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

[Staszek]

Looking good!!

[Metallated]

I'm looking forward to seeing it painted, and I'm sure you are too :)

[IronJoe]

E28 M5 wheels are on. I am actually incredibly happy with the look.

Untitled by IronJoeT16S, on Flickr

[2mAn]

Now go drop that ass to the floor!... the car...

[IronJoe]

Now go drop that ass to the floor!... the car...

Yessir. Now I was finally able to remove that stupid 1" coil spring spacer in the rear. PSA: Those things are ridiculous, never use them. The car handled terribly and they tore themselves to bits in only a few miles. It will take a little while to settle, and of course it will be lower with the top & interior back in.


Here's how she sits:

P1010048 by IronJoeT16S, on Flickr


P1010050 by IronJoeT16S, on Flickr

P1010053 by IronJoeT16S, on Flickr

P1010054 by IronJoeT16S, on Flickr

P1010057 by IronJoeT16S, on Flickr

[Ryan...]

My God.....


I'm absolutely astounded at the level of patience and attention to detail you (and others who've taken on similar tasks) have when doing these projects.


Sorry if I missed it, but what are the plans for paint?

[Nats88M3]

Wow it has come a long way! You are doing a hell of a job congrats!

[IronJoe]

Made some incremental progress over the last few nights. I sold the startecs and the 370mm Mtech 1 :( but they both went to good homes. I now have the "standard" Mtech 1 wheel and stock taillights installed.

I went about priming the surfaces with black primer and got the side skirts on. Unfortunately it looks like the shop cracked one of the corners of the skirts when they were attempting to install them :( but I will try a plastic weld repair.

There is a ton of finish bodywork to do, mainly on the rear bumper and the seams, but I'm just thrilled that it's all one color!

Stock tails and rear bumper primer'd:
Untitled by IronJoeT16S, on Flickr


Front bumper primed and installed:
Untitled by IronJoeT16S, on Flickr


Finally got sideskirts on!
Untitled by IronJoeT16S, on Flickr



Untitled by IronJoeT16S, on Flickr


Untitled by IronJoeT16S, on Flickr



With the right instafilters applied, it almost looks finished :p
Untitled by IronJoeT16S, on Flickr


Untitled by IronJoeT16S, on Flickr

[berndt]

Looks sweet. I like the stock tail lights better anyhow :)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[bradnic]

Me too
Damn that’s beautiful

Henna right?
You did say Henna.
Right????

[jhaurimn]

I like henna, but I vote keeping it black. So much more involved to change from the original color of the car and do it properly. Plus, I like how e30 m3 verts look in black. Maybe paint the strut bar henna or something. :)

Keep it up. Youre getting close.

[nickflic3]

Always wondered what happened with that M3; spent all morning reading up on this. Did not disappoint

Keep up the good work!!

[Staszek]

Made some incremental progress over the last few nights. I sold the startecs and the 370mm Mtech 1 :( but they both went to good homes. I now have the "standard" Mtech 1 wheel and stock taillights installed.

I went about priming the surfaces with black primer and got the side skirts on. Unfortunately it looks like the shop cracked one of the corners of the skirts when they were attempting to install them :( but I will try a plastic weld repair.

There is a ton of finish bodywork to do, mainly on the rear bumper and the seams, but I'm just thrilled that it's all one color!

Stock tails and rear bumper primer'd:
Untitled by IronJoeT16S, on Flickr


Front bumper primed and installed:
Untitled by IronJoeT16S, on Flickr


Finally got sideskirts on!
Untitled by IronJoeT16S, on Flickr



Untitled by IronJoeT16S, on Flickr


Untitled by IronJoeT16S, on Flickr



With the right instafilters applied, it almost looks finished :p
Untitled by IronJoeT16S, on Flickr


Untitled by IronJoeT16S, on Flickr

Love the new wheels!! I would stay black with the car.

[parkerbink]

Looking good! Keep up the great work!

[IronJoe]

So, just to end the color speculation: The car will remain Schwarz. I went back and forth on this quite a bit but I think it's the best direction for this car.


I got brave/stupid last night and drove the car to the Dick's Duesday meet in Seattle. The car made it great (furthest I've driven it to date) and it gave me a good baseline for what little issues I need to fix next.


Untitled by IronJoeT16S, on Flickr


Untitled by IronJoeT16S, on Flickr


Even though it's super rough at this stage, I got a lot of love from my fellow enthusiasts! It was a really great moment for me, as the Dick's Meet was one of the first I ever attended in my Henna M3 and it's where I met many of my now-close friends. Here's a pic from around 5 years ago:
Untitled by IronJoeT16S, on Flickr