Shadowline Installation

[VentoGT]

Hi Guys--

Searched for this but found nothing except tape stuff...my shadowline comes in Monday and I wanted to make sure there aren't any 'gotchas' with installing it. I have ordered the clips as well, but the trim is very delicate and I don't want to trash my new trim..

Any directions, heads-ups, etc are greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
Cole

[markus]

where did u order it from and how much? i was thinking about doing this instead of painting because it seems like theres too many nooks and crannies u cant get to with a rattle can such as the end of the strips on the doors and the rear doors on the inside.

[VentoGT]

I have a local guy who knows his BMW dealer well and gets a discount--he ordered it for me. Otherwise, I would have ordered from www.abrahamsmotorsport.com --Mel is a good guy and has good pricing. He had a few kits in stock early in the year I think...I will warn you it is far from cheap, at around $500-$600, so if you are on a budget you will want to consider your options [taping, etc] before going this route.

[VentoGT]

BUMP...come on guys I know many of you have pulled and installed your trim or shadowlined...I just want to get some tips to ensure my investment is not ruined by my semi-unskilled hands

[Duke3]

BUMP...come on guys I know many of you have pulled and installed your trim or shadowlined...I just want to get some tips to ensure my investment is not ruined by my semi-unskilled hands

If your doing the trim on the top of the doors you may want to get the weather stripping that goes underneath the trim. It is a pain to remove from the old trim without bending it. I was able to use two of the weatherstrips, but ruined the ohter two. with new weather strip you just place it in position on the door lip and gently tap the trim down, using a rubber mallet. the trim is very easy to bend. the trim around the doors is pretty straight forward. remove the rear first then the front. make sure you have new clips & grommets

[VentoGT]

Thanks Duke--I did in fact order all new clips and the new weatherstripping as I figured mine would be knackered once it came off. I am not worried about bending the old trim as it is trash--I just want to make sure I don't scratch the paint at all or anything taking it off.

[Denton]

Dunno Cole...

I had to replace my chrome window trim strip, and boy was that a bitch. The side mirrors will have to come off for sure.

Don't tempt yourself with a hammer...YOU WILL BEND THE TRIM!

Good luck!

[VentoGT]

Denton, any pics of the Turbines yet? Thanks for the heads up. Looking forward to [hopefully] having a clean shadowlined car this weekend.

[Denton]

Denton, any pics of the Turbines yet? Thanks for the heads up. Looking forward to [hopefully] having a clean shadowlined car this weekend.

Just the pics that I posted when they came back with the lips machine-finished. The turbine covers are just how they were before...I didn't refinish them because I'm not going to run them. I haven't mounted the wheels yet, and won't until summer, so I can figure out if I want an E39 or not. Don't killl me!

Hope all goes well with the install...it'll be even more beautiful! You may need a buddy. You're a big dude but some of this stuff requires some strength and force.

Hell, you could even do a writeup!

[VentoGT]

Glad to hear that you are getting the wheels proper before mounting them. Go drive an e39 and you will know which car is for you. The e39 is great [my Dad had a 528i manual in 1998-2000 which I loved] but for me the e34 takes the cake [especially the M5 ]

Pics coming soon for all of the changes I have made [shadowline, Euro Smileys, HID, French Fog lights, e36 3 spoke airbag steering wheel]