Decisions, decisions on a 1991 318is - new to me and needing some help

[Wareagle32789]

So a friend had a 1991 318is that he's been sitting on for a couple of years. He offered it to me, because he's taken on other projects for a price "I couldn't refuse." Car ran & drove, but needs TLC (rattle can paint job, front seats need TLC/recovering), lots of little leaks, etc. 161K miles on the odometer (seems to be working, so I assume it's correct), A/C present but blowing hot.

On my way home with the car, I had an unfortunate incident with a pothole in front of my house (literally), which cracked the oil pan and ripped out a cooling line. Towed it to a local shop, and they are telling me that the engine needs $3K + in work to get back in roadworthy shape.

Now I'm wondering if it is time to do an engine swap. Research is leading me to an M52, because the car could use a little more pep, but I want to end up with a fun weekend driver that I could run out to my local track (in my case, Sebring) for some fun with a friend who takes his P-cars down there on a regular basis. I don't want the thing to become a money pit, but I will be doing much of the work myself, with help from forums, YouTube, etc. Also want to have working AC at the end of the effort, because I live in Florida, and it gets pretty hot here!

Any thoughts or suggestions appreciated!

[DEV0 E30]

I don't want the thing to become a money pit, but I will be doing much of the work myself, with help from forums, YouTube, etc.

It is best to realize that by definition an old project car, can be a money pit. Realistically, break down what you can spend on the car.

Budgets are important to think about. Engine swaps have a great way of nickel and diming you, and can easily far exceed what you thought it would be.

If you pulled off right after the hit, it's possible the engine isn't completely destroyed. It may just need a new oil pan, and coolant hose. But then again it may have done more damage than that.

Did the car overheat, or did you shut it off immediately?

Get a second opinion, in an ideal world I'd try to get someone who knows E30s locally to do a once over on the entire car before going any single direction.

Another m42 wouldn't be terribly expensive to get it running again (if it needs a new engine). The AC may just need a recharge, but that is the least of your worries for right now.

Money, how much can you spare and how much are you willing to learn along the way are the questions you need to ask yourself.

[e30austin]

fix the m42. don't swap it.

[mtech325]

Having gone down the swap route with an M42 car, I think these days it makes more sense to just fix or replace the m42 and the a/c system. For better or for worse, the 318is has become kind of a collectible car as well. I totally get it that most e30s aren't very quick by modern standards, but you can always do a few simple mods like a chip and a lightweight flywheel for a little more fun to start. That way you have good baseline of what you might like or dislike about the car if you decide to track it down the line. To protect the oil pan, installing a skid plate can help especially on lowered cars.

This is not that a swap isn't fun, but all the swap conversion parts start to add up, and M42 cars typically add extra costs of needing a stronger transmission and medium case diff with a 24v motor unlike a 325 which can use its stock manual transmission and differential. The a/c is a bit more of a custom job on a 24v swap since its a mix of both e30 and e36 parts along with custom lines, but certainly not impossible.

[roguetoaster]

Be sure to do a reality check on yourself, if your first thought was to take a car that was genuinely stopped in front of your house with easy to solve damage to a shop then I suspect that a DIY swap may be a large hurdle to clear. Perhaps it's a lack of space, time or tools, but these will probably still exist in whatever amount of time.

That said, it's almost always easier to fix whatever is wrong with any engine rather than to swap to a different driveline, but if the M42 isn't exactly what you want in a car swap it without remorse. Just be sure to always double cost and time expectations.

At the very least you have a good canvas to work with without worrying about originality.

[ZeKahr]

From the description of the car, it sounds like OP brought a high mileage shitbox, so he’s not going to lose much (aside from whatever amount of money he blows on the swap) throwing an M52 in it.

[McGyver]

Personally, I would try to fix the M42 myself before thinking about a swap. Depending on how well the car was cared for, you may have a thousand dollars worth of suspension repairs just to get it to drive correctly. If you're trying to make a track toy, it's going to cost even more to get it to handle better than stock. Driving with stock power on blown out suspension sucks, putting more power at it will just make it dangerous.

Also, think about your skill level at track driving. If you're used to more powerful cars, the m42 will be underwhelming. If you're just getting into track days, the m42 will help you learn how to maintain speed without relying on engine power.

Finally, if your engine is completely destroyed, buying a used m42 from a previously running car should be cheap and you could swap it in in a weekend. That'll give you a running car while you think about what kind of swap you want and start buying the parts.

