BMW E30 316 1989

[nigelnozil]

HI GUYS

I JUST PURCHASED MY FIRST CAR A 1989 BMW E30 AND WOULD LIKE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT MY CAR.
FROM WHAT THE SELLER HAD TOLD ME IT IS A RARE ANNIVERSARY MODEL. IT HAS A M10 CARB ENGINE AS FOUND IN THE E21 HOWEVER IT IS A PHASE 2 IT HAS ELECTRIC WINDOWS, CENTRAL LOCKING AND REAR HEADRESTS. WHICH I BELIEVE WERE OPTIONS IN THE PAST. WHEN I LOOK ONLINE FOR A 316 FROM THIS YEAR CAN'T FIND ANYTHING. IS THIS NORMAL? APPARENTLY THE SPOILER AND BODY KIT WAS FROM FACTORY AS WELL.

MY PLANS WITH THIS CAR IS TO RESTORE IT AND BRING IT BACK TO ITS ORIGINAL STATES WITH SOME UPGRADED PIECES WHERE NEEDED( THE SUSPENSION /STEERING/BRAKES ) SO IF YOU GUYS HAVE ANY INFORMATION/PHOTOS OF THE SAME EXAMPLE THAT WOULD BE GREAT

THANKS
NIGEL

PHOTOS
https://photos.app.goo.gl/v5gPky3cMAUVt3d3A

[Brianmoooore]

Welcome to the zone! Identical to the first E30 I owned. The reason you can't find anything about an '89 316 is because they don't exist. The last ones were made in mid '88, so yours probably hung around a bit before it was registered. Unusual, but not unheard of.
Don't know anything about a 'rare anniversary model', and the extras you list were always options both before and after your's was made. By '89 the engine was outdated, so maybe the options were added free of charge by the dealer to get the car to sell, and this is what the previous owner was meaning. This practice is still widely used today to get rid of remaining stock when a new model of a car is introduced.
I see from the pics. that it's suffered the usual boy racer mods, so we look forward to pics of the restoration. What were they thinking with that air filter?!!!
Not sure the body kit is original - the bits just don't go together. MTecII front bumper with ordinary rear bumper (if front is glass fibre its not genuine), ordinary boot spoiler, not MTec, which was often fitted as an option from new, and side skirts that look that they may come from an E36.
Biggest problem with the carb. 316 was the original carburettor. It was a complicated electro mechanical thing which just didn't age well, and most have been replaced by a Weber. That's one part I'd leave as a mod.

P.S. Please lose the caps. lock.

[Cloggy Saint]

Looks like a fair bit of work and ££ to return to original, dials, exhaust, steering wheel etc etc. The body kit is definitely not original, as Brian says it's a mish-mash of various parts from different models. The bodywork /paint looks to have seen better days, are you going to return it to the original colour? Good luck with the project!

[nigelnozil]

Thanks for the response
The fist owners son is the one that did all of the boy racer mods you can see on the car today from the purple window tints to the body kit He was the one who had modified it .

He had also drilled the rear headrests in which i thought was factory fitted.

As for the paint he had chose to two a two tone black on the bottom half and the original silver on the top . The owner I had bought it of wanted a full black car so he painted the top half black, However I believe he hadn’t sanded if the clear coat before starting the paint job which could be one of the reasons it is peeling so easily

My objective is to restore it back to its original silver for sure and if possible I’ll try and conserve the original paint . If anyone has any techniques on how to remove a bad peeling paint job while keeping the original silver underneath it would be greatly appreciated

As for the engine bay I would like to relocate the battery to the rear and was thinking about fitting itb’s or carbs to the engine. And in the future I might even try and shave the engine bay and do a wire tuck.

If anyone could recommend the parts that need to be changed frequently/ common problems with the engine that would be great .

Thanks for all the help
Nigel

[Brianmoooore]

As for the engine bay I would like to relocate the battery to the rear and was thinking about fitting itb’s or carbs to the engine. And in the future I might even try and shave the engine bay and do a wire tuck.

