Ratch's 318iS Resto is back!!!

[Foolio]

I pay my taxes like everyone else!

More than everyone else you could argue!

[Dave_M3]

I must get one of those head-units!!! need a new one soon, was going to go for something like an Alpine one but that looks very good indeed!

[Pal318is]

Treated just like it should be..Great work fella

[RestoRatch]

Well, onwards and sidewards.

Picked up as mint a drivers door as my patience would allow. Looks to be spotless. I had to use Herculean efforts to hide my disgust as upon arrival, I realised it's a Chromie! I managed to convince the seller my blood was not actually boiling and it was just the long drive down to his yard.

Et voilá.



And inside


Now to rid it of the what I call 'The Other Rust' - CHROME.

Trims off - so much easier when you don't need to re-use. It's getting painted inside and out, no shoddiness, it'll be as if it was always Lazer Blue.




Mirror off.


No chance of reusing these tabs/clips, they are very fragile and just disintegrate.


Easily over £200 to replace that lot


Almost ready for paint. The paintshop wouldn't have charged much to strip it but I wanted to see how all the trim went on for when I have to re-assemble.


I have ordered all new clips and nuts etc to re-dress it once painted but alarmingly, some of these parts have gone NLA, like some of the major window seals! Still, I have 2 doors with all the seals and shadowline in great nick so just to be extra careful on the swap over. Chromies have those troublesome 'S-bend' power window mechs but after some research, I can swap in the the facelift hardware, glass and rails no probs.

Got my freshly painted valance back. I like to get bits back as and when, as then I can build them up ready to go straight on when the car gets back rather than have a million jobs lying around.


New bumper trims front and rear.


Old valance had a cracked NS fog lens so dipped into my stash again for mint one.


My old valance is actually 100% rot-free with no damage or scratches but I had a new one lying around for another project so I figured I'd just get that painted up and have the original as a spare. To my surprise, they are only under-sealed on the outside from the factory.



I made sure mine was done on both sides.



Pick up car this week, and can get to doing the soundproofing, ICE and carpet!

[capri_rob]

Welcome back fella

[6potpower]

where did you get the boxes of hardware from?

[Royalratch]

Hello all!

Car is back from having bit if paint and machine polish - not happy with it as they managed a small ding in the passengers door so it will be going back.

In the meantime I have lots of bits in, on the way and stuff to do so will get some pics up on the weekend! Door pods should be done soon and I'm kind of anxious to see if they pass the chav test - they will be swiftly offered for sale if they don't!

where did you get the boxes of hardware from?

They are not from BMW. All I do is have some trays like that full of all those weird BMW fasteners. Whenever I break a car or parts, I always strip them of as much fasteners as possible as they are just too much of a pain to order and DIY store variants are awful quality. Also, if I over order parts from BMW they go in these trays - super useful as when renewing stuff, I am loathe to use old hardware, like most I suppose.

It does beg the question, there must be SOMEWHERE you can get hi-quality, hi-tensile and corrosion resistant hardware online?

[Ziggy]

For general (stainless) nuts & bolts I've used these guys before. http://www.stagonset.co.uk/

A lot of places will only let you order in bulk...

[Royalratch]

Cheers man - want Bulk as it's lame phoning BMW for bits'n'pieces.

[march109]

So what does the actual car look like? haven't seen a picture of anything but parts in aaages!

[SLIMADI]

Top job fella,keep it up looks awesome

[EThreezero]

Epic resto mate, really well done. Nice to see all those brand new oem parts. How much were the grills and kidneys? you dont know how moody your own are until you see spankin ones

[b4gga83]

Update?

[EThreezero]

give him a chance mate he was just on this morning

[Royalratch]

So what does the actual car look like? haven't seen a picture of anything but parts in aaages!

Parts are cooler than cars lol!

It looks like a polished Lazer Blue shell. It's not going to stun anyone when finished as it's just a factory 2-door on 15" BBS - what's to see?

The interior will look tasty but again - nothing you haven't already seen - pics up tomorrow as I inspection II'ed a mates E46 today and it was a pig. Seized spark plugs, split oil filter housing -2 hour job went all day. Done now and back to mine!

