Starting from scratch.... '89 325is Build.

[WhiteVertRedES]

Dude, digging this thread. If only you could help me out with my e30s in WA.

[e30allday]

this is a very nice build i will definitely be keeping an eye on this. where did you get your black carpet from? also can i please stop by your shop and see this car when the weather gets warms?? i will pm you soon.

[FREE30]

its real effective...my friends 5.0 has to have his heater on at all times...or else it will over heat. with the heater on blast...it stays at normal temp...turn it off...its well into red.

I had to do that on my '92 5.0....taking 30 minutes to change out a thermostat worked every time...;-)

[freeski27]

The Interior 3...

Alright then… The most overdue post in the world. Ha, sorry guys, I’ve been on vacation but I’m back! So here is a quick update on the interior to get us started again. We left off with the moulded rear seat in rough fiberglass form still. So to begin I did a bit of straight edge work, and used a die grinder to cut all the edges straight.
Here are a few photos:







With the edges straightened out I gave it yet another test fit. The left side looks a bit funny because it is not bent down correctly (not usually so straight).
Here is a picture of the test fit:

From there it was time to finally give it it’s suede cover. But before that I gave it a quick sanding and painted the back; because for some reason I thought that would make it look better :/.
Here are a few pictures of that process:



With that done, it was time to move on to foam. I used the same headliner that I used on the side panels and applied it with a 3M supper duty spray adhesive. It had to be cut in the middle to suit the curve in the piece.
Here are some pictures:






Finally! We are ready for some suede. Once again, because of the curvature of the piece, I had two options. Either cut the piece like the foam and stitch it together, or let it crease and then cover it. I decided on the second for two reasons. 1- I’m no good at sewing 2- I think a 2″ piece of aluminum stock running across the base would look pretty cool.
Here are the pictures of the covering:









Not too bad! Obviously, the piece of aluminum will run across the base where you can see those two creases.
Here are some pictures of the next test fit:






Clearly this fit is not final considering you can see some of the wheel wells around the edges. But much better than before! I think I can say that I am relatively satisfied with the nearly final product, definitely better than a sheet of plywood… Anyways, On another note, I finally got my M50 so thats coming up next! Ill make sure to update you guys soon!
Thanks,
Noble

[freeski27]

Dude, digging this thread. If only you could help me out with my e30s in WA.

haha, you buy, I'll fly!

[freeski27]

this is a very nice build i will definitely be keeping an eye on this. where did you get your black carpet from? also can i please stop by your shop and see this car when the weather gets warms?? i will pm you soon.

Always glad to show someone what I'm working on!

[downernsp]

Congrats! look looking sweet.

[einstein57]

Looking good. Don't forget to weld in some reinforcement tabs for the rear swaybar links on the trailing arm. Also the body mount nuts sheer off. A cheap solution is to drill out the factory nuts, weld a bigger nut on to a steel plate and slide it in behind the factory mounting point. This will evenly distribute the load and prevent the bolt from pulling through the sheet metal. I discovered this too late and ended up having to buy a $138 reinforcement bracket cause the ST swaybar brackets went flying down the road when my body mounts sheared off. I still have to use the plates though. I can post pictures if my description does not make sense.

[freeski27]

Looking good. Don't forget to weld in some reinforcement tabs for the rear swaybar links on the trailing arm. Also the body mount nuts sheer off. A cheap solution is to drill out the factory nuts, weld a bigger nut on to a steel plate and slide it in behind the factory mounting point. This will evenly distribute the load and prevent the bolt from pulling through the sheet metal. I discovered this too late and ended up having to buy a $138 reinforcement bracket cause the ST swaybar brackets went flying down the road when my body mounts sheared off. I still have to use the plates though. I can post pictures if my description does not make sense.

Yeah, if you could PM me a few pictures that would be very helpful.
Thanks for the info!

[einstein57]

I'll take some pics manana and post them for everyone to learn from my pain. LOL

[einstein57]

Here is the part i made. I just self etched primered it and waiting for some rustoleum.




Here is where it goes when your done. Just slides behind where the oem was.

[nrubenstein]

I hadn't really thought of that... But I think I will be ok considering I will be running 20% tint all the way around (except windshield...) and the car will be kept indoors so... ya. I think it will be ok...? We'll just have to wait to find out!

If you're really planning to make this a track car, it is INCREDIBLY bad form to show up with heavy tint. Blocking line of sight is a bad thing, and I've met some event organizers who would park you with that kind of tint.

[TrentW]

einstein--I'm getting ready to install my RD bars and wondered if you reinforced the front mounts also? I've heard the front welds can break there. btw, I'm using the IE rear mounts that bolt thru the floor along w/the TMS TA weld-on reinforcing plates.

[einstein57]

i have not reinforced the fronts. They seemed way stronger then the rears. I have not heard of any street cars in so cal breaking the fronts. Maybe salt a belt cars are a different story. I do know of 4 people who have broken the rears though. A tip for the rear i forgot to mention is to weld in the bolt to the rear link bracket that connect to the trailing arms. Otherwise its a pain to torque the bolt. You either have to remove the link or wedge a wrench between the bolt and the bracket. A little tack weld removes that extra work.

[freeski27]

If you're really planning to make this a track car, it is INCREDIBLY bad form to show up with heavy tint. Blocking line of sight is a bad thing, and I've met some event organizers who would park you with that kind of tint.

Thanks for the heads up man, will most definitely keep this in mind when I decide what the car is really going to be used for.