3ionCa: 1987 Schwarz Sedan Build - "From Stock to Sexy"

[3ionCa]

How she looked right before I sold her :(























Hey everyone, so I've decided to start a new build that is more organized, simple/more entertaining and up to date compared to my last one. To start things off, I live here in Bay Area, California, warm home of non-weathered e30s that barely see days of rain let alone a single day of snow in their lifetimes. The thread and my user name is 3ionCa because it is the name the previous owner gave the car, Bianca or Bionca. I just added a little e30 twist to the name. I have kept the name ever since even though it means white. My baby is black but I love a little irony.

[3ionCa]

After a few hour drive with my friend who previously got me into BMW's, I was on my way to buy my first BMW, an e34! After I found out it was a POS, I sat disappointedly at a Starbucks in the middle of nowhere. I ended up finding this girl in the local craigslist pages! It was fairly close to my location so I had to go check her out. When I got there, the I met a lady that had 3ionCa inside the garage for around 9 years+, last 6 just sitting there mostly because of smog issues. I really liked her so I decided to buy her as my first BMW!

[3ionCa]

We drove her back about 100 miles with super old gas and fluids with no working headlights! I found out about nonworking headlights after I already bought the car! High beams all the way back!! No battery on either cellphone and no familiarity with the surrounding area!!

We got back successfully and stopped at a friend's house to show him 3ionCa. After driving away from his house, within 30 seconds she died on a side street. :curse:

She sat her at my friend's house for about 3 weeks thinking that the problem was fuel delivery, that the fuel pump had probably failed. She started very randomly, and only once every 20 attempts. I ended up replacing the internal and external fuel pumps, fuel filters, pressure regulator, idle control valve, anything that people would suggest would be the fix. Nothing worked...






Checking engine compression

[3ionCa]

Then one random day I found the problem!! I noticed there was a cable that ran from the negative post of the battery behind the carpet in the trunk. I removed the side carpet piece and saw that there was a cut in the cable/wire and that it was only being held together with a plastic squeeze clamp! Barely any connection!!

I quickly soldered it and the car started with no problems!! 8) :):grin:

Now it was time to fix the issue of my clutch going all the way down when pressed, a problem that started a week prior to when I found out what caused
the starting issue.

[3ionCa]

I attempt to change the clutch master cylinder and end up not having enough room to do the job on jacks ^. I call up a local shop and get the car towed to them.

[3ionCa]

She now runs and I quickly realize how awesome e30's are through driving her as my daily!!

Some of the first pics of her:



Love the height difference between mine and my friends

[3ionCa]

Self explanatory

[3ionCa]

I decided to attempt a timing belt change myself with almost no auto experience...

[3ionCa]

Long story short, I end up getting the engine to top dead center with the belt not all the way on the camshaft... A local shop helps me get it to TDC and when they started it, a spark plug flies out and after we pull the head... A valve had made a hole in on of the pistons... Not only that, but the head is cracked.

Now time to look for a new engine...

[3ionCa]

A friend finds an e30 that is being sold on craigslist with only 101k miles on the engine. No interior, transmission, exhaust, driveshaft. Seemed like the perfect candidate for my engine! The only problem was the owner of the car didn't put a return email or number on the craigslist ad... Good thing my friend knew the area and he ended up finding the location of the car. He asked around and met with the owner, exchanged numbers and soon enough I went to check the car out. I took a few pics.

[3ionCa]

I end up buying her and a local r3v member agrees to help me pull the engine in exchange for the body.

[3ionCa]

We pull it at his house







Drop it into my truck

[3ionCa]

My friend's dad agrees to help me re-gasket the engine





I start taking the engine apart and the head is the most silver m20 head I've ever seen!














Time to scrub the short block!!









Ahh MUCH better

[3ionCa]

Same shop my e30 is sitting at, I see a Schwarz late model sedan. I almost mistaken it as mine. It has the same problem, bent valves but a from timing belt snap.

[3ionCa]

My friends and I pull her into my garage where she waits for a new engine