My 1989 325iC

[bwanac]

That is exactly what I am looking for once get out of college.

Euro bumpered white mtech1 cabby will be mine yet!

[Joey Link]

Today started off with Mr. Copperwheat meeting Jenny and I at my parents house around 10:30am. Jenny cleaned and conditioned the front seats with that Meguiars crap I mentioned before, then we proceeded to install them. After cleaning out the switches for the heated seats I tested the elements and found they worked perfect, which made me very happy.










While the seats aren't in the best shape, I've seen FAR worse. I'm hoping when I get some good leather conditioner they'll clean up nicely.

Our main task for the day was to fix the exhaust leak in the flex pipe just below where the exhaust meets the manifold. For that, we headed out to the shop. Jenny and I were in the cabrio, with Ken following in his car. As soon as we hit Germantown (a very steep and extremely twisty road) I heard this "clack clack clack clack" seeming to come from just under my shift linkage, which persisted all the way up the hill. I pulled over once to consult with Mr. Copperwheat and we agreed we could probably make it to the shop, which we did.

Between shuffling vehicles around in the shop and getting prepared to swap the exhaust I forgot about the sound I heard earlier. Upon removing the old exhaust Ken discovered not only was there a large hole in the flex pipe, but that the pipe had actually broken away from the flange as well. Ken convinced me to fire it up, sans exhaust. Man, did that thing sound mean! For once the cabrio didn't seem so damn girly; unfortunately it was short lived. The exhaust swap was fairly straightforward and uneventful, though it was a bit of a pain in the ass. Once we decided to split it into two parts the whole process went much smoother.

I raced over to DEQ to try to get the thing tested. To my dismay, they were closed. I guess I'll have to wait until Tuesday for emissions. On the way back the "clack clack clack" noise came back, and every once in a while it felt/sounded like someone hit my seat rail with a large hammer. When I returned to the shop Ken and I went for a ride. He suggested it's probably my flex disk or driveline having issues, possibly a loose bolt. When we got back to the shop he had to take off, but I really wanted to know what was causing this sound. I jacked up the rear of the car, setup my jack stands, and took a look. This is the horror I saw...

[H&Re30]

omg dude...

i thought mine was bad...`

[golfdmb18]

looks like that guibo needs replaced :) Great work on cleaning the car up.

[Joey Link]

Just a little bit :D

Thanks for the compliment. I can't wait to start on the exterior. Hopefully it'll be nice this weekend and I'll be able to use the $300 worth of products I ordered from Autogeek.

[Wiglaf]

hey, does this look familiar?

better go check the driveway :p

[Joey Link]

Lol, I'm jealous of your bottlecaps.

[Joey Link]

The weather *finally* gave me a break today, just long enough for me to finish buffing, polishing, and waxing the car. I've been checking the forecasts for a week, hoping for a semi-clear day with breaks in the rain.

I must say, I'm amazed at the results, especially for my first time detailing the exterior of a vehicle. I used the three step Optimum line of products with a Porter Cable 7424 random orbital buffer and various Lake County pads, all from Autogeek. The first step is the compound, designed to take out semi-heavy scratches and swirls. Since the paint was so bad I decided to go ahead and use all three products over the entire car. Next came the polish, which removes the scratches that may have been caused by the compound and other imperfections. Last is the Poli-seal sealant, designed to protect the paint and seal out moisture. I chose the sealant instead of wax because it rains so much here in Oregon, it's more durable, and it lasts longer.

Before I got started I removed the side moldings so I wouldn't get the compound on them and because there was a ton of dirt and moss underneath. I'm really looking the all-white look though, so if I can find some alpine white II in a can I think I'll paint them. What do you guys think of white moldings vs black?

I purposely didn't pay much attention to the sides and the bumpers, as I plan on purchasing side skirts and plastic bumpers. Thinking back I should have tried a bit better to clean up the sides, since I'm not sure when I'll be able to find/afford the skirts and the bumpers are a higher priority.

Finally, here are the pics. Unfortunately I forgot my camera so I had to use my parent's, which isn't very good.













What do you guys think?

As Mr. Copperwheat and I were working on the car the last time I updated this thread he pointed out the fact that there was a bit of damage under the passenger door/fender. Am I going to have to fix this in order to properly mount a side skirt or will it not matter?



Next on the agenda is the guibo and a ton of basic maintenance I have planned for this. Wish me luck :)

[beejay]

For some reason I like the look without the moldings. Looks cleaner. Question how exactly do you take off the side moldings anyways? Just pull of carefully?

[Bimmerista]

Looks great! Keep us updated on the progress.

[Joey Link]

I agree, I think it looks cleaner without the moldings as well. For the door moldings you have remove the nut holding it on, then use a screw driver with a shop rag over the head of it to slip in and gently pry it off. You'll see the nut in the rear door jamb, on the door, when you open it. The others I just gently pried off. I definitely recommend it to people who really want to clean up their cars, lots of crap can accumulate under there over the years.

[KenC]

You should go park that in front of the previous owners house. I can't believe that's a $1200 car.

[Joey Link]

He made me promise to take it by once I cleaned it up, remember? I honestly think he's going to be upset. I can't believe I paid $1200 either! I can't wait until I get everything sorted out; this car is gonna be sick.

[Joey Link]

A friend told me about a late model Alpine White 2 E30 in a local you-pull-it yard cause he knows I'm looking for plastic bumpers for my '89 325iC and a trunk lid without the holes of the cabrio's third brake light. I went yesterday to check it out and, sure enough, it looked like the bumpers, valence, and trunk lid were in decent shape. Last night I was talking to Curt about what it'll take to pull the stuff I wanted, and realized I didn't have the correct tools. Curt, being the good guy he is, volunteered to come out and help pull the stuff with me.

When it was all said and done I walked up to the counter with a front bumper, a front valence, a rear bumper, all four bumper shocks, a pair of sun visors in like new condition, and a pair of kidney grills. Grand total? $100!

Curt scored a tan leather rear seat with headrests and the fold down armrest/ski pass-through, an oil cooler complete with lines and fittings, front and rear window locks, a grab handle, and a mirror. Grand total? I'll let him tell you if he wants :)

Afterward we hit up the Lighthouse for Lighthouse Burgers and a game of pool. By the time we got to my parent's house it was right around the time the freeways get packed, so he decided to stick around. I cleaned up the rear bumper as he pulled the rear diving board, then we fit it. Unfortunately, we weren't aware that the sides don't bolt up, so we had to think of a way to mount them. I think we decided that I need to look for a think rubber washer/grommet to put between the body and the side of the rear bumper, then we'll just put a bolt through it which will be hidden by the impact strip. If anyone has a better idea, please let me know.

In the next couple days I'm going to be cleaning up the front bumper and the valence, in preparation for installation. I don't have the fogs, the vents, a couple impact strips, or the lip, but I'll be purchasing them as my priorities and finances allow. Stay tuned for pics!

[Axxe]

Excellent work! Sand those wheels and paint them silver, or gloss black for contrast.