1991 318is resto

[FredK]

Great progress!

[Split_S]

Ignition coil was removed as Im planning a CoP setup.. Gotta figure that one out later on...

I also removed the fan using my home made fan clutch removal tool which I'd just recently made for my e46... (shitty thermostat!). Here is a pic...



Its 34cm long by 4cm wide... Center of 1st hole is 5.8cm from edge and closer hole center is 2cm from edge...
Diameter of half moon is 3.6cm with the center at 4cm from the edge...
Worked great on both the e30 and e46... Hope this helps someone out...
Im torn between going electric or just remounting a new fan and clutch (this clutch is finished).

Anyone notice any differences going electric? Pros / cons?? Recommendations??

I also started removing the loom in the engine compartment too... It was kinda like the first time I had sex: slow, awkward, kinda scary..



















Joking aside it was quite straightforward to take off but Im not at the point of taking the complete loom out. Im trying to pace out the work and I dont want to pull the dash just yet as Ive simply got nowhere to put it!! Can't build another damn shed now can I!! So the plan is just to remove what I can and get it all ready... I've wrapped the loom ends in garbage bags to keep from repeatedly stepping on it...

All in all Im pleased with how far she's come.. Unlike most of you I've never messed around with cars before, so for me, this is pretty intense!!

Here's an artist shot of the old and the not so-old...

[Split_S]

Coming soon to a theatre near you...... (not really)

Day 19.... Engine Day....

One Man.....One lift....One Engine to bind them all....





The adventure continues in solid 2d!!


I got my friend to buy an engine lift - mainly because Im cheap yet very persuasive...
With the engine lift paid for on buddy's credit card we assembled her up and introduced her to my car..





I was starting to get excited...

The engine mount bolts took some convincing but finally gave with a bit of leverage... Of course like everything Ive laid my hands on this car so far, they are scrap and will be binned... As a side note, I now have my pay check deposited directly to my local BMW stealership which is nice...



Best I could find was a herc strap to lift the engine...remember: yellow = cool.
The rest of the bolts mating the tranny to the engine were removed (of course there are a few really short ones which I didn't see until Id been yanking on the engine for a while...

Bolts out, a bit of lift, a flat screwdriver to "persuade" the engine off the tranny and, like most married couples eventually do,
they separated...





One sticking point was the exhaust... Id cut it just before the cat but that wasn't short enough..
Just after the headers would've been good. I had to use the angle grinder but couldn't quite cut thru...



Jiggle jiggle..



Pretty tight fit...which is nice for some things, not so much for engine removal...



Almost there...



Almost...


Just a wee bit more...


Aahh f*ck $%@#$^....

[dude8383]

If you get a couple of guys to help you can lift it out of there. That motor isn't that heavy!

[Split_S]

Well our little cliff hanger was ultimately resolved... Lowered her back down, shortened the arm, tightened up the herc straps and voila...



Just in time for supper.... ;D
I neglected to take some pics of her on the engine mount which is a shame... Before getting her on I had to remove the clutch pressure plate and then the 8 bolts which hold the flywheel. Those were on f$%#@ass tight, pardon my french. Lotsa leverage required! With those off I nestled the m42 gently onto the engine mount (read: cursed and swore at that piece of shite until I figured it out...) and called her a day...

I put the m42 on a trailer and then drove her over to my dads place where there is still place in his garage!!...no time for her just yet....

Here she is without her beating heart...







Guess what's next???

Stay tuned..

[Split_S]

By sheer blind luck I scored a like new dash on ebay!! Absolutely CRACK-FREE!!

Pics...







Just 7hrs of driving to go pick it up, 570$ to pay for it, 2 more years of toil to get the car up and running and she'll look great!!!

[Split_S]

Well, I picked up my dash yesterday, lovely 7 hr drive and that dash is MINT.. not a crack anywhere, honestly it looks new...
On the way back home I swung thru to the US to pick up my latest order.
For those of you considering a rebuild here is what 1500$ USD worth of parts looks like:



With this latest order, I got just about everything I need for the rear suspension rebuild:

Bilstein shocks and eibach springs for a 40mm drop (about 1/2 of the total cost right there...) New FAG wheel bearings (that'll be fun!). All new bushings: subframe, trailing arm, fancy poly one for the diff, even new ones for the sway bar. New sway bar brackets, spring pads upper and lower. I also got new front wheel bearing hubs (not shown), new 02 sensor and I also splurged and got new protection plates for all 4 brakes - no vacation this year, sorry kids!

