My New Daily - 1986 (316)

[DIRTE30]

I bought this as a cheap daily, shes a 316 with 64k and very straight panels. Chrome bumpers and no sunroof.

Picked it up from Newcastle after a 7 hour overnighter on the national express from Guildford.

She drove home 300 miles with no problems. Not bad for a car which sat for 6 months!



Let the cleaning commence!!



Some style 5s, remove the mudflaps and a damn good polish!!

[Ajsingh]

Cleaned up nice!!!!

[capri_rob]

Transformed

[bhups]

Very nice car mate!

[anothere21323i]

Very very nice indeed! And a Glasgow plate too - with the original dealer sticker in the rear window (Harry Fairbairn no less)!

Well done, that's a good buy there

[spook]

Thats cleaned up well,

Standard BBS wheels mate not style 5s

[Kedge]

Looks bloody nice that! Making me want mine on the road right NOW!

Think i'll be keeping my set of BBS for my Polaris Chromie.

Is that on standard ride height?

[DIRTE30]

The car has got Spax springs, I guess 40 mm but it still sits too high.

I want it a tad lower, and change ther front tyres for 195/50's.

[DanThe]

It would look better slightly lower, why would you want smaller tyres? They just make the car look like its sat higher, 205/50/15 minimum!

[DIRTE30]

Some more pics of the car from this weekend after a big clean.

[Kedge]

195/50s look horrible!! I speak from experience as well

Mine should be lowered about the same, seem's these bloody chromies sit a fair bit higher than facelift turds

[kieran325]

It's come up good

[Duke137]

Rear arch profile on early cars makes them look higher. Nice car, love polaris metal bumper cars

[Kedge]

Rear arch profile on early cars makes them look higher.

Yea that's true, right ballache!

[Kedge]

Any updates on this car?

[DIRTE30]

Progress on the car has been slow sadly. But I have been collecting some nice bits for it.

Its needed a lot more love and replacement parts than I had hoped but at 26 years old I should have planned for that.

I do have a plan for the car, which i'm hoping will look stunning. But as my daily its difficult to get too involved over weekends. She's just hit 69k this week and ive done 5k since February so well chuffed with the car.

Hopefully early next year it should start taking shape.

[Kedge]

Not a bad years running though

What's the plans?

[kangman]

lower it, startec rear lights. job done

[bab-91]

startec rear lights.

Nice chomie!

[Kedge]

I'm claiming copywright that on with Polaris

The arse end of mine before it was back on the deck;

[BenHar]

The arse end of mine before it was back on the deck;

'Orrible, but that's only my opinion.

Ben

[Kedge]

The arse end of mine before it was back on the deck;

'Orrible, but that's only my opinion.

Ben

And you're welcome to it!

[BenHar]

'Orrible, but that's only my opinion.

Ben

And you're welcome to it!

Why thank you, kind sir.

You may have your own as well.

Ben

[kangman]

I'm claiming copywright that on with Polaris

The arse end of mine before it was back on the deck;

You got any more pics to help sway their opinions?

I think silver cars and smoked lights are a great combo. Got to be different from the rest in order to stand out...

[DIRTE30]

I have lots of pics, but there aren't drastic changes so far. I was going to keep it stock but after discovering a few issues decided it was a good base for something different.

I do love the Polaris silver paint but its not original and the finish isnt great so I will be changing this as part of the plan.

My plans are simply to keep it subtle. 15" wheels, stripped out and detailed , lowered but not too much and standard lights all round. I do like the smoked lights against the silver but this isnt the direction i'm heading.

However budget is really tight as I spent all my play money on an engagement ring for the missus. So im just picking up cool parts when they turn up at bargain prices.

so far i have obtained:

non rotten front metal valance
New old stock Pfeba front valance
retro momo steering wheel
new old stock bosch headlighs
new chrome line trim
Rare MIM 5 spokes but now selling these
BBS 15" but will also be selling these

[polsta]

polaris chromie looks sweet, how much did you pay for it cheap ?

[Rav335uk]

[DIRTE30]

polaris chromie looks sweet, how much did you pay for it cheap ?

I Paid £900 for the car which to be honest was not cheap taking into consideration the bits needed.

However, the fact it has been reliable and good fun to drive makes it worth the money even though I know I overpaid compared to some of the more recent Chromies for sale.

Next time I buy a car ill keep an eye out for a local one so im not obligated to buy it after travelling so far to see that it wasn't quite what I expected.

[Kedge]

I have lots of pics, but there aren't drastic changes so far. I was going to keep it stock but after discovering a few issues decided it was a good base for something different.

I do love the Polaris silver paint but its not original and the finish isnt great so I will be changing this as part of the plan.

My plans are simply to keep it subtle. 15" wheels, stripped out and detailed , lowered but not too much and standard lights all round. I do like the smoked lights against the silver but this isnt the direction i'm heading.

However budget is really tight as I spent all my play money on an engagement ring for the missus. So im just picking up cool parts when they turn up at bargain prices.

Let's see the pics

You thinking of changing colour or just getting rit repainted in Polaris?

Nice simple plans, what wheels you thinking of going for? I'm keeping a standard set of lights as well as the smoked lights all round as well for when I fancy a change.

Congrats on the engagement!

[polsta]

polaris chromie looks sweet, how much did you pay for it cheap ?

I Paid £900 for the car which to be honest was not cheap taking into consideration the bits needed.

However, the fact it has been reliable and good fun to drive makes it worth the money even though I know I overpaid compared to some of the more recent Chromies for sale.

Next time I buy a car ill keep an eye out for a local one so im not obligated to buy it after travelling so far to see that it wasn't quite what I expected.

Not too bad, it's a chromie and if looked after and restored etc it will hold value , there won't be many chromie a around in 5 years with the amount that get broke, I nearly bought a chromie 325 last year in Polaris, lovely color

Travelling long distance and blind so to speak from a few pics, has never appealed to me, although I like the idea of a long haul to get a car one day and the whole journey experience, fella I sold my 318is too , took 2 flights ,me picking him up from airport, and drove it all the way back to Inverness from Portsmouth, he loved it and loved the drive back

Look forward to seeing the car progress, are you going to get a full Polaris re spray ?

[DIRTE30]

Some more Pics as requested







Momo steering wheel



pfeba front spoiler

[Kedge]

Looking good. Seeing how that sits confirms that I'm going to want to lower mine more at a later date. Mines sat on 35mm Eibachs, E90 top hats and the thinnest spring pads and sits about the same as yours, might settle down once on the road but I think I'll want it lower.

Like the Momo, nice retro look about it. Never seen that front spoiler before.

[polsta]

Looking good, you'll have to get some skirts on it to look right with the front spoiler, but looking good, old school awsome

[DIRTE30]

Im not really a Fan of side skirts. I think E30's look best when dressed up simply with a nice Chin spoiler. The Early Chromie Alpina's are in my opinion stunning looking cars.

I had this 83 Jetta 5 years ago. Nice and simple.

[polsta]

Agree about the Allianz, it didn't they have skirts ? Personally think that's not a simple chin spoiler, it's a whopping great snow plough lol, will look very unbalanced and a bit out of place with no skirts, where as skirts will compliment and give the car a more polished look