'91 318iS minor resto.. ;-)

Mon Dec 22, 2014 6:24 pm

Snow!

You need to be in the south of England to see the real chaos an inch can cause.

I am jealous of your garage - I once had 5 E30's at the same time - had to rent some space in a local barn to store them.

I look forward to the next update

Mon Dec 22, 2014 8:37 pm

An inch? That just colours the scenery here...

Five E30s? Must have been nice.. Im up to two and may end up with a third one.. I'll give you a hint: model starts with M and ends with a 3...

A guy can dream can't he???

Next update real soon...

Tue Dec 23, 2014 6:34 pm

Last update for 2014!!! Well maybe...

With the brakes lines all completed (at least the rear portion) and the fuel lines in it was time to
deal with the fuel tank.

This as you'll recall was when I got it back in October...

It was very good right out of the box but remembering the sorry state of the original...

I decided I'd put a few extra coats of silver paint...

Three coats to be exact.

Then I waxed it.

Im funny that way...

I had broken the first bolt I had tried to remove when removing the fuel tank...

So I drilled it out and kinda fooked the threads while doing so..
So I tapped a new hole and voila..

Isn't this stuff almost better than porn??

The electrical lines that run to the fuel pump..(on the left)

were all cleaned off and checked and re-tapped...

and tie wrapped to the bolt frame I had earlier re-tapped..

Above and in the pic below, notice the lines running to the access hole..There is a groove in the underbody just for these two wires to sit in when you set the tank back on..It ensures they aren't crushed when you torque the tank in... Guess how I know that??

The vent hoses (all new) had been run through the guide pipe which was the hardest part of the project so far and I clipped in the brand new charcoal canister vent line that runs from the engine bay, up over the tank to one of the plastic vent hoses as seen above..that one only got two extra coats of paint...

You can see the original here (top of pic)

Here is the new one running to front all clipped in and cozy...

I had also set up my new fuel filter and newly refurbed holder..

Which was pretty but stupid... The whole setup was in the way while trying to fit the fuel tank in position...
I had to remove it all to get the tank bolts to align...

With all the underbody elements squared-away I started preparing the tank itself...
(See the thin line on the tank with no tubing on it? It needs a 2"piece to connect
to the vent line... Guess when I figured that out???)

The fuel tank rests against two hard foam pieces that cushion it against the underbody.. The originals were a shambles so I improvised..

and in position against the underbody...

Above you can see the 2" piece of fuel tubing I put on the vent line after Id realized I'd forgotten it...of course Id spent 20 minutes getting the tank on first only to realize I had to remove it to get that piece on....

To be honest having the whole setup on the rotiserrie is the ONLY way to go...
BUT I did remove the original laying on my back with the car up on jack stands so if some of you are stuck to do it that way, my sympathies!!

Setting the tank up is tricky because the vent lines must be connected before you bolt it in...No a huge problem but I double checked everything and still had to fit it in three times cause Id forgotten something or screwed something up...

Here she is finally in place..

What a gorgeous site...

Next up...Refurbed diff and tranny are ready for pickup!!!

Tue Dec 23, 2014 6:59 pm

Split_S wrote:
No a huge problem but I double checked everything and still had to fit it in three times cause Id forgotten something or screwed something up...

I'm glad i'm not alone in this scenario

PS, you'd need to move into my caravan (the one i've been meaning to do something with) for 6 months to help me get on top of my must do list!

Tue Dec 23, 2014 7:17 pm

Jesus325iTouring wrote:
Split_S wrote:
No a huge problem but I double checked everything and still had to fit it in three times cause Id forgotten something or screwed something up...

I'm glad i'm not alone in this scenario

PS, you'd need to move into my caravan (the one i've been meaning to do something with) for 6 months to help me get on top of my must do list!

That's an awfully long time to commit to Jesus...hehehe

Tue Dec 23, 2014 7:18 pm

Did you put your brake lines in before fitting the tank

Tue Dec 23, 2014 7:29 pm

Yes sir... Check page 8, the Nov 26th update... all new brake lines and parking brake cables...it's all there...

