Mike's Alpine White 1991 318is

[D.Martijn]

Great update, Mike! Installing new parts is always fun :)
Ride height looks great too, although it will probably still settle a bit.

On my VW Golf mk1 I also fitted Bilstein B4s when I restored it. However after maybe 6000-7000km one of them started leaking already.. Luckily I was able to get them send in again under warranty.. I hope you won't encounter this.

[ATL_E30]

Nice! I'll be tackling this in the coming weeks as well once everything arrives and I can find some time to do it!

[jeenyus]

Great work!

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[mike.bmw]

Suspension Overhaul

Today I took off work to overhaul my suspension. Big thanks to a friend that came by to lend a hand which was fun. It only took about 3 hours to swap everything over. Everything came apart very quickly and easily. No drama or issues.

I went with the following setup:
- H&R OE Sport Springs (50404.55)
- Bilstein B4 Touring shocks
- New Sachs mounts front and rear
- ECS rear shock mount supports
- New bellows
- New bump stops
- New spring pads
- New dust seals
- New hardware throughout

Parts List:
Part - Part # - Quantity
Washer - 07119901766 - 2
B4 Shocks & Struts Kit - 21030505KT - 1
Threaded Ring M48X1.5 - 31321117376 - 2
Dust Sealing Gasket - 31331110196 - 2
Upper Spring Plate -31331128524 - 2
Front Flat Washer - 31336776760 - 2
Shock Plate - 33521091427 - 2
Complete Rear Upper Shock Mounting Kit - 33521092362 - 1
Joint Plate - 33521117677 - 2
Shock Skirt - 33521129263 - 2
Rear Upper Spring Pad - 33531128610 - 2
BMW Coil Spring Shim Front Upper - 31331128523 - 2
BMW Strut Mount - Sachs 31331139452 - 2
BMW Coil Spring Shim Rear - Genuine BMW 33531136386 - 2
BMW Coil Spring Shim Front Lower - Lemforder 31331124322 - 2
BMW Shock Bump Stop (E30 E36) - Genuine BMW 33521125078 - 2
Strut Bellow - KYB SB105 - 2
H&R Springs 50404.55 - 1

Parts Photo:



Up on stands:



Out with the old:



In with the new:



Previously installed front Stagg spring, H&R OE Sport, and stock:



Apart:



Together:



Previously installed rear Stagg spring, H&R OE Sport, and stock:



New rear mounts:



Rears completed:



The old stuff:



Completed!







Once everything settles I'll get more photos.

After driving around 15 miles I am very impressed. The spring rates are firmer than the previous setup, but the ride is amazing. It's very confidence inspiring. The car feels very planted.

Brake Bleeding

While the E30 was up on stands I decided to bleed the brakes again. The fluid had a full track weekend on it. The pedal feels MUCH better after bleeding.

[mike.bmw]

Good seeing you Mike. The 318is looked minty as always.

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Thanks! Great seeing you as well. Your ix is looking mighty nice!

[fresh_TD]

Good seeing you Mike. The 318is looked minty as always.

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[mike.bmw]

Had a blast Mike! Looking forward to next season and more fun times already.

Same here! Don't forget all the fun stuff over the winter. ;D

NCC BMW CCA Event at BMW of Sterling

This past weekend I went to a NCC BMW CCA cars and coffee / member reception / DIY hosted by BMW of Sterling. It was a fun event and I've enjoyed going to these the last few years.

Cars and Coffee:





DIY (BMW of Sterling lets BMW CCA members use lifts, tools, and expertise for the day. Really awesome to watch and help fellow members in such an awesome facility!)







This coming week I'm taking a day off work to install a bunch of new goodies on the 318is. I'm sure I'll have detailed photos and a write-up by the end of the week. :)

[Zeemz]

Track Time

The weekend was a great success. The E30 performed beautifully, I was signed-off for solo for NJ BMW CCA events, I learned a lot and had a ton of fun.
Over the two days I logged 7 ~24 minute sessions on track for a total of ~150 miles. Thanks for taking these photos, Zeemz!

Had a blast Mike! Looking forward to next season and more fun times already.