Now before I can start on this lovely part of my project, can someone tell me how the hell I get those handbrake cables off the rear axle?????

[Split_S]

I was so psyched to have pulled that engine out I pulled out my bucket list and crossed one off! Now I need to find a pair of 22 year old blond blue-eyed gorgeous Swedish twins for the next item on my bucket list... :p:

But I digress...

With the engine out the next logical step was to yank the drivetrain. However, first Id have to deal with the rear suspension. I was psyched about this step because honestly I couldn't tell a subframe bushing from an axle thing-a-ma-bobber.. That was about to change...

Removing the wheels revealed this:



Not bad considering this car turned 23 years old on Jan 7th... Mostly light surface rust rust... A few taps of a mallet and look what comes out?



A day at the beach apparently.... :D

The rear shock, which will be binned..



And the cheap-o adjustable mount setup.... will be binned...



This, I believe, is what is left of what was once a rear subframe bushing..



And a rear shot of the diff: (yes its a diff and not a shot of something off the Titanic!)



So, looking at all this I figured Id get the shocks and springs out first then the driveshafts then start working on the drivetrain...

Excellent plan! Excellent....

[Split_S]

Moving along...

First step to getting the underside of the car out was the exhaust. It looked good but Im binning it and going with stainless steel... Dont ask me how I'll be paying for that - I dont know!

Got out the grinder and a couple of quick cuts...



All out...



Im sure that will be around for a few years behind the shed!!!

With the exhaust out I started on the heat shields covering the driveshaft. This was fun...





They both are in decent shape being plated.. So I set them aside for a good cleaning and paint in the spring. A LOT of stuff is being set aside for the spring - damn winter!

Took off the transmission support bar...



Cleaned it off with a wheel grinder and a lick of paint:



I felt good about doing that - first thing Ive "fixed" on this project!

Now I could concentrate on the rear of the car... The wheels came off as well as the rotors.. They were rusted like hell... The new ones (already ordered) are supposed to be coated so they wont rust -we'll see....

I jacked up and supported the hub...



Then took an allen key to the driveshafts...



It helps to get some leverage on these bolts using a wrench if you're a bit of a pansy... :)
I remembered I had some allen kit socket bits... So I used them... I was impressed I'd remembered PRIOR to finishing up with the shitty allen keys...



This setup worked better honestly... The bolts were tight but finally did give...
First driveshaft off and 1 to go...



Closeup...





Second one off...



Cool!! Always wanted to do that!



Those of you who've been following this thread will know that I will be binning these shafts... Binning stuff seems to be the theme of this rebuild! I've already ordered GKN shafts - not the cheaper Chinese sh*t you can get, stay away from those!

With the driveshafts out I had some space to start undoing the odds and ends. The goal here is to undo everything to be able to drop the whole rear subframe (awesome!) and then drop the fuel tank... (not so awesome!)Then the bottom portion of my rebuild can begin with the undercarriage/fuel lines/brake lines etc etc.... Keep in mind Ive never done any of this so if I sound like I know what Im talking about dont be fooled!!

Got the shock absorbers and springs out. Simply loosen the top bolt in the boot and the lower bolt near the hub and with a lift under the hub lower it down. It helps to have someone pressing down on the hub with a foot to break the shock absorber and spring free..





Already binned, of course...



With that done I disconnected the brake lines as seen in the middle of this next pic - this required quite a bit of loose nut and patience... I didn't even curse though!! What I will curse about is the DAMN parking brake lines (the thickest one in this next pic) - are these damn lines welded into the hub??? I CANNOT get them out....



A little ingenuity helped get the brake lines undone...







Sway bar links undone...





Not too bad for a days work eh?

[Split_S]

Well, project-wise things are starting to get serious. Im not sure at which point I crossed the line of no return with this project but after today I think Im pretty screwed...
Im kinda wishing Id bought a nice CLEAN e30, not one that needed this much TLC. Oh, for those of you who dont know, TLC stands for Til your Last Coin!! Ahhh man I love my e30...

