Announcement

**bradnic** · 10-07-2012, 10:20 PM

WHAT I STARTED WITH
Eastern Tennessee/Virginia car - per the PO it was locally driven it's whole life.
Clean title and carfax
7/90 build (last month with diving boards)
Very good condition overall

Calypsorot / black manual top
no tears but cracked natur/tan leather (already started reconditioning with Leatherique - see below)

Pic on the lot in Kingsport TN (NE TN right on the VA border)

There's no rust damage on the car to speak of except for a 3/16" (4mm) or so spot below the driver's taillight. I am rustproofing that spot with POR until an eventual respray. Car is garaged when not driven, and definitely not driven winters. It is a garage queen for sure - leisure drives only.

3.73 LSD original, works great, no loud noise that I can detect that would indicate a problem
14" LAs (optional OEM basketweaves with bmw center caps). Just swapped them per pic above.
Everything works well incl cruise control, central locking (after door cylinder rebuild), power windows, mirrors, power antenna (replaced) and A/C (replaced and converted to r134)
slick shifting 5 speed
complete toolkit with "W GERMANY" on all tools. some rust being dealt with (car phone antenna mount right over the toolkit, so leaks at some point)
original pirelli spare with basketweave in absolutely brand new condition - NEVER used!

One of the first things I did after basic mechanicals is put brand new Euroweaves from Levent at Gutenparts and some yokohama S tires on - I think it looks great. Will lower it a bit too, H&Rs and Bilsteins.

I spent a great deal of time on mechanicals and interior. The doors and windows have all been adjusted to close and seal properly (front and rear windows were overlapping which is pretty common (EDIT - *very* common. My other vert's like this, so are 3 others I looked at). Car does need some new rubber on the passenger side window (the weatherstrip between the rear and front glass) - still trying to hunt that down.

just rebuilt the A/C and converted to r134 (compressor, expansion valve, several hoses, orings). nice and cold.

rebuilt the driver's master door lock cylinder

in the middle of a timing belt and water pump replacement, valve adjustment, cooling flush, fluid changes (differential+LSD additive, tranny, power steering, coolant and of course oil) .. also replacing all the front seals as a preventive measure

EDIT ended up rebuilding the cylinder head too, all new hoses and clamps, plugs, cap and rotor, oil pan gasket..

i've put in an aftermarket radio b/c the original premium radio had amp problems. Will probably put a replacement original premium cassette at some point.

192k miles. engine/drivetrain runs very smooth. consumes some oil (about 1 quart per 1000 miles), but no exhaust smoke. I'm assuming I'll need to refresh the core motor at some point (valve job, new rings and seals, maybe valve guides), but based on the way it's running the front end refresh I'm currently working on is more than enough.

EDIT: already done - no more oil consumption..

good shot of the driver's side dash. cruise, remote key fob, new head unit with ipod, bluetooth phone, dvd and rear camera support

driver's side view of door, top, windows

same view passenger side.

passenger side window gap - no interference with top or between windows

there are some very small dings on rear quarter (about 4 of them - hard to see except in sun). in general the paint's serviceable so no rush on a respray.

scratch on hood. usual paint chip situation on front of hood

rear window. sewn in, can probably be polished out but best just to eventually replace the top

headliner view, inside view from back window. the top has separated from the horizontal bars but still works fine, no leaks. I was going to contact cement them in place but have not gotten around to it.

looking for the convertible windscreen too (like every other vert owner out there once they learn about it I'm sure).

SEATS
PO replaced top of rear seat leather with vinyl (grrr). color mismatch not as bad as this pic, but clearly either dye or rear seat re-do will be needed eventually. I've just a received my Leatherique order which includes cleaner, oil, crack filler and custom matched dye. If you've heard about this stuff you know that the seats are really going to look great. I ordered enough for the rear seat too so the slightly discolored rear top panel repair will match the rest of the seat perfectly when done.

I applied 3 treatments with heat for about 36 hours, then 2 more treatments last week. As discussed with George at Leatherique, will continue for the next month, 2 treatments per week until leather is glove soft. custom matched leather dye arriving next week. Will wait on that until leather is restored

EDIT: see below for my schizo plans. gonna stick with leatherique on this interior, replace some of the leather bits, install heated seats. definitely replacing with kchinn houndstooth/nappa natur next year though)

I'll be putting in rear seat headrests too (EDIT already have them along with the brackets).

clean trunk, full toolkit, jack, tow hook etc. originally had a car phone antenna mount. base still on trunk. I siliconed it to keep water out. I will eventually patch/lead it in.

