Mike's Alpine White 1991 318is

[jeenyus]

These things won't fail ever and remove that unnecessary section of hard line nobody needs.

[mike.bmw]

I personally wouldn't run braided lines if I had to the option to run Chase Bay's teflon lines. Braided seem like they can get completely filled with crude from the road and deteriorate inward without you even knowing till it's too late.

Good to know. I'd go with oem replacements, but the last time I looked I couldn't find all the lines. There are other brands like ATE that sell rubber replacements, but I have read terrible reviews about those failing. So I figured a kit from Garagistic or another vendor might be my best option.

At the moment my only other necessary Vintage prep items are the brake lines and replacing my 7 year old battery. Of course I have a long list of unnecessary items too. ;)

[jeenyus]

Yeah, I am leaning towards replacing all 6 lines rubber lines (to include the hard-to-reach pair over the subframe) with a braided stainless kit. Not sure which kit yet though.

Chase Bay's. Eliminate the divided rear lines to be a singular line. They are also not braided.

[mike.bmw]

Yea, it does look very nice!

Are you planning on upgrading to braided stainless lines?

Yeah, I am leaning towards replacing all 6 lines rubber lines (to include the hard-to-reach pair over the subframe) with a braided stainless kit. Not sure which kit yet though.

[jeenyus]

I personally wouldn't run braided lines if I had to the option to run Chase Bay's teflon lines. Braided seem like they can get completely filled with crude from the road and deteriorate inward without you even knowing till it's too late.

[D.Martijn]

Haha, yeah. That is a really nicely done E21. The body is very straight, it has great paint, and it has a well put together turbo kit. The owner says it puts down about 250hp at the wheels.

Thanks, I'm very glad to have all new rubber fuel lines in the car. Next up I'm going to replace all the rubber brake lines. They've held up well for the last few HPDEs, but I don't know how old they are so I'll be replacing them for safety's sake.

Yea, it does look very nice!

Are you planning on upgrading to braided stainless lines?

[mike.bmw]

Oh wow, that E21 sure looks happy!

Great work on replacing the old fuel lines, gives some good peace of mind.

Haha, yeah. That is a really nicely done E21. The body is very straight, it has great paint, and it has a well put together turbo kit. The owner says it puts down about 250hp at the wheels.

Thanks, I'm very glad to have all new rubber fuel lines in the car. Next up I'm going to replace all the rubber brake lines. They've held up well for the last few HPDEs, but I don't know how old they are so I'll be replacing them for safety's sake.

[D.Martijn]

DSC_0474 copy by mike.bevels, on Flickr

Oh wow, that E21 sure looks happy!

Great work on replacing the old fuel lines, gives some good peace of mind.

[mike.bmw]

A few small updates.

Cupholder
I picked up a cupholder. Finally after nearly 4 years of ownership I have a place for coffee. The person that makes these is on R3V, but I actually found this locally on FB Marketplace.

DSC_0511 copy by mike.bevels, on Flickr

The dashmat protects the crack-free dash.

DSC_0513 copy by mike.bevels, on Flickr

Oil Change and Oil Analysis
I knocked out another oil change. Rotella T6 5W-40 with Mahle filter. I took a sample and sent it to Blackstone Labs.

20200129_140511 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

20200129_142438 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

Cars and Coffee
A few shots from Cars and Coffee events:

DSC_0474 copy by mike.bevels, on Flickr

DSC_0493 copy by mike.bevels, on Flickr

Rubber Fuel Lines Replaced!
I've been meaning to do this for a while. After purchasing the car ~4 years ago I replaced the rubber fuel lines in the engine bay as part of the mess under the intake refresh. I hadn't touched the lines near the fuel filter or on top of the tank. Today I replaced those. This was done WITHOUT having to drop the tank. There was one hose clamp that was a pain to get to (just on top of the tank near the fuel filter), but I was able to loosen it slightly and rotate it so I could get a ratchet on it.

Up on stands. The rug really ties the garage together.

DSC_0487 copy by mike.bevels, on Flickr

All of the lines were original (1990) and dry rotted/cracked.

20200201_132835 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

DSC_0497 copy by mike.bevels, on Flickr

DSC_0500 copy by mike.bevels, on Flickr

Shout out to fresh_TD for bringing me extra fuel hose, giving me some pointers, bringing his home-made fuel line runner, and lending a hand!

DSC_0504 copy by mike.bevels, on Flickr

National Capital Chapter News
In other news, I have been asked to take on some responsibilities for my BMW CCA Chapter, the National Capital Chapter. More on that later!

[D.Martijn]

Don't do it. E30 Wagon instead.

This.

edit, an iX Touring would be even better!

[mike.bmw]

Last Saturday I attended a BMW CCA National Capital Chapter DIY event hosted at Bimmer Werks in Beltsville, MD. A very fun event. I was able to use one of their lifts and power bleeders to flush the fluid on my M Sport brakes. I hit some snow and ice on the way there, but nothing major. Article forthcoming. :)

[mike.bmw]

Very nice!
I had the chance to get a 318is locally about 7 years ago but missed it. I ended up with an 1991 355iC. We share the same colors and the same wheels. (Before you swapped the BBS)
I think I will replicate that suspension setup soon.

Nice looking vert! Just make sure you get the convertible specific springs, else you will have a saggy rear.

We had our first real snow this winter. Barely anything, but it made for a nice backdrop:

DSC_0491 copy by mike.bevels, on Flickr

Avery and I made it out to Katie's Cars and Coffee yesterday morning. Great to catch up with folks and I met some new people as well. 9 E30s parked in a row at one point! It's hard to get a clear/clean shot though as the weather was nice so the place was PACKED.

DSC_0487 copy by mike.bevels, on Flickr

Seems like traffic has died down here quite a bit. I've just been enjoying driving mine and taking photos, so that's what I've been posting.

[M_3_X]

Very nice build!
I had the chance to get a 318is locally about 7 years ago but missed it. I ended up with an 1991 325iC. We share the same colors and the same wheels. (Before you swapped the BBS)
I think I will replicate that suspension setup soon.

[mike.bmw]

Well, the 240 "classic" 5 speed wagon went over my budget (ebay auction). I'm keeping an eye out for another, though I don't expect to find one anytime soon. In the meantime, here's a row of E30s from this morning!

DSC_0469 copy by mike.bevels, on Flickr

DSC_0482 copy by mike.bevels, on Flickr

[mike.bmw]

Don't do it. E30 Wagon instead.

Hmmm, a fair point. I still have a soft spot for 240 wagons though. Always wanted a manual 240 wagon. A manual e30 wagon would be pretty great as well.