Let's make an E30 M3! (M3 S14 cabrio clone project)

[AWDBOB]

Goodness gracious those wheels tie the car together. Whoof

[IronJoe]

Damn this thing is totally coming together... very nicely too

Thanks brother! Brand new euro front bumper will be here Wednesday. And I have something big in the works I can't reveal just yet...

[2mAn]

Damn this thing is totally coming together... very nicely too

[IronJoe]

Last night I scored a major item I've been wanting since I started this project - a factory hardtop!

This one is immaculate - I've not seen one in this good of shape before. It also has a professionally reupholstered headliner (with receipt!). I definitely stole this one. I had passed on a few examples that needed work, but I'm so glad I waited and found this one.

[IronJoe]

my m3 fenders are hanging on my car just like yours are. they seem like such a small project in comparison to the quarters, i just want to start into the metal fab on them but i always stop myself.

I know, same here. I've been itching to just buzz off the bottoms and bolt them up fully but I am trying to be patient.

Lemme get that side trim, you wont need it. I do thx

You got it man. I'll save it in a pile for ya.

I've done some body work in the past - but I'm no pro for sure.

My question is: How do you fill the run strips(side molding) in the door? The e30's doors are different then the m3 doors, as they don't have the recess for the rub strip. Since you won't just be leveling it out, you have to create a new profile with a tight inside corner for the length of the door. That profile, the inside of that corner - is what I'm asking about.

I know Jordan did it, but getting that inside radius perfect for the entire length of the door seems like magic to me. Plans? How to? Thoughts?

Good catch George. I have seen this done a few different ways - the easiest and least-appealing is to fill them in with body filler. I am not going this route as this car will not be packed with bondo like some ghetto-fab car.

The lower "bump" just underneath the "channel" is identical to the "bump" on the M3 doors - I know this because I had them both side by side and measured them extensively. So really, all you need to do is fill in this channel with material (while keeping the plane of the door skin level). Our plan is to weld in a strip of metal into the channel, thereby bridging this gap.

Only the doors need this modification, as the front fenders and rear quarters are already this way.

It's difficult to explain, so I had one of my CAD guys draw up this accurate to-scale diagram.



If you take a look at this picture of my M3's door, you can see that there isn't really a radius there - they are sharp lines.
http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/k...ps20a1rdl7.jpg

[george graves]

I've done some body work in the past - but I'm no pro for sure.

My question is: How do you fill the run strips(side molding) in the door? The e30's doors are different then the m3 doors, as they don't have the recess for the rub strip. Since you won't just be leveling it out, you have to create a new profile with a tight inside corner for the length of the door. That profile, the inside of that corner - is what I'm asking about.

I know Jordan did it, but getting that inside radius perfect for the entire length of the door seems like magic to me. Plans? How to? Thoughts?

Pic for reference:

[2mAn]

Lemme get that side trim, you wont need it. I do thx

[flyboyx]

you probably already know this but be sure to do the rear quarters before you work on the fenders. start at the back of the car, line everything up, adjust the doors to fit the quarters, then do the fenders last.

my m3 fenders are hanging on my car just like yours are. they seem like such a small project in comparison to the quarters, i just want to start into the metal fab on them but i always stop myself.

[WestCoastEta]

Yeaaah lookin good!

[IronJoe]

I took the day off work for my birthday and spent it wrenching. Here's what I got done:

-Bolted the driveshaft back in with a new giubo and CSB, & exhaust heat shields
-Installed SS clutch line
-Installed UUC shifter
-Changed the diff fluid
-Swapped the rear sway bar
-Mounted new wheels

So I got a lot of little things done, I still need to weld in the battery tray and the mounts for the radiator before I can start it up. Hopefully I'll get to that next week, but for now here's how she sits:




















I also have a second set of startecs coming that are in better condition than these! :o Just a few more small jobs to do before first start-up, then it's going under the knife for bodywork!

[IronJoe]

Redid the adjusters by using OEM or ?

Yeah I used OEM, I swapped out all the rusty ones with the old set of US ellipsoid headlights that came on the car. Nothing special, I'm afraid.

[TimeMachinE30]

Redid the adjusters by using OEM or ?

[QuiqueUy]

Nice progress ! can't wait to hear her rumble !

[IronJoe]

A little progress this weekend. Got a few more parts delivered I was waiting on, and got a chance to put together these babies:




They were a mismatched set of euro smilies from a friend. I replaced the glass on the passenger side low beam and redid all the adjusters. Now I just need to tackle the wiring.

[george graves]

The wheels looks amazing - nice job with the polish.