My 325iC Body/Paint Project

[bimmerboy12]

how does the rear window fit in there? will it always stick out like that since there used to be padding/fabric on the top?

nope it won't stick out. The reason it looks raised is because I wedged rope underneath the rubber seal the whole way around in order to spray underneath without window removal. Then the tape makes it look even more raised. The rubber will sit back down right on top of the finished paint very nicely.

I would have to say that the paint is nearly the thickness of the original vinyl. I applied 5 "drop" coats of color and 5 thick coats of clear so its probably over a millimeter in material thickness...

[Hick]

okay, i wasnt sure... and quicky scanning over the thread may not of helped me.

in that case, should look awesome when done! Are you going to add the black strips back on the roof?

[bimmerboy12]

okay, i wasnt sure... and quicky scanning over the thread may not of helped me.

in that case, should look awesome when done! Are you going to add the black strips back on the roof?

Yeah there is no padding, its just a layer of heavy fiber-reinforced vinyl.

Yeah the roof rails are aluminum, I took them off and repainted flat black. Looking for a roof rack that will bolt on at the 4 mounting points.

[M-technik-3]

Not gonna mod a Yakima? They honestly look better than the OEM rack.

Nice work keep at it.

[bimmerboy12]

yeah thats definitely what Im gonna do! OEM is way too many $$. From what I understand, a standard gutter mount Thule or Yakima will work, just need to buy/fab those feet that bolt on and simulate the gutters.

[Dave]

keeps looking better and better.

Cant wait to see the finished product.

[oekundar]

This looks fantastic! It's absolutely worth the effort!...can't wait till you mount that bish...if I keep my vert I'll be doing the same thing next summer!

[bimmerboy12]

Another Update: Wetsanded it all down and buffed it out... turned out great. I can't wait to put it on. Kevin from Creative Options is making a headliner for me in suede tan... to match the centers of my seats (next project). Can't wait to put this thing on...

















NEXT UP- pictures on the car!

[oekundar]

Drool....very nice!!!...mount it already!

[stevofthahill]

NEXT UP- pictures on the car!

Can't wait, it looks awesome.

[White325is]

Sweet, lets see it on..

[PaladinReed]

wow. Im not big on the paint matched hard tops but yours will make for an interesting product. cant wait!

[MR 325]

Looks great!

[///M42 sport]

looks pretty cool. Did you just slip the metal strips off that run along the sides of the roof? Also how did you take the headliner off...particularly around the window area? do you have any pics of the roof w/o the headliner? thanks!

[bimmerboy12]

looks pretty cool. Did you just slip the metal strips off that run along the sides of the roof? Also how did you take the headliner off...particularly around the window area? do you have any pics of the roof w/o the headliner? thanks!

Yeah the metal strips were kind of a pain to get off... there were plastic clips riveted into the fg that all popped out as I pulled the rail off. There was a screw holding the back of it in underneath the rear window seal. The four allen bolts obviously come out. When its popped up, then slide it forward to unhook the front, and voila.

I had to get creative with the rivets... bought screws and ground the heads down and it worked pretty good.





The headliner was already sagging so it wasn't a big deal to remove. I carefully pulled it out from under all the trim and from around the window, and it came out with some persuasion. No ripping, which was important as I sent the whole thing as a template to Kevin at Creative Options to create a tan suede leather headliner.

Heres a pic of the inside with the headliner removed. nothing too exciting.