New black touring - up for sale sadly

[oomz1975]

Hey its been a while, any new developements?????

[Bump]

Car is at Ant's having a service.

Been faultless for 12 months, then 2 weeks before MOT I didn't use it for any long journeys and the battery (possibly original or only the second one in 20 years as had bmw stickers on it) packed up. Seemed to have messed up 1 of the 3 (!!!!!) immobilisers apparently fitted and led to it randomly cutting out. May have been the fuel pump, so got a new one on there and Ant reports all back to normal.

Anyway, if there's one place you don't want to breakdown its if you're on the way to Ant's about to enter the Blackwall tunnel. I got moved by police and then 4 hours later got a tow down to the workshop where it is at the moment. Bit annoying, but it's been the best beemer I've had, cracking car to drive and mess about with.

As it's the fishing close season I'm clearing out my spare room and getting all the bits ready to finish the interior when I get it back next week as it's been incomplete and a mess for too long inside. It deserves finishing now.

Doubt I can remember how it all goes back together to be honest but I'll have fun trying I'm sure...

So more pics soon..I hope!

[gruffalo]

Brilliant thread Bump! Makes me want to work a bit harder on my tired looking touring!

[Bump]

Mr Ant A-Tech currently swapping the 3.91 diff to a 3.64 ratio for longer gearing and more relaxed motorway driving (which is what I do most of)

Looking forward to getting it back I must say.

I will finish the interior and not leave it half done with wires hanging out for another 12 months
I will finish the interior and not leave it half done with wires hanging out for another 12 months
I will finish the interior and not leave it half done with wires hanging out for another 12 months
I will finish the interior and not leave it half done with wires hanging out for another 12 months
I will finish the interior and not leave it half done with wires hanging out for another 12 months
I will finish the interior and not leave it half done with wires hanging out for another 12 months
I will finish the interior and not leave it half done with wires hanging out for another 12 months
I will finish the interior and not leave it half done with wires hanging out for another 12 months
I will finish the interior and not leave it half done with wires hanging out for another 12 months
I will finish the interior and not leave it half done with wires hanging out for another 12 months
I will finish the interior and not leave it half done with wires hanging out for another 12 months
I will finish the interior and not leave it half done with wires hanging out for another 12 months
I will finish the interior and not leave it half done with wires hanging out for another 12 months
I will finish the interior and not leave it half done with wires hanging out for another 12 months
I will finish the interior and not leave it half done with wires hanging out for another 12 months
I will finish the interior and not leave it half done with wires hanging out for another 12 months
I will finish the interior and not leave it half done with wires hanging out for another 12 months
I will finish the interior and not leave it half done with wires hanging out for another 12 months
I will finish the interior and not leave it half done with wires hanging out for another 12 months
I will finish the interior and not leave it half done with wires hanging out for another 12 months
I will finish the interior and not leave it half done with wires hanging out for another 12 months
I will finish the interior and not leave it half done with wires hanging out for another 12 months
I will finish the interior and not leave it half done with wires hanging out for another 12 months
I will finish the interior and not leave it half done with wires hanging out for another 12 months
I will finish the interior and not leave it half done with wires hanging out for another 12 months
I will finish the interior and not leave it half done with wires hanging out for another 12 months
I will finish the interior and not leave it half done with wires hanging out for another 12 months
I will finish the interior and not leave it half done with wires hanging out for another 12 months
I will finish the interior and not leave it half done with wires hanging out for another 12 months
I will finish the interior and not leave it half done with wires hanging out for another 12 months
I will finish the interior and not leave it half done with wires hanging out for another 12 months
I will finish the interior and not leave it half done with wires hanging out for another 12 months
I will finish the interior and not leave it half done with wires hanging out for another 12 months
I will finish the interior and not leave it half done with wires hanging out for another 12 months

[bobbin1982]

Just found this and you gave me a laugh with your comments after i have been tackling a crappy fuel problem today in my touring (sorted now)
Your touring looks well clean and the interior should be spanky too

GL with the rest of it


Andy

[Bump]

If anyone is thinking about changing diff ratios I'd thoroughly recommend it.

Gone from a 3.91 to 3.64 and on the motorway I now no longer look to change up to a non-existant 6th gear.

