Mike's Cosmos Black 1998 M3 Sedan (M3/4/5) - Project Concord

[2mAn]

Need some JPS stickers on the E36 now

[mike.bmw]

A few updates!

I sent my instrument cluster to M Sport Parts (@Braymond141) to be fixed! Currently waiting for him to work his magic and send it back.

PXL_20250106_212759329 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

PXL_20250106_215313512 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

I took some photos:

20241222-DSC_3412 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

20241229-DSC_4527 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

20241225-DSC_3901 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

20241222-DSC_3443 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

20241222-DSC_3472 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

20241222-DSC_3469 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

My son washed my car:

PXL_20241229_155546859~2 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

I removed the gloss black grilles and installed factory chrome:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DEzi14zRNP_/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

PXL_20250114_003630825~2 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

PXL_20250110_213420370 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

PXL_20250114_003530637~2 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

[mike.bmw]

I got the cluster back from Brett / M Sport Parts today! Naturally I installed it right away.

I did manage to break the retainer/lock arm on the black instrument cluster plug (on the wiring harness, not on the cluster). It broke into 3 pieces as I was gently pushing it back into place. As a short-term fix, I zip tied the black plug to the cluster with the retaining arms in the locked position, which should keep it secure until I find a replacement.

20250128-DSC_5324 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

20250128-DSC_5309 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

20250128-DSC_5328 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

20250128-DSC_5330 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

20250128-DSC_5331 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

20250128-DSC_5354 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

20250128-DSC_5362 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

With the steering wheel installed, I was able to start the car for the first time in weeks and pull it out of the garage for some photos with the new factory chrome grilles installed.

20250128-DSC_5367 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

20250128-DSC_5371 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

[mike.bmw]

When project threads collide...

I took a day off from work to unwind, which involved taking my M3 and 318is out for some photos. With a single driver (me) it involved driving to the location, walking home to get the other car, and so on. Let's just say it's just what I needed and I definitely got my steps in!

Inspired, I wrote something for BimmerLife about classic BMWs and classic BBS wheels https://bimmerlife.com/2025/02/11/classic-fitment/

20250207-DSC_5988 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

20250207-DSC_5939 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

20250207-DSC_5893 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

20250207-DSC_5853 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

20250207-DSC_5871 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

[mike.bmw]

Steering rack, reservoir, hoses, and tie rod ends replaced!

I went with the AAE 3310N rack. It's a 2.7-turn Z3 rack that's a direct fit and sold by FCP, BimmerWorld, Rock Auto, etc. For hoses and everything else, I went with FCP's power steering kit that includes everything you need aside from the rack itself.

I had a local shop, RRT, do the installation. They only charge a couple hours labor for the install, and I would've taken it there for a custom alignment anyway, so I gave myself a break on this one and handed it over to the pros.

PXL_20250228_175608810 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

PXL_20250228_175322632 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

PXL_20250228_190639817 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

PXL_20250306_124619099~2 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

PXL_20250307_181155452 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

[iXBeater]

Love the "family shots" with the E30. Two great cars!

[mike.bmw]

Squeaky steering resolved! I've been enjoying the new steering rack, but the constant squeaking from the wheel was driving me nuts, so I took care of it.

First I lubed up the slip ring with copper grease.

PXL_20250324_190618801~2 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

PXL_20250324_191244618 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

PXL_20250324_191627077 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

PXL_20250324_191959167 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

PXL_20250324_192155510 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

PXL_20250324_192612247 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

Then I lubed up the lower steering shaft bearing with TriFlow and a crazy-long aerosol extension I picked up on Amazon.

PXL_20250327_190533383 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

PXL_20250327_183813436 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

PXL_20250327_183554363 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

PXL_20250327_183256024 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

[mike.bmw]

Last Friday I took an early-morning trip to Washington DC to see the famous cherry blossom trees in full view. The M3's odometer rolled 255,000 miles on the way there.

