New guy from Mobile,AL! pics!!!

[bamaland]

hey fellas whats going on! my name's chris and i have finally got my first bmw!
this is only my second day of owning it and i absolutely love it!!!

so i picked up this 95 318ti with 313k 5spd that had been in a minor front end wreck. perfectly driveable.. i can see it will need some new suspension all the way around (lca's, bushings, trl arms, ball joints etc..) but its not horrible its just worn..

motor and trans are perfect.. just need an oil change.. and maybe a tune up(though seems like one was done recently, but i like doing them anyways)

it was in a front end wreck (minor/medium)
i have to replace hood, fenders, bumper, header panel, 2 door panels
thats not my priority though..

when going over bumps i can hear a clank coming from both passenger wheels..
my guess is ball joints and bushings? i know it needs shocks all the way around..

so 1st question, what should be priority to change?
2nd, is it possible/how hard is it to change the oil?
3rd, how can i tell if the motor or suspension has been changed/upgraded?

like i said this is my first bmw and i love it already and how i never have to get rid of it. i want to restore it back to like new but in a timely manner..



here's a few pics,well alot..

[bamaland]

a few more..

also could anyone tell me what sub model my ti is?

[1996 328ti]

Good luck!
Looks to be an active.

[tiFreak]

Originally Posted by bamaland

2nd, is it possible/how hard is it to change the oil?

are you familiar with "righty tighty, lefty loosey"? if you are I think you'll have no problem the filter is in the metal cylinder thing next to your alternator if you didn't already know that

[bamaland]

oh ok lol. i didnt know if i could do it myself i remember my uncles had to have the oil vacuumed out or something like that lol well thats cool thanks tifreak!

i tell you i really do love this car though.. i hope i can find a parts car the same color or atleast black

[tiFreak]

Originally Posted by bamaland

oh ok lol. i didnt know if i could do it myself i remember my uncles had to have the oil vacuumed out or something like that lol well thats cool thanks tifreak!

i tell you i really do love this car though.. i hope i can find a parts car the same color or atleast black

I think your uncle was using a top-side oil extractor, makes it so you don't have to crawl under the car but I'm not convinced you're really getting all the oil out that way

I believe that color is Boston green, it's a fairly common color, front end parts from a sedan will work as well, but not from a coupe

[bamaland]

thats good to know! thanks.
will the m3 front bumper cover fit my ti?

[tiFreak]

yes it will, ddmtuning.com carries really nice aftermarket bumpers for a good price

[bamaland]

ok last question lol, when i roll over a bump either in the yard or on the road i think both passenger wheels clank as if it was metal hitting metal real fast and in quick motions

i know i need shocks/struts but would that be the ball joints or bushings on it?

im a d-i-y guy so the more i can learn about these babies the more money i can spend on getting it back to originalish condition lol.

[tiFreak]

could be ball joints, could be sway bar links, could be the shocks, I'd shake the wheel with the car off the ground and see if there's any unusual play, and use a pry bar on the sway bar links to see if they have any play

[mohaughn]

I have grey door panels that need the plastic mounting pieces glued back on. You might also have to find a few of the mounting pieces as I don't know if I have all of them.. The clips coming off of the door panels is a fairly common problem with a few threads around here detailing what needs to be done to get the panels to work properly.

My parents live in Pensacola, and will be at my house next week, so you could do a somewhat local pickup. Let me know what interior pieces you are looking for and I will let you know what I have. Mine is a 95 with grey interior that is a gutted track car. So just have the stuff sitting in my garage and I'm about to do some housecleaning of stuff.

[bamaland]

mohaughn: sent you a pm man! let me know.. i may need more things i have door panel clips just no panels! lol

tifreak: yea i just got my jack back so ill be checking it out soon as i find something to chock my wheels with (my e-brake doesn't work for some reason lol.. like there is no pressure applied to the rear brakes at all!)

i got a friend that works at the euro dealership here in town, he asked me to bring it by saturday which i will!

hopefully this isn't gonna cost me an arm and a leg to fix up..

if i get this new job then ill be able to do the work myself since ill have access to a lift and any tool i could ever need lol

[UberWagen]

Hello my fellow Alabamian

[bamaland]

yo! whats up ubb! where bout in bama you stay?

[UberWagen]

Originally Posted by bamaland

yo! whats up ubb! where bout in bama you stay?

In Valley, it's about 15 minutes north of Auburn.