E30 from Ukraine - "Shadow of Intelligence"

[The_Glory]

Assembly_193. ETC_51_Rubber floor mats

From the moment the car was purchased, rubber floor mats from a BMW E34 were in it. Therefore, this entry will not be entirely correct in relation to the E30, but since rubber floor mats for the E30 have not been available for a long time and are quite rare, I will write it just for information.

ETK section Body trim

Subsection
Foot mats


All GRAU gray mats are no longer available, so I will not list their numbers. Only multi-colored clips for fixing the mats are available.

These clips are also in a separate ETK section, but are only available in black.
Foot mats with locking mechanism


Part #1 - threaded cap ANTHRAZIT (51 47 1 919 171).

These same GRAU gray rubber mats are also shown in the ETK section Retrofitting, accessories

Subsection
Rubber mats


All numbers are similar, and are no longer available. Except for the black clips.

Maybe someday I will be able to find and buy these rubber mats for the E30, just for the collection. After all, the car will not be driven in wet weather and winter.
And for now, the similar rubber mats from the E34 will remain. They are the same gray color GRAU and texture, almost the same shape, and fit perfectly on the floor.






Front. The driver's one has already been rubbed a little, so it is taped.






Rear






So, the rugs are washed, the carpet is clean.








The only nuance with the driver's mat is that it is a little wider in the front, so it covers the left footrest a little. But not critical.


The passenger one fits perfectly.


The rear ones too.




I don't have the mounting clips yet.

This is temporary. I hope... :)
Later I will order a set of original velor mats while they are still available. Along with the mounting clips. But I will write about that separately.
Although, I could have put old pile aftermarket floor mats on the E30, but I didn't want to...


That way there will be more motivation to buy new original ones :)

[The_Glory]

Assembly_192. ETK_71_Warning plate (part 3)

Unexpectedly, another part on the factory plate! )

In the first part, I already wrote that I always had a factory duplicate plate with the VIN code of the car missing. There is a corresponding entry about this in the technical passport of the car. Back in 2008, after buying the car, the previous owner said that the plate was somewhere, and promised to look for it in his garage. But then he never found it, so I drove without it all the time.

But now I installed a new blank plate - just for the general appearance.




As they say, Kyiv is a big village! )) The previous owner must have seen it somewhere on the Internet, I don't know how he found out, and after 17 years he finally found this "native" plate! ) He passed it on to me through our mutual friend - I am very grateful to both him and our friend! )


Along with the plate, I also found the "native" fuel tank hatch in the original PLATANENGRUEN METALLIC paint (188)


The color is beautiful and "old-school", but still "not mine". I'm sure that being in 1984, I wouldn't have bought a new E30 in this color... The condition of the hatch, like the plate, is not ideal, but as an "artifact", it has value for me! )




Maybe when I order a new color for the car, I'll also order the plate. I'll have to order two original rivets again for the price of a package of the same ones at a hardware store. )

[The_Glory]

No smoking!

Earlier, in the relevant section of ETK, I already mentioned a rather rare original option (72 60 1 942 786), - something like a "non-smoking package" - a box for small items that was installed instead of the front ashtray. I have long wanted to find it, or order a new one, while it is still available, and then I accidentally see it at a club flea market for a very nice price. Of course, I bought it! )


Unfortunately, one of the previous owners still used it as an ashtray... Therefore, its condition is not ideal - in places the bottom is melted with cigarettes.


The next owner probably wanted to fix it somehow and glued the bottom with leather or Alcantara.


But the smokers were very persistent, and continued to put out their cigarettes on it!


I peeled off the burnt leather, and cleaned the glue residue as best I could.


I carefully sanded the inside of the box.


The appearance became better, but the bottom melted by cigarettes did not go anywhere...


At first I wanted to putty the bottom and paint it, but then I remembered that I had self-adhesive velvet, and decided to just glue all the inside surfaces with it. It turned out, quite well.




The bottom side remained melted in places, but it is not critical. ETK number 72 60 1 942 786.


Compared to the standard ashtray.




The installation is very simple - we take out the standard ashtray and insert a box for small things in its place.
It looks beautiful and unusual. And with "velvet", it may even be better than just plastic.


The box is illuminated in the same way as the ashtray, but the illumination is always visible. It also looks very nice in the dark!


