"saltcityeuros" (saltcityeuros)
11/17/2016 at 18:27 • Filed to: bmw, e30, salt city euros, e30 touring, imported e30, 318i touring
51
59|
"saltcityeuros" (saltcityeuros)
11/17/2016 at 18:27 • Filed to: bmw, e30, salt city euros, e30 touring, imported e30, 318i touring | 51
| 59 |
Mmm, a manual, rear wheel drive wagon that never made it to the states? Perfect.
Having owned E30 coupes, convertibles and sedans, it was time for something new and different. For us, that meant a wagon.
no cracks on the dash? what?
Nico worked his European magic, spreckened some Deutsch, and we had a brilliantrot 1989 BMW 318i touring (aka a bright red E30 wagon) heading over in a shipping container.
The car was fun to drive stock - and before you say it, yes, the motor is tiny - a 1.8L 4 cylinder (m40b18) motor pumping out 113 horses when new… But that “connected to the road” vibe is so different from modern cars that you feel as if you’re piloting a road legal go kart. These cars are little more than a steering wheel, gearbox, motor, pedals and brakes.
check out that tire lift
We took it for some drives and quickly learned its weak points. Old bushings, sloppy handling from worn struts and springs, an exhaust leak, and of course, a massive lack of power.
But you know what was great about it? We didn’t go the cheap route with a UK import, so we got LHD and all the ease of driving and modification that comes with it. The interior was mint aside from a tear in the front seat, and the rust was manageable.
rust was confined to the fender, which is easily removable.
Rust can be a real problem, especially in climate like Germany’s - but rule number one of importing cars is to make sure you start out with a solid vehicle. If it’s gonna need significant rust repair, you might want to think twice. (unless you love wire wheels and welders...)
We updated everything under the car - new rear diff (3.73 LSD,) control arms, sway bars, bushings, suspension and lightweight 15” wheels and grippier tires. The beautiful thing about E30s are that parts are plentiful, whether it’s OEM or aftermarket.
It was a whole new car, and absolute blast to drive in the canyons. However, that power problem remained…
We researched and planned - E30s are essentially life size legos for adults. What kind of motor do you want to drop in there? Inline 6 from an early 90s 3 series? V8 from a mid 90s 5 series? LS motor? (don’t tell the purists) 2JZ?? V12 from a 7 series with a turbo thrown in for fun???
see ya later m40
It’s all been done at some point, and most swap parts are available from companies that specialize in stuffing inappropriately large motors into such a small car.
When an S50 popped up in the local classifieds, we knew what had to be done. We picked up the motor, an inline six from a 1995 BMW M3, and got to work finding the extra parts we needed - an oil pan from an e34, motor mounts from an e28, driveshaft from an e36 and a few custom parts you can buy online.
It took us a few days, but we got the motor in and were driving before we knew it.
Was this it? Had the car reached its final form?
Doesn’t matter, honestly. That’s the beauty of E30s - they’re fun no matter if they’re stock, lightly modified, or gutted, caged and boosted. Just gotta decide how dirty you want to get your hands.
As for us, we’re happy with our little 240hp, rear wheel drive, manual wagon. No traction control, no ABS, no power steering, no AC. Just a steering wheel, engine and a seat.
Just don’t get run over by a soccer mom. Or drive through Las Vegas in the summer. Or get arrested for “Excessive Hoonage.”
We modify (& sometimes import) vintage euros on our youtube channel, !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .
Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap
> saltcityeuros
11/17/2016 at 18:31 |
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Ive followed the YouTube channel for a good while and the quality of your videos is seriously good
ZHP Sparky, the 5th
> saltcityeuros
11/17/2016 at 18:56 |
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Great videos, been subscribed to your channel for a while.
Not sure if you covered it in any of your videos - but how was the import process? Would be great to hear about import companies you considered, hiccups, timeline, costs, etc.
Recently moved out of CA and find myself with far fewer restrictions as far as owning old cars go. I myself have an E30 as well (standard US spec 325i coupe) - but it’s getting to that point where a lot of cool cars from the late 80s and early 90s are/will soon be eligible for import under the 25 year law. Any insights you guys might have would be awesome. In fact given your excellent video skills that might be a pretty awesome niche for you guys to get in to - find and import a non-US spec car, and make videos on your clean up/ownership/modification experiences (I’m sure you get a million suggestions from random idiots on a daily basis so feel free to ignore this entirely!).
duurtlang
> ZHP Sparky, the 5th
11/17/2016 at 19:23 |
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I don’t want to steal saltcityeuro’s thunder, but imho the most fun thing after you’ve done a lot of homework would be to just fly over to Germany (or somewhere else in Europe), drive the E30 around Europe for a week or two and ship it out. Euro delivery if you will. Oppo has multiple Europeans, myself included, who could help you out somewhat. Some that can translate, maybe take a car for a test drive. A few even shipped cars to the US, I for example shipped an e30t to Texas in 2014.
