Shadowlined, w/ pics!

[SC David]

UPDATED on pg.4



I painted the chrome trim around the windows this past weekend. I had it taped off a few years ago, but the tape shrunk a little bit and didn't look as good so I peeled it off. Finally I did the more permanent thing. I had today off work and it wasn't foggy for once, so I took a short trip and took some pictures.

Before:

http://img157.imageshack.us/img157/5296/p1010076copybf2.jpg




After:

http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/4162/p1010003copygo1.jpg

http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/5871/fortpointe348copy2md3.jpg

http://img81.imageshack.us/img81/3998/fortpointe3412copy2cw2.jpg

[SC David]

http://img82.imageshack.us/img82/783/fortpointe3410copy2zg7.jpg


The awkward angle for John K.

http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/4306/fortpointe3441copy2tu2.jpg



Cliche Asian tourists jumping out of their car to take pictures without seeing me a few feet away with the tripod setup and everything:

http://img81.imageshack.us/img81/7417/fortpointe3417smalluo9.jpg

One of them took a picture of my car, and I loled.

THEN there was a cliche gay couple that drove up playing Blondie in their Beetle, and started bickering about how to work their little point and shoot digicam. I again loled.

http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/1222/fortpointe3438smallmi3.jpg




Anyways, I've got H&R springs that have been sitting in the garage for a month waiting to be installed, and some KYB shocks on the way, so that should FINALLY get done within a week.

[Yiorgos]

Look swwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwweeeeeeeettttttttttttttttt.

That Beetle looks like it's caulked shut. I have the same rims as you (stockies) but for some reason they don't look half as bad on your car ;)

What's that badge on your back between left rear tail light and licence plate?

[Kakaire]

Very Nice Job, do you mind sharing the procedures.

[GoldenOne]

did you take the trim off? or did you just mask off everything around it?

[DABIMR]

Very Nice Job, do you mind sharing the procedures.
Exactly!! You know the routine, document, procedures, parts, (during pics), etc.!;) Also, where did you get the Euro smileys, ebay?

[liquidtiger720]

Now its time for you to do mine for me :)

[hakwuzhere]

Great pics.... very nice looking shadowline... Ive got the tape on mine, and while its holding, I can still see the seams when Im 2ft away(Im sure no one else can)... but I think Im going to redo it with paint.


ROFL... I thought to myself for a second, wow, he musta gotten up early to take those pics.... then I remembered your on the left coast :p

[1995 525i]

did you take the trim off? or did you just mask off everything around it?


Aweseom job on the shadowline. I am a huge fan of the transformation your car makes after having it done.

For those of you who want to know how it works see my posts on the subject.

Not sure how it was done here but here is how I did it:


removed trim (bought replacement clips cause I broke most while removing them)(use a towel to cover your interior chrome pieces as you will need to use a leve of some kind to pry the trim off on the lower part of the door)

sanded trim until smooth
washed
sanded some more
sprayed on 3 coats self etching primer (purchased at autozone)
then sprayed on 4 coats of good black paint.
I let each coat dry for at least 30 minutes
DO NOT LEAVE THE TRIM ON WHILE YOUPAINT! I did that and it didn't last which I believe is because I wasn't able to sand it good enough while it was still on the car. Plus I got some overspray on my car. :(



Michael

[califblue]

Yeah, what liquidtiger720 said, and I well provide all the BEER!

[liquidtiger720]

Yeah, what liquidtiger720 said, and I well provide all the BEER!



But you have to drive up here to the Bay! :p

[saj3n]

I will have to redo mine as well. I can start seeing the seams and where my "fast driving" has taken a toll on the tape. I must do this now! :-D Thanks for the info. I assume same process to do the front grill?

[1995 525i]

I will have to redo mine as well. I can start seeing the seams and where my "fast driving" has taken a toll on the tape. I must do this now! :-D Thanks for the info. I assume same process to do the front grill?

Yup same process. Make sure you sand it really good and clean it really good. Coat it with the self etching primer. That is the key.

Thanks,

Michael

[1991 525i Novs]

what kind of bulbs do u have in your city lights,

car looks great man

[HDhandyman]

Pictures look f**king great!!!

*idea seems to be brewing*:D

[Qube]

Very, very sexy :)

I have white vinyl tape... I wonder if I should do it on my car heh.

[NY535iManual]

Shadowline looks really sweet. Maybe we should have a regional shadowline party. You know, help paint everyone's chrome, talk about who's cute, maybe a pillow fight or some prank calls...

