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Rebuilding the build that never was - S/Ced schwarz e36 vert

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    #16
    Started work this past weekend. TO get it off jack stands I had to install a driveshaft and reinstall the exhaust. I robbed the driveshaft to get the e30 driving after I emergency swapped a zf320 due to the g260 dying. I picked up a 325e '86 driveshaft (it has a 4 bolt rear and the large trans flange for the larger e36 guibo) - eventually I'll swap them between the 2 cars.

    New M3 guibo and hardware. FYI a lot of oem metric hardware can be purchased at belmetric.com, they specialize in all metric stuff. Pretty useful especially for some of the not-so-common sizes etc.





    New headunit





    Wiring kit, amp and the front speakers





    Bench full of audio stuff





    Took most of the rear interior apart





    Rear all apart. Lots of space behind the seat to fit amps, crossovers, etc. I plan on using the OEM wiring from the amp to all of the speakers. This allows me to mount the crossovers back there too since the OEM amp sends signals to each speaker individually. Game plan right now is to power the front woofers and tweeters with the amp, the front mids with the headunit, and the rear woofers and tweeters with the headunit. I can easily add another amp/subwoofer later. I'll lay the RCA cables for front, rear, and subwoofer regardless.





    Here is one of the new rear woofers vs one of the BSW (oem size) woofers. Significantly larger. This should be a nice upgrade.

    '89 325i OBD2 S52 BUILD THREAD
    Shadetree30

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      #17
      anyone have advice for the headgasket? I put an elring gasket in the e30, but I'm considering either goetze or OEM bmw for this car. Goetze is $50 and OEM is $100

      Pictures from ecs for reference


      OEM BMW



      Goetze
      '89 325i OBD2 S52 BUILD THREAD
      Shadetree30

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        #18
        This is when my family/friends start to think I'm weird/crazy... I got very excited over a "box of screws" :D There's also a 2 sided honing stone for cleaning up the block surface when it comes time for that.





        Made some progress on the audio. Spent a lot of time figuring out which wires go to what speakers and how I can wire it all up the way I want using only the OEM wiring. Actually should be pretty easy now that I have a clearer map of it all. Basically, all of the wires converge behind the back seat (wires from the HU, and wires to all of the speakers). Cleaned up the head unit harness and wiring, started routing RCA cables and basically figured out how I'll mount the oversized 5.25" rear speakers using a combination of the original bracket and some standoffs.


        I'll be going back and re-doing all of the wiring to the gauges and accessories... what a mess.

        '89 325i OBD2 S52 BUILD THREAD
        Shadetree30

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          #19
          Finally finished installing all of the new speakers and components ( still need to change the front tweeters though...) It sounds fantastic so far!! But it's missing the bass, so that'll be coming soon too.

          I used these capacitors as filters so I could drive the front mids from the headunit, otherwise I would lose them. It added some nice fill and helped bring the soundstage off the floor.





          In the e36 convertible, there is some nice space behind the rear seat perfect for hiding wiring and components. I mounted the new amp on the left side in the factory spot, and stuffed the front crossovers, the rear crossovers (those packets of black heat shrink), the front filters for the mids and some spare wiring not used after the install.





          I made a new mounting plate for the new amp.





          Everything looks nice and tidy. I also relocated some wiring that was in the middle spot in anticipation of putting a subwoofer there.





          I cut away most of the original bracket for the rear speakers since the rear woofers were an inch smaller than the new ones. Then I drilled some holes and used some stand offs to mount the speakers. Everything fits pretty much exactly as it did stock.

          '89 325i OBD2 S52 BUILD THREAD
          Shadetree30

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            #20
            Got some more work done. I am just trying to fix the essential stuff that would prevent this car from being a decent dd for the next month or so while I fix the e30. After the e30 is fixed, I'll come back to the e36 to give it the attention it deserves.