Now I know an intercontinental flight and a stay costs money, but not much more if anything than hiring a company.
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ZHP Sparky, the 5th
> duurtlang
11/17/2016 at 19:33 |
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I remember reading your posts about the E30 you helped ship over a while back, can’t believe it’s been that long. And certainly that’s a great idea. I’ve always thought that if I ever buy a brand new BMW euro delivery would be a great experience - why not do it with a far more affordable car at this point too. Good topic to slowly start talking the wife in to for our next euro trip :P
Really the shipping and registration requirements are what’s most mystifying to me, but mostly probably because I haven’t really seriously considered it before.
Do you still have the 406 coupe? A neighbor had one of those when I was growing up in Sri Lanka - Peugots are pretty common there but the coupe was rare - might have been one of just a handful if anything, such a beauty. It’s aged really gracefully too I’d say.
WayDude
> duurtlang
11/17/2016 at 19:42 |
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I might take you up on that. I fly for free, can I stay with you? lol. I just want an AWD manual wagon. Nothing much.
Ratchet when he's all hopped up on synthetic energon
> saltcityeuros
11/17/2016 at 19:55 |
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TIL:
* LHD manual E30 wagons good!
* RHD automatic E30 wagons bad!
QuadPole
> saltcityeuros
11/17/2016 at 19:59 |
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Nice work! The BrilliantRot is beautiful and reminds me of my old car. I miss her so much.
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duurtlang
> ZHP Sparky, the 5th
11/17/2016 at 20:45 |
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Shipping is straight forward really. You drop the car off at the shipping company and they ship it to the port you specified. It can be shipped in a container or RoRo (roll on, roll off), where it’s driven on the ship. I did the latter, there’s this port near me (Emden) where they ship brand new cars from the VW group in the RoRo method. My E30 touring was simply added. It’s what comes next, the whole part on US soil, that’s the hardest part. At least from my European perspective. It can be done and Google is your friend I’d say.
Yes, I still have the 406 coupe (and 205 GTi). Great car really. Nice to drive, to look at and to own (reliable and cheap parts). Just put my vintage winter wheels back on. I’m not too pleased with the look anymore though. Who would’ve thought that wheels (15", same as stock) from a 1980s subcompact hot hatch look small on a 2000 midsize coupe?
Amoore100
> duurtlang
11/17/2016 at 21:25 |
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I kinda like it! But then again I love cheap-looking wheels on good-looking cars. It’s almost like a fetish.
AWD E30
> saltcityeuros
11/17/2016 at 21:43 |
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“The beautiful thing about E30s are that parts are plentiful, whether it’s OEM or aftermarket.”
Ha!
LodestarRunner
> Ratchet when he's all hopped up on synthetic energon
11/17/2016 at 21:51 |
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RHD manual 2.5L E30 wagons good!
HammerheadFistpunch
> saltcityeuros
11/17/2016 at 22:52 |
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Hi fellow utahn, I’ll have to keep my eye out for your wagon.
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saltcityeuros
> Ratchet when he's all hopped up on synthetic energon
11/17/2016 at 22:54 |
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Yeah, honestly any kind of wagon is great. You can live with RHD and a manual swap isn’t that difficult. Just gotta know what you’re getting into as parts for LHD are a little easier to come by.
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saltcityeuros
> LodestarRunner
11/17/2016 at 22:55 |
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So rad!
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saltcityeuros
> Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap
11/17/2016 at 22:55 |
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Thanks!
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saltcityeuros
> HammerheadFistpunch
11/17/2016 at 22:56 |
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What’s up man, you have an FZJ80 right? I just picked up a 100 series as well.
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HammerheadFistpunch
> saltcityeuros
11/17/2016 at 23:01 |
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Very nice, ever at any of the usual cruiser haunts? btw congrats on getting a fp share, it’s been a while since anyone from oppo has got one. if you ever need cruiser advice or help give me a shout
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saltcityeuros
> HammerheadFistpunch
11/17/2016 at 23:03 |
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For sure man. I’m pretty good friends with Kurt over at Cruiser Outfitters. I got everything for my Tacoma there, front and rear lockers, compressor, lift, 4.88 gears, etc. Probably gonna do something similar with the 100. and thanks, yeah front page has been funny lately. Haven’t had a feature in a year or two..
