Project stalled - need inspiration

[capri_rob]

Had my touring 4 1/2 years now which is the longest ive had any car and starting to feel stuck in a rut with it.
Under the skin its pretty good, suspension and bushes have all been rebuilt, head refurbed and lots of other bits but im struggling for motivation to do much else with it and its annoying me that i dont think ill ever be able to afford to get the bodywork sorted and it painted.

Its done probably less than 500 miles somce the last mot, current mot is up at the end of the month and im wondering whether to just forget it until next year

Anyone else struggling with a long term project ?
How do you get your motivation back ?
Should i bother painting it or just accept that it will always be rough round the edges ?

I dont want to sell it but i keep getting a niggling feeling that if i had a car that didnt need masses of work and actually looked straight and tidy id be more inclined to do more with it

[jimbom30cab]

Hard one this. Perhaps take some time out and have a think about it. If the car means enough to you to spend time and money on then go for it. However life is short and if you decide to do something else instead then that's the right thing then.

All the best whatever you decide.

[daimlerman]

This is the first RHD touring....

Rob is a safe custodian of this E30 treasure,but it seems that he needs motivation to get it to a bodyshop for proper sorting.

If you were to strip the trim yourself and fit it back up,this will give you some involvement with the job and help to reduce costs.Not really cost-effective to rub down the surfaces,the bodyman will want to do that to warrant his paintwork.

Time flys by at my age,hard to believe that it's 4+ years that this has been in Rob's hands!

[Sanchez]

As above, seams like yesterday when rob found out it's no.1

Sometimes I'm not a*sed to do a job on mine but it's my only car so I do it and am happy once the job is completed and satisfied I'm keeping it going.

[appletree]

When you say if you didn't have a car that needed mass of work does that mean another e30 or another car all togeather? Better the devil you know!

[capri_rob]

Every panel is scratched and/or dented apart from the roof and it needs either a new rear valance or the whole rear panel and then repairs to the boot floor and lower side pods where they join up to the rear panel not to mention stuff like new door and bumper trims

[DanThe]

Best start buying some bits then, while they're still available!

[daimlerman]

I'll give you a mars bar and a yorkie with one chunk missing for it,Rob!



Then I'll stick an M52 in it....

[capri_rob]

Its not for sale i just need a cash injection to give me the kick up the arse i need to get it finished

[daimlerman]

Ok,I'll donate the bloody mars bar....

Rent your spare room to an illegal immigrant,sell the wife,but please sort the touring....it's important that it's saved!

[DanThe]

+1 for the above

[capri_rob]

Think im goona drive it to work tomorrow if its not raining and try and get a bit of inspiration back - dont think ive drove it for about 6 weeks

[elan]

I think the longer you leave it the more difficult it will be to kick start the project. Maybe imagine the end result and that will give you the motivation?

[BHadley]

What the last post said...., or hire a modern new car, drive it, hate it before the weekend is done and get the tools out to something that drives like it should.....

[Split_S]

Go to a meet - see some nice examples of your ride, chat her up with the owners and see if it helps.

If not, sell her, buy a 2002 Hyundai and THEN you will remember why you bought the e30 in the first place...

[DanThe]

I don't think it will work, Rob drives a vectra on a regular basis

[capri_rob]

Drove it yesterday and its booked for MOT on saturday morning - only thing it might fail on is the sodding handbrake - its rubbish ! I am going to try and adjust it again tonight but i can never seem to get it right i think not being used much doesnt help either i tried driving with it slightly on for a short distance yesterday to clean any crap off the disks and shoes but it hasnt made a whole lot of difference to the bite.

[aimlessrock]

I have been working on my cabby now for 5 years and she has only been driveable within the last 2 years.

keep the faith, i can see the rewards with mine (she is out of paint tomorrow and this will be a big boost).

I have a couple of good hanbrake cables (OEM) if this will help

[Orangecab]

Had my cabby since 2009 I think, drove it as a daily for about 6 months, then stripped it down, had it sprayed then I realised it was a crap spray job so the car just sat in various garages for years, the only motivation I have is that it's an e30 and in my eyes you can't get a better car! It may only be a 320i at the mo but it will have a bigger engine one day

[capri_rob]

Think i have managed to get the handbrake to a point where it will pass although i think i made one side better and one side worse - those adjusters are an utter pig. You shine the torch in but as soon as you put a screwdriver in to try and turn the adjuster you cant see what youre doing and have to do it all by feel - rubbish !

