E30 Touring

[esdeez]

So this one isn't so much of a project as the 34, nor am I sure whether I'll be keeping her for too long, but with the blessings of S_N, I hereby share with you some pictures of my E30 Touring. The car is 1992 316i Touring, one of only two or three ever imported into the country. I'm a big fan of the uniqueness, and the classic lines of the touring, so I decided to take the plunge and bought her early last year as my daily driver.

Unfortunately, E30 life hasn't exactly been the smooth journey I was hoping for. Unfortunately due to some pretty dodgy repairs by the previous owner (only apparent after the engine was pulled apart) I was in for a wild wide, which led to a mini rebuild of the engine.

Being a UK car, one of the biggest differences we discovered was whilst putting in a new radiator. As you can see below, the dirty and abused one is the much smaller, UK spec, and the nice new original BMW unit above is the tropical version:

Engine rebuild in progress, and fitting of the new head:

And finally the vital fluids being poured in....

And the moment of truth!

[esdeez]

The engine is now much smoother and quieter than when I first got her, and of course, I have piece of mind that the job was done properly! Although miniscule compared to some other restorations in this forum, this small undertaking - and the rewards it's yielded - has kinda spurred me on to attempt more such projects in the future. Yes, true, it wasn't meant to become a project, but nevertheless I'm glad it did in a way.

It took a lot of effort not to just give in when offers came up for her in none running state, not to mention patience, but I'm glad to say the perseverance has lead to something I'm really proud of, and after a few other loose ends regarding the interior and exterior were tidied up, this is how she looks today:

Future plans remain at keeping her as stock [Edit: OEM] as possible (i.e for as long as I own her). Although plans have been know to change with this car....

Edited January 22, 2013 by esdeez

[The Don]

Stunning car mate! Good on you for giving the old girl a new lease of life!

[Komisiripala]

She looks lovely. I saw her at charith's and was shocked! Just stood there staring...

You need a Cabrio to complete your collection

[NZer]

Lovely body condition. Seems to be well looked after, however the engine seems slightly on the noisy side. Whats the grade of oil u used?

[Jaliya48]

I love wagons and that is gorgeous! We need more photos, man! Is that the original paint? Looks like it's holding up great.

[esdeez]

Thanks for the comments guys, really appreciate it.

Lovely body condition. Seems to be well looked after, however the engine seems slightly on the noisy side. Whats the grade of oil u used?

The oil put in was a lowly non-synthetic type. The reason being that previously, when we thought we had fixed the engine (not knowing that it needed more attention), a lot of synthetic oil was wasted, which wasn't exactly cheap. My mechanic advised me to go for the less costly stuff for the time being, just so the new head can settle in and if any problems do crop up it won't be so bad, after which we'll go back to full synthetic. So far so good

I'm not the most versed on the subject, but I suspect the noise was due to the fact that the engine was just after the rebuild, as it does, imo, seem much quieter now. May take a comparison video in the future to see.

I love wagons and that is gorgeous! We need more photos, man! Is that the original paint? Looks like it's holding up great.

Yup, paint is original, but parked it next to a friend's well polished E30 with the same pain code today, and the difference was quite apparent. Respray is out of the question as I may be selling her soon, but will definitely try a bit of elbow grease and see what transpires.

[Octanehead]

Well Esdeez I have always told you to come early in the morning one day so that I could polish both your cars!

[Octanehead]

[Magnum]

You have an E34 and an E30?

[Komisiripala]

Well Esdeez I have always told you to come early in the morning one day so that I could polish both your cars!

[Octanehead]

Hey hey what ever the hell are you thinking KOMI!

[The Don]

Thanks for the comments guys, really appreciate it.

The oil put in was a lowly non-synthetic type. The reason being that previously, when we thought we had fixed the engine (not knowing that it needed more attention), a lot of synthetic oil was wasted, which wasn't exactly cheap. My mechanic advised me to go for the less costly stuff for the time being, just so the new head can settle in and if any problems do crop up it won't be so bad, after which we'll go back to full synthetic. So far so good

I'm not the most versed on the subject, but I suspect the noise was due to the fact that the engine was just after the rebuild, as it does, imo, seem much quieter now. May take a comparison video in the future to see.

Yup, paint is original, but parked it next to a friend's well polished E30 with the same pain code today, and the difference was quite apparent. Respray is out of the question as I may be selling her soon, but will definitely try a bit of elbow grease and see what transpires.

Who is the mechanic who maintains your vehicles? White usually spruces up well after a cut and polish so try that before any drastic steps.

[esdeez]

Who is the mechanic who maintains your vehicles? White usually spruces up well after a cut and polish so try that before any drastic steps.

I take my cars to milroy, but specifically get advice from the chief mechanic there. Yup, a good cut and polish is definitely in order!

Decided I wanted to change the fog light switch yesterday,

This is the one that came with the car. As it didn't leave the factory with front fog lamps there was only one switch for both front and rears.

Unfortunately, the front fogs that were fitted were locally wired, and therefore bypassed the normal circuitry. We had to pull the lower dash out, and wanted to make sure the indicator lamp on the dash worked for the front fogs too, so the result was this:

In retrospect, it was a lot of effort for a little button, but what the hell. Also replaced the head light knob as the dashboard dimmer was on its way out.

And whilst the wheel was off, we replaced the very flexible "bus" steering wheel, with this lovely M tech 1 unit I pinched off a friend. Needs a re-leather, but it still feels much better!

Will be on the look out for some OEM front fogs now...

Edited January 23, 2013 by esdeez

[Komisiripala]

looks i'm not the only crazy mofo when it comes to pulling out a yard to insert an inch...

[esdeez]

looks i'm not the only crazy mofo when it comes to pulling out a yard to insert an inch...

Its still a lonely road my friend...

[Pericles]

looks i'm not the only crazy mofo when it comes to pulling out a yard to insert an inch...

In one of those innuendo moods, Komi?

[Komisiripala]

In one of those innuendo moods, Komi?

lol i need to stop studying for this stupid exam and get out of the cave!

[Jaliya48]

If only my car's paint looked half that good!

[terrabytetango]

<3 the E30 touring. A long running fantasy of mine is owning a 325iX touring. If only they existed in RHD.

[esdeez]

Whilst not exactly going to full project standards yet - things have been done and discovered, which i feel is worthy of a post. Lol

So what have we done since January? Well not much.

Firstly, for some reason the previous owner had decided to fit some hideous seat covers. Whilst they no doubt served their purpose in protecting the uphostery over the years, they undoubtedly had to go!

For some reason the front seats had two layers of the stuff :/

Anyway - It revealed the beautiful unmolested material - pretty well presevered from the early 90's. After a thorough clean, they turned out as follows

And found a few neat, touring specific features that were hidden away by the seat covers:

These strings clip onto the rear seatbelt latches.... Why? So that after the seat base is lifted when the seats are folded, the latches don't fall underneath when you put them back... little things eh?

Theres also this neat center belt clip that keeps everything tidy in the back

And then this little doohicky - again, previously hidden by the covers - pops up when you pull the lever to release the seats

And makes sure everything is nice and secure for loading...

[esdeez]

Whilst we're on the interior - here are some shots of the boot. There are two carpets, as standard the one under this can be used to cover the rear seat backs when folded...

And even this neat load cover still works, to hide your shopping from prying eyes....

And the OEM First Aid kit...

Also managed to get a hold of a new front lip and OEM fogs... Will post up some more pics soon...

[Komisiripala]

Oh very very nice! Encore my friend. Bravo. Bravissimo!!

[YRD]

That's one clean, sweet ride bro!!! Lovely detail in the pics too.. Congratulations on a fine purchase..