I sent these off to be professionally dyed. Here was the result:
I then removed some rust and repainted the rails.
Very nice and they will match the new black interior nicely!
'91 318iS minor resto.. ;-)
Moderator: martauto
Not to be neglected were the original sport seats seen here in their original tan:
I sent these off to be professionally dyed. Here was the result:
I then removed some rust and repainted the rails.
Very nice and they will match the new black interior nicely!
I sent these off to be professionally dyed. Here was the result:
I then removed some rust and repainted the rails.
Very nice and they will match the new black interior nicely!
Last edited by Split_S on Tue Jul 17, 2018 3:15 pm, edited 2 times in total.
With some days off work the engine was begging to get back in the iS..
Now was the time for any last minute checks - look at all that space in the engine bay!!
Got my buddy's lift:
And wasted no time getting the M42 hooked up..
Done..
With the engine off the engine stand I could now press home the transmission shaft bearing that sits in the crank..
It goes here:
It slotted in no problem and I gently tapped it in.
Single mass flywheel and clutch were next.
The flywheel goes on easily,just pay attention to the torque sequence of the bolts.
Putting on the clutch was made much more difficult by the lack of a clutch centering tool and a certain impatience on my part!! No pics of that unfortunately as I was too busy swearing...
Now was the time for any last minute checks - look at all that space in the engine bay!!
Got my buddy's lift:
And wasted no time getting the M42 hooked up..
Done..
With the engine off the engine stand I could now press home the transmission shaft bearing that sits in the crank..
It goes here:
It slotted in no problem and I gently tapped it in.
Single mass flywheel and clutch were next.
The flywheel goes on easily,just pay attention to the torque sequence of the bolts.
Putting on the clutch was made much more difficult by the lack of a clutch centering tool and a certain impatience on my part!! No pics of that unfortunately as I was too busy swearing...
Last edited by Split_S on Tue Jul 17, 2018 3:16 pm, edited 2 times in total.
I decided on matting the transmission right away and to avoid having to do it while laying on my back under the car. GOOD DECISION!! It was a B@TCH getting the tranny onto the engine as I didnt have a clutch centering tool to line things up.. Still, it IS doable.
Tranny waiting to get bolted on. Note the car is up on ramps: I figured I would need the extra space to get the tranny through without scraping the floor...
This is not a one-man job. I called my father and my buddy Sam over to help.
With the tranny bolted and torqued on we swung the engine into position:
At this point I stopped taking pics as I was laying under the car guiding the engine in while pushing the transmission into position. It's funny how I realized at that point that I wasn't 20 years old anymore!!
The engine needed a good 60 degrees of tilt or so to clear the firewall. It was a slow going finicky process but fairly straight-forward.
DONE:
I don't know about you but I'm starting to think I may just finish this thing!!
Tranny waiting to get bolted on. Note the car is up on ramps: I figured I would need the extra space to get the tranny through without scraping the floor...
This is not a one-man job. I called my father and my buddy Sam over to help.
With the tranny bolted and torqued on we swung the engine into position:
At this point I stopped taking pics as I was laying under the car guiding the engine in while pushing the transmission into position. It's funny how I realized at that point that I wasn't 20 years old anymore!!
The engine needed a good 60 degrees of tilt or so to clear the firewall. It was a slow going finicky process but fairly straight-forward.
DONE:
I don't know about you but I'm starting to think I may just finish this thing!!
Last edited by Split_S on Tue Jul 17, 2018 3:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Next up was the driveshaft which wound up being a problem as the two halves wouldnt join up.. I had to file the channels by hand to get them to mate up..Once done though things went well...
With the driveshaft in I then had to choose from 3 shifters.. I went with the short shifter that was in #2 and kept my Z3 shifter kit for later...
I decided to keep the vibration damper... That would prove to be a mistake as once it was all in there was some slight rubbing and I wound up taking it out..
And the final result... sweet...
With the driveshaft in I then had to choose from 3 shifters.. I went with the short shifter that was in #2 and kept my Z3 shifter kit for later...