            I tried to pop the door panels off withoutht breaking anything (to install the new tweeters finally), but that was wishful thinking. One of the very first projects I ever tackled on a car was to repair the door panels of the e36. The plastic pockets, top rail, and side brackets commonly become un-glued from the inside of the door which results in a loose panel with gaps everywhere, or the panel pretty much falling off. Anyway, I was a noob when I fixed it 6 years ago and I am surprised they held up so long after such a sketchy repair haha. I even made a DIY writeup :P and had to refer back to it before I started taking apart the door because I couldn't remember http://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/sh...ose-Door-Panel

            So, I'll attempt to use some more appropriate glue. This repair is especially tricky because the door panel is made out of some strange wood/cardboard composite and the plastic parts are ABS. Those two materials are difficult to glue together because most glue/adhesive either bonds with one or the other.

            I decided to go with this epoxy because it listed that it will bond well with wood and most plastics* and their "exception" list for the plastic did not mention ABS.





            I laughed at myself a little bit when I saw and remembered what I did all those years ago. It was a combination of some random epoxy in some small places, a lot of hot glue, and duct tape what was I thinking... I used to think hot glue was the shit





            I'm pretty sure I finally figured out the fuel leak that was driving me crazy for the past several months. There was gas pooled up on top of the fuel pump lid. The lid wasn't even hand tight. I was smelling it most strongly at full tank which makes sense if it was indeed leaking because of the loose lid. For good measure I cut a little off the transfer hose to give a new hose clamp a solid bite.





            Looks like this used to be a nest... (driver side)





            I got rid of the center arm rest finally. I used to like it, but since I started autocrossing etc. I realized how much it really gets in the way of aggressive shifting. Also I got used to driving without it in the e30. I think it looks much cleaner.

            The 2 parts needed to convert are the non-armrest center console trim, and this little bracket.





            Which goes here and is the new rear support for the console trim.





            Finished

            '89 325i OBD2 S52 BUILD THREAD
            Shadetree30

            Comment


              #21
              Started repairing the doors. It's a little tedious but I think after this repair, they'll never need it again. The trick is to remove all of the old glue stuff that failed after 20 years. Various suggestions included mineral spirits, sandpaper, etc. but that wasn't fast enough for me so careful use of a dremel and a cutting disk shaved it all of very quickly.

              Prepped with the top bracket already glued.





              The amp and sub





              More progress






              And one door finished with speakers installed!




              Started building the sub box. It's a really really small space with some weird angles. It'll be a bit undersized vs the sealed box volume recommended by the manufacturer, but I don't have much of a choice.





              Test fit - I got it right :) and yes I predrilled everything, but I think I was too shallow on the predrill for that top left screw which caused it to split. My ocd REALLY doesn't like it, but I know it doesn't really matter. I also glued everything, so the screws were more so to hold it together while the glue dried.





              Marked out the face plate ready to cut





              I hate cutting the MDF in the garage. It makes such a ridiculous mess. Luckily it wasn't much and I'm finished now.





              And my friend showed up to boost leak test his stage 3 s4 manwagon, drink some beers, eat some pizza, plan on how we're going to spend the next 5 years worth of paychecks, and "fake complain" about all of the issues plaguing our cars.
              Last edited by Sh3rpak!ng; 01-27-2016, 11:10 AM.
              '89 325i OBD2 S52 BUILD THREAD
              Shadetree30

              Comment


                #22
                Did you ever have a problem with the Elring gasket? I have one I'm planning to throw on my M52 whenever I pop my headgasket. I've never heard anyone complain about goetze though either. I'd probably run anything but VR.
                Originally posted by priapism
                My girl don't know shit, but she bakes a mean cupcake.
                Originally posted by shameson
                Usually it's best not to know how much money you have into your e30

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                  #23
                  That's a crazy amount of room behind the rear seat!
                  '90 325i - 5 speed coupe
                  '05 330ci 6MT ZHP

