Elephant skin

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84E24

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I am looking to replace the Elephant Skin in the trunk.
In the past posts the only company mentioned was
Veteran Co. in LA. I went to their site and there was
no mention of "Elephant Skin" as a color.... Has anyone
purchased from them and what color code did you order?

Thanks,
 
I went a step further and tried to contact the Vet-owned company and got no response. I eventually found some reasonable approximation material at a JoAnn Fabric shop. I have yet to install it and I would be interested in learning of a more appropriate source.

Along the same line, I am also looking to replace or repair the molded shock / spring tower skins. Has anyone bought these at the dealer or anywhere else? I seen them left "simply painted" and I think it wouldn't be to hard to make a soft vinyl cover for them. Ideas?
 
I guess the "elephant skins" you refer to are the molded plastic with grain pattern that cover the shock towers. I have similar molded covers on the shock towers on my 1978 euro 635. These covers are usually cracked and broken. Thay are of course NLA for e9 coupes, early e24 cars, etc.

The covers look so bad I wondered for a long time what to do. I just recently covered them with trunk material and they look terific now. Better than new. The trick is finding the appropriate material.

I would post a pics but haventing figured that out yet.

The best material is that which is normally used to redo trunks in older cars, hot rods etc. It is available at wholsale auto interior fabric shops. The trunk material patterns available are similar to the BMW trunk mat patterns and trunk carpet patterns. The material is also flexible enough to go around curves without wrinkles and minimum cuts.

This may work for e9 coupes too.
 
I recently bought the grey vinyl from:
http://www.wallothnesch.com

The pattern was identical with the original material. However, the back of the vinyl had a "soft foam" which makes it rather tricky to glue to the sides of the trunk.

Regards, Per
 
Elephant

When the term elephant skin is used, I have always thought that meant the cloth-backed vinyl that covers the floor boards, sides and rear panel. I bought mine from Veteran Co in person, it is not on their web-site however. If you call and explain what you want (70's BMW grey cloth-backed heavy vinyl for the trunk). The price was reasonable. They did not have the much thinner material for the trunk lid which they described as more of a plastic material.

I was just on the Maximillian site and they have a listing for both L&R hard plastic wheel well covers for about $155 each. Someone ought to check that out!
 
Elephant skinning--3 kinds

It seems the term "elephant skin" is now being used to describe all of the gray colored coverings originally used to cover inner surfaces of the trunk area--actually--in a stock original car there were three different types of "elephant skin" used:

1) a robust material with pebbled texture and fuzzy backing that was glued to the outside of the trunk area--or if you prefer--the inside surfaces of the rear fenders and the covering of the formed pressed paper that covers the inside rear of the trunk compartment--originally held in place by 5 small s/s screws.

2) similar in appearance but of a lighter weight material without the fuzzy backing is used for trunkboards, and over the pressed board cover on the underside of the decklid around the toolbox.

3) a completely different material was the formed and brittle two piece plastic covers (with a thin foam backing) over the inner wheel arches and around the top of the shock towers--the ones that are rarely intact from years of abuse and neglect that so many E-9's have experienced.

NOTE in the case of CSL's very little if any of the "elephant skin" was present-- weight saving--and to think--for less material content--there are many who lust to pay much more--this I struggle to understand.
 
FYI

Contacted the Veteran Co. and ask for the Elephant
Skin and was told that a guy in Chicago purchased
their entire stock of the 12 year old original material.
In turn, contacted the guy in Chicago and he will
only do the job and not sell the material seperate.
He does interiors for The Work Shop.

Thanks,
 
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