Hello! White late model coupe from the bay

[ThatOneEuroE30]

So your covering part of the m rain fabric with diamond?

[MouseRat]

That's some quality work right there, I really like the diamond stitching.

[jpod999]

That's going to look awesome Andrei!

[Toodaloo]

Like the look of the new front end quite a bit but I think the wheels need to be a bit darker to match.

Thanks for the input! I was actually flirting with the idea of having a darker color on the faces, but opted for the brighter one as I felt it would flow better with the overall white car and polished lips.

Ive been considering swapping to non-smoked smileys, however it's hard to find anyone that would be willing to trade directly :/



A little update! I've been pretty busy with school and work lately, but I've been finding time to work on the next piece of the project: interior.
I ordered the rest of the materials and totally stripped my drivers seat lower portion I had recently completed. I've decided to go another route, and wanted to implement some other details I've been wanting for some time now.
I now have access to a newer machine. About 20 years newer! But still initially manufactured in the 80's... ha!
The machine is part of the pfaff creative series and has loads of different stitch patterns, accepts my needed needle size, same high quality metal internals, and has features that highly benefit the upholstery experience such as a walking foot, longer (up to 6mm) step, step per press (great for top stitch) and potential for dual needle configurations and patterns. While most of the added features aren't necessary, the walking foot and larger step alone have allowed me to achieve rather challenging tasks that I wasn't able to before.

I stripped off both bolsters since I knew I wanted to add a top stitch. Then, I created proper templates out of thin art board rather than roughly cut cardboard. This has allowed me a much more accurate tracing process and better fitting bolsters. After testing the templates; I cut out all 8 pieces of suede and adhered them to the backing foam. I finished both bolsters for the drivers seat, and decided that I wanted to go for a single top stitch. While a French seam (double top stitch) is usually the go to stitch, I wanted to keep things simple and classy!



Also, for some time I had debated on whether a red top stitch would be the way to go. After doing some thinking, I opted for the black for a stealth and classy look. I had just gotten back from this years SF international auto show slightly disgusted by the played out red stitching on almost every somewhat sporty car. The black simply gives a cleaner look, and flows better with my second seat update.

While I had the seat apart again, I decided to play with some novelty ideas: diamond quilted fabrics. After seeing a few high end interiors with diamond stitched material, I wanted to implement it into my own car. Sounds a little crazy right? Luxury, sporty, suede, m rain? Well, the BMW is a sport luxury car so I guess I'm not too far from the theme!
I ditched the Vader style lower section in favor of the quilted material and once again opted for the black stitching. After maxing some samples, the red simply didn't flow well. It was too flashy and since the red on the thread was slightly more metallic than the red on the m rain fabric, I figured black is the way to go. After some time massaging out the fitment, I've finished the lower portion of the drivers seat. For a second time...





My goal is to have the interior done and in the car by the end of the year (at least the door panels, front seats, and rear bench) So far I'm on track!

I've also got a few more plans for the interior and exterior, But I'll focus on this first!

[dadsbmw]

Like the look of the new front end quite a bit but I think the wheels need to be a bit darker to match.

[Toodaloo]

If your brackets just need adjusted a bit, you can do it yourself for free and just a little bit of time. It depends on how the shocks are like you said though, but the fine tuning is with the plastic brackets on the sides near the wheels. You just loosen the bolts and adjust the position of the brackets to raise or lower how the bumper sits. It might be worth a shot to see if you can fix it before dropping money on it. If your shock is bad I'm sure you could get one cheap from a parts yard and swap it in.

Cars is looking great!

Thanks for the input! Unfortunately two of the shocks (one front one rear) are pulled out/pushed in. Very noticeably actually :/. I've removed and installed the bumpers countless times and adjusted the brackets with little luck. Also, those only allow adjustment up and down from the ends/sides of the bumpers, my issue lies more in the shock area. I'll find some time to play with them, and if I can't figure it out I'll have a shop wrap it up for me.

Thank you!

[kid8]

If your brackets just need adjusted a bit, you can do it yourself for free and just a little bit of time. It depends on how the shocks are like you said though, but the fine tuning is with the plastic brackets on the sides near the wheels. You just loosen the bolts and adjust the position of the brackets to raise or lower how the bumper sits. It might be worth a shot to see if you can fix it before dropping money on it. If your shock is bad I'm sure you could get one cheap from a parts yard and swap it in.

Cars is looking great!

[Toodaloo]

The passenger side of you front bumper is crooked and needs to be aligned. Other than that is looks awesome.

:thankyou:

Thanks for pointing that out! Can't believe I haven't noticed that in over two years of ownership.

Aligning my bumpers has been on my list for a long time. The passenger side shock was pulled out a bit from loading the car on a flatbed prior to my ownership, and the rear passenger was pushed in from backing into one of those yellow parking light barrier poles. Hense, why I fixed and resprayed the rear bumper and attached brand new OEM euro trim a while back.

I would rather have a body shop make the adjustments and get them sitting perfectly since I don't have the tools/knowledge/guts to adjust the bumper shocks.

Bodyshop = $$$
Student = not so much $$$

[rzerob]

The passenger side of you front bumper is crooked and needs aligned. Other than that is looks awesome.

[Toodaloo]

Some eye candy for you night owls.

[Toodaloo]

aww, i need a new ignition key too - sad to see that price...

also, that front wheel looks spectacular without the cap on it.

Well, I believe the key itself is <$30, however the tumbler is the pricy part. Since the jets have no chip like new cars, they're not too terrible to the wallet like new cars.

A few of you requested a photo of the cup holder post paint, here you go!

I used SEM trim black for the durability and nice finish! It came out well! However, it's not a perfect match to the OEM vinyl. I might do something about that...

[straight6pwr]

aww, i need a new ignition key too - sad to see that price...

also, that front wheel looks spectacular without the cap on it.

[Toodaloo]

Hello! White late model coupe from the bay

It's the little things!

Last weekend I ordered a new VIN coded ignition tumbler. Since I bought the car, it's had two different keys; one for the doors/trunk, and one for the ignition. I figured it was replaced at some point due to a broken key or something, so I ordered a coded lock cylinder from the stealership for a whopping $133 after CCA discount.
Swapping it out was a breeze with a small picture hanging nail from a generic kit. Out in minutes!

Packaging



Old tumbler



It's so OCD satisfying to only have one key for the entire car!




I also picked up a red46 skid plate from a buddy of mine for a great deal! Brand spankin' new as well!

Underside still looking fresh after 400 miles





That about wraps it up for this update. Maybe I'll get to stripping and painting the BBS hex nuts tomorrow after work.

[Toodaloo]

Looks good. In my opinion it needs meatier tires.

sexy wheels, but the balloon tires were so much more 80s! did you clear coat the lips or any type of protective layer?

Thanks for the input! The balloon tires were way oversized and wouldn't fit in the wheel wells. (Think 225/55/16's on a small e30). While my 215/40's aren't ideal, and are a little undersized; it's better than nothing. I intend to eventually up the size to a 215/45 or a 225/45, but for now this will be adequate. Stretchy stretchy.

I don't plan to rip on the mountain roads or auto cross with these wheels anyway, so I really have no concern about the stretch.

I didn't coat the lips! And most refinishing companies don't. Since they're aluminum, they won't fade or dull. That also allows me to go back and polish out any scratches they might acquire over time. I have some ceramic coating on the way to seal them up!

[straight6pwr]

sexy wheels, but the balloon tires were so much more 80s! did you clear coat the lips or any type of protective layer?