[Royalratch]

Yo.

So I am now at the point where I'm going to attack all the front end, bushes all round etc and look at suspension. I have hassled a few zoners, EVO Zone shop and a few other places for info about the best damper/spring setup for my needs - spirtited driving, long road trips and a fair amount of hacking about the middle of London.

I want a more modern/better set up than BMW's original BOGE Gas MTECH dampers (which are ok TBH) but I do not want it any lower if I can help it and DEFINITELY not any stiffer/harsher. I need to order these suckers soon.

My options, please chip in anyone who has used these combinations or has advice.

1) Bilstein B6 - Bilstein say it's the direct replacement for my damper, sportier without affecting ride height or quality - sounds great).
2) Bilstein B8 - A Lower stiffer damper BUT zoners on here have said it has MORE travel then the B6...???
3) Renew BMW MTEC - It worked fine for 20 years and is cheaper than the above.

As for springs, I guess it will be Eibach with the Bilsteins or BMW with the BMW dampers. I know the Eibachs will drop the car a tad. Eibach springs are almost half the price of BMW MTECH springs!

Help me end this turmoil as it's the last parts decision I need to make before the spanners come out and everyone has given me conflicting advice.

[Aubs]

I'd strongly recommend option 4. KW springs and shortend dampers, the 35mm drop package is taught and controlled but never crashy. Overall it gives a comfortable ride, and is pretty much ideal for fast road use. Plus the package is significantly cheaper than the other options.

[Royalratch]

What's option 4 lol! There's only 3?

[fuzzy]

if you dont want lower or stiffer discount the bilstein. isnt the b6 the lower thicker piston type?
best sticking with original mtech by the sound of it.

[bss325i]

Eibach and B8's.

[Aubs]

What's option 4 lol! There's only 3?

I was implying that there was a further option you hadn't mentioned, I wondered why you were resticting yourself to those makes?

[Royalratch]

Aha. I'm afraid it's MTEC or Bilstein as the overwhelming evidence points at one of those set-ups.

Some interesting stuff I nicked from another thread:

B6's where fitted to tech 1's as standard Ratch.

If she's everyday the B4 damper gives a good ride. Looks like an m-tech damper but with a thicker damper rod. I imagine on eibachs it would be a good setup

Personnaly B8's work best on 35/40mm drops and the B6 with 60mm springs (EDIT: Why would a shorter damper work better with longer spring...?)

All the bilsteins bar the B4 are much stiffer than boge/mtech damper

And:

Bought my B6 dampers off the shelf at ECP wembley no problem



This picture here lies all the dampers in question

top boge mtech, it's f**ked and the damper rod isn't fully extented
middle B6 ala tech 1 sport
bottom B8 ala Alpina/hartge

B6's give the hardest ride with any spring, B8's are better, mtechs only good on stock or 40mm springs.
As you can see the B6 is the shortest shock by some way

Barry - B8's will be noticeably stiffer than MTECH / B6 / B4?

Anyone ever used a B4?

[TheMoose]

One of the best threads. RoyalRatch!

Can you please give me the part numbers for the bushings. I'm looking at installing them in my ride. I am not a technical person and I just can't be able to know which is which. I am looking at installing the allround.

Sorry for the hijack/ request.

Moose

[Royalratch]

Which bushings - be specific.

[Andyboy]

B4's are okay, a good budget damper that is stiffer than the standard E30 damper - they're about the same as a Boge M Technic. I used a set on a 320i I restored along with an Eibach Pro Kit. I would still err towards a B6 kit though if the budget allows. B8's don't do the ride many favours. If you lower it, you'll find the standard bump stops are too tall - E36 M Technic ones are shorter - all UK E36 Coupes have them.

If you've not considered Eibach anti roll bars, start considering. Also front wishbone M3 eccentric rear bushes. You can make an E30 a really lovely handling car without dropping it onto the bump stops.

[Royalratch]

Andyboy - I'm doing the M3 Eccentric TCA bushes for sure.

