Discussion
As long as it's solid I can always sort the cosmetics later on. Is your E30 there now? I saw the yellow one that Joe had just sorted the wiring on.
This is a link to my E21 > http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
This is a link to my E21 > http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
No problem.
If I were looking for an M3 to actually use, as opposed to getting one as an investment, I would opt for an earlier car without any extras fitted. It also depends if you're a stickler for originality or not? I knew I wanted things like carbon air box and uprated suspension, so my car was a little cheaper as a result. That said, with so few good cars being available, that gap has closed considerably.
You have the links to the best M3 related forums and there is always plenty of good advice available. Body condition is the biggest concern (in my opinion obviously) as it costs so much to restore any BMW nowadays, but the usual rust traps are well documented. The scuttle panel, inner wing beneath fuse box and ends of the sills are the most obvious. The s14 engine is great if well maintained. Regular oil changes and an upgrade to the E36 timing chain tensioner are a good idea too.
If you spot any cars you're interested in, post a link here and ask if anyone knows it.
Getting back to my own car, I had been thinking I would need to paint the carbon fibre front splitter and rear flap, as they stone chipped and looking pretty tatty. Replacing them would be over £550 but a bit of careful sanding by Joe, followed by a couple of clear, has them looking as new again. I've also had to order in a pair of side mounts for the Ridgard passenger seat. I still need to order a hand held extinguisher but other than that, I should be ready for scrutineering at the first event this year.
If I were looking for an M3 to actually use, as opposed to getting one as an investment, I would opt for an earlier car without any extras fitted. It also depends if you're a stickler for originality or not? I knew I wanted things like carbon air box and uprated suspension, so my car was a little cheaper as a result. That said, with so few good cars being available, that gap has closed considerably.
You have the links to the best M3 related forums and there is always plenty of good advice available. Body condition is the biggest concern (in my opinion obviously) as it costs so much to restore any BMW nowadays, but the usual rust traps are well documented. The scuttle panel, inner wing beneath fuse box and ends of the sills are the most obvious. The s14 engine is great if well maintained. Regular oil changes and an upgrade to the E36 timing chain tensioner are a good idea too.
If you spot any cars you're interested in, post a link here and ask if anyone knows it.
Getting back to my own car, I had been thinking I would need to paint the carbon fibre front splitter and rear flap, as they stone chipped and looking pretty tatty. Replacing them would be over £550 but a bit of careful sanding by Joe, followed by a couple of clear, has them looking as new again. I've also had to order in a pair of side mounts for the Ridgard passenger seat. I still need to order a hand held extinguisher but other than that, I should be ready for scrutineering at the first event this year.
LaurasOtherHalf said:
The price of air cooled pork has me (yet again) considering getting into an e30 M3, where is the best place for gleaning info & finding cars these day?
Have you seen this? White looks so good on e30's and this seems well priced too. http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/b...
LaurasOtherHalf said:
e21Mark said:
LaurasOtherHalf said:
The price of air cooled pork has me (yet again) considering getting into an e30 M3, where is the best place for gleaning info & finding cars these day?
Have you seen this? White looks so good on e30's and this seems well priced too. http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/b...
it certainly looks good compared to the usual 4starclassics adverts and you get the feeling it's being sold by people who know what they're looking at.Air cooled have been my speciality for a long time, I feel I need to delve into the m3 world a bit more to learn what's what, but looking at the price of a proper homologation special compared to a ropey old 911 has really got me wondering (even if the last time I viewed one was when £12-15k would get you a minter). I do miss having something to tinker with in the garage of a weekend
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vNa2zBQBztE
There are some specialists who I simply wouldn't deal with, having seen their stock.
The past few weeks have been spent sorting the final bits of corrosion in the floor. When the cage was first fitted, by a previous owner, although they attempted to strengthen the floor in critical places they did a piss poor job. The plate they used was way too thin and was already pretty rusty. Anyway, thanks to Joe at ARM the floor is now totally free from rust and properly strengthened. A fresh coat of paint has brightened things up and the dash and console were flocked too. Added to that, any unused wiring was removed or tidied up. The inside has been totally transformed and has a sort of factory CS feel to it. The old passenger Sparco seat was swapped for a matching Ridgard and the driver side door bar, for the cage, was also fitted. Final job was replacing the old dished wheel for a MOMO, using the original snap-off boss. I have a dodgy left leg, so being able to remove the steering wheel makes it far easier to get in and out of the car. Mind you, the door bar is taking a bit of getting used to!
