E30 Zone

Its probably fair to say I like having a car to work on almost all the time - so here we go again. To get a house purchase across the line last year I parted with my E30 323i and E46 M3, leaving me with the family car - an E90, and my E36. A cheap Saab soon joined the fleet, and the E90 made way for a 118i - which I'm a big fan of it has to be said.

The intention is to eventually replace the Saab with something a lot less practical, but having two sensible cars is now a bit of a requirement, which is a slight issue for me. While several bonkers plans came and went, I started thinking about getting something practical which I could also stick on my classic policy. Mileage isn't an issue for me - combined all our cars currently do less than 10k a year. So the ideal car was something pre-95, which I find interesting, with at least 4 doors. Bearing in mind that one of the reasons I replaced the E90 was that the saloon isn't particularly practical, the focus quickly became finding an E30 Touring.

I would like to have a story of how I searched and searched for the perfect car, or of how I was passing a house and saw it buried in undergrowth - but it was actually surprisingly easy. One message to Dave Gormley asking if he had any tourings available resulted in him telling me I had my choice of two.

Its an Irish car - 1990 - in Diamond black. Being an Irish car, its light on options - has manual windows front and rear, comfort seats but oddly has the rear view mirror map lights and the speaker fader switch (whether or not that switch is actually connected to anything is an entirely different story).

Here are some pics from its original for sale thread -









As you can probably see - its been lowered. Or potentially has no suspension at all. Thats one of the first things to be rectified - am going with my usual combo of Eibach Pro-kit and Bilstein B4's. The Pro-kit has arrived, B4's will be ordered in next month. Also bought a pair of Lemforder front control arms which should be on their way down to Dave at the moment.

There was a substantial amount of work done by Dave for the previous owner -

- Gearbox seals
- Gearbox guibo bushing
- Exhaust manifold studs (3 of them were fecked)
- New battery
- Sump gasket
- Gearbox spigot bearing for clutch
- Service (engine & gearbox & power steering oil, drive belts, air & oil filter, spark plugs, coolant)
- Water pump & timing
- Thermostat
- Cabin fan blower motor
- Speedo sensor

Essentially all the above work means I have significantly less to do - main things to be done consist of some cosmetics, the suspension, a Tec II kit, some wheels, and a fresh interior. I also want to get electric windows and an OBC fitted - but neither are urgent.

All in all, its a very good base for a project. As usual for me, its likely to be a slow burner though.

keep tinkering on mate

Heres a more recent pic, so as you can see, very little has changed.



Theres a slight dent on the offside rear quarter - should be fixable with some PDR. Also needs a small bit of paint -



Sunroof skin needs a bit of attention - will look to replace this. If my euromillions numbers come up I'll buy a new panel.



Bonnet will need some paint too



The engine is definitely staying put though - plenty of power for what I need - as much as I liked the M30 in my last E30, it ended up costing a heap - and constantly had problems bleeding it if any of my local mechanics went near it.





Generally UK cars will have worse rust issues than Irish ones as the roads weren't salted here, but they all suffer with it, and I had no intention of chasing rust in a car. Dave put the car up on the lift to see what sort of condition it was in - thankfully its a good one.

One small hole here -



And some damage caused by a badly placed jack -



Otherwise its got a clean bill of health

When I did my last E30, I managed to pick up loads of parts for small money - including some gems like a brand new OEM armrest for GBP115. You could basically go on here or eBay and get whatever you wanted.

Seems to be a different story these days - the only new armrest I've found is EUR1500, which is obviously stupid money. I knew I wanted a tech 2 kit, but was worried it would cost more than the car itself. Thankfully I came across a full kit, with mounting clips a well, for what could be deemed to be 'cheap'.

Anyway - bank holidays are designed for this sort of thing - had a 5 hour round trip to collect it and it was in great condition. It will need to be painted but its one of the main things ticked off the shopping list.

It even had some spare pods, which I managed to recoup money on.













Also picked up these wheels for the car a while back. They're BBS RC040's, which are E36 fitment. So they're not overly dishy, but that doesn't bother me. Have ordered 215/40/17 Goodyears, so hopefully there'll be no stretch and will go with adapters - will allow me to stick on the 15 inch standard basketweaves in the future if I decide they look better.



Having them refurbed as close to OEM as possible, they can go on my E36 if I fancy a change



Last time I'll post an E36 in here, I swear!

