E30 M3 Steel Bodywork Conversion

[bmwmech1]

I like the fact you didn't stop with the fenders, goodluck with everything dude

Thanks man, it's been quite the project to undertake, but I can see a faint light at then end of the long tunnel, haha... I guess the upside of all of the work is that I'll have basically a 0 mile E30 when I'm done, since everything will be fresh and/or new, so that's kind of cool. Plus, even though it won't have the pedigree by VIN, it will be in essence, an M3... with a V8...

Garey

[325ix]

What a cool car! May I ask what you went to school for exactly?

[shiboujin]

You have RTA reinforcements but you went poly with the subframe bushings? Why not solid?

[bmwmech1]

You have RTA reinforcements but you went poly with the subframe bushings? Why not solid?

Noise... it's a street car. I want a firm, controlled suspension/structure, but not a noisy one. It's getting the M60B40 V8, so the more reinforcements I could implement at the point of construction, the better. It may be overkill, but I have the car completely torn down, so why not put the ideal stuff for the application back in? I thought about solid, but decided against it simply because of of the NVH for a street car...

Garey

[bmwmech1]

What a cool car! May I ask what you went to school for exactly?

Believe it or not, I have a BA of Fine Arts. I just like tearing stuff apart and making it better/cooler. Plus I own an Indy BMW shop, so that makes it easier. I was also a professional musician for a number of years... my friends call me the career chameleon, Lol, which is pretty accurate...

Garey

[amiller07]

the car is even better in person...its come a hell of a long way.

garey when you get a chance give me a call..thanks andy

[bmwmech1]

the car is even better in person...its come a hell of a long way.

garey when you get a chance give me a call..thanks andy

K...:p

[bmwmech1]

Just ordered my new tubing bender... should be here by mid-next week! Now it's time to order my DOM!

Garey

[bmwmech1]

Okay, I finally took some pictures tonight before I left. I was finishing the last piece of trunk floor and broke my flanging tool... that pissed me off, so I cleaned up and came home. I did get the rear sway bar mounts fabbed and welded in and then I started on the last floor panel, when said tool decided to give up the ghost. Earlier in this week, I got the standoffs for the fuel cell made and welded in, so there's a picture of the cell mounted in the trunk. I also stayed late on Tuesday and got almost the entire underside stripped to bare metal in prep for the primer stage, which is fast approaching, as well. On to the pictures...











I'll have more work completed over the weekend...

Garey

[Cletonius]

Nice project you've got going! Makes me miss working in a shop. Not very often you see a project like this.

Years ago I thought I wanted to be a career auto body person so I took all the classes and whatnot, which brings me to this question: When you cut the car up to replace bits of the main structure, did you have it on a frame jig and/or weld in bracing? I only ask because with these main structural pieces missing there is a chance your car may have moved during the process, netting you a final product that isn't 100% correct/straight. Depending on the variance you may have problems with the car tracking straight when you're done.

I don't mean to shit in your cheerios, just curious is all.

[bmwmech1]

Nice project you've got going! Makes me miss working in a shop. Not very often you see a project like this.

Years ago I thought I wanted to be a career auto body person so I took all the classes and whatnot, which brings me to this question: When you cut the car up to replace bits of the main structure, did you have it on a frame jig and/or weld in bracing? I only ask because with these main structural pieces missing there is a chance your car may have moved during the process, netting you a final product that isn't 100% correct/straight. Depending on the variance you may have problems with the car tracking straight when you're done.

I don't mean to shit in your cheerios, just curious is all.

As my shop is a repair, not body shop, I don't have access to a frame jig. Instead, I have used welded in bracing to keep the car from moving around and I try to think ahead about what part I am removing vs. what may move and what can be done to prevent it as much as possible. I think I've been successful in keeping the variations to a minimum, as I've checked panel gaps/fitments many times along the way, but time will tell. I'm no body guy, but I have enjoyed this project and it's taught me a lot about what and what not to do and what is achievable/realistic as far as expectations and my own limitations. Hopefully the end result will live up to my expectations...

Garey

[Cletonius]

As my shop is a repair, not body shop, I don't have access to a frame jig. Instead, I have used welded in bracing to keep the car from moving around and I try to think ahead about what part I am removing vs. what may move and what can be done to prevent it as much as possible. I think I've been successful in keeping the variations to a minimum, as I've checked panel gaps/fitments many times along the way, but time will tell. I'm no body guy, but I have enjoyed this project and it's taught me a lot about what and what not to do and what is achievable/realistic as far as expectations and my own limitations. Hopefully the end result will live up to my expectations...

Garey

Cool. Glad to hear you're doing it the right way. It's a great build and I'm looking forward to watching the process. What's the final color going to be?

[bmwmech1]

Cool. Glad to hear you're doing it the right way. It's a great build and I'm looking forward to watching the process. What's the final color going to be?

Thanks man, I'm excited to start the cage work this coming week, as the fab process is winding down... I decided on Alpineweiss over black a long time ago. I think it's one of the best colors on the e30 M3 bodywork. With the V8 power and all the little upgrades I've done, it should be pretty unique... thanks for watching,

Garey

[imwhyteyo]

a standing applaud . absolutely wonderful job.

[drutt23]

Wow! Stunning project man!! I have minor upgrades/refurbishments in mind for my car currently, but some of your work is inspiring my future ideas down the road when I have more time and money to do some of this kind of work. I will be watching this thread very closely to learn some of your 'ways', so to speak, and putting them to my own use!! This build has me on my toes for good! HUGE props my friend!!! Sub'd!!
:mrgreen::up::up::mrgreen: