Mike's Alpine White 1991 318is

[mike.bmw]

I had a few hours to myself yesterday so I decided to swap out my cracked dash for a crack-free dash. It took 6.5 hours total (3 of which were after the kids went to sleep). It would have taken less time, but I had some trouble during reassembly which required multiple installations/uninstallations of the instrument cluster, hvac panel, and various other things. Now that I've learned how to do this, I hope to NEVER DO IT AGAIN. ;)

I used this as a guide and there were only a dew differences for airbag-equipped cars: http://www.rtsauto.com/45/

I'm happy with the way everything turned out and I hope this one remains crack-free for years to come. I'll be using 303 Aerospace on a regular basis in combination with a windshield sunshade.

[getouth]

One of the most satisfying jobs you can do on an E30! The aftermath makes the process worth it.


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[mike.bmw]

One of the most satisfying jobs you can do on an E30! The aftermath makes the process worth it.


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If you had said that yesterday at hour 3 of 6.5, I would've said you were crazy. Now that it's done I tend to agree with you. :D

[fresh_TD]

Looks good Mike!

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[mike.bmw]

Looks good Mike!

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Thanks!

[mike.bmw]

So...... After driving the car around yesterday I realized the center of the dash near the windshield was sitting high. I looked at the old cracked dash and realized there was a clip in that spot. I considered leaving it as is, but I knew that would bother me too much. Also the extra pressure/bending of the dash in that area may cause premature cracking, which I certainly didn't want to risk.

This morning I took it all apart and put it back together again. This time with the center of the dash secured as it is supposed to be. It's nice and level now.

It only took 2.5 hours this time. Granted I didn't have to completely remove the dash over the steering column to get the center clip secured, but I did remove EVERYTHING else.

What a pain, but completely worth it!

We had some errands to run this morning so we took the E30 (wife and 2 kids). No new rattles and everything is working as intended. Love this car!

[D.Martijn]

Aah the joy of removing the dashboard! I had a hard time getting mine back in without bending it too much. Thinking about it I'm still not sure what's the correct way. :)

Great end result! Keep the updates coming

[She loved E]

Just read thru the whole thread. Fun read and its super helpful for some work I need to do on my 318is. Really jealous of the condition of yours and glad to see it being loved so much, especially because you're keeping it OE. I feel your pain on the 14" tires. I keep going back & forth between getting some meh tires or springing for some nice 15s or 16s for better options.

[M42Technik]

Holy dash job batman. I need to do something similar to get to my HVAC box and a broken tab issue.

See you around Katie's sometime !

[Zeemz]

Looks great Mike! Well done indeed!

[Echo30V]

Great job, wow that must have been a bit in-Erving when everything was apart and had to go back together. Way to stay at it.

[mike.bmw]

Aah the joy of removing the dashboard! I had a hard time getting mine back in without bending it too much. Thinking about it I'm still not sure what's the correct way. :)

Great end result! Keep the updates coming

Thanks! It is certainly a magical moment when the dash slides into place.

Just read thru the whole thread. Fun read and its super helpful for some work I need to do on my 318is. Really jealous of the condition of yours and glad to see it being loved so much, especially because you're keeping it OE. I feel your pain on the 14" tires. I keep going back & forth between getting some meh tires or springing for some nice 15s or 16s for better options.

Thanks! I occasionally look at other wheels, but then realize my 14" basketweaves are in good shape and I have money to spend elsewhere on the car. ;D

Holy dash job batman. I need to do something similar to get to my HVAC box and a broken tab issue.

See you around Katie's sometime !

See you at Katie's!

Looks great Mike! Well done indeed!

Thanks!

Great job, wow that must have been a bit in-Erving when everything was apart and had to go back together. Way to stay at it.

Yeah, at the half way point I was wondering if I'd ever get it back together again. I gave Zeemz a call once I had the replacement dash loosely fitted in place and I felt a bit better at that point. The second time through wasn't too bad, though I wish I hadn't missed that center clip the first time! ;)

If this one cracks I'll likely just flock it or get it wrapped in leather. :D

[mike.bmw]

A couple of quick tasks today. I ordered a new gas cap, new hood strut, new parking brake handle, and new glove box latch.

The old gas cap was leaking a bit. I swear the car is actually running better with the new one.

The old hood strut didn't have enough pressure to hold the hood up in a slight breeze. The new one does quite well.

The old glove box latch broke 2 days after I installed the new dash, go figure. Pro tip: When removing the old lock core, put the key in it so all the springs/tumblers stay in place. I swapped mine over because the lock core was fine, but a few pieces fell out so I had to figure out how it went back together.

Parts:



I've signed up for an autocross at Summit Point in early January. It's held on a section of the Shenandoah Circuit instead of a traditional autocross parking lot. I'm familiar with the track as I used to do a ton of HPDEs there in my Subaru days. This will be the first time there in the e30!

[mike.bmw]

BMW CCA

I finally became a BMW CCA member. I'm surprised it took me this long. I ordered a grille badge and installed it earlier this week. I opted to install it on the passenger side. Installation was straight forward. There are 3 clips and 2 screws holding the grill to the car. The badge comes with a threaded rod, a nut, and a backing plate.













Rattles be gone!

I've noticed a bad rattle the last few weeks. I thought it was coming from behind the dash. I really didn't want to pull the dash again. I made sure everything was tight and wires were routed correctly when I swapped the dash last month. By chance I had my car warming up and I was standing outside. I noticed the hood was rattling near the cowl. A simple adjustment of the roller guides and hood catches have cured the rattle completely! It's really a pleasure to drive a mostly rattle-free car and I am quite relieved it wasn't something behind the dash.





New Helmet

I haven't autocrossed or been to an HPDE since my oldest was born. Just haven't had the time. Well, I'm making time for that again. :D My helmet was out of date (SA2000), so I stopped by a local shop, OG Racing, and bought a new one. The G-Force GF3 fit me well and also fit my budget. OG Racing has the largest selection and stock of helmets in the USA. Their staff is super helpful.

[mike.bmw]

Well, this was my first time back to the track in nearly 4 years. Time really flies with 2 kids. This was technically an autocross event, but it's run on segments of a road course track (Summit Point Shenandoah Circuit). So it's similar to a time trial.

I was a bit rusty and spent the day building confidence (in myself and the E30). My times improved with each run and I left the track without incident, so you really can't ask for more than that.

It was a really fun day driving and catching up with some friends. BSR and Mach V put on a really well organized, efficient, and fun event!

Hopefully I'll get out for the next BSR autocross round in February (full lap instead of short segment) and some HPDEs over the summer.

Checking fluids, removing car seats, and packing supplies/tools the night before the event:



Photos in the paddock:





Here are some videos I shot with my first generation Gopro (videos fixed!)

Video URLs since embedding doesn't currently work:

https://youtu.be/bvQrdSHIVm0

https://youtu.be/Aya7yKtMzAs

https://youtu.be/roqKVbOZOGY