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Mike's Alpine White 1991 318is

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    #31
    Originally posted by MR E30 325is View Post
    Such a clean car!

    The past E30 me would tell you to do whatever you want to it to enjoy it the most. But the new E30 me wants to tell you to keep your car as stock as possible. It is ridiculously clean!

    You sound like a responsible, law-abiding adult now.



    Who are you
















    Agree though. Keep this car oem to oem+. It's simply the best way to enjoy. Maybe some 15" euroweaves, slightly lowered on modest springs/shocks, and be done. This is, in my humble opinion, the best way to enjoy this car.
    world renown Harry Potter expert
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      #32
      This car is too clean to modify. I love what you're doing, however I HATE front plates... looks so much better without them
      Simon
      Current Cars:
      -1999 996.1 911 4/98 3.8L 6-Speed, 21st Century Beetle

      Make R3V Great Again -2020

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        #33
        Originally posted by phreshkid View Post
        Agree though. Keep this car oem to oem+. It's simply the best way to enjoy. Maybe some 15" euroweaves, slightly lowered on modest springs/shocks, and be done. This is, in my humble opinion, the best way to enjoy this car.
        That's the plan! Makes things simpler for me as well. With other cars I've spent countless hours researching the 'next mod'. With this one I'll just keep it clean and try to anticipate problems before they arise.

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          #34
          Originally posted by 2mAn View Post
          This car is too clean to modify. I love what you're doing, however I HATE front plates... looks so much better without them
          Agreed! The front plate is required in the state of Virginia, so I don't have much choice.

          Somewhat funny story...

          The first week I had the car I took it to a local Cars and Coffee with my wife and daughter. On the way home, I was doing exactly the speed limit and I was pulled over. For tint! The car came from Georgia, which allows 35% all around. In Virginia, you must have a max of 50% up front and 35% in the rear. The officer was very nice and let me off with a warning. I had the front windows re-tinted to VA legal spec. I'll continue to run the front plate as I don't want to pay for any front plate tickets.

          So maybe I'll just remove the plate for photos. :)

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            #35
            absolutely gorgeous
            -Brad, AlphaTeam Motorwerks, LLC
            91' 318iS - S54/6MT Swapped
            08' E90 M3 6MT - Daily
            04' Chevy Duramax CCLB - Work Truck/Hauler


            Originally posted by IronJoe
            Alpha Team: running through e30s, gringo icebergs, and 19 yr olds.

            Originally posted by 2mAn
            Brads a standup guy even though he likes buttsex

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              #36
              Is that stock ride height? Why the hell is my car so high.
              1991 318is Brillantrot daily driver (slow restoration)

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                #37
                Originally posted by spiDmang View Post
                absolutely gorgeous
                Thanks!

                Originally posted by c0rbin9 View Post
                Is that stock ride height? Why the hell is my car so high.
                It's not the stock ride height. The previous owner put a Stagg spring/shock combo on the car. The ride and handling is decent, but it's definitely a budget brand. I'll be replacing the suspension at some point, but I'm not sure what the replacement will be yet.

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                  #38
                  Such a nice car and identical to mine with the exception of a) its cleaner and b) I have the factory sunroof.

                  Even at 200K on the original engine and transmission I have only had one minor issue with the car. If you haven't already, replace the short sections of fuel hose that connect to the fuel rail, one of mine, most likely an original part, sprang a leak on me after the car had been sitting for a couple of weeks.

                  I am also a big fan of the stock look, but I also wanted to seriously upgrade the handling of the car, improve performance and the overall brake feel. I don't track mine, but I do race an E36 and an Escort in endurance racing so I really wanted the car to handle and brake as well as possible for the street.

                  I ended up doing the following:

                  F+R ST Sway bars (I didn't want to drill the floor in the rear)
                  Bilstein Sports up front, KYB AGX Camaro adjustable shocks in rear.
                  Vogtland Springs
                  Stromung exhaust (I ran a Group Buy for these a couple of years back because they were otherwise unavailable).
                  Dinan chip
                  Hawk Drilled/Slotted rotors (blank are fine, I just got a sweet deal on these)
                  Hawk HPS pads
                  Stoptech stainless brake lines
                  15" Euroweaves with 225/45/15 rubber (I like the wider tire look, 205/50/15 is probably a better all around performance option though for a 7" wheel)
                  E46 ZHP Steering rack (what an enormous difference...)
                  Offset E30 fcabs
                  Replaced all stock bushings with new Lemforder
                  4.10 LSD (mine also came without one)

                  Stock look except ride height but it handles superbly now. If I get a chance later I will snap a pic.

                  Anyway, great purchase, enjoy the ride, I'll be following your progress..

                  Comment


                    #39
                    Originally posted by Technoman View Post
                    Such a nice car and identical to mine with the exception of a) its cleaner and b) I have the factory sunroof.

                    Even at 200K on the original engine and transmission I have only had one minor issue with the car. If you haven't already, replace the short sections of fuel hose that connect to the fuel rail, one of mine, most likely an original part, sprang a leak on me after the car had been sitting for a couple of weeks.

                    I am also a big fan of the stock look, but I also wanted to seriously upgrade the handling of the car, improve performance and the overall brake feel. I don't track mine, but I do race an E36 and an Escort in endurance racing so I really wanted the car to handle and brake as well as possible for the street.

