'89 M3 Restoration & S50B32 Swap Thread

[Danny]

Danny -

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=193281

I'm not 100% certain that the stock S50 pan will work without modifications. A little modification isn't that big a deal if necessary, but it would be awfully nice if it just dropped right in.

Interesting link indeed. I'll be following this closely!

[Paukert11]

Nice work man! keep it coming.

[Paukert11]

nice work man keep it coming.

[nrubenstein]

Excellent work so far! Let me get this straight now, you're using a custom subframe on your e30 with a US s50 as well so you can run a rear sump?

I'd like to hear a bit more about that if you would be so kind as to indulge me.

Danny -

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=193281

I'm not 100% certain that the stock S50 pan will work without modifications. A little modification isn't that big a deal if necessary, but it would be awfully nice if it just dropped right in.

[Pantless Spency]

woooooooo nice thread

[Danny]

Excellent work so far! Let me get this straight now, you're using a custom subframe on your e30 with a US s50 as well so you can run a rear sump?

I'd like to hear a bit more about that if you would be so kind as to indulge me.

[vlad]

great project ! I've done so many of these that I know how many hours and hours and hours went into this, keep it up, one day it will be done and you will be happy with it!
:up:

[nrubenstein]

Alright, well, I'm trapped at home with a stomach bug, so that seemed like a great time to continue the writeup. In between *many* breaks. Sigh.

Anyway, pics!



Decided to suck it up and pull the rear windshield. I had originally entertained the fantasy of leaving it in, but the nasty build up of Maaco lacquer scotched that. The rear window trim was one of the few things they *did* pull when they painted it. Oh well.



After comparing the cost of having the glass pulled with the cost of a new one, I just pulled the damned thing myself. It actually came out fully intact and I was even able to get the BMWCCA sticker off. I'll have to test the defroster before it goes back in, but I'm hopeful.



The last weird rust hole patched and finished. I really wish that I could explain these two rust spots. They are so out of character.





I did promise to show the windshield frame repair.



Holy crap! It's a paint booth! Kind of.



Luckily it fits over here for storage. It takes up a lot of space and I'm definitely looking forward to breaking it down and storing it.



Plastic draped on it.



Masking is a real pain in the ass. As annoying as sanding, IMHO.



DPLF going on…



More DPLF…



More DPLF…



Even more...



*sigh* This is why it's a good idea to staple the plastic on. Luckily, damage to primer is easily repairable.



Stapled together this time around. Much better.



DPLF going into the engine bay!







Painted! In fact, I've top coated the bay, too. Apparently I didn't take any pics of that, but it doesn't really matter. The difference between DP48LF and AW doesn't really show up in pics.



Some non-paint related news! I felt really bad about cutting two perfectly good subframes in half. Just doesn't feel right.





Fortunately, it's all for a good cause. Tyler Timmel is making me a couple of his lovely rear sump subframes so I can keep a dual pickup on the euro motor and so that I can swap to a rear sump pan on the 330is. The best part about this is that I get a pretty large weight savings by not having to run a skid plate.

On the paint front, after some thinking, I've made a few changes. Thanks to Reelizmpro, I've been convinced that AWII is a single stage paint. (I'd seen quite a few people swear that it's base/cc, but more research definitely indicates otherwise.) Given that, I've decided to switch to DCC Concept single stage. It has the advantage of easier repairability and much simpler application. And white single stage paints are very durable as long as they aren't crap, like that lacquer junk that was sprayed all over the poor thing.

[grippymonkey]

amazing how bad some people let their E30 M3's get... I couldn't imagine letting an old 318i get that bad let alone a M3!

keep up the good work!

[Lof8]

Thanks for saving one!

[brian52555]

Great job!

[nrubenstein]

The interior is actually in pretty good shape. The carpet was disgusting, but half qn hour with the power washer did wonders. The front seats have no rips or tears, so I'll probably just redye them for the moment. The top of the back seat has the usual stitch failure that I will (attempt) to correct and then redye as well. Ifthat doesn't work out to my satisfaction, I'll talk to Kevin.

[M-technik-3]

Funktion, I think he took it too.

[nrubenstein]

Was that Mayer's old car? That was out at RRT?

Moubray's. I'm not sure whether he had it at RRT or Funktion.

[nrubenstein]

Nice find..but the top will need more filler..that's a lot of flat surface to get ....flat

Good luck dude. Subscribed!

Absolutely. This is just the first pass at it without even bothering with a guide coat. Or anything. My plan is to get it to decentish and then shoot the epoxy primer and high build. I'll probably need a little filler on top of that, but we will see.