I really like this little thing! )
I have never allowed anyone to smoke cigarettes in my car, and I will not allow this thing to do so. The rear ashtray has also lost its direct function - I installed the rear seat heating buttons in it. And now the front ashtray is also missing. I can also install the original plastic plug from later BMW models instead of the lighter, but I will probably leave it. Firstly, the plug was not used in the E30, and secondly, it is a gift from a friend, and its condition is like new.

[The_Glory]

Assembly_192. ETC_71_Warning plate (part 2)

So, let's start sticking all the stickers. I won't repeat their numbers - they are indicated in the previous part.

I'll start with the engine compartment.

The factory plate is attached to special holes above the right headlight with two rivets. "Clean sheet"! :)


The body color sticker is glued to the side on the left support. I glued the original sticker.


The sticker of the original parts is glued to the left support.


I glued it as high as possible so that the sticker would not cover the oil filler cap.


I glued the sticker according to the engine oil replacement regulations to the right headlight shield.

I don't know where it was glued at the factory. In the photo, I only saw it on the "sharks" on the hood. I have soundproofing there, so I glued it wherever I found a place, closest to the filler neck. - it seems logical, right? )


The air conditioner sticker is glued to the right headlight grille, or to the right headlight shield. I already have a sticker on the shield, so I glued this one to the grille.


The large high voltage sticker is glued to the right support.


The small high voltage sticker is glued to the ignition coil.


The ATF Oil sticker is glued to the power steering reservoir cover.


Girling dual vacuum brake booster sticker


A sticker according to the belt replacement regulations. I will write the dates and mileage later.


Hella Black Headlight Sticker
Low Beam


High Beam


Left Headlights


Right Headlights


I have a few left extra stickers.
The black sticker of the original parts on cars from 88 with the M40 engine replaced the orange one on the left support. On all touring it was glued to the right in front of the radiator. Therefore, it will probably be superfluous.


The sticker according to the antifreeze replacement regulations is also superfluous, since the factory did not use "long-life" antifreeze on the E30. Although, if you pour it in, you can stick it here...


The small high-voltage sticker from 91 replaced the large one on the right support. You can stick it on the high-voltage wire shield, but it's probably also unnecessary )


So all the stickers in the engine compartment are glued. Final look:






Let's move on to the trunk.

I recently mentioned the sticker on the Bilstein jack - I glued it.

Replaced the jack.


I stuck the sticker according to the battery replacement regulations on the battery cover. I don't know where it was glued at the factory. It seems logical, right? )




The stickers on the taillight housing are glued inside the housing.




The roadside assistance sticker is glued to the tool box, or to the trunk lid. I glued it to the box.




A set of two stickers for the hatch and the fuel tank cap. The red stickers were mainly on the lids with a lock.


I glued the red one to the lid, and I have the original white one on the hatch.




Although, maybe it's worth replacing it with a red one...


Maybe I'll replace it.


Let's move on to the interior.

Tire pressure sticker for the 325i, glued to the bottom left B-pillar of the body.


The sticker for the "break-in" mode for the first 2000 km is glued to the upper left corner of the windshield.


The ABS sticker is glued to the dashboard under the high beam lamp.


The sticker for using only unleaded gasoline is glued to the dashboard under the fuel gauge. Mine is in English, like all the inscriptions on the instruments.


The manual transmission gear diagram sticker is glued to the handbrake console.


The airbag sticker is glued to the top flap of the glove box.

Although my airbag is not fully installed, but it is there, so let there be a sticker! :)


On the left side of the shield, there may still be a sticker on the cabin filter replacement regulations. But if there is air conditioning, it is not possible to install a cabin filter, so this sticker will not be there.

Seat adjustment stickers are glued to the side seat shields. I have the original stickers well preserved, so I left them for now.




I also have the M-Technic stickers on the seat plates in good condition, so I left them for now.

Although, the colors on the copies are a little different. I bought the original plates new, but the sticker on the driver's seat started to rub off very quickly. I covered them with transparent film so that they wouldn't rub off at all.

The sticker for the standard alarm system is glued to the glass of the front door, above the door handle. I bought these stickers original.


I stuck them on both front doors.




So, all the factory stickers are stuck on.

