Canadian Calypso E30

[Zalmoxis]

im jelly ! I got rust too:) great taste in color :)) good luck
With your project ! Ive just made my engine run fine after so many many hours spent online and under the hood ! Keep up the good work ... Ohhh and .. Damn thats a fine color:))

[Le_Garagiste]

Nice calypso and nice uberkaro interior. Where did you find the taillight replacement panel?

I got it directly from a BMW dealership - PN:41348121771

[ThatOneEuroE30]

great work so far

[metal_til_deth]

Nice calypso and nice uberkaro interior. Where did you find the taillight replacement panel?

[bradnic]

Looks like a great project. So still work all done? No more rust to deal with?
Sweet interior btw

SUB'D

[ST1G]

Good start mate, love me a calypso paint, hope you plan on keeping it the same colour.

[Le_Garagiste]

With all the work that's gone into her, I figure it's time for a build thread.

Back Story: Little 318is I bought in 2012 for cheap because a 300e and then 190e Merc weren't cutting it in the fun department. Needed lots of work
but I thought Calypso was special and wanted a project. Everyone that knows me hates this car and thinks it's stupid waste of money. Which it is but
they're poor, my money right - my friends aren't the most financially responsible people. They won't be getting rides when it's done... This thing's
going to be a loud corner weighted people deterrent anyway.

Plan:
- Repair rust
- Partial stripped interior - going for a Singer 911-esque feel.
- Respray
- Fix central locking
- Suspension
- Brakes
- Wheels
- Chip
- Lightweight Flywheel

Enough crap, cut to the chase. Like 90% of E30s it was rusty, mostly in the rear battery compartment area.

This is the car when I first got it. Photos make the paint look better than it is.




Rust that needs addressing.




MTech I Spoiler


Panel to be replaced with new metal. Surprised BMW actually had one sitting around. PN: 41348121771


Off to the shop in June 2014


After cutting the rear panel off, we discover the right railed was crushed so that needed to be straightened.


Chopped rusty bits.


We're this far in, might as well cut and fill the left wheel well too.


Battery tray filled with new metal and then sealed with Würth rubber coating.


Pooling




A few months later I got the car back home and started sanding down all the panels for paint. Didn't get much done between December and April because
of projects at work.

This is how it sits now. Made my booking with the painter and should be bringing it down in a week or two. Through word of mouth from a Porsche/Audi/VW
friend I found a great tradesman that does top notch work. His approach is either lay it on smooth or redo. He doesn't like wet sanding - guess that's what
30 years experience shows. On my visit to the shop, he had custom JDM, muscle cars and his own Z4M project. No pics of those.




Only thing happening now it parts tear down and paint prep. More updates to come when she get in the paint booth.

A few more photos for fun.


Trying on 16x8 ET11 Centra T31 that I have around from the Mercedes. Nice fit, too bad they're 5x112.