BMW E30 Dashboard [Restoration]

Get a Shop Manual for Your Car: click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/c... (Available for Most Makes and Models)
In this episode, I restore a crack-less dashboard that I picked up in Spain for a shocking €150. Enjoy!
Thanks for watching! Subscribe with the bell on to see this car back to the factory condition.
#restoration #BMWE30 #carproject
Thanks to FCP Euro for supplying parts for this restoration and supporting the channel. Get a lifetime guarantee on all parts here - hubs.ly/H0kPPZW0
Tools & equipment used:
Quartz Lacquer - goo.gl/8PTVKM
Base Coat Paint - goo.gl/mWhufG
Rust Remover - goo.gl/13gopW
Rohr 250 Welder - bit.ly/33mkOGP
U-Pol Weld Through Primer #2 - bit.ly/2qL38ak
Fast Mover 1kW Infrared Paint Dryer, Stand, Timer - bit.ly/2WYR9jJ
Workbenches - arborgardensolutions.co.uk
Moldex Full Face Mask - goo.gl/NNYGrv
FGL 5 Spray gun - goo.gl/Acg5rd
A.N.I. R150-T Mini Spray gun - goo.gl/cHTJS2
Colad Washable Overalls - goo.gl/3Css9E
Colad Mixing Cups - goo.gl/8DYmE8
Colad TurboMix Sticks - goo.gl/cYZfks
Colad Synthetic Paint Strainers - goo.gl/H79ZgL
Steel wire bits - geni.us/keyaD
Blasting Cabinet - bit.ly/2GxvKJ7
Blasting pot - bit.ly/32TMnrU
Cordless Ratchet - bit.ly/30YNlkG
Parts Wahser - bit.ly/2K5G9wA
Rotary Tool - geni.us/HGed
Concentrate Degreaser - geni.us/yUn9
Mannesmann Socket Set - geni.us/HCDZ
Time Stamps:
00:00 - Intro
00:51 - My old dashboard
01:03 - Dismantling
05:30 - Knowling
06:43 - First clean
07:45 - First chemical clean of the dash
08:15 - Removing the rust
09:44 - Converting the rust
10:24 - Drilling out the side mount rivets
11:50 - Removing more hidden rust
12:43 - Restoring the loom
14:02 - Gluing the dashboard
15:05 - Electroplating
15:19 - Painting the dashboard
16:27 - Renewing the faded dashboard material
17:57 - Restoring the plastics
18:10 - Making new foam strips
19:06 - Restoring the middle vent
20:07 - Restoring the side vents
20:55 - After restoration knowling
21:23 - The rebuild
27:18 - Outro
Thanks for watching!
My Second Channel - Rusty Nut Restorations
/ rustynutrestorations
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[@Ihaveadashcam]

The attention to detail is just one of a kind! You completely restore parts that are never seen and are hidden away. Thats some dedication!

[@RestoreIt]

Thanks Car Pro, very kind of you!

[@Ihaveadashcam]

@@RestoreIt Honestly it should be a museum car at this point. 😂

[@Takamine840]

Agreed, like who else cleans the wires? Hahaha

[@Ihaveadashcam]

@@Takamine840 😂

[@jimc12]

@Restor it 3M makes a padded dash filler. But its only intended for small areas to be filled. And it comes in quite a small can that is kind of expensive.

[@twinturbo1989]

Proposal for dash dyes according to experience: Leather dyes - get black, white and ochre and make the colour you need using them (keeping tab of the quantities to ensure repeatability). As usual prep is king - dishwashing soap and water, soft brush, then spirits (75+% alcohol) until you are sure it is clean, microfiber towels a plenty is also something you will need. Then, once you are absolutely positive you have cleaned (clean again:) ) get an antistatic microfiber (the window specific ones) to be sure you have no strands on the surface. Leather dyes are usually pretty thick so unless you get the mother of all paint tips you will need to use a synthetic sponge to apply using soft pounding motions. If not spray it from about 30-40cm with acrylic thinner (different paints have different ratios so check) 5-6 coats should make it invisible. Angelus have a matte laquer "duller" which makes it factory matte as matte is never matte with dyes. 2 thorough, thin coats and a third thick one should make it less blue (normally black turns blue when diluted). I have also used MOTIP cans to do colour changes (from brown to black on Alfasud doorcards) which was just fine for the most part but for good measure did it over with a sponge to be 100% sure, works a treat on synthetic. This is my experience, I hope it helps. P.S. I am sure this holds up for at least 3 years so far without being too careful while using the car.

