Advisement: Visit this web address . From there, each of the project-specific posts can be visited individually.
-----
1991 brilliantrot/red 318is purchased in October of 2003 with 136K miles. Adult driven. Tan cloth interior. Clean carfax. All stock. New tires. $3900 via eBay.
The car was well cared for and came with a stack of receipts. I think the prior owner wanted to lose it before maintenance started racking up – which I can relate to, since most 10+ year-old cars that pass 100K miles start needing attention to a lot of areas.. namely suspension, brakes, drivetrain, and exhaust. Also, preventative maintenance should be addressed at about this time in order to keep vehicle strong for another 100K miles.
All this fit my mission statement well. Thing is – I’ve always wanted to restore a car - to make it my own. New paint, pick out the wheels, freshen things up, and incorporate subtle, understated modifications. Words like: “well-sorted”, “healthy”, “clean”, and “like new” were adjectives I wanted to accurately portray what this car would become. The trick for a guy like me was to find something to work with that wasn’t too far gone. Too new, and it wouldn't be any fun. Too old, and things like rust, parts availability, and extensiveness of reconditioning would drive costs through the roof.
In earlier years, I’d tinkered with bicycles, go-carts, and motorcycles. I’d done maintenance and repair work to cars – but nothing more challenging than replacing starters really. Motorcycles made for great starter projects due to smaller size and costs. There were also years in my life where I’d worked in a job-shop developing skills in fabrication with woods, metals, and plastics. A modest tool collection slowly grew over the years. Essentially, this particular project would become a cumulation of acquired abilities, and enough challenge to blossom into something really satisfying.
Criteria I sought: rear wheel drive, manual transmission, good handling potential, fuel economy, solid chassis, and some degree of fun/cool factor. I’d owned/experienced the character of old/60s domestic cars (’62 Olds, ’67 Chevelle), and the reliability of Japanese hatchbacks (mid-80s Celica, first gen CRX, and an Integra). From reading and experience, it seemed logical that I’d enjoy something from Europe.. something that handled well and provided honest-to-goodness diving satisfaction to the owner. At first, the mid/late-80s Porsche 944 was a target. I actually found a nice one in my price range – and I’m sure I would’ve enjoyed it – but potentially high maintenance costs and a sort of ‘pretentious’ factor that can go along with owning a Porsche kept me at bay. It was a surprise to me that a BMW would fit the bill – but it did so in spades. It wasn’t until later that I would learn that the 318is e30 is a sort of a cult car within a cult car so-to-speak.. e30s in general being highly-regarded “driver’s cars” and the ’91 318is with its DOHC four-cylinder providing a solid balance of economy, performance, and handling. Some say it’s more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow – and this is a lesson that the HF model CRX taught me.
Unfortunately, I acquired a camera after having the car for a few months and, therefore, no ‘before’ shots of exterior were taken. The following picture is the closest representation I could find – basically, a red, late-model e30 coupe with a front ‘i' lip, at stock ride-height on bottlecap wheels.

The car was driven daily for about a month while I took note of concerns. Paint was pink in hue. Shift linkage was completely shot – changing a gear was like rowing a spoon in a bowl of porridge. When going over a bump while turning, the steering wheel would experience a shuddering sort of jolt. Due to blown rear shocks, and well-worn rear subframe bushings, the tail of the car felt discombobulated. Instrument cluster lost all function after a few weeks. I still fell for the car though.. you could feel its potential. The way doors, hood, and trunk closed with that solid “thunk” sound was a real seller. The four-cylinder m42 motor was peppy while providing high 20s mpg. Factory options were minimal. The 4.10 differential was open. Basketweave wheels and an ‘is’ front chin lip were either not ordered or had been swapped from the car prior to my ownership.
That was in late 2003. Since then, the car has spent its life on stands. It’s been a journey I never wanted to rush – and thankfully, time was one asset I had lots of. It was important to me to enjoy the experience – to get those ‘zen’ times when it’s just me, my tools, and the car out in the garage. The project was also very much ‘on’ and ‘off’ over the years while saving money for parts.
There’s a UK show called “Top Gear” in which one of the journalist/hosts (James May) is rather analytical and methodical when it comes to working on things. Co-host Jeremy Clarkson makes fun of James for “lovingly caressing each nut and bolt” or “building something fastidiously over the course of decades” – and that pretty much sums up the kind of mechanic I’ve become. Like May, working on things in this manner is therapeutic to me. Some people garden. I’m happy when meticulously reconditioning a random bracket.
Right out the gate, I made bad decisions. At the time, it was like they were giving parts away on eBay and I fell for some of the bad ones. There was the set of god-awful, fiberglass, twist-style, side skirts from somewhere in Canada. They ended up being junk/scrap pieces of fiberglass that would’ve looked terrible and taken an army of body-men four years to properly mount. There was the pig-snout kidney grill that I thought would somehow make the car look more modern or e34-like.. (it didn’t). There were the eyebrows that I thought would make the car look “cooler”.. (they looked dopey). There was the e36//M side mirrors – again, terrible – don’t know what I was thinking there (looked like they were made by Pontiac). There was the Tokico suspension lowering kit (afterward learned about how prone to failure the shocks/struts were). There was the DEPO headlights (ended up using after all). Let’s see, what else was there? Two ‘eBay’ performance chips and some multi-lug, 17” Racing Hart Rep wheels. I sold off the wheels before ever mounting them and I’m pretty sure those eBay chips will stay in a box on some shelf until the apocalypse comes to consume them in fire.
After eBay mistakes, research, and reflection – most all attention became focused on simple use of OE parts and maintenance items. Modifying E30s: A Starters Guide for Fun was a good influence. I gravitated toward being thorough with replacement of all wear-items. Notes were taken on any articles pertaining to typical trouble areas. My objective became this sort of game where I’d try to build a ‘new’ (and fun) car for <$15K – and then see how many years it would drive reliably.
These first pictures were taken in July of 2004 after coming back from the paint shop. I was living in Madison, WI - and had procured a single garage unit where I set up shop.



