Project cabrio resurrection complete

some of this is a repost but it's the final thread so i figured i'd give the story for those who didn't see the "almost done" thread:

my car was in terrible shape to begin with. the roof was totally shot. it had 16" steelies w/ HUBCAPS i shjt you not, and r rated skinny little tires. as you can see it has no options. lights are not xenon, engine is base 325, no leather (it's "leatherette"), etc., no nav, no nuthin'!

long story short i inherited the car from my father who recently passed away. i originally was thinking i would just sell it. it's not really worth much given the shape it was in and the 80k on the clock. it's an '01. the car is a new york car and had been pretty badly neglected in that sense. 10 years in the snow did the paint, the top, the interior, and the suspension in pretty badly. the suspension was replaced with coilivers, the roof was replaced with a brand new oem dark blue one, the paint has been clayed twice and is a bit better now. of course everythng below the belt is freshly painted (anyone in the bay area needing paintwork, pm me. my guy is a forum member and really hooked me up)! thanks to all of you guys on here that spent countless hours answering my questions and guiding me through the rough spots.

other mods list:
19" hyperblack vmr csl reps - 235/35 - 265/30
5mm hubcentric eibach spacers all 4 corners
rokkor coilovers
rolled rear fenders
new roof
srs-tec rear
m3 front w/ m3 fogs and hamann air duct inserts
c/f splitters
m3 sideskirts
gloss black kidneys
shadowline painted trim
eagle eye led rears
led third brake light
m3 rear decklid spoiler
new bosch headlight lenses
matte black headlight housings
clear corners and sides w/ solaris bulbs
reflector "delete" front and rear - illegal but hey.
interior - repaint of ashtray, sunglass holder and steering wheel trim. black oem mats
the rest of the mods are either obvious, or simply not worth writing about.

enjoy!
HERE IS THE FINAL PRODUCT:

wow that looks awesome.

got any before pics?? would love to see the transition.

Nice, but You know you have leather right?

Originally Posted by RockLee

Nice, but You know you have leather right?

uh.... no that's what BMW calls "leatherette". i know leather when i feel it. plus, i've had an e46 with sand LEATHER and this does not feel or wear like it.

Originally Posted by iansanderson

wow that looks awesome.

got any before pics?? would love to see the transition.

i don't because the "before pics" where from right after my dad died and i wasn't exactly thinking car pics. but here are some pics of similar those these are in better shape than his was:

Oh rly? http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=391726 You clearly have the fold in the front seats.
I know that that the leather can harden and feel cheap because of it being neglected just use some leatherique to fix that.

The vert looks great! Great job....

Originally Posted by RockLee

Oh rly? http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=391726 You clearly have the fold in the front seats.
I know that that the leather can harden and feel cheap because of it being neglected just use some leatherique to fix that.

+1

I see the fold too. My car's leather interior has it. Just apply some leather lotion and you will feel it soften up and nice.

Originally Posted by RockLee

Oh rly? http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=391726 You clearly have the fold in the front seats.
I know that that the leather can harden and feel cheap because of it being neglected just use some leatherique to fix that.

wow thanks for that info. amazing. it feels like crap. my '01 328 had a sand interior that felt totally different. still no sport seats but higher quality. maybe just neglect? yeah there's def a fold in the front seats. learns something new every day!

I totally dig the exterior.

Interior, No.

Originally Posted by Blocked Out

I totally dig the exterior.

Interior, No.

i'm with ya man but.... wasn't my choice. that's what my dad wanted. dark blue and beige.... that was his thing. i hate the sand interior and i'm not a huge fan of the wood trim.... or the non-sport seats, but i think that carbon fiber trim would look retarded with sand and i'm not about to dump another 8 grand into the car.

WOW, that looks like a brand new car! Paint is looking great, are those OEM taillights? If not, would you mind sharing where you got them from?

Originally Posted by ed1655

i'm with ya man but.... wasn't my choice. that's what my dad wanted. dark blue and beige.... that was his thing. i hate the sand interior and i'm not a huge fan of the wood trim.... or the non-sport seats, but i think that carbon fiber trim would look retarded with sand and i'm not about to dump another 8 grand into the car.

Keep your eye on an M3 part out.

You're in Cali, and if you are patient you can get the whole complete M3 cab interior(seats, door cards, dash and even carpet) for right around $1500.

Be on the look, it'll make a world of a difference.

Originally Posted by Blocked Out

Keep your eye on an M3 part out.

You're in Cali, and if you are patient you can get the whole complete M3 cab interior(seats, door cards, dash and even carpet) for right around $1500.

Be on the look, it'll make a world of a difference.

WERD

how bout dying the interior cinnamon and adding some contrast by doing a cinnamon black two tone (see i think neils thread it was where he did cinnamon and black looked smexyy) and an m steering wheel, m guage face, angel eyes? hids?

looks good either way, still wondering what you used to get ur orient blue that way, ive tried different waxes, nothing works still faded blue

Originally Posted by joneperry

how bout dying the interior cinnamon and adding some contrast by doing a cinnamon black two tone (see i think neils thread it was where he did cinnamon and black looked smexyy) and an m steering wheel, m guage face, angel eyes? hids?

looks good either way, still wondering what you used to get ur orient blue that way, ive tried different waxes, nothing works still faded blue

i bookmarked that thread. absolute sickness i was drooling. tons of work though i really don't have time for that. i'd swap this car for an m3 in the colors that i like before spending anymore dough on this mouse engine car. the orient blue is trashed. it's terrible. i don't see how yours could be worse! are you sure that yours isn't another blue?

The vert looks great! Super job.... you did your Dad proud.

Also IMHO the contrast of the blue/beige look headturning great, tho I agree it's a pita to keep light colors clean in a vert. I'd keep it if only to honor Dad since you mentioned it was his thing. Congrats!

Wow....very nice. Those wheels fit your ride perfectly. How is the ride with the rokkor coilovers? Never heard of them before....and where did you get them from?

Originally Posted by ed1655

i bookmarked that thread. absolute sickness i was drooling. tons of work though i really don't have time for that. i'd swap this car for an m3 in the colors that i like before spending anymore dough on this mouse engine car. the orient blue is trashed. it's terrible. i don't see how yours could be worse! are you sure that yours isn't another blue?

lol i bookmarked that too, and yeah im 100% positive its oriental blue, my car is almost a twin of yours on the east coast. what brands and products did you use?

Nice! I dig the hyper-black CSLs from VMR. Got me thinking twice about Hyper-Silver...