[sweep]

Rob you should know by now these cars are a emotional roller coaster...some say they are worse then women

I have two nice two door cars and plenty of breakers down here,keeping enthusiasm all the time can be hard
both cars have covers over them at present..

[Brianmoooore]

You shine the torch in but as soon as you put a screwdriver in to try and turn the adjuster you cant see what youre doing

Small torch bulb, soldered to the end of a couple of bits of wire, and the other ends of the wire connected to a battery. Push lit bulb through adjacent bolt hole, and the interior of the drum is bathed in all the light you could want.
If the shoes are adjusted correctly they should work effectively, as long as they have never been 'adjusted' at the handbrake end. If the cables have been over tightened for any length of time, the shoes will have worn to a different radius to that of the drum, and will never work properly.
Having said that, quickly tightening them at the handbrake normally gives enough bite (for a couple of weeks) to make the handbrake good enough to get past the very low standards required by a UK MOT test.

[jimbom30cab]

Emotional roller coaster

Best description of e30 ownership ever

[ross_jsy]

I've had my white one for over 6 years now, and haven't driven it properly in 5 and a bit. Whenever I get bored of tinkering, I just leave it and come back. Since going back to school and not having the funds to channel into the car, progress has all but stopped and I had sort of lost inspiration.

But that's all changed now I have a second e30. Can't wait to finish the degree so I have disposable income again

[Tonyy93]

reading through this to try and get my motivation back also!! mine was my second car! i was 18 when i bought it but have since neglected her she's been sat in the front garden for 3 years now i drove her for half a year and then parked her up for some minor repairs and well it escalated from there! now I'm balls deep in rust restoration that its killing me i can do all the work my self its just time I'm needing working 12 hours a day then trying to get home and do some work just isn't happening but i will prevail and she will live!! good luck and i hope you find the will and funds to get yours done!!

[Jon_Bmw]

If the handbrake is unbalanced and you are feeling particularly lazy, you could tell your MOT man that it has a LSD fitted and as such needs to be checked with the G meter rather than the brake rollers...

[Kedge]

Just get using it Rob, wet or dry!! Get along to some meets or shows as well.

I felt like throwing the towel in many times on mine. Worth it in the end.

[capri_rob]

I have adjusted the handbrake properly both sides at the wheels and then taken all the slack out of the cables lever movement is now about as good as expected but the bite is still crap - i still think this is down to them being practically new shoes - less than 2000 miles since fitting around 3 years ago - and minimal use.

I must admit i had fun driving it the last couple of days. MOT tomorrow.

[Brianmoooore]

i still think this is down to them being practically new shoes - less than 2000 miles since fitting around 3 years ago - and minimal use.

Are you aware of the procedure given in your handbook for bedding in new brakes, and which should be repeated at three months intervals?

[sweep]

Whats that then?

[capri_rob]

i still think this is down to them being practically new shoes - less than 2000 miles since fitting around 3 years ago - and minimal use.

Are you aware of the procedure given in your handbook for bedding in new brakes, and which should be repeated at three months intervals?

Other than regular checks and adjustment as necessary no. Can you advise ?

[bss325i]

Drive with the hand brake on to bed them in.

It's in the handbook as Brian says.

Also, as the inside of the disc acts as a drum for the parking brake shoes and not foot braking like a conventional rear drum set up, the inside of the disc is more susceptible to surface corrosion which will have an effect on the parking brakes efficiency.

If a cR fails the mot on parking brakes 15% effeciecy requirement, a short drive working the hand brake on and off can often result in a pass but beware, if the back plates are crusty the doing so can pull the shoe pins through the backing plate.

[capri_rob]

Done all that. Backplates are 5 years old but still pretty much like new.

Think it just needs more use

[bss325i]

just needs more use

The answer to your dilemma as well as park brake issue!