325i Convertible Project

[Qasimahmed]

Ok thanks for that. I was looking at B4s and did read somewhere that it is similar to the OEM shocks. I'll look into them a bit more.

I'll give the cooling system flush a go, it's still pretty oily in there. The car isn't roadworthy yet so I haven't been able to get the gearbox oil hot enough. I was going to wait until I could drive it before flushing it a few times. I did think about running it with the rear of the car in the air but I think it won't get hot enough and won't clear the fluid in the torque converter either.

What do you think?
Thanks for the advice

[Qasimahmed]

The fairy liquid worked a treat. I flushed it twice with fairy liquid, twice with water and now filled with anti freeze. There was an issue with the automatic transmission. It started making some weird noises. It's not the first time.

So a couple of months ago, I pulled it out of the garage and was working on it in the workshop. When I finished, I went to go and put it back into the garage and halfway in, it lost all drive. No forward or reverse gears. I checked the fluid and it was low on the dipstick, I topped it up to the right level.

Fast forward to last weekend, I was driving it into the workshop and it lost drive. Checked it again and the fluid was low on the dipstick. So I topped it up again and all was well.

Today after doing all the coolant flushed in the workshop, I was reversing it in and it lost drive again. I checked the fluid level and it's way above the normal level. The gearbox was making some weird noises but after switching it off and back on again, that went away.

So right now I'm not too sure what to do with the gearbox. I don't know what the next plan of attack is. I could drain the fluid again but I'm unable to drive the car to get the oil hot enough to clear the torque converter.

Any ideas?

[Tzantushka]

Probably an expensive option - but perhaps Time to take the box out and recondition it?
Or manual swap!!

[Qasimahmed]

I'm going to do the filter and new fluid this weekend and see if it's any better.
If I'm completely honest, the last thing I want to do is manual swap it. I've got an E39 525d sport manual as a daily and I'm sure my legs wouldn't forgive me if I manual swapped the E30 :-

[BenHar]

You need to stop the water and gearbox oil mixing!

There must be a leak in the gearbox oil cooler built into the radiator.

I wouldn't run the car until you have made sure that there is no water in the gearbox.

Ben

[fixedwheelnut]

You need to stop the water and gearbox oil mixing!

There must be a leak in the gearbox oil cooler built into the radiator.

I wouldn't run the car until you have made sure that there is no water in the gearbox.

Ben

I think he has already replaced the radiator, at least I would hope so.

[Qasimahmed]

Yes the radiator has been replaced, the trans oil was changed before I moved the car. The coolant has now been flushed successfully. How do I clear the fluid in the torque converter without removing the box. I spoke to a mechanic who said to shifts into each gear and hold it for a second. Keep on doing that and that should clear the torque converter.

[fixedwheelnut]

Yes the radiator has been replaced, the trans oil was changed before I moved the car. The coolant has now been flushed successfully. How do I clear the fluid in the torque converter without removing the box. I spoke to a mechanic who said to shifts into each gear and hold it for a second. Keep on doing that and that should clear the torque converter.

pretty much but because it keeps mixing in the pump it will take many changes to totally clear it. Getting it hot between each change will help.

[BenHar]

Yes the radiator has been replaced, the trans oil was changed before I moved the car. The coolant has now been flushed successfully. How do I clear the fluid in the torque converter without removing the box. I spoke to a mechanic who said to shifts into each gear and hold it for a second. Keep on doing that and that should clear the torque converter.

Ok. Strange that the level went up after you changed the radiator.

To flush the box fully you can disconnect the bottom oil pipe to the radiator and run it in drive until oil stops coming out. Bit tricky to catch the oil though.

Ben

[bexwoods]

Looks great so far! Loving seeing another cabby come back to life! Fingers crossed yours and mine will be on the road soon!

Are you doing a full re-spray? Staying original?

[Qasimahmed]

Looks great so far! Loving seeing another cabby come back to life! Fingers crossed yours and mine will be on the road soon!

Are you doing a full re-spray? Staying original?

I have been following your build, really interesting read.
The plan is a full respray, hoping to get a quote this weekend. I was deliberating over the colour for a while, I think I've settled on something. I'm think Verde Abetone, a Ferrari colour similar to British Racing Green, with a Cinnamon Interior.

