Cirrus blue 325 - Been gathering leaves and webs

[mercdriver]

Starting a thread on this, Cirrus blue 2 door started life as a 320i and thanks to the previous owner (e30topless) it now rocks an extra 500cc

Sadly though it is a head gasket fail obviously this is one of the first jobs, but for now here are a few pics at its new home




Mirrors will be colour coded and will fetch the chrome back to its former glory


Have an IS splitter to go on, just needs painting cirrus

Test fitted and sitting in its new home

Hope you likey

PS them crap rims in the garage are not mine

Plans are:

Head gasket
Lowered
SE side skirts
Heck spoiler
Paint splitter
325i badge
Colour code mirrors
A good detailing
Sort slight rust here and there
Possibly 15" wheels or may look for 55 profile for the 14's
Tax
Drive

[Blitz]

Looks nice. 15" BBS is defo the way to go. 205/55/15 tyres.

[Duke137]

This is a nice straight car, will scrub up nicely

[MurphyE30]

looks nice, go for the 15 " bbsthey will go nicely with the addition of the iS splitter and SE skirts

[mercdriver]

This is a nice straight car, will scrub up nicely

how do you know?! ... o yea. You were here earlier 'tipping and suggesting' Its a good machine! A few bits to do that i can manage easily, it just needs to look a little more smart on the eyes and become a head turner for all the right reasons. 15s will be the last on the list i feel. (Unless a certain brother wants to donate a set that are sat doing nothing!!! )

[Duke137]

This is a nice straight car, will scrub up nicely

how do you know?! ... o yea. You were here earlier 'tipping and suggesting' Its a good machine! A few bits to do that i can manage easily, it just needs to look a little more smart on the eyes and become a head turner for all the right reasons. 15s will be the last on the list i feel. (Unless a certain brother wants to donate a set that are sat doing nothing!!! )

[nickso]

cirrus is the best e30 colour.....

if you get bored and break it i want dibs on everything.

[mercdriver]

cirrus is the best e30 colour.....

if you get bored and break it i want dibs on everything.

IF i did, and it is a big if ... The blue carpets been requested already and then the rest is available subject to duke137 not getting his paws in first!

But, ... I don't want to frag it! Its too good to frag!

[mercdriver]

Update:

What i've achieved:

Got a heck in the post (Thanks barx)
Got a 325i badge bought today off the zone (Thanks Ferg - duke137 for sorting it out with whoever!)
Got lowering gear (Thanks Ferg - duke137)
Keeping the 14s (due to funds)
Sorting head gasket this week (Thanks me lol)
Started freshening up the chrome (In care and detailing)

Want to:

Get a new drivers seat (in Wanted e30 parts)
Get SE side skirts (should be taking a trip up to e30 topless land soon!)
Start repairing little bits of rust and paint em up and colour code other parts
Start on the head gasket worries
Lower it next week

Here are the bad bits:

Dent just below reg plate but i had a go with the persuader...

...that will do for now!

slight blemishes

And lower down it gets a bit worse

i hope this hasn't been in long and is easysand1 otherwise it'l need flatting for hours!!

Thats the traditional rottweiller again

This car will be a really clean example when i'm done. I will upload engine pics soon as i'm planning on painting the inlet and rocker black with polished lines and bmw (traditional touch) then the bay will look immaculate because the inner wings are so clean that my mrs needs to go out and learn thats what the pots should look like

[tonybtonyb]

Good luck with the rebuild mate

[mercdriver]

Right,

The cars had some treatment but still not got round to the engine side of things...

On the plus side i managed to check my trouser pockets a bit harder and deep down in the fluff and receipts i managed to unearth a few quid so i treated it to some new bits:

15 BBS's!!! praise the lord! (But they are going to need a refurb and painted back to silver)
An IS interior too!

I've been busy in it today between the showers and got stuck in a bit more. Here are the pics:

[mercdriver]

Took the crap out

Made a nice discovery in the rear inner arches

Then made a few bad ones

I know these weird bits are common. Anyone know how much they are new?

A little corrosion at the bottom of the passenger footwell right in the corner. So i blipped the grinder on it, cleaned it all up and plated the b!tch. Job done.

[Duke137]

Solid rear arches you lucky b*st*rd

[mercdriver]

Then i had to drop the interior back in to get an idea...


nobody like to drive a bus

So i rooted around in the back of the garage (at my brothers) and found this little diamond

Then the new benches went in too

And the 15s.

Car is coming on slowly, its just greatly difficult to get out there with the mrs and my boy because she works funny hours and weekends. I'm not making up excuses am I???

[nickso]

forgot to say it would be criminal to colour code those wing mirrors, send them to me and i will send you my already badly colour coded ones instead.

[Nick325]

Good colour Cirrus Blau
Rear inner arches look good.
Here's my cab

Harewood House 2011

[mercdriver]

Good colour Cirrus Blau
Rear inner arches look good.
Here's my cab

Harewood House 2011

Thanks mate! Yea i agree, its a bit different and it looks better with chrome rather than shadow line! I think this kind of colour doesn't suit certain touches. Your cabby looks good, any more snaps on here?

forgot to say it would be criminal to colour code those wing mirrors, send them to me and i will send you my already badly colour coded ones instead.