Thu Dec 25, 2014 4:30 pm

I wish..but my buddy who lives a few streets over is putting one in his garage...

Sweet selection of cars btw....

Thu Dec 25, 2014 7:46 pm

You need a shed big enough to fit one in though.....

Fri Dec 26, 2014 4:01 pm

He's got a 5 meter high ceiling and a double garage..so he's good.. I can't fit one as my ceiling is barely 3 meters... couldn't lift very high!

Next house..... haha

Fri Dec 26, 2014 7:34 pm

Some lovely work going on there! So nice to see a proper clean underside.

Fri Dec 26, 2014 9:20 pm

That looks just amazing!! Great work fella!

Don't forget to wax the insides of the support members behind and next to the brakelines and other cavitys on the underside now everythings off. Seen them rot from inside out. Would be a shame after all this hard work!

Keep it coming

Sat Dec 27, 2014 6:50 pm

Thanks for the advice, that's my plan - I have to get my hands on our equivalent of waxoil - haven't found any yet but Ive got a couple of months before i paint the car and i”˜ll want the support members done before i have to put on the suspension... Cant wait to see that setup!!

Mon Jan 05, 2015 9:37 pm

Need more updates

Tue Jan 06, 2015 5:20 pm

Alrighty then...

Just worked 8 of the last 9 days but managed to squeeze in the following...

As stated I'd sent out the rear subframe to get all new bushes pressed in and the old pressed out and new wheel bearings. I also asked that they remove the parking brake cable head that was hopelessly jammed in the hub assembly... Apparently it was a huge f**king deal as the specialist BMW shop I went to hadnt done e30 bushings since the 1990's!
They were nice but it took over 10 days to get my subframe back. And it was pretty mangled with vice marks and gouges and the paint was all scratched up... I was not happy but learned that
1) Dont send things that are all nice and pretty out to a shop.. I should have done all this BEFORE painting the subframe..

So, I took out the grinder, cleaned everything back up, hung it all up and repainted it with POR15...

Then repainted again as it just wasn't good enough...

Its not as good as it was but the new bushes are in and the bearings are pressed and they did managed to get those d*mn parking brake ends out... I will still have some work to do as a couple of the studs that hold the brake line clips have broken off.. So I need to weld on some new ones.. then, of course...repaint..aargg

Much better news on the tranny front however:

If you'll recall...

This I sent out to Eastern Transmission and the guys there are top notch. Not that you UK lads care but for anyone in the Montreal area this is the place to go...

I asked them to disassemble her and inspect her. Surprisingly she is is perfect condition. All gears are gouge-free and the syncros are like new. They changed one little piece that cost 5$, thats like 3 pounds!!

Here she is now..

Installed the new clutch cylinder Id bought a while back...

Isn't she gorgeous??

Also sent them the drive shaft for inspection - no problems found. It was sandblasted a little and new center bearing pressed on... I brought it home and..you guessed it... POR 15'd it...twice...

I then ground the end as I have a new guibo to install..

Old nuts were replaced with new self locking ones.. M10 x 1.25 FYI...vibration damper, ground clean and repainted too..

While I had the grinder out I cleaned up these guys..

PS: New engine mounts ordered too... Grounding wire was like new. I just re-wrapped it...

Ive got more to come but that's pretty good for now methinks...

Tue Jan 06, 2015 7:32 pm

Gorgeous indeed split! The painted parts are looking good enough second time round although i would've powdercoated them as thats much more durable. Great work none the less!

It all makes my hands itch and wanting to run off to the shed to get the spanners. Unfortunatly i'm in what they call a negative cash flow position also known as beeing broke ..so i'll injoy other people work for now

Tue Jan 06, 2015 8:25 pm

Marvellous sir, just marvellous

Tue Jan 06, 2015 9:51 pm

Now that gearbox is the business!

Wed Jan 07, 2015 2:31 pm

e30Passion wrote:Gorgeous indeed split! The painted parts are looking good enough second time round although i would've powdercoated them as thats much more durable. Great work none the less!

Gentlemen, thank-you. Its nice to see the old bits looking better than new again, both inside and outside...

