to contain sand?

[JP 91iS]

Thanks jacco. I feel bad when I look back at all the clean work I've done then look at the current neglected state she sits in.  Damn winter and expensive storage.

Hybrid775: The sandblaster I used was a cheap gravity feed blaster from harbor freight. Basically, it looked like this:

http://www.m42club.com/forums/showpost.php?p=57359&postcount=8

I used an old arbys cup as a scoop to fill the hopper with a bag of the cheap blaster material from Menards.  It was messy and annoying work but it got the job done for cheap.  Definitely try to go as big as you can, it can be hard to maneuver intake manifolds and valve covers in a tiny box.  If I had to rebuild the blasting cabinet, I'd try to just use plywood and design it like an actual blaster (angled view window on front); add silicone or something to make the best seals I could.