considering an e30 purchase

[M3M3]

LOL....not a bad deal. mine was FREE and came a buch of parts in trunk too.

lucky finds!

[mthaynestii]

It is missing the front "es" airdam. That is going to cost you some bucks if you want the original style. I got mine on Craigslist from cali for $200 shipped and it was rough. Cost me another $100 to get it smoothed and painted. Nice car though. Keep the eta engine and chip it! It is all about the torque, not the HP.

[ryanOC]

head is now off- surprising news.... gasket is not blown! huh?

using a mac compression test gauge that possibly is on the fritz... the numbers were between 120-135 for cyls 1-5, and cyl 6 measuring around 60 psi

i should have checked the valves first... but i'm going to have a shop inspect the head anyway

also, on the lower side of the thermostat housing a hose connecting there had the nipple broken off??? i'm assuming this is the cause of some overheating

the timing belt is old as hell and cracking but didn't manage to snap, thankfully

[HarryPR]

Damn! That is quite the score!

This car makes the case for big-bumper E30's:

It's full of M52B28 goodness plus loads of other stuff.

Check it out here:

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=175934

[robspeed]

head is now off- surprising news.... gasket is not blown! huh?

using a mac compression test gauge that possibly is on the fritz... the numbers were between 120-135 for cyls 1-5, and cyl 6 measuring around 60 psi

i should have checked the valves first... but i'm going to have a shop inspect the head anyway

also, on the lower side of the thermostat housing a hose connecting there had the nipple broken off??? i'm assuming this is the cause of some overheating

the timing belt is old as hell and cracking but didn't manage to snap, thankfully

could be a broken ring on #6, too...

[ryanOC]

wouldn't the car still be able to at least run w/ a cracked ring?

it's possible this car has around 100k on it

in dec 2008 a mileage recording was at 94747, and it has been sitting since feb/march

i don't think the owner drove it long distances, so maybe 100-110k on it???

take a look at the pictures if you could.... the first 4 are from after i wiped up the cyl wall

http://s937.photobucket.com/albums/ad211/ryanfromthehb/325es1986/

[robspeed]

wouldn't the car still be able to at least run w/ a cracked ring?

it's possible this car has around 100k on it

in dec 2008 a mileage recording was at 94747, and it has been sitting since feb/march

i don't think the owner drove it long distances, so maybe 100-110k on it???

take a look at the pictures if you could.... the first 4 are from after i wiped up the cyl wall

http://s937.photobucket.com/albums/ad211/ryanfromthehb/325es1986/

there appears to be a strange area on the cyl wall that looks yellowish? Hard to tell what is going on there except maybe a spot that rusted in the past. Say the piston was resting there and that rust formed, someone turns over the motor and the ring sticks, and breaks. Or just the rust itself is the cause of the poor seal. Couldn't tell you why it wouldnt run at all except to say that 120-135psi seems low in general, not sure if it would not fire up under those conditions. As we know there are many reasons why a car might not start. The old model T fords ran on 4:1 compression which is only 60psi so who knows. the thing with cars with "low" miles (for their age) is that having sat for long periods, things tend to degrade and rust up. if the car was used for a lot of short trips for example, then parked (ridden hard and put away wet), that would leave moisture in the motor and be bad. however, $50 is still a deal even if you have to get a junkyard motor for it...