Mike's Alpine White 1991 318is

[2mAn]

Please excuse the dirty tool cabinet...

Inexcusable....

jk love the update

[mike.bmw]

Nice choice, Mike. I've replaced all the bushings in the ECS kit while everything is out and you are right, you would have to remove the driveshaft at least it seems. I'm hoping it tightens everything up appropriately! I'll be curious to see your choice of shift knob upgrade as I could use one as well.

Thanks! I decided to go with a ZHP knob (see below).

Looking great Mike! I love the wheel and the cupholder. Did you make the cupholder or buy it somewhere?

Regarding the shifter, I for one am a fan of the stock shift knob, but maybe you'll find one that changes my mind. When I bought my car it came with a mystery "short shifter" in a box of parts. It looks a lot like that one, so I'm wondering if maybe that's what I have...

I found the cup holder on FaceBook marketplace of all places. The person that makes them is a R3V member and sells them out of the classifieds. I just happened to get a slightly used one locally. As mentioned above, I opted for a ZHP knob -- review below!

That short shifter is a very nice addition to the car! I think it's one of the better and easier upgrades you can do to make driving even more enjoyable!
+1 on replacing the shift knob :)

Agreed! I took the family out for another drive this evening with the new ZHP knob installed. Replacing the shifter this time around would probably take less than 20 minutes, but the first time through I got hung up on a couple small things. Regardless, it's an easy upgrade as you said.

ZHP Shift Knob

It really didn't take long to figure out which shift knob to get. In addition to friends urging me to get the ZHP knob, a simple google search will yield pages of results with people stating how amazing this knob is.

I ordered the knob on ebay yesterday (from a local-ish dealership's ebay store). It arrived today. I had my daughter install it. She almost hit herself in the face during the install, which was a little comical. :)

The ZHP knob is nearly 1" shorter and slightly heavier than the stock knob. The leather feels great. I love the look of it. Combined with the Z3 1.9 shifter, new shifter ball bushing, and new nylon yellow washers, the shifting feels REALLY nice. I really may have to get a new shift boot now. :)

Please excuse the dirty tool cabinet...

20200502_182400 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

20200502_182403 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

20200502_182751 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

[D.Martijn]

That short shifter is a very nice addition to the car! I think it's one of the better and easier upgrades you can do to make driving even more enjoyable!
+1 on replacing the shift knob :)

[Nate37]

Looking great Mike! I love the wheel and the cupholder. Did you make the cupholder or buy it somewhere?

Regarding the shifter, I for one am a fan of the stock shift knob, but maybe you'll find one that changes my mind. When I bought my car it came with a mystery "short shifter" in a box of parts. It looks a lot like that one, so I'm wondering if maybe that's what I have...

[G FORCE]

Nice choice, Mike. I've replaced all the bushings in the ECS kit while everything is out and you are right, you would have to remove the driveshaft at least it seems. I'm hoping it tightens everything up appropriately! I'll be curious to see your choice of shift knob upgrade as I could use one as well.

[mike.bmw]

How nice is the feel? Got one waiting for my project

(Updated post above with my impressions) The shifts now feel shorter (obviously) and very crisp. It took a drive to get used to the shorter throw. I like it! I could probably tighten things up further by replacing more bushings in the shifter linkage, but I've read that requires the exhaust and driveshaft to be dropped. Just the shifter, nylon bushings, and shifter ball bushing was a relatively quick install without having to remove the exhaust or driveshaft.

I think I need to start looking for a new shift knob as the stock plastic one could use an upgrade. :)

[econti]

How nice is the feel? Got one waiting for my project

[mike.bmw]

I finally got my shift together

I haven't had much time in the garage lately, but I did install a Z3 (1.9) shifter today. Thanks to fresh_TD for hooking me up with the part and giving me some pointers over the phone today.

Installation Notes
I also ordered new nylon washers and a new shifter ball bushing and installed those. Note that the base of the Z3 shifter is slightly wider than the stock shifter, so you actually don't need the yellow nylon bushings around the shift lever and selector shaft (they won't fit), so I only replaced those on the transmission side of the selector shaft. Also, there are some DIY posts that state you need to remove the harmonic balancer from the driveshaft, but this must only apply to 325s as there wasn't one only my 318is.

Impressions
The shifts now feel shorter (obviously) and very crisp. It took a drive to get used to the shorter throw. I like it! I could probably tighten things up further by replacing more bushings in the shifter linkage, but I've read that requires the exhaust and driveshaft to be dropped. Just the shifter, nylon bushings, and shifter ball bushing was a relatively quick install without having to remove the exhaust or driveshaft.

Photo time!

