'91 318is Crack Pipe Edition

[MusikAffe57]

I picked up this e30 off of a local craigslist ad for $1k. PO bought it from a police impound auction in SoCal.





Fun begins with cleaning the interior. It was bad, really bad. I've stripped the whole interior. In the process of steam cleaning the seats.

I started pulling the carpet. I don't know how you guys pull it out in one piece. Way easier to just cut it out.

As I pulled back the carpet under the steering wheel, you'll never guess what I found... Half of a used crack pipe! I texted the PO and he told me that he found one in the car, too, about five months prior.



Carpet out!


Slight surface rust under pedal


Pulled the parcel shelf


Missing premium speakers...


I swapped the busted tail lights for some new ones thanks to Xavier1oner for hooking me up.

[MusikAffe57]

Parts ordered as of 5/18/2015

[MusikAffe57]

Can a mod move this to the project sub-forum?

[yungmike]

Looks like you're on track to give a new life and save this awesome lil 318is. But, i wonder how much the PO bought it for at auction and or reason for sale too? Looks like nothing too crazy going on to abandon ship.

[MusikAffe57]

Thanks! The car is super rust free. I couldn't believe it when I started pulling everything up. PO wasn't a BMW person. They bought it as a cheap way to get from SoCal to Arkansas, and didn't even know they had an iS version. They sold it because they had bought new cars once they settled in. I have about $1k in receipts for work done before their trip and just weeks before I bought it. including new CSB, guibo, trans/motor mounts, battery and tires.

[MusikAffe57]

Today I sorted out the leaking water in the trunk under the battery tray.


With a leak test.



I pulled out the drain hoses and cleared them out. No more leaky trunk! :D

Now I need to replace all of the sunroof hardware. Bought it from the PO broken. so tons of crap had gotten into the drain rails.


My poor 320i and r90/6 getting covered in parts.


Coming up:
Steam clean for rear seats
Most of the valve cover bolts are stripped and I was missing one. So I bought a TIME-SERT kit.
CA Bushings
Euro Clock Repair (blown resistor)
Reverse light cable shorting fuse 21

[WestCoastEta]

Better to find evidence of a crack head than a cracked head I suppose.

[MusikAffe57]

Better to find evidence of a crack head than a cracked head I suppose.

haha yeah very true

[shameson]

Is it Laguna? Don't see too many Laguna coupes, nice grab!

[MusikAffe57]

No it's alpeinweiß II, someone got a maaco special in dark metallic green. I thought it was laguna when I saw the ad. I'm planning either going back to white or maybe a factory red. not sure which one, yet. I got a guy I sold my 2002 roundie to that's gonna do it for cheap.

[shameson]

Ya I saw it was oringinally alpine, I couldn't tell if it was just dull Laguna on the exterior because it didn't look right lol

Are you doing a full strip-down paint job? With the inner panels white it would be a lot easier to just go back to alpine 2

[Wh33lhop]

"Oh uh yeah... I totally found a crack pipe in it too, haha...ha... "

[MusikAffe57]

I'm not really sure. I just picked it up. A lot of work left before paint, but yeah I'll probably go back to alpine 2. It'll match my alpine 1.

[DER E30]

Nice find!

[MusikAffe57]

Just got these euro smileys/grills/wiring in from Sskoda!