There are two "bonus" stickers left, and one club one. I also decided to stick the Ukraine UA sticker. I have a lot of them - a collection from my student days, when they were given out at all sorts of car shows ))




A little "black" humor from the "gangster" 90s )))


Probably glued somewhere in a prominent place in the trunk )) But I probably won't glue it... )


RESPECT YOUR ELDERS is probably a "classic"! )




UA


And of course, the club "name" sticker!


That's all for the stickers.


P.S.
There might be something more for the BBS stickers later...

[The_Glory]

Assembly_192. ETK_71_Warning plate (part 1)

The car is almost completely assembled. Only the "final touches to the portrait" remain - factory stickers. Most of them are no longer available for order, so I ordered exact copies. I ordered all that I could find, even many extra ones.


Of the original ones, I only had a few pieces in poor condition, so of course I replaced them too.


So, back to the ETK section Spare parts+accessories

Subsection Warning plate





Part #1 - ALU factory plate (51 14 2 121 107) - 1 pc. Aluminum duplicate plate with the VIN code of the car. I always had it missing. In the office of the official BMW dealer, they told me that it is not possible to order a "number" plate for old models. They cannot put my number on it either. Therefore, I ordered a blank plate - just for the general appearance. ;)


Part No. 4 - blind rivet 3.2 2A (07 12 9 948 747) - 2 pcs. Rivet for attaching the nameplate. Regular rivets 3.2x6.4 mm. For the price of two pieces, you can buy a whole package of the same ones in a hardware store :)

Part No. 2 - "Batterie" label (51 14 1 806 553) - 1 pc. Not available for order. Sticker for replacing the battery.
Part No. 2 - "Motoroel" label (51 14 1 822 234) - 1 pc. Not available for order. Sticker for replacing the lubricant.
I have never seen these two stickers live on the car, so I am not sure where exactly they were glued, but they were there until 86.

Part #2 - "Original BMW Teile" label (51 14 1 827 417 or 51 14 2 121 500) - 1 pc. Not available for order. Orange sticker original parts on the left front suspension strut.
Since 88 on cars with the M40 engine and on touring it was replaced with a black sticker (2 121 173). The black sticker (2 121 174) was not used on the E30, it is for later models.

Part No. 2 - "Einfahrvorschrift" label (51 14 2 121 181) - 1 pc. Transparent "running-in" sticker on the upper left corner of the windshield.

Part No. 3 - "Tsz Anlage" label (51 14 1 363 259) - 1 pc. Not available for order. Yellow high voltage sticker on the right front suspension strut until 87.
Part No. 3 - "Tsz Anlage" label (51 14 2 121 919) - 1 pc. Not available for order. Yellow sticker high voltage on the ignition coil.
Part No. 3 - Nameplate "Tsz Anlage" (71 21 2 122 014) - 1 pc. Yellow sticker high voltage on the right front suspension strut from 91.

Part No. 5 - Nameplate 5-speed gearbox (51 14 2 121 028) - 1 pc. Not available for order. Black sticker on the handbrake console.

Part No. 6 - 5-speed sports gearbox label (51 14 2 121 134) - 1 pc. Not available for order. Black sticker on the handbrake console. Not used in my case.
Part No. 7 - "Bleifreier Kraftstoff" label (51 14 2 121 497) - 1 pc. White or red sticker on the fuel filler flap.

Part No. 7 - "Nur bleifrei Tanken" label (51 14 2 121 638) - 1 pc. Transparent sticker for the dashboard. It was available in different languages. I ordered in English (51 14 2 121 684).
I also ordered all the options for stickers for the fuel cap, although for some reason they are missing from the ETK. White early (2 122 072), white late (2 122 182), red for the lid with a lock (2 121 497). For diesel cars, red stickers for the hatch (2 121 408) and the lid (2 121 632).

Body color stickers in individual ETK sections:

Plain paint


Paint metallic




My BMW color is Pur Blau Metallic - 253/5. Only the BMW Z1 was painted in this color as standard at the factory, and for other BMW models it was only available in the "Individual" line. Therefore, this sticker does not make it into the ETK for the E30. I ordered it, as for the Z1! ;)

Part #1 - Metallic paint PUR BLAU (71 21 2 122 025) - 1 pc. Black sticker on the left front suspension strut. Below is a copy in the photo - there are some differences.


These were the basic stickers, and there are many more regulatory and optional stickers. Most of them are not in the ETK, or they are no longer available. Therefore, I will not write their numbers.
Stickers tire pressure, belt replacement, airbag, alarm, roadside assistance, ABS, unleaded gasoline, air conditioning, taillight covers and headlights, jack, vacuum brake booster, seat adjustment, power steering, manual transmission with ATF, M-seat plates.


White stickers on Hella and Hella Black headlights, yellow stickers on Bosch headlights, white stickers on early taillight covers.


Orange ATF Oil stickers on the power steering reservoir cover and on the late manual transmission housing.


Blue stickers on the ATE vacuum brake booster, and a yellow sticker on the Girling dual vacuum brake booster.


So, I removed all the unnecessary stickers, and got this set of stickers for my E30.


Stickers under the hood (if the battery is under the hood)


Stickers in the interior.


Stickers in the trunk (if the battery is in the trunk).


I'll write about the gluing in the second part.

[The_Glory]

BILSTEIN jack

I have already written about the standard jack in the relevant section of the ETK, but I will briefly repeat it.
Basically, the E30 was equipped with a Storz jack (71 12 1 178 721). But some cars were equipped with a Bilstein jack (71 12 1 178 722). What is strange is that the diagram in the ETK shows this particular jack, but its number is missing in the ETK. Probably another mistake.
For restyled cars with M-Technic II sills, there was a special Storz jack (71 12 1 180 172), with a wider "paw".

So, recently I wrote that I purchased a Bilstein Heber jack.




But it needed to be brought into proper shape. Cleaned and sanded.


Painted it matte black.


Bottom rubber buffer and top plastic cover.


The gears are made in the form of flat "stars".


We lubricate the gears and shaft with graphite grease, install a rubber buffer at the bottom, and cover the gears with a plastic cover.






Bilstein Heber


BMW 71 12 1 178 722


Load capacity 700 kg


You might be asking, why do I need another jack when I already have one, completely restored?
The thing is, I bought factory stickers for the E30, and the kit included a sticker for the jack. Judging by the photo on the Internet, this sticker was glued to Bilstein Heber jacks. In principle, nothing prevents me from sticking this sticker on the Storz jack. But, firstly, it's not entirely correct. And secondly, my jack is not completely complete, it lacks a gear cover. That's why I decided to buy a Bilstein Heber jack for this sticker! :) I like it better in appearance.
So, two standard jacks for BMW E30, - on the left Storz BMW 71 12 1 178 721, and on the right Bilstein Heber BMW 71 12 1 178 722 (with a sticker! :) )






Bilstein Heber


Storz


There are no fundamental differences between them.


Storz BMW 71 12 1 178 721


Bilstein Heber BMW 71 12 1 178 722


Both jacks are fixed in the trunk the same way.

Next time I'll probably write about the stickers.

[The_Glory]

Temporary bumper

Since there was a delay in painting the bumpers, I decided to temporarily install my old bumper so that I had something to screw the front turn signals and license plates to and could safely hit the road.
It's a good thing that I had previously painted this bumper along with the plastic. So I took it off my "nightstand", installed the glued old trim, and the clips for the license plate.




Top trim and turn signals. Since this is temporary, I didn't install the side plastic trim.






I once straightened this bumper as best I could after a traffic accident - it looks something like this... You can see how crooked it is... but it will be like that for the first time.


Although, from afar, on the car, it still looks more or less normal! Even in matte black :)


But if you look closely, everything is crooked )) I didn't install the side panels.


I also temporarily screwed the license plates with club frames with regular self-tapping screws. Then I'll install the original ones with colored plugs.




The same goes for the rear numbers. For now, it will be without a rear bumper.




Now I can go outside my street! :)

[The_Glory]

Assembly_191. ETC_51_Emblems - inscriptions

Basically, the car is completely assembled (bumpers on pause ;) ). The last step is to install the BMW emblems.
So, the ETK section Body trim

Subsection Emblems - lettering





Of course, I ordered new emblems.


The old emblems were original, from those times, but their condition and appearance were no longer very good.


Inside


Part No. 1 - Emblem Ø 82MM (51 14 8 132 375) - 1 pc. This emblem has been used since 1990 on many BMW models.

Before this, the emblem had a different number (51 14 1 872 324), and differed in the inner part and had the inscription BOMISA MILANO. No longer available for order.