Never fear my friend, the mirrors will be saved! I have a spare set of calypso red ones from a previous frag of 2009/10. Although this set are going to be kept on the shelf for a future pre face project i would like to do in the future. I would like to keep a near mint chromie and possibly 24v it

[nickso]

Never fear my friend, the mirrors will be saved!

ah but merely saving them is not enough, they would look far better on my car than in your shed gathering spiders.

[mercdriver]

Never fear my friend, the mirrors will be saved!

ah but merely saving them is not enough, they would look far better on my car than in your shed gathering spiders.

I understand the predicament we are in is a difficult one. I would like to say i want to sell them but for now i would love to store them for my 2012 project . If i've decided that i want to naff them off in a couple of months. You can have priority dibs on them dude, hows that sound?

[AliE30]

wish my inner arches looked like that lol my need plating too

[mercdriver]

wish my inner arches looked like that lol my need plating too

Thanks Ali, pot luck purchase this cirrus was! I was really happy when them quarter trims came out!

[AliE30]

wish my inner arches looked like that lol my need plating too

Thanks Ali, pot luck purchase this cirrus was! I was really happy when them quarter trims came out!

lol i bet you was i felt like puttin my foot RIGHT trough mine lol dont matter though wont take long to sort

[mercdriver]

wish my inner arches looked like that lol my need plating too

Thanks Ali, pot luck purchase this cirrus was! I was really happy when them quarter trims came out!

lol i bet you was i felt like puttin my foot RIGHT trough mine lol dont matter though wont take long to sort

They never do take long - they take forever! lol

[nickso]

Never fear my friend, the mirrors will be saved!

ah but merely saving them is not enough, they would look far better on my car than in your shed gathering spiders.

I understand the predicament we are in is a difficult one. I would like to say i want to sell them but for now i would love to store them for my 2012 project . If i've decided that i want to naff them off in a couple of months. You can have priority dibs on them dude, hows that sound?

fair enough.

[sh55123]

That's a lovely looking car! I like cirrus too. A very timeless colour.

Looks like you are going for the same look as my coupe-just lowered mine on genuine mtech (new) springs and boge turbos, along with a full suspension/bush/arms overhaul-drives beautifully!!

[mercdriver]

Got to say that does look smart, i was umming and arring about the se side skirts but that looks like an immaculate well kept motor and the skirts help its looks. It does sit really well, i like it! Ive been out on it again yesterday and achieved a bit more...

It wasn't that bad but if you look in the picture in the picture before you can see more rot starting in that passenger footwell. Gave it a bit of a stab with a screwdriver and decided that needed welding too. By the time I was done there I poked the usual rot spot where the inner wheel arch and the engine bay meet the bulk/floorpan. It wasn't bad but I stabbed it again and it started to go through. So thats also been ground out and plated. Its practically a rot free shell now!

Which makes me happy



These were only £4+vat from BMW - utter bargain! I recommend everyone replaces them!

Its going to look sweet! (crap with cameras = finger in pic)

old 320i debadged...

Cleared the old glue and placed the heck up to get a feel for the look...


325i baby!!!

This car is starting to come on nicely now!

[Duke137]

Not far off now mate

[AliE30]

those big holes in the floor behind the front seats what are they called? i need the things to plug them cos there gaffer tapped up at the mo lol.

[capri_rob]

those big holes in the floor behind the front seats what are they called? i need the things to plug them cos there gaffer tapped up at the mo lol.

And do they just twist into place or do they have to be seam sealered in place ?

[Duke137]

those big holes in the floor behind the front seats what are they called? i need the things to plug them cos there gaffer tapped up at the mo lol.

And do they just twist into place or do they have to be seam sealered in place ?

Yes they do, twist in and seam sealer. but remove all the pitting/rust off the car body first! Hopefully the edges on the car body side aren't too corroded !

Part numbers for the circular floor bungs is : 41 12 8 200 462

They cost about £4 each from the stealer and in E30 BMW chat I started a thread about seam sealer, worth a read.

HTH

[mercdriver]

A bit of a pig to get twisted in place, but they are a bit gappy top 'n' bottom where they twist in. Tetrosyl stone guard underneath and seam sealer the top, they deffo need to be packed in a fair bit. No wonder the buggers corrode so bad.

[Jhonno]

Have you checked for day light through those welds...? Definitely looks a little dry.

[tonybtonyb]

She getting there

[Duke137]

Have you checked for day light through those welds...? Definitely looks a little dry.

those welds are ok, they just haven't been finished off. Its no work of art but they are ok

[mercdriver]

i'm not a master welder but they are good enough welds to keep the shell solid. I just canned them up for this week so they don't turn to rust. I will grind them all down next weekend and assess the situation. I'm sure they'll clean up nicely enough