With regards to powder coating, that was my original plan for the subframe but I learned that it was susceptible to chipping and rust would soon take hold. This, from people who'd experienced it. That's why I chose the POR 15 route. Nothing will chip that stuff. Its hard as nails. I am thinking of powder coating my two set of wheels - Im sure we'll be seeing the results of that in a future update!!

Sun Jan 11, 2015 11:21 pm

e30Passion wrote:It all makes my hands itch and wanting to run off to the shed to get the spanners. Unfortunatly i'm in what they call a negative cash flow position also known as beeing broke ..so i'll injoy other people work for now

Fixing one of these like I am also makes one broke unfortunately....

Wed Jan 21, 2015 7:42 pm

Hey mr split,

What is occuring?

Had a meeting with the latest incarnation of Lovat tunnelling yesterday, they told me it is a bit bitter in Canada right now.

Wed Jan 21, 2015 8:35 pm

Hennared....It has been between -25C and up to a cozy -15C for the last three weeks. I officially hate winter!

I am getting things done on the car, lots of little jobs and will post some stuff later today or tomorrow...nothing very exciting but progress...

I also did a run to the USA to pick up 3 big orders I'd placed a couple of weeks back ...Oh so many goodies!!!!
That will about do me parts-wise for the car...Only engine bits to order now..

Pics to follow as soon as the wife leaves and I can take all those boxes out of hiding...

Wed Jan 21, 2015 11:42 pm

Very busy day... A bit warmer than its been of late, up to -13C today...

Good news was my orders had all arrived at the US border so I zipped down there and came home with all this stuff...

Over a 75 things in this box alone...

and this sanding kit for the bodywork...

Now all this stuff brings me to about 90% of purchases complete. A few odds and ends and any engine related
stuff that will come up when the rebuild starts and that's it...

Wed Jan 21, 2015 11:52 pm

I also picked up my differential that was out for a rebuild. Turns out only the bearings needed changing (which I had requested).
Everything else was like new...

So here she is...

Oh wait, that was before.... hehe

Here she is now...

New speed sensor I got today and mounting hardware...sprayed to match...

Im thinking that diff will look better on the living room coffee table than hidden away under the car!!

Wed Jan 21, 2015 11:57 pm

Awesome

Thu Jan 22, 2015 12:13 am

In that box of goodies were 2 new engine bushings...

So off with the old ones...

And on with the new...

Nice...

Thu Jan 22, 2015 12:16 am

A couple of weeks ago I also decided to refurb the brake booster...

Sanded her down a bit...and sprayed her...

Wasn't happy with the results (which I didn't take a picture of)
So I resanded, primered, reprayed and..it came out... shite!! Cracks in the paint everywhere...

So in desperation I ground all the primer and paint off and tried again...

Voila...

Im going to put it on the coffee table beside the diff...

Fri Jan 23, 2015 7:37 pm

Today I tackled something Id been nervous about since beginning this crazy project: Shadowline trim removal.

I'll do my best to explain as I go so others can be less fearful when their turn comes...

Step 1. Ensure you have an e30 to work with. If not,the whole process tends to become quite a bit more difficult...

Now a few of you may notice the doors are not on my car. I will be tackling the removal of all the door sh*te once I start sanding the car. I just feel right about here with it all:

First things first: You'll need:

1) FLathead screwdriver, bigger is better.. ahem...
2) Philips screwdriver ( + ) not sure what its called in the UK...
2) 8mm deep socket
3) a couple of scrappers, thicker is better... ahem again...

Get in your car and remove this coat hanger.

It requires the (+) screwdriver. With the screw out, use a smaller flathead screwdriver to wedge it out of its hole. Start at the bottom then work up the sides. It IS tight but it will come out... Be patient!

Once all the cursing is done and its out:

Next, get a box and a baggie... put stuff in it as you go...

Inside the car, remove the cover on the seat belt pivot to reveal the 17mm bolt. This is on the same pillar which you removed the coat hanger. (Sorry no pic - mine was removed loooong ago...) Loosen and remove the 17mm bolt. Next, remove the small quarter sized plug on the same pillar using a flathead screwdriver...