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HammerheadFistpunch
> saltcityeuros
11/17/2016 at 23:07 |
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Kurt and Bryce are good people, got my 456 gears, fridge awning etc from them. if you ever feel like doing a trail or touring let me know.
Kristopher Clewell
> saltcityeuros
11/17/2016 at 23:14 |
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I would love to drive this car to see what I missed in all the disappointment surrounding mine!
CamperVanSomeren
> saltcityeuros
11/17/2016 at 23:15 |
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This is amazing. Just Last week I put an E92 Touring to M3 conversion in my all-time 5 car dream garage.
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saltcityeuros
> Kristopher Clewell
11/17/2016 at 23:51 |
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It is pretty fun dude, but I totally get where you’re coming from. It took us several months of work to get to this point. We often have people asking us what they can do to their 325e e30s, and the fact is when you have an automatic or an engine that only revs to 4500, it’s hard to have a ton of fun. And if you don’t have a shop or don’t have experience wrenching it can be daunting to try a manual swap
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saltcityeuros
> HammerheadFistpunch
11/17/2016 at 23:53 |
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Awesome. Yeah man, let’s do it. I’ll keep ya posted. Do they make 4.56 for 100s? I’m thinking of going 4.88s again and getting 35s
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saltcityeuros
> CamperVanSomeren
11/17/2016 at 23:53 |
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Count us in on that. Nico has an e91 that we’re thinking about modifying a little
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HammerheadFistpunch
> saltcityeuros
11/18/2016 at 00:46 |
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The rear ring is the same as mine so I know they make it for the rear, not sure on the front. what year? if its 98-99 your best off getting an entirely new front diff going to 35's (the 2 pinion issue)
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saltcityeuros
> HammerheadFistpunch
11/18/2016 at 01:02 |
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it’s an 01, but i’ll be getting a front locker anyway.
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duurtlang
> WayDude
11/18/2016 at 06:17 |
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For availability, check:
http://www.mobile.de/
(change to English at the top)
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duurtlang
> Amoore100
11/18/2016 at 06:20 |
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These are once-fancy alloys from the 1980s though. With taller tires.
escopedoqs
> saltcityeuros
11/18/2016 at 07:13 |
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Any general feedback on the 318? I’ve owned a 325 and 320 Sedan E30, based in Europe, so looking very much into getting a Wagon atm ( http://www.tutti.ch/zuerich/fahrzeuge/autos/angebote/bmw-e30-318i-edition-touring-141000km-gar_8692549.htm checking this one one on the weekend).
The 320/auto was kind of a bore compared to the 325. Been keen on dipping my toes into the 4cyl Models for a while now. I just need a work horse that is still kinda fun to drive, and lovely to look at. Am I setting myself up for regret by going for the standard 1.8l model?
Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
> saltcityeuros
11/18/2016 at 09:42 |
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Didn’t you need beefier front springs?
Olivierduizend
> saltcityeuros
11/18/2016 at 10:07 |
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Isn’t it either 325i or 327e? I’ve read that 327e’s actually can be tuned into pretty decent engines with some modest part-swaps but it seems they’re hard to find nowadays.
r1teway
> saltcityeuros
11/18/2016 at 10:21 |
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“life size legos for adults.”
Excellent!
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saltcityeuros
> Olivierduizend
11/18/2016 at 10:24 |
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You can do a hybrid with an i head and build what they call a super ETA. Don’t know too much about it but it seems straightforward. Not too hard to find, here in the US at least.
extraspecialbitter
> saltcityeuros
11/18/2016 at 10:43 |
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That was thoroughly entertaining. I love videos of people wrenching. It’s very therapeutic. Production value was top notch.
Looking forward to more.
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LodestarRunner
> saltcityeuros
11/18/2016 at 10:55 |
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Thanks! I’m subscribed to your channel and hopefully will follow with an S50 swap of my own. Or maybe an SR...
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lawlence
> saltcityeuros
11/18/2016 at 11:11 |
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What’d you do about the brake booster? I’m in the process of gathering parts for an S54 swap into an E30 and the brake setup seems to be one of the bigger hurdles.
monovich
> saltcityeuros
11/18/2016 at 11:31 |
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Cool stuff an a nice counterpoint to the other writeup!
Excuse the noob question, but how feasible would an IX drivetrain swap be? I’d love to rock something like this but RWD in a Colorado winter scares me (I have another E30, it doesn’t love snow). Do you guys do full imports and conversions for sale or is this a personal project type ting?