This shot shows Racing Dynamics side skirts installed. Back then, a parts guy at a dealership informed me that ‘is’ skirts were n/a – and I was scrambling to get some sort of skirts on the car while it was being painted. After calling around to various suppliers, the only skirts waiting on a shelf for me were the RDs. I felt that an e30 looks very ‘unfinished’ without side skirts – and since I knew I wasn’t going to slam the car on its frame, it seemed logical that painted skirts would bring body lines down so the car appeared lower. To this day, I still don’t know how to feel about the RD skirts – they are organic and curvy in comparison to the otherwise boxy body. They remind me of skirts that well-optioned Toyota Corollas come with. When looking at the side of the car, those curvy skirts ‘fight’ with rectangular/stock side mirrors. I thought the organic //M mirrors would help – but mostly the //M mirrors just looked very bad and way out-of-place.

New OE mudflaps were ordered. Fronts didn't fit due to contour of skirts - so universal ones were used. While I'm indifferent to how flaps look cosmetically, I felt they would help prevent sandblasting to undercarriage over time.
Cloth sport interior was in great shape. Not smoked in. Good dash. Seats were ~9 of 10. Diver’s seat did have a broken bolster. The air bag steering wheel had to go. It wasn’t attractive and something about having all that potential energy staring me in the face was unnerving.


Initial tear-down of interior:


-----
1991 brilliantrot/red 318is purchased in October of 2003 with 136K miles. Adult driven. Tan cloth interior. Clean carfax. All stock. New tires. $3900 via eBay.
The car was well cared for and came with a stack of receipts. I think the prior owner wanted to lose it before maintenance started racking up – which I can relate to, since most 10+ year-old cars that pass 100K miles start needing attention to a lot of areas.. namely suspension, brakes, drivetrain, and exhaust. Also, preventative maintenance should be addressed at about this time in order to keep vehicle strong for another 100K miles.
All this fit my mission statement well. Thing is – I’ve always wanted to restore a car - to make it my own. New paint, pick out the wheels, freshen things up, and incorporate subtle, understated modifications. Words like: “well-sorted”, “healthy”, “clean”, and “like new” were adjectives I wanted to accurately portray what this car would become. The trick for a guy like me was to find something to work with that wasn’t too far gone. Too new, and it wouldn't be any fun. Too old, and things like rust, parts availability, and extensiveness of reconditioning would drive costs through the roof.
In earlier years, I’d tinkered with bicycles, go-carts, and motorcycles. I’d done maintenance and repair work to cars – but nothing more challenging than replacing starters really. Motorcycles made for great starter projects due to smaller size and costs. There were also years in my life where I’d worked in a job-shop developing skills in fabrication with woods, metals, and plastics. A modest tool collection slowly grew over the years. Essentially, this particular project would become a cumulation of acquired abilities, and enough challenge to blossom into something really satisfying.
Criteria I sought: rear wheel drive, manual transmission, good handling potential, fuel economy, solid chassis, and some degree of fun/cool factor. I’d owned/experienced the character of old/60s domestic cars (’62 Olds, ’67 Chevelle), and the reliability of Japanese hatchbacks (mid-80s Celica, first gen CRX, and an Integra). From reading and experience, it seemed logical that I’d enjoy something from Europe.. something that handled well and provided honest-to-goodness diving satisfaction to the owner. At first, the mid/late-80s Porsche 944 was a target. I actually found a nice one in my price range – and I’m sure I would’ve enjoyed it – but potentially high maintenance costs and a sort of ‘pretentious’ factor that can go along with owning a Porsche kept me at bay. It was a surprise to me that a BMW would fit the bill – but it did so in spades. It wasn’t until later that I would learn that the 318is e30 is a sort of a cult car within a cult car so-to-speak.. e30s in general being highly-regarded “driver’s cars” and the ’91 318is with its DOHC four-cylinder providing a solid balance of economy, performance, and handling. Some say it’s more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow – and this is a lesson that the HF model CRX taught me.
Unfortunately, I acquired a camera after having the car for a few months and, therefore, no ‘before’ shots of exterior were taken. The following picture is the closest representation I could find – basically, a red, late-model e30 coupe with a front ‘i' lip, at stock ride-height on bottlecap wheels.