[@RestoreIt]

Thanks very much Alek! I'll save this comment, cheers!

[@twinturbo1989]

@@RestoreIt Before I forget, in between the cleaning coats make sure to use a grey scotchbrite pad to slightly scuff it up. Try either dry or a splash of alcohol on the pad

[@karikiiiks6880]

Don`t use leather dyes on vinyl.. leather dyes are made to be absorbed into the pores of the leather. Vinyl is plastic and doesn`t absorb anything.

[@stuartkennedy4202]

As a Detailer I fully appreciate your talents restoring this, it’s incredible......So good.

[@frankbiz]

That was an incredible restoration, you should be very proud of the job that you do. Enjoyed it very much, thank you for posting!

[@t4rif4ri]

This is so satisfying to hear the parts snap back in :D

[@danielprivate7442]

Refinishing dash surfaces is usually reserved for very damaged dashboards and it's very difficult to get them to look perfect. (which you insist on) I would not mess with this dash. It looks really good. Great video.

[@RestoreIt]

Cheers for the advice Daniel! Any refinishing will be tried on lesser dash's before I'd touch this one again. Thanks again!

[@J5L5M6]

Wonderful as always! And, in the nick of time! I'm preparing to place a new dash on too. Great to see how someone much handier than myself went about cleaning and reassembling everything. Thanks!

[@E-hab]

Removing rust is always satisfying and my best part of a lot of videos.

[@RestoreIt]

It's so satisfying :)

[@wiliamgoebel2110]

Amazing attention to detail. SEM makes a series of sprays that might help on the dashboard. Of course mine is cracked in several places. Also, I have enjoyed the process of restoring exterior rubber components for my 325E. Keep up the great work. Wish I had a shop like that.

[@tleg6969]

UV is the greatest enemy of polymer. If you want this dash to remain crackless, keep the sun off of it (as much as possible). Another recommendation would be to use "303 aerospace protectant" the stuff is amazing and works great at revitalizing foam rubber seals as well. Your videos are great thank you for the content.

[@RestoreIt]

Okay good to know thank you Terry. I'll look into that stuff right now, Glad you enjoy the vids!

[@waynio67]

Project farm did a uv protectant comparison video not long ago, 303 aerospace didn’t do too well tbh

[@tleg6969]

I've not seen the comparison video. I can only speak from personal experience. I've been using aerospace for years. It did wonders for the interior panels and the door seals on my '87 pickup.

[@wackydriver]

I recommend 303 aerospace too.

[@KhanIlkara]

303 Aerospace, definitely a good recommendation.

[@electronic7979]

Excellent restoration

[@rabnawazkhan1837]

Nicely done. Glad u feeling better. Few months back I watched this gentleman applying teak oil to plastic trim. So I tried it on headlight surround grills and results were amazing still looking like brand new plastic.

[@RestoreIt]

Thanks Rabnawaz, and cool I'll get some of the stuff and give it a go.

[@user-ke8kl4ct9e]

абсолютно целая панель, помыть только))))

[@xjrrider6710]

Love this stuff. Maybe a sheet to cover the bench next time? My OCD was tripping balls that you’d scratch it 😂👍🏼

[@RestoreIt]

Glad to hear it dude! and yes you're not wrong :D

[@1leggeddog]

Sunday morning, with my coffee, a new Restore It video on the E30 and my couch. The perfect mix.