This will be a very effective way of dramatically reducing the value of this car when restored.
The M10 engine is pretty much indestructable and doesn't have much in the way of common problems or 'weak points', except for the original carb.

[terryjippo]

Hi Nigel,

Interesting project. Re paint, just get some thinners and test on a small area first. The dodgy paint job should come off without harming the original layer but worth testing first. Lachs silver looks amazing imo.

Apart from the paint and window tint, if it were me I'd go slowly with changing stuff before you've got your head around the car properly. The engine bay for example look like it would benefit from a good clean before doing any other work on it.

Brian's spot on with his observations on trim, get that back to normal should be straightforward enough, normal front spoiler lip etc.

Good luck pal!


Cheers
Frosty

[terryjippo]

Just to add, I had a similar spec late 1988 car, 316 coupe with leccy windows but an M10 engine. That was totally standard.

[nigelnozil]

Thanks

I did a deep clean of the interior and exterior now I just need to do the engine bay might have to film the electrical parts.

While cleaning the interior I was wondering if it is normal to have black leather door cards with the brown/beige textile interior.

As for the paint thanks for the idea I’ll need to try it out being able to conserve the original paint would be excellent. Do you think I’ll need to tape the silver paint that is already exposed ?

Does anyone know of a good carburetor brand to upgrade what I have now ? Or where I could find one ?

[Brianmoooore]

The original owner could have specified black door cards if he wanted, but, given what else has happened to the car, I suspect they should match the seats. Is it possible they've been painted?
Good carburetor to upgrade to is a Weber 32/34 DMTL. Kits are available new and second hand. Might already have been done, so check first.

[nigelnozil]

After second thoughts the door cards might have been like that from factory but then again there are speaker holes I took some photos of the interior so you could get a better understanding and a closer look.

Do you guys know of any vintage looking /oem + radio Looking to install an Audio system that has an original look

[Brianmoooore]

No E30 ever left the factory with speakers in the door cards. More bodging, I'm afraid. Front speakers are in the footwells, with tweeter pods replacing the triangular trim panels covering the door mirror fixings.
Those seats are grey, and the door cards are the ones that go with that trim.
Blaupunkt Bremen SQR 46 DAB seems to be the current radio of choice, but it's not cheap.

[nigelnozil]

Thanks
I’m not in a rush to change the audio system so I’ll just continue to save some money.

As for the door cards I’ll going to look into sourcing some that hast been modified

Thanks for all the help
I’ll keep you guys updated on any big changes as for now I’m trying to get the papers in order and make sure the mechanics of the car are sound .

[Cloggy Saint]

The door cards are vinyl rather than leather, which will speed up your search for replacements.

[nigelnozil]

Hey guys
Does anyone know how I can check the real Mileage/ kilometers the engine has done. The odometer stoped working and Is in need of a refurbish

Since I’m trying to put it back to its original state I’m going to change the backings back to black with the chrome rings ( which were apparently like that from factory )

The speedo is the only counter that works so Ill try and do a full rebuild of the whole cockpit do you know of any kits / parts that need to be changed to make sure that everything functions properly.

Or a refurbish shop that I could send my speedo to via post

Thanks

[Cloggy Saint]

If you enter the car's reg' number here https://www.check-mot.service.gov.uk/ you may get an idea of the genuine mileage. No E30 ever left the factory with chrome rings on the cluster dials!

[nigelnozil]

If you enter the car's reg' number here https://www.check-mot.service.gov.uk/ you may get an idea of the genuine mileage. No E30 ever left the factory with chrome rings on the cluster dials!

Thanks for the reply
I had a feeling they were after market
I’m based in France do the link won’t work unfortunately

[nigelnozil]

After taking my car to the mechanic I have realized a lot of work needs to be done especially with the engine and body rust ( wheel arches ...) with that being said I am now going for the sleeper build engine swap option and a future weekend toy that I could take to track days.

What’s your guys thoughts on swapping a 316 Engine for something more powerful.

What’s the cheapest or stress free option?

Should I sell the car and buy a more powerful model and build up in it ?

I’m looking to spend around 7000€ to finish the project

Any opinions from previous engine swap owners would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Nigel