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Less rust and hopefully some reliability- the Midwest Daily iS

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    Less rust and hopefully some reliability- the Midwest Daily iS

    *Pages 1-3 Cliff notes* Project Daily started out as an iX and I found out it was swiss cheese underneath before I invested too much into it. Fast forward to page four.

    I've been itching to daily an iX forever, but all of the ones I've had were too nice to put through winter months. I need a van for various reasons, so I will no longer need my Forester.

    This means.........I can daily whatever I want.....which of course is an E30.

    I was originally searching for an '88 iX since they're fully loaded, manual coupes, but I'm too cheap and they're hard to find so naturally, I settled.

    The universe delivered me the perfect car: a rusty low mile '89 cream puff winter machine. I was scrolling through the Vintage page on FB, and saw a post asking if anyone had interest in "a project 325iX in the midwest". That was exactly what I was looking for. Turns out, the owner of a BMW shop in Ohio (and avid enthusiast) had been using this 325iX as his winter car up until he unfortunately passed away in the Spring. I sought out more information, and struck a deal.

    When I picked up the car, we were checking out the registration expiration and it ended up being on his birthday. The wife, who was so pleasant, despite the situation, said that meant that I was supposed to have the car. It was a nice experience.

    Anyway, she's got 130k on the clock, and runs great. It was repainted poorly, has rust in all of the normal places, but everything structural was taken care of. Crack free dash, no lights, everything works, etc. It has brand new blizzaks on it, too (and iX weaves with caps).

    They replaced the starter, battery, fuel tank, pump, lines, repaired brake lines, rebuilt the rear suspension with eccentric TA bushings, etc.

    They also had a body shop weld in new rear spring perches, which is nice.

    Plans:

    I have no plans to make this a super nice car. I just want to drive, maintain and enjoy it. I'm going to grind down and seal off the existing rust to prevent it from spreading further. It needs a timing belt and a tuneup. The head gasket leaks a bit of oil, etc.

    I know the forums are dead, but I thoroughly enjoy posting my progress up on here with my E30 endeavors.

    Anyway, here are some photos. The paint was so contaminated I had to clay it twice (first time I've ever had to do that). Should've used ironX but I didn't have any.

    So far I just washed and clayed the car, and polished the hood- I'll finish the rest of the car soon. I bought myself a Rupes machine for my birthday and it makes polishing a treat. I'm using a meguiars microfiber cutting pad with Rupes medium polish. Sealed with the new TurtleWax Hybrid Ceramic OTS stuff.



    Pre-wash (look how dark the paint is)

    [url=https://flic.kr/p/2hZdDHk]


    Post-wash and clay:

    Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr


    Working:

    Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr


    The hood all sealed up:

    Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr
    Last edited by AWDBOB; 01-28-2020, 08:14 PM.
    1990 Brilliantrot 325iS Build Thread
    1989 Zinnoberrot M3 Build Thread

    #2
    Looks nice!
    85% of the time i have no idea what I'm doing

    Comment


      #3
      thanks for keeping the forums alive!
      Paynemw
      1986 Toyota 4Runner SR5 - Sold!
      the ebb and flow of 325is ownership - In RVA
      1988 BMW 535is - RIP but my dream BMW

      Comment


        #4
        Keep it up. Always enjoyed your posts.

        Comment


          #5
          Originally posted by Slybeanx View Post
          Looks nice!
          Originally posted by paynemw View Post
          thanks for keeping the forums alive!
          Originally posted by amcp View Post
          Keep it up. Always enjoyed your posts.
          Thanks, gents. Excited to get her refreshed a bit and cruising proper! And re: the forums.... there is nothing on social media that will compare to a build thread. It's becoming a lost art, really.

          I spent the rest of the day checking the car out, inspecting things, and finishing the paint correction/ceramic coating. Good for 12mo, and it looks so different compared to how I got it. The paint has more depth, albeit still a poor paint job.

          Some notes/thoughts:

          -This wing is hideous. Searching for a "drivers quality" E28 MT1 wing since this trunk lid has various non-oem mounting holes already. Send me a PM if you have one you want to get rid of.
          -The passenger front outer ball joint has play
          -Strut housing gland nuts are destroyed from someone trying to remove them and failing
          -Steering rack has some play
          -CABs are worn
          -Drivers rear door is torn apart for a fix. It's the only door that doesn't lock, so I'll need to figure that out sooner than later since it's a daily.
          -Head gasket is leaking from the passenger front where they normally do. I'm going to deal with that after the first of the year.
          -Rust encapsulator is ordered. I'm going to polycarbide down the areas that need attention and seal it the best I can to stop the rust from spreading.
          -Left turn signal works but doesn't illuminate from the dash
          -Both rear windows are inop
          -At the house I have belts, vacuum hoses, timing belt/wp/tensioner/etc, cap/rotor, plugs, various gaskets/seals, etc. I'm just going to have to add the head gasket to the mix, which isn't too bad.
          -I HATE comfort seats. I have a decent tan drivers sport seat I'm going to toss in until I find a pair of black sports seats.

          I'll take care of the engine first, which is an easy job. And then I'll accumulate parts for the front suspension and do all that at once.

          After coating:

          Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr

          Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr


          I put some 303 on the minty dash:

          Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr

          And started putting the interior back together:

          Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr


          Dirty engine bay. This will get freshened up when I address the above issues.

          Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr
          1990 Brilliantrot 325iS Build Thread
          1989 Zinnoberrot M3 Build Thread

          Comment


            #6
            Likewise, always enjoyed your build threads! Excited to see this one come together.

