My 91 Alpine Vert 325 progress thread

[chad h]

So I started a thread on bimmerforums too, but i figured I'll probably be posting here more since it's a bit specialized. Gonna try to keep everything relatively detailed and keep a journalish with updates on the car.

Background: I got an e30 when I was 16 that I drove for 4 or 5 years. 1991 318i, 5 speed, awesome. I drove that car everywhere and then got to college and put even more miles on it through road trips etc. Left me stranded one time (alternator), and besides that I think the only things i had to do while owning it was put new tires on it and maybe new brakes. It was an awesome car. Exhibit A:


So after a few years of driving that, and nearing my last half of college, I decided I was ready for something newer. I always loved the e46 styling and was set on getting one since my e30 treated me so well. So I found a 2001 330i, 5 speed, 110k miles etc, in October of 2011. I feel like I purchased the car at the beginning of the "replacement" phase. Window regulator, Coolant system, brakes, tires, pulleys, alternator, battery, etc. This car was not as pleasant as the e30, and had a lot of plastic. Just not as high as quality, however some of the features were nice like cupholders, leather, etc.




So after dealing with the e46 for 3 years, I was finally set on getting back into an e30. I began looking, and ended up trading the e46 with the owner of my current car.

Details:
1991 325i Convertible
Autotragic
Tan Interior, Alpine White exterior

When purchased, the following issues needed to be looked at:
No rear window in top
Gas gauge didn't work
Radio was cracking
Front seats were in rough shape

Not too bad of a list.

The second day of owning the car, the alternator belt snapped, and so I ended up replacing all 3 belts when i replaced it.

The gas gauge ended up being an easy fix, as the fuel sender wasn't plugged in.


I really wanted to keep the factory radio, but after further investigating, it really wasn't worth it to replace the factory amp, etc.. So I ended up just getting an aftermarket one which glows amber so it's not too atrocious.

I attempted getting the window kit from emiata and stitching in a new one, and it was nearly impossible so i opted to just order a completely new top from auto tops direct. It arrives tomorrow, looking forward to putting it in this weekend.

So here are pictures, after that terribly wordy introduction







So now I need some ideas, thoughts, help etc..

1) The interior is obviously in need of some work. I have a few questions
A) Is there any way to make the shift knob/boot look better? My shifter cover thing is broken so it slides around and needs replacing anyways, but i'd rather have something leather and a shifter that isn't quite so atrocious.
B) The seats/door cards etc are eventually going to need replacing/recovering. Any ideas on color schemes or the like? I'm really considering some sort of two tone, and I'm open to putting in new front seats (e30 or whatever else).
2) The front lip is not there. I need to replace it, but again, I need some ideas on this and some options, haven't been able to find much. Just trying to find a good look for this car.

3) The cruise control doesn't work, and it's one the features I'd really like to be able to use.. Any troubleshooting tips?

4) The OBC screen is busted. Whats the best way to get my hands on a new one? I grabbed one from the local pull a part, but it too was busted.

5) The trim that runs right below the door on the drivers side is loose. I assume it needs new clips. Any idea what clips these are? Where to get them?

Thanks for reading. Promise the future posts won't be so damn long.

[MoreMayhem]

Could you get rid of the whole automatic selector surround and go with a shift boot from a standard transmission car? The opening in the console seems like tins the same size for both auto and standard.

For cruise control, make sure the safety switch on that contacts the clutch pedal arm is closing when the clutch pedal is released. Easy to check and easy to fix.

[chad h]

So a little update...

Replaced the top a few weeks ago


Today I went ahead and painted/dyed the armrests/map pockets, as well as the rear speaker covers. I'm not 100% sure where I want to go with the interior, half of me wants all black, the other half wants two tone, but the armrests/map pockets looked awful, so for now they at least look a bit cleaner.
Before:

After

Tried to touch up a spot on the passenger side and was lazy and didn't take off the panel because i thought i was good enough to not overspray, I'll go back and fix it eventually


Any thoughts on the inteior? My back seats are in good condition, so in theory I could keep the seats tan, but if I'm gonna have to either recover or replace the fronts, I might as well do the backs too.

Coming up soon:
Timing belt/water pump
Driveshaft bearing and guibo

[chad h]

So the overspray mistake i made on the passenger door irritated me, which then led me to go grab a can of tan vinyl and fabric dye. I did the passenger door card and it looked great. It's a bit lighter than the factory color, but I personally like it. I continued and did the drivers, both rears and the boot lid. Here are some pictures. It looks really yellow in the pictures, but in person its a natural light tan color.
Before

After:

[TimeMachinE30]

Really do not like the two tone cards. It is that or the terribly mismatched Natur door cards and pulls.

[chad h]

@timeManchine30,
Like i said it's not terrible in person, but I plan to get the seats reupholstered to match in the next few months. Work in progress for now.

[chad h]

So I had some time to kill this week, and decided i wanted to go ahead and paint the valve cover.

Before:

I was pleasantly surprised at how clean everything was underneath

During:

Final Product