New guy

[Albie325]

Question - is there zero demand for an old E30 automatic trans? Should I just scrap it at the metal recycler? Driveshaft?

I listed mine on the local craigslist and had ZERO bites. One guy who bought a couple other parts from me offered me 20 bucks and I balked. It's still sitting in my garage along with all the supporting parts and I finished my swap last year. Good luck is all I can say unfortunately, I was as surprised as you are.

[LateFan]

I wrote to the driveshaft guys to see if they want that for a rebuildable core. Trans probably needs to be disassembled to separate alum and steel. That torque converter is heavy!

[moatilliatta]

Good to see progress still going!

What is next on the list?

[Vincenze]

Question - is there zero demand for an old E30 automatic trans? Should I just scrap it at the metal recycler? Driveshaft?

Those who need a low-mileage auto transmission, probably want to test it when it's installed in a vehicle.
It has a known defect.

[LateFan]

Posted this in Body & Paint but not too many eyes there, so I'll add it here -


My son sent me this pic of his driver's side sill, showing some corrosion at a panel joint under the door.



I'd like to understand this seam better. Are the sills covered with a sort of vinyl coating? At one time I cleaned them up and sprayed with SEM trim black.

If you look at the panel construction on the sides, "Cover" (4) is the sill piece and looks to go full length all the way to the rear wheel opening (?).
So what's the non-sill-shaped bit at the rear (right in drawing) end? Is the rear quarter panel installed over the top of that area?



And is the forward end of this piece the joint at the front fender? So where is this seam under the door? What's behind it?


Thanks - LF


Oh, BTW, this car is humming right along with his new manual swap in the midwest, no problems (except quirky ABS), and is more reliable than his girlfriends Outback. People at work have brought cash to try to buy it. Crazy.

[LateFan]

BUMP

Anyone know how the rocker/sill is constructed? I can't tell if this is all external from the pic. I'll see this car in a couple of weeks, we're driving it back to Colorado.

[twright]

I don't know how that sill is constructed.

However, can't you just sand down the rust and see how bad it is? It might be just surface rust, and it sounds like you know how to take care of that.

[Glaede]

The quarter panels overlap the sill and is welded in a few spots to the underlying sill. Does that answer your questions? :-)

Maybe have a look at my project:
🇩🇰 BMW E30 318iS PROJECT på Instagram: “Left quarter panel tacked in place. Will be fully welded Monday 😁👌 bmw e30 318is #e30lifestyle #e30lovers #welding #vintage…”
🇩🇰 BMW E30 318iS PROJECT på Instagram: “Quarter panel removed today 🙌 The rust saga continues.... bmw e30 318is #e30lifestyle #e30lovers #welding #vintage #projectuberkaro…”
🇩🇰 BMW E30 318iS PROJECT på Instagram: “Shit just got real today!😮 Panel just hung on there for fun. Not fitted yet. bmw e30 318is #e30lifestyle #e30lovers #welding #vintage…”
🇩🇰 BMW E30 318iS PROJECT på Instagram: “Some random pictures I took at the body shop this morning. Still needs fitting and welding 😊 bmw e30 318is #e30lifestyle #e30lovers…”

I've had both quarter panels replaced by a body shop.

[LateFan]

Long Term Update -

This car is still with him, commuting to work in CO. He has snows on the stock bottlecaps for winter, does fine with limited slip and some sandbags in the trunk. Soon to get a set of Koni yellow shocks / struts installed, and have an expert look at the shift linkage for some sort of binding / jamming in certain gears, but completely random. Shifts fine sometimes, binds up / really tight other times. Don't know if it's cheap aftermarket bushings in the plate shifter mounts... Could be some internal shift fork issues on an unknown used transmission (?).

He got a great job - and one of the partners races an E36 locally.

[LateFan]

Well it looks like I'll get this car back! He and his girlfriend are both working, bought a little house, leased a commuter car. Doesn't use the E30, doesn't want to wear it out commuting on the freeway or get hit. Said he doesn't want to sell it to a stranger - would I take it back? Pretty sweet, I thought. I said hell yes. He bought it for a dollar from me, I'll pay him something reasonable. He'll object, but I'm his dad.

As far as I can tell, the clearcoat is fading, it has a small ding, a Hella headlight is broken, the sport seats are shot, and it has a random stumble when dropping the throttle from highway speed.

We just need to move it 900 miles, and I have other fast track projects to finish. I'll have to brush up on my Jim Levie lists!

[2mAn]

I think the appropriate offer is Tree Fiddy.

Also, I think 12 years later we should update the title of the thread. PM me something clever and I can update it

[LateFan]

Clever? Clever?? I was up late, I ain't got no clever! Hi Simon! I'm still kind of grumpy you sold that Giulia sedan. Y'know, I go to our little group of old guys with old cars for coffee, and half to 2/3 of them are P-car guys now. Not that I don't love those too, but a lot of P-car people have an attitude, and it's the only sportscar they've ever had, and they didn't have any sportscar until they were older and had money, and of course they bought a Porsche. They didn't come up holding pieces of shit together with bailing wire in college, saving up for a slightly better POS. They look down their noses at the British stuff that shows up (like, a beautiful, perfect '65 Healey 3000 restored from Swiss cheese). They've never even seen an Alfa up close. But other friends are different - I have one who bought his '59 356A coupe in grad school, in 1972. Just an old used car to commute with. He and his wife passed on a Pre-A bent window because it was "just too slow." HA! So now it's restored and beautiful, but, it's been 4 different colors, it's been hit, it's got a newer engine, and he loves it dearly. Another guy bought a really nice 550 replica in CA with his brother, and they drove it home to MT in October with no windshield, no top, no winter clothes..... That car is a HOOT! Another pal has TWO bugeye Sprites (why?). Another friend has a '65 912, a '67 Lotus Elan that raced from new, an early 60's Lotus Seven (another hoot), a '63 Karmann Ghia convertible in pale green with cream interior, an Alfa Spider, and an MG TD with no brakes....what else...he's a hoarder. He might sell it all and get a ratty 356.

Mrs LateFan is not excited. "What are we going to do with it?" Drive it, I said. So I promised to clean up some older hotrod Volvo wagons and move them on to make room. (but I'd still like a 122 wagon...)
I've always wanted a 2002, but I love this car and wouldn't want to let it go either. Needs a bit of work - but it drove from MT to Illinois and grad school, then back to Colorado, and now it'll come back to MT.