E36 328, soft top, £575, What's the worst that could happen?
Discussion
Joe Sp said:
Was the headlining replaced with the hood? At some point I will need to get my hood replaced, the backing of my headlining is also disintegrating.
The headlining wasn't replaced. Mine isn't in that bad condition apart from the plastic "bat wing" and string on one side that need sorting but I'll do that myself.The sort of plastic backing on my headliner is also falling apart (understatement
) but when speaking to the guy that did the hood, he just suggested pulling it all off and getting rid for the good it does. He said the main problem it causes is bits of it falling off and blocking the drainage holes in the storage compartment.little update from this evening.
Since I bought the car the hood has suffered from the common tension strap problem. The elastic straps in the top stretch over time and can no longer pull the rear bow high enough to clear the tonneau cover when it raises.
Heres mine:
The offending strap (this should be in tension and tight in this position):
While out shopping at ASDA I spotted some cheap black elastic and thought I'd try it out for the job.
Old elastic cut out and new strip added. You'll see from the second picture that it's been wrapped round between bows 3 and 5 a few times. After some trial and error I found that 4 times (giving 8 strips) was the sweet spot between enough tension and not over stressing the front motor when it brings the front down.
Bow 5 is now pulled forward correctly allowing the rear of the top to be lifted fully vertical as it should.
Plenty of clearance now
And using flat elastic means no visible bumps in the top from the outside.
Headlining can go back in now
Since I bought the car the hood has suffered from the common tension strap problem. The elastic straps in the top stretch over time and can no longer pull the rear bow high enough to clear the tonneau cover when it raises.
Heres mine:
The offending strap (this should be in tension and tight in this position):
While out shopping at ASDA I spotted some cheap black elastic and thought I'd try it out for the job.
Old elastic cut out and new strip added. You'll see from the second picture that it's been wrapped round between bows 3 and 5 a few times. After some trial and error I found that 4 times (giving 8 strips) was the sweet spot between enough tension and not over stressing the front motor when it brings the front down.
Bow 5 is now pulled forward correctly allowing the rear of the top to be lifted fully vertical as it should.
Plenty of clearance now
And using flat elastic means no visible bumps in the top from the outside.
Headlining can go back in now
Edited by JordanTurbo on Friday 17th April 19:49
Still waiting for some bits to arrive for the headlining so I've got some other jobs done. Managed to rob some bits from a mates E36 before it gets scrapped, All free
.
Got a passenger side fog light. It's cracked but better than a gaping hole in the bumper.
New latch for the boot tool kit
Arial without the spiral wire
Eagle eyed viewers may have noticed my bonnet needed to be propped up when working as the struts were goosed. Got new ones which work much better but are shorter though which I found odd. Maybe it's because they are from a saloon??
Then on to a couple of bigger jobs, the first was to fix my glove box lock. The key always worked in the lock but it didn't actually prevent the glove box from opening. I wanted it working for times when I leave the car with the top down.
I took the panel out to see what the problem was and found the linkage was broken.
Got the full panel out of the scrapper and removed the good linkage. Fitted it to mine and all works perfect now
Next I wanted to track down the cause of my Tail light fault (all bulbs fine)
After some investigation I found that the rear right tail light was not a check control unit. It must have been damaged and replaced when the dent below it was done. The difference is that in a check control light the two tail light bulbs are wired separately and monitored by the OBC. In a non-check light the bulbs share an earth meaning my OBC could only "see" one light working and flagged a fault. You can see the missing pin in the pictures below:
Bridge between the two bulbs cut and new separate pin added from a spare light
Refitted and no more warning
All in all a very productive day. And It's not cost me a penny
.
Got a passenger side fog light. It's cracked but better than a gaping hole in the bumper.
New latch for the boot tool kit
Arial without the spiral wire
Eagle eyed viewers may have noticed my bonnet needed to be propped up when working as the struts were goosed. Got new ones which work much better but are shorter though which I found odd. Maybe it's because they are from a saloon??
Then on to a couple of bigger jobs, the first was to fix my glove box lock. The key always worked in the lock but it didn't actually prevent the glove box from opening. I wanted it working for times when I leave the car with the top down.
I took the panel out to see what the problem was and found the linkage was broken.
