Jim's Chromie Thread - Hail Storm Aftermath

[Kedge]

I'm after the 2 joining peices for the front chrome bumpers, you got some knocking about? And are you still visiting tomorrow for cake and cuddles?

Not got those fella! Gonna have to give the cake and cuddles a miss tomorrow, had a better offer!

[DanThe]

The blue bits are dust covers, they come with Bilstein shocks, they do the same job as the black sleeves you usually see. Not sure on the cost of powder coating as they were done with a load of other stuff, i'm guessing £30 would see them done and some change! Just Google powdercoaters and then e-mail them for a qoute.

As for shocks, check there is no sign of any leaks. Also when compressed they should come back up easily and quickly. If they are leaking or don't come back up they are scrap.

Don't scrap them if the Bilstien B6'8's jim, they can be rebuilt.

That's true. Any how much that costs?

To rebuild B8's I was quoted £80 + return post + VAT per unit from Bilstein at Leicester, this was about 4 years ago when you could buy them new on special offer for under £100 a corner

[Jim320i]

Don't scrap them if the Bilstien B6'8's jim, they can be rebuilt.

That's true. Any how much that costs?

To rebuild B8's I was quoted £80 + return post + VAT per unit from Bilstein at Leicester, this was about 4 years ago when you could buy them new on special offer for under £100 a corner

They'll make there was onto Ebay then with a friendly warning and i'd look at a better second hand pair elsewhere.

Unless anyone can recommend a full set of shocks for dirt cheap...

[Kedge]

Can see what comes off the 323, it's been lowered a fair bit and is pretty stiff so i assume they're updated shocks. Or have a word with Matt, think he can get holds os sachs stuff, we know he won't mind doing a qoute for you

[Meatballs82]

I spend half of my life quoting Jim!! Don't spend as much time booking the quotes out though

[Kedge]

Has he ever bought anything??

[Meatballs82]

He did buy an air freshner once but returned it after realising it was him that stank, not the car

[Jim320i]

He did buy an air freshner once but returned it after realising it was him that stank, not the car

Your both coonts...

And that air freshner was rubbish...


Anyway, you finished my newest quote yet?

[Duke137]

Nice car Jimbo! I do like this.

Are you running Motronic 1.3? I have the full set up from a facelift 'spazbox' car.

Also I have a set of HID's for preface lights spare if you are interested, and that under dash panel with your name on it

[Rav335uk]

Also I have a set of HID's for preface lights spare if you are interested,

I wouldn't go putting HID's in prefacelift lights Jim, you'll piss more people off, infact more than you do now.

[Jim320i]

Nice car Jimbo! I do like this.

Are you running Motronic 1.3? I have the full set up from a facelift 'spazbox' car.

Also I have a set of HID's for preface lights spare if you are interested, and that under dash panel with your name on it

I'm not running the Motronic 1.3 mate, although I feel I should be... I'm certain I have a full set up for this too but I dont knwo whats included, so a illustrated picture and some info might help me

And the under Dash panel, can you post it for that price too? If so, bear with me and I'll paypal you some pennies over once the missus stop taking it all out of paypal

Also I have a set of HID's for preface lights spare if you are interested,

I wouldn't go putting HID's in prefacelift lights Jim, you'll pee pee more people off, infact more than you do now.

People love me on the road...

Thought about putting Smilies into her but not sure if it would look good or not So if anyone has a picture of a chromie with smilies in that would help.

And HID's, I have never been a fan of, they drive me fooking mad when I see people with them. I like to guess where im heading at night anyway

It's been pishing it down so nothing extra has been done yet.

I need to get some high axle stands though so I can work under the cars a bit easier

[Rav335uk]

Get bullseyes Jim, they look good on Chromies, smilies are a bit "Modern"

[Jim320i]

The only problem with them is it makes E30's look like theyre on speed

If you have any pictures or know of a zoners car that has them I can have a nosey...

I dont have a problem with my lights at all, just looking at some upgrades, although its not a major thing at the moment...

