'91 318i vert restore/daily driver build

[ricclee]

What's up rev!
I'm new to the E30 scene. I'm more familiar with the E46 chassis but was itching for something a little more classic looking so I decided to pick up a vert (something different and uncommon in my area)! This will not be a crazy engine/performance build but rather a practical daily driver.

First and foremost, the pick up:
1991 318i convertible which I bought from a kid for a fair price but needs a LOT of attention.







I will first be addressing front suspension..stay tuned!

[loganhopeless]

Can't wait to see how this goes! Best of luck fellow vert owner!


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[MinnE30]

^^ agreed! Another vert owner


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[fight4life28]

Welcome to topless side.

[ricclee]

3/30/16 update:

So did I mentioned that I bought the car from a kid? He lowered the hell out of the car for a "stanced" look..3 lugs stripped and snapped off of the passenger side wheel and 1 on the driver's side. Replaced both front wheel hub/wheel bearing assemblies.





Motor mounts and ball joints were completely shot so I replace those as well.







Up next steering rack; stay tuned!

[elDizzle]

Forward progress! Keep them verts on the road!


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[TimeMachinE30]

Your picture size is abnormal

[agent]

Your picture size is abnormal

Yes. Please resize them.

[ricclee]

Yes. Please resize them.

Abnormal sized how? Too large?

[2mAn]

Abnormal sized how? Too large?

ab·nor·mal
adjective
deviating from what is normal or usual, typically in a way that is undesirable or worrying.

in this case, they certainly aren't too small...

back on topic:
what color is this thing? Looks maritus blue to me. LOVE that color.

what are your plans for the motor?

[ricclee]

'91 318i vert restore/daily driver build

ab·nor·mal

adjective

deviating from what is normal or usual, typically in a way that is undesirable or worrying.



in this case, they certainly aren't too small...



back on topic:

what color is this thing? Looks maritus blue to me. LOVE that color.



what are your plans for the motor?

Haha thanks for defining the word for me I will resize the images when I get to a desktop.



Yes, it is maritus blue..once majority of engine and suspension issues have been addressed, body work and paint will be tackled. But as far as plans for the motor. I haven't quite decided and perhaps could use a few opinions.



The engine is leaking from everywhere and at this point these options will be most efficient with time and labor. :



Option 1: Buy a M20 swap and do a full reseal while the engine and trans is out. Not looking to do any major rebuild. Since this will be a practical daily driver and I have another car for thrills.



Option 2: Buy another M42 motor only (to minimize days down) and reseal before dropping in.

Option 3: M50 swap for a little more fun



Either option is pretty cost efficient as I've been able to source both for a steal.

[ricclee]

'91 318i vert restore/daily driver build

Months have gone by and I've been busy but here's an update: as I was contemplating on my engine swap options, I encountered a junkyard find that I could not resist. 91 325 vert with a hard top. It was donated to cars for kids because it became a California gross polluter.


The paint on the car was in pretty rough shape but nothing some elbow grease couldn't fix. So I spent 10hrs working at it. 1) heavy duty abrasive clay. 2) 2 stage cut 3) machine polish 4) seal with wax.
If anyone's interested in pictures and products used for the detail feel free to request.

The car is automatic with a 4.10 diff. I picked up a getrag 260 5 speed trans and willing be performing a manual conversion in the near future.

After picking up this car, I since swapped my coilovers and front suspension from the 318 over. I also completely overhauled the rear suspension with condor 12mm riser subframe bushings, oem endlinks, and trailing arm bushings. Rear diff will get replaced with a 3.73 lsd (or similar) at a later date.

https://vimeo.com/168504662

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[ricclee]

'91 318i vert restore/daily driver build

Sorry about the shitty quality pics, trying to be mindful of the size.


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[elrobinio]

Nice to see another vert being saved, how is the chassis/suspension handling the heavier wheels? Stock 14" style 5's are about 14lbs a corner and I had e34 style 5's on my e28 and at 19lbs each corner, the suspension never liked them.

+5lbs of unsprung weight makes a huge difference, but I haven't tried it on a chassis that has this much flex...

[ricclee]

Nice to see another vert being saved, how is the chassis/suspension handling the heavier wheels? Stock 14" style 5's are about 14lbs a corner and I had e34 style 5's on my e28 and at 19lbs each corner, the suspension never liked them.



+5lbs of unsprung weight makes a huge difference, but I haven't tried it on a chassis that has this much flex...

Honestly, I'm pretty impressed with my setup. As for if its recommended for track or aggressive driving? -I wouldn't really be able to say since I'm riding pretty low and it's my daily commuter.


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