                    I ended up doing the following:

                    F+R ST Sway bars (I didn't want to drill the floor in the rear)
                    Bilstein Sports up front, KYB AGX Camaro adjustable shocks in rear.
                    Vogtland Springs
                    Stromung exhaust (I ran a Group Buy for these a couple of years back because they were otherwise unavailable).
                    Dinan chip
                    Hawk Drilled/Slotted rotors (blank are fine, I just got a sweet deal on these)
                    Hawk HPS pads
                    Stoptech stainless brake lines
                    15" Euroweaves with 225/45/15 rubber (I like the wider tire look, 205/50/15 is probably a better all around performance option though for a 7" wheel)
                    E46 ZHP Steering rack (what an enormous difference...)
                    Offset E30 fcabs
                    Replaced all stock bushings with new Lemforder
                    4.10 LSD (mine also came without one)

                    Stock look except ride height but it handles superbly now. If I get a chance later I will snap a pic.

                    Anyway, great purchase, enjoy the ride, I'll be following your progress..
                    Sounds like a nice set of upgrades you have!

                    Yeah, all the fuel lines are being replaced in the engine bay. The two short sections (both were cracked) as well as the long sections (1 was cracked). All new BMW clamps as well.

                    Was the E46 ZHP steering rack a direct bolt in? Or did you have to trim the firewall? I actually had RRT replace the steering rack on my car. I considered a Z3 rack, but didn't want to have the firewall cut. The steering feels great with the original replacement, but a tighter ratio would certainly be nice.

                    I am undecided on injectors. Have mine professionally refurbished or buy a set of new 19lb mustang injectors. It's actually hard to find non-reman 19lb mustang injectors.

                    Comment


                      #40
                      Originally posted by mike.bmw View Post
                      Sounds like a nice set of upgrades you have!

                      Yeah, all the fuel lines are being replaced in the engine bay. The two short sections (both were cracked) as well as the long sections (1 was cracked). All new BMW clamps as well.

                      Was the E46 ZHP steering rack a direct bolt in? Or did you have to trim the firewall? I actually had RRT replace the steering rack on my car. I considered a Z3 rack, but didn't want to have the firewall cut. The steering feels great with the original replacement, but a tighter ratio would certainly be nice.

                      I am undecided on injectors. Have mine professionally refurbished or buy a set of new 19lb mustang injectors. It's actually hard to find non-reman 19lb mustang injectors.
                      The ZHP rack bolted right in using e30 tie rods, no firewall cutting was needed at all on my car. You do of course still need the spacers. I would argue it's probably the best single upgrade I have made.


                      I have a set of the 4 pintle injectors, need to get around to installing them, found them on eBay, cleaned and flow tested, they were pretty reasonable I recall but it was a while ago I bought them.
                      Last edited by Technoman; 10-12-2016, 06:41 AM.

                      Comment


                        #41
                        Originally posted by Technoman View Post
                        The ZHP rack bolted right in using e30 tie rods, no firewall cutting was needed at all on my car. I would argue it's probably the best single upgrade I have made.


                        I have a set of the 4 pintle injectors, need to get around to installing them, found them on eBay, cleaned and flow tested, they were pretty reasonable I recall but it was a while ago I bought them.
                        Doh! Wish I had known about the E46 ZHP rack a few months ago! :)

                        I ordered a set of the 4 pintle injectors last night. It was easier than shipping mine out and waiting for their return. I went with Bosch 0280150556. The cost was roughly the same as sending mine out to be refurb'd.

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                          #42
                          Update: Slow and steady progress. Everything has been disassembled. I took the oil filter housing and dip stick tube off last night.

                          Cleaning parts is taking forever. I spent 90 minutes removing the gasket from the oil filter housing last night. It was really baked on there.

                          Cleaned oil filter housing and block surfaces:





                          Here's the o-ring. It was hard, brittle, and not working well.



                          I had the new oil filter housing gasket and o-ring, so I put it back together after cleaning. I also had a new dip stick tube o-ring. I'm waiting on a new oil pressure sender, so I haven't reinstalled the alternator yet (though everything has been cleaned already, so it just needs to bolt up). All of the other parts should arrive on Monday.

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                            #43
                            Originally posted by Technoman View Post
                            The ZHP rack bolted right in using e30 tie rods, no firewall cutting was needed at all on my car. You do of course still need the spacers. I would argue it's probably the best single upgrade I have made.
                            I literally JUST got a ZHP rack and can't wait to have a free sunny day to bolt it in. Did you hook up the PS as well?
                            fried chicken

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                              #44
                              Got more parts in the mail today! All I'm waiting on now are the injectors, which should ship out Monday.

                              Today I reinstalled the alternator, installed a new oil pressure sender, installed new fuel lines (and clamps), and installed all new "mess under the intake" parts. Every hose was cracked on the old stuff. Every single one. Someone "attempted" a repair with more clamps and some guey-glue junk. It was gigantic mess! Brand new OEM parts, fittings, and clamps are now installed. :)

                              Old and busted:



                              New hotness:



                              New hotness installed:

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                                #45
                                It's all back together! It runs! :p

                                I got the injectors today in the mail. I started reassembling things around 7:45PM and I was done by 9:30PM. It all went back together fairly easily. I did take the upper manifold off twice due to having issues getting the throttle body installed while the coolant lines were already attached. Other than that I haven't noticed any leaks (fuel, coolant, oil, air)!

                                The engine runs smoothly and is quite responsive now. After I get a few more miles on it I'll report back with any noticeable drivability improvement. As I said before, I put a significant amount of time cleaning everything out. There was a lot of gunk built up in the intake manifold and around the injectors. All the hoses, lines, and clamps are new OEM BMW parts.

                                Here are some photos of tonight's work...

                                Opening up the injectors:


                                Injectors installed into lower intake manifold:



                                Fuel rail, harness, short rubber lines, and hard lines installed:



                                Lower intake manifold assembly reinstalled in car:



                                Upper intake manifold, throttle body, ICV, etc installed in car:



                                Airbox, MAF, and remaining lines hooked up and installed in car:

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