M3 Rep - the sunk cost build

[3ics]

If I was on the west coast, I would buy you many beers. Has to be frustrating, but good for you for taking the project on and being positive about the experience.

[reelizmpro]

Wtf. Wow. Not sure what to say but as long as your happy with it the rest doesn't matter much. Have fun.

[carlb]

Have you ever contacted Vlad about any of the issues? If so, what was his response?

Yes, I did call him about all the issues.

Vlad, in fact, did blame the shipping company. I pointed out that the shipping manifest showed the damage when it was picked up to the roof, front air dam and he promptly replied "Well, the wing was fucking perfect when it left here!" or something like that.

Further, he said he had no issues with the windshield wiper, nor the radio (which I didn't mention above being not connected to the antenna), nor the wheel issues and - at the time - said their was no sound coming from the rear end when it left his shop. That sound would turn out to be a bad differential.

Unfortunately, the car was sold as is. No warranty expressed or implied. And, it is now my bag to carry.

[trackjunkie21]

I think the shipping company hates Vlad, poor Vlad.

[warmseth]

The new wheels look great. Im sorry you had to go through it but it sounds like you're making the best of it and that you'll have an amazing car when all is said and done.

[nrubenstein]

Have you ever contacted Vlad about any of the issues? If so, what was his response?

I'll bet he blamed the shipping company and suggested that the OP ship it back so that he can look at it.

[MrSlacker]

Have you ever contacted Vlad about any of the issues? If so, what was his response?

[carlb]

Thanks guys. Yes. It does look good despite it's flaws. The cosmetic issues (besides the two dents on the roof) were not as frustrating as the mechanical issues and just plain broken parts - windshield wiper motor, bent rear wheels (they look fine just far from true), bad diff, bad center support bearing, bad guibo, and poorly done 5-lug swap.

So...

But, it's good to be making progress....

[davem]

it still looks pretty good in that last pic!

[Jhonno]

Another one then.. Damning.

Sounds like you have the right idea to go about sorting the shit though.

[ForcedFirebird]

Glad you are going to bring this one back...

[pacmanE30]

Sounds like you've got a pretty decent job ahead of you, but you've got a map so it looks like you're on the right track to getting this thing right. Good luck!

[LJ851]

Sorry about your vlad, look forward to seeing your progress.

[carlb]

So, ending my silence as the Vladinator has been taken down. I bought his M3 rep back in September. It is originally a 1987 325e.

Waited and aweful long time for Reliable to pick it up and ship it out here to the West Coast. Apparently, my fellow Seattle-lites don't ship cars from that other coast.

Very excited when that big orange truck finally rolled into my neigborhood!




My excitement was dimmed as I was baraged by a littany of problems. First, damage to the roof (dents front and back as if a bar fell across it). Not terrible but noticeable. A large chip in the front spoiler. Cracks in the rear spoiler. The roof dents and the front spolier damage were captured on the shipping manifest. So, this happened in the month it sat at Vlad's shop - apparently. Overall, the paint generally looks good, but the details are poor - paint drips, cracks at seams, slight misalignment of parts (front bumper and side skirts).. things enthusiasts notice.

Then on the first drive after a hot date, BOOM! The driver side rear tire blew in the middle of the 520 bridge. So, I limp across the bridge and try my darndest to jack up the car. Can't do it without damaging the sideskirt. Too low. That's my fault.

After getting it to a shop I discover both rear wheels are bent - barrels are not true. Note that these are wheels that Vlad sold me after the fact. Further, the differential was shot, probably because the center support bearing was broken in half. An inner tie rod was bent and the guibo was patheticly cracked and worn. All replaced.

Back in the garage the night it arrived:


But, this is not a thread about Vlad. It is a thread about what to do with what I got now. I've bought the car. It requires more work than I was led to believe - a lot. I could sell it and start over, but the extra money paid to Vlad is not recoverable unless I sucker someone else. As the economists say "sunk costs are sunk." So, I'm keeping it and making it right.

As Itzhak Perlman famously said
"Sometimes it is the artist's task to see how much music he can make with what he has."

I bought a rep because I wanted an e30 M3 that I can heavily modify and daily drive without the guilt of running down an increasingly rare classic car. So, that mission continues...

So, I'm about $2800 into repairs and replacements (replaced differential, tie rods, sway bar drop links, center support bearings, windshield wiper motor, new wheels and tires).

This is how it sits right now with 17x8 et38 BBS RX-II's I bought last night from RainierHooker - thanks man):


Immediate things to do: It's obvious the 5-lug set-up was done poorly at best. So, I have to redo some things.

New coilovers: I don't like cut springs. And, the struts look and feel a little tired. But, not that bad. So, I'm likely to replace the struts/springs real soon. I'm trying to choose between the Ground Control coilover kit or the BC Racing kit.

Replace front 5-lug with e36 M3 components: the front wheel is offcenter in the wheel well to the rear. From research, I've gathered that I need to ensure I have all the following suspension components.

• Using e36 M3 96+ control arms (castor gaining)
• Using M3 offset bushings (castor gaining)
• Using e36 m3 knuckles (castor gaining)
• e36 m3 brake components, rotors, calipers etc

Looks like that's another $630 from bimmerworld (not including e36 m3 brakes). I'll drop off the old wheels (blacked out style 5's) and see if they can be fixed. And, either sell or put some winter tires on 'em. Probably the latter.

After the supsension is fully sorted, I have an S52 in the garage that I'm going to drop in and eventually turbo once I'm confident that I've got no problems in the swap and funds have become available. Goal is sub-400whp. 350 would be great. Matches the power I like in a daily driver (and my other fav car FD RX-7 with LS1 swap).

By the way, the interior is tits. The stereo rocks. And, I love the Dodge Viper red that's it's shot with. Turns heads wherever it goes.