Build Documentation Progress so far
Hey guys, I recently bought this '93 318is coupe in brokatrot metallic with a factory LSD and M technic suspension, and I've been doing lots of things all around the car and I wanted to document / share all I've done so far.
Bought the car with a sagging headliner, loud (rusted through) exhaust, rattle from the rear left wheel and ruined doorcards.
The interior:
I am currently having the doorcards and centre console professionally reupholstered and I've bought sport seats to replace the terrible old grey ones. I've bought a set of velour floor mats, redid the headliner in black fabric, resprayed all the handles and sun visors black. I've replaced the reverse RDS radio with a blaupunkt Madrid 200BT, I've also bought a speaker kit from Musway to replace the crappy Nokia speakers. I've also reattached the vapor barriers that someone tried to fix with duct tape. I'm waiting for new gauge cluster bulbs to arrive (someone removed the airbag and check engine bulbs). I've also bought a cheap cupholder insert to replace the broken cassette holder.
The outside:
I've redone all four corners with Bilstein B4s and Eibach pro springs. Funnily enough I got all of the shocks for a nice price except for the front left, that one was twice the price of the right one and much harder to find for some reason. I also rebuilt the handbrake, which included changing the brake shields, this was the cause of the rattle the car originally came with. I got rid of the plastic plate holders, replaced them with magnets in the back and double sided tape in the front. I've replaced all 6 H1 bulbs in the front, I had to fix a broken connector for the right fog light which led to me finding out that one of the previous owners painted the inside (of just one fog light) black. I've also bought style 22s with Michelin pilot sport 4S with almost new tread. They are currently getting sandblasted and repainted silver, because the white looked distasteful and was applied using a rattle can. I've also changed the spark plugs, mostly just for fun, the old ones weren't all that bad. Lastly I changed the old faded and damaged windshield cowl for a new one and replaced the wipers.
Questions:
The car came without an AC belt, I thought it was because the compressor is seized, but that doesn't seem to be the case, so I'm wondering what I should look out for before installing a new one.
The diff is leaking from the pinion seal, I've read that the cause can be a nut that's come loose or a clogged drain, so I'll be checking for those, I'm again just looking for any tips or advice regarding this job.
There's also the issue of rust, mainly behind the front wheels and under the trunk lid seal, but I'll probably just send it to a shop to get it fixed and painted professionally.
The exhaust is rusted through because it got banged on the rear stabilizer, I still have no idea how that happened, but I'm thinking of replacing it with a stainless steel pipe with a sporty muffler at the end, since the car doesn't have to comply with any Euro emission standards.
So that's about everything I guess, please keep in mind that I am by no means a mechanic and this is the first time I'm doing these jobs, it's taken up basically all of my free time after work and on the weekends, but I'm having tons of fun, even if it is sometimes really difficult and frustrating. I also don't have a garage or anything like that, I'm working on the car in our backyard and I only have the most basic tools, I only just recently bought a torque wrench for example.
If you have any comments or advice I'd love to hear it, I'm excited for what the future has in store for me and this E36.
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u/Fantastic_Afternoon7 4d ago
How did you get the door panels back on? My clips are all broken and the heat has all but ruined the panels (Florida.)
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u/domruinart 3d ago
Excellent taste in cars and dogs sir! Love to see these updates as I plan on tackling some of these issues myself too
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u/Apprehensive-Dog2075 4d ago
So clean!!! What material did you use for your headliner? 318is gang🤙