Assembly sequence example

Johan_CS2800

Johan_CS2800

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Hi guys,

I have a question for you, since a lot of you have already assemblied your car from scratch.
After two years I'm nearly done with the bodywork, so hopefully in a few months (after the paint job) I can start with the assembly.
Is there anynone who has an example/template I can follow to assembly my car? I'm mainly worried I'll start with assembling and have to take things apart again because I forgot something crucial.

Any help is welcome! Thanks in advance!

greetings,
Johan
 
To some extent, unless you are a miracle planner and have gathered every part you need already, the approach will depend on the availability of parts, many of which you have no idea that you need until you need them. My only advice would be to get the dash in and the headliner and covering of the pillars in first before the front and rear glass goes in and of course, put the front seats in last so you have all that room to work inside.
 
Grrat thread to build knowledge!
Warmly inviting people that did it to add
. I'll volunteer to build an DIY out of this threads' input.

I'd start with insulation, followed by the wiring harness. Then brake and fuel lines.
But I'm guessing, as I've only managed to DIS assemble my car for now.

I'm thinking dash comes first, followed by the pedalbox (i think...)

Dash; can you actually pre install the cluster (gauge) hood and defrosted vents?

At what time do you install the heater cluster?

Then a and c- pillar trimming.
Headliner comes before A and C- pillar trim as the black vinyl pillar trim overlays on the headliner. (Or was it the other way around ? I'll dig up a photo of my tear down.)

The doors also have a specific build sequence, as the glass obstructs a lot.
I have quite some pics from those parts, so let me see what I can add on that corner of the car.

I'm guessing trunk area is quite logic and independent of the rest of the car, bar wiring and fuel lines.
 
i agree with a lot of what Erik has stated
1. trunk i a stand alone and can be done whenever you are ready. the only critical thing is to get the wiring in place before you get too far along.

2. axles / steering / suspension - get it rolling around. if the engine is out, i would move the steering suspension to after the wiring harness and put it in when you put the engine in place - after you have easily crawled around the engine compartment.

3. i very much agree that any cleaning / insulation is the first step. both inside the car and in the engine bay / firewall. i skipped the insulation on the fender tops and would probably recommend spraying the inner fenders with insulation rather than putting the asphalt stuff on top of the fenders.

4. wiring is definitely next - get your harness sorted out with any changes (lighting, windows, injection, etc.), check all of the connectors. retape and run it with new grommets and refinished harness clips.

5. gas lines, brake lines ... you want the harness in place before you start this work.
 
The gauge cluster hood is attached to the upper dash but I left those two screws out making it easier to install gauges.
 
bluecoupe30! said:
I cannot imagine not installing that dreaded heater/a/c matrix before everything else gets attached. One of the most cursed jobs on the E9. Best of luck and keep us posted.
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I agree.

Based on my recent DIS assembly (right there with @eriknetherlands). I'd say 90% of the complexity is in the interior assembly.

Insulation
Pillar trim
Wiring
Headliner (I didn't remove mine)
Heater
AC
Shifter console
Pedal box
Pedals
Dash tray
Demister vents (not quite sure of this sequence)
Lower dash pad
Dash and Instruments
Upper dash pad and instrument cowl (final positioning of demisters?)
Steering column
Door edge trims and piping (riveted on)

Door latches and locks
Side mirror mounting
Side belt line trim (at least doors and rear quarters)
Door windows
Rear side windows
Window trims (doors, and rear - multiple pieces)

Front and rear glass
Glass trims (exterior)

Package tray (why do they cal it this? :rolleyes:)

Rear seat belts

Shift console sides
Dash under cover
Glove box
Fuse box hatch

Rear arm rests/side cards
Door cards

Carpets
Door sill trims

And then there is the under carriage, drivetrain, engine bay, lights, bumpers and roundels..

And at the very end, the fabled red screwdriver....:cool:
 
Headliner folds over on itself at the pillars and then goes over the vinyl covered pillars, ie per Erik "the other way around". Also the vinyl on the back pillars has to go on before the glass because the rear gasket actually goes over a portion of the pillar vinyl to help hold it in place.
 
HB Chris said:
The worse job is removing and reinstalling the a/c evaporator box!
Click to expand...
As you pointed out, mine had the extra special addition of two hoses bodged onto the sides of the evaporator duct leading to two vents that some PO drilled in the right and left sides of the dash..I'm in there wedged into the car wondering WTF are THESE? totally in the way, creating additional chaos...
sfdon said:
In Canada for that job tomorrow….
Let the fun begin…
Click to expand...
Somebody must REALLY hate that task to fly you in to do the heater!!
 