Part #1 - Trunk emblem (51 14 1 872 969) - 1 pc. Used only on E28, E30 and Z3 M3.2.

Early emblems have a similar number, but differ in the inner part.

The peculiarity of this emblem is its shape - different thickness at the top and bottom - under the bend of the trunk lid.

Part No. 2 - Tip (51 14 1 902 279) - 4 pcs. White plastic clips for fixing emblems. There is a note in the ETK - when using the modern front emblem (51 14 8 132 375), you need to use other tips (51 14 1 807 495) - black plastic clips. I don't understand why, because they are the same diameter and are essentially interchangeable. But I ordered two of each, both white and black.
Part No. 3, No. 5, No. 10 - not used. These are nameplates for the diesel and turbodiesel models "324d" and "324td" with the M21D24 engine.
Part No. 6 - not used. This is a nameplate for the "325e" model with the M20B27 engine.
Part No. 4 - "325" emblem (51 14 1 924 867) - 1 pc. In my case, it is not used.
Part No. 7 - "i" emblem (51 14 1 916 137) - 1 pc. In my case, it is not used.
These are nameplates for the "325i" model with the M20B25 engine.
For the US market, there were "sports" versions of "325is" and "325es"
The factory configuration of my car has the option "S320 No model designation". So, if the factory did not have a 316 nameplate, then there is no point in installing the 325i nameplate. Although, now it is a full-fledged 325i.
By the way, I always wondered if it was necessary to pay extra money for this option? :)
Part No. 8 - not used. This is a nameplate for the all-wheel drive model "325ix" with the M20B25 engine.
Part No. 9 - The letter "M" rear (51 14 1 917 739) and front (72 60 1 933 569) - 2 pcs. This is a nameplate "///M", which could be installed on cars that have a "sports package", "M-package", or some of their options. Photo from the Internet.




My car has options from the "M-package", so the "///M" nameplates have every right to be present on it. But these are either suspension parts or interior parts. Externally, the M-Technic I body kit is missing, so the letters "///M" probably won't be there. Or maybe later I'll order them and install them for beauty! ) I used to have "///M3" nameplates! ))
Part #11 - M TECHNIC emblem front (51 14 2 231 593) and rear (51 14 2 251 228) - 2 pcs. Not used. These are nameplates only for the special series of M-Design convertibles from 1992. Not available for order. Although, now replicas can be seen on sedans, but this is not correct. Photo from the Internet.




So, I'm installing the emblems. I started with the rear one.
Insert the white clips into the holes on the trunk.


Insert the emblem tightly into the clips.




BMW


The same goes for the front emblem.


We insert the black clips into the holes on the hood. By the way, the black clips went into the holes very tightly!


We insert the emblem tightly into the clips.


Well, now it's definitely clear that this is a BMW! :)




Done.

I'll screw on the license plates and I can hit the roads! )

[The_Glory]

It really turned out to be a gorgeous car. If those two big gouges on the strut bar really bug you, it would probably take a few minutes with a TIG welder to fill them in. Since they're just cosmetic and a ton of penetration isn't needed it wouldn't have a big heat affected zone and weaken the bar either.

Thanks for the tip, maybe I'll do that later.

[varg]

It really turned out to be a gorgeous car. If those two big gouges on the strut bar really bug you, it would probably take a few minutes with a TIG welder to fill them in. Since they're just cosmetic and a ton of penetration isn't needed it wouldn't have a big heat affected zone and weaken the bar either.

[The_Glory]

Eibach front strut

Once upon a time, a long time ago, I made a set of struts according to the factory dimensions of the BMW E30 - front, rear and middle (analogous to the Cabrio).
I posted my drawings on the club forum. Many people have already used them - there seem to be no complaints :)
I painted the rear and middle ones and installed them a long time ago - I wrote about this earlier.
During the restoration of the car, I managed to find and buy an original aluminum Eibach front strut for the BMW E30. Just in the kit for the Eibach springs. And now, finally, it's time to install it. The strut is intact, but not in perfect condition - it has small, but in places deep scratches, and traces of aluminum oxide.


Unfortunately, the scratches are right on the logo... Eibach Kit Nr 2003920


So, I had to work hard to bring it into proper shape.
First, I sanded it down and bought new mounting bolts.


