Alpine E30 Convertible Running Log
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and don't forget its really good quality - it sprays nice, covers evenly and is very durable. i've sprayed basically every trim piece of my e30 with this stuff with great success.
Dan
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and don't forget its really good quality - it sprays nice, covers evenly and is very durable. i've sprayed basically every trim piece of my e30 with this stuff with great success.
I see you have the headlight trim rings there-do you like the look painted black? I’m on the fence on whether to keep the silver or go black.
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I see you have the headlight trim rings there-do you like the look painted black? I’m on the fence on whether to keep the silver or go black.
all my headlights are smoked, so it's necessary. for regular headlights, both work nice. it seems unnecessary to buy silver paint since you have the black already.
Dan
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Haven’t updated in awhile, I’ve really just been enjoying driving it lately. I rolled over 194k recently, making that more than 2000 miles since late May.
I recently did some paint correction, took me around 16 hours for the whole process of washing, clay barring, compounding, polishing and waxing but was well worth it both in results and the lessons learned. Most if not all of the light scratches and swirls are gone, revealing a surprising amount of deeper scratches, gouges and chips. I suppose that’s what happens with 29 year old original paint. I’m going to go back and redo the trunk and hood, I think I can still get some more imperfections taken care of because I did a super light cut the first time.
I also picked up a new to me sport steering wheel from @YoungCR to replace my cracked and worn out one. It made a huge difference in the look and feel of the interior, super pleased. I also got a replacement speaker as well, so my speakers all work now. Thanks again!
The other new thing is a set of euro grilles that I picked up from a guy in Chicago along with a perfect, uncracked rear ashtray for $45 total. The drivers side grille is warped which is why I got them so cheap, but I made some good progress with a heat gun to straighten it out. It’s still a little wavy, but I’m gonna work on it more tomorrow, then do some filing, sanding and then paint to cap it all off.
I’ll post some random pics of all this tomorrow.
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Today’s happenings:
Front right shock let go in a mildly spectacular fashion, guess that means that I have a bit of work ahead of me when I get back from school next year. All of the rubber in the front end is worn out anyways, so I’m just gonna do it all at once when I have the opportunity, probably with an e36 rack as well.
I’ve heard that using e36 centered control arm bushings is a good upgrade, any other recommendations? Would e90 drop hats work fine with stock suspension, or is it not worth it? I’d like to maybe reduce the wheel gap a little bit if I can for cheap.
Also, some pics of the euro grilles. The passenger side one is a genuine BMW part, but the drivers one isn’t and I think that’s why it fits kinda weird and was warped.
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I highly recommend a z3 rack over an e36 rack. Drop hats also give you roughly 1/2" drop. If that's what you're going for then it's worth it
Yeah, a z3 would be the ideal choice. If i see one for cheap I'll jump on it but otherwise an e36 would be acceptable I think and probably for a lot less money.
Even a 1/2" lower would make it better I would think, and for $30 it's worth a shot.
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No real update, but got the car out of storage today. Feels weird to be back in the e30 after the e34, steering felt stupid light in comparison. Looking forward to getting in some good miles this summer and replacing the front suspension, I’ll be hitting up @patsbimmer1 soon for that. Also got an e36 rack from @wasnt m3 this weekend, just need to clean it up and machine myself some spacers and we’ll be good to go there.
Requisite potato phone pic:
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Mileage: 195,400
Changed the oil, poked around, made a list of the front end parts to replace after the e30 picnic.
Also repaired the drivers side seat, one of the seat back adjusters wasn't latching so the whole seat would twist and move under heavy acceleration and braking. Just needed a bit of lube and we were on our way, really nice how easy they are to strip and service. No broken tabs even! I unfortunately didn't get any pictures, but if anyone cares or has questions, let me know.
Looking forward to seeing you guys at the picnic!
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Did another thousand or so miles, then got tired enough of the crappy front suspension that I ripped it apart. Parts are on order for a full front end refresh minus tie rods (no play, replaced by P.O. at some point). Went with the KYB GR-2/Excel-G shock because cheap and decent enough, poly fcabs, and stock lemforder for everything else. I almost did the e36 m3 rubber fcabs, but the whole preload thing sounded like a hassle and something I would stress over once it was back together. Went with the softer 75A poly, we’ll see how it feels. It’s not too hard or expensive to upgrade later, and I honestly don’t want to sacrifice too much comfort. Call me a pansy, I don’t care.
