1991 BMW 318is
Vin-matching original paint Sterling silver over black sport interior, 5 speed, sunroof, LSD rear end. Original North Carolina car, zero rust!
~180k miles on chassis, only ~ 30k on a freshened up motor, and even less on all the maintenance and aftermarket components.
This is my 8th E30, and third 318is. I purchased the car from the Asheville area back in early 2012. The previous owner had bought the car, drove it home, and began disassembling the motor for an overhaul. The calipers were rebuilt and painted BMW roundel blue, odometer gears replaced, and the car received new brake pads (Pagid) and rotors (Bav Auto) on all four corners. I purchased the car not running, and trailered it home.
Over the course of the next two years, the car received a complete overhaul. I removed the engine, transmission, differential, and both front and rear subframes. The motor was swapped with a lower-mileage unit, with only ~18k miles on a full top-end rebuild, new clutch and M20 flywheel conversion. The subframes were stripped, reinforcements welded, re-painted, and re-installed with all new OE bushings.
Every bushing, bearing, and mount has been replaced with top-shelf components. The driveshaft was rebuilt, and received a new guibo and center support bearing. Brand new OE BMW motor mounts, E21 transmission mounts, and MZ3 differential mount. New Lemforder control arms with offset solid M3 control arm bushings, new trailing arm bushings, etc etc. The itemized list is as follows:
All of the following is new, unless otherwise noted
Suspension:
Lemforder control arms
Lemforder offset solid M3 control arm bushings
OE (used) Z3 steering rack assembly
AKG steering rack spacers/hardware
Lemforder tie rod assemblies with new boots/hardware
Lemforder trailing arm bushings
Lemforder subframe bushings
Bilstein Sport front struts and rear shocks
E30 M3 swaybar tabs welded to front strut housings, housings modified for coilover assemblies
Ground Control coilover kit (375F/475R)
Ground Control "Touring" camber plates
Ground Control rear upper shock mounts
Suspension Techniques Swaybar set (front and rear) - used
ST adjustable rear sway bar links
ST swaybar bushings
Moog E30 M3 front swaybar links
Welded AKG rear camber and toe adjusters with E39 hardware
Welded engine mount reinforcements
Welded rear swaybar reinforcements (on chassis)
Welded rear swaybar reinforcements (on trailing arms)
Brakes:
Turner Motorsport SS brake line kit
Rebuilt and painted brake calipers front and rear
Pagid pads, Bavarian Autosport brake rotors
Rear wheel bearings
OE BMW Emergency brake cables
Stop light switch
Drivetrain:
M42 with ~ 30k miles since full cylinder head rebuild
PCV "mess" under intake manifold deleted
E36 M42 electric fan conversion (used)
OE BMW M42 motor mounts
OE BMW E21 transmission mounts
OE BMW differential mount
M20 flywheel conversion with new clutch (~30k miles)
OE BMW Z3 shifter assembly
AKG Delrin shift bushings
Remanufactured driveshaft assembly
Lemforder driveshaft flex disc
Lemforder center support bearing
(Used) SuperSprint cat-back exhaust
Mark D'Sylva 91 octane performance chip
Maintenance:
Bosch oxygen sensor
NKG spark plugs
VDO fuel pump assembly
AFE air filter
OE BMW timing chain tensioner
Goetz lower pan gasket
OE BMW accelerator cable
Behr radiator assembly
OE BMW radiator cap
Wahler low-temp thermostat
Wahler low-temp fan switch
OE BMW upper radiator hoses
Continental accessory belts
Deka lightweight battery
OE BMW exhaust hangers, muffler hangers, and gaskets
All fluids - Pentosin coolant, ATE brake fluid, Redline transmission and differential oil, Valvoline and Castrol motor oil
Air Conditioning
New A/C compressor
OE BMW pressure switch
Behr receiver drier
Behr accumulator
Aftermarket parallel flow condenser
Re-charged with R134-A
Body/Interior
Correct front "IS" lip and rear wing
Bosch euro smiley headlights with city lights
BMW grille set (kidney and headlight grilles, driver's side is aftermarket)
BMW roundels front and rear
BMW fog light deletes
OE BMW hood insulation kit
OE BMW wiring harness covers (on firewall)
Crack-free dashboard (used)
1-series floor mat set
E36 leather ///M shift knob
Euro (used) 316I HVAC panel (deletes 6-button OBC and centers head unit)
Clarion headunit with USB cable run to glovebox
Kicker front speakers, (used) premium rear speakers with correct rear shelf
Misc
The wheels on the car are Japan-only market BBS RS-II's, 16x7 and 4x114.3 bolt pattern. I purchased the wheels from a vendor on Ebay Japan, disassembled and completely refinished them with silver centers, polished lips, and new OE BBS center emblems. The tires are Nankang 205/45/16's with 90% tread remaining. The wheels are bolted to the car via extremely high quality adapters from Motorsport-Tech ("Adaptec".) The set-up looks great, is fairly light weight, and doesn't rub/contact the body or fender wells. If the BBS's are not wanted, the car will come on a set of silver 15x7 Team Dynamic wheels with Hankook RS2's (decent tread remaining, but the tires are getting old.)