[@RestoreIt]

Sounds good K M, enjoy :)

[@-HDK-]

2224 hrs at my kitchen table about to have a second cup of coffee and another Restore It video before work calls. ☕👍

[@bengluyas4727]

Can not wait to see the car complete. It is a real pleasure watching your progress.

[@RestoreIt]

Cheers Ben!

[@nosaint01]

ive repainted quite a few interior pieces with SEM Landau black vinyl dye, works awesome

[@RestoreIt]

SEM seems to be the one :)

[@FeedTheOcelot]

Looks absolutely mint Steve 👌🏻

[@RestoreIt]

Thank you mate 👍

[@vans1512]

Your videos and work are so precise and satisfying. Love watching your videos

[@RestoreIt]

Thanks you Michael, very kind of you :)

[@MeSameerShahid]

The amount of work and time you put in this dash is insane, can't wait to see this car completely restored. After completing this car it will be the cleanest e30 in the whole world.

[@RestoreIt]

Thank you Sameer! :D

[@DL24StaS]

The only option I would recommend for renewing the dashboard is getting it professionally reskinned with vacuum formed vinyl.

[@RestoreIt]

I've seen it done and its very good

[@dillanmistry]

The Dash is one one of the highlights of the e30

[@RestoreIt]

I agree :)

[@lukeskywalker6148]

Simonz plastic restore is actually good

[@coolissimo69]

That is a great way to wake up on a Sunday and watch my favorite channel. And the best part is I have never seen a video repairing a dashboard. Can't wait to watch the full video.

[@RestoreIt]

Glad to hear it Coolissim! Enjoy it dude, i really had fun doing this one.

[@coolissimo69]

@@RestoreIt Mate wow really looks like new. Great job.Mate I saw some people using 303 for plastic, to get it improved , have not used my self, but it seems it moisturizes the plastic, bringing to life.

[@mikekell9889]

"...and after much scraping, I had remembered that chemicals exist." Lmfao.

[@RestoreIt]

What was I thinking haha

[@alanlane3869]

Note to self: Mark iPhone calendar to see if dash cracks in three years. Jk. Nice work. ✌️

[@RestoreIt]

Haha.. I'll be keeping my eye on it! Cheers Alan!

[@earthwormjim]

@@RestoreIt At some point they changed the dash material slightly to minimize cracking. Either way make sure you get a windshield sunshade to minimize UV exposure when the car is parked outside for any amount of time. I like the OEM one.

[@mobydoux]

Incredible work, so satisfying watching these plastics parts renewed.

[@RestoreIt]

Thanks Jonh!

[@dannyipwn1203]

That was absolutely awesome

[@Geraldbuer]

Wie immer erste Klasse 👍. Besonders gut gefällt mir der Ersatz der Schaumstoffdichtungen. Mein Armaturenbrett quietscht nämlich und ich muss alle vier Wochen mit Silikon schmieren

[@RestoreIt]

Danke Geraldbuer! Nun, das klingt nicht ideal, aber zumindest hast du eine Lösung gefunden :)

[@Rockardo_]

I dont get why bmw still makes some new parts for e30s but not the dash, they would literally make a killing if they started making them again

[@RestoreIt]

Let's start a petition. They can take all of my money.

[@moritz1997me]

The question is wheter the tools still exist to make new ones

[@vincentkermorgant]

I guess they would be so expensive that BMW does not believe there's a market for it. And it was most likely not done by BMW

[@lukashampel9846]

the problem with some of these things is, that some of the manufactories that made the parts aren't even around anymore... I know for a fact that VW tries to make new parts for old models with their classics programm by getting in contact with the original manufacture of the part... but they also said that it's a problem having these parts reproduced on new tools since this can cause fitting problems... I believe that in some cases they even bought the old tools of the not anymore existing companies to ensure a good fit because you don't want a new dashboard where for example 3 holes are off by 1.5mm and your whole interieur starts screeming /screeching every time you take a left turn or something like that

[@beemz6335]

Wait, they dont make them anymore ? Even not the bmw classic “factory” ?

