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The 5 Year Restoration - E30 M3 Reborn

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    UUUGH I just checked and from my last update photo to today i have 770 pics.
    This. Might. Take. A bit.
    _______________________________________________
    5 Year M3 Build, In Progress
    RMT200 Retrofit

    Comment


      Ok here goes. This is a lot to update. I'll put it up piece by piece and descriptions may not be as detailed, but ask if you have questions. Also this isnt going to be in any strict order - just semi-coherent area by area

      Got a new cap. So i got that going for me, which is nice



      Filling time







      MTL for Trans





      MT-90 for Diff



      Speaking of the diff. This took a while, but I was able to find a reasonable match for the cable tie that keeps on the speedo sensor. Turnsout the best fit is a tamper-resistant seal that is used for cargo shipments. The things you learn doing this stuff...

      Old one



      New one




      Belting



      Oh and, i had installed my fan backwards - so i fixed that




      Cowl Covers:



      This little guy hooks to the check valve on the charcoal canister. I didnt like how it wasnt very waterproof with the connectors exposed. You know, because waterproofing is key in a car that will never see rain. Anyways...



      Fixed




      This is the housing for the clutch pedal sensor. The housing looks like garbage and the metal has that Statue of Liberty patina thing going on - which isnt great for conductivity



      The brake pedal uses a black housing which is the mirror image of this one. It was used in the E39s so it is easy to find. The white one seems to be NLA. I couldnt even find it in RealOEM or after a lot of digging online, soooo

      Found a connector with the same interface, modified the back end to make it accept the connectors, which i cleaned up with Wurth Contact Cleaner and some wire brushes







      My fix. only thing is the plugs can back out when you're plugging it in if you dont watch them Might put some putty or something in there eventually but wanted to keep it easy to service






      My battery from years ago was way, way dead. So I got a Bosch one that exactly fits the M3, factory tie downs, vent provision and everything. Surprisingly this was available at PepBoys - rare that i can source anything from the chains



      Oh AND. Letting that old non-vented battery sit in my trunk for a while made me wonder if it was starting to hurt the battery tray. My paranoia paid off. When i took up the tray i found that there was already yellow residue gathering on the paint, which fortunately was not yet damaged.
      If anyone ever tells you that you dont need to vent your E30 battery - dont listen.
      As for me i broke out the baking soda, short brush, and steam cleaner and went to town



      All better with the battery vent box installed. These used to be a lot bigger, but now they're tiny. The plug going down isnt long enough to completely clear the rubber grommet, so i added some extra line onto it to make sure the vapors vent far enough away that they dont back up in to the tray.








      Exhaust. I looked through my old exhaust and determined that it is too roached out (tech term) to bother restoring. Whoever welded on this thing must not have had opposable thumbs. Anyone else spot the stick weld element still attached in one of the pics below?












      So here's the replacement.

      VSR high flow cat factory style stainless steel, dual 2" with ceramic exterior coating

      BMW OEM EVO III Muffler



      Those little rocks are from the pre-coating tumbling process. I got them out after this pic. May have the flange to pipe transition welded smooth.







      I also cleaned off that yellowish stuff in the pic below










      Excuse the pollen on the pipes in this last one. That stuff is everywhere now, including in garages




      I'm going to have it all welded to gether by Origin Fab. Here's a small sample of their work:



      _______________________________________________
      5 Year M3 Build, In Progress
      RMT200 Retrofit

      Comment


        Coming along great. That exhaust is going to sound great.

        Comment


          Nice welds, wow.

          Second on the battery venting.

          SO much shiny aluminum in here! Is it painted or vapor blasted?

          Comment


            Header is factory, ceramic coated (Calico Coatings) inside and out
            Mid Section is VSR, stainless, ceramic coated by VSR outside only (inside would mess with cats)
            Muffler is OEM (Evo III) no coatings
            _______________________________________________
            5 Year M3 Build, In Progress
            RMT200 Retrofit

            Comment


              Is that the intended way to vent the battery? I always just routed the hose out that black plastic piece that goes out to the rear bumper area.
              Current:
              1989 325i
              1988 M3
              1987 325ic
              Past:
              2001 330ci
              2001 M3

              Comment


                Originally posted by jhaurimn View Post
                Is that the intended way to vent the battery? I always just routed the hose out that black plastic piece that goes out to the rear bumper area.
                yep.
                _______________________________________________
                5 Year M3 Build, In Progress
                RMT200 Retrofit

                Comment


                  I was scanning photos for a piece of dust or crumb. Did not find.


                  Well done.
                  ACS S3 Build / Dinan 5 E34

                  Comment


                    Lights

                    I found some NLA, new old stock Hella Euro Smiley Elipsoids. Wired them up here in place of the U.S. Elipsoids. The primary differences are the bulbs, the euro "smiley" cutout, the city lights, and the connectors. Had to cut off the U.S. connectors and got new pigtails from BMW that match up to the Euro connectors (also available new). The pigtails from BMW all come green, so i used my colored bands and clear shrink wrap method to keep the wiring distinguishable for future reference.

