Dmanb2b's Alpine 318is - S52 is ALIVE

[dmanb2b]

Tasty treat on the way...

[dmanb2b]

Motor parts are starting to trickle in.



Test fitted new wheels (I know it's been done before, but love this style and ability to run a meatier tire.)

Old:



New (car needs to be washed and detailed):

[dmanb2b]

They say buying a used motor is like opening a box a chocolates...progress has been slow...(M42 is still available) lol

Head had some light machine work required

Block needs a hot shower

main bearings have seen better days



Pistons, rings and crosshatching are thankfully healthy

Plastic water pump will be discarded


Well at least it will stop nice


Next step, ordering parts to bring this s52 back to good health
Main bearings
OEM Main bolts
Rod Bearings
OEM Rod Bolts
ARP Head studs
Elring HG
Stewart water pump

[dmanb2b]

Decided to have the s52 head pulled to inspect and at minimum replace head gasket. Bittersweet, but glad I did as the cams need to be cleaned up and polished...next step is to inspect bottom end. BMW = Bring my wallet ;>)

[dmanb2b]

Progress has been slow, but things should start moving quickly as I am almost done accumulating parts. Once M42 is removed, it will be for sale.

Scored a great deal on some blemished Corbeau GTS 2, that should match up OK with tan interior


Decided to move forward with coilovers


and upgrading front brakes to IE 295mm BBK.

http://www.iemotorsport.com/bmw/item/e30bbk295.html

If anyone is interested in the m42 drivetrain or front sport seats, shoot me a PM

[dmanb2b]

Quick update, suspension, clutch and motor needs to be resealed. After much thought and consideration of my end goals, I have decided to move forward with a swap. The M42 drivetrain will be put up for sale and work on the below s52 will begin. Purchased from another enthusiast with a few cool cars:


S52 - will go through full seal and gasket refresh, including head gasket and machining head

[mike.bmw]

Thank you Mike! That parts list we discussed is getting priced as we speak, with the addition of e90 drop hats ;D

Yeah, you may not need to replace all the stuff I did. I may have gone overboard a bit and all that little hardware adds up $$. I didn't mention that I did new control arms, CABs, sway bar bushings, and some other stuff prior to the springs and shocks. :)

If you go the coil over route, find a spare set of front strut housings as I assume all the coil over kits require you to cut and weld the stock front strut housings.

[dmanb2b]

You know my vote :) : shocks and springs. If you're happy with the H&R OE Sport Spring ride height, just go with those. Front can be dropped additional 12mm with E90 drop hats. Rear can be raised/lowered with the 3mm-15mm variety of spring pads. Here's a link to a photo of mine with 50404.55, Bilstein B4s, new stock drop hats, new stock mounts, new new stock pads all around (7.5mm pads in the rear): https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...3da1e64b_k.jpg

Looking forward to seeing what you decide!

Thank you Mike! That parts list we discussed is getting priced as we speak, with the addition of e90 drop hats ;D

[mike.bmw]

You know my vote :) : shocks and springs. If you're happy with the H&R OE Sport Spring ride height, just go with those. Front can be dropped additional 12mm with E90 drop hats. Rear can be raised/lowered with the 3mm-15mm variety of spring pads. Here's a link to a photo of mine with 50404.55, Bilstein B4s, new stock drop hats, new stock mounts, new new stock pads all around (7.5mm pads in the rear): https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...3da1e64b_k.jpg

Looking forward to seeing what you decide!

[dmanb2b]

Update...car is out of storage. Help me decide between OE Sport springs and e90 drop hats or BC coilovers. Both will run about the same in terms of total cost. BC seems to have a good rep, but hard to pass up OEM+ look of H&R OE Sport springs and the reliability of strut/spring combo...hmm

Rainy day

Rock chips on rear passenger quarter require attention

Need to order IS lip and restore plastic grille

Oil cap and VCG need some love

Most significant rust spot requiring attention...rest of car is pretty darn solid

[e30RS]

Looking forward to the updates. Great car.

[dmanb2b]

Dang, I am really disliking winter. Good news is that the 318is is coming out of storage in the next few weeks and it's time for me to start accumulating suspension parts. Thinking I will be going with H&R OE Sport and e90 drop hats. Have not made up my mind about struts though. Leaning toward Koni's. Then it's time to go through the brake system and refresh fluids. Tired of these wheels sitting under my office desk and I need to order an oem IS lip...


And decided it was time to put summer wheels back on the other two BMWs.


That's it for now...lmk if you have any other recommendations ;>)

[mike.bmw]

BTW, do you mind me asking what % tint you have on windows? Also curious what you did to wheels to freshen them up?

I believe mine is 35% rear and 50% front. I had to have the fronts redone as the whole car was 35% (previous owner), but the fronts needed to be 50% to be legal in VA.

I was lucky and didn't have to do anything to the wheels. The factory silver paint has seen better days, but the previous owners apparently knew how to park because they aren't curbed at all. I plan to repaint them sometime next year. I've done a few sets of other wheels by hand that turned out nicely.

[dmanb2b]

Nice car! (Though I may be biased)

Looking forward to see what you do with it. Seems like an excellent candidate to start with!

Thanks Mike...if I can get this close to your ride I will be happy. Paint correction, interior detail, suspension, refurbish wheels, front seats, radio and speakers are probably first along with refreshing fluids, etc. Car was also maintained by same mechanic for last 15 years, so I have the history :>). Clutch is original.....

BTW, do you mind me asking what % tint you have on windows? Also curious what you did to wheels to freshen them up?

[TeXJ]

nice find!