I decided to keep the vibration damper... That would prove to be a mistake as once it was all in there was some slight rubbing and I wound up taking it out..
And the final result... sweet...
Last edited by Split_S on Tue Jul 17, 2018 3:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I then bled the brakes using my pressure bleeder which works great...
I put in Super Blue Racing fluid.. why? Who knows...
Amazingly I had TWO loose fittings and pissed brake fluid all over the floor. I couldn't believe it! I had double checked everything but I should have TRIPLE checked everything...
With the brakes and clutch bled I threw the rad in...
I filled this with EVANS waterless coolant.. No water = no corrosion, lower pressure. ALL good..
Dyno oil for the first few 1000 kms to break in the engine...
Freshly rebuilt alternator...
With all that done I started the engine.
NOTHING.
No crank.
NADA.
After a full day of searching it wound up being a loose nut on the ground wire on the starter to the solenoid.
I STARTED it again..
It idled very poorly. It idled better when I disconnected the AFM. Weird.. For two days I struggled with this. Then I remembered the ICV valve.. The one Id totally forgotten to clean... See note 7.
With that done the idle was beautiful!!
Nice, 900rpm steady.
There were A LOT of little problems...
1) The blower fan and the power windows not working were finally traced down to broken wires in the engine bay between the battery connection and the fuse box.. It was feasible or practical to replace those wires so I hotwired a new pair and fed it into the fuse box. Not perfect but everything now works.
2) The driveshaft splines were somehow damaged (couldn't see anything) and it took a fair amount of filing to get the pieces to join up. Suggestion: keep them well protected if you do this.
3)Two loose brake line fittings boggled my mind. I would have bet my life they were all tight.. Check and double check then check again...
4) I shouldn't have bothered with the guibo damper...
5) Check your rack and pinion for play BEFORE you put the engine back in.. Guess what I have to do now????
6) Putting the hood on and aligning it was tricky.. My suggestion is to start with the guides near the firewall and then work from there..
7) Clean your ICV valve. Use diesel or WD40 to get the carbon out.. Easy to remove if you FORGOT to do it when it was NOT in the car...
Next up:
Last post.
I put in Super Blue Racing fluid.. why? Who knows...
Amazingly I had TWO loose fittings and pissed brake fluid all over the floor. I couldn't believe it! I had double checked everything but I should have TRIPLE checked everything...
With the brakes and clutch bled I threw the rad in...
I filled this with EVANS waterless coolant.. No water = no corrosion, lower pressure. ALL good..
Dyno oil for the first few 1000 kms to break in the engine...
Freshly rebuilt alternator...
With all that done I started the engine.
NOTHING.
No crank.
NADA.
After a full day of searching it wound up being a loose nut on the ground wire on the starter to the solenoid.
I STARTED it again..
It idled very poorly. It idled better when I disconnected the AFM. Weird.. For two days I struggled with this. Then I remembered the ICV valve.. The one Id totally forgotten to clean... See note 7.
With that done the idle was beautiful!!
Nice, 900rpm steady.
There were A LOT of little problems...
1) The blower fan and the power windows not working were finally traced down to broken wires in the engine bay between the battery connection and the fuse box.. It was feasible or practical to replace those wires so I hotwired a new pair and fed it into the fuse box. Not perfect but everything now works.
2) The driveshaft splines were somehow damaged (couldn't see anything) and it took a fair amount of filing to get the pieces to join up. Suggestion: keep them well protected if you do this.
3)Two loose brake line fittings boggled my mind. I would have bet my life they were all tight.. Check and double check then check again...
4) I shouldn't have bothered with the guibo damper...
5) Check your rack and pinion for play BEFORE you put the engine back in.. Guess what I have to do now????
6) Putting the hood on and aligning it was tricky.. My suggestion is to start with the guides near the firewall and then work from there..
7) Clean your ICV valve. Use diesel or WD40 to get the carbon out.. Easy to remove if you FORGOT to do it when it was NOT in the car...
