The Adventures of Golden Boy, my Rebound E30

[CubbyChowder]

Hey — I have the same wheel and tire set up! Are you sure that your wheels didn't come with hub rings? Mine had black plastic hub rings attached to the cardboard box. There was a section of the order form that said what vehicle the wheels were going on... Maybe they only send the rings if that part is filled out. Might be worth it to send fifteen52 an email? Somehow, my tire shop lost one of the fifteen52 caps, but Chris at fifteen52 was great and sent me another one...

Anyway — I'm running 5mm spacers front and rear. I don't love the poke... But damn if the wheels don't look good anyway. Don't know if it will apply to early models, but my 318is on Billie/h&r sports had some rubbing in the rear before a slight roll...

I found out later that the hub rings should have been included with the order but I checked all my boxes and they were nowhere to be found, Fifteen52 quickly sent me a set as soon as I contacted them about it. Just got home and found them at my doorstep about 15 minutes ago actually! They look great on your car! Been anxious to see these on an E30, what size tires are you running? Have any more pictures of the fitment? I'm planning on rolling my fenders all around. I was considering a 5mm spacer in front and a 15mm or 20mm spacer out back.

[word is bond]

205/50/r16 BF Goodrich Sport Comp 2s.

Glad you got that sorted out.
Hmmm... Don't really have any photos that show how well they line up with the fenders, but I'll snap one in the next few days if I remember.

[CubbyChowder]

Made some progress on the sport seat refurb today. Got the passenger side done! The lower bolster skins seemed to fit pretty loosely compared to the upper ones, so I asked my shop neighbor for some advice and he told me to wrap some 1/2" foam around the bolsters to fill the empty space, so that's what I did:



Wasn't sure how it was going to turn out because I didn't really know what I was doing, but it ended up working out fine for the most part. Got it all back together and am really happy with how it turned out!





Just as a comparison, here's the passenger's side seat right after I pulled it out of the car. It was in good condition actually, but I'm way happier with how it looks now:



Tomorrow I hope to repair the driver's side seat frame and get it all finished up!

[stonea]

Glad to see the seats turn out so nice. I'm considering doing the same thing.

[CubbyChowder]

Glad to see the seats turn out so nice. I'm considering doing the same thing.

Thanks man, I'd definitely recommend doing it, even though it is a ton of work.

[CubbyChowder]

Very happy to say that the seats are finally complete.

I spent today repairing the broken driver's side bottom seat frame and installing the new covers. I didn't snap any photos of the process, but there were a few parts that I had to bend back and re-weld into place.

This whole seat rebuild was a ton of work but fully worth it. I was learning along the way so it took longer, but if I were to do it again it'd go a lot faster.

I'm excited about the finished results and can't wait to get the interior all clean and buttoned up and take the E30 for a ride. But before I do that, I need to finish the suspension rebuild and 5-speed swap, which will be starting very soon.

[Matt341]

Those Seats Turned Out Amazing!

[CubbyChowder]

Those Seats Turned Out Amazing!

Thanks man! I'm stoked on them.

[noE30]

Looks like a great project so far man. I love that rack you built, its awesome to see the full process here on r3v as I think I just saw the finished build on IG. Also I just noticed that you live in SLO, thats rad! Ive got a buddy out there right now and I will be moving out to the area shortly myself, maybe we will cross paths.

[CubbyChowder]

Looks like a great project so far man. I love that rack you built, its awesome to see the full process here on r3v as I think I just saw the finished build on IG. Also I just noticed that you live in SLO, thats rad! Ive got a buddy out there right now and I will be moving out to the area shortly myself, maybe we will cross paths.

Thanks a lot man, that's rad you're moving out here soon. Hit me up and come stop by the shop sometime when you do!

[Petebee]

Great job on those seats!

Sent from my SM-T560NU using Tapatalk

[CubbyChowder]

I traded some work for a late model parts car recently:




As you can see, it's already partly disassembled but has everything else I need to finish my 5-speed swap as well as a few other little odds and ends. I'm going to part out what's left when I'm done with it and then take it to the scrapper.

I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it had a new clutch installed recently, so the clutch, pressure plate, flywheel and TO bearing are in fantastic shape, so I'm going to reuse these parts in my E30 and sell my new clutch kit:



Then I got two packages full of goodies from Ireland Engineering!

Their super short shift kit and DSSR:



I cleaned the shift carrier, installed the delrin bushings in the front and prepped the rear carrier mount for a delrin bushing which I still need to order:



IE 22mm/19mm adjustable sway bar kit:



And all new replacement brake parts:



I love getting parts in the mail :D

[c0rbin9]

Looks good... how difficult is the 5 speed swap?

[CubbyChowder]

Looks good... how difficult is the 5 speed swap?

It's a lot of work, I don't think it's overly difficult to do but I guess that depends on your experience. I've never done a 5-speed swap but I've done a ton of research and am gathering all the parts I need and have an idea of what's involved. I'm lucky to have a lift in my shop and a transmission jack, which will really help make this job easier for me. Having a parts car to pull all the little odds and ends off of is a big plus too, I think trying to source each little part individually on the forums would really complicate the whole thing.

If it's something you're considering doing, I'd suggest checking out this thread over on E30tech, it has a lot of good info: http://www.e30tech.com/forum/showthread.php?t=108141

[ian e30 318is]

Thanks man! My shop is near The Graduate if you know where that is, and I live near High St. Deli. Swing by if you're ever back in SLO!

Nice! I know exactly where both are! The spring club from high street was my go to! I miss SLO. I'll definitely let you know if I am ever back down in the area!