With the interior done and the rust removed, there were a couple of mechanical jobs to be done. The power steering had started making a noise from cold, but this turned out to be just a leaking washer. I assume this meant a loss in pressure and the noise? Either way, a new washer sorted it. There was also a fair bit of rust on the fuel line beneath the car, so it was simply replaced with a new one from BMW. I also changed the oil, oil filter and spark plugs today. Mechanically everything is just about spot on now and I replaced the worn Dunlop's on the rear, with 245/40 Toyo r888's.
Although my cars paintwork looks OK, it's definitely no show car. I use it as often as possible and plan to finally enter some sprint events this year. There are a few cosmetics I wanted sorting though and they included the carbon fibre front splitter and rear flap. They looked as though the sun had crazed the surface and just looked tatty. Unfortunately, replacement just wasn't an option at over £500 for the pair! Fortunately, careful use of the DA and a coat of clear has brought them back to looking as fresh as new again. They have given the whole outside a lift and I'm really chuffed with the end result.
I took it out for a quick run today and the brakes are still improving, now that the pads have had a bit more time to bed in properly. I don't think I've had such confidence in a cars braking ability before. The only other changes I would like to make eventually, is to fit a quicker steering rack and upgrade the suspension to Ohlin. I may get the paint sorted before that though. I don't want it to be too nice though, in case it puts me off using it.
With the interior done and the rust removed, there were a couple of mechanical jobs to be done. The power steering had started making a noise from cold, but this turned out to be just a leaking washer. I assume this meant a loss in pressure and the noise? Either way, a new washer sorted it. There was also a fair bit of rust on the fuel line beneath the car, so it was simply replaced with a new one from BMW. I also changed the oil, oil filter and spark plugs today. Mechanically everything is just about spot on now and I replaced the worn Dunlop's on the rear, with 245/40 Toyo r888's.
Although my cars paintwork looks OK, it's definitely no show car. I use it as often as possible and plan to finally enter some sprint events this year. There are a few cosmetics I wanted sorting though and they included the carbon fibre front splitter and rear flap. They looked as though the sun had crazed the surface and just looked tatty. Unfortunately, replacement just wasn't an option at over £500 for the pair! Fortunately, careful use of the DA and a coat of clear has brought them back to looking as fresh as new again. They have given the whole outside a lift and I'm really chuffed with the end result.
I took it out for a quick run today and the brakes are still improving, now that the pads have had a bit more time to bed in properly. I don't think I've had such confidence in a cars braking ability before. The only other changes I would like to make eventually, is to fit a quicker steering rack and upgrade the suspension to Ohlin. I may get the paint sorted before that though. I don't want it to be too nice though, in case it puts me off using it.
EvoIV NL said:
Where did you get the AC schnitzer wing mirrors from ?
Weirdly you're the second person to ask that today! They came from the USA and were in the classifieds on s14.net. They weren't cheap but they actually work, unlike the ebay tat that had been fitted. I do like ACS stuff but it always seems to be more expensive than the alternatives. Now the rear panel is fitted etc, the prep' work for paint starts from Monday. A thorough inspection for rust threw up just the one patch, on the offside sill, which will be cut out, repaired and all the cavities filled with Tetrosil spray wax in an effort to hold further corrosion at bay for as long as possible. I guess the silver lining, to the accident cloud, is that all those little blemishes and stone chips are being dealt with too. That said, this is still a car that will get used for its intended purpose and not just tucked away in the garage.
Unfortunately, since the last time I posted about my car here, it has been in a bit of a shunt. I was rear ended whilst stationary, as I exited the M5 near Bristol. The impact wasn't huge but it did push me into the car ahead. As a result there was damage to both ends and the worst part was the distortion to the boot floor, near the battery tray. Fortunately, a few hours on the jig and it's back as it should be. The rear panel had to be replaced though and these are on 'long term back order' from BMW, which means they won't be available any time soon. I was able to get mint second-hand panel though, which was carefully unstitched, blasted and fitted whilst the car was on the jig. Every other part arrived from Germany within a few days and the prices weren't too spiteful, despite 'M tax'. The one part I couldn't get was a plastic rear bumper mount as only the one side are available. We've had to buy to right and flip one, which isn't ideal but does seem to have done the trick. Whilst the whole car is stripped we gave it another thorough inspection for rust. BMW of this era can suffer pretty badly, although I have already had the majority of repairs done. The only bits I missed were on the outer sill and are easily sorted. I'm going to fill the sills etc with wax in an effort to keep further rust at bay.
