It's strange how some E30's with diving boards look great but mine just... don't. Then I realized what was missing! I saw an E30 for sale today that had diving boards but looked fantastic. I'm not going to post the whole picture as I don't know if I would be wrong in doing so (it was a car for sale), so I just posted a part of the picture of which I'm interested in: Now, has anyone else noticed that anything older than '88 doesn't have this rear bit under the rear diving board? I think this one piece makes or breaks the look of diving board bumpers all 'round. That pic was from a 1988 325is, the 'in-between' year between diving boards and plastic bumpers. Is this a separate piece that can be attached or is this a part of the refresh bodystyle? I mean, mine looks sooooooo empty and actually looks like the car's raised from the rear: Click here to view
Nope. That is part of the body. You can do a bumper tuck (detailed on stricktly eta) to help and maybe buy a rear skirt.
Damn. They had to ruin the bottom lines of the earlier E30's be ending it abruptly after the rear wheels. Oh well. Thanks anyway.
I have to say it does look a lot better with it than without it, but I can't see too much of it as it's black.
Botond, I've got the same bumpers as you (for '87), but I've got the body-colored molding--I think it would look exponentially better if you had those black plastic molding pieces painted body color...it just adds something that's missing IMO...of course, that may be a big project you'd want to save for later...
Nope. I still can't stand diving boards, even if the covers are painted. I have the red and black theme going on with my car, and the is spoiler I recently obtained will be black. The covers are staying dark, but a tuck seems to be the only thing I could do to them to make them more Euro. I'd love a set of Euro bumpers, but who here has one? And at a reasonable price? I don't think so.
Ooo, why not tuck the bumpers and paint them like you did the rest of the trim. They will be less obtrusive looking that way.
That's the next step. I'm thinking of actually mixing Elko's idea and tucking the bumpers. I saw a really cool pic on these forums somewhere, something to do with limited edition photos or something, but the red E30 he had listed was a diving board model! I was completely fooled until I looked closer and saw that the bumpers were massively tucked, and the covers and everything else was painted the body color. As long as no chrome is showing, painted tucked bumpers look fantastic! EDIT: Here it is: http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1161300
Lightly sand the plastic (LIGHTLY) and prime with bumper paint or Krylon Fusion before hitting it with the high build primer, then the color you want. I would prefer black for the bumper itself, but that is up to you. I would use a self etching primer on that before going straight to the satin black or body color because it is a large surface. Also, I wouldn't sand it much, if at all, and particularly not with the 180 you used on the trim.
What plastic? The black plastic strip that goes right on the front of the bumper (that surrounds the turn signals)? What is self-etching? What does that mean? Can it be easily found at an auto store? What is this 180 that you speak of? The Acrylic Enamel spray paint, you mean? That's what I used on the trim, and wouldn't use that on the front bumper due to higher exposure to the elements.
Yes. It is probably a little weathered and could use some satin paint or body color (your choice.) It is, umm, self etching. It etches the metal so it can adhere properly. You ought to be able to find it at the auto parts store (though IIRC, your parts stores suck.) You used 180 grit sandpaper on your trim It was too rough. It might not be noticable on the trim, but you will see the scratches you left behind on something as large as a bumper.
Err, the sandpaper I used on the trim was a lot rougher than 180. lol I thought I had to completely sand off the chrome and make it completely matte before painting. You see why I don't want to do things myself? At least I really like the texture to the trim. I kind of like the scratches; makes it look like a textured tile or something.
Shortening the diving boards on earlier E30s that are equipped as such. Kinda like plastic surgery...or aluminum surgery......I know, bad...
Ahh, got it! How is it done? You seem to be the expert. (I browsed 'strictlyeta.net" per mooseheadm5, but don't see instructions.)
http://www.strictlyeta.net/technical/bumpertuck.html I claim no responsibility for when you spray oil all over yourself.
The diving boards have shocks filled with fluid in them. If you drill a hole in the shocks, the fluid will come out, and allow you to push the diving boards more towards the body. Here is a picture of a tucked pair of bumpers: http://a174.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/32/l_25fab8f64c272ea48613e5471dd28025.jpg http://a666.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/16/l_de460031235026e0f3e16069b9776939.jpg Muuuuuch better. If I tuck mine, I'll try to tuck it all the way in and just paint the bumper cover. BTW, if you attempt this, don't get any fluid on you! Someone I know did it and got fluid all over and smelled really bad for weeks!