Got the full panel out of the scrapper and removed the good linkage. Fitted it to mine and all works perfect now
Next I wanted to track down the cause of my Tail light fault (all bulbs fine)
After some investigation I found that the rear right tail light was not a check control unit. It must have been damaged and replaced when the dent below it was done. The difference is that in a check control light the two tail light bulbs are wired separately and monitored by the OBC. In a non-check light the bulbs share an earth meaning my OBC could only "see" one light working and flagged a fault. You can see the missing pin in the pictures below:
Bridge between the two bulbs cut and new separate pin added from a spare light
Refitted and no more warning
All in all a very productive day. And It's not cost me a penny
Edited by JordanTurbo on Friday 17th April 19:53
Been busy with this over the last couple of weeks.
Rear end started to knock and wander around on bumpy roads. I narrowed down to the rear trailing arm bushes (RTABs)
Started to strip the rear suspension down, Bush center itself wasn't in that bad nick but had totally detached from the outer metal part.
New Lemforder replacements
Fitted them to the trailing arms. Offset to the same position as the old bushes so that the rear geometry is the same.
As some may have noticed reading this thread, When working on my cars I tend to suffer from what my wife has come to call "While I'm there syndrome" meaning small jobs tend to snowball as and when I find extra bits I want to do. This was no different and I decided, while I had the trailing arms off, I'd replace the two rear bushes and ball joints as well. Old on the right, new on the Left. I also took the opportunity to upgrade the lower bushes to Ball joints same as the M3.
Arms refitted to the car and vehicles weight taken on the suspension so I could mark the angle that the RTAB brackets should sit.
Weight back on the stands so I could tighten everything up including lining up the witness marks I made on the camber bolts before removal
All done and no more knocks. Rear end feels much better as well
Rear end started to knock and wander around on bumpy roads. I narrowed down to the rear trailing arm bushes (RTABs)
Started to strip the rear suspension down, Bush center itself wasn't in that bad nick but had totally detached from the outer metal part.
New Lemforder replacements
Fitted them to the trailing arms. Offset to the same position as the old bushes so that the rear geometry is the same.
As some may have noticed reading this thread, When working on my cars I tend to suffer from what my wife has come to call "While I'm there syndrome" meaning small jobs tend to snowball as and when I find extra bits I want to do. This was no different and I decided, while I had the trailing arms off, I'd replace the two rear bushes and ball joints as well. Old on the right, new on the Left. I also took the opportunity to upgrade the lower bushes to Ball joints same as the M3.
Arms refitted to the car and vehicles weight taken on the suspension so I could mark the angle that the RTAB brackets should sit.
Weight back on the stands so I could tighten everything up including lining up the witness marks I made on the camber bolts before removal
All done and no more knocks. Rear end feels much better as well
Edited by JordanTurbo on Friday 17th April 19:55
So with the car driving nicely again I also got my Headlining back in.
Before it went back in I needed to repair the bat wings (or dog ears as some also call them). They are basically plastic backing plates that pull the rear of the liner tight and neat when the hood is up. They get old and brittle and break where the string attaches on the back.
Repaired and strengthened with some strips of metal.
One attachment point was worse than the others and required some ingenuity. Not terribly neat but isn't seen and does the job.
Glued back into the headlining
As I'm going to be changing the plastics in the car to black I decided the light blue/grey liner would look out of place and ordered some fabric spray
And finally refitted. Well happy
Before it went back in I needed to repair the bat wings (or dog ears as some also call them). They are basically plastic backing plates that pull the rear of the liner tight and neat when the hood is up. They get old and brittle and break where the string attaches on the back.
Repaired and strengthened with some strips of metal.
One attachment point was worse than the others and required some ingenuity. Not terribly neat but isn't seen and does the job.
Glued back into the headlining
As I'm going to be changing the plastics in the car to black I decided the light blue/grey liner would look out of place and ordered some fabric spray
And finally refitted. Well happy
Edited by JordanTurbo on Friday 17th April 19:56
Great stuff! I enjoyed reading through this, a lot of ingenious solutions and I'm a big fan of the louder/quieter switch for the exhaust, that's brilliant.
Interesting to see how many pipes are all curled up in that back box, you've got me thinking for my own E36. Doesn't need to be terribly quiet, only really being used on track.
How have you found the Yellowstuff pads? I'm using Redstuff at the minute but since there's little price difference was thinking of trying Yellow next.
Interesting to see how many pipes are all curled up in that back box, you've got me thinking for my own E36. Doesn't need to be terribly quiet, only really being used on track.
How have you found the Yellowstuff pads? I'm using Redstuff at the minute but since there's little price difference was thinking of trying Yellow next.