KEYS/LOCKS
full key set including rare illuminated key head. note NEW keys from dealer, not recut from old key. I rebuilt the drivers door cylinder using the bmw kit. central locking is perfect, especially with the remote key fob setup

CONVERTIBLE TOP
ANY convertible top is going to need maintenance at some point. the top seals great - ymmv, but no leaks that I've seen at all, and I've driven in heavy rain. as I mentioned in the initial posts though it will eventually need maintenance.

If you're hands on there are plenty of resources out there and with patience you can do it yourself. Just make sure you get good quality parts. Here are a couple I really like (there are others including threads on this forum e30tech and bimmerforums)

Fantastic top replacement walk through - best one I've seen

awesome 1986 BMW service video for the convertible, showing how to adjust and replace the top

step by step top replacement

there's also a paid video/CD which I picked up that is very detailed.

Doing it yourself will cost about $500 all in, but alot of patient labor is needed. Getting it done professionally is at least double and more likely triple that amount assuming you want the good as OEM german top.

So here is some more detail around the convertible top, with crappy cellphone pics (sorry about the quality). 3 areas to take a look at, none of them really that serious:

a) You can see in the pics that the rear window is cloudy. it's stitched in - only the late 92 and 93 verts have zippered windows.

b) The top cloth has separated from the lateral/horizontal frame bars (it's supposed to be cemented in). Here's a picture with me pushing the top up.

The top is nice and tight over the frame, so it rests right on the bar. But since it's not glued there's some flapping at speed, and you need to be careful how the top's folded when you stow it. This is very easy to fix and I'd be willing to do it before I hand the car over. Just haven't gotten around to it.

c) The other thing to note is behind the rear windows when the top is up. Most of the time on both sides of the car I have to align the weatherstripping by hand right now to make sure the rear window slides into the groove in the weatherstripping. Said differently, I push on the weatherstrip behind the rear window as it goes up.

It's a minor nuisance. You can try adjusting the rear windows in a bit (or bending a small piece of metal on the interior side of the gasket so that it pushes the weatherstrip out a little). Tried that already once but I didn't want to mess with the fit between the front and rear window. You can see in this pic that the PO had left the door and rear windows interfering with each other. I adjusted all this out already as you can see by the window gap.

None of this is a big deal and should be expected on a 21 year old car that has not had a recent top replacement. Still I'll definitely work on it after the euro bumper leather resto and rear headrest add are complete.

OCTOBER 2012
Timing belt, waterpump and camshaft seal replacement well underway. taking my time and doing it right.

there appeared to be a minor oil leak near the cam shaft seal. also passenger side oil pan bolts were a bit loose. other than that, no obvious signs of oil leaks anywhere in the motor. the timing belt that I took off also looked to be in very good condition. Both the alternator and compressor have been replaced (alternator by PO).

new distributor cap and rotor too, valve adjustment, all new filters and fluid changes coming. will get the eurobumpers on once they arrive, then nesting her in the garage for the winter.

**Vivek** · 10-07-2012, 10:37 PM

This is nice, same month as my dad's vert and looks to be in very similar condition. I'm looking forward to the euro bumpers and a nice drop.

**bradnic** · 10-07-2012, 10:39 PM

a drop's definitely in the works, probably just H&Rs and billies though, and no vivek slams (sorry bro - to each his own)

that first pic in the thread is the one that really got me, and I realized at that point that the DBs were the problem - the DBs are obscured in the pic for the most part.

No way was I gonna be cutting unibody bits though to fit plastic bumpers. that left euro bumper and MT1 as options. As usual, Levent had what I needed, including the euroweaves, new in box.. I really dig the nogaro with the euroweaves - totally change the look of the car. once the euros are on it I think I'll be hooked permanently.

**Vivek** · 10-07-2012, 10:46 PM

If you're going with springs, I'd personally recommend H&R race. I've had a set on my car for a week now and they're very good springs. Not too low or stiff IMO, but I'm used to very low and stiff.

**bradnic** · 10-07-2012, 10:49 PM

yeah either sport or race. the ride's too wishy washy right now, night and day compared to the MT2, despite its condition. I wonder if the "race" aspect may be too much of a change. I think the sport ones would end up being such an improvement over current that I'll be satisfied.

EDIT I should mention the ride firmed up quite a bit with the euroweaves and yoko s-lines I put on. you can imagine what a marshmallow it was before that.