Warmed up the garage and put on some tunes and got to work...
Ive been working on getting the subframe out but before I can continue on with that I kinda have to get the transmission/driveshaft and diff out. This is important for several reasons:

1) I may have the transmission rebuilt. However, as I am still in serious discussions with both my local bank manager and my therapist about this please stay tuned to see what happens...

2) I may have the diff rebuilt. See note one above.

3) Having the shaft and diff out of the way make getting the subframe out A LOT easier....

So, armed only with ignorance and blind faith I set to work...

With the shield folded back (hadnt quite removed it yet) I disconnected the fuel line connecting both sides of the fuel tank. Looks rusty but came apart no problem...





The two arms which hold the rear shield in place on held by bolts rusted to hell.. Those will have to wait til I can get the fuel tank out in order to access those bolts...

Driveshaft looking forward...



With a jack holding the center section of the driveshaft I began by carefully loosening the bolts in the guibo... All that was needed was a firm grip and some blasphemy....





I then loosened the center sleeve, not much, maybe 3-5 turns... This can be done by hand once loosened. Thats the sleeve just before the spline:



I then removed the bolts securing the center bearing on the shaft but did not remove it. With the driveshaft well supported I moved to the rear and removed the bolts to the diff..





With that done I lowered the jack and the driveshaft gently came out!! Better than sex my friends!!

Here she is:



Of course Id marked the shaft (second mark not shown for those of you with
sharp eyes!) so I can reassemble it properly after she's been scrubbed primed
and repainted...



Ok.. removing a driveshaft is not quite as good as sex but I was pretty damn excited about it.... Kinda felt like a minor superhero actually... But that's nothing... There's still a diff and tranny to free!!

The tranny was fairly straightforward... I removed the reverse sensor wire and the hydraulic output cylinder clutch...





Loosened the bolts on the rear support and the bottom support:



Prayed...



and with the help of a buddy lowered her down, guiding the shift linkage out through the body...





Beautiful....









Alrighty then.. time for tea superman...

[Split_S]

With the engine out and now the tranny and driveshaft there was no stopping me.
I was supposed to get a little help on this one but my loser buddy only showed up once it was all said and done with.. Kinda like the police...:p

First things first was to support the diff. For this I used a jack and some wood. Then I sat and pondered how in our sweet lord jesus' name I would get that diff out. For those of you who have done this you know how little wiggle room there is... and my diff is more rust than diff... I wasn't sure those nuts would give but I set to her...



Above you see the diff support and the little wiggle room there is above... The front bolts are easier, but you see there's not much space for a spanner..

For these bastards, patience is a virtue... I sprayed some loose nut on all bolts, read the Bible front to back, sprayed some more, then tackled the Koran... get the idea? (ok, I didnt read either - too confusing...)



Only using one spanner all I managed was to humiliate myself and curse a little. Still I remained zen.

I decided to use two spanners, one on the bolt and the other for leverage...



Worked very nicely. Im impressed with the quality of steel BMW used. Looking at many of the bolts Ive loosened so far, I was sure so many of them would snap or refuse to budge. But with the exception of a few bastards, they've all come out...

Here is a great pic showing the miles of space available to the would be diff remover for the rear bolts...



Dont see anything? Exactly my point....
I used the same tactic - two spanners and loads of delusional self-confidence.. Guess what? It worked! yeah, I couldn't believe it either...

I tried to lower the diff gently but it shifted and fell the last few inches to my foot, then the floor.... :x

Here she lay:



Front:


Back


Opened up:



I think she looks pretty good, but Im leaning towards a rebuild...

[Split_S]

I'd been thinking about deleting the ABS and was a little undecided but since I
am completely redoing the braking system A-Z and the ABS looked like it was going to be a real b*tch to deal with I decided to toss it...

Here you can see the corrosion on the mess of lines leading to the ABS unit...



Same view but with my pot-belly included... (no charge!)



Reminds me of my vasectomy....snip snip... :p



Top view. I had tried to loosen those nuts on the ABS unit but they would NOT budge. I took that as a signal from the gods I was doing the right thing...



The main bundle merging with the loom...



