My New Toy

Right, not much more done on the 318is, infact nothing this week. Instead a funny thing happend to me earlier this week. I guy from the E30Zone mailed me saying he had a 1986 325i SE for sale and if I knew anyone interested in it. Further mails back and forth it turns out it is a genuine 325i Sport MTec1. As you can imagine, I got very interested and took a look.

Turns out the owner has not used the car since 2001 and in the years previous to that very minimal mileage was done since he owned it. It had thankfully been stood in a totally dry garage for all that time untouched. He opened the garage door and WOW.... there it was. It looked much tidier than I was expecting. Its had some bodywork here and there, but then it is a 22yr old car. The car wouldn't start and I started to take a few steps back, as it was starting to get a bit unknown to me... engine, box could be worn, who knows?

Anyway, he wanted rid and I thought I'd take a risk. Last night I collected the car and pushed it into my workshop at work. I took a quick around it and the more I look at it and check it over, the more chuffed I am with it.

This morning I went into work to try and get her going. I charged the battery up overnight, so plenty of juice to turn the engine over a good few times for diagnosis work. Firstly I got a spare spark plug and attached it to the engine with a pair of mulgrips, Connected number 1 lead to it and turned the engine over. There was a bright spark   Next job, I took off the feed pipe to the fuel rail. Again switched the ignition on, no fuel as there should be, cranked the engine over... nothing! Ok, put the car in the air and gave the fuel pump a clout. Tried again, nothing. I put a multimeter across the pump connections and turned the key, 12+Volts! So pump it was.

I got a pump off my Evo2 breaker and fitted it to the 325. Nice little job. Turned the key a few times to prime up the fuel rail, etc. Then I cranked the engine. Went 1st crank and idled a little lumpy. I gingerly picked the revs upto about 2000 RPM where it ran nice and even, but blip the throttle and she mis-fires slightly. I am more than happy with this. There seems to be a coolant leak from the thermostat housing so I didn't let the engine get warm.

I have done a few other jobs on the car also. I re-aligned the bonnet as best as I could, the boot catch needed adjusting, nsf side light needed a new bulb, washer bottle was full of jelly so took that off and cleaned out. Thats it.

Here she is, pics taken today:

So, now for the bad bits, its got a replica Tech2 rear spoiler, bent front bumper and the Scorpion DTM rear silencer and these MIM beep dish alloys. The gearknob is also worn and the under dash panel on the driver's side is pretty shot. I have a new front bumper coming in the right colour, a proper Mtec1 rear spoiler which needs painting the right colour. I want to get a new gearknob which on this car is the bison gaitor/knob all in one, hopefully this is still available at the dealers and find another lower dash panel. The rear silencer and MIM wheels I dont know what to do with. I am a stickler for originality but getting the proper rear silencer and nice BBS's are difficult. Maybe swop the BBS's with the 318's?

Underneath however, it is simply superb. Solid is the word. Fuel and brake pipes are free from any corrosion, all the components underneath where you would expect surface rust, there just isn't any, or its very, very minimal.

I just can't say no any special E30's

Edited by SHEPSM3

Try editing the original post and reloading the pics which are missing, as the links are dead for some reason.

Nice purchase BTW both of them

That looks very nice Paul....... Another one for the collection.... 

These gaitor/knobs are still available from C3

http://www.c3bmw.co.uk/StockItem.asp?categoryID=46&subca tegoryID=0&productID=1105&oRef=-1&section=2& Item=unassign

IIRC there is a set of 5 Basketweaves on ebay at the moment.

EDIT: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BMW-E30-BBS-wheels-and-tyres_W0QQitemZ 280190055668QQihZ018QQcategoryZ10374QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1Q QcmdZViewItem

( no connection to either of the above )

 

Edited by Sporty1

Hi Paul
        A nice collection your putting together .

If your getting rid of those Mim wheels , let me know ,
i'm on the look out of a old e30 to use as a track car
and those wheels would come in handy ..


Grant ...

Sporty1 wrote: SHEPSM3 wrote: Thanks Sporty, the C3 one is magga expensive, only £75 from BMW retail. Wow.... that's some difference, which isn't usually the case with C3.   SHEPSM3 wrote: Thanks also for the link to the BBS's   Not the seats that you want, but have a read of the description..... http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320 203605705&_trksid=p3907.m32&_trkparms=tab%3DWatching   ( No connection blah blah.)

Thanks mate, but I know that seller from the other forum and I aint had very good experiances with him

Grant, you got pm.

grant w wrote: Paul     You have a PM .

Replied

Mallorcaman wrote: Paul, Are you trying to own more E30`s than me?

Umm, I think I may have already exceeded  But, I am selling the lot, including the 325i Sport here. I am keeping the 318is here though. Everything else including the Sport Evo has to go

A little development, The ABS light would show almost as soon as you drove off and wouldn't go out again untill the ignition was switched off and back on again, but then the light would come back on as soon as you drive away again. Obviously this was a sensor. I went round checking them with a multimeter and I found the NSF sensor gave a totally different reading then the other 3. Ordered a new one from BMW at £72  fitted it and she's all good.

Parked it outside in work and 3 lads from Chippenham came upto me and asked if any of the E30's were for sale. I showed them the Sport and they were pretty impressed. Followed by a 10 minute roadtest up the road, and visions of it going through the nearest hedge, they returned with smiley faces and one loved up potential owner.

We agreed a price and what wheels to put on it (I fitted the standard 15" BBS's which looked far better than the MIMs did in my opinon) and they collected it the next day. Although I only done about 3 miles in the car and didn't have much time to get attached to it, I felt pretty sad seeing (and hearing) it go up the road. It sounded absolutely gorgeous.

Yes mate, but trying not to fill that gap!