These are the final repairs that need sorting before we can finally get into the prep work for paint. Initially we thought we would just paint the repairs and blend it but we've opted for a full respray instead.
I also bought a set of 3 piece BBS E50 replicas by AGS. They look like the period centre lock touring car rims, but are still 5x120. You need to run a stud conversion but I'd already done that. Unfortunately, I was too trusting of the guy who sold them and the fronts are too wide. As a result, they've had to go back to AGS for 1'' narrower barrels. While they're at it, they are also repairing the buckle and doing the gold centres in silver grey. With what I spent on the refurb' I may as well have bought new but the seller has ignored all attempts to contact him. I have no doubt our paths will cross though.
It doesn't look like much but there's a fair chunk of cash in parts here.
I've also opted to replace my H&R coilovers with KW3's.
Anyway, I'll post some more photos once we start with the prep work for paint.
These are the final repairs that need sorting before we can finally get into the prep work for paint. Initially we thought we would just paint the repairs and blend it but we've opted for a full respray instead.
I also bought a set of 3 piece BBS E50 replicas by AGS. They look like the period centre lock touring car rims, but are still 5x120. You need to run a stud conversion but I'd already done that. Unfortunately, I was too trusting of the guy who sold them and the fronts are too wide. As a result, they've had to go back to AGS for 1'' narrower barrels. While they're at it, they are also repairing the buckle and doing the gold centres in silver grey. With what I spent on the refurb' I may as well have bought new but the seller has ignored all attempts to contact him. I have no doubt our paths will cross though.
It doesn't look like much but there's a fair chunk of cash in parts here.
I've also opted to replace my H&R coilovers with KW3's.
Anyway, I'll post some more photos once we start with the prep work for paint.
Yes, he's done a terrific job of repairing the boot floor too. You'd be hard pushed to ever know there was damage. He's also done a top job at protecting the whole car against future corrosion.
I love the wheels. The finish is very nice and I think silver was definitely the right choice of colour for the centres. I just need to get the tyres fitted now and they can be ready for when I finally get it back home. After that I can also decide whether to fit the black leather interior or not?
I love the wheels. The finish is very nice and I think silver was definitely the right choice of colour for the centres. I just need to get the tyres fitted now and they can be ready for when I finally get it back home. After that I can also decide whether to fit the black leather interior or not?
Got a snap shot of my car last night. Please excuse poor quality phone pic but it's nice to see it looking as it should once more! One of my tasks for today is to take the new wheels and have the tyres fitted. It's a bit of a trek over to Falmouth, but I'm not keen on letting the local Kwik-fit fitter loose on £2.5k's worth of freshly refurbished alloys!
I'm properly excited at the prospect of finally having the old girl back in the garage once more. I've got to renew my insurance next week, as my current policy with Competition Car Insurance expires. I'm just a bit miffed that it appears to increase in cost each year, despite my not claiming. I think I need to spend a couple of hours ringing around for quotes with agreed value.
I'm properly excited at the prospect of finally having the old girl back in the garage once more. I've got to renew my insurance next week, as my current policy with Competition Car Insurance expires. I'm just a bit miffed that it appears to increase in cost each year, despite my not claiming. I think I need to spend a couple of hours ringing around for quotes with agreed value.
Well we're nearly there now. Just final fitting up to be done.
Unfortunately I was sent the wrong front bumper supports. Thankfully I managed to borrow the right ones locally.
The wheels are 8 & 9 x17's with 215/40 and 245/40 Toyo r888's respectively. Much as I like the Compomotive, I always wanted the works look and the E50's are a classic rim.
Much as I've enjoyed a few months with the V8, it really doesn't do it for me and I'd much rather have my old E30 back. Yes, it's certainly quick and the V8 is a peach, but it simply doesn't put a smile on my face like the E30 does. I'm already looking forward to Fridays blast home, down the A303 and A30 in the E30.
Unfortunately I was sent the wrong front bumper supports. Thankfully I managed to borrow the right ones locally.
The wheels are 8 & 9 x17's with 215/40 and 245/40 Toyo r888's respectively. Much as I like the Compomotive, I always wanted the works look and the E50's are a classic rim.
Much as I've enjoyed a few months with the V8, it really doesn't do it for me and I'd much rather have my old E30 back. Yes, it's certainly quick and the V8 is a peach, but it simply doesn't put a smile on my face like the E30 does. I'm already looking forward to Fridays blast home, down the A303 and A30 in the E30.
Edited by e21Mark on Wednesday 20th May 23:16
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