I joined the E30 club...

[woofster]

Hey congrats on picking up an E30 cabrio...especially with the M42 engine! I know you've been looking for one for a while.

[Duct_Taper]

Thanks man, and good luck with selling yours!


Update: It passed the safety and e-test today! Will be plated and insured for the road as of tomorrow morning. Woot!

[Dr. Flyview]

How much did the stuff it needed for safety run you? (Without the extras)

[E30M42cab]

Looks good! My dad has a E30 cabrio that is in desperate need of suspension work. I was going to put 325i cab lowering springs on, but the M3's do a nice job.

[Duct_Taper]

Flav_cool: In total I think the parts ended up costing around 400 - but I went with the cheaper brands for most of the stuff. Figured I'd give it a shot, and it seems to be decent quality.

E30M42cab: Yeah, I was keeping an eye out for some cabrio specific springs, but I found the M3 ones for a good price and I figured they'd work about as well (the M3 weighs almost exactly the same as the 318iC). I wasn't really intending for it to be as low as it is... I think the front springs may have been cut, but I am glad it turned out how it did.

[Dr. Flyview]

Oh and you did the work yourself?

[Duct_Taper]

Yeah, everything except the alignment.

I pretty much do all the work on my cars.

[everlast]

I can show you how to do a perfect alignment with jackstands, kite string, a wrench and a Cosmo magazine.

[Duct_Taper]

Hahaha, I don't doubt that it's possible

I don't mind spending the (relatively little) coin to get it done profesionally.


Update again: Drove it home from the shop this evening and the left rear caliper is sticking pretty bad and the clutch is slipping =/
More stuff to do!

[everlast]

Gonna rebuild or replace the caliper? I have, in the past, just pulled the rear apart until you can see 90% of the piston, polish with 0000 wool and replace and had great success. Maybe worth a shot before ordering in a rebuild kit, etc.

I replaced a tie rod, then needed to align it to get it to the shop. I got an alignment at Otto's after my DIY job, so I could see what my caster and camber was after lowering, and see if the rear was toed. It needed no adjustment, but they charged me the same amount. :p

[Duct_Taper]

I have been looking around for some used calipers and brackets because one of the left rear caliper bolt holes (in the bracket) is stripped... and apparently the 318i convertible uses slightly different calipers than all other E30s. Everything else (brackets, pads, rotors, etc) is the same... but the calipers are different. I was going to just rebuild the caliper, but it's apparently tough to find a rebuild kit for the 318iC calipers. Might call the dealer and price one out there.

Yeah - I replaced both tie rods and it clearly needed adjustment... but it had to go in to the shop anyway for the safety so I just had them do it.

EDIT: For interest's sake... here are the alignment specs after they were done. Woot negative camber!

[everlast]

I have a bracket for you, just swing by tonight and pick it up!

[everlast]

And repair kit, $15 CND shipped from Canada:

http://www.autopartsway.ca/AutoParts...per+Repair+Kit

[Duct_Taper]

Yeah, I saw that autopartsway had them listed - but they list the same part for alll E30's, and supposedly the 318iC has slightly different calipers. I don't know what the difference is, but the 318iC calipers and caliper repair kits are different from all other E30s. Apparently the repair kit is the same part # as for the E24 M6 though...

I am looking into getting some standard E30 calipers & rebuild kits and swapping them out. All the other parts are the same, so I think it would work fine.

[everlast]

I would encourage you to peel the boot back and examine it before getting any repair kit anyway. If the seal has been shot for a while, there will be rust on the piston and the whole thing would need to be replaced. I'd just get some used normal e30 calipers so you don't have to worry about weird parts, lol.