1991 316 auto to 328

[Tedswagon]

Hi all, I've been working on building a fun car I can use on the road (maybe the odd track day)

I left e30 ownership about 5 year ago, since then I've been messing around with amongst other things an s50'd track slag.....





Anyway I wasn't getting out to the track as often as I wanted to, so I sold it and almost bought this



Choosing finally to buy this locally advertised overpriced under powered 4 pot slush box. Manual sunroof, rear headrests, OBC and 14" BBS.

[Tedswagon]

So here are some photos . . . Car is 110000 miles, M52 engine is an 80000 engine. Looks in good shape.

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[Tedswagon]

Some inspiration photos . . . . from Google

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so I bought these - not fully refurbished - so may change . . will try out other options when the project is closer to being finished in 2020!!

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[Tedswagon]

just found some photos of my last e30s

Photobucket links gone!!!!

[Tedswagon]

So I started buying parts - some new some secondhand. I bought these rear calipers from a touring. After a refurbishment kit was installed time for some paint

[Tedswagon]

Got a flywheel, clutch and starter on here off Magpie, got the wheel lightened.






Found a blue interior for sale - snapped it up - blue houndstooth. Realised when it arrived, it was the dirtiest interior i have ever seen. Ive seen a lot of interiors. Had a rip in the seat base side which I knew about when I bought it - seat rails were fecked!!



So I stripped the seat and replaced the cushion and the bolster.

Here are some installed photos





with the seat fixed cheers Brutus for the material and cushion

[Tedswagon]

Time to look at the other bits I had managed to acquire on the way . . bit of gunk

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[AndyE30]

Good project. Love that Compact! - Super clean one near me I always wonder about, how to make it look cool.

[magpie]

welcome back mate , nice little lux you got there .... with thee correct amount of doors, bonus

[Tedswagon]

Good project. Love that Compact! - Super clean one near me I always wonder about, how to make it look cool.

They are quite like the e30 for handling, not as good as the e36, but very predictable and great fun. The S50B30 was a fantastic addition to the compact. It would lap knockhill in 58sec.... that's quicker than most. I'd love to try an e30 with an s50. . . Maybe the next project!

[Tedswagon]

welcome back mate , nice little lux you got there .... with thee correct amount of doors, bonus

Cheers Mick, plenty of bits from you going on it . . . ta.

Found this photo of your wagon . . remember this? You were sliding about in a car park about the time we were asked to leave. . lol . .was good craic

Lots of white e30s. How many are still on here I wonder?

[Tedswagon]

Continued preparing old parts for installation. I'd two rear subframes with trailing arms. So there were quite a few bushes to remove. After a bit of trial and error and a thicker threaded rod than first attempt (see photo) managed to remove all the bushes.

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I used the burn them out and hacksaw method for the big subframe bushes. Worked a treat though, keeping the children and dogs away was the hardest bit!!!

[Tedswagon]

With the 4 trailing arms away to get powder coated I got looking at the engine.

First off got the sump off.
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Here is the pump and splash guard

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Then swapped the oil pick ups. Cut the bracket off for the old pick up

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Tightened up bolts last one!!

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Sump off!

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Beer o'clock

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[Tedswagon]

Lessons learned!

There was a problem with my workmanship here, I admit that

My mistakes;
1. I put the bolt back into the hole without cleaning the hole / thread out after cleaning the remainder of the original gasket and the corrosion off the underside of the block.
2 there was corrosion on the end of thread of the bolt thread which should have been cleaned off also.
Both of these mistakes were because I was trying to hurry up as I needed to get finished and then get back in the house for a certain time.

Less haste more speed!

[Tedswagon]

So I cleaned up the bolt.

Drilled out the snapped bolt and tapped the hole and got it all tied up.

[Brianmoooore]

No short cuts to good engineering! Check all threads, even if just visually, before assembly, and make good use of thread cleaning taps and nuts, paying careful attention as to why, if either start producing metallic swarf.