Most of my driving is pootling around london til I get to a motorway to go off fishing. It's a much more relaxed motorway drive now, far less frantic and will happily cruise at 90.

Acceleration is reduced as the trade off with the longer gearing, but the police disco that pulled me over on the holloway road seemed to think it was fine, although they did mention they weren't that impressed once or twice

Luckily they were in a side street so didn't clock the speed as I went past..

Anyway, I've swapped in a chip that Ant gave me last year that puts the power lower down the rev range and that has perked things up a bit around town so it's a pretty decent balance now.

Ant addressed the one small area of rust on the car under the rear quarter panel and welded in a new patch by the rear valance. So all is 100% solid and the car freshly undersealed now to protect and keep it that way for a good few years. Nice.

Got a big pile of bits ready for the final sort out to finish off the car but it's chucking it down now so it'll have to wait. Pics to follow.

Considering dying the carpet and rear luggage compartment black now to match the headlining..is this a crap idea?

[toby]

Ant kindly provided me with exactly the same differential ratio swap last week and it's so much nicer to drive now. It's like a properly geared 325i now.

With reference to dying the grey trim, I don't believe in dying the fabric in vehicles as a long term success. I've never seen one that looks and that the colour lasts well.

[Bump]

Ant kindly provided me with exactly the same differential ratio swap last week and it's so much nicer to drive now. It's like a properly geared 325i now.

With reference to dying the grey trim, I don't believe in dying the fabric in vehicles as a long term success. I've never seen one that looks and that the colour lasts well.

hi Toby, tis a nice improvement isn't it.

I had a quick read and the valeterspride dye stuff seemed to get a good result for some on here - not sure how long term though as you say.

Might get some and try it on some spare bits of carpet I have.

[toby]

Stop messing about and just go fishing! Surely it's the weather for it?

[Bump]

ha ha I am just pissing about reading about e30's on here when all the while I could be sitting out in a torrential downpour and getting soaked..

[rrs]

Ant kindly provided me with exactly the same differential ratio swap last week and it's so much nicer to drive now. It's like a properly geared 325i now.

With reference to dying the grey trim, I don't believe in dying the fabric in vehicles as a long term success. I've never seen one that looks and that the colour lasts well.

hi Toby, tis a nice improvement isn't it.

We should start a 3.64 touring club, I dragged mine into place last month. I'm loving the improved town drive-ability and the fact that I got 38mpg on a long run last weekend put a smile on my face all week!

[StuBeeDoo]

I've been running a 3.64 in my touring for 5 years - firstly with the 2.0 and now with the 2.7.
The 3.64 is good, but now the 2.7 has some miles on it, I'm tempted to try a 3.46, I'm sure the 2.7 would pull it just fine.

[JGTI]

Have you already finished the interior?? 12 months' deadline fast approaching.

And i need fresh motivation for my touring..

Really looking forward to the interior shots!!!

[Bump]

Ok so this weekend the car is getting a bit of love and attention, few little jobs to do - like finish the interior. Got some brand new plastic side sills to put on, brand new fogs to fit as one is cracked.

I might even put the steering wheel on straight. Amazing what you can get used to for 12 months..

It's been boringly reliable now since I can't remember when. Passed it's MOT with nothing needing doing. On 78k now. Not much else to say really. Probably my favourite car I've ever had. Love it.

Tempted to do something daft with it engine wise but it'd be messing with a totally straight and original car.

Pics will be forthcoming after a clean up this weekend.

[Bump]

Right, been sweating away for a good few hours today finishing off bits and bobs and generally giving the car a good clean up inside and out.

It's the cleanest it's been in the two years I've had it and pretty pleased with how it's scrubbed up now I've got it all back together.

Just read back through this thread to see the before and after since I first bought it - and I know it's not a patch on some of the builds and restorations people take on - but for me with very limited skills it's very satisfying to see the improvements. Big up the e30 simplicity!

So here's some random pics, and I've tried to get some of the interior and the black headlining but they dont come out very well. It's flat black but the flash makes it look like it's grey or has crap all over it for some reason. Anyway,














My mate who rear ended someone in his sport once got some brand new fogs on the insurance which he never used, so I put those on today to replace the one that was cracked and one didn't have a seal. Looks bit better:













Ok interior shots. This is what it started out as, cracked dash, pretty sun beaten greyness all round:



Now it's basically all black, everywhere except the carpet. All looks a bit glossy which is thanks to the flash but it isn't in the flesh/plastic.