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saltcityeuros
> LodestarRunner
11/18/2016 at 11:32 |
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I’m down for either of those. S50 is super fun but it’s always nice to see something different
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saltcityeuros
> lawlence
11/18/2016 at 11:33 |
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I would love to do an S54, that’s on the list for the next year or two. On the touring we kept the stock booster, slotted it and moved it over toward the driver’s side. I guess you could always go boosterless... or look into smaller Porsche boosters.
79 horsepower monster
> saltcityeuros
11/18/2016 at 12:01 |
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Stop this at once. My heart screams yes but my wallet cries by itself in the corner.
Ross Kraz
> saltcityeuros
11/18/2016 at 12:08 |
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YESSSSSSS When I was reading that Jalop post yesterday, all I could think about was your build from the YouTube videos. So happy you did a rebuttal.
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saltcityeuros
> 79 horsepower monster
11/18/2016 at 12:09 |
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my wallet is but a distant memory
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schererna
> Olivierduizend
11/18/2016 at 12:42 |
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325e: http://www.e30zone.net/e30zonewiki/index.php/325e
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duurtlang
> monovich
11/18/2016 at 12:54 |
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Why not import an 325iX Touring instead? Must be much easier. An iX Touring will certainly be expensive but it’ll spare you the headache.
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monovich
> duurtlang
11/18/2016 at 13:08 |
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Stop it. That makes way too much sense.
fintail
> saltcityeuros
11/18/2016 at 14:14 |
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Looks better without the temp style German plate.
Does Euro spec for an E30 include turn signals? I think the distance chime (for tailgating) didn’t come around til E36 :)
DasWauto
> Olivierduizend
11/18/2016 at 15:36 |
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325i or 325e, with the latter being a 2.7l, despite the name.
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Olivierduizend
> DasWauto
11/18/2016 at 15:49 |
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BMW and their naming schemes.
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DasWauto
> Olivierduizend
11/18/2016 at 16:08 |
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Prior to the e60/e90 era, the 325e is actually the only one I can think of right now where the name doesn’t correspond to the engine’s displacement. They used to make sense that way, not so much anymore.
BLCKSTRM
> saltcityeuros
11/18/2016 at 16:25 |
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Decent number of E36 people pull their boosters when they get old (some for better brake feedback, some just because new ones are so expensive). I think once you got used to it (or especially if you were looking for a more track-focused setup) you’d be fine. Especially if you were upgrading the brakes at the same time. You’d have plenty of stopping power without the booster.
Frank Grimes
> saltcityeuros
11/19/2016 at 16:52 |
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Wow you guys are in utah. I live in utah and it seems like not many people into cars round here.
Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura
> saltcityeuros
11/20/2016 at 13:47 |
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Damn you people and your disposable income. :c
In all seriousness, though, not a bad spec! Though correct me if I’m wrong, the S50 had two versions - the US and the EU where the latter has more power, right?
cybersamurai
> saltcityeuros
11/20/2016 at 19:22 |
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All I taste are my salty tears of joy.
eNZo288
> saltcityeuros
11/20/2016 at 21:43 |
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Beautiful. I’m in the process of returning my Zinnoberrot 1987 325i coupe to stock. Last thing is the wheels. Its currently on boy-racer 17s, but I have a tidy set of bottle-caps lined up, which will go on as soon at it gets the windscreens back in (after much rust removal from the roof). Turns out you can’t get new windscreen filler-strips in New Zealand, so had to order them in from Pelican Parts. The wait is killing me!
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saltcityeuros
> Frank Grimes
11/21/2016 at 22:26 |
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Yeah there’s actually a decent Euro scene. You can find a lot of parts in the classifieds on FB
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Frank Grimes
> saltcityeuros
11/22/2016 at 01:38 |
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hmm too bad I have a miata!
Areek
> saltcityeuros
11/26/2016 at 22:15 |
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That’s funny how people in US are fascinated about cars I see every day but are bored of cars I dream about. I would be pleased to take e30 wagon and trade it for some american V8 or other car that hasn’t been sold in europe.
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saltcityeuros
> Areek
11/28/2016 at 11:25 |
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Funny for sure. We should set up a business that specializes in bringing Euro only cars to America and bringing muscle cars back to Europe to trade...
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saltcityeuros
> Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura
11/28/2016 at 11:27 |
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Correct. Our US S50 is essentially an M50 with more displacement and a few upgrades. The Eurp S50 has ITBs and more power - a different engine design really. Also more expensive.