The motronic 1.3 upgrade is very appealing though

[Duke137]

Think motronic is all in the wiki Jim, kedge knows what you need he has done it

[Jim320i]

Yeah, I seen that but I cant figure out what I need as its not clear to me I think its just me being thick but pictures help

[Jim320i]

Managed to spend some time on her today finishing off installing the obc...

Still lost on one of the plugs in the engine bay, looks to be the same as the one that plugs into the horn thing, but closer to the bulkhead. Anyway, it works without being plugged in so i'm not all that fussed at the moment.



On, and bright.

I had the choice of 2 styles obc's, the UK one and the USA version, I went for the US version as I preferred 'AVG MPH' to 'Speed' etc etc, plus that one was better condition on the buttons, now just need to figure out how to work it.


Had to see what the Stereo would look like next to it, not wired in though as I havent a clue about stereo electrics so im waiting for a different day.



Looks good

While running the loom into the engine bay from the obc to the front, I thought about looking at why my blowers werent working on the low setting so openned up the cover...


Rusty...



Rusty...



Rusty...



You get the picture. But it was all surface rust So sanded it all back and cleaned it up, then treated it with some rust stuff

Proper pain in the arse as I had to keep taking a picture to see where I had missed etc



Anyway, in the end it was all covered, so popped it all back together and replaced the bulk head cover for a better one as the old one was alittle cracked



All better for now, will need to go back and check it and cover it some more, then want to waxoil it all inside there at some point just to be safe

Thought I would sort the tool kit out too while messing about doing little jobs...





Changed the tray for a better cleaner one and replaced some of the tools with better ones, just need a newer alan key thing now as that ones crap





Also got need carpet side walls to put in, gonna take the old ones out over the weekend and inspect the wells, I know one has a big old hole in there which I will show you tomorrow with any luck, but thats being sorted by the person doing the respray for me so want to just poke holes now as he'll sort out anything that needs doing.

I was then sittting in the car looking for things that needed sorting and thought I would check the sunroof, looked all good, then thought I would take a snap of inside the roof

Driverside of the car



Passengerside of the car



Sooooooo...

Roof lining is coming out so I can inspect it properly, looks to be all surface rust so should easily be sorted as there is no evidence of it on the roof at all, if its back, then its a new roof at worst, but im sure it can be sorted and nipped in the but so to speak.

So gonna be after a Black headlining for her as if im going to the trouble of removing it then I will replace with black, plus when she goes for the respray the front and rear glass are coming out so the roof lining needs to be checked and sorted so when she is back she can be put back together in one day... Assuming that you need the windows out to remove the headlining??? If not, then I can get the roof lining out tomorrow if need be.

That was it for today though.

I was looking at the cruise control kit and trying to figure it out a little, think im gonna hve to add some wiring into the loom to extend it as its for a lhd

Also spotted that my car doesnt have the welded in bracket for the engine bay part to bolt to on the passenger side... But I should be able to put it there still with a couple of holes and some bolts going through where the bracket are suppose to be, but it means wing off to do so, so tomorrow I may attempt that aswell, even if I just get it in place and ready, it will make me feel better.

Had a quote for a few bits to be powder coated too which is only down the road which I was very pleased with so need to get everything off the other car and ready to go off for that when I have the spare cash, want to build the whole rear end up off the car so its just a straight swap over when I do get round to it

More tomorrow no doubt

[capri_rob]

Nice work Jim

Ive already told you - you dont need to worry about how to work the OBC - just figure out how to set the clock as thats all you'll ever use

Did you pull the blower motor out and lube it up ?

If you want any alloy bits doing I can put you in touch with the guy that did my soda/vapour blasting

[Jim320i]

Well I got as far as press the buttons and smiling, then lost interested

Didnt check to see if the stalk was working though so need to check that today.

