Hi Guys ;
After knowing the price of Belt Molding fasteners being over $100 I decided to improvize. I had wondered a while back if using nylon bolts,nuts and washers would be an option instead of stainless steel. After a short search on the web I found a company in Ct.with what I needed,with a total cost of under $15.00. And the best part is they won't scratch the paint surface.I used 6/32 X 3/4" slotted pan head machine screws which worked well by grinding down the dome of the bolt and squaring off two sides of the head so there was no overhang over the width of the bolt making it fit into the hole,however I may go to a larger 8/32 and have much less play in the hole.
Finger tight only! A total savings of approx. $90 and you cant see them to get laughed at by the real purist. Total time to gring down 45 bolt heads on a grinding wheel less than one half of an hour.
Second tip is replacing belt moldings with original BMW pieces. I had purchased from a previous 2000CS owner 7 or 8 front left side wing moldings even though I only needed one. After trying to locate some decent used moldings without any luck I had an idea to take the front left wing molding
and straighten it out and use it on the right wing. Off course the angles on both edges had to be cut to line up with the door and the front nose molding. This was quite simple using a hack saw. I than measured and marked the two ends of the two door moldings. The problem than became filling in the ends with an endcap which I thought would be the hardest job. Not so! the end caps on the original molding pushes out with very little effort,and pushes back into the fresh cut with a simple trim. Total savings = $100s total time less than an hour.
My third money saving tip is making the the two used rear wing moldings shine like the new front and door moldings. I decided to give it a try. Using first a chrome cleaner to get the grit off,I than took steel wool and scuffed the whole length.It looked like I made a big mistakebecause ut totally scratched the surface.I than took 1500 grit sandpaper used by body shops to wet sand scatches in clear coat finishes,and scuffed the entire scratched surface. This gave it a little smoother finish with some shine.Next I used 2000 grit paper which itself seems smooth and went over the surface again. Now it was looking like I knew what I was doing. Still not satisfied with the finish I used a rouch stick that is used by jewelers and applied it to a cotton buffing wheel and buffed the entire surface resulting in a smooth high shine gleaming finish.total time for the two rear molding was approx. 3 hours. Just to let you know that before I attempted this I went to a metal finisher who quoted me a minimum price of $160 to a max of $200. Total savings $320 to $400.
I'm not bragging but I due to a two year leave of absense from work because of health issues I am not in a position to be a purist. Now the rest of the mechanical work done by my son is totally PURE BMW.
Anyone who has any questions on these money saving tips please do not hesitate to ask.
Thanks for taking the time.
Koopman
After knowing the price of Belt Molding fasteners being over $100 I decided to improvize. I had wondered a while back if using nylon bolts,nuts and washers would be an option instead of stainless steel. After a short search on the web I found a company in Ct.with what I needed,with a total cost of under $15.00. And the best part is they won't scratch the paint surface.I used 6/32 X 3/4" slotted pan head machine screws which worked well by grinding down the dome of the bolt and squaring off two sides of the head so there was no overhang over the width of the bolt making it fit into the hole,however I may go to a larger 8/32 and have much less play in the hole.
Finger tight only! A total savings of approx. $90 and you cant see them to get laughed at by the real purist. Total time to gring down 45 bolt heads on a grinding wheel less than one half of an hour.
Second tip is replacing belt moldings with original BMW pieces. I had purchased from a previous 2000CS owner 7 or 8 front left side wing moldings even though I only needed one. After trying to locate some decent used moldings without any luck I had an idea to take the front left wing molding
and straighten it out and use it on the right wing. Off course the angles on both edges had to be cut to line up with the door and the front nose molding. This was quite simple using a hack saw. I than measured and marked the two ends of the two door moldings. The problem than became filling in the ends with an endcap which I thought would be the hardest job. Not so! the end caps on the original molding pushes out with very little effort,and pushes back into the fresh cut with a simple trim. Total savings = $100s total time less than an hour.
My third money saving tip is making the the two used rear wing moldings shine like the new front and door moldings. I decided to give it a try. Using first a chrome cleaner to get the grit off,I than took steel wool and scuffed the whole length.It looked like I made a big mistakebecause ut totally scratched the surface.I than took 1500 grit sandpaper used by body shops to wet sand scatches in clear coat finishes,and scuffed the entire scratched surface. This gave it a little smoother finish with some shine.Next I used 2000 grit paper which itself seems smooth and went over the surface again. Now it was looking like I knew what I was doing. Still not satisfied with the finish I used a rouch stick that is used by jewelers and applied it to a cotton buffing wheel and buffed the entire surface resulting in a smooth high shine gleaming finish.total time for the two rear molding was approx. 3 hours. Just to let you know that before I attempted this I went to a metal finisher who quoted me a minimum price of $160 to a max of $200. Total savings $320 to $400.
I'm not bragging but I due to a two year leave of absense from work because of health issues I am not in a position to be a purist. Now the rest of the mechanical work done by my son is totally PURE BMW.
Anyone who has any questions on these money saving tips please do not hesitate to ask.
Thanks for taking the time.
Koopman