[@helmutmertes5573]

Takes a lifetime to restore a whole car - awsome!

[@skodakatie7341]

Amazing result, it looks like a new dashboard!!.

[@user-lz7yk4qe7i]

Получил удовольствие от просмотра, желаю удачи 👍🏿

[@RestoreIt]

Спасибо!

[@Alexander_Shcherbey]

Oh, it's amazing. Thx for new video =)

[@RestoreIt]

Thanks!

[@Moocow444]

Beautiful work man, well done!!

[@berylgreen1973]

Beautiful job. Thanks!

[@MohGab]

Hey man, You said maybe within 3 years, the dashboard will crack as your car original one. You can avoid anything like that by using leather moisturizer but add a very thick layer of moisturizer and keep doing that for a week until you feel the leather getting softened. Then you can apply moisturizer once every month or so.

[@RestoreIt]

Sweet thanks for the advice man.. I'll give that a go.

[@UrbExGear]

But I'm almost sure its not leather, most likely vinyl of some sort

[@Thebannedone1]

Hey man, great job as always! Have you considered restoring a cracked one? What would be the ideal scenario to bring back to life such dashboard? I heard some people are rewrapping them with the leather-like material BMW is using. What do you think?

[@RestoreIt]

I'm going to do this exact thing. Maybe with filler and then try to recreate the pattern, or like you said rewrap the entire thing. I now have a spear one to try this on.

[@aarojokinen6690]

Restore It even with filler it will not last long, as the problem is with the dashboard connection to the car. it does not allow for heat expansion or shrinking, so it cracks. flexible connections after dash repair is one way to make it last long

[@DymekED9]

Looks bloody Amazing! Great Job!

[@RestoreIt]

Thanks dude!

[@ricky107_]

no one will look behind this dash but you still make it look amazing

[@Pedro5antos_]

16:47 really interesting! Never heard that linseed oil could be used on dashboards

[@tronm573]

Perfecto!

[@RestoreIt]

Gracias!

[@joaocosta6762]

Mate. I used a nextzett aktiv autobalsam on my e30 dash. It was just like yours and turned out like new. Natural shine, not greasy, long lasting. Keep up. Love your vids and you patience.

[@ozscorpio7]

Awesome and detailed process.

[@Riyazatron]

Vinyl interior paint to restore the colours? Still looked great what you did. Btw, a wire looked loose on the harness on 1 of the connectors. Maybe it's supposed to be like that? thought I'd mention it

[@RestoreIt]

I think i'm going to try a paint system or two for sure. And you're not wrong. It's back in there now.

[@martinm4961]

Right, tonights the night I'm going to get to sleep early... (Restore It uploaded:...) ah well, that was a nice thought.

[@RestoreIt]

Haha! Sorry, it's half two in the afternoon where I am :D

[@lionbolt2136]

There is always a Tomorrow lol

[@outlawedmotors]

Brilliant job, I was restoring an E9 and documenting on KZbin as well. This is inspiring me to get back to the daunting task. I appreciate your level of detail and attention to the looming. One thing I wonder if it’d be worth doing would be checking the continuity of the harness incase and are faulty, may save you chasing electrical troubles down the road. Well done 👍🏼

[@arnhemseptember2009]

Looking perfect already!

[@RestoreIt]

Thanks dude!

[@JeriDro]

how long did this take? great job! I don't mean to nit-pick but why did you not paint the small side brackets as well? just curious

[@RestoreIt]

About a week :) and I zinc plated them instead. Cheers!

[@DooD22]

Clicked so fast this one :D

[@RestoreIt]

Thanks Dood!

[@DooD22]

@@RestoreIt You are welcome! I have a 91 850 i want to restore and watching your videos gave me a lot of tips what do where. Hope you doing good and take care!

[@Dethecus0]

Holy hell! The results from the linseed oil are incredible!

[@RestoreIt]

It really did wonders!