[82eye]

hasn't availability of m42 parts gotten crappy ? i know fcp can't supply the whole timing chain kit anymore and i've seen threads where folk have had trouble getting the guides.

[roguetoaster]

Also, think about your skill level at track driving. If you're used to more powerful cars, the m42 will be underwhelming. If you're just getting into track days, the m42 will help you learn how to maintain speed without relying on engine power.

This describes an M42 on track perfectly.

hasn't availability of m42 parts gotten crappy ? i know fcp can't supply the whole timing chain kit anymore and i've seen threads where folk have had trouble getting the guides.

At last check, yes, the timing guides and the crank damper seem to be a real problem to procure.

[82eye]

At last check, yes, the timing guides and the crank damper seem to be a real problem to procure.

that is sadness. our cars are really aging out of the support system.

[roguetoaster]

that is sadness. our cars are really aging out of the support system.

Eh, as a long time M42 advocate I can safely say that there are better things out there to power an E30.

[Wareagle32789]

Well, that's a lot to process, LOL. No shortage of opinions here. I think the first thing I will do is to pull out the current engine and see how bad it's leaking oil. It has 166K on it. I have done a bit more research and it seems that the 318is was only sold 1 year in North America.

If I keep the original engine and "refresh" it, what shoud I focus on?

I really like the car and think it would be really nice if I get it back in shape. I am concerned about the law of unintended consequenses biting me in the rear if I go with a different engine, so now I'm thinking work with what I've got. Any "bolt on" performance items that could pep up my current engine?

[ZeKahr]

If I keep the original engine and "refresh" it, what shoud I focus on?

I really like the car and think it would be really nice if I get it back in shape. I am concerned about the law of unintended consequenses biting me in the rear if I go with a different engine, so now I'm thinking work with what I've got. Any "bolt on" performance items that could pep up my current engine?

If this is the direction you've elected to go, first focus on getting the stock internals of the engine working as they should.

The next order of business after getting the engine running is to make the car drive nicely. Get the AC fixed (I recommend tossing in a Sanden and parallel flow system), get any other drivability issues buttoned up.

After that, focus on fixing the cosmetic issues. Give the car a nice spray job and fix up any interior blemishes. While I am not a proponent of changing the factory interior/exterior color, in your situation I would recommend painting the car white and swapping the interior color to Pearl Beige if you live in Florida (unless the interior is already that color, then I recommend just keeping it); the original color looks like Schwarz and the Florida sun will roast you (even with a working AC) if you're in a dark car (and especially if you have a dark interior). On top of that, dark paint/interior will make the AC work harder, leading to earlier leaks/failures. Or you can stick with the factory color scheme if the value and originality of the car concerns you. A nice dark tint all around paired with a sunshade (there is an official BMW one for these cars) also helps in dealing with heat.

Whatever you do, please for the love of god, DO NOT splurge on a set of expensive aftermarket wheels before you do all of the above (exception is if the car already came with them, then just keep them I guess). I know how much E30 guys love to rip off the stock wheels and throw on some large, blingy, mismatched aftermarket wheels to pimp they ride, but now is not the time for that. Get the rest of your car looking and driving nice before you decide to ball out with some wheels. Nice wheels aren't going to mean much if the car looks and drives like a garbage can.

Same goes for bolt-ons. No headers or cone filters until the rest of the car runs right. Bolt-ons will only pep up your current engine from a placebo point of view. If you really want a pepped up M42, you have to make expensive internal engine changes (i.e. cams, increasing bore/stroke, pistons, rods, etc) - or just buy a built M42 from an experienced engine builder. Go look at how Metric Mechanic builds their M42s, and you'll see what I mean.

Eh, as a long time M42 advocate I can safely say that there are better things out there to power an E30.

Yep, like an electric motor. The more I deal with gas engines, the more I'd love my next E30 to be electric powered. Although batteries have a ways to go before that happens.

[82eye]

Yep, like an electric motor. The more I deal with gas engines, the more I'd love my next E30 to be electric powered. Although batteries have a ways to go before that happens.

the conversion costs and parts availability will keep you in a gasser for years to come.

[ZeKahr]

the conversion costs and parts availability will keep you in a gasser for years to come.

Yes, this too. EV conversions aren’t going to be within reach for many of us until maybe 5-15 years from now. Unless it’s strictly a short distance city car; in that case you can probably get away with a small battery and a low-power motor for not much money