Full front end suspension has been purchased along with the bilsteins and eibach springs as mentioned before. Am probably going a bit further with the overhaul than originally intended, but only plan on doing this once.

With that in mind, I got a throttle body and inlet manifold to have cleaned up by vapourblast.ie. If you saw the results on my last E30, you'll know how good these will look when they're finished - but here's a before photo for the moment -





Also got a rocker cover and subframe - these are being powdercoated by Tallaght Powder Coating. Was very happy with the work they did previously. Am going for a similar finish to the M30 rocker cover I had done - dark metallic grey, and the subframe is being done in satin black.





I don't expect these to be the last bits requiring vapour blasting, or powdercoating - but it'll allow the front end of the car to be put together.

Also picked up this Tec 1 steering wheel which has been freshly trimmed. Its not actually for the touring - but for my brother's cabrio which I'm going to start working on now as well. That frees up the 370mm tech 2 steering wheel which is currently in the cabrio - this will go over to Royal Steering Wheels for a retrim and then into the touring.



Tech 2 wheel out of the cab -

Michael at Vapourblast.ie got back to me today with the finished results on the inlet manifold. He was able to send an in-progress pic too - some people thought the bits he did on the last M30 build had been painted because the finished pieces looked so fresh.

Anyway - so save you scrolling back up, here's the manifold as it was when Michael got it -



Progress pic -



Finished result -



Collected the rocker cover from Tallaght Powder Coating today. Results might be underwhelming to some, but I wanted it to be pretty subtle so am very happy with the results.



Masked it up myself to sand back the raised areas - didn't want any accidents, so went with three layers of masking tape. 120 grit followed by 240, turned out perfect.





Quick shot of the subframe as well - should be in a position to get the front of the car all refreshed now.

Got a lovely pair of front seats for this - really got lucky with them. They're from a 4 door - all the bolsters are perfect, and the fire extinguisher is present as well. Even better though - they're heated, so that's one more option that the car will be getting. I bought the loom for fitting heated seats a few weeks back from BoomerM20 on here, but fully expected to have to buy the elements and have them fitted in the seats.

Original plan was to have these retrimmed in leather, but I'm really keen on how they look - not having matching rears is an issue though. They're in Indigo, which was never available in a touring from what I can make out, so need to get the rear seats retrimmed to match.



Managed to get a sample of the fabric over from the US, so once I confirm its correct I'll get the cloth ordered.



Also started buying a few more bits - I availed of a 25% discount code with Euro Car Parts to get new Brembo discs and pads, will probably buy new calipers soon too - its actually cheaper than having the old ones refurbished bizarrely enough. Also ended up ordering new tyres for the wheels from tyreleader.ie - seems they're generally cheaper than Camskill or Oponeo, although I find you always need to compare prices on the day - they seem to go up and down a bit. Both Oponeo and Tyre Leader have free shipping - so the GBP39 Camskill charges can end up being the main difference. Anyway - once they arrive the wheels can go off for a refurb.

Dave was able to get cracking on the work too - felt like I had a lot more parts stockpiled, but have already been busy buying more parts today



The mountings for the new drop links really look scruffy, so new ones were ordered today.





Likewise with the front ARB - technically its fine, but it would let things down cosmetically, so ordered a new H&R uprated ARB.



Bearing in mind how low the car was sitting, it was no surprise to see the height difference between the old and new springs. I'm guessing the old ones were actually cut -



All refitted with the Bilstein B4's and the Eibachs - will revisit these at a later stage and have the struts powdercoated and then fit new hubs and backing plates



Engine supported to allow the front subframe to come out -





New one in place - I'm guessing I need to do something about cleaning up that sump now too



Ordered new track rod assemblies from mister-auto.ie, but they have them incorrectly listed as right and left specific. I ordered one of each - but it turns out they're two different types, one is standard and the other for cars with steering damping. Needless to say they haven't been helpful in terms of reimbursement which is annoying. Had to order a new one, which should be here this week anyway.

Car was in esteemed company today -

I haven't dropped the new brakes down to Dave to be fitted yet - but its fair to say they're required. Quick game of spot the difference -





Bit of focus on the rear of the car today - new top mounts, shocks and springs. Quite a bit had to come out -





One of the speakers needs replacing anyway!



Old top mounts v new ones - great service from Micksgarage.com on these, order went in yesterday afternoon, arrrived first thing this morning



In place -



Old springs and the new Eibachs - I went for the pro kit, which isn't actually available for a Touring oddly enough. The cabrio spring rates are the closest, so thats what I went for.