The A/C system was entirely converted for use with R-134a, and works flawlessly. The original heavy clutch fan and auxiliary "puller" fan were both removed, and replaced with an OE BMW electric fan assembly and shroud from an E36 M42 car. The fan is wired very cleanly with OE connectors to the auxiliary fan circuit, and functions both off the temperature switch, and the A/C switch.
The central locking system is still intact and functional, though the driver's door lock can be fickle (I prefer to lock/unlock via the trunk anyway.) Power windows and mirrors work flawlessly. Sunroof tilts up/down, slides back, and closes well. All dash/console illumination operates correctly, and the Clarion head unit is a perfect match to the original BMW amber lighting. The radio antenna has been removed, and a plastic plug used in place of the grommet on the quarter panel. I have an original Hirschmann power antenna that I'll include with the sale of the car.
On the interior, the vehicle has a beautiful crack-free dashboard with a euro-market 316i HVAC panel. The original vinyl sport seats are in decent shape; typical cracking present on the lower bolsters, and leg extension, but still soft, comfortable, and presentable. The rear seat and rear parcel shelf are both in excellent shape. Door panels are in very good condition all around; vinyl is a tad loose on a small section at the bottom of the driver's front panel, but it's very minor. Original headliner with no tears/damage/sagging. The carpet does have some stains in the front floorboards and transmission tunnel area, but they are covered by the seats and new BMW floormats. The rear carpet was shampooed and cleaned up very well, but truthfully, I started driving the car before cleaning the front carpeting, and forgot about it until now.
The body on the car is overall in excellent shape. All the VIN stickers are present and matching, and the car still wears it's original Sterling silver paint. The paint itself is showing it's age in places; getting thin on some of the horizontal surfaces, some rock chips across the leading edge of the hood, and a sizable scuff in the middle of the driver's door (no dent here however.) Small scratches are present here and there as well. There are some fairly minor dings present, but no dents, and zero rust. The car originally came with fog lamps, but I have swapped in the fog blanks. Wiring/mounting for the fogs still remains for an easy swap back. Overall, the exterior is extremely presentable and straight, and would be a show-stopper with a respray.
The suspension and drivetrain on the car are amazing! The car handles very well; corners flat and confidently, handles bumps/undulations well while making zero noises/squeaks/rattles. The suspension is firm, but far from punishing, and I never feel fatigued driving for several hours at a time. The engine pulls strong (for an M42, of course) transmission shifts firmly and with a positive feel, and the differential is quiet and grippy. The Supersprint exhaust is fairly quiet, though I did purchase the cat-back used, and the muffler casing is starting to decompose. Brakes are quite good as well, though I'm not a huge fan of the Pagid pads (initial bite pales in comparison to my E36, and they dust a bit heavily in my opinion.)
Most any car this age will have a few remaining issues, though this particular vehicle's are fairly minor. The sunroof seal is a little loose, and with the sunroof tilted, the seal can sag slightly. Functionally, it's still perfect, and the car is 100% water tight, but it's annoying to look at. The driver's side door "check" has failed, which is another common E30 problem. Door opens and closes smoothly, but doesn't stay open on it's own. Replacement door checks are readily available from ~$20-$50 depending on brand. The passenger-side high beam glass was *just* cracked on my last highway trip to Charlotte. I'm trying to source a matching replacement currently. Very minor power steering leak from an aluminum seal/o-ring. I'll likely make time to replace this soon as well.
Not really an "issue" per se, but I currently only have the passenger-side emergency brake set-up installed. The driver's side e-brake shoes developed a rattle, and pressed for time, I removed the shoes and e-brake cable entirely. The emergency brake still functions perfectly, so it never concerned me to re-install them. I still have all the parts however, which will go with the car (possibly re-installed if I have the time.)
I built this car to be reliable, comfortable, and handle well. It does all this, and (in my opinion) looks great while doing so. I have put less than 10k miles on the car since completing the mechanical overhaul. I have receipts for most everything I've replaced/installed, as well as receipts from the work performed on the motor. It's a bit sad to let it go, but I have a small fleet of vehicles, and the E30 really doesn't get driven any more.
$7600 with the BBS's/$6600 with the Team Dynamic wheels
Title is clean/clear, and in my name.
Located in Raleigh, NC
-Adam
cagedbunny at gmail dot com
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