Big Al's Revenge: an OEM+, MTech1 325e restoration

[mjweimer]

FYI - you can get the clear washer hose from several sources if you prefer the look. I purchased a couple of meters from Bel-Metric:

https://www.belmetric.com/clear-washer-hose-c-14_141/rh45wash75-clear-braided-washer-hose-45x75mm-p-6352.html?zenid=q8cdn06a7jbf1pir370l1pp8v3

My current '90 325iS has the 'T' mounted like Albie's but uses only 2 clips and slightly different routing to the nozzles. I have also seen the 'T' mounted inside the hood reinforcement and the clips pushed in the opposite direction.

[monty23psk]

I must say, great work so far. Everything is in the little details. Have been a fan since I saw this thread and have subscribed and follow.

It has been a few years since I did the overhaul on my washer system. In regards to the green clips, I know the ETK states 4 and I used them with 3 at the bottom where the hose comes from the car to the hood and then one at the top include the 2 double c clamps. I searched and searched for pictures of the OE look but never found anything concrete of how the t-valve was positioned at the top of the hood (when opened). I tried to follow what was there originally but I am sure it was changed through the years before I took possession of the car. Did you mimic the original installation or did you improvise? Also, the hose was black from BMW when I ordered it a few years ago, not sure what happened to the clear version back then but really like the old school look. I do wish the clips were not green, and as you stated, gives it a modern look.

[mjweimer]

Google TE Connectivity, they are awesome. They have any type of electrical connector or plastic housing you can think of, all high quality and very affordable. I've had to do a few wiring mods to make things fit, and they have a lot of pin connectors and plastic housings that actually fit the OEM BMW plugs perfectly. It’s almost overwhelming to search for things they have so much. The oem BMW connectors are usually $2-6 each, when I order through TE I can get 10 for the same price because you inevitably ruin a few trying to make a good crimp. Their shipping is incredibly fast too, I've ordered as little as $5 worth of stuff from them and gotten it in 2 days. The piggyback I used is circled:


Also, thanks for the heads up on the rubber hood stoppers, I ordered them today! They have never been there since I've had the car so didn't even know it was a part to replace.

Perfect! Thanks for the info on the connectors and the pointer to TE Connectivity....this will be a great resource.

[Albie325]

May I ask where you sourced those piggyback connectors? I am also planning on adding a second trunk light and that is a much cleaner solution than what I cooked up.

Google TE Connectivity, they are awesome. They have any type of electrical connector or plastic housing you can think of, all high quality and very affordable. I've had to do a few wiring mods to make things fit, and they have a lot of pin connectors and plastic housings that actually fit the OEM BMW plugs perfectly. It’s almost overwhelming to search for things they have so much. The oem BMW connectors are usually $2-6 each, when I order through TE I can get 10 for the same price because you inevitably ruin a few trying to make a good crimp. Their shipping is incredibly fast too, I've ordered as little as $5 worth of stuff from them and gotten it in 2 days. The piggyback I used is circled:





Also, thanks for the heads up on the rubber hood stoppers, I ordered them today! They have never been there since I've had the car so didn't even know it was a part to replace.

Stellar work. The detailed updates are what I love most about this project/thread. Looks like you're in the home stretch!

Thanks Mike! I'll keep the details coming

[mike.bmw]

Stellar work. The detailed updates are what I love most about this project/thread. Looks like you're in the home stretch!

[mjweimer]

I know this post was a ton of small, insignificant "victories" but am hoping to have something much more profound this weekend!

Love these updates and I would hardly call this insignificant because these great little details are needed to make a comprehensive restoration.


Since we are talking details, there are rubber stoppers that fit into the upper hole on the back of the lower hood hinge. They simply prevent "metal to metal" contact at the back of the hinge pivot when the hood is fully open....usually crumbled away on most cars at this age but I thought to share in case you were interested - pn 51 23 1 916 567




May I ask where you sourced those piggyback connectors? I am also planning on adding a second trunk light and that is a much cleaner solution than what I cooked up.



MJ

[Albie325]

Stunning. The quality of the paint work is really evident in that shot of the car with the hood open. I'm happy for you and can't wait to see this come together.

VERY well done my friend. Super impressed by your work. The car looks stunning. Do you plan on keeping the M20b27 or do you think you'd ever go to an M20b25?

Thanks guys!

paynemw I don't have any plans for an engine swap. The Eta engine, while relatively slow, is rock solid reliable and once this is done I really want to enjoy driving the car. I've probably only put about 2000 miles on it in the last 2-3 years because, projects. Some of the things I've done to the car (3.25 lsd, manual swap, Conforti chip) have livened it up enough that it's still a blast to drive without sacrificing reliability. The last thing I want to do is scratch the paint trying to hoist an engine in/out just for a few more HP. If for whatever reason I need to pull the head (I'm still worried about my head gasket after it overheated a few months ago), I'd consider doing an 885 head "stroker" build, but I highly doubt it, at least not in the near future and only if something went wrong with the current, sub-100k mile engine.

