Question for owners of 318i or 323i vert with factory manual top

[sreidvt2]

I'm part way through changing my semi-automatic top to a full manual. Once I remove the top motor there will be a hole in the top compartment where the lever drive shaft from the top motor used to come through (driver's side near the rear of the top compartment). The hole is sort of a triangle with rounded corners. Its location can be seen in this article http://www.lifeofreily.org/1999BMW328/E36manualtop.htm just above the heading "now for the front of the car".

For the cars that came stock with manual tops there must be a factory rubber plug there. Would any owners have a moment to look at that plug and see what the part number is? No luck finding it yet on realoem.

Thanks.

[66 6]

No hole for true full manual top cars. You can always just leave the motor/arm there or make a plastic plate and use sealer to prevent water intrusion to the truck.

[sreidvt2]

No hole for true full manual top cars. You can always just leave the motor/arm there or make a plastic plate and use sealer to prevent water intrusion to the truck.

Interesting...My semi-auto top car has the needed holes for the manual top parts but the reverse is not the case for the manual top cars. Thanks for saving me from wasting time searching for a part that does not exist. I will fabricate something sealed because I am removing all of the auto top parts.

Cheers,

[sreidvt2]

I ended up sealing the motor opening from below using flat black rubber cut from a piece meant to be used on corners in roofing. Got all the cables installed, cut the rear side panel for the latch handle and tweaked the adjustments on the catches and striker bars (BMW has excellent adjustment options for this) so that the tonneau cover latched correctly. I now have an E36 with a fully manual top. At last... There is a bit of an initial heft to get the top started upwards but otherwise nice and simple. Thanks for the posts.

[66 6]

I ended up sealing the motor opening from below using flat black rubber cut from a piece meant to be used on corners in roofing. Got all the cables installed, cut the rear side panel for the latch handle and tweaked the adjustments on the catches and striker bars (BMW has excellent adjustment options for this) so that the tonneau cover latched correctly. I now have an E36 with a fully manual top. At last... There is a bit of an initial heft to get the top started upwards but otherwise nice and simple. Thanks for the posts.

Nice,
The full manual top actually had two struts, one on each side of the frame assembly. Semi/full only had one on the passenger side to balance out the push from the motor on the drivers. I would image that any 20 year old strut is crap. Replacing the one on the passenger side and seeing if you can add one to the driver's would help with the heft.

[sreidvt2]

Nice,
The full manual top actually had two struts, one on each side of the frame assembly. Semi/full only had one on the passenger side to balance out the push from the motor on the drivers. I would image that any 20 year old strut is crap. Replacing the one on the passenger side and seeing if you can add one to the driver's would help with the heft.

That's a great tip. I had already replaced the struts for the tonneau cover but I did not even realize there were struts on the top frame itself. I'll go look for the one on the passenger side and see if I can replace that as well as add one for the driver's side. Knowing BMW, the bosses for the driver's side strut might be there indeed.

So is it part number 54318135313, number 21 on this diagram?: https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/sho...diagId=54_0181

Edit: I've now looked at the strut mounting and think I have a plan for this: https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...u-cover-struts