[@vonvilela]

Excelente trabalho...parabéns !!

[@emranurrahman1359]

Depends on the severity of the fading, but heating it up with a hair dryer or hot air gun should help reflow the pigment of the plastic. Just a suggestion, as this method works on restoring faded plastics that have been damaged by uv.

[@RestoreIt]

I'm going to get an adjustable heat gun and try this out

[@jules_228]

@@RestoreIt please dont. You pull out the softener of the plastic when you heat it up. This is why dashboards crack in hot environment. When you try this, your dash will crack sooner as you want.

[@KosovarMods]

Dont heat jt fades and dries out the material even more, use a ceramic trim coating instead !!!

[@Ianmundo]

“after a lot of scraping I remembered that chemicals exist” 😂 cracked me up, we’ve all been there

[@RestoreIt]

Haha, I was there a good 10 minutes before...

[@Coogfan1996]

Dude Yes! I legit LOL. Funny guy that @RestoreIt

[@InstrucTube]

@@RestoreIt It's always the stuff that would be of the MOST help to you in a given situation that you forget about. At least in my experience. That and never being able to find a 10mm socket are my two greatest shop bugbears. EDIT: Rather, not always forgetting about it, but just not being able to find it until after the job is done.

[@billkeller6229]

Bravo! Great result

[@ranazeshan5125]

Outstanding Restoration 👌👌❤❤❤😚

[@puristgreen]

For non-English viewers - "Faff" = "pain in the ass", or as we would say, arse :)

[@RestoreIt]

haha cheers Ben!

[@puristgreen]

@@RestoreIt LOLZ

[@E-hab]

Oh, thanks for the info.

[@leonserya720]

Yeah, I had to look that up.😮

[@JD-ml7cg]

Take it to local shop for a vinyl leather wrap with french stitching. Make its black madrid vinyl as its toughest

[@RestoreIt]

Cheers JD

[@richardwells4370]

What a satisfying video, can’t fault your patience and workmanship .I took the dash board off my 1972 Elan S130 many years ago to replace a faulty fan motor when I started and finally got it all off , the fan motor started working ffs,, what a job, seats out ,Center tunnel out ,under dash trims out, rear seats out , release water pipes. To heater matrix , drop steering column air duct covers out , demise grating ou5 plus a lot more , did it in the end though , I miss my lotus by the way 😩

[@danielsheltonmenezes8728]

I like the methods and the productivity of your job. Keep it up 👍

[@RestoreIt]

Thank Daniel!

[@Eddy999A1]

Never been this early LOL 😂

[@RestoreIt]

Weird sunday post for ya!

[@rickyroller3970]

Me: yeah... that's going to be a good one. Let's see if this deserves a like. Restore it: I got it for ~€150. Me: like. I'm a simple man... what else could I have done...?

[@RestoreIt]

Hahaha Cheers Tester!

[@ceescorner]

I dyed my gray interior to black. I used dawn dish soap as a degreaser, dried, then used acetone on a microfiber before I painted it using duplicolor black interior dye. For low touch area's I did 4 light coats and for high touch like door panels, kick panels and center console I did 10 coats. It was in the car for 6 years 70K miles and did not rub through. Very simple to do.

[@pfupiedu]

Very good skill. I give you 5 stars. So continue with your restoration.

[@samiam7]

I have sprayed several dash boards with high quality spray paint with success. You have to get it very clean first. The plastic parts primer might be a good way to start

[@RestoreIt]

Cheers Sam, interesting to read!

[@lapslups]

Wow. This car must have been through a lot. It looks like that over the years the steering wheel has mooved to the wrong side.

[@The_Angry_BeEconomist]

it's the right side

[@B501R]

@@The_Angry_BeEconomist it was a joke.

[@The_Angry_BeEconomist]

@@B501R so was mine... (as in right hand drive, right side, oh well whatever)

[@zubairmuhammedally960]

Great!! Excellent restoration work!!

