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mwerks.com Technical Features People will generally assume one of two things about you when you drive an older car. Either you have no money, or you’re a little eclectic. Or in some cases, both. The key to convincing everyone that you’re not entirely penniless, that you merely beat to your own drum, is in the appearance of your classic ride.
The first order of business was unearthing the engine compartment. Liberal applications of engine cleaner gradually revealed clean red paint and a motor- a leaky M42 motor- but the transformation was well worth it. There remains a heavy film of cosmoline, but I can now discern the engine block from the cylinder head from the bodywork. When chores of necessity give way to tasks of vanity, the cosmoline will be addressed as well. For now though, there is plenty of real work to keep me busy. The cabin was next on the heavy-duty cleaning list. Stains under the rear passenger-side floor mat were so bad the seats had to come out to properly clean them. Not that removing the seats in the E30 is all that complicated- two nuts and two bolts secure each front seat to the floor, and without electric motors and airbags, they are actually somewhat light, at least by modern stadards. The rear seat cushion was also removed for this cleaning, and in the process I earned $.73 and four french fries. Bonus!
With the seats out of the way, the dark brown spot that was once a puddle of hot chocolate could be properly addressed. This would require numerous applications of a janitorial-strength spot remover followed by repeated hot-water spray-and-vac sweeps with a professional carpet-cleaning machine. The results? A much reduced but still visible stain. In reality, the evidence is still there, but it no longer draws attention to itself. While the interior is out later for retrimming (Ooops, did I say that out loud?) the carpet will get one more serious cleaning. Until then, I’m not too bothered by it; besides, a new set of floor mats will permanently hide it just as well. Restoring the Brilliant Red paint to its former glory was the last step in detailing. In preparation for some serious paint restoration all of the extraneous trim was removed. This included the chipped roundels on the hood and trunk, all of the black body-side moldings, even the exterior mirrors. The rear spoiler came off as well, as it would get its own special treatment to eliminate its cracked and peeling finish. The “318is” insignia on the trunk lid was flossed off using heavy-duty dental tape, and the residual foam and adhesive were dissolved with a solvent and much rubbing.
Now that the body was stripped of its trim, all of my attention could be focused on bringing back the paint’s shine. In the past I’ve used paint cleaning systems from various manufacturers (Zymol, Griot’s, Meguiar’s, P21s, 3M, Pinnacle), but never the system from einszett. Though fairly new to the North American market, einszett is well known among German car enthusiasts. The company has been producing finish care products since 1947, including a line of professional grade cleaners. Starting with the wheels and tires, we used einszett’s Wheel Cleaner, an non-acidic wheel cleaner that is safe for all wheel finishes if used properly. Then the entire exterior was washed using einszett’s Perls Shampoo, once again safe for all the exterior finishes and designed not to remove the protective layer of wax. With the paint washed, the next step was deep cleaning and polishing using einszett’s paint polish. Given the heavy oxidation on most of the car, I chose to apply the polish with a low-speed random-orbital buffer to really scrub the surface clean, though it can also be applied by hand. The results were phenomenal, and after going through numerous blood-red buffing towels, the surface was once again deep, shiny and red.
A liberal application of einszett’s Metallic Wax would ensure the paint would look this way for a while. It goes on like a polish and is safe for both metallic and non-metallic finishes. It also continued to pull oxidation off the surface, resulting in a deeper shine. A final application of their Glanz Wax will add protection and durability to the finish. Now that the paint was once again in good shape, all of the trim was cleaned and reconditioned, then re-installed on the car. BMP Design shipped a new pair of roundels for the hood and trunk. The blue and white emblems looked crisp on the freshly restored red bodywork, but there was still one matter to address- the front spoiler. 318is’s were originally fitted with fairly modest unpainted black lip extensions, while the later 325is’s received a deeper, body-colored spoiler. I had my choice of either, but decided to stick with the original thin black lip for several reasons. First, there is roughly a $100 difference between the two at the parts counter- the deeper one is not only more expensive, but it is supplied in primer and must be painted. Second, I really like the continuity of color along the bottom of the car with all black trim. And third, once the suspension has been changed, I worry that the deeper spoiler will be too low for Illinois winters and the curbs in my new subdivision, where they are still building new homes and haven’t even applied the final skin of asphalt.
In keeping with the red-and-black color scheme, I decided to make a couple of trim color changes. The paint on the mirror housing and trunk spoiler was in bad shape; the mirrors were badly faded and unresponsive to restoration efforts and the spoiler was cracked and peeling from solar abuse. I could have had both of these properly repainted in the original color, but instead chose to add a simpler, more humble look to the car by painting them satin black to match the other trim. While not nearly as upscale as the body-matched components, the effect is certainly more dramatic. It’s also a subtle reminder of a time when BMW’s weren’t necessarily considered luxury goods. From the time I picked up the car last year, the cracked foglight lenses had bothered me. While the lights continued to function despite their fractures, the quality and pattern of the light were far less than optimal, and it would only be a matter of time before water and road debris would render the lamps useless. In lieu of replacing the entire foglight assemblies with new parts, or even used ones, I instead chose to replace only the lenses. BMP Design sells the replacement lenses, which are made from polycarbonate instead of glass. The new pieces are resistant to scratching and virtually unbreakable.
During the replacement process, great care was taken to clean debris from the optics of each lamp. Within a couple hours time, the foglights were as good as (perhaps better than) new, and were refitted to the car and once again doing their part to aid in visibility. The windshield had also taken its share of rock damage, and a new one was fitted shortly thereafter. The last order of business in restoring aesthetic dignity to our project was covering that nasty, cracked dashboard. A one-piece molded cover from DashTop would serve as a second skin, hiding the unsightly and permanent damage. The procedure was very straightforward, requiring only about an hour or so, and the results were worth it. The color and texture of the cover match so well the casual observer would easily overlook it. Now when I’m driving I can focus on the road instead of the gaping wounds that used to afflict the top of the dashboard. With all of this work done, Project E30 is starting to resemble a proper BMW once again. This will serve as the motivation for the next phase of the project- fixing and improving the suspension and brakes and stopping the engine leaks. For the next installment, the car will be taken off the road for a couple weeks to undergo some major work. Stay posted for progress.
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