No longer the daily: '87 zinno 325is

[quikveedb2]

Replaced this broke ass bitch today.



Fucking linkage snapped on me back in November, just days after finishing the suspension & brake overhaul, so I ended up driving through the Colorado winter without wipers. Took about 4.5 hours start to finish at a leisurely pace, including a break or 2 to consult the intergoogle. I've read horror stories about this job, but in all honestly it wasn't that bad, you just have to take your time taking it all apart so you don't break any of the HVAC parts that come out as a part of the process.

1. Remove firewall cover, blower motor cover & resistor;



2. Remove wipers, drivers side wiper trim piece, and linkage-to-body bolts (2 on the cowl, & the one that hold the frame for the motor & linkage);



3. Disconnect the wiper motor plug, remove the motor cover & push to the far drivers side of the cowl out of the way, remove the 3 bolts & one nut that hold the motor to the linkage, remove motor & cover from under the cowl



After this I struggled with the linkage in vain, trying to get it out a before I figured out the next step.

4. Remove the outer/upper portion of the blower motor housing





Getting this part out of the way was KEY. I cannot emphasize enough how much easier it was to get the linkage out with this plastic piece out of the way. I probably spent a half hour wrestling with the linkage unsuccessfully before removing the other portion of the blower motor housing, after i got that out I had the linkage out in about 5 minutes.

Below, new foam installed, mine was way rotten & pretty much disintegrated when I removed the piece pictured above.



5. Installation is the reverse of removal.

6. Celebrate, & soothe your lower back with libations



I'm not gonna lie & say this job didn't suck, but it really wasn't as bad as some of the information out there makes it out to be.

how do you like those springs?

Springs are good, Colorado roads suck for the most part but they're a nice compromise of decreased dive, squat, and roll without riding like ass. Not a bad choice for a daily, imo.

[quikveedb2]

Afternoon diff service & e-brake adjust.



And on a slightly more interesting note, Borbet's loaded up to be dropped off at TruDesign Wheel in Denver to be media blasted, straightened, and powdercoated! Jim is the man, he's super friendly, knowledgeable, and this shop is legit. Tons of sick wheels waiting for various levels of work. His quote was reasonable, and his time-frame as well. Can't wait to get them back I see his work. Also, I'm pretty sure I'll have a one-of-a-kind set of Type C's, which is kinda cool!

[quikveedb2]

Gave the car the old wash/clay bar/wax the other day, it really gave the paint new life!

Before;




Bug & tar remover doing it's work;




Clay barred & washed;


Side by side of the hood and fender, hood waxed, fenders not;


Done!

[quikveedb2]

Borbets are back from being bead blasted, straightened, welded, & powdercoated :D

[quikveedb2]

Got some toys in the mail from Steve547i today, I think Gunther was more excited than me.

[quikveedb2]

Project du jour; smoking the head lights! First the assemblies came out;



Trim rings off;



Highs & lows removed from their respective homes;



Low beams apart;



All the write-ups I've read say the projectors are attached to the bucket with Philips head screws, I wasn't so lucky and found non-standard & non -matching hardware, but it did all come out fairly easily;



Removing adjusters;



This adjuster on each bucket was the biggest hassle due to lack of clearance around it to get any kind of tools in there, but a couple narrow flat-head screw drivers & some patience got them free without breakage;



There was a MASSIVE amount of adhesive holding the lenses on, you can see it all over the towel I was working on in this pic. It took about 2 hours of alternating sitting in a 375 degree oven, prying with a screwdriver, and cutting excess adhesive out with a razor knife to get me here, the crux on the low beam mod;



The easy part;



Mmm, smokey;



The high beams did not go as well. The lenses came off easily enough, but during installing the cross-hairs I wiped one reflector with a rag that must have had some kind of fluid that didn't like the reflective coating, and it wiped it right the fuck off . On the 2nd high beam the drill bit I was using to mark where the slots for the cross-hair needed to be walked on me & the cross-hairs ended up crooked as fuck , to the point that I'm just going to consider it a learning experience & buy another set of highs to do the mod on. If anyone has some for sale, PM me please.

Regardless, the lows are done & came out sick so here's a pic of how it sits until I can track down & successfully mod some high beams;



That's all for now, cheers, thanks for reading/looking!

[quikveedb2]

Box-o-parts. Timing belt time, again. :|

[Larzzz]

nice work man!

[NW.ES]

looks great! should touch up that front bumper trim!

[quikveedb2]

It's been a snowy winter.



But spring is just around the corner & I can't wait to start driving my e30 again. Today I made this small but oh-so-satisfying replacement.



Thanks to dinanm3atl for the good price & quick shipping. The Borbets will be getting wrapped in rubber, and then finally mounted sometime this spring when the weather does finally warm up. Color me excited.

[quikveedb2]

Today was a good day! It was my first time driving the e30 since probably October-ish. It was 60 degrees, sunny, and an all around beautiful day and I got out of work early, so I decided to go for a quick drive and take a couple pics with the real camera. I'm no photographer, the car is dirty as fuck from sitting all winter and currently missing high beams and fog lights, but as this is the internet and really I have no choice, c&c is welcome.









Oh, and I got a fucking flat the first time I moved the car a few days ago to put gas in it so I had to get that patched, but at least I had a chance to try this out;

[KIRIEIW]

Nice man! I think i see the next replacement piece, an exhaust hanger ;D

[lambo]

Making me want a red early 2 door...

[agent]

Looking good! I just put my Type Cs on Klaus a couple weeks ago. He had just been pulled out of the garage for the first time in months and needs a proper going over, though here's some inspiration:

[mbonanni]

That last pic. Clean man. I like those borbets, they came out great.