E21 Project Thread - Part 2

Bassboy3313

Central locking kit should be here today.

Got the rear percel shelf and rear seat belts removed. Also started laying down the carpet underlayment/soundproofing/heatproofing in prep for the new carpet set.

exhaust is rubbing on the e30 driveshaft a tad, so in process of putting a new exhaust hanger on to move it slightly. Then just need new muffler hangers for that.

Started laying out where the aerocatch hood latches will be installed as well as reinforcing the fiberglass hood. Hood is pretty flimsy and flexes a lot. I want to stiffen it up a bit without adding too much weight.

Had the car idling this weekend and found oil leaking at turbo. Seems that the bolts holding the center section to the turbine housing loosened up. Tightened the ones I could reach easily and trying to figure out how to tighten the last bolt that is a bugger to get to.

Bassboy3313

Carpet set came today!!!

Taking the advice from the headliner adhesive thread and will most likely grab some 3M 90 adhesive spray when installing these. Gotta wait for a hot, sunny day so that I can leave the carpet out in the sun to soften up while installing. I'm excited!!!

straight6pwr

maybe i missed it, whats the deal with the carpet set? does the e21 not have a single floor pan piece or do you have to connect these together somehow? your talking about glue, do they get glued to the sheet metal?

KaiserRolls

straight6pwr said:

maybe i missed it, whats the deal with the carpet set? does the e21 not have a single floor pan piece or do you have to connect these together somehow? your talking about glue, do they get glued to the sheet metal?

I believe these get glued right to the sheet metal. Maybe his came in pieces for sale of delivery?

Mine came as a whole and was rolled up. Had to pop it into shape and leave it on the heat for a bit

Bassboy3313

straight6pwr said:

maybe i missed it, whats the deal with the carpet set? does the e21 not have a single floor pan piece or do you have to connect these together somehow? your talking about glue, do they get glued to the sheet metal?

Not too many companies make the molded carpet sets. They are pricey to ship and a bitch to install. A BF member named Esty makes these pieces carpet sets for E21s and 2002s out of OEM style carpet. Better quality and easier install. And yes, they get glued directly to sheet metal. Or, like I'm doing is placing a foil backed soundproof/heat proofing padding down first and gluing the carpet to that.

Bassboy3313

Got the exhaust rubbing fixed as well as the Muffler rehung. I then finished applying the sound/heat proofing padding before the carpet goes in.

After that, I took the door panels off and was surprised to see power door actuators already installed. The wires were cut, so they were inoperable. I removed the old ones and installed the new ones in their place. Wired it up and tested them. Seems to have issues unlocking once locked. I kept the old arm pieces that connect to door lock pins, so I'm assuming something with that is binding. Who knows! Which may explain why previous owner disconnected the actuators in first place.

B C

Interior looks great! Vast improvement from its previous state

Bassboy3313

Thanks!

Well the keyless door locks work great now. Took out the push rods that the previous owner put in and used the new ones from my kit. Routed them better for my setup and now they lock and unlock great. I'd like to figure something out for the trunk with one of the spare actuators, bit not sure how I'd do it. Just an idea.

Bassboy3313

Spent a good chunk of time trying to source rear wheel bearings and seals that didn't cost an arm and a leg. Finally accomplished it. Makes me wonder if swapping in euro trailing arms was really worth it for rear disc brakes.

HipMF

Just my $.02, but I think that most of the time big brake upgrades are pointless. The stock brakes are more than capable of locking up the wheels, even with stickier tires. The only reason to upgrade would be if you're experiencing brake fade due to excessive heat build up. This could certainly happen if you're driving the car hard, since you're likely to be making 2-to-3 times the car's stock power. More power to go means you need to dissipate more power (heat) to stop. If you're accelerating, then braking hard, the accelerating and braking again, or driving fast downhill, you could certainly get the stock brakes heated up. Sadly, most Wisconsin roads are pretty straight, and don't encourage that type of driving.

On the other hand....there's not really such a thing as "too much brakes"...

Bassboy3313

I totally agree! But just to be clear, it wasn't a big brake upgrade. Just stock drums to stock disc conversion.