[Kulasstar]

ill bring the ice cream and cookie dough

[saj3n]

ill bring the ice cream and cookie dough

I'll bring the Drinks!

[SC David]

Haha you guys are too much! :D I did mine the ghetto fast way, which is the way I have repainted everything on my car. That is to say I did a whole lot of masking and used a whole lot of newspaper, and practically taped off the entire car. If I had to do it again, I would definitely take the trim off and do it that way. Leaving it on the car meant that I didn't have to go to the dealer and order new clips, but the downside was that I didn't get full coverage on the areas underneath the rubber door seals.

The paint I used was a Krylon semi gloss black with a built in primer, so all I had to do was clean off the trim really well, and then spray 4 or 5 layers over it. By no means is it a perfect job, and some areas don't look so hot upclose, but for 2 hours of work I'm happy. I would NOT do it this way on a car of any color other than black due to the fact that there was a little bit of overspray. I wouldn't trust myself on a white car...sorry Josh, maybe we can do it the right way on your car!

[SC David]

what kind of bulbs do u have in your city lights,

car looks great man
City lights use the exact same bulbs from your sidemarkers, so if you put in the eurotrim to eliminate those you just transfer them up and, viola!

And yes, these are the Depo lights off eBay.

[Alexlind123]

City lights use the exact same bulbs from your sidemarkers, so if you put in the eurotrim to eliminate those you just transfer them up and, viola!

And yes, these are the Depo lights off eBay.

You have a really nice car and you take really good pictures. You have no idea how impressed i am with your car/photography What camera were you using?

If the photo contest were now, i would vote SCdavids car as my #1 pic without hesitation. I thought JonK took good pictures until i saw these. Pictures like these make me sad to think that some day these cars will be very rare...

[Gayle]

Very nice David. I think this calls for a first hand inspection. Sharkfest?

[liquidtiger720]

Gayle is going to sharkfest?


I dont even know when it is. haha. didnt it pass?

[Nick.Hay]

All of the above!!

Great pics... Great looking car!!

The shadowline on the black look ****-hot!!

[Airborne001]

Anyone have any pics of what this would look like on a white car?

[shuriken]

Looks a sweet job SC. Really suits the car.
BTW. Is that a rear spiler from an E39 on your boot lid? Sorry, trunk? Like to see a closer pic of that as want to put one on mine but never seen an E34 with one.

[Lennyz525i]

Great great pictures. Looks really stunning.

[SC David]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the compliments!


Very nice David. I think this calls for a first hand inspection. Sharkfest?
Ooh, what was the timing on that again? Depending on how my school schedule rolls out, I'd be down.


Is that a rear spiler from an E39 on your boot lid? Sorry, trunk? Like to see a closer pic of that as want to put one on mine but never seen an E34 with one.
It is indeed, I'm surprized you caught that in the pictures. This is a closer up shot.

http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/4222/p10100444ql.jpg

[angrypancake]

Anyone have any pics of what this would look like on a white car?


here's on a silver ///M5
http://www.strictlybmw.com/albums/album03/jeff_kappler_silver_e34_m5_04.sized.jpg

and a white ///M5
http://www.m5board.com/photopost/data/503/17542m5_3_6_a.jpg

[Gayle]

Gayle is going to sharkfest?


I dont even know when it is. haha. didnt it pass?



Pacific Sharkfest-Monterey-September 21-24 (http://www.pacificsharkfest.com/about2.htm)

Josh and David--We need a Bimmerfest reunion. I have been talking with Mike about the logistics of going to Sharkfest. I may fly to San Jose as Southwest has $49 tickets. Would you be up for it? It's practically in your back yard. I was thinking of Saturday the 23rd.

[liquidtiger720]

I'd be up for it and will give you a difinitive answer when it gets closer. (work schedules/school projects can't be planned this early, haha).

By that time, I'll be living in Santa Cruz. :)

[shuriken]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the compliments!


Ooh, what was the timing on that again? Depending on how my school schedule rolls out, I'd be down.


It is indeed, I'm surprized you caught that in the pictures. This is a closer up shot.

http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/4222/p10100444ql.jpg

Cheers mate. Now i really want one!!:D

[Atl530i]

Nice, I did the same to my car also. I did the grille too. I like your photography too.