[@A-Tango]

Just discovered your channel. Outstanding work!

[@davebuts1921]

I would just keep feeding it Vinyl And Rubber restorer and hope it will not crack, am sure it can't hurt it and only help.

[@RestoreIt]

That's pretty much the plan at the moment :)

[@jacobmay7594]

Tint the heck out of the windows or only park in the shade. You'd be surprised how hard it is to notice a 50% tint on the front window but the dash could have a chance to survive the sun exposure.

[@neohyalite1043]

For a split second I thought the dashboard was some sorta space age saw blade launcher.

[@RestoreIt]

space age saw blade launcher.. sounds great haha

[@Anand_KL]

Excellent. Great video. Thank you.

[@imraninayat3222]

Bro you did a great job

[@heanstone1327]

First!!!!

[@RestoreIt]

You've won Hean! Cheers!

[@Jamoncare]

Maravilloso, un trabajo increible

[@takenostress6099]

Love ur work ! Will be looking for more like this from u 🇮🇳

[@ChristianBiggins]

I've never wanted to buy a random dash so much before in my life. Great vid, thanks!

[@gamalosman4775]

awesome job man i've been waiting for this car forever hope it ends well :)

[@shimronnetia]

GREAT JOB

[@yonathanzavala3205]

Wow!!! Dude... Awesome job!!! I love it..

[@BluVergilWolf]

Не перестану удивляться и с улыбкой смотреть на это, красота

[@RestoreIt]

хорошо спасибо большое!

[@ati246]

Vay be , helal olsun , harika oldu.

[@WorkingAxle]

Dash looks awesome man. Nice work!

[@Diamant254Music]

It so soothing to wacth your videos!!

[@RestoreIt]

Thanks Diamant! Glad to hear it.

[@vwjedii]

Very nice result! I've restored my dashboard with "Cif" cream as cleaning base and low-silicone waxing coat as a top layer. But if you're using chemistry for cleaning something, you need to work fast and remove it before the surface will faded up or became "smoky". Will try your method next time. Thanks for video, man!

Amazing job. Great Video. Txs.

[@romus2730]

Super. Good job.

[@spreadrunner]

crazy restore, man ur d best, i enjoy every video u post.

[@Budivedder]

Nice restoration

[@georgimihalkov4781]

Great video as always! Keep up the good work!

[@RestoreIt]

Cheers Ivo :D

[@PaulinesPastimes]

It looks beautiful. Cheers

[@RestoreIt]

Thank you as always Pauline

[@Lot76CARS]

Impressive results, well done

[@CrazyCat229]

Quick tip on the dash. Put the foam around the inside front of everything installed into the dash to make the vents and even the gauge cluster not rub and rattle. This is where 90% of all the rattles/squeaks come from. I would even put that foam on the edges of the dash that touches the metal of the car anywhere. You will never know it's there and the lack of squeaking and rattling down the road will make you very happy.

[@LJGrindewald]

Great work dude! 😁

[@RestoreIt]

Cheers Liam!

[@LJGrindewald]

@@RestoreIt you're welcome! 😁

[@ahmedqasim7761]

That was really awesome well done man 👍👍👍👌👌👌

[@kieranmann9761]

Very impressive!! Great job

[@RestoreIt]

Thanks a lot Kieran!

[@michaelhasse2568]

Painted several dashes w/ sem vinyl paint. Great stuff, been on one dash over 10 years & looks new. Use sem flex primer

[@weswright3187]

So that’s the go! Pull the entire dash out of the car. I had an E21 which caused me endless drama with leaking vents, detached stuff etc. I couldn’t get to anything properly. Good work and great courage.

[@josecancello957]

Good clean and complete job.

[@RestoreIt]

Cheers Jose

[@acamon1966]

Its amazing, great job

[@RestoreIt]

Thank you so much 😀

[@nathanbackner8742]

When i had a detail shop we only used Murphys oil soap on leather and vinyl it cleaned well left a nice shine and conditions. And it smells amazing.