Diving in at the shallow end!

[motorV8ed]

No real content here -- just a small report. We just got back from a pleasant, top-down drive looking at fall colors. (It is not nearly peak here yet, but some of the early-turning trees were nice.) I still haven't managed to get the automatic top working; I cannot get the control unit to sync the motors. So I am stuck putting the top up and down manually, and I cannot run on the highway with the top down (because the tonneau cover isn't fully flush). But still having fun!

[C10 LS1 1968]

Paul,

Jim here. That's so odd about the top. It worked well for me. The only thing I had to do as I put the top down as it got close to being down was kind of tuck the head liner in by hand to get the top down all the way and get the cover completely closed. In the convertible section there is detail about adding rubber "bands" to help tuck the head liner in as the top goes down. Also in that section detailed instructions on syncing the top motors.

Just FYI top down days may be about over for a few days. 2-3" of snow here today. I suspect it's heading your way.

Regards,

[motorV8ed]

Hi, Jim,

Thanks for the thoughts. Yes, it is odd. I can't even know yet about whether the mechanicals are off-kilter at all. Right now, I cannot get the control module to move the motors at all.

Before I knew what it was for, I pulled the emergency release lever, disengaging the two motors. I then learned how one is supposed to re-engage them and then re-sync the motors. But essentially nothing happens when I employ the procedure to re-sync. I have started working my way through the microswitches, making sure they are open and closed when they should be. So far, they have all checked out okay, but still no re-sync.

I haven't given up yet, but I am starting to contemplate which would be less painful: take it to the BMW $tealership, or build my own control module from an Arduino or Raspberry Pi.

[motorV8ed]

I just put the baby to bed for the winter. However, I've never had a "toy" car before, so I am somewhat ignorant. Anything I should do when storing it overwinter? Disconnect the battery? Anything with fluids?

[bimerok]

Disconnecting the batter or putting it on a trickle charge and may be adding a fuel stabilizer to the gas tank should be all you need.

[motorV8ed]

Thank you!

[JimLev]

After putting fuel stabilizer in the tank you should run it for a while so the stabilizer gets up to the injectors.

[motorV8ed]

I didn't actually know that, but it makes a lot of sense once you say it!

[motorV8ed]

Not much new here, just giving a small update on my A/C project. I decided to post this here at this time mostly to prevent a mini-threadjack of wbrnetr's nice build thread.

After an abortive attempt to make my own inexpensive, block-hugging bracket, I decided to get the ICTBillet bracket to allow mounting a compressor from an E46 (or E83, I think). I chose that for economics and the hope that adapting the refrigerant lines would be easier. (As far as I am aware, this is the only bracket that allows for use of a common, tangent-mount compressor, hence the economical angle. I picked up an E46 compressor and refrigerant lines from the pick and pull already.)

It looks like I will still have to modify 3 of the 4 A/C refrigerant lines, sadly. At this point, I am hoping I can "marry" the two lines to and from the compressor by cutting both the E36 and E46 lines at the rubber hose, then splice them together. The other modification is the need to get the GM pressure sensor into the high-pressure line, as others have managed to do by one means or another.