Up in the air:
20200429_161907 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

Z3 1.9 (left) vs stock (right):
20200428_201430 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

Underneath:
20200429_144856 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

Stock (top) vs Z3 1.9 (bottom):
20200429_154308 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

Installed:
20200429_161314 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

Back together:
20200429_161540 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

[mike.bmw]

I submitted some photos for BMW CCA's Garage Goals weekly contest and I was chosen this week! Super excited about it! There's a writeup on BimmerLife's website here: https://bimmerlife.com/2020/04/24/bm...r-mike-bevels/

DSC_0508 copy by mike.bevels, on Flickr

[mike.bmw]

Hey Mike! Where'd you see the new dates/venues for the Vintage? Their site still has the original dates.

Love the pics for the Griot's Garage contest too. I bet you can buff those scratches out in the plastic and keep the horn button as a spare, or resell for more parts $$

Albie325 , their website isn't updated yet and the msreg page is deleted, but the latest info is posted on The Vintage FB page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/atthevintage/

The new venue is an airport runway on top of a mountain. I've seen some photos and the backdrop is truly amazing!

Yeah, I'll give buffing out the scratches a shot. They are pretty deep though. I figured for less than $20 shipped the better horn button was worth it and it could more freely experiment on buffing out the scratches on the other (without fear of making it worse).

[Albie325]

Hey Mike! Where'd you see the new dates/venues for the Vintage? Their site still has the original dates.

Love the pics for the Griot's Garage contest too. I bet you can buff those scratches out in the plastic and keep the horn button as a spare, or resell for more parts $$

[mike.bmw]

G FORCE and redrumm3 , thanks! I'm glad you found my thread (unhealthy obsession?) useful.

While I'm sure a lot of folks are finding time to complete automotive projects, I've been enjoying my days with my kids (school canceled until the fall) and trying to fit in a 40 hour work week when they are asleep. Not much time for the E30 these days. This evening I did manage to setup this shot though (#bmwccagaragegoals #griotsgarage contest):

bmwccagaragegoals by mike.bevels, on Flickr

DSC_0508 copy by mike.bevels, on Flickr

While I love my new steering wheel, the horn button had some scratches. Ebay to the rescue (less than $20 shipped for a replacement):

20200327_141407 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

The Vintage has been postponed, but I was able to rebook my room at the Clarion for the new dates. The new venue looks ridiculously awesome, so I'm even more excited now. Hopefully I'll find some time to knock out a few projects in the coming weeks and months. Hopefully I'll get to put a lot of faces to R3V usernames as well. :)

[redrumm3]

Mike, I just wanted to thank you for your detailed thread. I picked up a 318is back several months ago from the original owner and the information you have provided has been greatly appreciated as I have taken on several of the same projects you have detailed and the information has been invaluable! I just addressed the “mess under the intake” and your description was a great help. I also addressed the oil filter housing gasket and o-ring while I was in there.

My car has 112k miles, but sat for 5 years in the Florida. I had to replace the fuel tank and lines due to rust and corrosion. The PO knew the intake vacuum leak was an issue since they had all the vacuum hoses in the trunk. Car is running great now. I have to address the brakes next.

Thanks again for all the great info.

Scott

[G FORCE]

Mike, thanks for linking me your thread (originally for injectors) but I've read through the whole thing and am thoroughly impressed! What a beautiful car and exquisite attention to detail and documentation. I hope to come close to a shadow of your car!

[mike.bmw]

Steering wheel looks great Mike! Adrenaline Junkie 's friend does great work. Below was the Mtech2 wheel he wrapped for me...ironically I got the bare wheel from fresh_TD ..lol

Thanks! That MT2 wheels looks amazing. I'm still very happy with mine. fresh_TD knows how to find a good steering wheel and Adrenaline Junkie 's friend has some skills!

A little off-topic, but how do you like the Advan Flevas? Thinking about getting the exact same set..

If it's about E30s, it's on topic. :-) Here is some feedback I gave on the tires in a different thread. I still like the Flevas and they come in the correct 205/55R15 size that I required. They are a great street tire, they see occasional spirited driving, and will eventually see some HPDE track time. Given the limited options in this size, I think they are the clear choice.

I can give some feedback regarding the tires. For the past year I ran the S.drives on my Ronals in 205/55R15. I'm now running the Advan Flevas on my RS001s in 205/55R15 (because like you said, the S.drives aren't available anymore). Initially the Advan Flevas felt a little soft to me compared to the S.drives. However, after driving around on them for a week I realized this was due to tire pressure. I had been running 36 psi on the S.drives and only 32 psi on the Advan Flevas. Yes, it's only a 4 psi increase, but it did make a noticeable difference. The Advan Flevas are fairly quiet, which is nice. They provide a good amount of grip. Turn-in is sharp (running 36 psi). Overall I'm happy with them. The S.drives seemed have have more blocked/square shoulders, but that's likely due to running 205s on a 7.5" wide wheel (Ronal LS) vs 205s on a 7" wide wheel (RS001).