I have already dyed the contours in my E39 so hopefully my E30 interior will turn out good. It's going to take me a while though.

[Tzantushka]

I think I've settled on something. I'm think Verde Abetone, a Ferrari colour similar to British Racing Green, with a Cinnamon Interior.

Another green E30 convertible for the win...
(mind you I am biased with malachite green on beige...)

If you are looking for some interior options have a look & research Lseat.com.
Yes they are in the U.S. but they have a good range of colours and options and have the convertible specific patterns.

Lots of interior combinations to play around with:
- shades of beige (lark, beige, bisque, Ivory)
- black door cards & carpet + cinnamon seats

[Qasimahmed]

The only thing with getting seat covers is that the fit isn't the same, you can't get the same tight fit as compared to original leather. I did notice on the pictures from the website, there are creases here and there and although it would be easier this way, I wouldn't like the fitment. So I'm hoping I can get it all dyed within 3 weeks. That's how long my E39 seats took. However I was using an air brush then so it was quite tedious. I'm going to switch to a spray gun and thin the dye out a bit.

We'll see. I think I'm still a way off.

[Qasimahmed]

Finally got around to changing the transmission fluid and filter. I undid the drain plug and what looks like a strawberry milkshake came out. I took off the pan and there was atleast a few cm of sludge on the bottom so I'm glad I did remove it. New seal and filter in place. The transmission is shifting a lot better, no more nasty noises as of yet. The magnets did have some gritty material on it so I'm not sure how bad it's worn inside. I don't think the filter has been changed before.

We'll have to get it out for a drive at some point to get the fluid up to temp and do a flush. It took about 3 litres to fill.

I'm still waiting to get a price for paint, the only other mechanical issue is the viscous fan is always on. Someone has bypassed the heater core also so I need to check the temperature valves and replace the o rings. I'm guessing it was leaking coolant at some point.

Electrically I had an issue with the interior dash lights and number plate lights not working. I checked all the fuses and there was one that was gone. The only things that I have left to check are the front fog lights, aerial, blower and clock (it's not working and cannot be adjusted, I have checked the fuse). Passenger side windows do not also working, you can hear the front motor click but nothing on the rear.

There is an immobiliser which has been bypassed to get it running but the indicators flash constantly, so that needs removing at some point and another one installing. I've been looking at cobra immobilisers and alarms recently.

I only have Sundays to work on the car so I'm hoping to get it into paint as soon as possible so I can get it on the road for the summer.

[HenryM3]

I’ve changed a few gearbox oils in my time including military vehicles that have been swamped but never seen anything like that. It’s a testament to how robust those old boxes are that it even changed gear at all.

[Tzantushka]

Wow - what a mess!

With flushing out the trans & torque converter is there any reason you can't disconnect both trans cooler lines and run them to containers/drums of ATF fluid?
1x drum to collect the milkshake & 1x 20L drum to feed the new ATF?

[Qasimahmed]

With flushing out the trans & torque converter is there any reason you can't disconnect both trans cooler lines and run them to containers/drums of ATF fluid?
1x drum to collect the milkshake & 1x 20L drum to feed the new ATF?

I don't think that would be possible as you'd need something to pump the trans fluid in as it is a closed system and is usually pushed back into the trans as fluid is being pumped out.

I think I'll leave it for a while. Hopefully get it painted and on the road. Then I'll flush it once again. I still have around 3 or 4 litres left so I can do another flush quite easily.

I got a quote to insure it today, worked out to about 208 quid for a 2000 annual mile policy with agreed valuation and a salvage retention. The car is a cat C anyway, it was all body damage, no signs of any structural damage to the car whatsoever.
The driver side was all damaged and from the front wing all the way back and then it was sat for about 10 years while someone attempted some body work. I think that's where all the sludge has come from. Years of the trans fluid degrading.

[Qasimahmed]

This weekend I wanted to get the heater matrix reconnected and hopefully leak free. I need to order a heater resistor as well as it only works on the highest fan setting. I started pulling the interior out, I found the immobilizer and that the majority of it was disconnected so that became my first priority. Everything is out on the passenger side. The main bundle of wires goes behind the cluster so I'll pull that out tomorrow.

After looking at the temp valve, that's the source of the leak as its rusty and in bad shape. So after the immobilizer is out, I'll pull the temp valve and attempt to rebuild it with a new o ring. Hopefully that will cure my leak and I'll be able to reconnect the heater.