It became dull and very shabby. At first, I even thought that I had overdone it! )




You can't do anything with deep scratches. There's no point in sanding down such a layer of aluminum. Unless you putty and paint it. But it has to be polished, so it will be.


For polishing, I bought a set of special pastes, a textile polishing wheel and an adapter for it.


Before polishing, I manually sanded the surfaces with 600 grit sandpaper to remove roughness. You can see the difference in the photo.


Now I can start polishing.


I polished in five passes with all the pastes in turn - black, gray, green, white, blue. It took quite a lot of time and effort. But the result suits me quite well.


I'll say right away that I didn't set a goal to polish the aluminum to a "mirror" finish so that you could shave on it! )) I just wanted to make a slightly shiny surface. I even thought about stopping after the white paste. After all, there is no mirror chrome on the car, so it's not very appropriate here, in my opinion. But, it still turned out pretty shiny! ))


I bought new M8x70 bolts and nuts for mounting the pipe. I bought the original nuts for mounting the flanges a long time ago (07 11 9 904 295).


Screw the spacer flanges to the support bearing studs. Left and right are not interchangeable.
Left


Right


Install and screw the spacer tube.


It fits well, doesn't get in the way and doesn't get stuck anywhere.






Eibach Kit Nr 2003920. Scratches spoil the appearance a little, but do not affect the functionality.


There is a cutout on the spacer flange for standard mounting of the "mass" of the motor wiring to the body, but I do not have this bracket - I forgot about it when the car was undergoing bodywork...
Previously, my "mass" terminal was screwed together with a homemade spacer to the support bearing stud. The Eibach strut has special stampings for the nuts, so the terminal doesn't fit there well.


So, I had to move the "mass" terminal mounting lower, to the platform. There is a rectangular stamping with a threaded hole there, which is ideal for this. It seems that it was made for this. Maybe it is?..


It looks even better this way - the wiring is hidden under the platform.

Now I can go to the stand to check and adjust the camber and toe angles.
Only the license plates need to be screwed on ;)

[The_Glory]

All sorts of little things

There were quite a few little things that I didn't finish when assembling the car for one reason or another. Well, I'm starting to finish them gradually.
I simply installed the wiper mechanism as it was, without adjusting it. I also installed the brushes. After connecting all the wiring and checking, it turned out that the brushes start their movement not up, but down! ) The reason is that the crank is screwed to the rod in the wrong position. Adjusting the wiper mechanism is well described in Etzold's book. The essence is as follows:
1. Remove the brush levers and unscrew the crank from the rod.
2. Turn the wiper on and off, wait until the electric drive reaches its final position.
3. Manually move the mechanism rods towards the left wing so that the rod and the crank are in one horizontal line.
4. In this position, screw the crank.
5. Screw the brush levers so that the distance between the glass seal and the brushes is 6 centimeters.
6. Check that the brushes should return to the same position.

I don't know how to measure correctly - from the edge or from the center of the seal. I measured from the center, because from the edge it comes out too high, as for me.




Later I adjusted the windshield washer nozzles. I adjusted them roughly according to this diagram.


I also adjusted the headlight washer nozzles and brushes. The brushes are adjusted simply by their position on the axis. In the video, the washer tanks are still empty, so nothing is pouring, although the pump is working.

https://youtube.com/shorts/1QyngjeXlac

I explained why the turn signals and rear window heating stopped working. When I was installing the radio, the connectors from these two buttons flew off. I fixed it )

By the way, I discovered an interesting thing with the turn signal relay for the towbar - now, when the hazard warning light is turned on, the main turn signal lamps on the instrument panel flash alternately with the turn signal lamp for the trailer. Beautiful. ) And when I was installing it, I thought I would never see it light up! ))

The next two electrical tasks are to find out why the brake pad lamp and the brake light control lamp do not go out.

Before installing the rear bumper, I decided to align the BBS rear apron, because it was slightly concave in the center. I made an additional support from a plate - something similar, by analogy, to the M-Technic I bracket.




It got better. Although, it is probably possible to move it a little more...


I prepared the license plates for installation. I decided to fix them on the standard mounting clips - with self-tapping screws through. I drilled the corresponding holes. But the original self-tapping screws with colored plugs are too short for the license plate frames. I may have to give them up. Although, they are club. I'll see...
The license plates are already a little wrinkled, so I'll probably replace them with new ones when I re-register the car's color change in the documents.


