Stubbornness Is a virtue, Isn't it ? H28 Replica !

[parera]

Hi Everyone !

I'm here to tell you the long story of my 325i coupe and its restoration ..

Not for the faint-hearted !

Let's go back to May 2011 .. I acquire this 1985's Bmw 325i coupe In a color you all love, Bronzitbeige mettalic !

200 000km ( 125 000 miles ), An engine in an extremly good condition which drives better than most of the 325i I have ever driven .

Back then, I didn't have the idea of how much an e30 could be rusted .

The paint was faded, clear coat was peeling off, A lot of reason to love this car !




the interior in PERFECT condition !



A little bit of Rust ? Not important, Don't worry ! How bad could it be ?





Ready for the next step ?

[parera]

Do you like bronzitbeige ? I did, but what did I like even more ?

ALPINWEISS OF COURSE !

Could we do the paint ourselves ? Why not !

Let the work begin, Some paint, primer, sandpaper from Ebay for a really good price, and let's go !









Part by part, everything follow its path, No cutting, No buffing, the paint is PERFECT, !












it Looks pretty good, isn't it ? We are now in July 2011 and I can't wait to finish the paint !

[parera]

But first, I need to fix that fender but wait, I have never weld of my life, and all I have is my Granpa's Arc welder ! That will do the trick !





By the way, Why not make my own Hartge replica gauge pod , leather Covered !



Let strip the interior, in case of some more rust ?

Damn .



I then bought a Frontspoiler, pretty rare in France ...



And when the car is ready to be totally painted, My friend who was helping me moved 300km far from me, I'm stuck now, I don't have any garage, the car is stripped, I'm fu**** ..

When someone contact me, we are now in November 2011, he will fix the rust, finish the paint etc.. Fantastic ! :)

In the meantime, I got my hand on an Hartge muffler, Great !



Everything is now too good to be true in Fact !

[parera]

Annnddddd, The paint is totally fuck** up ! It can't be fixed due to the fact that the paint has been laid down over scratch, dust and rust !
























I'm now ruined, The guy who has a " restoration garage " won't do anything about it, I lost all my product, paint, primer, sandpaper that I paid for .. I'm desperate !

But Did I mention that he had to fix the rust also ?

Now wait, There is more !

[e30m3s54turbo]

Looks like a good project. I would like to see the Hartge parts when you add them to your e30.

[parera]

Thanks for your message ! Don't worry It's coming ! :)

We are now Early january 2012 ! And I now have a garage where I can put my car !

Let now have a look on the WONDERFUL rust Fix made by the bmw enthusiast !

Some tack weld, a little bit of paint on it, FIXED !






Fantastic, I now have to start all over again from this shit ! Have no money, no equipment, but I do have a garage !

So what is the solution ?

[parera]

STRIPPING THE CAR DOWN TO BARE METAL !


I buy a Used compressor, a cheap orbital sander and let's go !








EPOXY PRIMER !! ( I don't Paint in the garage, since the floor is only dust )





Fixing adjustment betweend fender and hood ( You can also see the Windshield bay was rusted, and fixed ! )

[parera]

Now, let's the fun part begin !

Hartge Wood knob ! Alcantara boot shift !



Hartge rear bumper



Hartge front bumper, Fiberglass replica ( Look worse than it actual condition )



Startec Tail light, Which looks absolutely BRAND NEW !!



Alcantara interior, Homemade ( first time I used a sewing machine of my life ! ) The Houndstooth fabric will be kept on the center !





I don't have any pictures, But I do also Have the Hartge H35 rear trunk spoiler, and both of the Hartge side skirt, and Also 15 inches Hartge rim while I'm Waiting to find a good opportunity for 3 piece Hartge !

[rcsoundn1]

NICE WORK! Keep it going!

[parera]

This is for the Esthetic part, Let go to the body now here we have :

- 4 Hartge/bilstein Shock Absorber
- Full set of Polyurethane bushes
- Brand new Brake, no swap for now ..
- e36 steering rack
- Classic LSD on the back

What about the engine ?

- Hartge Muffler
- Homemade stainless exhaust ( sorry for the mess ):


- Annnnndddddd, the last : M30B28 Hartge with a Rare Hartge header for the M30 !

I will make as much pictures as I can soon, The time is pretty cold now, and I can't work on the car, I Will have to Show you the whole work on the rust !

Here is a preview !




And I wanted to say something Else, My grandpa who was a former mechanics Helped me a lot during my life and I learnt a lot thanks to him, He helped me with the restoration of the car, fixed my alternator, my engine when I had a problem and has always been the best car enthusiast and he knew absolutely everything about cars ..

He left us dramatically on April 2013, at age 87, I want to thank him for everything, I miss him a lot, he was the only person I worked with because he was the only one who was truly passionated and he was always supporting and encouraging me .

I feel alone without him now, Even if i can share my passion with people all around the world .

So this thread, and this restoration will be a dedication and a tribute to him !

[parera]

Who wants to see an Old and dusty Hartge engine, which has been stored during 10 years and now needs a full rebuild ?

[e30m3s54turbo]

Nice to see a Hartge H28 m30 motor.

[bradnic]

Subscribed! I too had a grandfather that inspired me. What a great tribute to him! You will stay motivated for him I am sure.

[parera]

Thanks for your message, I appreciate it !

[CorvallisBMW]

Wow, great project! I'm excited to see more of the motor :)