[Lochstar8]

Originally Posted by 3PedalJake

For the sake of our readers, where did you source that little gem?

I would assume you mean the coupler thingy I used and there called Cam Lock Couplings and to be specific a 3” male Cam Lock coupling. Here is pretty much the exact one I used.

[3PedalJake]

Today finished 3 day paint detailing marathon.
Day1: Wash and clay bar - Used the Mothers synthetic "Speed clay 2" because I dropped my clay bar in the grit. Seemed to work well.
Day2: Compound and polish - Machine compound with Porter Cable random orbit polisher and 4" orange foam pad. Used Turtle Wax "one and done" compound. I'm no a good enough detailer to know if this is better or worse from the Meguiars or other compounds, but I like that it doesn't dry to a powder and get all over your trim, this stays clear and wipes off easy. Again, not a pro but did get a lot of the minor scratches and sworls out.
Day3 Wax and buff- Used TW "To the max wax", again like the polish there's no white residue it wipes off and buffs out easy. Better than other waxes in shine and durability? IDK but it's easy to use.
The pics don't do it justice, if you stand back far enough to not see the chips it's blindingly shiny.

Replaced the last few nagging items that were interrupting my car's flow of Chi, it's totally Zen now.
Under the hood replaced rusty and weak hood prop rods, and installed missing heat shield that lives over the washer filler neck behind the coolant tank. That's the last of the engine compartment details.
This one is the most minor of all, but one of the most annoying. The glove box was missing a latch clip for the back wall that accesses the fuse panel, the panel would fall off then stuff fell down behind grrrrrrrrr. All better now.

I'm out of things to fix/replace on it, sure more will crop up but list is crossed off for now. I have appt for alignment and inspection on Wed, then crossing paws I can drive it a bit before starting final project, the interior.

[Lochstar8]

Just got the subframe back from powder coating!! . The shop I took it to did a Beautiful job and personally I quite like the textured black. For those who are wondering its coated in what I believe is Prismatic powders Wetstone Midnight II. I might still put a paint or something over it, as I’ve already chipped it a little then I will apply PPF on the front facing surfaces. Then it will get the full fluid film treatment on the inside. Now it’s time to wait a few months for the next FCP euro sale and when I have the time to do a project of this scale. Let me know if you would like me to post my rust prevention journey on this forum along side 3PedalJake or if I should start another. Seems a little too late now. And I guess if your somone reading through this form you can get 2 different ways of doing a project like this. The right way: (3PedalJake) and well, the hillbilly way (myself).

[3PedalJake]

That looks beautiful Lochstar8 ! IDK if you can say the one all powder coated and purdy is the hillbilly way and the one painted with a rattlecan in a shed is the "right way". Did you see my redneck blast cabinet? Please by all means I'd be honored to have your project alongside mine, hope FTP has a sale soon!

[Lochstar8]

Originally Posted by 3PedalJake

IDK if you can say the one all powder coated and purdy is the hillbilly way and the one painted with a rattlecan in a shed is the "right way". Did you see my redneck blast cabinet?.

lol Your right I did forget about your blast cabinet. with the combination of your sketchy blast cabinet and my scketchy bushing press were doing this the “right way”. Although I think from doing it properly you still win as im not buying new CV axels nor am I buying new knuckles and hubs. Just not in the budget. And buying stabilus hood struts!!. I bought some non oem ones off Amazon for my trunk and well there not very “bmw” kinda slam open. (Mistake).

Ive got a loaded question for you and it is: if you had anything you wish you did well the subframe was out and you were under there what would it be. Your experience with parking brake cables is scaring me as I was not planning on buying new ones.

[3PedalJake]

There's nothing I wish I did because I didn't want to have any regrets so I did literally every part in the book. I haven't bought a new car in over 10 years and that one (A Mazda6 6MT) wrecked itself on a deer while practically brand new. All my cars now are Craigslist specials so between paying small cash payment for them and cheap insurance I feel totally justified to myself throwing every part I can think of at my classics.

The hood struts were only $13 at FCP and the brake cables $18. I wasn't going to replace them actually but having the nylon ends disintegrate on removal kind of made the decision for me, they weren't that bad to install TBH just needed some persuasion.

[3PedalJake]

After a few days delay I finally got the 325 aligned and inspected and hoooboy it drives nice! Closest thing I could ever get to a brand new bimmer rolling off the showroom floor. Now I just have to finish making it look like a new bimmer, new leather seats to replace the cracked leatherette one and new headliner material to replace the saggy-baggy it has currently. Getting close to the finish line!

[ZGator]

Originally Posted by 3PedalJake

That looks beautiful Lochstar8 ! IDK if you can say the one all powder coated and purdy is the hillbilly way and the one painted with a rattlecan in a shed is the "right way". Did you see my redneck blast cabinet? Please by all means I'd be honored to have your project alongside mine, hope FTP has a sale soon!

agree - damn you guys, I am so jealous of these beautiful rear sub frame jobs.

here some before pics of my 07, yikes , and just found a nice broken coil spring to boot.

[3PedalJake]

Originally Posted by ZGator

agree - damn you guys, I am so jealous of these beautiful rear sub frame jobs.

here some before pics of my 07, yikes , and just found a nice broken coil spring to boot.

Ouch damn I think you beat me out for rustiest subframe, mine at least didn't have holes in it. Are you doing this job?

[3PedalJake]

Finally finished my interior after many missteps and wrong turns. I bought most of the parts twice for one reason or other, some my fault some not, but it's finally done

1.) New fabric on the sagging headliner and the faded purple package tray. I didn't like the foam backed fabric on the pillars so despite paying for them I found a set of gray pillars at a bmw only salvage yard, they were a little dirty but cleaned up good with some carpet cleaner.

2.) New Dakota black power sport seats with heat to replace the vinyl manual sport seats it shipped with. I got a good deal on some seats a couple years ago, they've been in the shed. Pulled them out last week and discovered they're not heated. Mrs. 3P likes heat so I found another set same spec but with heat. I was surprised to find the car had all the wiring for power seats pre-installed except for the canbus line to the drivers seat. I spliced that line in tapping the harness just forward of the subwoofer under the seat.

3.) Folding rear seat. This is a project, there's so many "other pieces" that I was unaware of when I bought the base, back and bolsters on marketplace. The large side of the seat back developed a split on the top, so had to source another of those too. Things you need:

The center seat back rod support bracket and bolts.

The latches and release lever/cable. Don't buy one from a F30 even tho they say fits E90. The latch fits but the release lever in the trunk does not, none of it's mounting holes line up with a E90.

Center seat belt. You you can't easily fold the seat down with the center seat belt in the way. The folding seat option a center belt that unbuckles in the middle to separate the top from the bottom. You need both those, the top belt roller and the bottom buckle.

Rear deck trim piece covers the edges of the latch holes and the seam between the package shelf and the car body.

Side bolster attachment clips. It's a big square fastener that snaps into a recess in the body, my marketplace seats didn't have those still attached.

[StradaRedlands]

Folding rear seat should 100% be a standard feature. Why even have a car that doesn't have them????
As for the rest... those details... wow! I just threw parts on mine, but you went next level on the cleaning and prep. Guess you only have to do it once every 18 years!

[3PedalJake]

Yeah, you'd think even an entry level BMW could have a folding seat. My 08 Accord has one, it also has cupholders that you can actually put a cup in. It's a better car in a lot of ways until you get to the ultimate driving machine stuff.
Thx pal