JackBenny's 1991 318is Project

[jackbenny]

That green plug you have pictured is the plug required for cruise control. The cruise plugs in there to get power and a speed signal.

That would explain the difference in clusters. oh well. At least I feel better for not missing something so obvious. I need to check continuity from the speed sensor pickup to the dash next. I might do that the next time i'm with the car. The speedo circuit board didn't have any burns on so I'm hoping it's still good. It worked in the car it was pulled out of...well, that's what I was told. ;)

[jackbenny]

...and now to continue from the previous update post.

Like I said, I decided to use a paint pen to see how it would work. I taped off all the gauges and cleaned the needles with acetone (nail polish remover actually) so there wouldn't be any contaminants to mess with the paint.



The painting began. Ignore the wife's wish list, it made a nice place to get the paint pen flowing.









You can see that the paint pen didn't make it all the way down to the black circle, so I had to improvise and used a toothpick to get all of the white covered. The fine point allowed me to paint all the way down.

Two more coats were applied.









The flash time on the paint is pretty quick and after it dried, I removed the tape.

Speedo came out pretty good...





As did the other 2 smaller gauges...





A little leakage on the fuel gauge though. Luckily it blends ok with the black...





And finally the tach. The econometer needle is a pain to do but I think I got most of it...





I was a little disappointed with how this came out. I like the color and from a distance the needles look good. When you get right up close you can see some blemishes. That part made me a little sad but overall I'm pleased with the results.

And now reassembly...







For the plastic, I used Plexus glass polisher. I used Plexus on my faceshield for my motorcycle helmet and was pleased with the results. The plastic was in decent shape so I freshened it up a bit.





So ends the refresh. It's a decent project to do yourself but don't be afraid to consider someone like Guten Parts or the like if you don't have the patience. For the most part I'm pleased.

Parts started coming in today. This weekend will be spent in town so I might start looking at the door cards and see what I can come up with there. I did participate in the CF Door Card group buy so I have some ideas on what I want to do.

At the same time I will try and get some of the parts posted up. You may be able to figure some of them out as a good chunk are sitting on my desk!

Til then...

[TrentW]

Turned out well Josh. I did the mine with the same ebay rings, but used red to match the color on the fuel and temp gauges. I used a touch-up paint and brush and as you stated, if I look closely, I'm able to see some brush strokes, but I think it's unavoidable no matter how patient and steady-handed you are. Honestly, I'm pretty anal about details but you don't really notice it after you install the cluster and start driving. Makes the gauges sooooo much more enjoyable to look at! Only difference is I also got the Alpina tach strip from Guten Parts. Really like the contrast of the green color.

Congratulations to you both on the upcoming birth!

[jackbenny]

Turned out well Josh. I did the mine with the same ebay rings, but used red to match the color on the fuel and temp gauges. I used a touch-up paint and brush and as you stated, if I look closely, I'm able to see some brush strokes, but I think it's unavoidable no matter how patient and steady-handed you are. Honestly, I'm pretty anal about details but you don't really notice it after you install the cluster and start driving. Makes the gauges sooooo much more enjoyable to look at! Only difference is I also got the Alpina tach strip from Guten Parts. Really like the contrast of the green color.

Congratulations to you both on the upcoming birth!

Thank you sir. This friday is the ultrasound to find out the sex. that is going to be a fun day!

I've been looking at the cluster for awhile now and the blemishes don't bother me too much anymore. I went back and forth on the alpina stripes but finally settled on leaving them off. The cluster makes me smile now when I look at it. I just hope the damn thing works!

Parts have been coming in today. Thought I would take a picture to show how much has amassed. Christmas was good to me ass my family got me some cool gifts I just couldn't bring myself to purchase.

We'll just call it the dreaded "teaser" for now. I'll take inventory when everything arrives.



Can't wait to get back to the car in a couple of weeks!

[bejbis]

Hey josh, cluster looks great. I think that might be my next time waster while i keep sourcing my swap parts. I tinted and put some new projectors in my headlights this weekend to pass the time.

You mentioned something about door cards in one of your posts. I have a full set of tan coupe cards in pretty decent shape with map pockets and such lying around. If you want them, you can have them, just let me know and ill bring them to the club meeting this Thursday.

btw. I want that engine cover.

