is that a real LTW? your cars lookin great as always. would love to see more of that interior
Announcement
Collapse
No announcement yet.
Mike's Cosmos Black 1998 M3 Sedan (M3/4/5) - Project Concord
Collapse
X
-
Originally posted by s-thetikz View Postis that a real LTW? your cars lookin great as always. would love to see more of that interior
I'll get some more shots of the interior and post them up! :-)
Comment
-
Originally posted by s-thetikz View Postah i should've been more specific. i was referring to the white e36 you took shots with. i know the LTW's had a specific spoiler, which your buddy doesn't seem to have, but was wondering if it could be one considering the LTW decal.
Ah, my bad. Nope, it's not a real LTW!
Originally posted by CubbyChowder View PostMan this thing is NICE! Looks like an absolute joy to drive. Clean glass does so much for a car too.
Comment
-
I don't have many mechanical updates (which is a good thing). I've just been driving and enjoying the car.
I did install a passenger seat sensor bypass (SRS) because I was getting an intermittent SRS light.
After five months of driving the car, I finally got around to investigating why my accelerator pedal had an inch of "dead" travel at the beginning. It turns out the cable needed adjustment at the throttle body. What a simple (and quick) fix!
BMW Group Classic shared some of my photos of Project Concord on their Instagram account (here). Super excited about this! They shared some of my 1991 318is in February of 2022 and I didn't think lightning would strike twice, but it did!
It was funny to see the negative comments about the US-spec S52 engine compared to the euro engine. I guess some people have nothing better to do than to be negative. This car could have an M44 in it and I'd still love it.
Screenshot 2023-03-22 at 8.21.29 AM by mike.bevels, on Flickr
And some of the originals:
DSC_0415 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
DSC_0455 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
DSC_0467 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
DSC_0442 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
DSC_0478 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
DSC_0479-2 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
Comment
-
So, uhhhh, I've been busy.
I spent a while chasing down an over pressurized cooling system, refusing to believe it was a head gasket failure. After taking apart the new cooling system and re-bleeding it a number of times, I finally broke down and took it to a shop for a leak down test, which failed on cylinder four.
Upon the recommendation of good friends, I contacted Alex Garcia, a professional mobile mechanic and fellow E36 M3 owner to come to my garage and remove the head. It was a fun experience and I learned a ton. I wrote an article on BimmerLife about the experience here: https://bimmerlife.com/2023/06/28/br...oses-its-head/
20230621-DSC_0007 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
20230621-DSC_0003 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
20230621-DSC_0029 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
20230621-DSC_0037 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
20230621-DSC_0053 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
20230621-DSC_0049 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
After we removed the head, I dropped it off at a local well-regarded machine shop to be tested and milled. I went on vacation for a week and when I returned I got word that the head checked out. Hurray!
After I received a gigantic order from FCP Euro, Garcia came over and we buttoned everything up, with Garcia doing the lion's share of the work. I'm happy to report the car is running well and this series of repairs has fixed the issue.
Read the full story on BimmerLife here: https://bimmerlife.com/2023/07/18/breathing-new-life-into-a-classic-m3-project-concord-lives/
20200213-DSC_0058 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
20200213-DSC_0039 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
20200213-DSC_0070 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
20200213-DSC_0093 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
20200213-DSC_0104 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
2023-07-15_02-53-26 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
20230717-53048328065_63c68c2778_k by mike.bevels, on Flickr
20200214-DSC_0259 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
20200215-DSC_0619-2 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
- Likes 2
Comment
-
Damn, been off the forum for a bit. Had seen some of your FB posts of this car, looks like a gem! I worked over in Concord doing a contract for almost two years, its right near Charlotte Motor Speedway so lots of sweet cars tearing down the country roads in that area. Looks like you're treating this one well, no surprise!'86 325e Zinnoberrot /// '02 325ci Schwarz II /// '18 M4 Azurite Black Metallic ///
Albie325 Build Thread | Albie325 COTM Jan 2021
Comment
-
Originally posted by Albie325 View PostDamn, been off the forum for a bit. Had seen some of your FB posts of this car, looks like a gem! I worked over in Concord doing a contract for almost two years, its right near Charlotte Motor Speedway so lots of sweet cars tearing down the country roads in that area. Looks like you're treating this one well, no surprise!