I also ordered some body stickers, which were missing.


By the way, about club paraphernalia - I also ordered club stickers for those who want them.


The body sticker set includes a sticker for the Bilstein stock jack. And I have another stock jack. I had to look for another jack under the sticker, namely Bilstein. )


I also accidentally bought new heated mirror elements - analogue, but the mounts are like on the original mirrors. I will change them later, because my original ones are a little scratched, especially the right one.


There is still some news on the assembly, but I will probably write about it next time.

[The_Glory]

Painting bumpers part 2 chrome

My car has the factory option "shadow line", so I never had chrome bumpers. Previously, they were painted black, and it looked pretty good. Then, after an accident, the front bumper had to be replaced with a chrome one. In order not to bother with painting the chrome, I just covered it with black matte film. But at the factory, in the "shadow line" option, the bumpers were painted in the body color. So I decided to do it the way it should be - paint them blue. To save time and money, I decided to paint them myself - as if nothing complicated... (yeah, it almost worked out! :) )
First, I had to remove the film.


It wasn't easy to remove, even with an industrial fan heater.


At first glance, the bumper looks pretty good.


But if you look closely, the condition of the chrome there is such that it wouldn't hurt to paint it! ))




The bolts are very rusty, I had to cut them off.


I didn't even pay attention to it before, but apparently someone has already smoothed this bumper a little - you can see small dents.


In order for the paint to stick well, you need to remove the chrome from the bumper, or make its surface matte. This can be done with electroplating or sandblasting. For such large parts, electroplating is expensive. That's why I chose sandblasting. But you need a powerful industrial sandblaster.
So, from two sets of bumpers, I chose the best parts and gave them to the industrial sandblaster.


I leveled the brackets and also sandblasted them. The metal on the front brackets is very strong, so I had to heat them a lot to level them.


In the meantime, along with the plastic, I painted my old crooked bumper matte black. And for good reason. )


After industrial sandblasting




But even the powerful sand didn't remove all the rust on the inner surface.




However, on the rear side parts, near the mounting brackets, through holes formed! )) I "puttied" them with cold welding - it turned out well. I also coated the brackets, just in case.




I did the same with the extra holes in the front bumper.


After that, I brushed off all the rust on the inner ribs, treated the inner surface with a rust converter and sanded it again, this time by myself.




Finally, I can start painting. As I said, I decided to paint it myself. Because when choosing paint, they assured me that their paint and varnish in aerosol cans are no worse than regular painting (yeah, right) - I believed them )))
So, "economy offer" ))) Acid primer, acrylic two-component primer, BMW 253 paint and varnish.


Something went wrong at the first stage! )) The acid primer turned out to be very thin, and I "poured" a lot of it, making some drips...


It was easier with acrylic primer.


The result seems to be not bad.




Next was a long process of puttying...




Then another layer of acrylic primer.


And now the most interesting thing is the paint. It's good that I thought of trying it on one small patch, and not painting everything at once! ))
Two layers of paint, and varnish.


As if it's not bad? The color is the same. But if you compare it with the paint on the car, the difference becomes obvious!
It's some kind of "semi-matte", not "gloss"! )


And super shagreen! )


So instead of saving time and money, I got a stupid waste of time and money! )))
The paint in the spray can is the same, whether it's on the paint selection or in the hardware store! Now I know! ))

I don't want to finish the painting work, as they say, "shitty to the top" at all )) So I agreed with the painter who painted the car, but there is a queue, so it won't be as soon as I would like. It was necessary to do it right away, then the bumpers would have been painted. )
And for now, they remain in this form.




P.S.
I will temporarily install my old crooked black bumper so that there is somewhere to screw the turn signals and license plate. Then I will be able to drive to the service station on my own.

[The_Glory]

Painting bumpers part 1 plastic

So, I decided to paint the bumpers myself - not to waste the paint that I had previously ordered for the "shadow line"! )
Of course, the plastic on the bumpers was not painted at the factory, but in my case it was painted before me. It had scuffs and deep scratches in places. So later I painted it a few more times. So I had to remove all the old paint, right down to the plastic.




As you can see, I decided to paint all the trims that I had, so that I could then choose the best ones. I collected more than two sets of them. Some were in poor condition, so I had to glue them and putty them. I will install them on my garage "E30 nightstand".
Some of them had a lot of layers of old paint on them. It was not very easy to remove it.


