[Archbid]

Due to a series of events I now have 3 more E46s in addition to my 03 330cic:

2002 325ci convertible - black with two tone tan interior
2002 330ci convertible - black on black
2003 325i touring - Stahlblau with grey

The first was running but interior soaking wet and rear seat covered in mildew - 125k miles. This is for the daughter of a friend.

Second one has a perfect body and near-perfect interior. Had 12" of water in the trunk and didn't run. Fixed the roof tray drain and did a complete restore of the intake, brakes and electrical ($2,500 parts) now it runs absolutely perfect with near zero LTFT no codes. My buddy gets this one once we get title.

The third is my baby and the subject of this thread. Near-perfect body.

A blocked sunroof drain led to saturation of the carpet and a lot of "growth." Tore the entire interior out - I hate grey anyway. Btw if anyone wants grey parts for a touring, I'm your guy! Carpet went into the garbage, and everything else was washed with light bleach.

Picked up most of a black interior at a wrecker - they started pulling the trim and broke every piece! I told them to stop and did it myself, including the carpet. Took about 3 hours. But I got most of what I need, and now only need to source two sport heated seats in black and a console.

 

[Archbid]

First step after removing all of the old interior and carpet was to get the black carpet and dash in:

I can now remove a dash in about 20 minutes...

Next step is pulling all the rotted soundproofing and putting in dynaliner. Also installing the seat heater retrofit harness as this will be for my daughter and she is incapable of generating heat on her own.

 

[77'911]

Jealous, wish we could have found a touring! They are so hard to find, not beat up. Would love a 330 version but hard to find in Canada. There are some people importing Alpina All-rads and Japan versions, but rarely come up. Congrats and good luck with it.
regards

 

[Archbid]

If anyone is curious why you need a donor for an interior swap, here is the swap parts list:

Glove box - black
M3 steering wheel (an indulgence!)
Dashboard - black
Front door card left - black
Front door card right - black
Rear door card left - black
Rear door card right - black
B pillar cover lower left - black
B pillar cover lower right - black
Rear holder and bracket
Kick panel/dead panel - black
Kick panel right - black
Sill strip right - black
Sill strip left - black
Rear storing partition - black
Upper console - black
Console - black
Cup holder - black
Coin holder - black
Arm rest - black
Rear seat - black
Front carpet
Rear carpet

Wheel well carpet
Cargo area carpet - black
Battery cover - black
Floor cover - black
Cargo trim front left - black (carpet side)
Cargo trim front right - black (carpet side)
Cargo trim rear left - black (carpet side)
Cargo trim rear right - black (carpet side)
Seat belt trim left
Seat belt trim right
Speaker cover left - black
Speaker cover right - black
Base trim right near battery
Battery base - right
Base carrier left
Base carrier right
Cover left - black
Seat belt cover left - black
Seat belt cover right - black
Cover trim rear sill
Rear lighter - black
Hatch upper window trim - black
Isofix car seat connector door (4)
Seat belt cover trim left - black
Seat belt cover trim left - black
Hatch trim carpet panel - black
Hatch left window trim - black
Hatch right window trim - black
Hatch cover - black
Covering left - black
Covering right - black
Vent panel trim rear left - black
Vent panel trim rear right - black

Luggage strap keyhole (4)
Hatch small cover - black - catch bracket
Emergency brake boot
Shifter boot
Hatch window latch cover - black
Rear pillar covering cap
A Pillar airbag screw cover trim - black


Sport seat left front - black
Sport seat right front - black
Luggage cover

Hatch left window trim - black
Hatch right window trim - black
Hatch trim carpet panel - black
Tailgate trim - threshold
Cargo cover support left - black
Cargo cover support right - black
Hatch window latch cover - black


Not too bad, eh! I have all but about 8 pieces. Will put it all in after I get the seat heater harness and install it under the carpet

 

[Archbid]

Anyone one the west coast that has front black sport heated seats let me know!

 

[Overboost]

You're gonna have to start your own shop soon Archbid! :thumbup:

 

[Archbid]

You're gonna have to start your own shop soon Archbid! :thumbup:

Don’t let my wife hear you say that...

 

[Bali]

A B30 and MT swap would be sweet in that wagon.

 

[Archbid]

A B30 and MT swap would be sweet in that wagon.