Last weekend was kindof gross out so I didn't want to pull the car out of the garage too much. I ended up just getting a bunch of smaller, annoying things done. First, I pulled the HVAC panel out and looked into my recirc flap issue. Turns out I just jammed the flap door motor when I disconnected the flap to pull the IHKS cover off when removing the windshield wiper mechanism. I unplugged the motor, removed it, and tested it. Once the arm wasn't jammed against the IHKS, it began to work again, I just re-installed it, plugged it in, and was good to go.

Next, I got the remaining trim refinished:







Then got to work polishing all the chrome trim (even though its really just aluminum):



There were water spots all over the place. I ended up just using some fine buffing compound and a wool pad on my small detail buffer. Came out really good, didn't get all the scratches out but definitely much shinier.

Before on the left, after on the right:




Then I buffed the vent window trim, looking fresh:






Next, got them all put back together with new hardware:







There are 5 of these little plastic clips per vent trim piece, you just pop them into the holes on the painted part:



Push the tabs down (this was actually a huge bitch, the tabs are plastic and super tight and they were difficult to pop in without bending the palstic):



Then the chrome insert just snaps in:



Added the little rubber buffers and neoprene strip to the back to prevent them from rubbing up against the paint:



Then started getting all the chrome trim reinstalled with new clips:





Was a helluva lot easier getting the trip put back on then it was taking it off.


Next got a few trim items put back on the trunk.

Started with new license plate lights and mounting brackets:



Forgive the orange peel on the license plate section, it will be covered so I didn't go too crazy buffing there as I didn't want to risk burning through any of the many edges in that area.

Old vs new:





Then got the tail lights buffed and installed with new gaskets:



Last thing I did in the trunk was to wire in a second trunk light:



I made 2 lengths of wire, each attached to a "piggyback" connector. The end has both a female end with an attached male spade:





Plug the female end of the piggyback into the original light, connect the male spade to power/ground, and then run across to your new light and plug in normally:







Then I removed the old tool box foam that was all rusty, there will be a nice upgrade going in its place soon:



Rounding out the tail lights, my check panel "brake" light has been on since Big Al still had the car. I've done everything, made sure all bulbs were the correct OEM ones, cleaned all the contact surfaces, replaced the brake pedal switch, etc. Only thing left as a possible culprit is the chip in the back of the 3rd brake light, the connections tend to go bad over time:



I ordered a new one awhile back that had just been sitting in a box of all my new parts. To my surprise there were TWO new ones in the box when I finally opened it! Score:



Plugged it in, and sure enough the "brake" light is off for the first time since I've owned the car!!!






Got the door locks and handles installed with new rubber buffers:





Then got a new window guide installed. Unfortunately only the passenger side is available at the moment, I had to reuse the old one on the driver's side. If the Driver's ever comes available again I'll replace it with a fresh one:







Also unfortunately, when reinstalling the driver's door glass I found that the window regulator was really struggling to come up and was grinding a bit no matter how I adjusted the glass. Had hoped to get the doors totally buttoned up and the door cards reinstalled, have ordered a replacement regulator that I'll get to this weekend.

Replaced the hood and valve cover ground straps with BavRest upgrades, the originals were falling apart:











Still need to give the engine bay a proper washdown of all the compound flakes everywhere.

Last but not least, I replaced all the windshield washer components:







Not exactly sure why the new clips are slime green instead of white, but I guess it adds a nice modern "pop" of color to the engine bay:



New nozzles:



Installed some new vent grilles while I was in there:



The last bit of yellowed plastic is now gone, the engine bay is finally all sparkly and new:



The cap is actually the Mercedes part that Jordan has recommended in the past, P/N 1638690508





I know this post was a ton of small, insignificant "victories" but am hoping to have something much more profound this weekend!

[paynemw]

VERY well done my friend. Super impressed by your work. The car looks stunning. Do you plan on keeping the M20b27 or do you think you'd ever go to an M20b25?

[mjweimer]

Stunning. The quality of the paint work is really evident in that shot of the car with the hood open. I'm happy for you and can't wait to see this come together.


MJ

[Albie325]

This thread just gets better and better. Well done, that's top notch work!

Thanks man!

[That red colour looks so gorgeous when fully polished. Can't wait see the complete car done.
Btw. Those new door seals look beautiful, but damn those are expensive.

You ain't lying brother. There's a thread on here under "Door seals" that I was hoping would provide a cheaper option, however I just wasn't happy with the overall fit and quality of those so decided to just pony up the money to have it look correct. I have to say, the new OEM ones really are nice.

paynemw yes, rzerob is correct. they are Heyco Liquid Tight Break-Thru plugs. I bought these in both the 0.875" and 1" sizes as the metric sized hole is not a 100% match for SAE. The sizes are for the OD of the plugs, the diameter of the hole is 21mm I believe and the ID of the plugs falls right in between that.. The 0.875" plugs fit too loosely, the 1" plugs BARELY made it in but are nice and snug.