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                    #24
                    Originally posted by Northern View Post
                    Did you ever have a problem with the Elring gasket? I have one I'm planning to throw on my M52 whenever I pop my headgasket. I've never heard anyone complain about goetze though either. I'd probably run anything but VR.
                    Nope, no issues at all. It looked like a nice gasket and I have yet to read/hear/see one fail or have issues. That said, from what I could find the goetze gasket is apparently superior to the elring, and the genuine BMW gasket is the king. There are a handful of big power FI guys in the bf FI section that run o-rings and an oem gasket with great success. When I finally get around to working on the engine of this car I'll likely go with the genuine BMW gasket just because it's the best, and the car is FI. For NA I wouldn't hesitate to go elring again.
                    Originally posted by Codym42 View Post
                    That's a crazy amount of room behind the rear seat!
                    Yes it is! I didn't really even know it was there. Normally there is a thick sheet of sound deadening material covering it all up, so I never noticed when I previously removed the rear seat. I think that space is there for two reasons, one it's caused by the extra metal frame that bridges the two sides of the car to add stiffness that is lost without a roof, and two because rollover protection (popup bars) were an option that if fitted would have taken up that space. It sure makes a nice secret hiding spot!



                    Finished the sub box. Also cut out some extra space on the driver side behind the rear seat to fit the amp and glued the rest of the brackets back into the passenger side door.





                    The box isn't pretty. It was very tough to both maximize its volume and make it fit perfectly in that space. I had to clearance a couple of corners and edges in order to make it fit snug, but it is finished now, and I can't wait to power it up! (tonight if things go as planned)

                    '89 325i OBD2 S52 BUILD THREAD
                    Shadetree30

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                      #25
                      I have that sub. It's a good sub.

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                        #26
                        Originally posted by ST1G View Post
                        I have that sub. It's a good sub.
                        I only read good things about it and the price was right. Also I think it looks "classy" rather than obnoxious like some others. So I won't feel too bad if I decide to leave it exposed. Not sure if I'll cover it up with the ski pass cushion plug or not.
                        '89 325i OBD2 S52 BUILD THREAD
                        Shadetree30

                        Comment


                          #27
                          Finished the passenger door and modifications to get the tweeter to fit. The original tweeters (and the bsw replacements) are smaller and clip into the original speaker bracket. The new tweeters are a little bit larger and they have a plastic grill glued to them. I carefully pried off the grill, cut the oem speaker grill much shorter, cut the screw on lock ring shorter, epoxied the tweeter to the screw on lock ring, and tightened it all in place. Looks perfect.

                          Don't mind the yellowish messy epoxy - that was the old stuff I didn't remove for fear of destroying the panel.





                          Noticed this when I took the clamps off... while I was adjusting the alignment I must have pulled up this side without realizing it. Now there's a gap :hitler: :hitler: :hitler: :hitler: :hitler: :hitler: DAMMIT that made me very upset and there is no way to fix it. This epoxy works too damn well. Thank god it's the passenger side.





                          Made brackets to mount the sub amp, and then scrapped them. I measured once and didn't go back to check how it would all line up... the spacing on the bolt holes in the amp placed the bracket ends right over a seam which would prevent me from bolting it to the car. So I made them again and it's all good.





                          Mounted the sub and wired everything up. Took longer than I expected but I powered it up like I planned and it all works perfectly. Now I have to tune it which will be a little tricky due to the added complexity of powering some with the HU and some through an amp.

                          '89 325i OBD2 S52 BUILD THREAD
                          Shadetree30

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                            #28
                            Originally posted by Sh3rpak!ng View Post


                            More progress


                            Lol. I did the same thing with my E36 vert. They fell apart within the week but I used a shitty bonding compound. The E36 is so great apart from it's questionable interior build quality.

                            Great car btw.

                            1991 318iS Sterlingsilber - 1989 325i Cirrusblau (sold) - 1990 318iC Brilliantrot (sold)

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                              #29
                              Nice man. I'm super interested in your CCV setup once you get to it.
                              What pump are you going to use?

                              1991 325iS turbo

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                                #30
                                Originally posted by SSE30 View Post
                                Lol. I did the same thing with my E36 vert. They fell apart within the week but I used a shitty bonding compound. The E36 is so great apart from it's questionable interior build quality.

                                Great car btw.
                                Yeah I was so distraught when it happened the first time around. Honestly, for a 20 year old car, it's held up pretty well in my opinion. Looking at other cars of the same age, there aren't many that compare.

                                And thanks!!

                                Sent from my SM-G920T using Tapatalk
                                '89 325i OBD2 S52 BUILD THREAD
                                Shadetree30

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