Hey all,
As a magazine editor, I thought I would take a stab at review of a recently published Book "BMW E30 - 3 Series Restoration Bible" that I recently read during a business trip. Published in 2005 by Brookland Books, this book is a compilation of historical facts and practical maintenance tips for e-30 owners. The authors and consultants acknowledged in this text are all from the UK, where apparently the e-30 is quite revered as a BMW marque.
The book begins with an extensive review of the variations of the e-30 from the 316 through the M3. For US owners, the 318i and 325i models are also covered in sufficient detail.
The book is organized much like a typical repair manual with chapters addressing suspension and steering, brakes, transmission, cooling and heating, electrical, etc. Throughout these sections there are many useful tips for maintaining your vehicle, as well as insightful discussions on removal and replacement, as well as practical techniques for addressing common issues with e-30 repair.
I gleaned quite a few useful tips such as applying WD-40 to the brake piston calipers when changing brake pads (after applying some pressure to the brake pedal to expose the piston walls) to how to open the hood when the hood cable breaks (as Al Taylor showed Scott Ferguson when his cable broke at Summit last weekend).
I would recommend this book for the many pearls is contains as noted above. It is also relatively inexpensive, at about $20, from Amazon and is a nice complement to, but does not replace, the Bentley manual.
Ed