[Ray Smoodiver]

Good God, I've just spent 2 hours going through this thread, incredible work mate! I am craving more!

(PS: I'm also going to order some 5 lug TH2's to match my M-tec II kit)

[Ray Smoodiver]

Good God, I've just spent 2 hours going through this thread, incredible work mate! I am craving more!

(PS: I'm also going to order some 5 lug TH2's to match my M-tec II kit)

[browntown]

I'll admit I didn't read the whole thread. Your strut tubes have m3 sway pickup points welded on. Why did you not use them? My understanding (and the reason I bothered welding those tabs on mine) is that they increase the force of the front anti-roll bar --- serving to effectively raise it's diameter in performance.

Would it have interfered with the big brake setup?

[jackbenny]

I'll admit I didn't read the whole thread. Your strut tubes have m3 sway pickup points welded on. Why did you not use them? My understanding (and the reason I bothered welding those tabs on mine) is that they increase the force of the front anti-roll bar --- serving to effectively raise it's diameter in performance.

Would it have interfered with the big brake setup?

Excellent question. The answer is....I didn't have the M3 links. That has since been rectified and is an item in the pile of parts and will put on the car at the next visit.

I plan on sticking with the stock bars for now. If I need to upgrade later to larger bars for whatever reason, I'm saving that for later as it will give me an opportunity to save up for them. I'll weld in the reinforcements as well.

[jackbenny]

Hey josh, cluster looks great. I think that might be my next time waster while i keep sourcing my swap parts. I tinted and put some new projectors in my headlights this weekend to pass the time.

You mentioned something about door cards in one of your posts. I have a full set of tan coupe cards in pretty decent shape with map pockets and such lying around. If you want them, you can have them, just let me know and ill bring them to the club meeting this Thursday.

btw. I want that engine cover.

tee hee. I had to unwrap it and show it off. I was not expecting it and it actually arrived late for Christmas. I'm going to try and find a vinyl guy and create a stencil that replicates the BMW M Power on the stock cover and paint it on the carbon cover. I think that would be a neat, subtle touch in the engine bay.

I still have my existing cards. I have a thought on how to integrate part of the cards with the carbon door panels and wrap them in alcantera. Hopefully I can look at the cards and get something sketched up. No pockets or handles, just a grab strap. Think 911 RS.

I'm going to try and make it for thursday but work isn't cooperating right now as I may have to make a quick trip back to Germany. Hopefully everything will work out.

<edit>
Tonight I will take some pictures of a little present M42Technik sent me. Resourceful individuals might be able to figure out what it is...or you can just look below for my re-edit.

<re-edit>



...to make it more aerodynamic...yeah, that's it, aerodynamic......

[jackbenny]

Good God, I've just spent 2 hours going through this thread, incredible work mate! I am craving more!

(PS: I'm also going to order some 5 lug TH2's to match my M-tec II kit)

Nice! I haven't seen TH2's on E30's yet. Going for a kind of tarmac rally look huh? Post pictures when you get them!

[ck_taft325is]

Oh man! Congrats on being a Dad shortly here. It's a fun experience and will completely blow your mind. My little guy is nearly 5 months old and I still can hardly believe how amazing he is. Heh, watching them grow up is incredible ;)

So you went sans Alpina Tac strip. I was thrilled when I put mine on, but to each his own. I didn't have the rings... which I sort of regret after seeing how yours turned out. I also missed the gas gauge! Now it's going to bug the crap out of me.

[jackbenny]

Oh man! Congrats on being a Dad shortly here. It's a fun experience and will completely blow your mind. My little guy is nearly 5 months old and I still can hardly believe how amazing he is. Heh, watching them grow up is incredible ;)

So you went sans Alpina Tac strip. I was thrilled when I put mine on, but to each his own. I didn't have the rings... which I sort of regret after seeing how yours turned out. I also missed the gas gauge! Now it's going to bug the crap out of me.

I know, I can't wait. It's going to be fun...when i get to sleep!:p

I went back and forth on the strips and after all the hemming and hawing I went with my gut. The good news is that if I change my mind, I'm getting pretty good at taking the cluster apart! :D

[bejbis]

Ive worked at a sign shop going on 10 years now off and on. If you make it to the meeting bring your original cover and i can replicate you a stencil for it.

[jackbenny]

Sweet! Will do. :D