What's a good grassroots fix for the shifter bushings? Mine shifts worse than sloppy seconds. 
Is the shift kit worth the extra money? ala the $300 one on the Turner Motorsports website?
What's a good grassroots fix for the shifter bushings? Mine shifts worse than sloppy seconds. Is the shift kit worth the extra money? ala the $300 one on the Turner Motorsports website?
The engine mounts tend to die spectacularly. We used Vorshlag replacements on our Spec E30 after one of the original mounts had completely failed.
chknhwk wrote: What's a good grassroots fix for the shifter bushings? Mine shifts worse than sloppy seconds.
New factory bushings, and the lever from a Z3 is a $60 short shifter that works just dandy. You can also use the shorter lever from a Z4 but you may have to remove the vibration damper from the driveshaft to get enough clearance for 2nd gear depending on the year of E30 you have.
If you want a "kit" B&M makes one for something like $150
chknhwk wrote: What's a good grassroots fix for the shifter bushings? Mine shifts worse than sloppy seconds.
The factory replacement shifter bushings are actually pretty inexpensive. Go to www.realoem.com, look your car up in the parts catalog and get the part numbers for all the bits and pieces you'll need. If you're looking for a short shifter, a lot of people go with the shift lever out of a BMW Z3 instead of paying the big bucks for an aftermarket one. There are several variations of them, if you go poke around the BMW forums there's a picture of the different versions.
Call BMA, they sell a new SSK based on the Z3 shifter and all the bushings, clips, etc to rebuild your shifter for around $85.
I'll be doing that in conjunction with a UUC DSSR when I replace the tranny in a few months.
speedblind wrote: You can find E36 M3s in the 6K-7K range, though that might entail some basic maintenance/suspension freshening.It usually entails more than basics at that price... those I've gone to look at have needed clutches, head gaskets, had crash damage, needed a complete suspension refresh... I think if you want an E36 M3 you either spend on the car, or on the parts but you end up with an $10-11k outlay.
Cheap E36 M3s are in the $5-7k range right now in Atlanta. End-of-life engine, bad trans, bad paint or bad interior might be $5k and nice but original with 150k miles might be 7k. Like any used car purchase research typical repairs, know what to look for, and know the going rate for those parts.
In my research I found out that a good M50/M52 M3 engine can still be $2-3k, transmissions are all the same across the E36 6 cylinder line and include the 528 so they can be found for $300. Interiors are the true hard part to refresh on a budget. So I looked for a M3 with a good engine and interior but I would accept one with a bad transmission.
I don't think I will get a total of $10-11k in mine that I bought for under $6k. I went into the deal knowing that I would have to freshen a few things and expected maybe to put $2k. While test driving I noticed the brakes needed changing and throwout bearing was squeeling. I just finished both for well under my budget.
My philosophy is that if I have to spend a few bucks freshing up a great 11 year old car that is at the bottom of the depreciation curve then at least I will know that the parts are new and don't have to worry about them.
The essence of grassroots is buying a capable car that most would pass on because of condition and with a little elbow grease turning it into something you enjoy. I vote for the E36 M3.
When I looked at them the main problem was no mantaince records at all. Id call the people and ask when the timing belt was changed, and they would say something like "what is a timing belt?" or " I have only had it a few months", or "BMWs dont have timing belts", when it was not one of the ones that doesnt, etc. But for that price they will probably be better. I neded up buying a milano for $1600 that was in better shape and any E30 for twice that much.
In reply to DustoffDave: I have a 91 318is as my DD and it is great. It feels fast compared to my old 1.6L Miata, but then again what doesn't? If you have the time, look for the right car for the right price. Mine was $1100 -- rust free, runs great, incredibly reliable for the 14 months I've owned it. Although there are a lot of similarities, I greatly prefer this car to the 318ti I used to own. And -- I'll admit it -- I also like it better than the Miata. I guess I just like boxy cars. ...
Travis_K wrote: When I looked at them the main problem was no mantaince records at all. Id call the people and ask when the timing belt was changed, and they would say something like "what is a timing belt?" or " I have only had it a few months", or "BMWs dont have timing belts", when it was not one of the ones that doesnt, etc. But for that price they will probably be better. I neded up buying a milano for $1600 that was in better shape and any E30 for twice that much.
All E30 6 cyl cars need a timing belt immediately, its a $40 non-problem, like an oil change or a set of brake pads.
Sweet. Thanks on the shifter options. 
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