Possible 318i purchase - AC Question

[jhynesrockmtn]

Hi, possible new owner here and a newbie to BMWs. Porsche has been what I have been playing with for years. I met a guy in Portland who has a bunch of cars, including a few BMWs for sale. The most interesting one to me is a 1984 318i that is pretty heavily massaged and was an AC car but the system has been inop for years and the compressor was tossed. He has the rest of the bits. I have done some searching on the forums but am having a hard time finding the answer to this exact question. I live in a hot climate and normally wouldn't care about AC, but as I get older and wanting to do longer drives with buddies, daily drive it in the spring/summer/fall, AC is a must. AC Solutions has their kits, which don't list the earlier E30 M10 as being a car that one fits. When I contacted them, one of their folks thought one of their M3 kits would fit with some "massaging". Has anyone done this or another solution to resurrect the AC in these older M10s? Thanks in advance. Pic for attention.

[TobyB]

Oh, that's easy- M52 swap it, and use the M52 compressor.

Because the M10B18 in the E30 is about the only un- fun engine you can have in an E30.
(oh, unless someone put a 2L crank and 10:1 pistons in it, and then I take it back)

Ok, ok, if you're set on going 78 mph flat out after 3 minutes of WOT, then the big question is
whether the brackets for the compressor are still on the engine. If they are, then it's just a matter
of finding a compressor to fit- and they still seem to be available in the aftermarket.

If the bracketry is missing, that might be a little tougher. But I remember them not being
too complicated, so I suspect you could come up with something, or a local shop could fab something.

t
a bit of angle iron and a drill and it's good to go.

[E30SPDFRK]

If the bracket for the compressor is still there, new compressors aren't that expensive (sub $200 on RockAuto), and the rest of the consumables for the system are the same parts as any other E30. An R134a "converted" stock system will blow pretty cold, but nothing like what an optimized kit like the ACS one can do. The E30 M3 ACS kit will bolt up to the M10, both the M3 and 318i use the same compressor and bracket.

[ghrays]

Even using a new Sanden compressor, a new Nissens parallel flow condenser, a new evaporator and new hoses/lines it is my experience that R134a is a compromise. When it’s 80 degrees, I get 55-60 out if the vents. It’s worth it for the cooling and dehumidification.