[fixedwheelnut]

Top tip before undoing the heater pipes inside, undo both pipes in the engine bay and blow an air line down one to get as much out engine side before removing pipes inside.

[Qasimahmed]

I got the pipe with the valve out, I was trying to undo the other pipe but can't seem to get anything on it as the bolts are on the other side. Any tips, I'm at the point where I'm thinking to leave the matrix, I have spent a little while trying to get that out. I had to remove the brake pivot to get to the Phillips screw. I'm sorting out the valve at the moment and I'll try once more with the bolts holding the other pipe in.
Any ideas

[fixedwheelnut]

Couldn't find anything in the WIKI about replacement but this is on R3V
https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/forum/ ... -and-valve

[Qasimahmed]

I'll have to have another go next weekend. I didn't have the right bolts to close the heater valve. I'm going to try M3x50 and see how that goes.

I removed what was left of the immobilizer, there were some wires going to the central locking module which I removed and found that a lot of the wires had been joined by crimp connectors. It seems like someone cut the loom and decided to crimp it all back together or at least that's what it looks like.

There are 2 connectors that aren't connected to anything, a previous owner changed the speakers and ran his own speaker wire from the headunit so could these be for the speakers.

Another good thing out of this weekend is that all my windows are working, it was the passenger side switches that are not working. I've read that they are common issues and they just need a clean inside. So that's another job to do.

[Qasimahmed]

Hi all

So today I got the valve back together and the new heater matrix fitted. I reconnected the coolant lines but the top line was not getting warm. The engine temp did climb above the halfway mark and I shut it off. I was bleeding it repeatedly. After reading another forum post, I read about an air lock in the cylinder head and a post from Brian about loosening the top heater core pipe, removing the filler cap and blowing into the overflow pipe. I'll try that tomorrow and see if we get any heat. The engine got up to temp but no warmth in the car. The lower pipe was hot but the upper pipe was still cold.

A lot of bits had to be removed to get the matrix out. I'll put it all back together once I've got the heater working as it should. There are no leaks anymore. All the o rings were replaced.

[Qasimahmed]

I replaced everything that i removed yesterday. Apart from the glovebox and centre console. The heater is now working properly. I opened the blower motor box and found it full of bones and rubbish so I'm guessing a rodent made it their home for a little while. Once clean I sprayed some WD-40 on the motor and it sounded a whole lot better than before. I think the resistor doesn't need changing right now as it works on all speeds.

The only things that are not working or I haven't looked into are the horn, interior dome light and front fog lights.
I need to buy a new connector for the coolant sensor as one of the wires came off and the connector crumbled to pieces.

The ABS light made an appearance and was on when I shut the car down. I will be renewing the brakes and components before I get it on the road so I'm not too worried about that but I'm thinking it might have something to do with me moving the brake booster around while I was pulling the heater matrix.

Really all it needs is for the interior to be stripped before paint. The guy still hasn't come to give me a price but we'll see. I may have another project on the way soon.

[Qasimahmed]

I cleaned all 4 window switches. I tried to open up the lock switch and that turned out to be a mistake. I ended up breaking the plastic pivot that the switch moves on so I'm looking for another.
I've got a coolant temperature sensor and another bonnet release cable to fit tomorrow. I'm planning to remove the horse shoe struts to send off to be regassed.

[coopman]

I cleaned all 4 window switches. I tried to open up the lock switch and that turned out to be a mistake. I ended up breaking the plastic pivot that the switch moves on so I'm looking for another.
I've got a coolant temperature sensor and another bonnet release cable to fit tomorrow. I'm planning to remove the horse shoe struts to send off to be regassed.

I used to swap around my window switches, using the one "good" one to raise all of the windows after a drive. It's much easier just to clean them

The horse shoe struts were a bit of a disaster for me. I chose to buy new ones from Amazon instead of trying to get the originals re-gassed - unfortunately every set I ordered turned out to be a slightly different size. I now have the two originals and a further four new ones that don't fit

[Qasimahmed]

I've seen some stabilus struts on autodoc I think. 20 quid each and the OEM was a stabilus one also. So I've contacted SGS about then, if they can't regas them I'll probably just go for the new ones.

