Score!

Went down to B&R wrecking to check out the CD changer cable to a Z3. I have a CD33 head unit, and a Dice adapter, just need the cables. Got them, the car I pulled them out of had a CD33 head unit, so hopefully it will work with the iPod adapter.

However, while I was there I found a set of e46 sport manual seats and also got the Z3 shifter lever.

Here they are test-mounted in the car. Turns out the front holes line up perfectly. The rears are too far back so they are only test mounted at this point.
The seat belts even clip into the new mounts perfectly. On the e28 the rear holes are lower then the front ones, but I have washers to compensate for that. Also, as mounted they are probably just a hair off center, a little too close to the center console with too much gap on the outside. Not sure if I'll do a custom mount or just drill holes in the back of the rails and leave as is.

Huuuuge improvement over stock. No slop, tons of adjustment, and they look mint. Seems frivolous but I've found a firm seat really improves the connection to the car and the feel of solidity.

Also in this pic you can see there is a slight tilt to the passenger seat. Just a matter of shimming with washers. I did that on the driver's seat and it's perfectly level.

I also found an Autozone on the way back and picked up the $20 cheap-o shift knob I've been using in the 318is. I like it because it's weighted, and clean. The knob that was on the car was in pretty poor shape, and when I went to remove it, it became clear it had been glued on, so I had to cut it off. Apparently it came loose at some point so they just glued it on.

The Bentley manual from Amazon ($40) also arrived today, as well as a mint set of e38 style 5 16" wheels ($250 delivered, I'll cover those when I install them). Since I already have a set of SP8000 tires in the correct size for them, they are a perfect fit. However, I won't mount them till I get the suspension sorted out and a proper alignment done, as the alignment is currently waaay out of spec.

While inspecting the underside of the car I did also notice that there has been some welding on the steering box mount. This is a common failure item on this car. I'll have to see if it's still solid. If not I'll have to drop the front subframe and get it welded and reinforced. A little labor intensive but a pretty cheap job if it needs it.

Cost: $545