[DABIMR]

Nice, I did the same to my car also. I did the grille too. I like your photography too.
Hey Justin.. I see you're in Atlanta (ATL530i)? There's a mini-meet next week in Alpharetta, details here (http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=567286), you should come along and help represent the E34 folk, I hope to be there..:p

[saj3n]

Do you by chance remember the part numbers for the clips needed? Im looking to repaint mine sometime this week.

[SC David]

Do you by chance remember the part numbers for the clips needed? Im looking to repaint mine sometime this week.
I did it the wrong way, and left it on the car :(

Maybe someone will chime in.

[jjdickm]

I am deffinitly going to have that done when I get my new paint job.

[mattyb]

very tasteful david. looks like u did a great job. now if u could just come over here and paint my car balck that would be fkn great.

[SC David]

BUMP!

Okay, this is totally unintentional, but I went near the same location again today and it just so happens it's exactly a year later! I wanted to bump this thread to show the progress of approximately a year later, and I was surprised to find that July 19th was when I shadowlined the car last year. Now it has springs, wheels, black grill...etc. Best part was that I was complaining about my camera last year, and I've started pouring less money into the car, and more into camera equipment. I've gone through 2 DSLR's in the past 6 months, and now have a Canon 20D and a bunch of lenses. Enough with the chatter, here are a couple of pics:

This one is a kinda lame attempt at HDR:
http://img243.imageshack.us/img243/3905/71907gg047copy8copy9copuf0.jpg


This one I thought turned out a little better with a standard exposure:

http://img256.imageshack.us/img256/4844/71907gg057copyhz4.jpg

[Macv]

OMG that second shot is gorgeous. Would you happen to have a higher-res of it?

[pmlmotorsports]

http://img82.imageshack.us/img82/783/fortpointe3410copy2zg7.jpg


The awkward angle for John K.

http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/4306/fortpointe3441copy2tu2.jpg



Cliche Asian tourists jumping out of their car to take pictures without seeing me a few feet away with the tripod setup and everything:

http://img81.imageshack.us/img81/7417/fortpointe3417smalluo9.jpg

One of them took a picture of my car, and I loled.

THEN there was a cliche gay couple that drove up playing Blondie in their Beetle, and started bickering about how to work their little point and shoot digicam. I again loled.

http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/1222/fortpointe3438smallmi3.jpg




Anyways, I've got H&R springs that have been sitting in the garage for a month waiting to be installed, and some KYB shocks on the way, so that should FINALLY get done within a week.

I'd hold-off on those KYB shocks and strut inserts........they will make you wish you never wasted the time installing them.........absolutely the WORST riding shock on the market......and when combined with lowering springs, FORGET IT !!

[BFEINZIMER]

im thinkin about doing Koni's from Dinan after i buy my shadowline in the next few weeks

im doing oem sadowline for about 475 all around outside

[Macv]

I'd hold-off on those KYB shocks and strut inserts........they will make you wish you never wasted the time installing them.........absolutely the WORST riding shock on the market......and when combined with lowering springs, FORGET IT !!

Sounds promising. ;)

[SC David]

I'd hold-off on those KYB shocks and strut inserts........they will make you wish you never wasted the time installing them.........absolutely the WORST riding shock on the market......and when combined with lowering springs, FORGET IT !!Haha tell me about it! I heard some good things from a few members who had lowered their cars with them...but even my car, which is the lightest of the American E34's, bottoms out on them quite a bit. I've told everyone considering them to avoid them at all costs. The ride was nice for a few weeks until they were broken in, then they became WAY too soft. The car is fine for cruising and gentle daily driving, but as soon as I take a turn hard and hit a bump, I hear that grotesque 'CRUNCH'. You can even see how much the car leans under moderate cornering speeds in my sig. I'll upgrade to Koni's when I've absolutely had enough.

[BMWDriver]

Thanks for bringing this up. I'm also considering this job. I've just redone the door window frames on the driver's side with semi-gloss black, topped with a clear coat. Looks better than it did already (rust).

I had done the wiper arms a couple of weeks back to test out my painting skills and equipment (read: cans). They were also rusted pretty badly.

I might actually do them on the car, because I don't have access to painting facilities (I'm in a 600 sq. ft appartment with no backyard or garage to fool around).

[saj3n]

I'm loving that second pic too! Ef 14mm lens?

[SC David]

I'm loving that second pic too! Ef 14mm lens?Thanks. Actually I was using a Tokina 12-24mm F/4 lens.