New 318is owner in need of some wisdom and advise

[lbreevesii]

Hi all, I am in the process of buying a 91' 318is. I had an 85 318 man moons ago but I let it go...let me say that was a bad idea. I plan to hoon this car around in the mtn's, maybe eventualy do some auto-x(I live near the tail of the dragon:p)

So i've been trying to read up on bushings and control arms and all that kind of stuff but its all kinda running together. Would someone mind helping me out with exactly what I should buy for a suspension rebuild/refresh?

I've seen a lot about OE vs poly bushings, stock 3 series vs M3 etc. What should I get here? I need to be on a budget but I want good stuff.

The car has intrex springs, what shock do you recommend? bilstein? Koni blues? Again,good stuff but i'm on a budget.

Its already got a chip, exhaust, Z3 shifter, etc so i'm really just going to be doing the usual to it. Suspension, oil pan gaskets and screws, maybe some new 19lb injectors, gut it, etc. What other common issues/upgrades/refreshes am I forgetting?

Thanks in advance for helping consolidate all the stuff I have read. I have info overload!

[Atreus]

yep, overzealous newbie..... hahahaha.

i too need a suspension rebuild, i'll be watching this thread.

[Erick]

I love the guys that ask for good stuff on a budget.

How about telling us your budget? Might make things easier.

[lbreevesii]

Its not like a plan to do it overnight...

Budget means, I want it to work and not fall apart but not cost me an arm and a leg. If it works for a reasonable amount of time its fine. AKA: OE/aftermarket OE style stuff if great, race parts and 100 dollar rear shock mounts aren't.

[Erick]

You probably want to stay away from polyurethane bushings. Just get OEM stuff, some Bilstein shocks, and call it a day.

[bmwguy87]

Where in NC are you located? I'm in winston about to move to lewisville.

[lbreevesii]

I'm from North Wilkesboro but I live in boone. Hey do you know if either of the pick and pull junkyards at winston have any E30's worth picking through? I need a toolkit and a few small bits.

I know I know its ebay, but does anyone have experience with deutsche parts on there? They have a nice deal on a set with control arms, bushings, stabilizer bars, etc. It looks like a lot of their hard parts are Hamburg-Technic.

[bmwguy87]

There is 3 E30's in the yard here. The 90 325i is stripped, the 87 325e has not alot left and the 86 325e had some parts but not alot. I hit them pretty hard the other day. I might can get you a tool kit I have tons of extra tools what other bits are you looking for?

[xwill112x]

wow! im up there all the time, my family owns a place in ashe county so i just take 301 all the way up the mountain..


dont forget your oil pump bolts will come loose, so keep an eye on that.

other than that, drive it like you stole it. :)

[lbreevesii]

Were any of those red by chance? I need the trim bit behind the rear window on the passenger side.

The car is said to be totally missing the tool kit, are there enough bits there to make a full one? What would you want for a full one? it isn't pressing, just something I want.

I'm planning to start with dropping the pans, replacing lost bolts(blue loctite ftw). I'm going to assume it has the newer timing tensioner, but if its noisy i'll replace that. I"m not sure what other little bits I will need but i'll probably stop by the yard tomrorow. Which salvage place was that?

Still wondering on that e-bay seller, anybody have feedback on quality?

[lbreevesii]

GAH guy sold it out from under me TONIGHT. I was going to get it first thing tomorrow... I hope whoever bought it is proud of themselves...

time to keep looking...

[dvmotorsports]

You want info on bushings? Look at the first page of my posts in my profile. You will find my build thread. Go through it, and get the ones I have listed in there.

/thread