I've been told the B6 is not as short as a B8 but harsher - which is confusing.

Can I put any of those dampers on my standard -15mm MTEC springs?

[TheMoose]

Which bushings - be specific.

Thanks for the response. I am looking at putting standard BMW E30 bushings in the front and in the rear suspension. The Powerflex polystyrene bushings are selling at 2 times the price for the UK ones, so not an option.

Moose

[Simon13]

Andyboy - I'm doing the M3 Eccentric TCA bushes for sure.

I've been told the B6 is not as short as a B8 but harsher - which is confusing.

Can I put any of those dampers on my standard -15mm MTEC springs?

yes to the question, lets forget the B6/8 name dramas as theres clearly conflicting evidence!

Lets call them big and small billys, the bigs ride very well on m-tech springs, but the car will be much tighter through the corners. Although when E30's were new you wouldn't of had this option as the big billys were only fitted to alpinas/hartge from new

The ride is generally better with the big billys as there is more damper travel like the stock boge.

B4's aren't bad i've fitted a kit with these to a friends E30 and didn't think they were bad at all. More roll than a billy but the ride was excellent for a 40mm drop

[E30BeemerLad]

Ratch, I'm using B6's I bought secondhand from Mr13 with a 40mm drop and I'm very pleased with the ride. This includes a lot of slugging it over speed humps etc. I can't totally qualify this until I fit the correct profile tyres (currently on 60 profile balloons)

[Royalratch]

So what are we saying - B6 on MTEC springs is the best compromise of handling upgrade and ride quality?

Can I keep my existing springs or will they also need replacing? Remember, my MTECH dampers are in excellent condition and don't need changing, I just want to upgrade old tech.

[gareth]

Which bushings - be specific.

Thanks for the response. I am looking at putting standard BMW E30 bushings in the front and in the rear suspension. The Powerflex polystyrene bushings are selling at 2 times the price for the UK ones, so not an option.

Moose

that'll be polyurethane

[Royalratch]

Which bushings - be specific.

Thanks for the response. I am looking at putting standard BMW E30 bushings in the front and in the rear suspension. The Powerflex polystyrene bushings are selling at 2 times the price for the UK ones, so not an option.

Moose

Front TCA bushes (non-M3), Control arms / ARB bushes / Top Mounts etc:
http://bmwfans.info/parts/catalog/E30/2 ... ront_axle/

And the rear end:
http://bmwfans.info/parts/catalog/E30/2 ... rear_axle/

Eccentric M3 TCA bush part number - 31 12 9 061 222

Learn to use that site it is invaluable for all kinds of reasons.

[TheMoose]

Wow!!!
That site is unbelievable. Every BMW owner should definitely have the site in their favorites.
And I think you should write a book RoyalRatch, given your detailed build.

Moose

[kieran325]

Ratch,

Ive just had my Becker head unit delivered

Thing is, does it come with the connection block that fits into the head unit itself, I haven't got one and I don't know if it's meant too

Cheers.

[Andyboy]

The important thing is total uncompressed damper length. Why? Well......

Coil springs - unlike leaf springs/torsion bars - get stiffer the more you compress them (Rising rate).

So to get the static spring rate correct with the car sat on it's wheels, the springs have to be under tension with the wheels OFF the ground. That's why coil springs need to be compressed when taking it all apart.
The shorter the chrome damper rod, the more static tension a given spring is under. That's why M Technic dampers are shorter - because the springs are shorter too. If you have stupid short springs on dampers that are too long, they won't require much(if any) compression to fit.

That means the spring is starting from nothing. The ride will be poor because the top mounts are squashed up against the bump stops. It might handle okay on a smooth road but it'll be awful on anything else.

If the whole B6 B8 thing is foxing you (and it does me sometimes!) just go to BMW and buy either Boge 325i M Technic shocks or the yellow M Technic Bilsteins for the 86-87 model. Guaranteed to work and yellow Bilsteins have internal bump stops meaning a bit more travel. The Eibach pro kit has around the same spring rates as a 325i but are slightly shorter. You won't go wrong with these.