I have recently bought a 323i with the intention of returning to a daily drivable car. it has got plenty of rust and i have not got underneath to have a good look yet. It is currently dropping rust where it is parked but i am keen and up for a challenge
I have pulled the drivers side carpet back to see what the floor is like and its not good but not as bad as i thought it would be. I need to have a good look before i start repairs as i don't know if i can go through months of grinding and welding
I fitted a battery and it fired up and sounded lovely. i know it has not been run for over a year so was very impressed. It has only driven 52000 miles
It wasn't long ago that it would have been stripped and dumped but they are rare cars now and i would like to try and save it. I have some wings, a bumper and a welder, I don't want to spend too much money on it as i want to be able to use it without worrying about it getting damaged. everything i have seen so far is repairable, i will patch the floor rather than replacing the complete panel. Underneath looks like a lot of surface rust, i need to get under there with the wire brush to clean it up and see how bad it is. it is a jersey car and the roads don't get salted over here which helps delay the rust underneath.
The rear quarter is not so good. This is possibly the worst bit (so far) so i might start on this area and see how bad it is
once i cut the rot away i will have a better idea on how far i need to go. I am trying to be social with the neighbours as the car is in my garden and the grinder is making too much noise
There are lots of bits falling off it!
I can always update it with an e36 wing ;)
I did some more digging and lifted the carpet, foam and sound deadening from the passenger side and apart from where someone has jacked it up on the floor pan (twice) it looks in better condition than the drivers side. I have now moved it into the garage so i can use the grinder on it without feeling sorry for the neighbours. I drove it into the garage which saved a lot of pushing and the engine is sounding lovely
Hello there Tim! I would love to see another e30 running of course! I have recently been doing some work on my own 323i (but four door). I saw a picture on your engine bay, and I have two questions for you!
What is the 2nd vacuum line from the left on your intake manifold connected to? (I marked the little hose I'm talking about with a red arrow in the picture below).
Also, do you have a vacuum connection on the end of your cold start fuel injector? (This is the unit on the passenger side of your intake manifold, marked with a yellow arrow).
The reason I ask is that I'm a bit unsure of how my vacuum lines were connected.
Hello there Tim! I would love to see another e30 running of course! I have recently been doing some work on my own 323i (but four door). I saw a picture on your engine bay, and I have two questions for you!
What is the 2nd vacuum line from the left on your intake manifold connected to? (I marked the little hose I'm talking about with a red arrow in the picture below).
Also, do you have a vacuum connection on the end of your cold start fuel injector? (This is the unit on the passenger side of your intake manifold, marked with a yellow arrow).
The reason I ask is that I'm a bit unsure of how my vacuum lines were connected.
I am still working on this car and now have it totally stripped and on its side so i can work on the underside. It has been lots of work but i am still enjoying it and i am hopefully getting to the end of the welding. I am going to spend the day on it today and hopefully progress some more. I am looking forward to being able to fit the cage and body kit