[Tedswagon]

Was quite excited when I got his photo sent to me once the power coating was finished.

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Reinforced front subframe pair of struts and complete rear ends. Sub frames and trailing arms (not all in that photo). Matt black.

[Brianmoooore]

Was quite excited when I got his photo sent to me once the power coating was finished.



Reinforced front subframe pair of struts and complete rear ends. Sub frames and trailing arms (not all in that photo). Matt black.

Case in point! All thread, bearing surfaces and mating surfaces will need to be checked/cleaned on that lot.

[Tedswagon]

Back to cleaning up the engine.

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Couldn't take it apart fully so loosened as much as I could, let the springs off and got about it with some carb cleaner and a toothbrush. Forgot to take photos!! Possibly to do with the bottle of beer in the background - just spotted that!!!

[Tedswagon]

Case in point! All thread, bearing surfaces and mating surfaces will need to be checked/cleaned on that lot.

Where possible I left bolts in place for the powder coating. Only area where I'm struggling is the struts.

Any tips for getting the strut threads cleaned? Not sure if possible to get a tap set for that size of a hole.

I've wire brushed the threads but still not perfect.

[Tedswagon]

I missed the back plate bolts off the struts when I was doing it. All but one bolt came out no problem, I eventually got it out, had to trim it a little with a grinder first though!!!!

[Brianmoooore]

Any tips for getting the strut threads cleaned? Not sure if possible to get a tap set for that size of a hole.

I've wire brushed the threads but still not perfect.

All you can do is to fit the collar nuts a few times into the empty struts, until they screw in smoothly.

[Tedswagon]

Managed to get into the garage over the weekend.

Firstly I have a question to ask . . . Where can I get the correct thermostat? Need an 88℃ for a M52B28. When I bought one online this is what I got. Clearly not the same. See both existing (RHS) and new one (LHS) side by side.





Existing one

[Brianmoooore]

No time at the moment to check this out, but initial thoughts are that the RH (old?) 'stat has failed with the bypass valve stuck in the closed position, putting the engine at risk of local overheating while it is warming up.
LH 'stat has the lower valve 5mm clear of its seat when cold, so bypass circulation can take place.

[Tedswagon]

I think I had it the wrong way in my head. That the thermostat was forming a seal when cold and contracting when hot to open the passage way for the coolant. When fitting the old one (rhs = 33mm it is seated on the back of the chamber 33mm deep. When fitting the new one (lhs = 24mm) it doesn't touch the back if the chamber 33mm deep

When the old one is fitted (cold) it closes the chamber, you can feel the spring compress, when the new one is fitted ( cold) the channels are open, it doesn't touch the back of the chamber.

Hope that makes sense!!

Think I'll warm the old one up to see what it does.

[Tedswagon]

I turned my attention to the old drive shafts I have from a 325. These had split CV boots but the joints felt good. So I stripped them down and cleaned them up. Fitted new boots.

[Sanchez]

Nice progress.

[Jonas]

Oooh! Look at the shiny shiny!

[Tedswagon]

Cheers soap dodger.

[Tedswagon]

Can anyone tell me what is the point of the oil in the trailing arms, and should I replace it?

[Tedswagon]

Cleaned up and put paint or treated parts as I went

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Got some paint on this but didnt remember to photo it!!

[Tedswagon]

Bought some new parts too

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[Tedswagon]

Pulled the rear

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Quite a bit of effort to get the subframe free from the car - the main bushes were stuck.

Bolts out - but no movement!!!
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Getting some oversized bolts up into the bush from the bottom and the sending a bar down from inside the car - with some hammering was the solution which worked in the end.

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Was a good day!!

[Tedswagon]

Built up the newly powder coated trailing arms - could I find the hubs??? Nope - guess they got chucked when I cleared out some junk a month before So I needed to pull the hubs off the 316 and hope they fit!! Anyway here are the photos



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[Tedswagon]

Hubs from the 316 fit thankfully. This is them in my new state of the art paint booth!!

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I think they turned out alright!!