Sammo 2544 Report post Posted May 20, 2022 1 hour ago, E28E30 said: Maybe I should invest in E30 fabrics instead of E30s? Hehe E30 parts are liquid assets - you could sell your weaves and steering wheel in a few hours for $4000 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
E28E30 335 Report post Posted May 20, 2022 Ooh… there’s an idea. I could throw in a car for barely much more 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sammo 2544 Report post Posted May 20, 2022 52 minutes ago, Harper said: Yeah unfortunately BMW fabrics are ungodly expensive. Would ASC be significantly cheaper? Pretty sure they would be indistinguishable from the OE stuff tbh. Probably smell nicer than stored 30 year old fabric too. I think M Fabrics was marginally cheaper, Relicate seemed expensive though and only Silver Uberkaro at ASC... 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sammo 2544 Report post Posted May 20, 2022 Just now, E28E30 said: Ooh… there’s an idea. I could throw in a car for barely much more If I didn't have an Mtech 2 wheel en-route I would be throwing money at you right now! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
E28E30 335 Report post Posted May 20, 2022 ;))) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sammo 2544 Report post Posted May 21, 2022 Ticked off a couple of jobs today: Cleaned sunroof drains, draining nice and quickly now. Fixed my door hinge and fitted a new door stop - very nice having the door hold itself open now like a non shitbox. Also got halfway through changing my distributor cap / rotor / plug wires. Decided to remove my plugs and have a nosey - not pretty at all - these are only about 2000km old and had oil on the threads and were all fouled / gunky. They were changed at the same time as the valve cover gasket, but I could see a bit of oil in all the plug wells… Not sure if this is anything to really worry about, it is a high mileage car and the engine goes very well aside from blowing a touch of grey smoke the first time I redline it on a drive then is fine afterwards. Stroker rebuild in late 2023 maybe 🤔 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Eagle 1662 Report post Posted May 21, 2022 At your k's and age If the engine hasnt been opened then i wouldnt be shocked. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sammo 2544 Report post Posted May 24, 2022 (edited) So… I’ve become obsessed with making my seats as good as possible, structurally and mechanically before I go to the expense of making them pretty. Symptom I’m having (both sides) is a minor amount of play somewhere in the hinge / base / connection to rails which means they can be rocked forward like the (somewhat exaggerated) video. They feel good and solid when sitting in them as body weight takes up this play. Things I’ve found wrong with the drivers seat: Seat back tab where it bolts to base was sheared (a common and the only real documented issue online) - fixed via welding. Seat base rail on driver right side sheared- will need to be welded before upholstering. Missing / 35 year old wave washers on rear connecting rod which connects the two hinges - I suspect this is the general area of play due to the rod cradle design - I just can't see how to improve it. Completely shot seat shocks (not related to play, but nice to have and ordered and on the way) Everything that can be has been tightened. Frustratingly, none of these things appear to have helped the issue (passenger seat is same, despite not having any of the driver seat structural issues). I do have a pair of solid comfort sedan seats here that I’ve been butchering for parts (planning to do rear headrests) so next step is to try swapping the hinges themselves and then rails over to see if that helps… Seat base rod that connects the two hinges - this seems to be the area of movement Drivers seat frame is not supposed to look like this but does not seem related Video of play - might be relatively common, but I want to make it better IMG_4581.MOV Edited May 24, 2022 by Sammo Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sammo 2544 Report post Posted May 28, 2022 (edited) Got my WOF. Continuing to work on the interior parts so it is mostly mint when I get seats and door cards reupholstered. Today I refinished my parcel tray in charcoal, added rear headrests (butchered some other seats for parts) and changed my huge ugly 6x9s that needed 20mm spacers for some sleek 5x7s that look much more OEM and cover the awkwardly sized premium speaker holes. Huge difference - looks so much more premium - but very tricky to photograph due to rear window reflections - here is how much sun fade has occurred over 35 years. Will do my carpets in the same dark grey soon. Edited May 28, 2022 by Sammo 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sammo 2544 Report post Posted May 31, 2022 She’s sleeping rough for the next 4-5 weeks, just in time for the rainy season 😬 4 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sammo 2544 Report post Posted June 7, 2022 Interior planning update: My Mtech 2 370mm wheel is in NZ now so hope to get my hands on it shortly. Found my Fabric (Anthracite Uberkaro by Relicate) https://relicate.com/collections/uberkaro-plaid-fabric-for-bmw-e30-and-m3/products/uberkaro-fabric-for-bmw-m3-and-e30-anthracite?variant=32486462881872 I didn’t realise but I already have this same fabric in my car as Stitchboots used it for my shifter and handbrake boot - it’s nice and dark - I’m not a fan of the silver Uberkaro. Biggest decision now is wether to go Uberkaro on the door panels as well - due to the one piece E30 door car design it won’t be able to replicate the factory look with the fake stitch (will look like below photo but in Uberkaro) but I think it will tie in nicely compared to having light grey plain fabric (my existing door card). Possibly could have horizontal stitched ‘pleats’ on the door card to break up the wall of fabric and replicate the sport seats vertical pleats / emulate the leather door card horizontal pleats too. Just waiting on my 2nd estimate and hope to get done in July. 5 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sammo 2544 Report post Posted June 9, 2022 (edited) Finally arrived - 370mm Mtech 2, definitely feels like it belongs to the car. Great original condition which I was after as I’m not a fan of the smooth / perforated / modern leather refurbed that are often done on these. Just gave it a good deep brush clean and added a new roundel. Update: couldn’t resist going a little further and giving it a light refurb with Colourlock Leatherfresh to restore the rich matte black finish without obscuring the grain. Came up really well. Old Mtech 1 wheel sold in 10 mins without even listing it 😂 Edited June 13, 2022 by Sammo 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sammo 2544 Report post Posted June 13, 2022 Interior refurb is about to kick off with Fabric being ordered today. Flip flopped to using the original OEM Lemans BMW Anthracite Uberkaro as ended up being cheaper (and faster) than an Internationally sourced reproduction fabric, plus they have the matching bolster fabric too. Will be doing door cards and front and rear headrests in Uberkaro as well so will be a lot of plaid! Should kick off next week. I have some of these Mtechnic seat badges en route as well but wondering if it will be a bit overkill with the pattern? 8 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
