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It has begun…
I’ve decided to take my 91 318IS and build it to run in the South Florida Region SE30.
I picked up this complete m20 drivetrain about a month ago, I plan on refreshing all the gaskets and seals and dropping it in.
So far i’ve acquired a spare subframe and installed camber and caster adjustment plates.
Another small project ive been working on is a prototype offset bushing I plan on running/producing.
Most importantly it will run my Condor plate 
Don’t do it. That car looks too nice.
You should keep it or flip it and find a junkier starter car. A good 318is is a rare thing indeed.
I agree, that car looks to be in way too good condition to convert to a Spec E30. Find a 325e/es/i/is that has a decent body and go from there.
I disagree that it is too nice. If you start with a nice car there is simply less paint and body work to do. Plus, since he already has the car he won’t have to go buy a new one.
Carlos - Do it!
I’m with Chuck and Jim. Sell it and/or start with something else. I regret the fact that I took a great street car and made it into a spec car.
Wow, this I diddnt expect.
Some details on the car that may sway opinions either way.
Its a stock m42 with a freshly rebuilt trans. It has poly bushings throughout. Good LSD 410. New clutch with m20 flywheel which is an upgrade. Koni adjustable shocks with ground control coilovers. 8 out of 10 interior. Only 1 small crack in the dash… Has new axles, all driveshaft bushings, trans mounts, etc…
I’m thinking if I were to sell it I’d prolly get 3k for it. Then I’d have to buy a shell and do all the work thats already been done, ie bushings, axles, control arms, etc…
just build it… it is it non-sunroof? that’s always nice. my car is a 318is shell also… one thing to note is that the fuel tank is smaller. the drive train swap was pretty easy, i don’t recall too many issues with it. you’ll need a 3.73 diff of course.
Kish, i have a buddy that wants to trade my 410 for his 3.73 Did you have to swap fuel pumps when you did your swap?
Noooo! I agree with the group. This car is way too nice to build into a Spec E30. Not to mention the nice interior and the fact that its a 318is. Definitely sell this and buy my race ready car with spares! :laugh:
yes, swapped pumps and i seem to recall we had to make a minor change to how the return line got routed.
Regarding the diff swap you mention, I believe the later 318 models have the “small case” differential, so make sure you and your swappee know what each has/is looking for. I don’t know if the axles are the same, but I believe you will need a 325 manual transmission-specific driveshaft along with the diff to complete your 325 drivetrain.
+1 for building a race car from your slick top. Although it’s a nice car, you’ll never get any money out of it…
Thanks for all the comments guys. I appreciate other people’s perspectives. Selling my slick top for 3k, and buying a busted up chassis for $1000- 1500 just doesn’t make sense to me. Unless someone offers me over 4k I’ll be continuing with my plan for the moment. :evil:
I just picked up a handful of gauges, a set of H&R Sports and an IE front swaybar from Ranger.
Thanks Ranger.
In my experience, the axles are different on the diff end. I think you can pop out the diff flanges and put into the new diff and all is well. CB
chuck’s likely right… we built an entire drive train (including front/rear subframes) out of the car from scratch and dropped the shell over it, so didn’t reuse any of the 318 parts other than the tub and fuel tank etc.
Isn’t the tank just like the early model and M3 tank? I’m almost certain they only made two e30 tanks…