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Thread: Build Thread: 1991 325ic Restoration + engine swap

  1. #776
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    1991 325iC Project
    I am starting to reassemble the car. The trunk lid, convertible top hatch, doors and fenders have been put in place but the final alignment has not been completed. None of the latches are installed yet and the door glass and risers still have to be done. Gonna be a challenge figuring where everything goes!






  2. #777
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    1991 325iC Project
    I had built this rack to hold the hood, trunk lid, top storage lid, doors, bumpers and spoiler after they were painted. I did not need it anymore after I installed all the parts and it sure freed up a lot of space in my garage after it was disassembled.



    My 8 year old grandson Christian provided some cheap non-union labor in the disassembly process of the rack. Gotta save all the money I can!



    The hood is now on as seen in the above photo.
    Last edited by JimBobs 91E30; 05-28-2018 at 04:04 PM.

  3. #778
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    Spoiler with LED 3rd brake light installed.




  4. #779
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    It's the little stuff that slows everything down. The door on the driver's side would not lock, either with a key from the outside or the push rod on the inside. Not that it really matters since it is a convertible and locks are basically useless, but I wanted everything to work properly so I decided to fix the lock. It appears that the central locking system actuator in the door was frozen which kept the locking lever from moving. I decided that I did not have any use for the central locking system anyway so I removed the actuator and its associated linkages and that did the trick. Then I found that some of the nylon grommets that the other linkages go through were brittle and broken so now I am waiting for new ones to arrive.

    Most of this stuff will not be used, only the latch mechanism itself and the linkage rod and inside door pull lever.



    The rear bumper and apron are now installed. When I attached the rear plastic bumper fascia to the bumper carrier the front edges of the wrap-around part extended slightly too far past the wheel well opening so I simply shimmed the rear bumper shocks out slightly and everything lined up perfectly.

    I did not want to use my old tail lights on the fresh newly painted car because they were a little faded and discolored but I could not find a new OEM set. They apparently are NLA, and the last ones available were listed for around $330. each. The convertibles up to 1990 use the same tail lights as the older sedans and coupes. I think it was pre-1987. I took a look at some of the aftermarket ones and decided to give a set by DNN a try. I was pleasantly surprised that the quality seemed quite good and they fit perfectly. The only glitch I had was the wiring from the tail light to the plug on the passenger side was about two inches too short and I could not find any slack at all in the body harness to make it work. I ended up splicing, soldering and extending the plug wiring on the body about four inches. After that everything worked just fine. The driver's side light did not need any modification.

    This set is the "smoked" version. The turn signal bulb is amber but no amber is visible until the signal is turned on.






  5. #780
    Join Date
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    corpus christi, texas
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    No e30s, again :(
    that car looks great. that red is so bright and perfect
    No e30s again.

  6. #781
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    That is the prettiest E30 I've ever seen! Good call on the door lock mechanisms too - as you said, really no point using locks on a convertible.
    E30 325iC turbo convertible project in progress (updated 12/23/15):
    Car fully tuned on completely rebuilt M20 w/forged internals, MLS head gasket
    Suspension, brakes, exhaust fully installed
    New carpet, custom reupholstered seats installed, door panels painted to match
    Custom center console gauge panel installed
    Plastic bumper conversion complete, MTech2 front spoiler installed
    Rear bumper conversion in progress
    Build thread: http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...on-engine-swap

  7. #782
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    1991 325iC Project
    Thanks for the kind words. The front bumpers are now installed as well as the newly rebuilt door latch/lock mechanisms.





    After I get all the body parts lined up correctly the car goes back to the paint shop to have the black gravel guards sprayed on the rocker panels and corresponding fender lines. Shane, the shop owner, suggested that I consider having the car coated with a coating by Ceramic Pro. (www.cpnorthatlanta.com). He highly recommends it so I am doing some research now.

  8. #783
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    1991 325iC Project

    Extra lift needed for the trunk lid with spoiler installed.

    When I installed the spoiler on the trunk lid the extra weight was considerably more than the oem lift strut could compensate for. The trunk lid would not remain open when raised by hand so I tried to find a replacement strut designed for a trunk lid with a spoiler. There apparently was one in the past specific for an E30 with an M3 type spoiler but every source I checked showed it to be NLA. I measured the original strut for overall length and piston travel and I also used a scale to measure the downward force exerted on the shock by the weight of the trunk lid with the spoiler. I measured the downward force at 56#, or 249N. I then found a source at www.liftsupportsdepot.com and ordered P/N SE200PSS70E32. It had the correct length specs and the correct end size with a force rating of 70#. It fit perfectly and the trunk lid feels about neutral to a little positive in lift and it remains open until the lid is pushed back down by hand to close.


