gjm 3258 Report post Posted September 27, 2015 (edited) Heaven knows I'm going to need help with this one! This is the fabled car for our daughter. Maybe patience has paid off, or maybe I've dug myself a hole to fall in to. 5-speed (I think converted from auto) M10B18 coupe. Ex-Japan, with aircon. White. It had a Mtech bodykit fitted but this has been removed, meaning there is no front or rear bumper, no side mouldings, no side skirts. Extra wiring to the front for fog/driving lights. According to the VIN, it had sport suspension fitted as standard. Currently sitting on 16" rims, I'll be looking to change these for 15s - Style 32 or similar. May look to get another bodykit, or may just go for standard stuff. The PO has removed the rear opening windows, and then left the car outside so there is a drying out period required. New windows required. All areas under carpet are soggy but no sign of through rust. Drivers window regulator is shot. Window currently held sort-of closed by a piece of 2"x4" and some tape. Interior may not have been used to keep chickens, but probably hosted a couple of dogfights. Some rust here and there, and some welding will be required. Most rust appears to not have gone through as I was unable to persuade a hole through the metal. Front wing lowers behind wheels is a bit rough - potentially a sign of the issues of fitting a body kit which can trap mud, muck and water, allowing corrosion in areas you'd not see (because of the bodykit). Also, there is a third hole in the rear parcel shelf. Two for speakers, as BMW decreed, and a third for who knows what. Jagged edges, through to the boot space. M10 starts but is noisy on turning over - perhaps a starter motor bearing issue? Can be tough to start (i'm told, although it started OK today) which could be due to cold start issues. Runs fairly well but is tappety. Gasket and adjustment time. Heater has been bypassed. The open pipes are visible in the engine bay. One of the wonderful folk hereabouts advised this is not unusual and likely due to matrix issues. Nuisance value. Bonnet is tricky to open. It does work, but looks like the handle and release cable are no longer friends. Currently tempted to strip the car of all chrome and mountings, fill holes, grind lips and go 'smooth'. Would also fill door and side moulding spaces. More work, but cheaper than finding good chrome to suit. It also needs wing mirrors. Just need to tell Mrs M !!! <gulp> Offers of help, support, parts or... Well, anything, very much appreciated! Assuming I get past Mrs M, I have a little over 6 months (and a negligible budget) to get this sorted! Edited October 5, 2015 by gjm Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
aja540i 1906 Report post Posted September 27, 2015 Good luck! 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gjm 3258 Report post Posted September 27, 2015 Good luck! Ta. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BMTHUG 1039 Report post Posted September 27, 2015 If you need advice or help with the rust repairs or welding I am your guy 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gjm 3258 Report post Posted September 27, 2015 If you need advice or help with the rust repairs or welding I am your guy It's a date! 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
qube 3570 Report post Posted September 27, 2015 sounds like a fair bit of work. hope it was dirt cheap? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gjm 3258 Report post Posted September 27, 2015 Price was (I think/hope) reasonable. Of course, that depends on your idea of 'reasonable', but in a market where E30 coupes can command $5-10k, yes, it was cheap. From what I could see, the body is OK provided the issues it has are addressed soon. And it is a 5-speed manual which seems to double the value these days. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ahmedsinc 414 Report post Posted September 28, 2015 When / if this turns into an economic basket case, send me a PM. I've got an '85 NZ new 4-door factory manual 318i that I shouldn't be needing anymore in a couple months. 14 inch weaves, manual windows & sunroof, Alpineweiss, surprisingly few issues for a 30 year old car. Have replaced the thermostat as the original one had stuck open and just need to rewire the drivers side foglight as I suspect corroded terminals are the root cause of the diminished voltage at the bulb. Needs new shocks but other than that its pretty bloody good! Picked it up as a reliable daily for the time my E36 is off the road and so far its been impeccable, if amusingly underpowered Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gjm 3258 Report post Posted September 28, 2015 Curious thing about this car is that it seems to go quite well. I've driven a couple of E36 318i-engines cars, and this a lot more sprightly. It'll be down on power, but also down on weight. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gjm 3258 Report post Posted October 2, 2015 Tomorrow (all being well) I'll be squeezing her into the garage. Fingers crossed there is room! Then the fun starts. It's very unlikely to be on the road for a few months. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gjm 3258 Report post Posted October 3, 2015 OK... So tomorrow will be tomorrow. Slight logistical problem. The car runs well enough, but no front or rear bumpers, no WoF and rego on hold mean that even the short distance from Taupiri to home is too far for driving. And the trailer we'd planned to use is busy this weekend. Alternative plans being made for tomorrow. Hopefully in time for me to make it to Kyu's. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gjm 3258 Report post Posted October 4, 2015 Help! Hoping someone is fairly local and feeling kind. Does anyone have a car with towbar (I don't) and a car trailer, and would be able to help get the 318i coupe from Taupiri to Te Kauwhata? At a pinch I can probably 'borrow' a suitable car. Times... Today (Sunday 4th October), tomorrow, Tuesday or Wednesday. I can get it here next weekend but have three days off this week, and would really like to spend some time evaluating what needs to be done. Anyone who can help gets the first chance to laugh at whatever mess I've got myself in to (this time). Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
eliongater 718 Report post Posted October 4, 2015 Help! Hoping someone is fairly local and feeling kind. Does anyone have a car with towbar (I don't) and a car trailer, and would be able to help get the 318i coupe from Taupiri to Te Kauwhata? At a pinch I can probably 'borrow' a suitable car. Times... Today (Sunday 4th October), tomorrow, Tuesday or Wednesday. I can get it here next weekend but have three days off this week, and would really like to spend some time evaluating what needs to be done. Anyone who can help gets the first chance to laugh at whatever mess I've got myself in to (this time). I might be able to get a family member to help if you pay for gas and make it worth their while (they are in Hamilton) 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gjm 3258 Report post Posted October 4, 2015 I might be able to get a family member to help if you pay for gas and make it worth their while (they are in Hamilton) Chuckling at my misfortune not good enough? Lol No problem. Happy to pay gas and the like. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gjm 3258 Report post Posted October 4, 2015 Just spoke to Elijah - many thanks. Unfortunately his source is busy.So... still looking. Please help! 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gjm 3258 Report post Posted October 4, 2015 Looks like I'm sorted and the coupe will come home tomorrow evening. Thanks to everyone who contacted me. Very much appreciated. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gjm 3258 Report post Posted October 5, 2015 She's home. No pics - it's dark! 3 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gjm 3258 Report post Posted October 6, 2015 It's not dark now. OK - it's a long way from perfect. Needs interior sorting - seats are OK at best, and drivers door card is missing Needs lots of wiring sorting. A PO must have had shares in an insulation tape company Needs rust sorting (although so far I've found only surface stuff) Needs two opening rear quarterlights Needs front and rear bumpers Needs drying out! There's a puddle in the boot, and the sound deadening under the passenger front carpet is soggy Needs a front drivers side window regulator. Currently electric - tempted to convert to manual winders... Needs a third hole in the centre of the rear parcel shelf sorting. A PO has drilled lots of holes to create this Front wings appear to have come adrift at the bottom behind the wheels Needs a screenwash bottle cap Has very little chrome trim - remove the rest, or try to find the parts to suit? (The grill is with the car, just not on it) NZTA lists this as a 1987 car, but RealOEM tells me it was made in July 1985. Carjam reckons it is NZ new, first registered 21/04/1995! Pretty sure it is ex-Japan. The wheels are Momo 16x7.5 et38 with 205/55 rear and 195/50 front tyres. I'd always planned to ditch these and fit 15x7s (et13 or so) but I'm almost ashamed to say they're kinda growing on me! One centre cap is missing And I don't like the sleeve on the spokes. Oh well... Hardly critical given everything else that needs sorting. Has one of the 'good' M10s, with L-Jet. Plan to convert to Motronic. Dash is cracked like a desert on a dry day. Again, hardly an issue that will