[Austell]

* sorry wrong thread

[econti]

The skidpan grin says it all

[mike.bmw]

NJ BMW CCA Shenandoah Driver's School

This past weekend I attended a 2 day HPDE hosted by BMW CCA (NJ Chapter) at Summit Point Raceway on the Shenandoah Circuit. Shenandoah is one of my favorite tracks. It's only 50 miles away and I've probably done ~10 events on it over the years.

From Summit Point's website:

The Shenandoah Circuit is a 2.2-mile (3.5 km) road course that first opened in 2005. It is a no holds barred technical challenge that will take years for drivers to master. The track contains a dimensional replica of the Nürburgring-Nordschleife’s famous banked Karussell turn complete with 20 degrees of banking.

Prep

I tech'd my car per a checklist provided by NJ BMW CCA. The brakes and fluids were fresh. I removed the kids' seats, cleaned everything up, and packed the trunk with a jack, jack stands, wheel chocks, a chest of tools, some spare parts, oil, a chair, and some snacks.





Fun With Friends

Also in attendance: Zeemz and another friend that drives a 2016 Chevy SS (manual).





Track Time

The weekend was a great success. The E30 performed beautifully, I was signed-off for solo for NJ BMW CCA events, I learned a lot and had a ton of fun.
Over the two days I logged 7 ~24 minute sessions on track for a total of ~150 miles. Thanks for taking these photos, Zeemz!





Skid Pad

This was my first time on a skid pad in the e30. I got two 5 minute sessions on the skid pad. I spun a few times in the beginning, but got the hang of it eventually.











Video and Data

I bought a mount for my phone so I could use TrackAddict to record video and overlay GPS data (speed, track map). NJ BMW CCA is serious about safety (a good thing) and wanted everything tethered securely. Here's what I came up with for the mount/tether. I had previously made this to secure my first gen GoPro to my STI, but it works for the E30 as well:



Here's one of the many laps from this weekend:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcKE...ature=youtu.be

Coil Packs

Given that one of my new Bremi coil packs broke shortly after installation last month, I brought a few original spares and a multimeter with me to the track. I'm glad I did because after the first track session and skid pad session, another coil pack blew. I replaced it with one of the original spares and didn't have any issues the rest of the weekend.



Clean-up and Evaluation

Once I got home I unpacked and washed the car. It was filthy from the track and skid pad time. The first order of business was to clean everything! Later this week I'll find time to more thoroughly look over brakes/tires/etc to assess their condition.

[mike.bmw]

Great little updates.
I love doing small jobs like these to my car, makes you instant happier :)

Nice work as always!

Thanks! It's nice to cross a few things off the list!

DO you have a part number for the exhaust rubber mounts? Tried searching for them on RealOEM but couldn't find them anywhere for the 318is.

I do! The diagram in RealOEM doesn't seem to match what the mount/bracket assembly looks like in real life: https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/sho...61#17111113699

The part itself looks the same when searching online by part number (the part number being 17111113699). It has built-in studs opposed to having a bolt go through it like in the RealOEM diagram. The orientation in the diagram also appears to be different than my car. I bought the Lemforder as I've had good luck with their parts.

Hope this helps!

[Powling]

DO you have a part number for the exhaust rubber mounts? Tried searching for them on RealOEM but couldn't find them anywhere for the 318is.

[D.Martijn]

Great little updates.
I love doing small jobs like these to my car, makes you instant happier :)

Nice work as always!

[mike.bmw]

I got a few things knocked out today.

Bled Brake Fluid
Not much to say here. I bled the brakes with 1L of Motul 5.1. I worked the bleeders while someone else worked the brake pedal. The pedal feels fantastic and I'm ready for the track days next month. Also, my garage is a mess.



Exhaust rubber mounts
There's an interesting M42 exhaust clamp/mount. It has two rubber isolators. One of mine was torn. I replaced both. This also fixed my clunk that I assumed was my recently replaced sway bar bushings and/or engine mounts.

Torn:


Not just torn, but completely separated:


Fixed (and I need to clean up that mess as well):


Coil Packs, Part 2
The replacement coil pack came today. I swapped them out again (originals for Bremis). I even cleaned the hardware this time, which was more time consuming than it should have been!