  9. #784
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    After installing the door latches/locks I started installing the window lift regulators. At this point I discovered that the almost 30 year old nylon rollers were ready to call it a day and self-destruct. They were so brittle that they basically crumbled.





    My first thought was to simply replace the rollers. Only problem is they are not actually replaceable, at least not without considerable effort and engineering. Their center shafts are actually long rivets that are difficult to remove. I also was not able to find a replacement for an E30 setup. I did manage to remove one to measure it and see if I could find something similar.



    There is a groove in the center of the roller with a soft rubber ring inside. I am not sure what the purpose for the groove is because the entire roller fits inside a track and nothing rides in the groove. The diameter of the roller has to be the correct size to fit inside the upper and lower groove flanges.



    The groove may be to allow a little side-to-side flex in the roller to help keep it from jamming in the groove. Anyway I decided to just replace both window regulators. I found some new after-market ones at about a third of the price of the oem ones. The original ones don't seem to be all that precision so I am hoping the others will be as good.

  10. #785
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    The new aftermarket window regulators I had ordered from Advance Auto Parts arrived and at first glance they looked very good. However, after a closer look these regulators apparently are not for a convertible even though the Advance Auto website states that they will fit. The regulators for the 325iC are different from the ones that fit the coupe. Comparing the two it is clear that the geometry angles are different and one of the roller arms is shorter than the original.




    So it is back to Advance Auto they go and I will order the oem ones.

    Note: I did return them the next day to a local Advance Auto store and they immediately gave me a refund with no hassle.
    Last edited by JimBobs 91E30; 06-20-2018 at 09:42 PM.

  11. #786
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    After the car was reassembled it went back to the shop to have the black gravel guard strips sprayed on the rocker panels and then for the final "cutting and buffing." Not being a body shop or paint specialist I had to ask what "cut and buff" actually meant. For those like me who do not really know, this is the process following painting that involves the final sanding, polishing and buffing to remove any imperfections, dust specks and orange peel. I once again removed the tail lights, spoiler, door handles and door locks to make the process easier to complete. Then I brought the car home to have a ceramic coating (also called nano-ceramic coating) applied.




    The guys at the shop and several others HIGHLY recommended this. Because the car had just been finished all of the major labor had been done so about all that was left to do was a final polish and then the actual ceramic coat application. This reduced the usual price of $600-$800 down to $250! As I was typing this post the tech from Detail Science just drove up to do the coating. I had offered to let him do it in my air conditioned garage and he seemed quite happy to accept my offer.

  12. #787
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    The paint is finally done and the ceramic coating is complete! The car is so shiny that it is difficult to take a picture of it. This photo was taken with the garage doors closed and the lights turned off early in the morning. The side moldings have been installed. The chrome moldings will be primed and painted black.





    The chrome "325 i" emblem is supposed to go on the right side of the trunk lid but I see where many people like to de-badge that emblem for a cleaner look. Now is the time to make that decision since the new one has not yet been installed.



    I am now waiting for the new window regulators to arrive so I can finish the doors. I have also ordered new weatherstripping for the side windows. The chrome window trim molding will be sanded and primed with SEM self-etching primer and then sprayed with SEM trim black paint. Then the new weatherstripping will be attached to the molding before installation on the car.
    Last edited by JimBobs 91E30; 11-17-2018 at 04:01 PM.

  13. #788
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    No e30s, again :(
    wow!!! that is one shiny car. I would leave the 325i off because I don't like any badges but its totally up to you. with all the time and money you have in this car, you can put it back on for the look of a beautiful restoration and no one will be mad. its a super nice looking car
    No e30s again.

  14. #789
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    Thank you for the nice comments! I am going to give it a lot of thought before I decide on the emblem. I think I will wait until all the trim is back on the car and then decide.

  15. #790
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    The rear seats and side panels have been installed along with the inner and outer window weatherstripping and black trim.



    The original chrome trim was sanded with 320 & 400 grit sandpaper and finished with Scotchbrite. Then the trim was primed with SEM self-etching metal primer and finished with SEM trim black paint. I have ordered the Euro-style bumper impact strips. They do not have cut-outs for side marker lights which I think gives the car a cleaner look. I am still waiting for the door window regulators so I can finish the doors. After that comes a new windshield and installation of the convertible top. That should about finish it except for a few little things, like making some brackets to mount the fog lights in the front valance.
    Last edited by JimBobs 91E30; 06-30-2018 at 09:59 PM.

  16. #791
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    The bumper impact strips arrived today. They are the Euro style that do not have cut-outs for side marker lights.





    Seems like each little step makes the car look better and better.

    The door window regulators are scheduled to arrive tomorrow. That has been the big hold-up in finishing the doors. Once the door windows are installed I can finish the trim, install the inside door panels and the rest of the interior. The windshield and top come next and then it is about done!