                    Left to right - Hi Beam, Lo Beam, City Light



                    US Removed




                    Euro On




                    Since my front bumper is a Euro version, i dont need the wiring for the front reflectors. Repurposed them as the city light connections (gray one at the top)




                    In place




                    City




                    Low




                    High




                    Euro Grille (R) with AC sticker



                    Euro Grille (L)




                    From font (Condensor fan on now)





                    Front Grille in place











                    New Horns













                    New Speakers






                    Got a Bosch sticker for the Alternator




                    Ground by ABS tightened down




                    Rear seatbelt finished







                    The compessor fan was a real, real pain. I tried to buy the ECS replacement one, but it was not anything like the factory one, tried ordering the 4 Seasons version, wrong size, so i finally got o factory one off ebay. Hoping to not have to replace this anytime soon.



                    Brakes.

                    These things came out GREAT. I used Korman to do the plating, they glass peened them and had their plater run them through several times. I cant imagine them looking better coming from the factory - these things are like jewelry.














                    on and torqued and marked




                    Rear Caliper







                    Caliper boot kits




                    This is the grease Korman suggested. I think Russian beluga caviar is cheaper per oz.




                    Inner seal in. I've read stories of some people receiving these with a chisel shape profile instead of a rectangle profile. THis wasnt the case with mine, both sides were flat on all four caliper seals. Coated with the super expensive grease and installed.



                    Easiest way to put the dust boots on is to grease them, install them on the caliper first, then press them into the caliper (gently, i had to rock them back and forth very slightly to align them, and then they went in with minmal resistance). From there it was easy to work the outer edges around the caliper lip. The rears have a retaining ring, the fronts do not.






                    Front Caliper







                    The rear caliper pistons were cleaned up, but i was able to source brand new stainless steel calipers for the fronts.









                    Front caliper boot goes inside a lip on the caliper, vs the rear where it goes over a retaining lip. THis makes it a little bit more complex, but not if you use good grease on the rubber areas and take your time.






                    I seated the outer retainer lip into the seat before pressing in the caliper to avoid a "pinch" situation after pressing in the piston







                    New bleed nipples




                    Slide pin boots and brake line on





























                    Brakes bled. Very happy with how these turned out. Also, they work very well

                    _______________________________________________
                    5 Year M3 Build, In Progress
                    RMT200 Retrofit

                    Comment


                      Those look fantastic, very nice work!

                      Comment


                        yesyesyesyesyesyesyes.

                        How close are we to seeing and hearing this baby run? :)
                        Current:
                        1989 325i
                        1988 M3
                        1987 325ic
                        Past:
                        2001 330ci
                        2001 M3

                        Comment


                          Beautiful.

                          Don't forget to stake your axle nuts.
                          Lorin


                          Originally posted by slammin.e28
                          The M30 is God's engine.

                          Comment


                            Awesome.

                            The rear pistons are available also if your looking.

                            Let me check where I got mine.

                            Edit:
                            Got mine from Carl at Korman
                            Originally posted by codyep3
                            I hope to Christ you have looks going for you, because you sure as fuck don't have any intelligence.
                            2001 silver/Blk 325 cabby. SOLD
                            1988 Blk/Blk e30 factory wide body kit car SOLD
                            1992 DS/BLK 325 m-tech II apperance pack cabby SOLD!
                            2002 325xit Sil/blk. SOLD
                            2012 328i xdrive touring. Wht/blk. SOLD
                            2009 135 cabby. monacoblue/blk leather SOLD
                            2007 Z4m coupe. Silver grey/black/ aluminum. 1of50
                            2010 F650gs twin
                            2016 M235i cabby. Mineral grey/Red leather

                            Comment


                              Thanks guys.
                              Carl was the guy looking for mine, must have recently run out. The hub nuts are staked

                              The car is way ahead of the thread. I took it to the Vintage and the motor now has over 800 miles on it.
                              Unfortunately someone backed into the right front fender in a parking lot (2 weeks before the vintage) and damaged the fender and chipped the paint on the hood, so it’s in the shop getting a new fender, genuine BMW from Germany (thankfully no damage to the engine bay or other areas). The guys that did the original paint work are doing the repair.
                              I just had shoulder surgery so I’m laid up for a couple days. I’ll try to update the thread but you’ll have to excuse mistakes from my one hand typing
                              _______________________________________________
                              5 Year M3 Build, In Progress
                              RMT200 Retrofit

                              Comment


                                test
                                _______________________________________________
                                5 Year M3 Build, In Progress
                                RMT200 Retrofit

                                Comment

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