Next up:
Last post.
Last edited by Split_S on Tue Jul 17, 2018 3:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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hennared323i
- Old Skooler
- Posts: 2350
- Joined: Wed Jul 25, 2007 11:00 pm
'kin great work Mr. Split - May it give you much pleasure.
Thanks so much henna - Im just a regular guy too stubborn to quit. Glad I didn't!!
So after almost three years of agony, bliss, moments of terror and confusion, countless bruises, cuts, endless hand washing and tea breaks I humbly present my fully restored 1991 318iS..
Of course two is better than one...
Cheers and thanks to all who commented and helped get her done!
Hmm..That M3 looks a bit tired beside the iS... maybe I'll pull the engine and get her on a rotisserie .... I wonder if she'd be nice in black and how much a carbon fiber intake costs.......
So after almost three years of agony, bliss, moments of terror and confusion, countless bruises, cuts, endless hand washing and tea breaks I humbly present my fully restored 1991 318iS..
Of course two is better than one...
Cheers and thanks to all who commented and helped get her done!
Hmm..That M3 looks a bit tired beside the iS... maybe I'll pull the engine and get her on a rotisserie .... I wonder if she'd be nice in black and how much a carbon fiber intake costs.......
Last edited by Split_S on Tue Jul 17, 2018 3:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Hi Norm,
an epic journey for you and us all who have followed this restoration thread. Well done !! and she looks beautiful from every angle.
My advice , for what it is worth, is forget about the "restoring" the M3 until next year and spend all your spare time out enjoying the iS experience. you will love it.
PS: I finished the makeover, not a full restoration like yours, of mine last month and have put over a thousand miles on it already. fantastic car.
Well done again.
cheers
Jim
an epic journey for you and us all who have followed this restoration thread. Well done !! and she looks beautiful from every angle.
My advice , for what it is worth, is forget about the "restoring" the M3 until next year and spend all your spare time out enjoying the iS experience. you will love it.
PS: I finished the makeover, not a full restoration like yours, of mine last month and have put over a thousand miles on it already. fantastic car.
Well done again.
cheers
Jim
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hennared323i
- Old Skooler
- Posts: 2350
- Joined: Wed Jul 25, 2007 11:00 pm
Ha,
You're not finished......
You just think you are
You're not finished......
You just think you are
-
Jesus325iTouring
- Frog freak !
- Posts: 11356
- Joined: Sun Jan 09, 2005 11:00 pm
- Location: Omnipresent!
Simply fantastic, and thanks for the prolific detail and pictures throughout, topman
X5 V8 for thrills, CRV for chills, Range Rover P38 V8 for sooooo much aggravation...
Well done,very nice.Only couple of things I'm not sure about but that's my opinion.The black kidney,and the main beam lenses although they maybe a Canadian thing,otherwise nice job . Sorry but I'm an oem pedo.
Born on the 23 April 1990 320i Alpinweiss ll kabriolett! (SOLD BUT NOT FORGOTTEN !)
Thanks gents!
Jim - Really appreciate the comments and congrats on your car! I was just joking about taking on the M3 right now!! She really does not need a resto whatsoever - I just want her to be as nice as the iS!!
Hennared - Told you Id finish her!!
BMG/ Jesus: Thanks! BMG, you'd probably win on your wager!!
ah: Glad you're an OEM pedo - so am I. I have 3 other kidney grills and swapping them out takes 10 seconds.. The yellow on the lights is simply a vinyl covering, the lights are OEM. I like the look - for now!
DanThe: I have actually been working so much and Ive been stymied by a slight play in the left hand front wheel (9 and 3 oclock positions) that I haven't gotten an alignment done yet - so I have barely driven her. Ive swapped out the tie rod, had the rack rebuilt and now the only thing that's left is the hub is somehow "loose" even though it doesn't have any play with no wheel on...
Ive put these wheels on and there is way less play so I am getting the alignment done today... From what I have experienced driving her however there will be some interesting comparisons to the M3 to come...
