This thread is dedicated to Mariano.

[C-T]

Thanks z50_jumper!

You have put together a really beautiful e30!! It seems to be extremely clean int/ext which is getting difficult to find. I'm not a huge fan of all the black but I'm sure your new rim choice will be awesome judging by your previous work.

Someone asked you previously and I may have missed your response but what did you use to spray your tails?

Thanks oldskool, I'm really sorry I somehow passed over your response. I honestly don't know what was used, as the shop who built the car also sprayed the tails. But I can find out! I'll ping them on it and report back with what I find.

edit: almost forgot - no sanding ar abraising, just clean, apply, buff!

Oh wow. Wow. That looks perfect. I am 100% down with that. I am going to order some as soon as I get back up north!

When are you planning on coming back down to SoCal?? And another thing..... now you can go to the E30 picnic!! Another excuse to take a trip!!! I feel like Ive reconnected with a brother!!!

E30 picnic? What's all that about? You have my promise that I will be out there as soon as I can man! I just have too much family stuff going on right now to consider it this year. :/

[z50_Jumper]

Holly hell that is a bad ass car!

[CleanAzzE30z]

When are you planning on coming back down to SoCal?? And another thing..... now you can go to the E30 picnic!! Another excuse to take a trip!!! I feel like Ive reconnected with a brother!!!



Mariano

[CAOSyAMOR]

Heh. Thanks. :D

I'm trying to figure out what E30s came from the factory with shadowline trim, and right now I think I have it narrowed down to either the M3, or the 91 318is. Now I just need to figure out where to order it, and pray that it is still available. :/

Yes I believe that is correct AFAIK!

Oh VERY nice. Are you on s14.net at all? Dave A, Magnus, is one of my closest friends. I've had extensive experience with the E30 M3 even as an E36 owner, and I love those cars. I wanted one badly, but for my purposes, it made no sense to pay the super and deserved premium for a good example, only to bastardize it with an S52. So in the end a well-kept non-M E30 made the most sense for me.

Oh yes I'm an active member on S14, just had a huge CF Group buy over there which went very well :)

I wish I had more of an opportunity to meet more members in person but I'm kinda in the middle of nowhere. On the plus side I'm the only E30 M3 for hundreds of miles, on the downside I'm the only E30 M3 for hundreds of miles..

Oh wow. Does that Leather Black work as well as they'd have you believe? If so, I'll order up a ton right now. I had no idea that kind of product existed, and I usually balk at those kinds of wonder products that claim to do it all with one pass.

Yes I am a solid believer in the Leather Black!! I've done my car as well as a few of my friend's, and it does work amazingly well. Probably the best stuff I've come across for this type of app. A bunch of detailers in Cali actually apparently use this too!

When I restored the leather in my M3, I used Surflex leather dye from:

http://colorplus.com/

I followed the directions to a T, and lightly sanded the leather, etc, and meticulously applied the dye as directed. It worked very well, at least at first, as the seats looked fantastic. A little bit of the dye came off at first, but I did not wait as long as directed before using them/driving the car.

Does the Leather Black require any sanding, etc? I'd be very interested to hear your experiences with it, if it isn't too much of an imposition - at your leisure of course. :)

I haven't tried the color plus stuff, is the dye not holding well? Yes when I first applied the Leather Black there was some transfer, but not much. And if you do it as directed with buffing etc. there should be little to no residue left. I generally do a once over each spring as it helps to soften the leather too :D

I'll see if I can dig up some pics..

Before:





After:





edit: almost forgot - no sanding ar abraising, just clean, apply, buff!

[oldskool3]

You have put together a really beautiful e30!! It seems to be extremely clean int/ext which is getting difficult to find. I'm not a huge fan of all the black but I'm sure your new rim choice will be awesome judging by your previous work.

Someone asked you previously and I may have missed your response but what did you use to spray your tails?

Also you originally asked for the link to the ac mirror group buy here it is:
http://r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=132692. Not sure if it is closed or not though.

As for leather products I have heard really good things regarding leatherique (http://www.leatherique.com), but I believe that there is sanding required like the previous product you mentioned but I have always heard it turns out really good results.

edit: sorry to hear about your stepfather.

[C-T]

C-T

wow, she is really coming along nicely!! I understand about the airbag and for that reason alone I will urge the aesthetic gods to turn the other cheek :)

Heh. Thanks. :D

I'm trying to figure out what E30s came from the factory with shadowline trim, and right now I think I have it narrowed down to either the M3, or the 91 318is. Now I just need to figure out where to order it, and pray that it is still available. :/

I'm doing the best I can with my S14, 50/50 headers, and full SS race set-up and it is now only a matter of time before I get pulled over for a noise violation, haha!

Oh VERY nice. Are you on s14.net at all? Dave A, Magnus, is one of my closest friends. I've had extensive experience with the E30 M3 even as an E36 owner, and I love those cars. I wanted one badly, but for my purposes, it made no sense to pay the super and deserved premium for a good example, only to bastardize it with an S52. So in the end a well-kept non-M E30 made the most sense for me.

Your interior is looking really good as well! Someone here a few years ago recommended a product called Doc Bailey's that really worked wonders on the leather as I see you have a little bit of color loss on the driver's bolster, etc. FWIW check it out!

