E30 Touring Project

[Kaz 64]

Hi all,

Been a while since I've posted here. My other project is still a work in progress, however decided to put that on hold and start a new project that's more suitable for family life! I'll update here, more as a journal for myself to look back on.

Recently I picked up Malachite Green Touring on trademe that had partly been stripped out - no engine, gearbox, diff and the interior was very average but a good chassis and base to work from. the plan was to tidy up the paint, fix up the interior and pop an engine in it - likely an M40/42 and keep it fairly stock. As it was missing a bunch of bits, it would have been a fairly slow job collecting what was needed and getting bits and pieces done.

Things changed when this Lagune Green Touring popped up a few days later that had almost every single part I needed, including a stroked 2.8L engine, gearbox, LSD, black door cards, nice rear seats, touring specific carpet/boot panels, and some body panels I needed. I couldn't say no to that! Unfortunately the chassis is probably beyond repair, but this was worth it to me in the parts alone.

First job was to stocktake what's there. I created an excel sheet of everything so I can keep track of what I need of which car. E.g. Valance off Lagune, Bonnet off Malachite, front seats off Malachite, rear seats off Lagune etc.

 

Once I got both cars to one location, the strip down began. Decided to go for a full panel and paint but keep the Malachite colour - I've never seen an E30 in this colour before and love it! Having the two cars together meant I can compare parts side by side and pick the best parts. Currently waiting on my painter to free up his current jobs so we can move onto this set.

While that happens, we're waiting for engine parts to arrive (water pumps, hoses etc) to get the engine in Lagune running again, as it's been sitting for about a year. Fingers crossed there's no major issues as it's been rebuilt not that long ago. Worst case I have a spare M40 which can go in.

Due to time, I can only visit the cars one day every couple weeks, but will be working on cleaning up some of the parts (carpets/Door Cards/Smiley Lights) in the Lagune that I will keep in the final build at home to keep be busy between visits.

I'll be needing some recommendations - first up is a decent headlining restorer - based in Auckland/South Auckland that can do work on site. Windscreen will be getting replaced and sunroof swapped out for a fibreglass panel so would be good to get it done at the same time. I'd like to get a period correct material and ideally someone that's done this on an E30 before.

Will post more as I get along!

Edited June 17 by Kaz

[nick496 269]

Ah nice that one of those is getting saved, it didn't occur to me that the same person would buy both. 

I ended up going with a local shop in Hamilton to get the Headlining redone on the frame, and the fabric was a fairly close match. I did the removal and install myself. 

The Headlining on the touring isn't a particularly difficult job, and is touring specific, so I doubt you'll find anyone who has done it before. 

[Kaz 64]

On 6/23/2024 at 8:01 AM, nick496 said:

Ah nice that one of those is getting saved, it didn't occur to me that the same person would buy both. 

I ended up going with a local shop in Hamilton to get the Headlining redone on the frame, and the fabric was a fairly close match. I did the removal and install myself. 

The Headlining on the touring isn't a particularly difficult job, and is touring specific, so I doubt you'll find anyone who has done it before. 

Wasn't the plan but it had everything I needed so couldn't say no. Yeah I've since found someone that did it so will tackle the job next time. Would love to see some pics of the finished job if possible?