My daughter graduates in a little over a year then the S54 and 6-speed goes in.

For now I am playing around with the interior.

 

[Archbid]

Found my seats! Great condition out of a ZHP - electric but no heat - $200.

Spent the weekend getting the interior sorted. Took out the rubber lining from the back seat - in shreds from moisture. Replaced it with Dynaliner. All the seats are in.

 

[Archbid]

Progress! Interior almost complete.

• Installed the front seats
• Installed all trim and panels
• Replaced four floor plugs that were rotted or missing
• Ran wire for future heated seats
• Stripped and repainted steering wheel and all console parts
• Found Bluetooth TCU mic and antenna at a pick n pull ($15!) so installed that

 

[Archbid]

Next up is the boring stuff - maintenance (boooo!)

1. Replace rotors and pads and flush
2. Refresh cooling system
3. Replace belts and pulleys
4. Plugs
5. Oil and filter

But...a new secret project is also in the works!

p.s. I have sold one of the verts to a buddy after a total intake/cooling/steering refresh and various other repairs. It***8217;s a beauty!

 

[Archbid]

If anyone is contemplating this, I will give a few pieces of advice:

1. To remove rear seat bolsters, pull firmly out at the topmost edge until it separates. Then lift the bolster straight up to disengage the vertical pins. If you yank it out, you will break the pins (which the ***holes at the auto recycling place did when I bought them)
2. The trim from the rear seatbelt to the D-pillars is a 3D puzzle. Take pictures as you disassemble, and "dry-fit" all the pieces before re-assembling. Do not put the rear seatbelt cover trim (the outermost trim) on until everything is back in place.
3. The hatch window trim tabs are made of nothing more than the broken dreams of innocent children, and will fracture if you look at them wrong. be *very* gentle.
4. Touring/Wagon interior parts are very expensive and relatively scarce. Black parts (especially roof parts like grab handles) are virtually nonexistent.

 

[Bali]

Looking good, Arch! You've come a long way (baby).

For those who haven't rolled up their sleeves and refurbished an interior, it's a ton of painstaking frustrating work, in cramped quarters, breaking parts impossible to source, cutting your fingers, etc. But, so rewarding when you have the final product.

 

[Archbid]

Looking good, Arch! You've cone a long way (baby).

For those who haven't rolled up their sleeves and refurbished an interior, it's a ton of painstaking frustrating work, in cramped quarters, breaking parts impossible to source, cutting your fingers, etc. But, so rewarding when you have the final product.

Thanks!

What makes you crazy is that in many cases you only learn how parts come together by breaking them... then it is obvious!

For the record, the best way to refinish black trim is to put it in the dishwasher for 10 minutes, remove then rub with your fingers. Repeat. Then spray with adhesion promoter and then LVP bmw black.

For satin parts like the steering wheel do two light coats of matte clear coat.

 

[jmo69]

Thanks!

What makes you crazy is that in many cases you only learn how parts come together by breaking them... then it is obvious!

For the record, the best way to refinish black trim is to put it in the dishwasher for 10 minutes, remove then rub with your fingers. Repeat. Then spray with adhesion promoter and then LVP bmw black.

For satin parts like the steering wheel do two light coats of matte clear coat.

Someone must have tried numerous times to remove my automatic shift knob or just liked hitting it with something. It has more cracks than a plumbers convention.

 

[Archbid]

Someone must have tried numerous times to remove my automatic shift knob or just liked hitting it with something. It has more cracks than a plumbers convention.

There are so many at Pick n Pulls these days around me

 

[Archbid]

One of the many small tasks - recovering the arm rest. New leather with extra padding!

 

[E46Envyy]

Looks great! The black looks 10x better then dove grey.

I know your pain with the rear seat belt/ D-pillar trim. If you plan on replacing struts then you’ll be pulling it all apart again

These wagons seem to beg for attention eh? Only had mine for a couple months and already spent countless hours working on her.

Thanks for the parts list btw. It’d be awesomely find a black wagon parts car.

Cheers; E46Envyy


Sent from my iPhone using E46Fanatics

 

[Archbid]

Dang! Should've done the shocks...

Car is perfect. Easy to park, fun to drive. Great-looking and useful.

Thinking of style 32 wheels. Opinions?