What's new? After replacing the head gasket, I took my kids on an 11-hour 325-mile BMW CCA tour through the mountains:
20230729-DSC_2086 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
I rediscovered a film camera I've had in storage for 30 years (story here: https://bimmerlife.com/2023/08/23/sh...vintage-glass/)
20230823-000304630031 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
20230822-DSC_4417 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
Grabbed some lunch with another E36:
20230726-DSC_1034 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
I've replaced the brake pads to match the Akebono EUR pads I have on my E30 and F31. Though I can't find the photos for this.
Replaced some cluster bulbs:
2023-07-23_07-20-21 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
2023-07-23_07-19-48 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
And I've just been driving the car and enjoying it:
20230722-DSC_0936 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
Oh, and wagons.... (see the latest issue of BimmerLife magazine, in print).
DSC_0118 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
- Likes 1
Comment
-
Has it been a year already?
This past weekend marked one year and over 5,000 miles with my '98 M3 sedan. On the way home from Dulles Landing Cars and Coffee on Sunday morning, I stopped by the first place I took this five-speed sport sedan for a proper photo shoot, exactly one year later.
We've had our ups and downs, failures and successes, but there are no regrets. I'm only a few hundred miles away from hitting the 250,000-mile mark, and I'm hoping for many more milestones to come.
It's funny how things change. Prior to a few years ago, I was never a big fan of the E36 M cars. Now I love them for all of the reasons I used to dislike them. Go figure.
20231112-DSC_9295-2 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
20231112-DSC_9262 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
And some additional photos from a few weeks ago:
20231011-DSC_3408 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
20231011-DSC_3403 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
20231011-DSC_3412 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
20231011-DSC_3413 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
20231011-DSC_3422 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
Comment
-
I finally got around to replacing the ignition coils on my M3. The old ones seemed to be working well, but there were three different types, some of the boots had cracked, and there was cracking on the tops as well. When I saw that Turner had the Dinan ignition coils on sale, I clicked and bought
They arrived yesterday, so I spent 20 minutes installing them. As Alex Garcia and I had replaced the head gasket a few months ago, installation was a breeze and there were no surprises. It fired right up and seems to run even better than before, likely due to the previous coils being old and tired.
I love quick wins. They look so nice I'm not even sure I want to put the cover back on.
PXL_20231124_200941259 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
PXL_20231124_200455644 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
PXL_20231124_201232802 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
PXL_20231124_201833732 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
PXL_20231124_203247471 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
PXL_20231124_203335479 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
PXL_20231124_204959215 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
PXL_20231124_211351037 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
And I took the M3 out for some photos early Thanksgiving morning...
20231123-DSC_1379 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
20231123-DSC_1257 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
20231123-DSC_1285 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
20231123-DSC_1385 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
Comment
-
I replaced the tired set of Bilsteins and H&R springs with TC Kline SA coilovers. Full story here: https://bimmerlife.com/2024/01/11/ra...sion-overhaul/
20240107-DSC_6575-2 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
My daughter helped:
20240107-DSC_6713-2 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
Mmmm, fresh parts:
20231222-PXL_20231222_174149186 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
The car is an absolute joy to drive now, even in the city:
20231223-DSC_5315 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
I stopped by Bimmer Werks to swap camber plates (see BimmerLife story linked above) and get an alignment:
20231228-DSC_5390 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
20231228-DSC_5431 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
And then I swapped the camber plates back (see BimmerLife story linked above).
PXL_20240104_164656113 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
PXL_20240107_121339299 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
And then I headed over to RRT to get another alignment:
20240108-PXL_2024a0108_140059222 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
I'm running -1.7 degrees camber front and rear, with the ability to hit -3.0 degrees in the front if desired. I'm very happy with this setup!
Comment
Comment