  17. #792
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    No e30s, again :(
    man, that car is going to be so nice once you are done. it will be for nice cruises and no parking at the stores where people will just slam their door into yours without thinking about it
    No e30s again.

  18. #793
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    Yep. I am pretty sure it will not be spending a lot of time unattended in parking lots! I am currently fabricating mounts for the fog lights. The original pre-facelift valance has been removed and it did not have provisions for mounting the newer style fog lights anyway and the new M-Tech style front valance has cut-outs but no mounting points for the lights. I started by using a 4' piece of steel angle bar to bolt horizontally behind the valance by bolting it to the radiator core support. At each end I will fabricate brackets to match the mounts on the fog lights. Since new OEM fog lights are over $200 each I tried a set of the cheapo Chinese knock-offs on Ebay. I wasted my money.....don't waste yours! Pure junk! Not only that, they sent me two passenger side units. That is the reason you can see one fog light mounted in the previous photo. I am just using it as a temporary pattern to position the mount. I am waiting for new OEM ones to arrive so I can finish the mounts.


  19. #794
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    No e30s, again :(
    got it noted.
    No e30s again.

  20. #795
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    The new OEM window regulators arrived today. For what they cost I thought about putting them in my safe deposit box but went ahead and installed them in the car.



    I did not see how they were removed because Don at the body shop had taken them out so I really did not know how difficult it would be to reinstall. Basically the motors are swapped, the units are guided in place inside the door and you work with the windows pulled almost all the way up. The only tips I can give are to wait until the rollers are in their tracks before putting any of the three mounting screws in, and mark the holes in the door that the screws go in since there are a few extra holes and this will prevent a little confusion. It was not difficult at all and took less than ten minutes for each side. The regulators came lubricated and it was cool to see how smooth the windows worked, just like new! Now I can start putting the door panels and window trim back on.

  21. #796
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    The new OEM fog lights arrived today so I worked on the mounting brackets that I am fabricating. There are already five bolts in place that hold the skid plate to the core support so I drilled my angle crossbar to use those same bolts. There really was no simple way to measure the distance from the crossbar to the mounting points on the fog light frame so I basically made the brackets for each light and then clamped them in place on the crossbar using a lot of trial and error until I got the fit I wanted. Then I welded it all together, primed everything and painted it. Tomorrow I plan to finish the installation.



    I also have to do a little minor re-wiring. The original fog lights on this car were the ones that hang below the "diving board" bumper. The plug for those are different so I bought the plugs that fit the newer style lights. I just need to install them too.

  22. #797
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    The fog light frames are finished.





    The cross bar is held in place with the same bolts that hold the front of the skid pan to the core support.



    The fit looks OK to me.

    Last edited by JimBobs 91E30; 11-17-2018 at 04:03 PM.

  23. #798
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    I figured that it would be an easy job to hook up the new fog lights and try them out. After all, everything was in place and all I had to do was change the plugs and it should work.......but nothing happened when I turned on the switch. I was getting no power to the lights so I printed out the wiring diagram for the fog lights and started trouble shooting. The fog light panel switch gets power from the low beam circuit on the main headlight switch to energize the fog light relay. It is wired that way so the fog lights will only illuminate when the low beam headlights are on. I ended up pulling the panel switch and found this:



    Hint: Supposed to be separate wires, each covered in a different color of insulation. The original old style lights never worked while I had the car but I never went to the trouble of finding out why. One of the toasted wires was the 12V+ tap from the low beam side of the main switch to the fog light switch and the other wire was from the fog light switch to the relay. Anyway, after doing a bit of re-wiring I now have this:

    Last edited by JimBobs 91E30; 07-13-2018 at 07:45 PM.

  24. #799
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    I was going through the rest of my parts for this car and came up with a pair of these:



    They are brake cooling ducts that came with the new front valance. They connect the vent openings next to the fog lights on the valance to the lower wheel well liner. I do not recall them being on the older style valance below the diving board bumpers but maybe they were. Anyway, it appears that they just fit snugly between the valance and the wheel well liner with no other support but I decided to make a bracket that would secure the duct to the new fog light frame for a little added security.


  25. #800
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    Almost done!?
    E30 325iC turbo convertible project in progress (updated 12/23/15):
    Car fully tuned on completely rebuilt M20 w/forged internals, MLS head gasket
    Suspension, brakes, exhaust fully installed
    New carpet, custom reupholstered seats installed, door panels painted to match
    Custom center console gauge panel installed
    Plastic bumper conversion complete, MTech2 front spoiler installed
    Rear bumper conversion in progress
    Build thread: http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...on-engine-swap

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