Oh wow. Does that Leather Black work as well as they'd have you believe? If so, I'll order up a ton right now. I had no idea that kind of product existed, and I usually balk at those kinds of wonder products that claim to do it all with one pass.

When I restored the leather in my M3, I used Surflex leather dye from:

http://colorplus.com/

I followed the directions to a T, and lightly sanded the leather, etc, and meticulously applied the dye as directed. It worked very well, at least at first, as the seats looked fantastic. A little bit of the dye came off at first, but I did not wait as long as directed before using them/driving the car.

Does the Leather Black require any sanding, etc? I'd be very interested to hear your experiences with it, if it isn't too much of an imposition - at your leisure of course. :)

[CAOSyAMOR]

C-T

wow, she is really coming along nicely!! I understand about the airbag and for that reason alone I will urge the aesthetic gods to turn the other cheek :)

Unfortunately there is a poor selection of tastefully modded BMW's, especially E36's around these parts so I have yet to hear this siren song you speak of ;) I'm doing the best I can with my S14, 50/50 headers, and full SS race set-up and it is now only a matter of time before I get pulled over for a noise violation, haha!

Your interior is looking really good as well! Someone here a few years ago recommended a product called Doc Bailey's that really worked wonders on the leather as I see you have a little bit of color loss on the driver's bolster, etc. FWIW check it out!

[C-T]

How the hell did I miss this thread until just now!? BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL!!

of course we all have our individual tastes but really the only thing that I insist you change is your steering wheel ;)

Wish I could hear your car in person, sounds like it is an absolute BEAST!!

Thanks! I don't think I can get rid of that steering wheel unless I found another that retained the airbag. When my M3 was totaled I really appreciated having that airbag there to cushion the blow of the minivan striking the car, but the only thing that worries me is hold old that airbag is in the current steering wheel. It doesn't throw any codes, but I don't know if I trust it to deploy given its age. I'll just hope I never have to find out.

If you've ever heard an E36 with an AA track pipe and a B&B Tri-Flo combo, that's really all it sounds like. Or really any of the louder exhausts that are available for the 6 cylinder E36s.

Im honestly really happy to have you on r3v, man.

I'm really happy to be here man! It's great to have a place of likeminded enthusiasts that share the same passion. The other BMW forums hold very little for me lately, as I guess I've just outgrown them, but this car is so new to me, that every time I have a question on the car I am here researching the issue. So far, I haven't really even had to ask anything because there's such a wealth of information available here. :D

Today I finished off the paint with a last application of Natty's, which really did wonders - surprisingly so - to even out the paint and give a really good gloss to the finish. Plus, it really looks wet now. It looked good yesterday, but today it looks better. Unfortunately, the hood, roof, and trunk will need to either have that date with a rotary, or probably be repainted before I will be fully satisfied with how it looks, but for now, it will do. I also worked the interior over. Which, as anyone who knows me will tell you, means hell pretty much froze over because I am classically horrible when it comes to keeping up my interior. I'm happy with the way it came out, the seats aren't perfect, but they are in decent condition for original condition 18 year-old seats.

[CAOSyAMOR]

How the hell did I miss this thread until just now!? BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL!!

of course we all have our individual tastes but really the only thing that I insist you change is your steering wheel ;)

Wish I could hear your car in person, sounds like it is an absolute BEAST!!

[CleanAzzE30z]

Im honestly really happy to have you on r3v, man.



Mariano

[C-T]

Im glad youre enjoying an E30. It really makes me tingle inside.

It's getting there! And, I love it. I miss the M3 to be sure, but I had that car for so very long that it is actually refreshing to be in something new and different, with a custom coolness factor that the M3 just didn't have. A few times now I have been approached by dudes asking what model BMW it is, and one dude smiled and said "bullshit" when I told him it was a 91 325is. When I explained the engine, he smiled, nodded, and said "well then that explains it!" and continued to fawn over the car. Even the local mucle car guys seem to take well to it, because of the way it rumbles when it is idling, or moving slowly, and the roar it gives when the hammer goes WOT. It's a very cool new experience for me. While it sounds the same as the M3, nobody expects it from this car. It's a killer novelty.

Yesterday I spent some good hours in the garage going over the car with the PC/Black finishing pad with Danase Wet Glaze, followed by some Natty's Blue wax. The paint is really starting to pop, and now that spring is in bloom down here, it makes for some interesting pictures. :D

[CleanAzzE30z]

Im glad youre enjoying an E30. It really makes me tingle inside.



Mariano

[e30love]

you sir have an awesome car. nough said

[C-T]

I'm in Hamden and I'll buy you a beer if you take me for a rip. :)

Done and done!

Never thought Id see the day CMT steps into an e30! Fucking sick engine, glad it was saved after the e36 demise.

ANDRÜ what's UP man! It's been a while - Too long. I hope all is well bro. :D

And all this dedicated to lil' ole me??? awwww!

Yes. :D

With the E30, the fiancee now has another car to refer to as "the other woman." But we finally replaced the Z4 with another convertible, and it's into whole new territory for us, so I suspect she's going to be having her own side automotive "affair" before long. She finally has a car that she can really enjoy. :p

[karzrtoyz]

love it! great job!