Vince70 said:
....I notice in one of the pics you have a blue Audi Avant with a Pistonheads sticker on the back, was you parked up in Bexhill last week as I parked a couple of cars away from yours the other day if it was.
Wasn't me unfortunately. My S6 is black and has been off the road most of this year due to me being in Afghanistan again.McSam said:
....How have you found the Yellowstuff pads? I'm using Redstuff at the minute but since there's little price difference was thinking of trying Yellow next.
I like them. Not had reds before so can't compare, but also had yellows on my 370bhp turbocharged Astra in the past and they did well. I've found it's important to do the bedding in procedure otherwise you get to the end of the break in coating and the braking power disappears.Another free modification done today. Took 10 minutes and is my favorite so far.
Removed the pass side rear door card panel (no screws, just slides forward)
Roof control module revealed
Rear white plug removed and stripped. Then black and white road speed signal wire removed and taped out of the way.
The roof can now be opened/closed while moving instead of having to stop.
Means if I'm in slow moving traffic and it starts to rain, I don't have to pull over or hold everyone up by stopping to raise the roof. Same when putting it down. I don't have to guess whether I have time at the lights any more, if the light turns green I can pull away while the roof finishes it's movements.
One thing to remember is that this modification will allow the roof to be operated at ANY speed. Some common sense needs to be used as trying to drop it at 70mph on the motorway would probably result in the roof stowing itself in the car behind's windscreen!
I've tested it upto about 15mph around the neighbourhood with no problems. I wouldn't have any need to do it travelling faster than that.
Removed the pass side rear door card panel (no screws, just slides forward)
Roof control module revealed
Rear white plug removed and stripped. Then black and white road speed signal wire removed and taped out of the way.
The roof can now be opened/closed while moving instead of having to stop.
Means if I'm in slow moving traffic and it starts to rain, I don't have to pull over or hold everyone up by stopping to raise the roof. Same when putting it down. I don't have to guess whether I have time at the lights any more, if the light turns green I can pull away while the roof finishes it's movements.
One thing to remember is that this modification will allow the roof to be operated at ANY speed. Some common sense needs to be used as trying to drop it at 70mph on the motorway would probably result in the roof stowing itself in the car behind's windscreen!
I've tested it upto about 15mph around the neighbourhood with no problems. I wouldn't have any need to do it travelling faster than that.
Edited by JordanTurbo on Friday 17th April 19:56
JordanTurbo said:
McSam said:
....How have you found the Yellowstuff pads? I'm using Redstuff at the minute but since there's little price difference was thinking of trying Yellow next.
I like them. Not had reds before so can't compare, but also had yellows on my 370bhp turbocharged Astra in the past and they did well. I've found it's important to do the bedding in procedure otherwise you get to the end of the break in coating and the braking power disappears.Top work on enabling the roof to operate while moving
that's much more like it. Maybe now you need a safety cover for the roof switch, fighter jet style..Weekend update
Been bored this weekend so decided to sort the tatty door mirrors. The paint was flaking on the base plates and the plastic parts were terribly faded.
Passenger side first, removed and stripped down.
Rubbed down, masked up and primed.
Few coats of satin black along with polishing the glass and silver cover.
Assembled and refitted.
Currently waiting for the paint on the drivers side to dry then it can go back on.
Been bored this weekend so decided to sort the tatty door mirrors. The paint was flaking on the base plates and the plastic parts were terribly faded.
Passenger side first, removed and stripped down.
Rubbed down, masked up and primed.
Few coats of satin black along with polishing the glass and silver cover.
Assembled and refitted.
Currently waiting for the paint on the drivers side to dry then it can go back on.
Edited by JordanTurbo on Friday 17th April 19:57
The biggest difference that I made to mine was braided hoses. Brembo vented discs, Greenstuff pads and braided hoses made it, I think, the best stopping car I've ever owned. I'd definitely recommend it for yours.
I've got some amber front and side-lights I can send you if you want to re-ginger it...
I've got some amber front and side-lights I can send you if you want to re-ginger it...
My E65 driver's side mirror has done exactly the same thing. If only I wasn't such a total gimp with anything remotely practical (I make Clarkson look like Ed China) then I'd have a crack at something similar. As it is, I'll probably have to get my indie to strip the thing out and then take it to a paint shop = £££. Anyhow, this has all the makings of a classic thread. So many nice cars descend rapidly into shed territory as people treat them like crap. It's good to see one going back the other way.
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