Also attempting to figure out where the steering system is leaking to eliminate the fluid slick in the garage, and probably going to delete the charcoal canister while I’m in there. The foam in the bottom fell out and there was oil and schmoo all over the underside, probably going to replace it with a small filter of some sort and tuck it somewhere out of the way. Next on the list is a new intake boot, thermostat, and a couple random odds and ends.
So yeah, another crappy update with no pictures.
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I almost did the e36 m3 rubber fcabs, but the whole preload thing sounded like a hassle and something I would stress over once it was back together.
heh? i've never preloaded CABs on an e30. you have to excessively lube up the control arms to get them in the CABs, so once you put them on the car and set it down, they rotate into the proper position without any special help. regardless, poly CABs are better then rubber anyways, so its a moot point.
Dan
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Toss in some “drop hats” while you are at it and consider it weight savings over the stock steel versions
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Fresh front end components will feel good! Did you get strut mounts too? let me know how you like the KYBs
Yeah, strut mounts too and a strut brace even. New sway bar bushings and end links along with them. I’ll definitely let you know!
heh? i've never preloaded CABs on an e30. you have to excessively lube up the control arms to get them in the CABs, so once you put them on the car and set it down, they rotate into the proper position without any special help. regardless, poly CABs are better then rubber anyways, so its a moot point.
Interesting, guess it doesn’t matter now but I’ll make note of that for future reference. I’m assuming you’ve run poly before by your comment, what did you use for lubricant? I really don’t want it to squeak if I can avoid it.
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Did another thousand or so miles, then got tired enough of the crappy front suspension that I ripped it apart. Parts are on order for a full front end refresh minus tie rods (no play, replaced by P.O. at some point). Went with the KYB GR-2/Excel-G shock because cheap and decent enough, poly fcabs, and stock lemforder for everything else. I almost did the e36 m3 rubber fcabs, but the whole preload thing sounded like a hassle and something I would stress over once it was back together. Went with the softer 75A poly, we’ll see how it feels. It’s not too hard or expensive to upgrade later, and I honestly don’t want to sacrifice too much comfort. Call me a pansy, I don’t care.
Also attempting to figure out where the steering system is leaking to eliminate the fluid slick in the garage, and probably going to delete the charcoal canister while I’m in there. The foam in the bottom fell out and there was oil and schmoo all over the underside, probably going to replace it with a small filter of some sort and tuck it somewhere out of the way. Next on the list is a new intake boot, thermostat, and a couple random odds and ends.
So yeah, another crappy update with no pictures.
Preload you say? I have pretty much a full E36 front end(M3 rack, tie rods, control arms(I think), and FCABS).
Haven’t heard anything in regards to this before.
Guess I should have read @straight6pwr post above mine. I went with the centered FCABs, so I don’t think any additional aligning was necessary.
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Yeah, strut mounts too and a strut brace even. New sway bar bushings and end links along with them. I’ll definitely let you know!
Interesting, guess it doesn’t matter now but I’ll make note of that for future reference. I’m assuming you’ve run poly before by your comment, what did you use for lubricant? I really don’t want it to squeak if I can avoid it.
i've run rubber bushings in the past and currently have solid mounts, so i have no experience with poly. my statement is just reference the fact that poly last longer and is easier to install and that anyone choosing rubber for e30 suspension bits to keep it soft is a ninny.
Dan
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Preload you say? I have pretty much a full E36 front end(M3 rack, tie rods, control arms(I think), and FCABS).
Haven’t heard anything in regards to this before.
Guess I should have read @straight6pwr post above mine. I went with the centered FCABs, so I don’t think any additional aligning was necessary.
Avoiding preload on bushings is a practice that applies to some double wishbone designs too. The control arms need to be torqued while the car is on the ground so that the rubber doesn’t tear prematurely.
The PITA with rubber isnt so much avoiding preload as it is just making a tool out of threaded rods to press the bushing onto the control arm. The delrin bushings are a slip fit and the NVH penalty isn’t apparent
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