Ground straps...



Bolts loosened and forcefully "wiggled" out of its mounts...



This is were it gets scary... Look away if you fear multi-colored wires!!
That big red wire was the power to the unit. It was cut. Like, without fear too...



The rest of the signal wires were cut in one go. I assume I will be teasing them out of the loom soon enough...



The ABS sensor on the hub was removed. Torx for that one if I recall...











Its new resting place...

[Split_S]

Work progresses here despite this winter which has slowed me down considerably...

I worked on the rear subframe and took a lot of great pics and then, like an
idot, promptly deleted them while trying to transfer them to my computer. Im none too happy about that!!

Basically what I did was this:

Loosened the 2 hex bolts holding the reinforcement plate to the frame and to the bracket after soaking with loosenut for a day.
They actually came out rather easily considering they completely crudded up...



With those out next up was the large nut and bolt holding the rear beam to the frame. I used my long handled socket wrench to slowly torque this *&$% off. Had a nice pic of this but.....





Prior to that though I removed the "rubber" thats put over the bolt head to have a looksee...



The bolts were here...





It was quite straightforward and the long bar made it easy... With the nut loosened the bracket came off...



As well as the bolt which I knocked out from the bottom...



Worse part of the car here on the RH side:



I don't know why this stuff excites me but I was pretty happy with the brackets and bolts out.... Just a little more and the subframe would come out noooo problem....

Bullsh*t.

I thought the subframe bushings would just "slide" out...What a moron... Those %$#&* were stuck and not coming out!!!

I pondered this a bit and when the brain fails the foot acts.

So I placed my foot on the sub frame and gently pressed down and then up to try to wiggle them out...

It "kinda" worked:





The subframe bushings basically cracked and the whole subframe came off. So, success in a way...
I had the subframe out but had a new problem with the bushings still stuck in their sleeves...
Its always the same isnt it??

Before I could pat myself on the back I noticed the parking brake cables were still attached.. I knew they were attached but I'd kinda forgotten about it... Sooo...



Loosen nuts on brake lines:



Guide the ends thru their respective holes and THUD, the subframe was free..





I was pretty happy about having the subframe out and figured getting the bushings out would be for another day...

[Striker01]

Subscribed. You take much better pictures than I did when I dis-assembled mine.

[Split_S]

Been doing a few odds and ends...

I mostly completed a rebuild of my alternator - by mostly
I mean that I've left the bearing removal and the brass slip ring
to a rebuild shop as they will do it for less than I can buy the
parts for. Not because its too much of a pain in the *ss.. Oh no...

Also, I will have them test the output to ensure a nice steady
stream of power. :) If not I know I will have to change the
voltage regulator...Not what I originally wanted to do but it just
makes sense...

So here is how she was:





Once she was out I took stock of her:



Not sure what color she may have been when new but there was
no lack of rust, grime and grease!!



So after a few months of thinking about it I hauled her out of the
shed this week and figured Id have a crack at her... I was pretty
much in the "zone" on the disassembly as I completely forgot to
take some pics...


Basically you need a 24mm socket to loosen the nut in the center
of the pulley. I used a pneumatic gun on her and she came right
out (after trying for 20 minutes the old fashioned way...
My forearms aint what they used to be!!)

With that out you pull the pulley out and then the spacer. Easy.
Then you have 4 bolts in opposite corners. You need a phillips
head screwdriver for those but if you don't have one don't
worry because you won't be able to get them out anyways... ;D

What will work is a good fight with the wife to get your blood
boiling and then use a vise grip wrench tightly clamp to the middle of
the bolt (its exposed on the sides of the alternator). It will p*ss
you off for a while but they will give... Of course spray
penetrating oil before trying this... duh...


Then you remove all the stuff on the back:





Then I lightly tapped the sides apart and she opened up... Here is whats left over:



Im not a big fan of rust so I put the parts thru my magical rust removal process..







After about 5 days...









Not too shabby...

Worked on the exterior



and I also worked on the rotor..





With all that done I cleaned her up with some compressed air
and polished the outside on the wire wheel out in the shed...
and proceeded to put her all back together so the rebuild guys
can take her apart later on...

Finished...











And that's it for alternator porn....