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Diamantschwarz Forever: An E30 Love Story. Re-shell & Restomod

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    How much that rear window run ya? I need one with a working element for defrost.

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      Originally posted by 318kid View Post
      How much that rear window run ya? I need one with a working element for defrost.
      I think the retail is somewhere around $200-300? But that is only if you want to have the BMW roundel stamp on it like I did. Which I'm now realizing was sorta pointless, only promoting my OCD

      Originally posted by mike.bmw View Post
      Wow. That carpet. So clean! Also good call cleaning/treating the floor underneath.

      Any tips for removing the door sill plates? I've done mine a couple times, but I've broken both original sills and had to replace them. I've tried using interior/plastic removal tools without much luck.

      Also, do you have a post on mounting that awesome steering wheel? Spacer needed due to the stalk locations?
      I wouldn't have been able to sleep at night if I didn't address the rust. I just lucked out that it was extremely surface, sorta like a film that came off when I scrubbed on it hard.

      I was actually pretty careful this time around, and just gently pried on from the side, using a large flat-head. I broke the tab-rivets when I removed the ones off of my old shell, so I was a little more cautious this time.

      Steering wheel should be pretty direct bolt-on! I just opted to use an extra spacer - you should have one that comes on your car. Hope that helps.

      Originally posted by 2mAn View Post
      Love it. This is wonderful
      Enough is enough. If you can't hang next weekend, I'm coming to Culver and man-napping you. :hitler:

      Originally posted by IronJoe View Post
      Awesome job cleaning that carpet up! I've been staring at the dirty carpet that came in my shell thinking I'll never get it clean. I'm seriously inspired now.
      I'm honestly still tripping out at how nice it turned out. If I was you, I'd do the same and shampoo it thoroughly before having it steam cleaned. Just pull out all the stops so that you'll have no ragrets. :p

      Originally posted by sam_ View Post
      Oooh! My guy! Lookin so flossy #fam


      Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
      Hope you're having fun in new york, #fam. Because it's all srs business when u return. :)

      1991 BMW 318i (Old Shell RIP, Now Being Re-shelled & Reborn)
      1983 Peugeot 505 STI
      1992 Volvo 240 Wagon
      2009 Toyota 4Runner SR5 Sport 4WD

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        Another semi-productive week for the E30.

        Completed the in-cabin audio system, with a LF tweeter, and RR Premium Speaker/Tweeter in place. For some reason, my LF door tweeter's wiring pigtail was coming up short and not reaching the tweeter. So I took the same wiring pigtail that I cut and removed from my old shell, and connected them together to extend it.



        The LF fit nice and snug with all tabs intact, and heavy duty 3M double-sided for the RF.



        And a big thanks again to Charlie for the extra rear premium speaker. Rear complete!



        And up next ... virgin crack-free dashboard swap. That will be the interior's pièce de résistance .

        1991 BMW 318i (Old Shell RIP, Now Being Re-shelled & Reborn)
        1983 Peugeot 505 STI
        1992 Volvo 240 Wagon
        2009 Toyota 4Runner SR5 Sport 4WD

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          Have been working 12-14 hour days as of late, so not much to report, except the following. Surprisingly, or not surprisingly, I've been racking up the miles on this little thing. Since I started driving it really in January, I've managed to put almost 7,000 miles on it. Kinda weird, since I started commuting with the train on a daily basis right after my accident, cutting my ~400 mile weekly commuting miles into roughly 40 miles, but I guess I live in Los Angeles County, where driving is life.



          I've been driving down to San Diego every other weekend to see the lady friend, so the car's become accustomed to most of the roads that its predecessor saw. Including Pacific Beach and me and my buddies' favorite self car wash spot haha.



          Two weekends ago, went on an impromptu Saturday excursion from the SGV out to Santa Monica, and then up the PCH through Pacific Palisades and up to Malibu for the very first time. Got to test out the mostly new suspension on endless winding stretches of canyon roads.