The old shocks and covers were particularly ratty looking -



Fresh shocks and some rattle can black and they're looking much fresher -

very nice work mate

bigade wrote:very nice work mate

Cheers!

Few more updates today - never good to receive a message from the mechanic to say there's a problem, but thankfully this one was pretty minor in the grand scheme of things. Not quite sure why someone decided to do this - but mounting a seat properly would have presented a problem:



The remains of the old mounting were removed -



And a new one welded in -



Rear shock was then mounted, and the car could come off the lift





Suspension is definitely sitting a lot more to my liking now - lots done, more to do!

has it had a 2.5 fitted then or just the inlet manifold as thats no 2.0 jobbie!

Simon13 wrote:has it had a 2.5 fitted then or just the inlet manifold as thats no 2.0 jobbie!

It has the 2.5 alright, probably should have mentioned that Whats the difference between the two by the way?

Came from a 70k automatic car, and is in great condition, so got lucky with it.

the pipes on the 2.5 inlet are curved and larger bore. On the 2.0 they are angled and slightly smaller bore. An old mod used to be fit the 325i inlet and throttle body to wake the 2.0 up, but not many bothered

If you see a picture of the two inlets side by side its quite obvious. The auto engines always go well, easier life with the slushbox!

Simon13 wrote:the pipes on the 2.5 inlet are curved and larger bore. On the 2.0 they are angled and slightly smaller bore. An old mod used to be fit the 325i inlet and throttle body to wake the 2.0 up, but not many bothered

If you see a picture of the two inlets side by side its quite obvious. The auto engines always go well, easier life with the slushbox!

Learn something new every day - always thought they were identical

Brief update for today - am guessing that a previous owner did a bodge job fitting some non-standard seats in the past. The passenger side had the seat mounting points missing as well. Dave drilled the remains out again, before new mounts being welded in -



New seats are in - want to see them in the flesh before a final decision on retrimming the rears

I've been doing the same as you with stock piling parts for a suspension overhaul. Lemforder wish bones are £55 at the moment with various codes and offers from car parts for less.

rix313 wrote:I've been doing the same as you with stock piling parts for a suspension overhaul. Lemforder wish bones are £55 at the moment with various codes and offers from car parts for less.

Think I paid about EUR72 each from mister-auto - but given the GBP collapse I'll try and order what I can from the UK for the next few bits.

Wasn't planning on investing in an exhaust so soon, but this came up for sale over the weekend and did a deal for it pretty rapidly. I collect it on Sunday. Its an unused, brand new Larini exhaust - out of production years now, so won't be easy to find another. Has the exact tailpipe design I was after too, so am pretty happy with the purchase all things considered.

Nice Build Thread! I Also Have A Tech 2 Touring, What Drop Are The Springs All The Way Around As Im After A New Kit Myself?
Thanks

MPOWERCRAZY wrote:Nice Build Thread! I Also Have A Tech 2 Touring, What Drop Are The Springs All The Way Around As Im After A New Kit Myself?
Thanks

Its roughly 30mm all round I think - not severe by any means.

Great work Ken

No real progress over the last few days - but the bank balance has still taken a hit. The wheels are pretty obviously one of the very last things I need to get sorted, but I like wheels, so took the plunge on getting them sorted. First up, I ordered a set of tyre's for the BBS wheels from tyreleader.ie, shipping was pretty quick (and free) and they were cheaper than oponeo or camskill for the Goodyears I bought. I dropped the tyres and wheels over to today for their refurb - have told them to really take their time as I'm not in a rush.



Second last thing I really needed was the exhaust - so naturally that's sorted now too. I'd be surprised if another one of these exists in brand new condition - so couldn't let it go. As mentioned before its a Larini stainless steel exhaust. Everything I've read has said that they're a quality piece of kit - and that definitely seems to be the case. Its a stainless steel exhaust based on the standard exhaust - including sound level. Also included was the full fitting kit and gaskets, so really delighted with the purchase.











Also picked up an oil cooler in exceptional condition - was another part I couldn't let go.



Last bit not least is the full OBC kit. The dash will need to come out at some stage as its cracked, so fitting this might wait until then -

I wold love this car!

eamo wrote:I wold love this car!

Haha - well knowing me I'll sell it once I've gotten it exactly how I want it!

fantastic work mate. Doing similar jobs to mine.