Then I puttyed all the scratches, irregularities, and holes from the screws with plastic putty. I prepared smooth surfaces for painting. Quite a laborious process that took a lot of time and effort.


Then I thoroughly washed everything, degreased it, and applied a primer for plastic.




And finally, I painted it matte black, like the "shadow line".




But for some reason the surface turned out matte "textured", and not just matte smooth... Either it's the paint, or the spray gun, or I'm such a painter! ))) But, in principle, it looks good for plastic too! ;)

After painting, I had to assemble the front turn signals, which are also part of the front bumper trim.
I already wrote about them in the corresponding topic about lighting, so now I will briefly write about their types and assembly.
So, I have four left and two right lights.


Three of them were broken and glued together.


Although, from the outside they all look normal now.


Now about their differences. There are three manufacturers of headlights for early E30s - ZKW, ULO and Sidler. They are all interchangeable.
ZKW and ULO are practically the same.
Sidler has a different connector design. It has a separate plastic housing with two contacts. In my opinion, this design is better.


The reflectors differ in the diameter of the cutout for the connector. Sidler has the largest, and ZKW has the smallest.


So, I chose the two best, whole Sidler headlights from them.


Accordingly, the glass comes from these three manufacturers, but is interchangeable, including the left and right, although some have an R mark. I have a pair of Sidler, a pair of ULO and one FIFFT analogue, - it is also of quite good quality.


There is also original ZKW glass - transparent and smoky.


It is strange that ZKW glass, regardless of its color (orange, transparent, smoky), has the same ETK number. It is not entirely clear how to choose its color when ordering.
I will compare them already on the car, and most likely, I will install clear glass. Or smoky. And the orange ones will be in reserve. By the way, as well as the original orange side repeaters.


So, we insert the reflector, the orange lamp (for clear glass), the seal and screw the glass with two screws.


The front turn signal lights are ready for installation.




The rest of the lights are also assembled - a pair of ULO for my "E30 bedside table", and Sidler and ZKW will be in reserve.


So, the plastic bumper covers are ready for installation.
Now I'm preparing to paint the metal parts of the bumpers.
I'll write about it next time.

[The_Glory]

Went out!

So, right after the clutch was pumped, the first short test drive was done! I couldn't wait! )

https://youtube.com/shorts/Snlxo0Vcfy0

Went out, finally! ))
But it was already late and it was raining outside, so the first drive had to be postponed for a while.

And so, this day came! )
Although, it snowed in April, I still managed to "catch" literally an hour of dry sunny weather, between rain and snowfall! I really wanted to drive a little! ))
First drive!




Let's go! Wow! ))

https://youtube.com/shorts/jbDAd-0sUf8

After the E53, it's just a rocket!! ))) I've already managed to get used to it! ) I really missed it - emotions, like a small child from a favorite toy! )))))
After the third pass, the neighbors started coming out to see what kind of idiot was flying back and forth! ))
I couldn't resist! ))

https://youtube.com/shorts/VnVzHj4--8Y

https://youtube.com/shorts/_Nk17mB5DBE

Looks good, even in dust and without bumpers )) The photo doesn't do it justice, but in the sun the color looks very nice! After polishing it will be even better!








I also really like the look without "tinting" - all the green polished glass looks very harmonious with the blue color, in my opinion.







I'm happy!
Everything would be great if it weren't for two nuances.
Firstly, oil is dripping from the power steering somewhere. I thought the reason was the new Chinese pump, which buzzes like crazy, but it's dripping from somewhere from the steering rack... Maybe the hose is just not tightened, or maybe something worse...
Secondly, the brakes are very bad. I still don't understand why. Either it needs to be pumped again, or it's because of the dirt in the brake fluid... I guess I need to replace the brake fluid, I hope it helps.
But I'll solve these two problems at a car service, on a normal lift.
For now, I'm dealing with all sorts of small "jambs" in the electrical system, I'll write about it later.

P.S.
It's probably time to write that the car already has a new owner.


Or rather, the owner. First time behind the wheel :)


P.P.S.
But the logbook doesn't end there! ))
I still need to paint and install bumpers, polish the body, paint at least one of the four sets of wheels, fill and run the air conditioner, and add some additional options.
And I think there are a lot of other little things that will "come out"...