Crappy cell phone pics...
I have three other sets of wheels for her so I will have some fun swapping them and seeing what I like.
Jim - Really appreciate the comments and congrats on your car! I was just joking about taking on the M3 right now!! She really does not need a resto whatsoever - I just want her to be as nice as the iS!!
Hennared - Told you Id finish her!!
BMG/ Jesus: Thanks! BMG, you'd probably win on your wager!!
ah: Glad you're an OEM pedo - so am I. I have 3 other kidney grills and swapping them out takes 10 seconds.. The yellow on the lights is simply a vinyl covering, the lights are OEM. I like the look - for now!
DanThe: I have actually been working so much and Ive been stymied by a slight play in the left hand front wheel (9 and 3 oclock positions) that I haven't gotten an alignment done yet - so I have barely driven her. Ive swapped out the tie rod, had the rack rebuilt and now the only thing that's left is the hub is somehow "loose" even though it doesn't have any play with no wheel on...
Ive put these wheels on and there is way less play so I am getting the alignment done today... From what I have experienced driving her however there will be some interesting comparisons to the M3 to come...
Crappy cell phone pics...
I have three other sets of wheels for her so I will have some fun swapping them and seeing what I like.
Last edited by Split_S on Tue Jul 17, 2018 3:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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e30Passion
- E30 Zone Newbie
- Posts: 232
- Joined: Wed Jun 20, 2012 11:00 pm
- Location: Netherlands
BIG round of applause from me mate! Stunning result, great thread, thanks for sharing!
Thanks! The car has about 3000km on her now and is running fantastic... She is a blast to drive, as much fun as the M3 but in a less frenetic way..
I've ironed out all the few issues that cropped up after completing her..
First thing I did was to swap out the poly bushings I'd used on the tranny mounts for stock ones - the vibration they caused was unbelievable - I will never use poly bushings again! It took me a while to figure out they were causing all the noise and vibration though...
Next thing that took a while to figure out was poor idling when restarting the car. If the engine was cold the car would start up no problem and idle great. If I shut it off and restarted it it would stutter for about 45 seconds... All the time.. After a lot of troubleshooting I realized it was the fuel pump - she was dying.. Swapped in a spare I had and no more issues.
And that's it. The car is everything I'd hoped for. Every time I get in her its 1991 and she is brand new all over again and that was my goal from day one.
Some pics...
Cheers!
I've ironed out all the few issues that cropped up after completing her..
First thing I did was to swap out the poly bushings I'd used on the tranny mounts for stock ones - the vibration they caused was unbelievable - I will never use poly bushings again! It took me a while to figure out they were causing all the noise and vibration though...
Next thing that took a while to figure out was poor idling when restarting the car. If the engine was cold the car would start up no problem and idle great. If I shut it off and restarted it it would stutter for about 45 seconds... All the time.. After a lot of troubleshooting I realized it was the fuel pump - she was dying.. Swapped in a spare I had and no more issues.
And that's it. The car is everything I'd hoped for. Every time I get in her its 1991 and she is brand new all over again and that was my goal from day one.
Some pics...
Cheers!
Last edited by Split_S on Tue Jul 17, 2018 3:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.
So I just joined the forum the other day, with the intention of rebuilding the 325i I just bought. Spent the morning reading this, and I have to say it is fantastic. It will be a great resource for me as I do basically the same thing to mine.
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bobbin1982
- E30 Zone Squatter
- Posts: 1508
- Joined: Mon Mar 23, 2009 11:00 pm
- Location: Norwich,Norfolk
awesome build mate!!
Can i ask what was in your folder while you were building it?.. was it plans for wiring and mechanical?
Interested in getting some if so as im planning to do a half resto of mine
Cheers , andy
Can i ask what was in your folder while you were building it?.. was it plans for wiring and mechanical?
Interested in getting some if so as im planning to do a half resto of mine
Cheers , andy
Driving my digger!!!!
