***Editors Note: Its always exciting to see someones project reach that 'finished' phase and this Touring is quite nice in its finished state. I cannot think of what Id want to do different, the 24v power and the extra space is the package to have. Id love to have this as my family hauler, could nearly be the one car solution... thats how good this is. One car that can do it all! Congrats ethirtydavid you're R3vlimited's March 2022 Car of the Month ***
Options: European market 1991 318i touring
Color: Diamantschwarz Metallic 181
Interior Color: Black on black. Leather, front sport seats.
Engine Modifications:
(S52, OBDII) 1999 M3 resealed 3.2L motor.
JBRacing SMF / M3 PP / M5 sprung clutch.
Castro Motorsports 24v poly motor mounts
Blake M direct wiring harness and ECU tune: 7,100 redline / fused 16 pin OBD2 port / top speed limit delete / oil temp sensor.
Bimmerworld silicone elbow to Carbon air box, driver side bright air duct.
Koyorad radiator / 16” SPAL pusher fan with relay harness for 91 degree and manual switch
M50 intake manifold
Pink top injectors, 21.5 lb/hr
E36 M3 euro oil filter housing with ports for oil cooler, currently looped and unused.
Other engine bay details.
Complete semi intensive rust repair -minus front fenders which I forgot about while they were stored away ……….. :)
HVLP primer / factory match paint (two coats)
E90 booster with e10 reservoir.
Complete custom copper nickel front brake lines.
Summit Racing proportioning valve for rear brake bias.
Heat insulation for exhaust side
Mono wiper- linkage cut and re welded, full sweep.
Exhaust: Euro replica headers with dual bung for O2 sensors, heat wrapped lower section down to Y pipe. 3” exhaust entire run, high flow cat / resonator / MagnaFlow muffler.
Transmission: ZF320 DSSR & solid bushings, Z4 short shift. Plus all associated bushings / carrier etc.
Castro Motorsports poly trans mounts
Differential: LSD- e30 medium case with custom gearing, new bearings.
Suspension: 5x120 Complete MZ3 coupe front and rear.
Factory 315mm big front brakes
Ground control coil overs 440LB/ft front and 650LB/ft rear
Ground Control front camber plates.
Rear e30 sub frame IE camber toe adjustable plates.
Fully reinforced welded plates front and rear sub frame.
Bilstein dampers with high mounting link for 22 mm front sway bar
Steering coupler - poly
Rear subframe poly bushings
Treehouse Racing offset control arm bushings
Steering rack: rebuilt e46 330i ZHP for super quick turn ratio, yellow tag. PS delete with mini cooper serpentine belt. This also doubles as my attempt at a gym membership.
Wheels: BMW Style 18 / et46 with 5mm front spacers. 225/45/16 Toyo Proxes r888
Exterior Modifications: Extensive welding work to eliminate all rust, photos available
Custom semi paint mixed Raptor liner to lower exterior belly area.
Underside sealed and partially rubberized.
Rear fenders lightly rolled and pulled.
iS lip and splitter, paint matched.
I am keeping an eye out for front fenders to weld in the lower 10” to complete the rust repair.
Euro spec trim.
Interior Modifications: Upgraded to front leather black sport seats.
Rebuilt m3 replica gauge cluster, red needles oil temp gauge with 00 calibration for coolant / oil.
Adjustable clutch stop
Leather boots.
*soon, charcoal headliner.
Carpet out, pressure washed / 2 coats SIM Graphite 15303- scrub brushed in.
KillMat 36sqrft, 80 mil sound deadening to entire floor and doors.
Battery relocation to trunk.
G.Graves battery Volt meter digital console read out
My family and I took the train from Portland up to the Tacoma docks and I remember being so excited to see this car in person after the effort it took to purchase it from a guy in Germany. I got it home and washed it and almost immediately after that the motor was pulled and car was mostly stripped down. Then when I first saw the extent of the rust I thought long and hard about dropping the project. That feeling was terrible and finally I decided if I was going to scrap the project I may as well cut into a panel and see what it'd be like to weld in a new piece. Turned out, that whole early portion of the project which I'd dreaded so much was one of the most fun periods.
This car took me many hundreds of hours. It moved along though with a good bit of help from friends plus advice and tips from community members. I’m also lucky to have a *very patient wife. Despite many challenges, once I got started it very much felt like the thing was on rails and no matter how long it took I had to finish it.
Well here it is- and I'm stoked.
