My Balticblau E28

[Dimm6]

I had to do something about the wheels. The 14” bottle caps don’t do it for me. Again I found a set of Style 7 wheels from an E34. 15” is a great fit for these cars. 16” would be perfect. The wheels came with tires, so I put them on right away. But soon after I found a set of AC Schnitzer Type 1 for sale nearby. I haven’t mounted them yet, but I will as soon as I order tires. In the pics of the ACS wheels I just have them propped up against the car just to visualize them.

[Dimm6]

The lighting of the OEM sealed beams suck. There’s no light output compared to what cars com with today. I ordered the Hella H4 headlights that allow you to swap out headlight bulbs. I used Sylvania SilverStar bulbs for the low beams. For the high beams I bought a set of yellow halogen bulbs. I don’t remember the brand. It’s pretty rural where I live and the light output helps me a lot at night. I left the fog light alone for the time being. I won’t need them, depending on which front spoiler I end up using.

[Dimm6]

The original muffler was swapped out for a generic Cherry Bomb muffler. It sounds good but it has the longest pipe I’ve even seen. I burned my leg on it a few times. I trimmed a good 8 inches off the end and covered the end with a chrome exhaust tip from Advanced Auto Parts. No more scars on my shins.

[tuffode]

Looking great!! I wasn’t aware that the paint isn’t original, makes sense though since it is in such great condition.

[Dimm6]

Looking great!! I wasn’t aware that the paint isn’t original, makes sense though since it is in such great condition.

You can tell from the tape marks on the inner door seams and hood. It’s a decent paint job. Can’t complain.

[Dimm6]

Another update. A head bolt snapped and I lost all coolant on a ride to work one day. Luckily I realized this and stopped before the car over heated. I had it towed to the shop. I had the head rebuilt, head gasket, new head bolts, plugs, wires, timing belt, fan clutch, belts, water pump and thermostat. The mechanic told me there was a new version of the head bolts available. I’m assuming this car’s engine was never opened up before this.

Next up is brakes and a suspension refresh. I bought a set of Bilstein shocks and BavAuto springs. Hopefully soon I can get the car into the shop.

[dogabon]

Here a Balticblau from Spain!

[Dimm6]

Wow. Looking good. Hopefully after the winter my car will start looking as good as yours.

[Dimm6]

A little update. I was able to get some tires for the AC Schnitzer wheels. These wheels will be on until I get a set of Rial Mesh refinished. Also I should be getting a suspension refresh soon. The car drastically needs to be lower.

ACS wheels specs are: 15x7 et13 with 205/60r15 tires.

[Dimm6]

Today I got around to doing something quick and simple. All together it took about 15 minutes for the job. My wipers were loose, like really loose. You were able to grab the wiper and shake the entire arm. I did some searching on this site and found out I was missing the rubber bushing around the arm where it comes out of the body of the car. It sucks that the wiper arms scraped the paint, but that’s how I got the car.

All part numbers are in the pics.

[Dimm6]

Odometer gears came in yesterday, so I decided to replace them today.


The old gears were broken and very soft.


With new gears installed, I put the cluster back together and installed it back in the car.

I went on a drive and the odometer still wasn't working

I replaced the gears in my E30 and the odometer worked, so I'm not sure what the problem could be.

Anyone know what I should do?

I bought a spare cluster and I used the new gears that you installed but swapped out the working speedometer and the tach from the new cluster and everything works. The only thing that stopped working is the MPG meter. The newer cluster has the newer style batteries in it. I think it’s a newer replacement cluster. It has a ‘94 date sticker on it. I also replaced all the little bulbs, so everything lights up properly.

[JimmyKay]

I have a new screen name because I'm not sure what happened to my old one. I was prompted to change my password and then got locked out. So for now this is me previously Dimm6.

Here's a little update. I went ahead and swapped out the old worn shocks for a new set of Bilstein B4 shocks with new OEM rear springs (they were rusted out). The car felt good for a while, but I couldn't help but want the car lower so I ended up replacing the brand new Bilsteins with a band new set of Bilstein B8 shocks and BavAuto lowering springs. Wow! It's a completely different car. So smooth yet firm, but not firm at all. And the stance is the best part. I also picked up a staggered set of16x8-9 et11 Rial Mesh wheels. I had the refinished and they came out amazing. I'm just waiting for the weather to get better so I can get them on. They wheels were previously on another E28 so I don't think fitment will be an issue. I'm not sure if I'll need a fender roll. Not a big deal for me.

[Dimm6]

I was able to get access to my old screen name. I’m back with Dimm6.


I finally was able to get the Rials minted up. They look amazing. Very periods correct for the car. Specs are 16x8 et11 fronts 16x9 et11 rears. 205/55r16 and 225/50r16 respectively. I had to roll the rear fenders a tiny bit as I was rubbing on big dips in the road. I bought a fender roller from Amazon that was garbage. I ended up using a rubber mallet, some heat and pieces of thick cardboard so I wouldn’t damage the paint. These fenders are thick. I couldn’t be happier with the look. I’m going to have the AC Schnitzers refinished so I can use them in the winter months.