New pedals and a tremendously interesting photograph :



Alpina stereo is a really good match for the orange dash lights:





Here's the sport panel which I also painted black as per the dash etc:



Done my best to get some of the black headlining here not very successfully. This pic is what it actually looks like colourwise:



This pic makes it sort of grey for some reason, and it looks filthy - it's not. It matches the sport front panel perfectly but maybe the velvety texture goes a bit weird in the flash:



Here the sunroof panel in exactly the same fabric as the rest of the headlining looks a completely different colour:



The fabric matches the roof pull handle things colourwise exactly, but it looks shite in these pictures:



Stevie Wonder did not help me put the roof together. So enough of that.

Engine bay I give a bit of gunk once a year and the grime is slowly coming off:








And that's pretty much it now, not sure there's much else to do beyond getting all anal under the bonnet which sounds like a detailers euphemism for something horrible. The paint on the wing mirrors has begun to flake a little so they're letting the side down a touch but they're easily fixed..eventually.

Might get the injectors cleaned - does it make a difference? Needs a service, and I failed to put the steering wheel on straight again so a few things to do on reflection.

Cheers for all the help from on here

[tonybtonyb]

looks stunning mate

[TouringMatt]

Top work fella, i'd be chuffed to bits if mine looked half as good as that

[THEHOOD]

Looks mint! good work

[oomz1975]

Nothing wrong with that headlining from where I'm sitting, the whole car looks like alot of love has gone into it.
Well done....

[Gothydude]

Looks
Bloody Lovley mate ;)

[Bump]

Looks
Bloody Lovley mate ;)

Thought you might like the black

And thanks for the nice comments.

[MurphyE30]

very nice touring, looks super clean all round and the interior looks great.

nice work

[Jozi]

That looks like a very nice touring! Did you retro fit the sunroof panel? I have one that came with my electric sunroof bits, not sure about fitting it though

[Bump]

The inside sun roof panel do you mean? If so yes I recovered that in the black fabric and refitted it. It was all 20 year old saggy beige crap on there when I got it originally.

[Jozi]

Yeah the sunroof panel, but you must have had one already going by your reply. Wonder are they hard to source for a touring as the sport one is meant to be hard enough to make fit.

[Bump]

Not sure, are all interior sun roof panels not the same size?

The exterior panels are all the same size between models so it follows the panel inside would be too.

Earlier on in this thread there's a bit about recovering the headlining and sunroof panel too, might help.

[lostbeachbum]

Such a great idea fitting in the sport panel. I will attempt this at a later date.

[capri_rob]

Just read this from start to finish - the headlining refit has now filled me with dread !!!

Mine is at the trimmers being done in black suede as we speak but I'm just gonna fit black sunvisors rather than a saloon front panel.

Did you re-glue it around the sunroof aperture and door shuts or just use the sunroof trim screwed down and the door seals to hold it in place ?

[DanThe]

There are two blocks which hold the front trim up to the sunroof aperture Rob, they are held up with screws from above, most have came unstuck from the panel but its just a case of new glue. Well worth fitting the front panel IMO, I think it will look a bit odd with suede against black sunvisors.
Just give me a shout if you want help to refit it

[capri_rob]

The blocks are still in situ on my panel Dan - I think theres actually 2 either side of the sunroof opening.

What I'm concerned about is folding the material from the panel over the edge of the lip on the sunroof aperture and then trying to hold it in place whilst I screw the mech back down to clamp it.

[DanThe]

Its easy mate, the headlining material is the difficult stuff, spray glue is what I used to do my headlining, I sprayed it in the cap and used a brush to get it where its needed

[JGTI]

Wonderful!!! Cheers to you, Bump!

[Bump]

It is honestly pretty easy getting the fabirc round the sunroof. Just take your time and it all goes on bit by bit.

You'll cut yourself about 80 times obviously if you're as clumsy as I am.

Massively recommend the front sport panel. It makes it look factory if you spray it matching black too and basically just screws on. Nice and simple.

A lot better than the sunvisors over the top.

[kingludba]

What plush looking head lining, I want

[Alpina99]

That is very, very nice,
Thanks for the tips with all the work I've got to do on mine,