As for the blow motor, no, didnt get it out, just sprayed it while it was in there, I need to pop back at some point in the future so no doubt I'll have it out then and dunk it in lard then

As for the soda/vapour blasting, yes mate, send me over some details etc, of what you paid etc loction, you know... Details

Whether I go mad on the engine, im not sure yet, I have a oil leak coming from somewhere midway up which I thought was just grime but I cleaned it last year and it all came back pretty sharpish so its leaking something somewhere.

Gonna get all the body sorted and the suspension upgraded then have a proper serious look at he engine itself, make sure its c0ck on so to speak. If not, then I'll pop a 2.5 in or something along those lines. I have a 325es engine here now, whether I ever went down that route I dont know, but what ever I did I would want to build a nice clean engine to pop back in.

Going out shortly Gotr to strip a bit of the breaker for selling then gonna play on mine in the afternoon, then might get on with the chromie

[darkchild]

Good work Jim.

The OBC can be fairly useful IMO. Yes, it's mostly left on the clock feature but the Speed & especially Temperature warnings are nice to have. The MPG part is usually depressing reading if you own an M20 and not overly accurate from personal experience!

[Jim320i]

Well the OBC will most likely be on MPG all the time to remind me to drive more like a nun than I already do. And I can see if im wasting money or not Although I suppose this whole thread/car could be classed as wasting my money

[Jim320i]

Today I went out with the intention of getting to the rust in the roof...

First things first I thught I would get a few bits off the breaker for ebay which I did, then though, i'll get the roof lining off the breaker to see how hard it is as it will need to come off at some point. So I started... A few hours passed and I was still struggling with the sunroof... Fook knows how to remove them with ease. Impossible.

I removed it but with loads of strips of metal and thosands of screws everywhere

Removed the front screen, rear screen, everything going great at this point, started to remove all the lining, too the roof bar sections out and the last bit was the sunroof overlap part, some of which was still underneath metal strips that I could not figure out how to remove

I managed to pry them up slightly, enough to pull the headlinging material out, the last section, about 6cm to go and the coont ripped, right down too so well on show

My plan was to take it out, attempt to dye it and then use it on mine when mine had come out... But no.

Then tried to put the front and rear screens back in to see how hard that would be too... Another job that is impossible after you fully remove them.

So, the plan with mine will be to only remove the rear screen to get to the headlining and not touch it near the actual sunroof, hopefully I will be able to get to what I need to, although there is a layer of foam under the headlining I am unsure about removing? I attempt it on the breaker to see and snapped it straight the way with my stupid heavy hands.

At that point I gave up


The OBC stalk doesnt work the computer either which is a bit of a ball ache... Must be something I havent plugged in

So tomorrow I think i'm just gonna wing it and see what happens, but heading out first thing in the morning and hopefully be out there all day, with the head of 'Eeeferteh' too, so we'll probably be pished by 12 noon

I'll get some pictures of stuff tomorrow though as words are boring.

[capri_rob]

Is it a vinyl headlining in your car Jim ?

If so I don't think I'd worry too much about completely removing it in case you damage it.

Can you get a line in there to spray the roof with Waxoyl ? if its surface rust it will stop it getting any worse anyway.

removing the sunroof is a proper ballache - getting the panel off isnt too bad but I never got as far as completely removing the mechanism.

Undo & Keep all the little screws safe, you can then lift the plates up which gives you access to the cables which you can then clean up and re-grease.

I've still got all the boot carpets from the bronze turd - including the panel that lines the rear panel where the lights are - don't think anything other than 325i's had these - free if you want them

[Jim320i]

Yes rob, its the vinyl type and from what I gather yesterday I should be cool to only drop the back half, which is where the rusty part is. Just then go to get the rear screen back in Then it will be back out again for the respray

Need to pick up some waxoyl today so of to Halfords to get my paints pulled down... Will hopefully remove the surface rust, then treat it with rust stuff, then coat it in inch this waxoyl Ahouls sort it out until im dead atleast.

