my $500 project

[McGyver]

I was looking for textbooks today and got bored, so i got on craigslist and ended up with this.





I vacuumed up the broken window and shampooed the carpets.



So the seats are a little rough as well...







The dash may be a little cracked...



and the paint comes off if you rub it.



but after a wash and removing the stupid wind deflector it is looking pretty good while still wet!



So it runs great and pulls strong if i put the fuel pump and battery from my cabbie in it, so i have a new pump on the way. (thanks blunt!) The breaks have a leak so stopping is sort of an issue right now. And some asshat broke the side window, windshield, and stabbed the cluster and radio with a screw driver, which is probably part of the reason the guy wanted to get rid of it.

the PO just replaced the timing belt, water pump, put new tires on, and swapped a new head on, so im thinking i got a pretty good deal even if its an auto.

/end pic whoring.

[Bimmerista]

Some lawn work should be in order as well :D

[TS323]

sounds like a bad ass deal. all u gotta do now is doll it up.

[dkbmxer002]

freaking badass deal. looks like a great starting point.

[AbsorbantNut]

nice score

[McGyver]

Some lawn work should be in order as well :D

yeah, i have a real mower and it doesnt work for anything over 4-5" so i have to borrow someone's gas mower i guess. it does do a great job hiding the dog poop i dont pick up though!

[thowes24]

I'm so jealous. I've been looking for an e30 for MONTHS and I can't find any in this price range that aren't wrecked. ugh!

Looks like you got an awesome deal though! Congrats!

[gtarwiz]

Nice find. I really like the color!

[truekid]

Nice find, looks like fun. good luck.

[reelizmpro]

Nice pick up. That is pretty rough but looks solid.

[McGyver]

hey, any one have any idea what i can do to refresh the paint aside for a respray? it was rubbing off easily and made the water in the care wash bucket green. now it feels like a matte finish that still rubs off in some spots. i was thinking some rubbing compound-->3m scratch & swirl remover-->wash-->claybar-->wash-->wax.

[Eric Giles]

hey, any one have any idea what i can do to refresh the paint aside for a respray? it was rubbing off easily and made the water in the care wash bucket green. now it feels like a matte finish that still rubs off in some spots. i was thinking some rubbing compound-->3m scratch & swirl remover-->wash-->claybar-->wash-->wax.

I say skip the rubbing compound-looks like oxidation has taken its toll on the paint and its probably very thin by now, and something has abrasive as rubbing compound will remove too much of the paint you have left. You want to wash, claybar, wash, use a moderate to light abrasive polish and then wax once you are happy with the level of scratch and oxidation removal you have done with the polish. There are many good polish products you can order online that are much better than what you can get in local stores. See if any of your local auto parts stores carry Meguiars M105 and M205 polishes. They can be used by hand (although a random orbital will give better results) and work very well. Also, I highly recommend P21S cleaner polish (available at Harley Davidson shops as S100) and Klasse All-in One polish.

Take your time, and good luck.

[N2MYE30]

Erics got the right ideas. I had about the same issue when I got my MT2 cabrio (see sig too) and this worked great. You can see the difference with a little elbow grease but your gonna need more powa!

[5spoke]

The breaks have a leak so stopping is sort of an issue right now.

breaks, sort of like Brakes.

[McGyver]

thanks for all the paint advice! i was a little worried about rubbing compound because it looks like all the clear coat is gone because the green is rubbing off. so i'll hit it with the random orbital buffer when i have time after class and hope it clears up a bit. im not looking for minty fresh paint, just to keep it from degrading more.

breaks, sort of like Brakes.

im not sure where you are going with this, but breaks are broke. SS lines coming tomorrow!