Project: 325i SPORT M-Tech 1 Model

[awAlex]

Hey,

Here's my first project it's a 1987 M-Tech 1 325i sport with under 100k on the clock
I went to buy a M-Tech 1 steering wheel and ended up buying this and a 318is and extra parts including M-Tech 2 rear bumper and spoiler

Positives
It has the Full M-Tech body kit (sideskirts awaiting pick up)
Houndstooth interior
Scorpion stainless steel back box
has MOT's from 1992 to 2006 then it was brought to the island and not used.
Rust doesn't seem to bad (apart from rear panel. Picture below)
Has sport suspension

Negatives
Split fuel pipes
Faulty waterpump
has been sat for nearly 3 years
LSD Diff has been swapped to standard
awaiting to find more faults.

What I've done so far
I've cleaned it up ready to start investigating the problems
I've removed a perished fuel pipe awaiting to get new pipe
I've replaced the bonnet to a undamaged one

This is my first project so any help would be grateful!

Here is some photos

Before (My first thoughts were run)









After











and then I started doing some research on what I had and realised I got quite lucky some would say

Heres the Body kit and seats



[/b]

5th July 2014
Today I replaced the perished petrol hose and got it started but after 5 seconds it stopped but it's a good sign nothing has seized I've got a video but I'm unsure how to upload them.
If I accelerate the car doesn't stall but If I don't the car stalls after about 5 seconds, what could that be? air intake?

Also I have been under the car and in my opinion the sills don't seem bad! not rotting away anyway Here's a couple of photo's









I've removed half of the carpet what are your opinions?

[bmwbmwbmw]

brave man

[awAlex]

First attempt to starting it and it turned over but then petrol spurted out a perished pipe so I shall see more when I get the new pipe.
If I can't do it as I'm no car mechanic I will put it on the boat and sell in the UK (I'm from the isle of man)

[jimbom30cab]

looking forward to watching this thread, mega project that !!

[russ325i]

Wow, that's brave. Fair play!

[oomz1975]

Raaaatee, good luck with this...

[polsta]

Rust isn't too bad apart from rear panel , to be fair it looks like a total dog that's been in more scraps than evader holly field, your probably going to be in for a shock if you fully strip it, Pete will be frothing at the mouth for full autopsy pics of this one

Brave man good luck, hope you save it

[B7]

Harro? I gi you bessss price....................

[awAlex]

Updated

[Falamon]

Good luck, you're definitely a brave man

[awAlex]

I'm curious why nearly all of you have said that! Would none of use do it?

[Duke137]

I'm curious why nearly all of you have said that! Would none of use do it?

No

[awAlex]

Any particular reason?

[bss325i]

It's f ucked!

[polsta]

Keep stripping and posting pics, remove the rear door cards, carpets, dash, that's where a lot of horrors and work can hide, then get lots of pics up of them areas and rear arches inside and out , the boot wells (remove battery etc)

Any roof bubbling or blisters ? It looks like it or rust patches ?

And youl have a better idea of things

Then before starting, you'd do well to remove the wings and put it on stands and remove the wheels and strip all4 inner arch areas of parts and sealer and see what rust lurks there

The inner under sill floor areas can't quite see but looks like its had all sorts of welding or sealer there ?

This all depends on your skills (skilled welding ? Paint spraying?) and budget and what you aim to achieve with this and spend ?

Parts wise alone so far just going by pics I can see a shopping list of ...

Bbs/ wheels and tyres 3-500 depending, least of worries

Tech 1 skirts, front valance splitter, spoiler - 4/500

Center consoles, gear knob, gaiter , seat runners, under dash panel , any cracks in the dash ? (New dash) rear light cluster, all sorts of rubber seals by the looks of it and other various trim, stacks of fittings and bits - £££

Seats look a bit tatty

There doesn't even looks like there's mush of the sport parts and morsels in nice condition to start with , needs a full inside and out re spray , new wings, new rear panel and pockets and then whatever else and probable rear inner and outer arches if your aiming to paint and restore it

That project will eat 10 grand without even licking its lips

Keep stripping and picturing

[awAlex]

Thanks for that, I'll try my best to follow what you've said (at the moment I'm just wanting to save it from the scrap yard!