With the plug off, inside the hole you will see a 8mm nut. If you look inside the coat hanger hole you will see the same 8mm nut. At this point you can loosen and remove them both being careful not to drop them.

Use this...

With these nuts out the only thing holding the window is the inner rubber gasket. Don't worry, that window isn't going anywhere yet...

Next is to remove the upper trim. Grab a flathead screwdriver and hammer and gently tap on the clip to make it slide over towards the front of the car..

Until it looks like this..

Now, have a cup of tea and relax because the next part requires patience...

Starting at the door gently pry (with a screwdriver or scrapper) the trim off its track. Do this very slowly and try not to lift it too much, you dont want to bend it...

Once you have a bit off use a thick scrapper and very gently pry UPWARDS to lift the trim of its track.. Do this a few mm at a time and keep moving towards the back of the car...

Eventually it will all be off and you may find as you get nearer the end it comes off fairly easily...

With that out of the way next up is to remove the remaining trim. This is attached to the painted part...They remove as one..

The best way is to use a long flathead screwdriver and using a cloth or something to protect the paint (not like in the pic!) gently pry the bottom out first...

It wont come out all the way but move up the side and every 10cm or so pry gently... There are clips there that may break. I broke 1 per side... In case you do break some the part number for these clips is: 51 13 1 870 459 (there are 6 total).

Now if you want to remove the black trim from the painted part, remove the insulation and remove the clips holding it in place. You may have to drill them out... However you do it, you will break them. The part number for these clips is: 51 13 1 884 467. You'll need a bunch...

Now the fun part. This was a complete B*TCH to do. Until I figured it out...

Remember only the inner seal is holding the window in place. I'll save you a couple of hours of anger and desperation and show you how to remove it:

Start by prying a scrapper under the seal like so:

Then using another scrapper do the same thing.

What you now want to do is use a flathead screwdriver and push the lip of the seal over and inside the metal lip it sits on. Basically between the metal lip and the window..

You will only need to do this on the bottom portion of the window. Just go slow, wedging the rubber over and off the lip between the lip and the window...

With the bottom portion done and the forward corner of the seal as well (near the door) gently push on the window and it will cause the seal to pop off the edge as you push...

The first side took me a few hours to do. The second side took me 15 minutes. You guys are all smarter than me so if you tackle this it will all be easy...

Now, with this part done, I guess she is pretty much ready for sanding...

Fri Jan 23, 2015 8:08 pm

are you a habs fan by chance?

Great job also, i've been this far with my own e30 so know your pains and joys so far.

I wish i had a spit roaster though

Fri Jan 23, 2015 10:11 pm

The trick is getting the gutter trims to stay on when you refit them.

Sat Jan 24, 2015 1:28 am

appletree wrote:The trick is getting the gutter trims to stay on when you refit them.

I was thinking exactly that as they were coming off...

Sat Jan 24, 2015 7:53 am

Split_S wrote:
appletree wrote:The trick is getting the gutter trims to stay on when you refit them.
I was thinking exactly that as they were coming off...

As long as there is no twist imparted to them when you take them off they should go back on quite easily

Don't ask me how i know..........

When it comes to trim removal as set of these are invaluable:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SYKES-PICKAVA ... 25757a8c30

Great work as ever Mr Split

Sat Jan 24, 2015 9:36 pm

Simon13 wrote:are you a habs fan by chance?

Great job also, i've been this far with my own e30 so know your pains and joys so far.

I wish i had a spit roaster though

Thank you.
I was a Habs fan when I was a kid but Im not a fan of professional sports in general. Still, when they make the playoffs its always fun...

hennared323i wrote:As long as there is no twist imparted to them when you take them off they should go back on quite easily

Don't ask me how i know..........

I know how you know hennared!! Thanks for the link and comments! Hopefully future posts are less boring but I felt there wasn't much info on how to remove the shadowline trim so I put in a bit of extra effort to show the steps..Not that Im any kind of expert or anything...

Sat Jan 24, 2015 9:50 pm

I suspect you are up there with the top 5 in restos Mr S

Nothing at all boring about your updates, they are part of this sites invaluable resource. And I really enjoy them.

Simon13 - get your arse in gear fella