Of course it will always be a project but I finally wrapped everything this last month of February 2022 after a full long year and I tried to document some of the major moments of the project on a build thread here:
https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/for...-s-h-e-d/page2










Options: European market 1991 318i touring
Color: Diamantschwarz Metallic 181
Interior Color: Black on black. Leather, front sport seats.
Engine Modifications:
(S52, OBDII) 1999 M3 resealed 3.2L motor.
JBRacing SMF / M3 PP / M5 sprung clutch.
Castro Motorsports 24v poly motor mounts
Blake M direct wiring harness and ECU tune: 7,100 redline / fused 16 pin OBD2 port / top speed limit delete / oil temp sensor.
Bimmerworld silicone elbow to Carbon air box, driver side bright air duct.
Koyorad radiator / 16” SPAL pusher fan with relay harness for 91 degree and manual switch
M50 intake manifold
Pink top injectors, 21.5 lb/hr
E36 M3 euro oil filter housing with ports for oil cooler, currently looped and unused.
Other engine bay details.
Complete semi intensive rust repair -minus front fenders which I forgot about while they were stored away ……….. :)
HVLP primer / factory match paint (two coats)
E90 booster with e10 reservoir.
Complete custom copper nickel front brake lines.
Summit Racing proportioning valve for rear brake bias.
Heat insulation for exhaust side
Mono wiper- linkage cut and re welded, full sweep.
Exhaust: Euro replica headers with dual bung for O2 sensors, heat wrapped lower section down to Y pipe. 3” exhaust entire run, high flow cat / resonator / MagnaFlow muffler.
Transmission: ZF320 DSSR & solid bushings, Z4 short shift. Plus all associated bushings / carrier etc.
Castro Motorsports poly trans mounts
Differential: LSD- e30 medium case with custom gearing, new bearings.
Suspension: 5x120 Complete MZ3 coupe front and rear.
Factory 315mm big front brakes
Ground control coil overs 440LB/ft front and 650LB/ft rear
Ground Control front camber plates.
Rear e30 sub frame IE camber toe adjustable plates.
Fully reinforced welded plates front and rear sub frame.
Bilstein dampers with high mounting link for 22 mm front sway bar
Steering coupler - poly
Rear subframe poly bushings
Treehouse Racing offset control arm bushings
Steering rack: rebuilt e46 330i ZHP for super quick turn ratio, yellow tag. PS delete with mini cooper serpentine belt. This also doubles as my attempt at a gym membership.
Wheels: BMW Style 18 / et46 with 5mm front spacers. 225/45/16 Toyo Proxes r888
Exterior Modifications: Extensive welding work to eliminate all rust, photos available
Custom semi paint mixed Raptor liner to lower exterior belly area.
Underside sealed and partially rubberized.
Rear fenders lightly rolled and pulled.
iS lip and splitter, paint matched.
I am keeping an eye out for front fenders to weld in the lower 10” to complete the rust repair.
Euro spec trim.
Interior Modifications: Upgraded to front leather black sport seats.
Rebuilt m3 replica gauge cluster, red needles oil temp gauge with 00 calibration for coolant / oil.
Adjustable clutch stop
Leather boots.
*soon, charcoal headliner.
Carpet out, pressure washed / 2 coats SIM Graphite 15303- scrub brushed in.
KillMat 36sqrft, 80 mil sound deadening to entire floor and doors.
Battery relocation to trunk.
G.Graves battery Volt meter digital console read out
My family and I took the train from Portland up to the Tacoma docks and I remember being so excited to see this car in person after the effort it took to purchase it from a guy in Germany. I got it home and washed it and almost immediately after that the motor was pulled and car was mostly stripped down. Then when I first saw the extent of the rust I thought long and hard about dropping the project. That feeling was terrible and finally I decided if I was going to scrap the project I may as well cut into a panel and see what it'd be like to weld in a new piece. Turned out, that whole early portion of the project which I'd dreaded so much was one of the most fun periods.
This car took me many hundreds of hours. It moved along though with a good bit of help from friends plus advice and tips from community members. I’m also lucky to have a *very patient wife. Despite many challenges, once I got started it very much felt like the thing was on rails and no matter how long it took I had to finish it.
Well here it is- and I'm stoked.
Of course it will always be a project but I finally wrapped everything this last month of February 2022 after a full long year and I tried to document some of the major moments of the project on a build thread here:
https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/for...-s-h-e-d/page2










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