Project finished - 'MY22' 318is - bare metal, nut and bolt restoration

[econti]

+1 for silver
also +1 for not using magnesium wheels on the street, also even warranty aside, if they're old production they are only suitable for a museum

[Matt@EDC]

Ahhh go on… get ‘em to do you a render with blue center 😉 Powdercoated with a matte/satin finish.

Volk Racing’s ultra matte blue gunmetal looks pretty sweet, if that’s any inspiration?

[burkey001]

I am not sure about blue wheels! Hmmm maybe I am too much of a wallflower.
I will stick with silver, 99% sure.

Speaking of wheels I just got the render of the wheels I am having made.
Production should start in a couple weeks once my spot comes up.

I think these will look 👌

[Matt@EDC]

Dare to be brave and do the new wheel centers an interior-matched blue? Looks so good against the orange and would make for a unique exterior look. Logos or bolt heads in a colour to match the beige of the houndstooth inlays would set them off.

Edit: lips in beige with blue centers?! Given the lack of chrome on the car, a polished lip might not suit. And black lips make the centers look smaller sometimes

[Digitalwave]

Can't speak to the OP but not everyone would want to use a magnesium wheel on the street.

[burkey001]

Got the car home tonight, first time. Had to take a quick cellphone pic.
House takes a good photo, got some strong lines and shadows.

[burkey001]

Great progress, loving it. But why would you do the NTM wheels when you can do real E50’s new?

THanks :)

Re the E50, you mean the non-TUV, sand cast magnesium ones I can buy from BBS Racing?
The answer is they are not a road wheel. Cool as they look they have no JWL / KBA / ECE124 / VIA etc accreditation and so technically void any insurance or liability coverage I have while driving. That's a non starter for me. Plus they are magnesium and have a tendency to crack / require frequent inspection. Again, not for me.

[moatilliatta]

Great progress, loving it. But why would you do the NTM wheels when you can do real E50’s new?

[burkey001]

I can’t remember if you are using the stock ECU or not. I got a set of CBR600 coils and they seem to fit under the factory plug wire cover. They are a 2pin connector so not sure how you could wire them in.

Just thought I would mention these coils if you wanted to try to fit them as they are the best I could find to keep the OEM cover. Im running a standalone though so maybe different scenario.

That is some good intel right there… so CBR600 like a motorbike? Interesting, I am using the stock ECU so this might be not for me, but great info, thanks.

Just thought I'd bump your thread Burkey to see whether you're now happily driving the car out on the road now restrictions have lifted a bit!

Amazing work and attention to detail throughout as always, and a real inspiration. Did your black car sell - I see it has disappeared off carsales?

It's almost done. Going for roadworthy on Tuesday. I am still waiting for my wheels to arrive, so it’s going for reg on some stock 14’s

I did sell my black car to a guy in Sydney. Seemed like an OK guy, says he has a McLaren too.

LOVE seeing this come together!

Hey thanks dude :)

So, it’s been a little while. Kind of slow pace, few other aspects of life have taken focus recently. But we press on with projects.

Looking at what I was posting last looks like the carpet was being finished off.

So, had some floor mats made too and they are great.

But what slowed me down HEAPS was an oil leak.. I’ll fess up… had me scratching my head and going slightly mad. A weepy leak from the front that took me a LOT of troubleshooting to find. Ripped the bottom end off. Ripped the timing case off… chasing shadows. Changing gaskets. Lapping surfaces.
TURNS OUT I MISSED A BOLT! In the front timing case, I missed an M6x35 bolt that sits just inward of the oil filter housing… So the timing case wasn’t being clamped against the block enough in one spot and so it just wept oil…. Stuck it in and fixed. SO pleased. Spent 4-5 nights ripping into this, trying different things, chasing down dead ends what the leak may have been.

So, got that fixed, got an Unreg Permit and went for a little spin on my BBS LM… and that lasted all of 300metres. The tires on those rims are hugely flat spotted from locking some brakes on some spilt coolant at turn 9 at Sandown and spearing my old car into the armco at 110km/h., I had forgot about that. A good 5-6mm flatspotted on the right rear. ANYWAY so that’s why I am rolling 14’s until my NTM “TB3 DTM” wheels arrive

I’m having a set of these made in 17 with silver faces. I think they will work well. They’re a machined forging that’s a slight replica of a BBS E50




So, until they arrive we just wait. Getting some Pilot Sport 4 is proving difficult in the size I want too. Only 1 in the country they say..

I cleaned it on the weekend, and it felt real nice to see it all dusted off and looking like a finished thing. Really happy with the interior, it’s a nice place to be.

Car still needs a final flatten on a few bit of paint and a full correction before some PPF goes on.

Apologies for a million interior pics, I just like lookin at it. I will hold off on too many exterior until wheels arrive and paint is finished. Am also waiting for PPF before I put the black bumper trim in




























Hopefully it passes rego on Tuesday

[wazzu70]

I can’t remember if you are using the stock ECU or not. I got a set of CBR600 coils and they seem to fit under the factory plug wire cover. They are a 2pin connector so not sure how you could wire them in.

Just thought I would mention these coils if you wanted to try to fit them as they are the best I could find to keep the OEM cover. Im running a standalone though so maybe different scenario.

[lukeADE335i]

Just thought I'd bump your thread Burkey to see whether you're now happily driving the car out on the road now restrictions have lifted a bit!

Amazing work and attention to detail throughout as always, and a real inspiration. Did your black car sell - I see it has disappeared off carsales?

[TeXJ]

LOVE seeing this come together!

[burkey001]

Carpet is done. Floor mats to come, then trim the boot and we’re done !

Need to tidy the seat mounts, blacken some hardware and obscure some bolts but I like it

I really like the upholstered throttle stop… feels fancy!

[burkey001]

Minor update. The bright plated clips on the ignition coils were bothering me (too bright) so I gave them a light cut back with some steel wool and a light coat of some black PU paint. Kind of mutes it down a bit more.

This thing is amazing. Loving every detail. Much like the Singer philosophy of ‘Everything Is Important’. I hope to jump into an OE-standard restomod once my current car is done, so this is all very educational and inspirational. Keep up the great work and I look forward to seeing you enjoying the fruits of your labors soon!

Hey thanks man, while its definitely not close to what Singer do, I do admire their approach. Everything does matter because I am building my interpretation of a ‘new’ E30.

Where'd you get the COP kit from?

I made it from some 6mm 6061 plate I had leftover from some dry sump brackets I made for my other E30. Not too much to it, I can post up centre distances if you need. They are “accurate enough” not down to the nearest micron.


Also have some progress made on carpet. My main man mr trim is here laying down a few edges and seams after measuring many times. Is going to be a multi-piece carpet like an old Porsche because this German Square weave carpet isn’t overly mouldable and a one-piece repro is out of the question.

I would have used a new genuine carpet but they have been NLA in RHD for a long time. Plus, custom is kinda cool.

Don’t pay too close attention to any gaps here, this is just initial layout and fit testing views




That yellow zinc bolt has to go… does my head in. I will probably turn up some little aluminium trim caps for the bolts, have then coated black and retain them with a little internal oring pressure on the hex or something.

Rough view of the blue on blue on orange with a genuine Evo 2 wheel

[Matt@EDC]

This thing is amazing. Loving every detail. Much like the Singer philosophy of ‘Everything Is Important’. I hope to jump into an OE-standard restomod once my current car is done, so this is all very educational and inspirational. Keep up the great work and I look forward to seeing you enjoying the fruits of your labors soon!