prevent driving, but would be nice to sort this. Seat belts are pretty ratty. Again, be good to sort this. At some point, someone has either tried jacking under the spare wheel well, or backed on to something solid. Regardless, it's a little deformed and there may be an old repair in there. Similarly, it looks like someone has jacked under the centre of the passenger side sill and squashed the seam. No other damage is evident. No oil in the water or vice versa. I have a bill from a PO which suggests they were using Royal Purple oil so while it is a little rough around the edges, it may have been looked after. I'm keen to get it on the road but will need to fight myself to not pull the engine and do a thorough job! 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KwS 2421 Report post Posted October 6, 2015 You sir, are a brave brave (or foolish) man Whys it so stripped, did the PO get all the bits they wanted off it and then just flick the shell? The parcel tray will need to be fixed properly, with weld, as its now considered a structural element. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
qube 3570 Report post Posted October 6, 2015 looks like you've started a huge project! 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gjm 3258 Report post Posted October 6, 2015 The PO had a Mtech bodykit on it. Not sure why the quarterlights were removed... The seats and the like I've taken out today to help drying out. If I could have figured out how to get the carpet out, that would be gone too, but the car has aircon and it looks like the carpet is put in first, then lots of other things added which feed through holes in the carpet. I was aware some welding would be required, including the parcel shelf. That's the only bit I really know of at present - there is rust elsewhere, but nothing soft or perforating. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hotwire 352 Report post Posted October 6, 2015 I concur with above - you are keen Everything can be fixed but there does look to be a lot of work with this one. Hopefully it is economical to do so. Would pay to evaluate. As for rear shelf repair - probably best to get that fixed first & covered - these repairs require "official" repairing if noted. As for Motronic - not possible on M10. Was never an option for them. Some parts may be able to be fitted, but not all. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gjm 3258 Report post Posted October 6, 2015 I concur with above - you are keen Everything can be fixed but there does look to be a lot of work with this one. Hopefully it is economical to do so. Would pay to evaluate. As for rear shelf repair - probably best to get that fixed first & covered - these repairs require "official" repairing if noted. Keen, blind, silly, over-enthusiastic... Hopefully I'm not deceiving myself too much and haven't simply convinced myself "it's not too bad!" As for Motronic - not possible on M10. Was never an option for them. Some parts may be able to be fitted, but not all. There's a fair bit of work to do, but it can be done - we did it back in the UK. You can run a lambda sensor, fancy ECU programming, use a MAF instead of an AFM, fault finding is better, less components... Lots of parts needed: ECU CPS and mounting bracket Toothed crank wheel Engine bay loom including injector loom Cylinder ID sensor Oil level sender Oil pressure switch (although the loom can be adapted to use the existing one) Dizzy cap & rotor arm Temperature gauge sender Cam dust cover Cam rotor adapter Injectors AFM These parts all come from a car already fitted with the Motronic 1.3 set up. It's some way down the road. Bodywork first - that'll be the deciding factor in whether or not this goes any further. Then wiring and getting it running as well as possible while still using the L-Jet set up. Interior, and then, maybe, the Motronic conversion. The CPS bracket could be the biggest issue: later L-Jet engines had the holes in the block to have the bracket mounted, while some earlier engines do not. For now I'm deliberating whether to cut the carpet around the heater box to get it out, or leave it in and work around it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ahmedsinc 414 Report post Posted October 6, 2015 i'm curious - what benefits are to be had from the Motronic conversion? One imagines that if there are any improvements in torque and power they'd be incremental at best? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gjm 3258 Report post Posted October 6, 2015 Anyone know if an E36 Ti rear seat will fit in a E30 coupe? I heard/read something about an alternative rear seat for the E30, but can't now remember if it was a 1-series or the Ti that suited. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
