Okay, I promise, the E30 content is going to stop in the next few days. Right now, I am still dug in deep working on fully preparing my 1988 E30 cabriolet for some road trips that will take me all across the East Coast this summer. You can read all about what broke, what I ordered, and what I have completed up to this latest round of work in the previous articles because this time, I’d like to stay brief. A quick update and a quick look at the last bits I have left to do will be all for today, plus a little extra for all you folks as nerdy as I am about BMWs.
The rear end and intense maintenance services have almost come to an end. I have the driveshaft, differential, subframe, rear trailing arms, brakes, and lines are all back in the car and ready to be aligned with the new adjustable RTABs from SuperPro plus some eBay camber plates up front I hope to fit tonight. The next step is to replace my convertible soft top. This, right now, is more of a priority than replacing the rear main and crank seals that have started dripping slowly. It will get done, but the top has to come first. No more rain inside the car, please.
This is a daunting task. I have already been through several ‘firsts’ for me with this project, including rebuilding my 3.73 differential. I have never replaced a top and have been extensively reading and watching what I can to familiarize myself with the project. Researching the top replacement has been almost as difficult as the job seems to be, which is why I am happy to announce that my process will be thoroughly documented and professionally shot here at the ECS R&D facility. I look forward to this since I found hardly any real resources from this century that talk about replacing a top in detail on a thirty-year-old car. Prepare yourselves, it’s gonna get rough.
Anyways, I promised to be brief. I found some incredible videos on YouTube during my research that actually managed to teach me some things about the E30 vert I never knew. If you love E30s, I highly suggest this video set to satisfy your inner DIY and BMW nerd. Look for the full convertible top replacement DIY in the next few days and wish me luck, folks!