This past weekend I got the hood ironed out, block sanded first in 1500 grit followed by 3000 grit on the DA sander:



Even in 3000 grit it's *almost* shiny:



Next came the initial cut:





And finally the buff, the image quality of the reflection is much clearer, hard to capture in pictures:



I then went over the whole car and did the final buff as I left off with the rest of the car just in the heavy cut stage. Once I was happy, I pulled the car out into the sunlight as natural light does a better job of showing you anywhere you missed or any issues that need fixing. Once I went around the car a few times and was satisfied, I took a few pics before the sun went down:









There's definitely a few minor imperfections here and there, but none that you'd notice unless I pointed them out. I'm very pleased, and relieved!

The rest of the day was spent cleaning out as much of the compound from the trim/cracks/interior as I could, will need to go back and do another once-over as it gets into EVERYTHING. I also got started on buffing the chrome trim pieces and repainting some of the black trim but didn't get it completed enough to post up pics.

My plans for this coming weekend are:

• Finish buffing the chrome trim pieces and get them all installed
• Polish and reinstall the windows
• Color sand and buff the MTech pieces, vent trim, gas door, and side mirrors and hopefully get them installed
• Install as much of the remaining trim/door locks/etc as I can

[rzerob]

Do you have they heyco part number?

It is right on it LTBP 1000. HEYCo-molded™ Liquid Tight Break-Thru Plugs

[paynemw]

For the rear bumper signal wiring holes in the tail panel, I found these water-tight plugs online as a better option than the metal ones I initially intended to use. I won't need to use any sealant on the new paint and can take them on/off as I please:



They looked nice and clean, and the brand was Heyco, not the same company as the one who makes the tool kit tools but I thought it was kinda cool.

Do you have they heyco part number?

[PieterVN]

That red colour looks so gorgeous when fully polished. Can't wait see the complete car done.
Btw. Those new door seals look beautiful, but damn those are expensive.

[gnmzl]

This thread just gets better and better. Well done, that's top notch work!

[Albie325]

Quick update from last weekend:

When reinstalling my blower motor, I noticed that while testing to make sure it worked it was fine at low speeds, but at level 3-4 it was making a ton of noise as though the fins were hitting something. When I took it out, I found that the outside rim of plastic had cracked, and the higher speeds caused the fins to spread apart and hit the wall of the IHKS. I thought no biggie, I had a spare blower, but of course this had a crack as well.

Ended up just ordering a new OEM one, was actually more affordable than I thought (Was $140 shipped and now has a lifetime warranty, was expecting to pay closer to $300)



Packaging was superb, even had it's own plastic guard:





I also found that one of my recirculation flap doors was not opening and closing, will have to track down the reason why. Either a loose connector, bad relay, or bad motor. Will sort that out another time as there are more important things I care about at the moment.

For the rear bumper signal wiring holes in the tail panel, I found these water-tight plugs online as a better option than the metal ones I initially intended to use. I won't need to use any sealant on the new paint and can take them on/off as I please:





They looked nice and clean, and the brand was Heyco, not the same company as the one who makes the tool kit tools but I thought it was kinda cool.

Next I wanted to get the sunroof sanded, buffed, and installed. Here it is in 3000 grit:



Initial cut, can still see some haze:



And after final buff:



Then got a new gasket installed, I ended up going with the 1-piece:



Used some BMW sunroof grease to lube up all the moving parts, could probably do 6 cars with just this one packet:



Then got everything installed and the proper heights adjusted. Should be 1mm below the roofline in the front, and 1mm above the roofline in the rear:



Looking good!



The rest of the weekend was spent color sanding down the rest of the car as well as getting the initial cut on all the panels prior to moving on to the final buff. All was going smoothly until I made a booboo on the hood:



A lapse in concentration for a second too long and I burned through. Was just going to touch that area up, but then chipped the edge with the brass coupling on the DA sander:



Ugh. I had debated re-clearing the hood anyway as I wasn't 100% happy with the finish, so I guess this was the universe telling me I should just suck it up and do it. Reprepped and got the cutthrough areas re-colored:



And added 3 more coats of clear:



No more chip:



And no more cutthrough:



This cost me the better part of a whole day, but at this point I want things to look right.

Then got all the other body panels in the initial cut:

Uncut fender vs cut door, with some tape to protect the edges:



Right half is cut, left is still rough:



Got all the body panels done, but was dark by then so couldn't get great pics:



I'm working this weekend so am out of the garage. Next weekend, will get the hood re-color sanded, cut, and then do the final buff on all the panels. Once that's done, I'll get the glass and the majority of the trim back on the car. With any luck, I'll at least start getting the MTech kit buffed out and maybe installed, fingers crossed...