Smackley's Alpine vert grocery getter

[smackley]

I've also been converting the interior over to black and plaid. I already replaced the doorcards and carpet (gray carpet was a close as I could find). Today, I recovered my cracking/peeling tonneau cover.

Album here - https://imgur.com/a/HIYM8

some pics of the process

[smackley]

My wife took a trip to Germany for work, so while I wait and hope she brings back presents...I got to continue my work on the e30.

Today it was windshield day. Previous owner drilled and filled some star chips in an aftermarket glass windshield with a green tinted visor section. I figured I'd swap it out for a clean OEM replacement with a non rotted gasket and lock strip. It was a lot more work than I planned, but it went rather smoothly. Since there are not a lot of write ups with pictures (plenty of advice in other posts, but few pics), I figured I'd journal the process.

You can browse the whole album here ---> http://imgur.com/a/lotrL

Pic by pic process. Let me know if anyone has any particular questions...

Rotted lock strip being removed

Push glass out from upper corner (either side)

Remove old gasket

New gasket installed and glass laying on top. Slide new glass down into lower groove first. Make sure to thoroughly glaze the gasket with some silicone spray/glycerin/soapy water. I like glycerin as it won't dry up while you work, but washes away clean when done.

Use the proper lock strip tool when installing new strip. It makes your life easier, but not by much in my experience. Make sure you apply plenty of force, but be sensitive to puncturing the new gasket or slipping and gouging up your paint/new glass. It's a bit of an art and brute force mixed with a dousing of lube and at least one beer. Put beer in mouth, everything else on car.

All seated

The updated black lock strip and seal looks much better than that brown rotted junk

[smackley]

I must be on my own here just posting away, but no worries. I'll keep posting and hope any of this helps someone down the road.

While doing the windshield, I found my A pillars to be degraded a bit. I still had plenty of vinyl material left from my tonneau cover recover coverage.

The old material just peeled right off as the glue had lost its adhesion over time.

The driver side pillar plastic had cracked with age as well. I ended up using a two part epoxy to glue it back to shape.

New vinyl cut to shape and some headliner adhesive to bring it together.

Installed and fresh looking

[smackley]

Ooh...I also attempted a dash crack fix while I had the glass out earlier. I've yet to find the perfect solution for this, so I tried something new. I'll keep yas posted on if this holds out in time.

See the crack here. Yuck

Dremeled it out a bit to make room for an epoxy bond


Two part epoxy used from Loctite...

That stuff made the mechanical bond with the crack, but I needed something to fill the void. I went with a JBweld for plastic putty.

I smushed it into the dried crevasse and then scraped the surface level with a razor blade. I used a scrap piece of the vinyl to make the "leather" texture imprint on the putty before drying...

Then I took a stab at matching the dash color with some leather dyes I had on hand. Pro-tip...I suck at this.


Hopefully that holds. I'm sure another crack will show by the end of the hot summer we'll have here.

[smackley]

also...not sure I posted these here, but we sold this...


and bought this for me...


and this for her...


Not a bad deal, tho I'll miss that X5 when it snows. When it snows in NC, it's as if the world is ending. That X5 got us home in a pinch with ease.

[N2MYE30]

I saw that other alpine cabrio pass by my house Saturday morningish. I haven't see you on the roads lately. Nice work on the cabrio lid. :up:

[RagtopE30]

Nice work man! I am glad to see more people in the convertibles. Like I always say, I like them topless!

[Oaklandia30]

I've been looking everywhere for wheel/tire combinations and this looks great to me.. Can I ask you what tires you're using. Brand/size. It looks great and I might actually do the same to my AW 4-door. Thank you!

[yosh]

Nice work

[Nats88M3]

Looking good..

[TimeMachinE30]

Nice work.

[peter321]

I like the white bottle caps!!

[smackley]

Woof, it's been a long time since I've updated this "work log". The e30 is currently off the road again. Between a pretty constant oil leak, and a very loose steering rack, I haven't taken the appropriate time to show the vert some care and attention.

Back in August of last year, I pulled the tags off the car, and put her up on stands to get started on some work.


I then got thoroughly distracted by a trip to Germany. I GOT TO DRIVE THE NORDSCHLEIFE THOUGH!!!







...this was parked outside my hotel every morning. Drool.

[smackley]

Then, I found yet another distraction from vert work...

A buddy and I went halvesies on a budget e30 track car. We found this very-rough e30 325e for $350, and we are now working to get it moving in time for HPDE season. It has not been for the faint of heart, as this car is the dirtiest thing on four wheels I've ever worked on. Hundreds of roaches, rust and grime coating everything, and at least one dead rat so far.





I'll let him post a build thread for this one later.

[smackley]

Now that it's 2016, I really want to get this project back on track to enjoy in the coming spring. So...

Oil leaks, worn rubber mounts, and a loose steering assembly need repair. I braced the engine and dropped the whole front suspension assembly.



Steering rack looks like it had been leaking as well, so I decided to try my hand at a rack rebuild. I got my kit from eEuroparts for ~$30, and holy crap it has a lot of o-rings and plastic gaskets.



I'll post a few DIY tips on this process later. Is it a worthwhile job? If you are on a budget, and have no interest in an e36 rack down the road, then yes. Would I do this again? Nope.

Now that the suspension is out, I have a dilemma. I could put my e30 stuff back in. I'm not a fan of the JOM suspension at all. The control arms are 'new'. I could just get a better spring/strut setup and throw everything back in.

meh...5 lug. This way I can utilize my heat cycled track tires and all the brake pads I've accumulated over the years. I already have most of the front end parts needed.