I’m Back! My 1991 318is

[E30Kills]

Hey guys, after 5 long years I’m finally back with a new ride! I’ve had 2 other E30s which can be found on my profile. Since this time I’ve been through an AW11 MR2, some Jeeps, and a Mazda truck but I was definitely needing to scratch that E30 itch again.

Just picked the car up yesterday. The previous owners bought it as a project and then ran out of money due to Covid and had to sell it to me after less than a year of owning it. The owner before them appears to have done a ton of work to the car including a swap to an electric fan, a power steering delete, as well as having it lowered on coil overs. I was told these coil overs are “Megan Racing” but will have no idea until I get it up on a lift and can take a better look. It also has a Bosch catback exhaust. The quality of the mods and work done to the car previously remains to be seen...

This is the car right after I bought it from a group of college students:



Here is a picture of my last E30 (on the right). More pictures can be found here: https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/for...-my-87-mtech-1

[E30Kills]

Here is a long overdue update.

The coilovers were not my style. They were dangerously low, cheap, and welded in incorrectly. I had a BMW shop weld in new strut towers and then swapped in Bilsteins and H&R springs (the best setup, change my mind). Also replaced the tires, and a bunch of interior bits and pieces. Snapped off my sunroof crank somewhere in the process :(.

Here is how the car sits now:

[E30Kills]

The car sat in storage for about a year while I was moving around for work. Debated on selling it but knew if I did I would just buy another in a few years.

It has a nasty steering groan that it developed while sitting. I replaced the reservoir and flushed it out which seemed to help the problem but didn't eliminate it. Might try replacing the pump and lines next.



Last weekend, I sent the car to Igor at CATuned to get it repainted. Been buying parts from them since I got my first E30 in 2014 but had no idea they started doing autobody.

They seem to get mixed reviews here, but I've never had a problem ordering from them and was more than happy to give them my business.

Here are some shots that Igor sent me of the process so far:

Before


After



Honestly, I've been REALLY impressed with Igor's responsiveness considering all the other aspects of his business he's handling. He has been extremely thorough and kept me in the loop with lots of pictures during the time my car has been there.

Also, he quickly found and pointed out several parts of the car that were compromised from the previous owner. Of course, the two other BMW specialists I took the car to never noticed these but the team at CATuned found them instantly. To be fair, I never noticed this either, but in my defense I'm a driveway mechanic .

Here is a video of damage on the left hand door:

[E30Kills]

I have a re-wrapped Mtech 1 wheel that I've been holding on to for years, but turns out it is an E24 wheel with different splines... Crazy that those wheels sell for $400-500 on Ebay now, I used to sell them for $150 from the Pick-N-Pull.

Anyways, decided to go with a Renown wheel. Unfortunately, the hub doesn't seem to fit. I confirmed with Renown that I have the right one (which I do) but no matter how much I fiddled with it, it wouldn't go on the steering column and was beginning to shear off the splines.

I thought all E30s came with fine spline columns, can anyone confirm? Is it possible someone swapped mine to a different spline?


Besides that, it'll be a nice wheel once I get it mounted.

[E30Kills]

Lastly (for now), the interior is ruined so I'm looking at options to get it re-done.

Looking at kits like these: https://www.kasselperformance.com/pr...tery-seat-kit/ .

Anyone used Kassel's kit? What's the consensus on an Mtech interior in a non-M car?

[E30Kills]

E30 is closer to being done! here are some more pics:

[iXguido]

I thought all E30s came with fine spline columns, can anyone confirm? Is it possible someone swapped mine to a different spline?

As far as I'm aware they are all the same. You should have CAtuned look at it while they have it.

Anyone used Kassel's kit? What's the consensus on an Mtech interior in a non-M car?

Haven't personally dealt with them but it looks like a quality kit. Might have better luck asking on r3v facebook page for reviews.

As far as consensus: It's your car, do as you like! Also the m-tech interior was available in non-m car's from the factory so it is not at all out of place in a non-m. I think it would be a great addition to the car.

The paint looks fantastic! Welcome back to e30's and glad you're having a positive experience with CAtuned