The 5 Year Restoration - E30 M3 Reborn

[CurrusDei]

"replacing old, deteriorated foam tape" for center air vent
Is this foam tape OEM? Can You throw Part No.

no, just closed cell foam tape

[jhaurimn]

I'm not sure how you handled it but holy shit, I would of lost it. Glad it didn't mess up anything else up.

[CurrusDei]

I'm not sure how you handled it but holy shit, I would of lost it. Glad it didn't mess up anything else up.

i basically just went into - "how do i fix this" mode. Didnt lose it on the guy. I will be having a very serious diminished value discussion with his insurance co though

[lukem23]

how is this thing coming?

[CurrusDei]

how is this thing coming?

https://bringatrailer.com/2019/05/20/bat-event-coverage-the-vintage-2019/

I've been down for a bit because of some shoulder surgery - no lifting with my right arm for a couple months, but here's its current state - also getting its right shoulder fixed...

No frame damage! ...but man I'm going to have to clean those frame rails

Still at the shop because the guy's insurance is suuuper slow. It took two parts from Germany to get a fender that was perfect. Parts are primed and should go into paint this week as soon as the insurance papers go through

[CurrusDei]

This guy has been waiting around for a long, long time.


Only work on cars when wearing safety-approved pajamas



Speaking of wheels






Daylight.


I was going to drive it without glass to have the glass installed, but the clutch slave cylinder didn’t cooperate. I had the shop put a new one in while they did the glass and it drove afterwards with no issue.
Flyin Wrench in Kennesaw did an excellent job putting the glass in – they have done these many times, so they have the tools and know all the tricks to get it right the first time




To me, this is when it stopped being a project and became a car again. Windshields.

Oh and that multi-brown colored guy on the right is Kenny. Kenny is a spec E30 race car. A couple weeks after this pic, Kenny rubbed a hole in his exhaust heat shield, melted some fuel lines, and caught on fire at the TireRack NCM 8+7 Hour Eduro. Kenny will be back, if a little crispier for the experience. If you want to support the team you can buy a t-shirt here to help fund repairs (mine is on order):

https://store.flyinwrench.com/products/savekenny-official-brew-krewe-racing-2019-shirts?fbclid=IwAR3H_aCFkQrT1gqhNvcnnoR0Xil6iAz3qprIjCF968bDcXbKVwO-JKcWcYU

[CurrusDei]

Loading up the exhaust to drive 50 miles open header to Origin Fabrication


At Origin – for those of you who don’t know. Origin does a lot of fab in the S2000 world, but they do god-tier welding – real stacking nickels type stuff. I only ended up with one weld, but I wanted it perfect and they delivered.
Excuse the dirt left on the underside – it has since been very thoroughly cleaned















Screen shot from stainless tig weld porn. And that clamp was only temporary – replaced with a much beefier one shortly therafter

[CurrusDei]

Back home – side skirts going on








Dark tinted rear reflectors to go with the euro front with no reflectors



Still fiddling with that damn sunroof. Worst part of the build. My interior guy used a huge rivet to attach the connector arms that hold on the cloth cover. Wouldn’t fit into the track, so I had to drill them out and order some of these guys from Germany – they’re tiny.



Leather working kit off amazon, BFH, and there you go


Driver side door stickers



Evo hood seal in on undamaged side


It is time.
Went on with the undertray attached, slid in perfectly. I installed the front gasket afterward.






I’m not one for “eyeballing it”



….and I also apparently forgot to take a pic of it when I put the badge on.
[photo coming later]

Alright, here she is 99% done….

[CurrusDei]

Then I decided if was going to be able to drive this thing and remain a sane person, not dodging every falling leaf or stray bug, I needed some paint protection. Sent her over to GlassLife Atlanta for full paint correction and 100% coverage self-healing paint protection film (Xpel Ultra Plus Premium Platinum Super some other superlatives). The guys who picked the car up said the paint looked flat. I thought they were nuts – but their work speaks for itself…






Ceramic coating the calipers



Pick-up day



One of the most surprisingly complex parts on the car - joins no fewer than 5 parts together with many many screws.




Home.



I’d like to say that’s all, but our parking lot friend added an epilogue to this story. Also, the AC is still being sorted. I’ve gone back to the original compressor which is in CA being rebuilt right now. They say you’re never done with a project car, but this isn’t a project car – it’s a redemption story, and it’s very nearly complete.

[0-60Motorsports]

Beautifully put together and done my friend. Where did you get the steering wheel from? Would love to get one.

Thanks again for posting that link for the headlights.

[CurrusDei]

Beautifully put together and done my friend. Where did you get the steering wheel from? Would love to get one.

Thanks again for posting that link for the headlights.

Thank you. I have seen some people still getting MTech 2 wheels from BMW, but mine has been re-wrapped in high quality leather. I got it on eBay - you have to be careful to look at the photos in detail and ask questions to make sure you're getting a good quality job. In my case, the leather on the wheel perfectly matches the GAHH leather seats.

[nrubenstein]

FYI, the reason why the airbag and non-airbag switches are different is not wiring, but the steering wheel position. You'll find that airbag switch is kind of tight to the wheel.

[CurrusDei]

FYI, the reason why the airbag and non-airbag switches are different is not wiring, but the steering wheel position. You'll find that airbag switch is kind of tight to the wheel.

Interesting. Thanks for the info. I'll check it out

[TimeMachinE30]

Nice work. Proper vanity tag.

[AC_Schnitzel]

Congratulations. I’m so happy for you. This has been the best build thread on any Internet forum I’ve ever read.

What are your plans for the car now?