Meet "Inki" the eta and her sad story (now with a happy ending!)

[KIRIEIW]

Wow props to you. I wouldn't have saved it if my frame was like that... I'm scared enough to buy a e30 with none matching panels all around

[Mike30e]

Congratulations on your fight, so glad to see one saved! Enjoy that classic BMW...

[101]

I actually have Hagerty on another car ... but they won't add any driver to the policy that has less than 5 years driving experience or if they have any blemishes on their driving record. Plus they have strict garaging requirements and will not insure a daily driver.

Definitely would if I could!

[shadowbethesda]

I feel for you about the insurance. What about getting classic car insurance?

[101]

Chapter 5 - The finale

Geez - I just realized that I suck at finishing stories.

We decided to go forward with the repairs. The front right section of frame rail had to be amputated and a new replacement was welded in. Then on to the frame rack she went to pull everything back into specification. The right front wheel had been shifted back about a half inch and there was some buckling in the "phantom" battery tray that had to be addressed. Added to the mix was a new right fender, front valance and a previously loved Schwarz hood. The guys at the frame shop really worked their magic and we left there with a nice straight car.

Then on to the paint shop. The hood had been resprayed a few too many times, so down to bare metal it went.



We brought her home a few days later and started the process of sourcing the other needed parts:



We also took the opportunity to eliminate the coat hangers holding on the front lip and replacing with a proper set of brackets:



And around the end of September 2012, we finally got her finished and restored to her factory look:



Since that time, a repaint of the front lip, a front parking light mod, a replacement set of ellipsoids, a revised suspension and a set of basketweaves has kept us busy and has made her even better looking than before! This is how she looks today:



And best of all she drives straight as an arrow and there is no permanent damage to her.


Some closing thoughts:

It was a nightmare to work with the other person's insurance company. It took months of researching similar cars, nasty emails, phone calls and the threat of legal action to get them to an amount that I could live with. Even with doing all the assembly / disasesembly myself I wound up a few hundred dollars on the negative side. I could have gone either way with this car, but the sentimental value won out. Fight for your E30 if you're in a similar situation someday. These cars are increasing in value!

Thanks to the greater r3v community for your ideas and support. If I bought parts from you, THANKS!

The satisfaction of returning Inki to the road and what it did to build the bond between myself and my sons during this project cannot be measured. I wouldn't hesitate to take kind of project on again.

And finally, sequels are in the works. Last week I scored and hauled home an 87 Dephin IS coupe and a 89 Diamond Schwarz IX coupe, both non-running. Stay tuned!

Happy R3ving!

[325issguy]

Stock eta with destroyed front end.....GOod luck but you should be looking for another car.

[F34R]

wtf did I just read? Felt like I was reading some adoption ad for a puppy.

[e30m20TurbO7]

when im back from thanks giving vacation , id be happy to send you what ever parts i have that can help you. pm me your shipping info
it will be on my dime because i hate to see someone's pride and joy get taken away from them

[eurotrash]

The insurance company is required to give you fair market replacement cost for your vehical. Get online and find 10 or so examples of comprable e30s. Shouldnt be to hard to find um in the 5-7k range. Present them to the insurance company and take mid range of what youve presented. Its a battle you can win you just have to prove your cars worth. Buy your car back from the insurance co. And rebuild. Use the remaining cash to get a clean daily.

[BROKINBIMMER]

That right rail is kinked, bad. From the pics, looks like the right lower rail assembly, right apron, and radiator support all need to be replaced...Not surprised the insurance company totalled it, you have a LOT of structural damage. Even if the shop is able to straighten that frame rail, it still does not mean that it is safe. The metels used to build the rails are not meant to be straightened, they need to be replaced. Best of luck with whatever you decide to do

[n3rdy30]

Subscribed. Any updates op?

[Poorboyz]

Hopefully the OP will chime in. I would love to see R3v get together and get him the parts he needs since he wants to save his E30.

[2mAn]

i have an extra grille i wont need. not sure which side it is. if its the one you need its yours, just pay for the shipping

[Poorboyz]

Any more news on this? I have a mint front fender if you want it. If you are still trying to save Inki I would like to donate any parts I have that you might be able to use. I also have front doors if you need them, they are yours, just pay for shipping or come get them.

EDIT: front doors wont work, mine is a sedan but offer for any other part you need that I have still stands.

[101]

Chapter 4 Decision Time - or What to do with a Busted A$$ Car

Since I had not settled with the insurance company on their ridiculous offer, I took a huge leap of faith and decided to try to rebuild Inki with my own money and try to settle the score with the insurance company afterwards.

A little bit of work with the pry bar separated the right tire and the right fender. The last bolt holding the ES air dam to the left fender broke as 25 years of road grime won out over PB Blaster. The air dam itself actually survived intact and was the first part sent to what would become a fairly large parts stash in the basement. I removed the engine driven fan since it was jammed against the radiator. I drove Inki around the block. Of course, she pulled like crazy and the steering wheel position was not quite where it should be. Ugh.

The rest of the disassembly began in my garage:



I drove the now very ghetto version of Inki to a body shop that specializes in BMW's. She seemed a bit out of place among her much later model kin. My son and I met with the owner and shared our story. He looked at Inki and declared "This little car is hurt bad". It also became apparent that he knew exactly what he needed to do to as if he had done this same thing hundreds of times before on E30's. I'm also convinced he had a soft spot in his heart for E30's as they had probably helped him establish his business long ago.

I agreed that I would do all the remaining disassembly, source the parts and put everything back together afterwards. But I had to remain flexible on the timing and he would work her on to the frame machine when he could. I looked around at the dozens of later model BMW's and knew it would be a while. :( I finished the rest of the disassembly and secretly hoped I would not starve to death after I had to pay the bill.





And there she remained for the next 6 weeks - waiting on me to source parts and for her chance to challenge the frame machine.