Few more updates to keep things ticking over -

Put an order through with BMW Classic for a variety of minor bits, included all the parts for a refresh of the shifter mechanism. Any order over €75 has free shipping - still amazed they managed to send a small order through in 8 separate parcels though.



First up was the install of the new H&R front ARB. Its a 20mm adjustable bar - comparison between old and new ones











Fitted up -





Next to be tackled was the brakes - but progress was stumped with the brake disc retaining bolt shearing



Am having the bolt extracted and will fit up the brakes - will eventually overhaul the front anyway, new hubs, backing plates and have the struts powdercoated - the list of jobs to do is growing though, so that's not currently a priority.

kdevitt wrote: Next to be tackled was the brakes - but progress was stumped with the brake disc retaining bolt shearing

It's not essential to fit this retaining bolt. It's only function is to keep the wheel bolt holes in the disc lined up with those in the hub when the wheel is off. It won't hurt to leave it until the struts are cleaned up.

Brianmoooore wrote:

kdevitt wrote: Next to be tackled was the brakes - but progress was stumped with the brake disc retaining bolt shearing

It's not essential to fit this retaining bolt. It's only function is to keep the wheel bolt holes in the disc lined up with those in the hub when the wheel is off. It won't hurt to leave it until the struts are cleaned up.

Cheers Brian. Looks like it'll be left as is until the struts are done alright.

Turns out the sheared bolt wasn't the only issue with the brakes - the nearside front one had a solid disc, which I was aware of - but I was didn't realise that the caliper was different as well. I'd intended on putting new calipers all round on the car - a recent quote on having the existing ones refursbished was actually more expensive than buying brand new ones, so that's an order which is needed sooner that expected.

Dave was able to fit up the rest of discs and pads though - comparison of old and new





Checking runout on the front offside disc -



Rears fitted up -





Dave also got the old exhaust off - won't be fitting up the new one until the gear linkages have all been done







Will be ordering a new heatshield as well - the existing one is well past its best



In terms of the fundamental mechanicals, its just about there - which means in terms of the project its just really beginning!

Im jealous!

eamo wrote:Im jealous!

Don't be, I'm reckoning this is the point where it starts getting expensive

Might be the time to sell so!

Dave kicked off work on fitting the cleaned up rocker cover, inlet manifold and throttle body. There was a bit of a delay because it made sense to put in a few new parts while the manifold was off - put in another BMW Classics order for some injector o-rings, gaskets some new brackets and an inlet elbow and a few other bits.

Off with the old manifold -



With the rocker cover off, Dave took the opportunity to adjust the tappets



The rocker cover had quite a bit of powdercoat on the sealing edge, so all that had to be sanded back -







There was also a good bit of residue left on the inner surfaces from where the cover was blasted - so that was cleaned out -





New elring gasket for the rocker cover -



Rocker cover fitted back up -



Old inlet manifold beside the cleaned up one -



Things took a turn for the worse when Dave went to fit up the throttle body. Looks like the courier who dropped it off for vapour blasting literally dropped it. Checked the pics on the day and it was fine - but one of the pieces has broken off, so need to get another one cleaned up.



Anyway - injectors were fitted with new O-rings and fitted up to the inlet manifold



Some of the new brackets for the inlet manifold and the finished item -





Thankfully there were no hiccups with the new shifter parts. Ordered all new bushings and shifter rod, along with an E46 M3 shift lever. It has a shorted throw than the standard one, but not severely so. Had the same combo on my previous E30, so all in all it should really tighten things up.









Also got the new heatshield fitted up. This was one of the main things I needed in my last order - and of course I totally forgot to order it, so Dave kindly loaned me one of his own touring until my fresh order arrives.





Next up is the exhaust - which is not turning out to be straightforward.

Throttle body: Tidy up where the pipe has broken off, cut the other small pipe off as well, and replace the hoses that went to them with a single piece. It's a throttle body heater which has no purpose in your part of the world.

Rocker cover: I hope you replaced the four D shaped rubber bungs in the cylinder head in line with the ends of the rocker shaft. These become hard with heat and age, nd love to leak if disturbed.

Gear linkage: Another cable tie securing the reverse light cable to the linkage wouldn't go amiss. If the cable drops onto the propshaft when in use, it will be damaged and fuse 10 will blow.
This fuse is listed in the handbook as just being for the reverse lights, but it has other functions as well.