I had been keeping my eye out for a complete, running e30 318is. I never intended to buy an already-plucked M42, nor did I want an M44 regardless of condition due to the many parts I would need to make it work properly in an E30.
While I was out euro-parts scouting at a used-car handler, this was the first thing that caught my eye:
The hood was popped when I saw it so I open it up and what do I find but an M42, with a fairly new rad...
But I thought, 'probably has a million miles on knowing the Germans...
But too my surprise, it has only 160k km, or 100k miles.
I talked to the Schrottplatz owner, Hans, and he told me it was an Abwrackpraemie(sp?)auto, or German cash-4-clunkers. It was turned in about a yr ago. His brother Thorsen, co-owner of the Schrottplatz, wanted to part it when it came in. But Hans woulldn't allow it, being an ex-E30 M3 owner himself, he knew it's worth. We threw a battery on it, started right up and let it idle for a good 15 minutes. It's a smooth runner. I don't have a place to gut it, but that doesn't matter as a cash-4-clunkers vehicle has no papers and can never be re-reg'd or 'sold'. So Hans said it's ok for me to part it there, as he must crush the chassis afterwards.
There appears to be Koni suspension, the Weaves are in good shape, as are the ellip's. I have to remove the seats to see what they are. The brackets may also be useful. The steering wheel is MOMO, and has the horn button/centerpiece I need for a wooden MOMO that I had found a feew days before.
I plan to have it done latest by early summer, and get it to the 'Ring.
My Plans also include FK 60/40 kit & refinishing my MSW meshes:
Dunno what diff is in the donor yet, but I will see soon. With any luck it's LSD. The rest will be sold off as will the old M40/trans/DS/ecu/yada yada.