E28E30 335 Report post Posted June 13, 2022 Going to look sooooo good @Sammo 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cammsport 390 Report post Posted June 16, 2022 Give me some of your motivation Sam 😅 I reckon put the badges on. Doesn't look too much at all! 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sammo 2544 Report post Posted June 20, 2022 Retrim is in progress, all OEM fabric arrived and looks amazing (interestingly same pattern but a different hue to the Relicate fabric which looks a little blue by comparison) Very glad I went with the OEM plus matching bolster fabric (with fresh vinyl for outer bolsters etc - OEM style). As it’s going to take a few weeks, I still wanted to be able to use the car a little so here she is in all her stripped out glory, along with a very tired vinyl comfort seat - no corners for me for a while. Its going to be a great contrast switching out to welded, resprung, refoamed and upholstered sport seats with brand new seat shocks! Will shampoo the carpet, repaint some interior plastics and add a little extra sound deadening while the interior is out too. 5 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Harper 549 Report post Posted June 20, 2022 Agreed, OE is the way to go where possible. Will be like a new car when done! Who's doing the upholstery work? 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sammo 2544 Report post Posted June 20, 2022 4 minutes ago, Harper said: Agreed, OE is the way to go where possible. Will be like a new car when done! Who's doing the upholstery work? INH Upholstery - a guy I met through an E30 group - tried a more established place who didn’t seem too interested to be honest. Got a good vibe from Nicholas who is younger but experienced and he knows E30s and seems really keen to put in the time to ensure this is a great job. 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
E30 325i Rag-Top 2956 Report post Posted June 20, 2022 Wow, I am very envious of the pace of progress on this car, not only are you doing things to a very high standard, you are doing it fast as well!! 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sammo 2544 Report post Posted June 20, 2022 10 minutes ago, E30 325i Rag-Top said: Wow, I am very envious of the pace of progress on this car, not only are you doing things to a very high standard, you are doing it fast as well!! Haha, I'm going to run out of BMW money soon and off to Europe for 5 weeks in September, so things will have to slow down a little! 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sammo 2544 Report post Posted June 24, 2022 (edited) *Edit* Found the leak - little area in extreme top corner beside fuse box has some rust as pictured - does not seem to be a hole as such, but obviously enough to let water in - pointing a hose here will have water trickle immediately into the cabin over the large area of interior surface rust. Scuttle drains are working very well. Will scrape back, treat, seal for now and keep car pretty dry and level (it usually is). Will get property sorted before next winter. *Edit* Got the interior out getting reupholstered at the moment so thought I would have a look under my passenger carpet (I know I have a small rust hole there from poking around near the Jack points and I suspected a minor leak too). Anyway, carpet is dry on top but wet (backing foam is saturated) underneath. What’s more, got a few rust spots that I poked through plus the apparent source of the leak up high - big patch of scale rust pictured… Seems to be getting in somewhere around the fuse box, hosing all around there however only saw a tiny bit of moisture getting in and the sill drains are working well. Sunroof drains are clear and functioning well too. Struggling to see how so much water could get in, although the car has been parked outside the past 3 or so weeks while we renovate our backyard and there has been a LOT of rain. Guess I’ll keep saving for rust and paint at some point… Edited June 24, 2022 by Sammo 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sammo 2544 Report post Posted July 4, 2022 Little update after a average few weeks with Covid / getting annoyed with the car. Did a temp fix on the rust - after hitting it with a wire wheel, it went through the metal in a few more places, revealing 3-4 pea sized holes, through to the firewall near the fusebox. Will definitely get properly fixed in the future, but for now, I wire-wheeled it back to bare metal then patched / treated using filler and POR-15. Bit of an amateur-hour repair, but it should delay the rot a bit and ensure my carpets don't get damp - will check underneath again in spring. Found the source of my front suspension clunk too - went away when I removed the swaybar (suspicions were correct) - likely hitting front subframe or transmission guard due to a little bushing play / bar angle being off since it is reasonably low on standard end links. Going to get new poly bushings and billet reinforced brackets and when I reinstall will make sure suspension is loaded and clearances are fine. Interior reupholstering still in progress, hopefully will get it back next week - door cards are getting fresh vinyl as well with the insert stitched in. Ideally would have kept stock vinyl on door cards, but will be the same as the outer bolsters and seat backs, so should tie in nicely. 6 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sammo 2544 Report post Posted July 15, 2022 Interior retrim almost done - I went to do an inspection this AM (first time I’ve seen the progress in person) and it looked great. Still a few days away but together enough to get a good idea on how it will look. Very happy I went with OEM fabric and bolster fabric as it has a beautiful almost wooly nap to it that looks so good. In the flesh the seats are quite dark and the pattern more subtle so am leaning towards putting the Mtechnic badges on the fronts now - I don’t think it will be too busy / gaudy. 4 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
adro 1083 Report post Posted July 15, 2022 +1 for Mtech badge on the seats. Will look perfect! 3 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sammo 2544 Report post Posted July 28, 2022 After 5.5 weeks wallowing around in a clapped out comfort seat and 3 weeks without a front sway bar, can’t wait for the weekend to get my rebuilt and reupholstered sport seats in and my 22mm sway bar with new poly bushings and billet mounts… Looking forward to driving around corners again. 8 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
