Gut and Tight

Chloe's Bimmer Blog: A visual archive of completed projects, goals in progress and an ever diminishing bank account

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New yellow high beams 😍

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We had a fun (read: hot and uncomfortable) Fourth of July weekend celebrating by changing out break lines, rotors and pads! So shiny and new

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A few post-paint job pictures! I also ditched the bottlecaps for a nice craigslist find of basket weaves with four decent center caps.

I still need to take some pics with something other than an iphone now that I’ve had the car back for a few months!

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All the trim is stripped and ready for a respray! 

I took it to a body shop in Downtown Memphis, and they did a good job on the paint, but I have a hard time recommending them. It took them at least 5 or 6 weeks to get it back the first time (yes, first) after originally being quoted a week. The paint looked great but there was a lot wrong. Some of the dents and other body work was not done. I asked the to mount an is spoiler I had, and they mounted it wrong, which led to the trunk leaking. They left the i off the back emblem and broke my seat, which is a big deal, since I’m only 5′2″ and need the seat to move forward to drive it! 

I took it back and most of the problems were fixed, except for a large dent in the rear valence and they replaced the i with one from a newer BMW, so it looks crooked. At this point I was over it and just kept it.

Overall, I am pleased with how it turned out. I think I paid a fair price, as it was neither too expensive nor suspiciously cheap. I guess you get what you pay for, and in this case it was a quality paint job with pretty terrible customer service.

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A couple of mini projects we did one weekend, a new shift boot and replacing the vinyl on the driver side comfort seat (a temporary fix until I can get a hold of some nice black sport seats!)

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A pre-paint job photoshoot, documenting all the flaws and rough spots. Several dents were all over the body, as well as damage under the battery tray in the trunk. (There’s also a large dent that’s in the rear valence that never got fixed. ugh) The original paint, cirrusblau, was cracked and faded and looked almost more grey than blue. A new bumper and trim were needed.

The zip ties on the valence are courtesy of my dad and a steep driveway.

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This is my 1989 BMW 325i and this blog is a place to document all the work I have already and will be putting in to it. I’ve already learned a lot by helping my boyfriend do most of the work ourselves!

This is the car the day I bought it, pretty much bone stock, with the exception of a steering rack from an e36, and a manual swap that were both put in before I bought it. Rough paint, a squeaky belt and lots of little problems here and there, I’ve put in a lot of work since then!