          After some good hiking and soaking up some Instagram-worthy views, a guy who runs a 2002 & Vintage BMW parts eBay store hit me up saying he's got a front plastic bumper assembly for me that was Calypso, and totally free of flaws. I had looking for a crack-free front late bumper that was free of warping for the longest time, so was very stoked. So stoked that while leaving Malibu somewhere on the PCH around 5pm I asked me buddies if they'd be down for an extremely impromptu trip down to San Diego. Naturally, they said yes. Bombed down the 1 to the 10 to the 405 to the 73 to the 5 and we were in La Jolla. Crashed at my girl's place, then headed down to Chula Vista the next morning to retrieve the bumper. Dave, an OG E30 M3 / 2002 guy was extremely chill, and we swapped bumpers on the spot. Not pictured: we cut up my old bumper with a saw, in order to salvage the little plastic "grooves" where the license plate mounts. One of the "grooves" on my new bumper was sheered off somehow, so we took a Dremel, and sawed off that same piece from my old bumper. Then properly epoxied it on and let it dry last night. Here's the result. Very happy with it. I'll be prepping and respraying the bumper DS some point within the next couple of weeks so that it loosely matches the rest of the car.



          This weekend I also hope to have my new virgin dashboard down in LA. As you can see, it's a little faded and dirty with some greasy spots. I Amazon Prime purchased two bottles of 303 Aerospace cleaner. Hoping to rehabilitate this thing nicely during some downtime this weekend, and swap it on in by the end of next week. Though that timeline is optimistic.



          That's it for now guys and gals. :-)

          1991 BMW 318i (Old Shell RIP, Now Being Re-shelled & Reborn)
          1983 Peugeot 505 STI
          1992 Volvo 240 Wagon
          2009 Toyota 4Runner SR5 Sport 4WD

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            Love it. This is wonderful


            I have a slightly cracked dash that I need to rehab and get installed, never done the dash swap so lmk how it goes. I might be free next weekend too ;)
            Simon
            Current Cars:
            -1999 996.1 911 4/98 3.8L 6-Speed, 21st Century Beetle

            Make R3V Great Again -2020

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              Just yesterday I was wondering if you had any new updates/photos. This thread delivers.

              Good luck with the dash swap. I'm still searching for a crack-free, local dash. Kind of dreading the installation.

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                Before and after... I'll let you look at the post above for a "before" shot of the dash.
                The 303 Aerospace stuff works like a dream. Gave it a couple coats, looks damn near new.



                Also gave it to the knee-bolster/kick-panel



                Was feeling all sorts of happy, so decided to try Mullholland for the first time..



                Then my buddy Anthony (datlugo) and I decided to cruise the PCH so we did.



                Got a little carried away, and ended up driving from freakin Malibu down to Laguna Beach.



                Next time you guys & gals will see this car, it'll have seen:

                - Fresh dash & Kick panel / Bolster paneling
                - New HVAC Breather gasket (under the dash)
                - 13 Button OBC Conversion I saved from the old shell
                - Clean Shifter/center console from the old shell
                - Refreshed HVAC panel with all lighting redone
                - and a little surprise out back

                Cheers,
                S

                1991 BMW 318i (Old Shell RIP, Now Being Re-shelled & Reborn)
                1983 Peugeot 505 STI
                1992 Volvo 240 Wagon
                2009 Toyota 4Runner SR5 Sport 4WD

                Comment


                  Out with the old (see adjectives putrid, melted, disgusting, cracked, fugly, horrendous)



                  And in with the new



                  Close up of the dash top - note: no imprint of an exploded smartphone



                  Still has two little greasy spots that I need to get out somehow. Maybe more soap & 303.



                  Alas, all of the dash illumination works again. Prost.



                  I still need to do some fiddling with the interior...namely:
                  • Properly position the panel directly above the pedals (needs to slide into the slot)
                  • Replace the turn-signal stalk, which isn't clicking back into place
                  • Finish hooking up my amplifier wiring behind head unit
                  • Set the 13-button OBC's unit of measurement, time, date
                  • Replace the glove-box with a cleaner one
                  • Replace the gross circuit breaker switch on console
                  • Install & wire the map light
                  • Finish refurbishing my Euro Instrument Cluster & Install it
                  • Replace the Fog light switch with Euro unit
                  • Get an amplifier, hook up the wires, and mount it
                  • Replace one of my subs that broke in the wreck & tie-down the box
                  • Find the pair of proper plastic push-rivets and install the VIN plate on dash

                  1991 BMW 318i (Old Shell RIP, Now Being Re-shelled & Reborn)
                  1983 Peugeot 505 STI
                  1992 Volvo 240 Wagon
                  2009 Toyota 4Runner SR5 Sport 4WD

                  Comment


                    It appears to be cold in Cali this time of year…

                    Nice work rebuilding!

