Good afternoon, I am mostly a lurker, and while my car may not be particularly interesting in and of it's self, I figured my stumblings across the project car minefield might be amusing to some of you, so I give you the short story of my E30, along with the normal project thread bits.
Sturmpanzer E30 by Thujalvi, on Flickr
So everything begins in the summer of 2012 when I'm presented with a chance to buy this car, a 1993 316i touring in Daytonaviolett metallic with absolutely no options, and before you ask, no, sports seats, power steering, sunroof, or fog-lights weren't optional on there design edition cars.
Cabin by Thujalvi, on Flickr
Good points on the car were that almost everything worked, apart from the blower motor and fog-lights, but neither of them was a big deal. What was a big deal was everything else. Beat-up paint, tatty interior, wrong size tyres, general neglect and a plethora of GDPO stuff meant that the car was pretty much a project from the word go, and as the M40 is a timingbelt motor, that was the first thing to get done.
Devilry by Thujalvi, on Flickr
And that of course is a gloriously simple operation, you only need to dismantle the cooling system and the entire front of the engine, as well as replace the water pump, but that was going out anyway. Following this over time I fixed all the little electrical niggles and got another set of wheels to go with the style 5 ones, which soon got put on winter duty. It was essentially trouble-free motor for a while.
Sturmpanzer E30 by Thujalvi, on Flickr
Until an anonymous cyclist decided that he didn't like the car, and after evasive maneuvers, a big bang and a lot of fuel later this happened:
2012-10-09 17.10.33 by Thujalvi, on Flickr
2012-10-09 20.42.10 by Thujalvi, on Flickr
Right in the face by Thujalvi, on Flickr
So I had to evade/not hit the fucker, and instead I ran into a traffic divider and a traffic sign, resulting in a gaping hole in the floor and a ruptured fuel tank.
Welds by Thujalvi, on Flickr
No matter, I'll just weld the floor back together and put in a brand new fuel tank, right after plotting to hunt down the fucker and stabbing him to death.
I kid, I kid. But it was quite expensive operation, and meant I was without wheels for two weeks of so. After that came winter, and only trouble was a distinct lack of traction, but all the sideways business more than made up for it.
Sturmpanzer E30 by Thujalvi, on Flickr
Come spring 2013 all was well, I was slowly improving things, hoarding parts and enjoying the car, and at this point I was starting to contemplate an M5x swap as well, like you do when you have such an anemic engine as the M40B16.
Then, in June I went on a bit of a roadtrip with a bunch of friends, and things went downhill fast.
Sturmpanzer by Thujalvi, on Flickr
Driving through the backroads of south-eastern Finland, we were hit with a thunderstorm, and not long after I lost all power, and the engine wouldn't start. At first I though it would have been an electrical problem, and that I could carry on after fixing something innocuous and simple, but no such luck.
Timingbelt catastrophe by Thujalvi, on Flickr
No such luck at all. After getting the car towed and trailered back home, diagnosing the problem began, and very soon it turned out that the timingbelt tensioner had shat itself.
Tensioner by Thujalvi, on Flickr
Valves by Thujalvi, on Flickr
The bolt had snapped, and the exhaust valve on cylinder two shook hands with the piston, turning the engine into a boat anchor. Though the damage may not appear visible, it wouldn't keep compression, and a valve job would have cost more than another engine of the same kind.
Now at this point I was pretty much set on a six cylinder, having driven a friend's 325i, and was unanimously told to sell the old one and just buy a car with a six already in it, but these people weren't car people, they weren't petrolheads. While I was told to not fall in love with a car, and objectively one really shouldn't, it was already too late, I'd be keeping this one. As I mentioned about the hoarding parts, a lot of it had been towards an M50/52 swap, and this was something that was about to pay off. You see, I ran some numbers and looked at what a 325i with a body as good as this one would cost, and quickly concluded that it'd be cheaper to swap in an engine like the one seen here.
M52B25TU by Thujalvi, on Flickr
I ended paying about the same for the engine and gearbox as did for the car a year earlier, which wasn't very much, 500€ for the car, 550€ for the motor and transmission. Had I gone for an M50 I'd have a running, driving car by now probably, but I was attracted by the lightness and modernity of the engine, which means that the car sits in the same spot in the same warehouse at this very moment as it does in the picture, which is from last August, a day before I flew to Germany to see the oldtimer GP at the Nürburgring.
Porsche 904 by Thujalvi, on Flickr
Upi's 2002 by Thujalvi, on Flickr
As the winter rolls in, so do the parts, and thanks to the M52TU's undesirability, the budget stays in line. During this time I start talks with DesertBMW/Hakentt about having a DME programmed for the car, while the car starts taking shape. Polyurethane bushings for most places arrive along with Condor Speedshop engine and gearbox mounts, all while the engine itself goes under scrutiny, showing signs of neglect, but not overtly so.
Oilpan project by Thujalvi, on Flickr
Oilpan project by Thujalvi, on Flickr
Oilpan project by Thujalvi, on Flickr
Soon after the engine is test fitted into the car for the first time.
M52TU Test Fitting by Thujalvi, on Flickr
M52TU Test Fitting by Thujalvi, on Flickr
Only to come back out of the car, to have the flywheel and new clutch installed, and be tweaked further all the while I crack on the electrics connecting the engine and car together.
Wiring by Thujalvi, on Flickr
M52TU by Thujalvi, on Flickr
M52TU by Thujalvi, on Flickr
M5 Booster by Thujalvi, on Flickr
And this brings us to the present, the engine is back in, electrics are about 90% done, and this coming week I'll filling her up with oil, finishing the important bits, and hopefully I'll have a running motor on my hands, though to assume everything's right the first time around would be delusional, I'm expecting to spend at least the whole month ironing out the bugs, but she'll run, eventually.
M52TU by Thujalvi, on Flickr
Behind the scenes by Thujalvi, on Flickr
Shift console by Thujalvi, on Flickr
M52TU by Thujalvi, on Flickr
Shifter rod by Thujalvi, on Flickr
So if you got a laugh, kicks, schadenfreude, or ideas out of this, or if you have any helpful hints or suggestions, feel free to reply, and if you managed to stay with me to the end, thanks for reading.
See you on the other side.
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