[awAlex]

please note the photos are of the car stripped.. all the MTECH 1 body kit and seats are in the garage plus the plastic trims etc and I was provided with 4 wings 2 doors 2 boots 1 bonnet etc etc new lights and all that the roof had a couple of bubbles I took the first wheel off today and cleaned the arch, I'll be honest I've seen alot worse. as for the dash theres one crack but at the end of the day I could take it out of my 316i which is perfect condition

the body kit is uncracked just needs a respray and it's the full body kit just collecting the sideskirts when the fella is back of a trip.

the pictures must make it look terrible because in person its just a bad paint spray with a can from the looks of it not much rust and if there is rust its surface at the moment but only time will tell!

[polsta]

You don't need to "clean the arch" you need to remove wheel and remove all the black rubbery sealant from the inner arch walls , all of it , particularly the rears and all around the strut areas, on the rear drivers side remove the metal crusty cover pipe and the expansion tank and strip all that sealer , youl find all sorts of patches of surface rust if your lucky no holes , it all hides under that sealant there and can't be seen , remember these are old e30s and seen a lot of road, Check out jimbos threads for pics of these areas once stripped youl get an idea

When it looks like a dog from the outside and just by opening the boot and doors , you can guarantee that it will be much much worse when stripped

But roof rot is bad

Was only saying about the kit - the front valance looks mangled? Rubber on the rear spoiler must be ?

What you have to bear in mind, if trim is all there , things like rubber and some bits , once you have re sprayed a car , then putting on old ropey trim you actualy see how old it is and its just not of any use to put back on sometimes , particularly on a car that looks like that and its been sat rotting away

But youl need to take the dash out to get a good idea of things a lot can hide there , countless threads on here with lots of pics

What sort of apirations do you have /end product and your rough budget your thinking ?

[spook]

Mate dont waste another penny,take it to the bridge.

[Duke137]

It's f ucked!

The End.

[Duke137]

Here is something to think about, majority on here would love to "save another from scrap" but the harsh reality is you just can't. As Polsta says, this has 5 figures all over it for a proper resto, and a budget shit resto is just a waste of your time and your money as you will never make anyting out of it and still have a shit car

Go and buy a 316 with a mint shell instead, at least you can molest that with a silly engine or something

[polsta]

Strip every morsel then scrap the shell, then look for a better starting point tech 1 and have all the spares, although truth is a nice tech 1 for sale might take an age to find if at all and any for sale will need work

Or buy a 325 chromie and put all the kit and interior on it ,but even then nice 2 door 325s are not easy to find

You just know that shell hides too many horrors and £££

If it were me I'd find a red or white 2 door chromie and do a tech 1 makeover in a non tech 1 original color

[awAlex]

well at the moment I've got a 1989 316i 4door in alpine white 2 in good condition
a 318is shell but not a very good shell either.
a 325i sport which starts but cuts out after 5 seconds I'm guessing its the cracked breather hose

at the moment I've spent £2.70 on a rubber hose and that got it started

I will keep my eye out for a 2 door 318 chromie or something similar

The body rear bumper just needs a spray
the front bumper looks a bit twisted but its plastic and will bend into position when bolted on will it not?
the rear spoiler needs the colour coded part resprayed but the rubber isn't cracked at all
I'll clean everything up properly and get individual photos

as for the seats they have the runners the drivers seat needs repaired to be perfect condition but I think they will look good after a shampoo!

Should I still buy the breather hose as the engine is fine? surely that can't be scrap if it starts

[B7]

I will keep my eye out for a 2 door 318is chromie or something similar

Think you'll be waiting some time, the 318iS was a facelift car only

[TPS]

Harro? I gi you bessss price....................

Long Time!

[awAlex]

I thought that after I put it but ohwell

[polsta]

Even if the kit bits will paint up nice, you still need a rear metal bumper and the front one looks a bit dented and bent from the pics so maybe 2 bumpers , you more than likely will not find any correct and nice ones for sale if any for sale at all , the probable solution would be to search for and pay for 2 nice chrome bumpers, remove the chrome via bead blasting or whatever, (also cure the rusting backs) , then have them primered or powder coated then re painted

Then buy new fittings (to do a nice job) along with new fittings for rest of kit) and also source the bumper end caps if you don't have any

The cash soon starts to fly out

[awAlex]

I'm unsure on what I want to do now, I may just strip it and let someone buy the shell with the engine. but thats a maybe

[pacerpete]

The car is a sorry old turd which needs restoring, like most, which will cost lots of money on which you will not get a return anytime soon.