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                      How long did the dash swap take you? I am very jealous of the crack free dash.

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                        Originally posted by tak7 View Post
                        It appears to be cold in Cali this time of year…

                        Nice work rebuilding!
                        Hehe - my temperature sensor wasn't plugged in on the driver's brake duct.

                        Plugged one in now - all fixed now (see below) :)

                        Originally posted by mike.bmw View Post
                        How long did the dash swap take you? I am very jealous of the crack free dash.
                        I must admit that I had someone else do it for me. I'm working 60+ hours/week at the moment and sadly didn't have time. Or maybe that's a good thing seeing how gnarly of an install it is? Anyhow, it needs to be adjusted to sit properly. Currently, it is tilted sort of down. It's not extremely noticeable, but it's driving me bonkers.

                        1991 BMW 318i (Old Shell RIP, Now Being Re-shelled & Reborn)
                        1983 Peugeot 505 STI
                        1992 Volvo 240 Wagon
                        2009 Toyota 4Runner SR5 Sport 4WD

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                          Might want to try a detailing brush with 10:1 warm water:Woolite solution on the grease spots. Shaving brush works too if you have one. Agitating the area with the brush is key.
                          1991 318is Brillantrot daily driver (slow restoration)

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                            Originally posted by c0rbin9 View Post
                            Might want to try a detailing brush with 10:1 warm water:Woolite solution on the grease spots. Shaving brush works too if you have one. Agitating the area with the brush is key.
                            That's a good idea, I'll try that out!

                            1991 BMW 318i (Old Shell RIP, Now Being Re-shelled & Reborn)
                            1983 Peugeot 505 STI
                            1992 Volvo 240 Wagon
                            2009 Toyota 4Runner SR5 Sport 4WD

                            Comment


                              And...some more updates for you guys & gals from the last two weeks...

                              (1) Brand new (rebuilt) ATE BMW-stamped front calipers; Brembo Blank rotors; Akebono Euro Ceramic Pads to overhaul the front brakes. My passenger front caliper had seized up over the last couple of months to the point where it damaged the pads/rotor. So naturally refreshed both sides to keep things kosher.



                              (2) Wired & setup my 13-Button OBC from the old shell. So nice having this wonderful thing back around. Incredibly useful. Also popped on the temp sensor from my old car's driver's front brake duct and temperature is now spot-on. Hallelujah.



                              (3) Super corny, super stupid, super lame, super weird. But I cleanly transplanted (and replicated where possible) the stickers from the old shell's front windshield. Flame me all you want.



                              (4) Snagged this nifty amp this evening for a steal, brand new. Will be wiring it up in the trunk sometime soon, and have 2 new top-notch 10" subs to accompany it shortly.



                              (5) Well, this is physically the biggest update, and probably the only one you guys care about. Got a fantastic deal on a nice & reconditioned/serviced 4:10 Small-Case LSD. Popped into the rear end and what is pictured is the original 4:10 Open diff (For sale!).



                              (6) Not an update, but rather an updated front view of the car! One of the mounting tab/grooves on the front plastic bumper (right side) is broken off, and I tried to epoxy it into place without luck. Will try again using a more heavy duty method. Same time I'll repaint it Diamantschwarz and slap on some fresh euro trim.


                              1991 BMW 318i (Old Shell RIP, Now Being Re-shelled & Reborn)
                              1983 Peugeot 505 STI
                              1992 Volvo 240 Wagon
                              2009 Toyota 4Runner SR5 Sport 4WD

                              Comment


                                Did you clean the dash and then put some kind of coating on it? I've got a cleanish dash, but there's an annoying little scuff on it that I wish I could cover up.
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