Introducing myself - Here to help

[GLAdditive]

Hi everyone,

I’ve been lurking for a bit and finally decided to introduce myself. I’m a long-time BMW enthusiast and currently working on my own 318iS. There’s something about the M42/E30 combo that just keeps me coming back to the garage.

I also happen to run a reverse engineering and high-performance 3D printing shop. As a disabled veteran, I take a lot of pride in the precision and durability of the work we do.

I know how frustrating it is when a plastic clip, obscure bracket, or interior trim piece breaks on these cars and is no longer available from the dealer. I’m not here to spam the forum with sales ads, but I do want to offer my help to the community. If there’s a specific part you’ve been hunting for that you just can't find—or if you have a broken piece you’d like to see recreated with modern, high-strength materials—let me know.

I’m happy to take a look at any "unobtanium" parts people might need help with. Looking forward to being part of the group and seeing everyone’s projects.

Best,

Brandon
Brandon@greatlakesadditive.com greatlakesadditive.com

[strickland]

Welcome, and thank you for your service.

Many pieces are available after-market (china, eastern europe) but the quality isn’t always great. A new smart American manufacturer would be a welcome addition to the market.

What’s your max output size?

If you can reverse engineer a jig to make an E30 dashboard, you will have a lifetime of work orders, and be a hero in the bmw community in addition to your military career. I can almost picture how it was made, but don’t have the skills to do it.

The other one that comes to mind is late model bumper impact strips. Since you mentioned high strength materials— I’ve been disappointed with the brittle quality of these pieces.

[ehrawn]

I’m happy to take a look at any "unobtanium" parts people might need help with.

awesome to have you here. Have you already started a library of E30 parts yet?

[Vincenze]

You can't 3D-print a dashboard or long parts.

There is a guy who 3D-prints some parts. His prices are high.

https://www.myclassicparts.com/product-category/bmw/bmw-3-series-parts/bmw-e30-parts/

Not every 3D-printer can imitate the surface finish of the interior plastic parts in the E30.