Original car restoration

[1843lamp]

Ok,here goes been thinking about this proposal for some time .A new forum for those people who like their car for the most part the way it came from the factory .Mostly original ,and need information on keeping the car in same condition.I will also say my car is an automatic...and I like it .Any interest?

[MR E30 325is]

I don't think it would work very well. From my experience over the years, very very very few individuals have ever wanted to keep a car that OEM. The ones who have, have created excellent products. But a whole forum just for that? It would not catch on.

[ELVA164]

I'd say that info is probably available already, albeit split up in the various categories in the Technical section. I'd have to agree with the above, though making that effort is noble if nothing else.

[1843lamp]

That is the kind of input needed to find out.My background is in concours restoration work on older British cars up to about 1965. I have operated my own shop for over 35 years .I am very detail oriented ,nut and bolt and have spent much time researching my own car and have learned much concerning what might be factory delivered ,it would be great to hear from others who might have similar interest in putting their car back to original condition ,I still have many questions and no where to go..

[ELVA164]

That is the kind of input needed to find out.My background is in concours restoration work on older British cars up to about 1965. I have operated my own shop for over 35 years .I am very detail oriented ,nut and bolt and have spent much time researching my own car and have learned much concerning what might be factory delivered ,it would be great to hear from others who might have similar interest in putting their car back to original condition ,I still have many questions and no where to go..

I happen to be in a very similar field so I can understand your mentality (feel free to check my website; I think you'd really enjoy it). It's my personal belief that this chassis isn't quite to the nostalgia tipping point (nor necessarily does it have the same memories associated with it as most British sports cars) to make total restorations a worthwhile or attractive option for 99% of owners. The atmosphere around the E30 seems to revolve more around modification than originality, even if the modifications are "invisible" like what I've done with my car. Perhaps in another five years or so we'll start to see more bare-chassis restorations, but there isn't much interest in it just yet.

That said, as you're obviously interested in that type of work, there's an absolute wealth of information in the Technical section for almost any area you'd be concerned with. You could also use realoem.com to look at factory exploded diagrams and a site like bmwfans.info to check your VIN and look at the original build sheet. I even learned my car's birthday that way! (4/21/87) If all else fails, asking a question will almost always lead to a direct answer or where to find it.

If you'd be able, I'd love to see some of your work by the way.

[1843lamp]

Well,I am not happy I typed out a long response ( for me ) and pushed the button and it completely vanished.I agree,I looked for more than a year to find a car I would not need to do a restoration on ,I just wanted to put it in top condition with all of the original parts it came with .I learned what the first original part number was and what exactly the part actually looked like and found Many Nos parts ,,quite a few cheaper than the common reproduction parts available,the only downside is it takes more time .I learned through working on all of the British cars ,100-4'lotus 15, 18 and elites etc..that reproduction parts are most often sorely lacking to be kind and it was much better to find NOS or a good used original often at a much cheaper cost as well,knowledge is power ,share what you know.I did vintage racing as well for a number of these cars I mentioned ,(as a mechanic) much fun and great experience as well.

[Court M3]

I'd like to see a blog of an e30 restoration, and maybe pics of original cars. Possibly in the post hipster years we can see more people start doing restos

[Panici]

I can see the appeal of a full OEM restoration, I've done the same thing to a few 70s 2-stroke Yamaha motorcycles.

But I'm in the "restomod" category with my car. I have kept basically all of my original parts (except for the auto transmission), and I could still return to factory specs if I wanted to down the road.

This is one of the reasons I struggle with a possible motor swap. It would be a modification that would be difficult (but not impossible) to reverse.

In the end, I don't ever plan to sell my car, so I am building it for me, so that I can enjoy it.

[ELVA164]

Well,I am not happy I typed out a long response ( for me ) and pushed the button and it completely vanished.I agree,I looked for more than a year to find a car I would not need to do a restoration on ,I just wanted to put it in top condition with all of the original parts it came with .I learned what the first original part number was and what exactly the part actually looked like and found Many Nos parts ,,quite a few cheaper than the common reproduction parts available,the only downside is it takes more time .I learned through working on all of the British cars ,100-4'lotus 15, 18 and elites etc..that reproduction parts are most often sorely lacking to be kind and it was much better to find NOS or a good used original often at a much cheaper cost as well,knowledge is power ,share what you know.I did vintage racing as well for a number of these cars I mentioned ,(as a mechanic) much fun and great experience as well.

The one thing about these cars I really enjoy is for the most part, you can find a new part from either BMW or a reputable manufacturer. Many of the parts from OEM companies are pretty inexpensive, too. The British parts supply situation is equally frustrating and disappointing. It would cost me more to maintain a Sprite or something than it does to maintain my BMW and the parts would be far crappier; that shouldn't happen. A fair amount of our business revolves around finding NOS or rebuildable original parts. You'd think there would be enough retired engineers around that someone would help a little! :)

Lotus 15s are pretty uncommon! Another unfortunate victim of the queerbox, but I always thought the FPF was a cool motor.

[TobyB]

As they get older, your purist ways will find traction!
The hipsters will shave, get fat and wear loose jeans,
and wax nostalgic for the car they 'used to have'.

Give it time- it's just now started to infect the 2002 squad,
where up until recently, the purist was amiably tolerated, but
not seriously regarded.

Until prices went through the roof.
Then all of a sudden, interest in originally plated fasteners, locations
of mirrors, dealer options, carpet texture, OE fit, blah de blah got serious.
So it will happen here, too.
It's going to be harder with things like plastic bumpers, though.

Be patient. Your time will come with this car.

t

[2mAn]

I always thought that Simon's "zen" thread was the place for correct restoration, though it looks like a lot of the pictures no longer work

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=159148

[MR E30 325is]

I always thought that Simon's "zen" thread was the place for correct restoration, though it looks like a lot of the pictures no longer work

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=159148

This was the thread that gave me the inspiration to start my build thread. Excellent stuff.

[1843lamp]

It appears by the number of views and replies,the restoration question concerning if the interest might justify a separate forum ?It seems to hardly support a thread,times have really changed .

[cheffy30]

e30 restore

i have just spent 10 months restoring my 1990.
paint and all exterior trim, lights, lenses... she looks gorgeous.
working on interior which is still in pretty good shape...
i have a couple issues with a couple of lights... annoying to say the least...
why they go out is a mystery.... and it's not the bulbs...
i put 4k into the engine and suspension, brakes, all fluids and more...
feels like a new rig.