As for the boot carpets mate, that would be awesome I have the side walls from the breaker which are better condition than mine but need a new floor one, but i'll pick out the best between what I have, then get the rest on ebay that I dont use and any money can be donated to the zone from them

[capri_rob]

Can't remember if I still have the floor ones or not - definately got the sides and the rear panel trim though. You're welcome to them

[Jim320i]

Would be great Rob, I'll sort something out with you when I get to that point if thats cool

At the moment, the search for rust goes on

[Dezzy]

Taking out the roof lining won't help you at all Jim. You'll see no more than you can now. As Rob says get the panel out and spay it full of waxoil. The sunroof cassette is spot welded in as one unit.

Leave the headlining alone mate.

[Jim320i]

Ahh, that mates some sense now

I've only managed to run around to the shps ths morning so far anyway, got some spray Waxoyl so literally just spray it into the void and hope it gets it all? No need to remove the rust first as this will sort it I assume?


Certain that the tilt setting on the sunroof gives enough space to spray into the void so might be able to get away with not removing the tray too

[capri_rob]

No mate you need to take the panel out to give you proper access so you can direct your waxoyl spray properly to where it needs to go.

Its not that hard

[DanThe]

You would be much better off finding someone with a compressor and proper gun to do the waxoiling around the sunroof. The aerosol is no good for long distance and it doesnt run/soak in well without heating it up afterwards.
Take the panel out like Rob says too

[Jim320i]

Can one of you lot come and take it out for me?

Can anyone give me a mini guide on how to remove it in simple terms as every guide i've read makes no sense and I have a short temper with fiddly bits.

The search for rust has found some good ones in the boot So trying to find them out, but looks like a bit of welding is needed and i'll get this resprayed too now

I'll upload some pictures later

[DanThe]

http://e30.bmwdiy.info/sunroof-adjust/index.html

[Dezzy]

I dont remember it being a problem. Just pull the cloth panel off and then unbolt it.

[Jim320i]

Well hard work, still didnt manage it with trying to follow the guide. Uncliped the front lining bit then it just gets stuff every direction I try to take it out with long pins at the back not allowing it come out, I could however see the side bolts so tried to unbolt and one of the torx screws if rounded off

So I tried t put the lining back on and now it doesnt sit right and wont clip in

Managed to shut it and i'll sort it another day, I cracked on with the rusty boot and the 4 x 6 inch hole in the well Then some other holes too... Then some more rust...

I've treated it and now need to cover it in some paint until later...

Will upload pictures when I come back in properly but back out now

[Jim320i]

So, been out faffing about with the boot and rear arches a little today, finding some rusties...

I knew the passengerside well had a hole, so inspected a little with the inspection stick, then grinded away what I found

The initial view... After a little poking, the top hole wasnt ther until I poked it through





After a bit of messing about...



Driver side top of the arch I found some rust, which im sure is an instant mot failure...



From the other side... And it got bigger, but didnt get more pictures



Top mount bit



Underneath















Geared up and looking gay... Couldnt find my googles so sunglasses did




At this point I treated everywhere with Rusty stuff, then realised I had grinded the outside of the passenger well

So I did and it got bigger










Then it was pitch black at this point outside and I wanted to get something to cover it all up for now so coated it all in underseal





The plan is to get the holes welded when it gets resprayed so todays task was to just find them. Treated up any rust I found and cover it up for now... Gonna do the boot lining myself to save money though as it doesnt need to be perfect in there with being resprayed so rattle cans should do it just fine.

The underneath I noticed had quite a few flaky underseal bits with rust underneath so it will all need doing over completely but that will be sorted when the rear beams etc get changed over so its easily to hit it there and then.

Was way to dark to carry on anything. The unit is a fooking mess to, I can not get in there anymore due to crap so gonna get that sorted tomorrow then break the breaker some more and if I get any time for the chromie I might try and figure out why the obc stalk isnt flicking through the options on the screen like it should

[capri_rob]

Whats it like behind the filler neck & breather hoses?

Looks like its had attention where the filler neck bracket bolts up already

Hope you can get it sorted mate without finding much more grot