If you want money and minimum aggro, assuming you now have it running, I would clean it up, tidy the kit up with a couple of aerosol cans, fit a tail light and put it all back together and advertise it as a resto project . You do not need to list all of its woes, just do not lie . It is up to the buyer to view and form their own opinion on what is right /wrong/f000ked.

The rust we can see is no worse than most have had to deal with . The freaks that are attracted to these expect and even enjoy dealing with rusty scrap

Doing as I said should not cost too much time money and is the easiest way out with a profit.
Breaking it WILL BE LOTS OF AGGRO , especially with your location.
Get it on ebay with lots of flattering pictures and a few not so flattering as a classified ad for Ca £1500. Be sure to draw a deposit off anybody who agrees to buy it and maybe offer to drop it at the ferry for a buyer.
Do not waste you time with an auction . There are freaks now spending 15k+ patching up these turds so there will be a freak for yours

[awAlex]

Would I not get more selling the kit /interior/gearbox/engine separate?

Thank you by the way for the help!

[pacerpete]

Would I not get more selling the kit /interior/gearbox/engine separate?

Thank you by the way for the help!

NO !!!! All of your parts are rough. The engine has the early type of management last used in 1987 which makes them VERY difficult to sell compared to '88 onward engines, the gearbox ASSUMING it has a correct close ratio Sport box MAY make £150 IF you can guarantee it is quiet with no noises or issues and are prepared to deal with the aggro of packaging and shipping to the mainland.

Your easiest profit will be made by heeding my previous advice . The car has a value as a complete (ish) Tech 1 Sport.
The value of the few saleable bits will devalue the complete car by much more than you will get for the few morsels.

[awAlex]

well I'll strip her I don't mind working to see what I'm playing with, I've raised one side of the carpet and it looks good if I'm honest, I'll show photos soon!

[Duke137]

The car is a sorry old turd which needs restoring, like most, which will cost lots of money on which you will not get a return anytime soon.

If you want money and minimum aggro, assuming you now have it running, I would clean it up, tidy the kit up with a couple of aerosol cans, fit a tail light and put it all back together and advertise it as a resto project . You do not need to list all of its woes, just do not lie . It is up to the buyer to view and form their own opinion on what is right /wrong/f000ked.

The rust we can see is no worse than most have had to deal with . The freaks that are attracted to these expect and even enjoy dealing with rusty scrap

Doing as I said should not cost too much time money and is the easiest way out with a profit.
Breaking it WILL BE LOTS OF AGGRO , especially with your location.
Get it on ebay with lots of flattering pictures and a few not so flattering as a classified ad for Ca £1500. Be sure to draw a deposit off anybody who agrees to buy it and maybe offer to drop it at the ferry for a buyer.
Do not waste you time with an auction . There are freaks now spending 15k+ patching up these turds so there will be a freak for yours

the man speaketh the truth.

Get shot of it whole and start with something else. Just because this was local and 'fell into your lap' so to speak doesn't mean it is any good. The only way you should keep this is

A) If you are not bothered about losing a lot of money
B) You have the money (£10-£15K) to restore it
C) The time and will power to see it through

If you can't answer yes to ALL 3 of those you are having a pi$$ into a strong stormy wind and it will be going al lover your legs and shoes

If you look at the post count of those telling you it is scrap, take heed and serve it on or scrap it, although I would say serve it on exactly as Pacerpete has stated with plenty of pics and no lies about the condition.

Good luck whatever you decide

[awAlex]

Well I'm at least going to look for all these problems everyone is saying

[Rich320I]

to be honest alot of these cars are rusty scrap as they stand, if you are going to sell it. petes suggestions i the best way forward as someone else will see it as a project and it has more value that way.

if you want to do it yourself, as above paying someone else to do everything will cost lot. but if youv got time and can do some of the work yourself. id say a Tech1 is a worthwhile project, iv seen many worse Mk2 escorts etc welded up.
theres a thread on here under username dazleeds(pics here)
http://s697.photobucket.com/user/oldsko ... eshow/RUST

, i have that tech1 now and that started out pretty crusty, admittedly it still is a little in places