EURO BUMPERS
Waiting on ship for the eurobumpers - I will post pics once they're here. (EDIT - arrived! in storage for now. see further below)
went chrome with an MT1 option (we'll see how the bumpers look first)
on to sourcing the eurovalance and M3 fogs (EDIT: blunttech on the eurovalance, arriving soon. M3 fogs came with the MT1 from Levent. Will go eurobumper for a while, add the MT1s next year when car is resprayed)

Here's the overall stance and eurobumper look I'm going after - man what a sweet ride. (EDIT changed pic for one from e30.de)

here's what a eurobumpered and euroweaved calypso vert looks like - from the E30 wind tunnel video on youtube. Early part of the view shows a front view with the rear head rests installed. they were removed for the test.

and a super nice Portugal ride with mtech-1 front and rear valances
EDIT I think this is NunoCruz's car

**N2MYE30** · 10-08-2012, 05:53 AM

Nice build. Ive been running H&R sports for the coupe on my cabrio with 15mm drophats and the ride is great. Not soft nor too firm.

Since you seem to be real DIY'er, just go ahead and get new leathers. When I did it on my MT2, it made a world of difference. Mine was completly shot but compared to my glacier cabs leather(which are ok in my standards), it was worth the investment. The job itself is not bad either.

In for the euro bumpers! :up:

**bradnic** · 10-08-2012, 07:00 AM

Thanks man that's what I'll do then suspension wise. absolutely love what you've done to your vert - yours is what got me to go euroweaves.

I'm already talking to kevin chinn on interior. Definitely putting the MT2 back to stock and this one's probably gonna get natur nappa with houndstooth.

there's a guy on bimmerforums with a blown ix rockin the same interior. this may be his car actually.

**N2MYE30** · 10-08-2012, 07:12 AM

^^^Thats gonna look killer! Are you thinking of doing the doorcard inserts with houndstooth as well?

**bradnic** · 10-08-2012, 07:14 AM

heck yeah. don't want to cut the originals, so looking for a spare set.

**Aleman** · 10-17-2012, 08:40 AM

Leatherique No-Go?

Originally posted by bradnic View Post

Thanks man that's what I'll do then suspension wise. absolutely love what you've done to your vert - yours is what got me to go euroweaves.

I'm already talking to kevin chin on interior. Definitely putting the MT2 back to stock and this one's probably gonna get natur nappa with houndstooth.

there's a guy on bimmerforums with a blown ix rockin the same interior. this may be his car actually.

Did you give up on the leatherique? I'm thinking of hitting my seat bottoms with their kit.

**bradnic** · 10-17-2012, 08:59 AM

Originally posted by Aleman View Post

Did you give up on the leatherique? I'm thinking of hitting my seat bottoms with their kit.

actually no - definitely sticking with Leatherique. have a boatload of the stuff including crack filler plus black and silver/grey dye for the other E30s.

Regarding this car, I've actually secured another set of tan leather seats with heating elements. Much of the leather bits on this 2nd set of seats is in better shape. Will be mixing/matching to come up with one clean set of natur leather with heated seats. That still leaves the rear seat that needs the top part recovered in leather.

Regarding the heated seat setup, I have the switches, harnesses and heated seat console as well. I even have the heated mirrors and door lock heater mechanism, but those will likely go to the IX instead - it already has heated seats.

EDIT: scored another seat of heated tan natur leather seats! will mix/match the best of both sets and add the heated set setup to the car. will continue the leatherique treatment from there.

Separately from all this, I'm still doing the kevin chinn houndstooth/natur leather combo. it just looks amazing to me so I can't pass it up. I'm doing an mtech restore on the MT2 vert at the same time. I might delay that purchase a bit though if the natur seats come out well - I'm in no hurry on the MT2 restore anyway.

**bradnic** · 10-17-2012, 09:12 AM

Levent's MT1+chrome eurobumpers just arrived. they're in amazingly good condition. we have a windy city bmw fall tour next weekend. hopefully I'll have the bumpers on for that - and the engine put back together too :-) Will then take them off and restore them properly including a rechrome. por15 treatment etc. respray will be done when the whole car is redone.

**Aleman** · 10-17-2012, 09:51 AM

Sweet. Definitely post up some pics when you start the leather restore process. Looks like you have your hands full!

**bradnic** · 10-17-2012, 10:30 AM

Originally posted by bradnic View Post

looking for the convertible windscreen too (like every other vert owner out there once they learn about it I'm sure).

Picked this up a week or two ago, but the cover's missing and fabric's oil stained so I'll likely have to replace it. Will fab a cover for it so that won't be an issue.

EDIT: The stain came out completely with a magic eraser. Pretty incredible..

Levent has brand news ones available - get them while you can because they're NLA!
EDIT They're all gone..

Announcement

325ic Calypso Euro Conversion - Houndstooth & dbilas now, MT1 & MM 3.2 stroker coming

325ic Calypso Euro Conversion - Houndstooth & dbilas now, MT1 & MM 3.2 stroker coming

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