[Zeta]

Always cool to see the cars continue their journeys across different owners! I hope for a similar outcome if I ever sell mine.

[Dimm6]

Always cool to see the cars continue their journeys across different owners! I hope for a similar outcome if I ever sell mine.

Same feeling for me. I was pleasantly surprised when the previous-previous owner found me on instagram and told me about this thread.

[dogabon]

A Baltic from Spain!

[Dimm6]

Beautiful ride. Euro bumpers are are the missing piece to make my car complete.

[Dimm6]

Some updates over the summer. I installed new window trim along the chrome moldings. I also installed a set of rear headrests using an extra set of fronts that I had laying around. I added beaded seat covers as well. They really help with not sweating through my shirt on the one hot summer days. New one piece shirt knob and boot went in as well. Worn odometer gears were also swapped out with new ones. My old cluster didn’t work, but had new gears. When I swapped out the other cluster I bought I for got swap the gears. They eventually wore out and I just swapped them out.

[Dimm6]

I just installed the Renown Champion Motorsport Wheel with Horn Pad. I loved this wheel since the day I saw it. I needed a MOMO hub adapter for my coarse spline hub. The hardest part was finding the MOMO adapter. Nobody carried it. Not even MOMO. I ended up finding one on eBay. It shipped from Poland and I got it in about 10 days.

Once all the parts were in, installation was a breeze. Renown sends you everything you’ll need to install the wheel. The screws to attach to the hub adapter and a wire in case you need to ground the horn button. Some may need this as was the case for me. All of the install instructions are on their website.

The wheel itself is all leather with the optional BMW Motorsport stitching. I don’t have an ///M but the blue in the stitching matches my car. It’s 350mm and has a fat grip, with indents for your thumbs. It feels great and looks great. It was a good update for my car.

[tschultz]

Need more exterior photos with the new wheels! Looking good.

[HayekFan]

So I checked the sunroof drains, and both the front ones are clogged
Tried unclogging with this weed wacker line, but it's too thin. Going to try getting something a bit thicker to do the job.
Also I made room in the garage to keep the car. Need to find more room to bring in the e30 too!

Were you able to get your sunroof drains unclogged, and if so, what worked?

My E28 has good drains but I've got another car whose drains are clogged. The trick is you need something stiff enough to work through the blockage but not so stiff that it risks poking a hole in the tubing.

[Dimm6]

So I checked the sunroof drains, and both the front ones are clogged
Tried unclogging with this weed wacker line, but it's too thin. Going to try getting something a bit thicker to do the job.
Also I made room in the garage to keep the car. Need to find more room to bring in the e30 too!

Were you able to get your sunroof drains unclogged, and if so, what worked?

My E28 has good drains but I've got another car whose drains are clogged. The trick is you need something stiff enough to work through the blockage but not so stiff that it risks poking a hole in the tubing.

First I used weed wacker line. Mine looks thicker than the one you pictured. After that I just stuck the nozzle of my air compressor in the hole and did a few small bursts of air. People say don’t do it, but I never had an issue on any of my cars.

[Dimm6]

Need more exterior photos with the new wheels! Looking good.

If you’re on Instagram I have a ton of pics and videos. It’s a lot easier to post on IG than here.

@uglybette28

[HayekFan]

First I used weed wacker line. Mine looks thicker than the one you pictured. After that I just stuck the nozzle of my air compressor in the hole and did a few small bursts of air. People say don’t do it, but I never had an issue on any of my cars.

Okay, thanks, got it. Sounds like you broke through the blockage with the weed eater line and then you cleared out the debris with the compressed air. I've seen the warnings about using compressed air too. My guess is those are based on the scenario where you blow in the air without breaking through blockage first, in which case the pressure could pop the tubing off of the nipple since it has nowhere to escape to. BTW, could you tell where the blockage was? Was it up near the sunroof drain hole or further down the line?

[camplo]

Some updates over the summer. I installed new window trim along the chrome moldings. I also installed a set of rear headrests using an extra set of fronts that I had laying around. I added beaded seat covers as well. They really help with not sweating through my shirt on the one hot summer days. New one piece shirt knob and boot went in as well. Worn odometer gears were also swapped out with new ones. My old cluster didn’t work, but had new gears. When I swapped out the other cluster I bought I for got swap the gears. They eventually wore out and I just swapped them out.

[img]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/532 ... _k.jpg[img]

[img]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/532 ... _k.jpg[img]

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https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/532 ... c2bd_k.jpg

do you happen to remember the part number for the window trim?

[Dimm6]

Part number

51 31 1 820 622

Buy 2 of these and it’s enough for the front and rear windshields.

[Dimm6]

Here’s another little update. I bought this material almost a year ago and I finally had some time to get to it. My door cards were very boring so I decided to spice things up a bit. Taking the door cards off is super easy. The only issue I had was some of the clips were very brittle and broke easily. I even found a bunch them already broken off. All I did was staple the new material over the existing material on the door cards, this way it has a nice cushioned backing to rest on. I made sure to align the same pattern on all the doors as well.

Overall I loved doing this project. It took a few hours from start to finish and it’s super easy to do. It changed the interior from bland to something a little more fun.

Enjoy the pics