my e28 project

[Shushman]

Got some of the niggly bits done today, brake light and reverse lights have been sorted. the driver side window switch isnt faulty and the fuse was perfectly fine, so im worried it may be the motor. i did try and sort the sunroof handle but it sort of just fell apart as i took the screws off and this happened, anyone know how to put this together again or if the Cclip and washer is extra?






And also... what is this? the little metal C bar thing....

[Shushman]

So I have solved a few of the small little issues, but more have popped up...expected. I have finished painting a few parts to neaten up the E28. I also gave him a name... Reginal.
I have a leak at the exhaust manifold, so decided to change the gaskets, which was not as straight forward as i thought it would be, had to drop the whole exhaust to free up the manifold.

As for the problems....:
Car wants to struggle its idle when at a stand still in traffic, it has improved since i changed the gasket but not perfect.
When operating the electric mirror switch, the completely dies out and i have to restart it, the wiring in this car is all over the place
before only the driver side window was not working, now the passenger window has decided not to work, fuses are fine, could it be the switches? i swapped the driver switch to the passenger side when it was working and the switch was fine.

any advice would be much appreciated.

[Shushman]

This also happened.... now to paint wheels and hopefully car too....

[Jeroen]

How did you treat the grills?

As for the idle, could be a combination of things:

1. some wiring problem ie short with the mirrors, nothing difficult, follow and check especially inside the doors, and perhaps a previous owner hooked something to it? What else is on the same fuse?
2. there's a switch on the throttle body (TPS) that should engage a contact between 2 of the 3 pins at idle. If the adjustment is messed up and it doesn't tell the DME it is at idle it will result in a bad or uneven idle

[Shushman]

How did you treat the grills?

I wash the grills thoroughly with fairy liquid then I sand the grills with a medium grade sand paper (what ever is at hand) very carefully. Wash again, let it dry, then wipe them down with paint prep wipes. The wipes left little bits of material everywhere so i wouldnt advise to use them, id use a cloth and some sort of degreaser for paint prep. then i spray the grills with 3-5 coats of satin black paint. After being left near my boiler for 3 days to dry and harden, they are ready to go onto the car. Sanding takes around 2 hours to properly reach all areas. then cleaning another 20-30 mins. Sanding is the killer part, kills your fingers.

I use the same method for my mirrors and door handles. the finish makes them look brand new.

[Jeroen]

They look brand new indeed!

[uwbuurman]

Didn't use plastic primer? They look great!

[Shushman]

Didn't use plastic primer? They look great!

No primer, it wasnt an issue on my E30 and E21, hoping it lasts on the E28. thanks bro.

[Shushman]

just got hold of these.... gathering all little bits and bobs to make this car what i want... everything will be fitted once the car is painted hopefully soon.

[Shushman]

So i got these.... was not a fan of the colour, they were candy red and didnt suit the car. so i decided to do a bit more DIY and try my hand at a proper paint job for the first time. ill let the pictures do the talking.

Sanded.

Primed and wet sanded for a smooth finish

few coats of paint followed by heavy clear coat for a shine.



i also found a huge exhaust leak which i originally thought was a hole in the manifold, but closer examination revealed it was the gasket between the manifold and downpipes. the difference was immense. this £2 fix sorted out the hesitation when at high revs. however my oil pressure still drops as the car heats up, going to heck for vacuum leaks over the weekend.

[Shushman]

the finished Product after putting in nearly 23 hours in my garage sanding, preping and painting. The chrome lips were not in the greatest condition, so i decided that i will do something a little different. i decided to scuff all the chrome and was on a mission to get a brushed metal finish. i sanded them with 1200 grit sand paper, used abrasive scuff pads to get the rougher brushed look, worked my way up to a fine scuff pad and got the look i was hoping for. complete luck with a little bit of planning.

[arshad76]

Very nice. I like the contrasting gloss from the centre and the subtle brushed finish on the rim.

[Jeroen]

Not bad! Any progress with the gremlins? Overlooked a post or two, happy to help you out with any remaining issues if I can!

[Shushman]

Not bad! Any progress with the gremlins? Overlooked a post or two, happy to help you out with any remaining issues if I can!

Iv been tackling small issues, still have the cluster left to change over and sort out the electric windows. At the moment im wrestling with an overheating issue, have no idea whats causing it, may have to pull out the heater matrix. i flushed the system, no blockages, fan is working, no leaks, water pump seems to be working. a little lost to be honest.

[pandemonium001]

very nice, really want a set of the chrome mirrors, know of any more for sale.?