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So I was going to make a build thread originally about 3 weeks ago since I got the car, but I wasn't too sure if i was gonna keep. Well after driving it for a while and realizing that the problems that were associated with the car weren't that big of a deal, I decided to keep it and work on it.
So going back three weeks ago, I sold my focus I've owned for almost 5 years and I got this:
95 Bmw 318i 5 speed with 233k on the clock......yeah 233k. It's a shit ton of miles for the car but surprisingly, it doesn't look its age. The leather interior is very immaculate (only one small tear on the driver side, that's it) the clutch still grabs like newer car and 90% of the paint is in great condition, clear coat still has a reflective shine (except for one spot on the roof
) and the sunroof still works! Like all older BMW's there were some issues when I picked it up:
Idled roughly and black smoke was pouring out the exhaust
Front windows didn't work
Needs a new shift knob
Slightly overheating at times
Leaky radiator
Leaky oil pan
Squeaky Belt
Radio no work
A/c no work
But hey, I picked it up for $1250, so I wasn't mad. The area I got it from was on the other side of town, which was an hour from me. It managed to get me from there to 20 mins from my house before the problems started to take a shit on me in rush hour traffic. After limping it home, I went to work on it immediately. Turns out the rough idle/black smoke was due to a spark plug wire not being plugged in all the way in cylinder 4.....weird. After that, minus the minor belt squeaking, the '36 ran like a champ!
Found this WORKING remote in the glove box, in 2 pieces
Fast forward to last week. I was suspecting for a while that the Head Gasket might be blown, so I did one of those Leak tests. and to my surprise...the Gasket needed changing.
The piss yellow means there's a exhaust gas leak in the radiator system. The liquid is suppose to be blue.....
So instead of selling the car back on cracklist, I did a shit ton of research on how to replace a blown head gasket for an m42 (4 cyl), among other things I need to work on and decided to take on repairs on my own. In Jeremy Clarkson's voice: "How hard can it be?"
With that in mind comes the ordering of the parts. So I've ordered a shit ton of parts a couple of days later, so as those come in sometime this week, I will post pics of them later. Also, I've replaced the leaky radiator with a new one and got a new belt.
And what isn't a S/W build thread without a wheel teaser or two, hmmm?
Near future plans include the following:
Coilovers w/moar low included
2 piece refurbished wheels
M-Tech front bumper with rear diffuser
Different Set of taillights
Glass foglights and Angel Halo Headlights
some minor mods in the interior
Custom exhaust
New radio
Perhaps a new steering wheel
Painted exterior bits and such
My goal is to have this list done and more before a car show in April of next year, which I attend to every year. I could have gave up on the car and sold it for something with less problems, but the way it's been running doesn't even feel like it has any sort of problems at all. I feel like this bmiier is just a "diamond in the rough" and with a little TLC, I will surely reap the benefits.
/soapbox
*Unlike many build threads out on S/w that would update every 3-6 months, I'll be sure to post up with a bunch of updates frequently. Not everyday type deal, but not like every other month. Also, I'm at work right now, so I add more pics tonight.
So going back three weeks ago, I sold my focus I've owned for almost 5 years and I got this:
95 Bmw 318i 5 speed with 233k on the clock......yeah 233k. It's a shit ton of miles for the car but surprisingly, it doesn't look its age. The leather interior is very immaculate (only one small tear on the driver side, that's it) the clutch still grabs like newer car and 90% of the paint is in great condition, clear coat still has a reflective shine (except for one spot on the roof
) and the sunroof still works! Like all older BMW's there were some issues when I picked it up:Idled roughly and black smoke was pouring out the exhaust
Front windows didn't work
Needs a new shift knob
Slightly overheating at times
Leaky radiator
Leaky oil pan
Squeaky Belt
Radio no work
A/c no work
But hey, I picked it up for $1250, so I wasn't mad. The area I got it from was on the other side of town, which was an hour from me. It managed to get me from there to 20 mins from my house before the problems started to take a shit on me in rush hour traffic. After limping it home, I went to work on it immediately. Turns out the rough idle/black smoke was due to a spark plug wire not being plugged in all the way in cylinder 4.....weird. After that, minus the minor belt squeaking, the '36 ran like a champ!
Found this WORKING remote in the glove box, in 2 pieces
Fast forward to last week. I was suspecting for a while that the Head Gasket might be blown, so I did one of those Leak tests. and to my surprise...the Gasket needed changing.
The piss yellow means there's a exhaust gas leak in the radiator system. The liquid is suppose to be blue.....
So instead of selling the car back on cracklist, I did a shit ton of research on how to replace a blown head gasket for an m42 (4 cyl), among other things I need to work on and decided to take on repairs on my own. In Jeremy Clarkson's voice: "How hard can it be?"
With that in mind comes the ordering of the parts. So I've ordered a shit ton of parts a couple of days later, so as those come in sometime this week, I will post pics of them later. Also, I've replaced the leaky radiator with a new one and got a new belt.
And what isn't a S/W build thread without a wheel teaser or two, hmmm?
Near future plans include the following:
Coilovers w/moar low included
2 piece refurbished wheels
M-Tech front bumper with rear diffuser
Different Set of taillights
Glass foglights and Angel Halo Headlights
some minor mods in the interior
Custom exhaust
New radio
Perhaps a new steering wheel
Painted exterior bits and such
My goal is to have this list done and more before a car show in April of next year, which I attend to every year. I could have gave up on the car and sold it for something with less problems, but the way it's been running doesn't even feel like it has any sort of problems at all. I feel like this bmiier is just a "diamond in the rough" and with a little TLC, I will surely reap the benefits.
/soapbox
*Unlike many build threads out on S/w that would update every 3-6 months, I'll be sure to post up with a bunch of updates frequently. Not everyday type deal, but not like every other month. Also, I'm at work right now, so I add more pics tonight.
good luck with the head gasket!
?
never again! So at 12am, I finally have warm heat blowing into the cabin 
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