I fitted the new blue coolant temp sensor but had to remove the injector connectors on the first 2 to get the socket on it. I broke the brown one while putting it back in so I've had to order another one.

I was looking at the shocks for the convertible top also,I removed one side and it worked perfectly so I've put that back on.

I've found the b4 bilstein kit and the Eibach Pro kit from larkspeed so I need to get them ordered and start fitting new suspension and brake components.

I took the back seats out to check out the rear demister but didn't go any further, I just cleaned it all up. There's an audio and power cable going into the boot so I think there's a sub in there behind the boot lining so that needs taking out.

I've taken the day off work because I couldn't make the journey, I got snowed in, there's a hill in between me and the motorway and I couldn't get up it in the 525d even on winter tyres. To be honest there was a foot of snow on the roads

[Qasimahmed]

I sent the shocks off today to SGS and they'll inspect, rebuild and then test them, they'll email me with a price if they have been regassed successfully.

I replaced the bonnet release cable, one thing I struggled with is putting the rubber seal into the hole on the bulk head, it seems an impossible task, the rubber is much bigger than the hole. Right now I've left it behind the insulation on the bulkhead so it's not sealing the inside of the car really. Is that how it's meant to be or does anyone know of a way to get it into the hole.

I wanted to clean the carpets and pull the seats before I tackled the wiring around the central locking module. Possibly even run some speaker wires while removing the old setup.
I have a question about that actually. Has anyone found a suitable place for the amp apart from the boot or is the boot the best place for it.

[fixedwheelnut]

Squirt glass cleaner around the hole and the rubber seal then use a blunt flat edged tool to help push it in.

[Qasimahmed]

Thanks for that. I got the rubber in after a bit of a struggle. Changed the temp sensor and ran it for a little while, still hunting but running better than before. I got a new window circuit breaker from @magpie,I tested all the switches I cleaned and only one was not working, so Ill have to go over that again.

I've got my Eibach springs, still waiting on the struts, I ordered them from larkspeed but what I thought was the price for 2 struts turned out to be one strut. The reason for that confusion was another company which was selling front and rear bilstein B4s for the same price as larkspeeds 1 front and 1 rear.

So after all that fuss, I'm waiting for the set of 4x bilstein B4s that cost me 172.80 and I need to return the pair I got from larkspeed which cost 179 squids.

I got a price for the paint and bodywork, inside and out with the welding will cost 2.5k. so the plan is to strip the interior, remove the shocks and springs and swap them over. Clean and underseal the arches while I'm there and then send it off for paint around March or April time.

I've put a deposit down for some wheels which I need to collect when lockdown is over and another project should be arriving soon

[Qasimahmed]

I spent today removing the interior and cleaning the carpet. I did want to do some wiring also. Removing the crimp connectors on the radio and the central locking module and soldering some wire in but it got a little late so that's for next week.

Here's a 50/50

[airmanship]

Brilliant post, I like the evolution and progress in developing. (Excited to see the end).

The lockdown has been a blessing for some restoration projects

Well done, Keep more images coming through.

[Qasimahmed]

I'm still working through the lockdown so I only have weekends to work on the car. For the past 2 weekends I have been cleaning out the workshop, I'm using my uncles place next door to his business. He uses it for storage of most of his junk, so I literally spent 4 days clearing all the rubbish out.

There should be plenty of space once it's all done. The only job I've done on the E30 is regas and refit the struts for the horseshoe so it's much easier opening the roof without the horseshoe falling on you. I got them regassed by SGS engineering for about 28 quid for both. I did look on autodoc and they were around 30 pounds for one. So well worth it.
I will most likely use them to regas the struts in the seats if they are able to do it.

[Qasimahmed]

Had a good look around underneath today, there very little rust, it had been undercoated previously and it has held up pretty well. There are some areas where there is some surface rust and others where moisture has got under the coating and caused it to rust a little. But overall pretty decent underneath.

I put WD-40 on all the front and rear suspension nuts and bolts in preparation for when I start to refresh it all. Control arms really need to be sand blasted and then repainted as they are quite crusty. There is a huge layer of dirt on the underneath but it's kept the rust at bay.

[Qasimahmed]

There is a leak from what I believe is the camshaft seals on the top of the head. It seems to be coming from up there anyway. Another tiny leak on the oil filter. And a final one on the fuel filter. nothing major, they don't drip fluid but its visible.