I’ll add to this question with regards to engine bay. I have everything out but I somewhat removed it in a piecemeal fashion. The obvious answer is “just reverse what you did”, but I suspect there are some parts easier done before others. Here was my plan, adjust/comment as needed
1. Run brake lines along firewall
2. Install insulation on firewall
3. Replace all wiring into position
4. Reinstall brake booster and brake master cylinder
5. Pre install some of the hoses that go into the firewall since they are a bit hard to get to once the engine is in (not sure about this)
6. Put engine back in
7. Reinstall all parts on the upper half of the engine bay - ignition coil, expansion tanks, power steering tank, etc.
8. Install radiator and fan and then hoses
 
Lots of bits and pieces in here that are really good advice. I just went through a lot of this myself assembling from scratch, and will give a few bits of my findings:

There is no comprehensive list anywhere I have found, and many steps can be done interchangeably without too many problems. Also, you absolutely will do things over (and maybe over again) despite the best planning: out of order on a small thing, wrong hardware, forgot a part, something doesn't work, etc.

A few areas are critical to do in order. Ones that come to mind are:
  1. running all the hard lines (hydraulics, fuel, etc) before something big like an engine is in the way, but after the subframes/suspension/brakes are in. If you are making these lines, everything you need to connect to must already be in (brakes, master cylinder, etc.), which could change the order for you, and you may want to remove the brake booster after again, before installing the engine.
  2. Easier to install the A/C condensor before the motor, but definitely before the radiator
  3. Running the wiring after insulation, but before most anything else on the interior. I did mine after the pedal box, but probably would have been easier without that in the way
  4. Hook up as much of the fuse block wires as possible (and check them) before sliding it into position. If you want the bulk of wires to go through the mounting bracket, you can actually slide the full wired block through at just the right angle. changing wires once they are through that bracket is difficult
  5. Deal with sunroof drains while the interior is empty as possible, before headliner
  6. Get carpet, upper pillars and headliner in pretty early after wiring. Once the headliner is in, get the interior aluminum trim in place to hold the edge well
  7. Order of the front interior is absolutely critical (carpet, pillar trim, HVAC, dash parts, console. Many of these will only be accessible sequentially. To me, this was the single most important order, and one where we do need a comprehensive step by step. I almost posted one a few weeks ago, probably worth doing one in the DIY section
  8. Make sure everything electrical is working both a piece at a time and in total before you install the upper dash, lower dash, center console sides or lower interior trim. Otherwise you may need to dig/pull apart to solve.
  9. Leave all exterior trim, grills, lights, rubber till very late just in case you need to fix any paint after all that assmbly
  10. Front/rear windows, hood and doors come near the end. As mentioned, trunk is sort of independent (inside and lid), do it whenever you want
 
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e9Leveque said:
I’ll add to this question with regards to engine bay. I have everything out but I somewhat removed it in a piecemeal fashion. The obvious answer is “just reverse what you did”, but I suspect there are some parts easier done before others. Here was my plan, adjust/comment as needed
1. Run brake lines along firewall
2. Install insulation on firewall
3. Replace all wiring into position
4. Reinstall brake booster and brake master cylinder
5. Pre install some of the hoses that go into the firewall since they are a bit hard to get to once the engine is in (not sure about this)
6. Put engine back in
7. Reinstall all parts on the upper half of the engine bay - ignition coil, expansion tanks, power steering tank, etc.
8. Install radiator and fan and then hoses
Click to expand...
I really think you have this all wrong. The goal is self flagellation, not order!! Put that engine in first. The the motor mounts, the driveline and then the trans. Only after that install the AC condenser, and then the booster and after that the brake lines. Oh, and important, make sure all the glass is in before installing any interior bits. Be sure the entire interior is in before installing the heater, and remember the heater must be filled with coolant BEFORE installation to avoid vapor lock!! :p
 
I would not know how to tackle a task unless I took it apart and saved all the bits in their separate bags, then put each assembly together at least three times because I forgot to do the tasks in the right order....wait....oh crap, that's what we're trying to avoid....
 
ScottAndrews said:
I really think you have this all wrong. The goal is self flagellation, not order!! Put that engine in first. The the motor mounts, the driveline and then the trans. Only after that install the AC condenser, and then the booster and after that the brake lines. Oh, and important, make sure all the glass is in before installing any interior bits. Be sure the entire interior is in before installing the heater, and remember the heater must be filled with coolant BEFORE installation to avoid vapor lock!! :p
Click to expand...
LOL, I had enough self flagellation doing all the bodywork...
 
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