            Comment


              #7
              Looks like a nice foundation that deserves to be saved! Congrats on finding the iX!
              clutchCTRL!
              Move with a purpose.
              - 1991 325iX 4dr/5spd
              - 1976 2002 SlickTop/2.7i M20/G260
              - 2000 323i AT
              2016 Mazda CX3 Sport AWD

              Comment


                #8
                Nice work, Bobbie!! I have a driver quality E28 spoiler. Text me if you want some pics :)
                '72 2002 pickup | '88 M5 | '89 330is | '89 M3 | '01 Z3M | '11 328xi-t

                Comment


                  #9
                  Nice score!

                  There is a couple here that daily a pair of very clean iX's year round. My hat is off to them, and you for taking that on.
                  I love my E30 but I enjoy bombing around every day in my Tundra. Big V8, auto, heated leather, etc.
                  I'm getting old...
                  1991 318iC
                  1989 325i Field Rescue

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Subscribed. I have been winter daily driving my ix for almost 10 years now. I love it. I plan on tearing it down for a driver resto sometime next year. And a few upgrades. Mine has more than 100k than yours so it needs addressed before I start to flintstone it. But it will always be my winter beater.
                    How to remove, install or convert to pop out windows
                    http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=297611


                    Could be better, could be worse.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Subscribed! This thread may talk me into doing the same thing. :-)

                      Comment


                        #12

                        Originally posted by BreadMan View Post
                        Likewise, always enjoyed your build threads! Excited to see this one come together.

                        Originally posted by kid325e View Post
                        Looks like a nice foundation that deserves to be saved! Congrats on finding the iX!
                        Thanks, gents! I do feel like this car deserves another life, which I hope to give it.


                        ​​​​​​​
                        Originally posted by e30austin View Post
                        Nice work, Bobbie!! I have a driver quality E28 spoiler. Text me if you want some pics :)
                        Thanks, man! As always, it's a pleasure doing business with you.

                        ​​​​​​​
                        Originally posted by Poorhouse View Post
                        Nice score!

                        There is a couple here that daily a pair of very clean iX's year round. My hat is off to them, and you for taking that on.
                        I love my E30 but I enjoy bombing around every day in my Tundra. Big V8, auto, heated leather, etc.
                        I'm getting old...
                        I could certainly see how that would be appealing to some. I am so analog and weird about cars....my Forester is a 5sp FXT with the Sports package. I can't stand driving anything that doesn't make me work for it, however inconvenient it is at times.

                        The iX, however, I don't think will be TOO much of a compromise. I'm going to keep it at stock height and will be adding heated seats, adding some RAAMMat and ensolite in the right places, etc. I think it'll be one hell of a daily!


                        ​​​​​​​
                        Originally posted by rzerob View Post
                        Subscribed. I have been winter daily driving my ix for almost 10 years now. I love it. I plan on tearing it down for a driver resto sometime next year. And a few upgrades. Mine has more than 100k than yours so it needs addressed before I start to flintstone it. But it will always be my winter beater.
                        I was just talking with mjweimer yesterday, and he has a buddy who daily drove an iX for 100K. My brother has been driving his iX daily for well over 5 years now. I have repaired so many... the maintenance is a non issue. It just seems like such a great car in it's stock form to cruise and enjoy, in all of the seasons.


                        Originally posted by mike.bmw View Post
                        Subscribed! This thread may talk me into doing the same thing. :-)
                        My first E30 (and only E30 that I have used as a daily) was a clapped out iX. Much worse than this car. But I loved that thing so much that I have always dreamt in the back of my mind of picking up another one to daily. I think if you find the right candidate, it will be nothing but bliss!


                        I celebrated our first snowfall with a proper cruise. It was everything I had hoped it would be.

                        Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr
                        Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr

                        1990 Brilliantrot 325iS Build Thread
                        1989 Zinnoberrot M3 Build Thread

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Originally posted by AWDBOB
                          I know the forums are dead, but I thoroughly enjoy posting my progress up on here with my E30 endeavors. And re: the forums.... there is nothing on social media that will compare to a build thread. It's becoming a lost art, really
                          As little traffic as there has been lately, it's threads like yours that keep us coming back. I 100% agree with you regarding social media, and love flipping though the build threads from start to finish. Keep it up!!!

                          I've always been interested in an IX as I will eventually need something with AWD. I've wanted an older Wrangler for forever, but if I came across an IX like this one I'd have a similarly tough time pulling the trigger as you did. Something about an AWD e30 in the snow that seems so appealing
                          '86 325e Zinnoberrot /// '02 325ci Schwarz II /// '18 M4 Azurite Black Metallic ///

                          Albie325 Build Thread | Albie325 COTM Jan 2021

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Thread hijack in progress.

                            Are those of you winter driving your IXs doing fluid treatments to undercarriage? I have a clean but not perfect 88 IX and I can’t bring myself to even mount snow tires anymore.

                            I feel shame winter driving it, but it’s a shame not to drive it, too.
                            Last edited by BreadMan; 12-16-2019, 08:52 AM.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Bobby, you buy some many cars. I love it! This one looks fun! I am finishing up my rust project now, keeping my ix as the daily for the time being. They are too fun in the snow and I actually have felt more secure in the ix than my Audi. Maybe that's the inclusion of snow tires in the winter, but either way they are tanks in the snow.

                              Edit: I know you know this.

                              Comment

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