My new old e30 project in aus

if i'm ever up that way picking up parts for mine i'll pm ya and see if i can come round and have a look

no probs!

nearly there,
thinking it will need a few more coats, the last thing i want is for the paint to rub through and and more rust form.

undecided as to whether or not to i should weld in a new piece where the sunroof drain is (in the pic a few posts above), it will be easy enough to do but at least this way i can keep an eye on the sunroof drain.

is it structurally necessary? opinions welcome

keep it all BMW,but is your car....good luck on it.....if you to be diffrent do flat 4 from subie sorry I do't know the their motor codes.....

Originally Posted by PBC///2.7

keep it all BMW,but is your car....good luck on it.....if you to be diffrent do flat 4 from subie sorry I do't know the their motor codes.....

you are not even the purist you want to be, don't do it... do it this way..

when i do it it will not for the sake of being different it will be for the sake cheap power, hell it is only a 320i, i wouldn't molest an m3.

ok interior floor is done
2 spray coats and 2 brush coats

rear seat floor has had all deadening removed, only a little remaining on one rear side section and the parcel shelf,

i will spray these parts rather than brush so that it will look at least clean without a rear seat in place

also put redid the rust proofing with cavity wax

when this is finished it will be awsome, putting in the effort now will pay of later

it will take me some time to do it all though,
i don't like spending too much on it at a time in case i need to spend some money on the e39, it is only young though so should be good for a while yet hopefully

all sound deadening gone bar what is in the two front doors,

roof lining torn off, i did a bit of a nasty around the rear window seal and added some sealant to hide the torn cloth, it looks tidy anyway

now looking at cutting out sunroof panel

finally got the sunroof cage out, not a fun job by any means,

no easy way to describe how to do it but i used angle grinder and heat gun, luckily it was a nice cool day instead of the 30 degrees it was yesterday

I am quite happy with the result all things considered, i put a few small dings in the roof but it some some small ones anyway, the roof will need some panel beating attention but i am confident it can be factory straight again.

just need to wire wheel the surface rust and glue and grind off 2 last little bits of metal

roof complete

now to fashion a fibreglass panel

Originally Posted by crimespree

roof complete

now to fashion a fibreglass panel

how do you plan on making a fiberglass panel on a wood plank ? a flat fiberglass piece will deform in heat and weather. how do you plan on supporting it ? .. sry if any of this has been addressed, i didnt read through tis whole thread ..

the wood is just resting on top temporarily so that water doesn't pool when the car cover is on outside
the fibreglass will be moulded over the existing metal panel and will have a nice lip on it so that it can be silicone-ed into place from the bottom then sealed from the top
i dont see flex as an issue with a lip on it, what do you reckon?

Originally Posted by crimespree

the wood is just resting on top temporarily so that water doesn't pool when the car cover is on outside
the fibreglass will be moulded over the existing metal panel and will have a nice lip on it so that it can be silicone-ed into place from the bottom then sealed from the top
i dont see flex as an issue with a lip on it, what do you reckon?

sounds like you took the same approach i did. i did that same thing but the finished product flexed in the middle when it was left out in the sun. so i had to scrap that idea. right now i have a flat fiberglass panel that im going to cut to size and put ends on to be able to bolt it to the lip of the roof. im going to put cross braced fiberglass framework onto the bottom to eliminate the sun flex issues. right now that project is on hold tho. my shop is far from heated so unless i have to i am avoiding prolonged stays out there. although the disconnected leaky sunroof has been getting on my nerves

so this is the plan
I've separated sunroof panel in preparation to make a mold for the fibreglass roof panel. will need to be cleaned and bogged to make a flat usable mold.

end product will be a tiny bit smaller than the existing panel but easily taken up with silastic, will have to make it about 10mm deep so there is some play when fitting and gluing. I have a few ideas how to do this with the mold but im sure ill work something out

pics to come

pics

Can't wait to see this sunroof!

wow, that is some serious rust, good luck with the fiberglass mold

still figuring roof out
will be using 3mm plywood for strength in the core of the fibreglass panel
got distracted and ended up with another

post up some pics of the roof if it works, and nice line up, wish my front yard looked like that

the roof still isnt done,
i have spent a lot of time stripping the spare e30 completely, it is just about all in plastic tubs

and empty

Originally Posted by crimespree

still figuring roof out
will be using 3mm plywood for strength in the core of the fibreglass panel
got distracted and ended up with another

i LOVE what you have done with your front yard! lol

panelwork underway!

and roof work

is that the fiberglass panel you made or is it just the stock piece ?