Thanks - appreciate it.
The folder had printouts of all systems - printed off Realoem and printouts of a bunch of other stuff, info from the wiki on this site and some good diy's I found. Probably not necessary but I did reference it many times throughout the resto.
After the build I wound up with another folder just as thick but that one is full of receipts for the 12 million car parts/things I bought. To answer the obvious question: No, I will never total them all up - the result was, oh so worth it!
The folder had printouts of all systems - printed off Realoem and printouts of a bunch of other stuff, info from the wiki on this site and some good diy's I found. Probably not necessary but I did reference it many times throughout the resto.
After the build I wound up with another folder just as thick but that one is full of receipts for the 12 million car parts/things I bought. To answer the obvious question: No, I will never total them all up - the result was, oh so worth it!
-
bobbin1982
- E30 Zone Squatter
- Posts: 1508
- Joined: Mon Mar 23, 2009 11:00 pm
- Location: Norwich,Norfolk
got a an se spec touring that needs a lot of work really
Like yourself i will be teaching myself to weld which seems scary
Brilliant idea of printing off realoem and keeping it as reference ill do that myself to save running through the internet everytime i need to recheck and recheck again!
I can totally relate to the worth it you are feeling as i sold my first e30 and done nothing but missed and regretted it for 6 years!
Andy
Like yourself i will be teaching myself to weld which seems scary
Brilliant idea of printing off realoem and keeping it as reference ill do that myself to save running through the internet everytime i need to recheck and recheck again!
I can totally relate to the worth it you are feeling as i sold my first e30 and done nothing but missed and regretted it for 6 years!
Andy
Driving my digger!!!!
I have only just come across this thread this afternoon and WOW this is epic !!!
I have never been a big fan of black wheels but noyhing else would have done.
Absolute credit to you sir ..........
Mart.
I have never been a big fan of black wheels but noyhing else would have done.
Absolute credit to you sir ..........
Mart.
Only the E46 cab left now.
Just got too old.
Just got too old.
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terryjippo
- E30 Zone Newbie
- Posts: 213
- Joined: Sun Apr 13, 2008 11:00 pm
Great rebuild thread, share the comments of the guy above, though not his choice of words ;)
I'd love the OEM look also (chrome kidney grill), but maybe "concourse fetishist" is a better term.
Cheers,
Terry
I'd love the OEM look also (chrome kidney grill), but maybe "concourse fetishist" is a better term.
Cheers,
Terry
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it - a similar thread inspired me to have a crack at restoring an e30. Very happy I did!
Car is still perfect... new wheels.. looks good...
Was doing about 120km/hr in this pic.. cool freeze frame effect...
Some fall shots taken a few weeks ago near my home...
the M3 is a bit stripped right now... rebuilding the S14... just because I feel like it....
Car is still perfect... new wheels.. looks good...
Was doing about 120km/hr in this pic.. cool freeze frame effect...
Some fall shots taken a few weeks ago near my home...
the M3 is a bit stripped right now... rebuilding the S14... just because I feel like it....
Great to read such stories that have evolved over years and years.
Keep up the good work and good luck with the M3!
Keep up the good work and good luck with the M3!
E30 Cabrio M-Tech, powered by V8
E34 M5 3.8 x 2
Alpina D10 Touring #33/93
E46 318i Touring
Toyota Hiace 4wd
E34 M5 3.8 x 2
Alpina D10 Touring #33/93
E46 318i Touring
Toyota Hiace 4wd
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jetattblue
- E30 Zone Newbie
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Tue Feb 25, 2020 9:01 pm
I know that I'm late to the game, but this is an excellent thread. Very well written and documented, and super informative!
Welcome to the zone matejetattblue wrote: ↑Wed Mar 04, 2020 1:20 pmI know that I'm late to the game, but this is an excellent thread. Very well written and documented, and super informative!
Lots of good stuff on here Do you have an e-30 ?
pics please ?
Mart.
Only the E46 cab left now.
Just got too old.
Just got too old.