The car was driven daily for about a month while I took note of concerns. Paint was pink in hue. Shift linkage was completely shot – changing a gear was like rowing a spoon in a bowl of porridge. When going over a bump while turning, the steering wheel would experience a shuddering sort of jolt. Due to blown rear shocks, and well-worn rear subframe bushings, the tail of the car felt discombobulated. Instrument cluster lost all function after a few weeks. I still fell for the car though.. you could feel its potential. The way doors, hood, and trunk closed with that solid “thunk” sound was a real seller. The four-cylinder m42 motor was peppy while providing high 20s mpg. Factory options were minimal. The 4.10 differential was open. Basketweave wheels and an ‘is’ front chin lip were either not ordered or had been swapped from the car prior to my ownership.
That was in late 2003. Since then, the car has spent its life on stands. It’s been a journey I never wanted to rush – and thankfully, time was one asset I had lots of. It was important to me to enjoy the experience – to get those ‘zen’ times when it’s just me, my tools, and the car out in the garage. The project was also very much ‘on’ and ‘off’ over the years while saving money for parts.
There’s a UK show called “Top Gear” in which one of the journalist/hosts (James May) is rather analytical and methodical when it comes to working on things. Co-host Jeremy Clarkson makes fun of James for “lovingly caressing each nut and bolt” or “building something fastidiously over the course of decades” – and that pretty much sums up the kind of mechanic I’ve become. Like May, working on things in this manner is therapeutic to me. Some people garden. I’m happy when meticulously reconditioning a random bracket.
Right out the gate, I made bad decisions. At the time, it was like they were giving parts away on eBay and I fell for some of the bad ones. There was the set of god-awful, fiberglass, twist-style, side skirts from somewhere in Canada. They ended up being junk/scrap pieces of fiberglass that would’ve looked terrible and taken an army of body-men four years to properly mount. There was the pig-snout kidney grill that I thought would somehow make the car look more modern or e34-like.. (it didn’t). There were the eyebrows that I thought would make the car look “cooler”.. (they looked dopey). There was the e36//M side mirrors – again, terrible – don’t know what I was thinking there (looked like they were made by Pontiac). There was the Tokico suspension lowering kit (afterward learned about how prone to failure the shocks/struts were). There was the DEPO headlights (ended up using after all). Let’s see, what else was there? Two ‘eBay’ performance chips and some multi-lug, 17” Racing Hart Rep wheels. I sold off the wheels before ever mounting them and I’m pretty sure those eBay chips will stay in a box on some shelf until the apocalypse comes to consume them in fire.
After eBay mistakes, research, and reflection – most all attention became focused on simple use of OE parts and maintenance items. Modifying E30s: A Starters Guide for Fun was a good influence. I gravitated toward being thorough with replacement of all wear-items. Notes were taken on any articles pertaining to typical trouble areas. My objective became this sort of game where I’d try to build a ‘new’ (and fun) car for <$15K – and then see how many years it would drive reliably.
These first pictures were taken in July of 2004 after coming back from the paint shop. I was living in Madison, WI - and had procured a single garage unit where I set up shop.




This shot shows Racing Dynamics side skirts installed. Back then, a parts guy at a dealership informed me that ‘is’ skirts were n/a – and I was scrambling to get some sort of skirts on the car while it was being painted. After calling around to various suppliers, the only skirts waiting on a shelf for me were the RDs. I felt that an e30 looks very ‘unfinished’ without side skirts – and since I knew I wasn’t going to slam the car on its frame, it seemed logical that painted skirts would bring body lines down so the car appeared lower. To this day, I still don’t know how to feel about the RD skirts – they are organic and curvy in comparison to the otherwise boxy body. They remind me of skirts that well-optioned Toyota Corollas come with. When looking at the side of the car, those curvy skirts ‘fight’ with rectangular/stock side mirrors. I thought the organic //M mirrors would help – but mostly the //M mirrors just looked very bad and way out-of-place.

New OE mudflaps were ordered. Fronts didn't fit due to contour of skirts - so universal ones were used. While I'm indifferent to how flaps look cosmetically, I felt they would help prevent sandblasting to undercarriage over time.
Cloth sport interior was in great shape. Not smoked in. Good dash. Seats were ~9 of 10. Diver’s seat did have a broken bolster. The air bag steering wheel had to go. It wasn’t attractive and something about having all that potential energy staring me in the face was unnerving.


Initial tear-down of interior:



Comment