20250328-DSC_9534 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

20250328-DSC_9558 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

20250328-DSC_9566 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

20250328-DSC_9663 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

20250328-DSC_9701 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

20250328-DSC_9708 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

20250328-PXL_20250328_102312284 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

[mike.bmw]

PCV system replacement! It ended up being much easier than I anticipated. I've seen people have issues removing the PCV unit/assembly from under the intake manifold, but that was the easiest part of the procedure. Big thanks to FCP Euro for supplying the parts!

Here's a short video: https://youtube.com/shorts/KbdE1P-ui...b0VuXkBZF6gq0y

And some photos:

20250419-DSC_3072 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

20250419-DSC_3064 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

20250419-DSC_3087 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

20250419-DSC_3094 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

[mike.bmw]

Earlier this week I rebuilt a low-mileage power steering pump. It was from a 2000 M Coupe, so it's compatible (the same) as the E36 M3 power steering pump.

Here's a video I posted to YouTube: https://youtube.com/shorts/nXjY4Xg_S...hwaVomA9Mbm4c3

And here are some random photos from the rebuild. There will be an in-depth BimmerLife.com article about this in the next few weeks (whenever I can get on their schedule).

20250430-DSC_4318 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

20250430-DSC_4191 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

20250430-DSC_4224 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

20250430-DSC_4240 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

20250430-DSC_4244 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

[2mAn]

Trying to convince my buddy to get a 3/4/5 now and its mostly because of you and this thread haha

[mike.bmw]

Trying to convince my buddy to get a 3/4/5 now and its mostly because of you and this thread haha

I think it's my favorite car, but don't tell my E30 that. ;-)

[DEV0 E30]

Ha! I said it on probably more than one of your instaglam posts, I want one too.

[mike.bmw]

Our trip to The Vintage 2025 was a success! My eleven-year-old daughter Avery had a great time, we did everything we planned to do, and we got home safely. This included driving 500 miles from Virginia to Asheville, NC, visiting the Zentrum at Plant Spartanburg, visiting the Vintage Open House in Greer, SC, going to a Treetop Adventure Park in north Asheville, the big show on Saturday at Hendersonville airport, and the 500-mile drive home.

This was my fifth Vintage and my daughter's second. The last time she came was 2022, and she's grown enough to be a front-seat passenger, so that made the trip extra fun. It was a fantastic father-daughter trip.

It was fun meeting up with the previous owner and showing him what I've done with the car. He said, "I'm so glad that you were the one to buy this car," which was a huge compliment. I know he cared for it a lot, as do I and my family.

It wasn't all rainbows and sunshine, though. On Friday, the day after our long drive to Asheville, my E36 start leaking quite a bit of oil from between the engine and transmission. I had packed a floor jack, jack stands, and a bunch of tools, so I was able to get the car in the air and see the head/valve cover were dry. My best guess is the rear main seal sprung a leak. Bummer. I replaced the failing/failed PCV system about a month ago, which has reduced oil consumption significantly, but my theory is that I caught those failing PCV symptoms too late and the rear main seal had already been affected. Thankfully, with frequent checks and topping up as needed, the oil level never dropped below the half-way mark on the dipstick.

As for now, the E36 is parked in my garage. I'll likely take it to my trusted local shop next week and have them properly diagnose the leak and perform the repair. I certainly hope I'm wrong about the rear main seal, but I'm not sure what else it could be at this point!

2025...
20250516-DSC_5293-2 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

2022...
DSC_0340 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

Uh oh...
20250516-DSC_5646 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

Vintage mastermind, Scott Sturdy...
20250517-DSC_6286 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

[iXBeater]

I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to catch you at the show! I was super-unprepared for the sheer number of cars, and my 'youngest' and I were hoofing around most of the day trying to see as much as we could before we had to leave around 3.

Sorry to hear about the E36 - it's a good reminder that tools/jacks/stands are always handy to have. I didn't pack anything as my coming to both the Alpina event and the main show were a bit of a last-minute thing (I registered way back, but we've had some family complications lately that made getting there doubtful until it wasn't).