• Non-Volvo

  • Just like Spac - bitten by the BMW disease

Reason for taking no chances with the masking...

I have partly finished the paint correction (only the bonnet & RH side done).

The car has been repainted on a few occasions so the paint is in reasonable condition.

But was full of marring, scratches and day-to-day wear & tear that made it look worse than what it was.

After a good wash and:

1. Claybar plus IronX paint decontamination

2. Rotary polish (Menzerna IP3000 & orange pad)

3. Dual action orbital polish (Menzerna SF4000 & black pad)

4. Oil & residue wipedown

5. Ceramic coating (CarPro CQuartz UK)

It came up a treat!

Really happy with the results - plus it will have low maintenance & durability for those Friday & weekend drives.

I didn't want the rocker panels to be the standout feature - so the SEM Trim Black blends-in fine.

Now the front is done... Need to tidy-up the rear bumper and LH side.

Something to check... I tarmac rally in an E30. Last year, at Targa High Country, the rubber hose from the clutch master cylinder loosened off. The master is right above the headers. Drops of fluid hit the headers and an engine fire was the result.

I think a standard car should have a shied over the exhaust, but it’s worth checking that hose. According to the web, brake fluid will spontaneously combust at 400C and exhausts can get a lot hotter than that.

Can confirm, but not an issue here because auto :)

3 months later

Been a bit busy with work, life etc. so no major updates.

The green car is perfectly driveable and has been seeing Friday & weekend use until the Kung Flu hit our shores.

Philia_Bear

When will the enevitable LS conversion occur?

Ah yes, the 320i is not necessarily, er, 'swift'.

Moar POWA would be nice - thankfully the Polestar is enough for me.

If I was going to swap, maybe THIS.

    24 days later

    Feeling inspired by Julian's stereo install, thought I might get around to upgrading the speakers in the green E30.

    I had my head unit refurbished (wanted the stock look).

    I've got the BMW branded Alpine CM5905 fitted as standard for our market with the tweeters in the door pods.

    Alpine Australia did a great job and the unit is better than it was back in 1988.

    Unfortunately, not the speakers. They've suffered the ravages of time, use and UV.

    I was listening to some tunes a few weeks back and the RH side sounded more craptacular than usual.

    This is why:

    Why repair when you can UPGRADE? ?

    I wouldn't know where to start with car audio today.

    Given 1) it's a convertible, 2) I'm not after a 'doof doof' set-up and 3) would like to keep it looking reasonably stock with a 'drop-in' replacement at a nice price...

    Based on the advice of a local car audio installer, ended up going with a set of component speakers.

    Audison APK-130

    On the surface they look pretty well made.

    First task was to remove old & refit the new tweeters into the OE door pods - they're glued in.

    If you don't want to keep your old tweeters, here's a pro tip.

    Boiling water.

    Boil the kettle, fill a mug to the brim, put the tweeter face down into the mug.

    Add a splash of hot water to the back and let the glue soften.

    OE tweeter grill can be pulled out from the front.

    The old tweeter comes out from the back.

    Back into the mug, to loosen the remaining glue.

    Push out with your thumbs or use some channel locks to pull out.

    Scrape away any remaining glue with a knife, line-up & push in the new tweeter at the edges.

    Very compact installation.

    Comparison of OE & upgrade:

    After everything is installed - I am back in 1988 again!

    2 years later

    Well... an update is well overdue since the last post.

    What's happened?

    Changed jobs after lockdown 1.0 into an industry that has exploded in demand - battling supply, shipping and customer expectations ever since. Challenging, but a good problem.

    V60 Polestar hasn't missed a beat, still love it - apart from the eye watering cost to replace the front pads+rotors.

    Wife's V50 T5AWD swapped for an XC40 - I'm not a SUV person, not bad, but you can see where Volvo cut costs.

    In the meantime the E30 has been my little outlet to escape the sh*tfight that 5x more lockdowns have happened here in Melbourne.

    I'll fast forward 16 months in 6 minutes for you:

    Minor rust repair, re-chromed rear bumper & refinished spoiler

    Cooling system overhaul & re-finished bits & bobs in the engine bay

    Heater core... yay!

    Airbox & airflow meter

    Electrical gremlins aplenty thanks to corroded 30 year old switches

    No problem thanks to vinegar + salt and bicarb soda

    Dodgy R12 to R134a A/C shat itself before summer - so complete conversion to Sanden R134a system

    Condenser, receiver drier, hoses, TX valve...

    Sanden conversion bracket...

    Refinished faded vinyl trim in Duplicor Medium Beige

    Finished off the paint correction

    Other sh*ts & bits

    Dodgy earth straps

    Dashboard reskin

    Need to do the rear pads and discs and enjoy the hell out of it this summer.

    3 months later

    Thanks Ash - finally getting around to the rear brakes.

    Bloody waiting on handbrake components from Germany!

    While you’re looking at switches, we lost a brake light and aircon switch last weekend at Targa High Country. A local sparkie revived the brake switch but the aircon switch is gone. $500 locally, $200ish from FCP.

      7 days later
      jrhendo

      While you’re looking at switches, we lost a brake light and aircon switch last weekend at Targa High Country. A local sparkie revived the brake switch but the aircon switch is gone. $500 locally, $200ish from FCP.

      I know they are not cheap!

      There are usually a few hoarders - er, I mean enthusiasts - who have a stash of switches on Facebook.

      Really happy how the brakes turned out

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