Because someone really ought to talk about cars...

[Nick M3]

Well, it's time for me to get off my ass and post this...

Many of you probably remember this car, which was posted here a couple years ago:

http://www.nrubenstein.com/images/e30m3/E30M3006.jpg

http://www.nrubenstein.com/images/e30m3/E30M3005.jpg

http://www.nrubenstein.com/images/e30m3/E30M3004.jpg

http://www.nrubenstein.com/images/e30m3/E30M3003.jpg

I ended up buying it for $3,500. Surprisingly, it wasn't nearly as much of a POS as you'd think. You'd think that with those two weird rust spots under the tail light that the thing would be absolutely riddled with issues. As it turns out, though, the undercarriage is almost 100% clean. I suppose I ought to take some pictures of that. :)

A couple pics from before the front end was disassembled:

http://www.nrubenstein.com/images/e30m3/E30M3001.jpg

http://www.nrubenstein.com/images/e30m3/E30M3002.jpg

Even the floor pan on the inside is nice and clean. There's just a little surface crap around the gas pedal from when the PO (the one who actually drove it) tracked a crap ton of mud in from construction sites:

http://www.nrubenstein.com/images/e30m3/E30M3011.jpg

http://www.nrubenstein.com/images/e30m3/E30M3008.jpg

http://www.nrubenstein.com/images/e30m3/E30M3009.jpg

http://www.nrubenstein.com/images/e30m3/E30M3010.jpg

Mind you, it had a TOP QUALITY Maaco style paint job at one point. And then sat out in the sun for a LONG time. Can we say paint failure?

http://www.nrubenstein.com/images/e30m3/E30M3007.jpg

[Nick M3]

Getting rid of the rust spots under the tail light:

http://www.nrubenstein.com/images/e30m3/E30M3013.jpg

Luckily, I had a donor tail panel available. It's easier than shaping sheet metal, although I've done quite a bit of that too. Lots of it was crap, but that area was great:

http://www.nrubenstein.com/images/e30m3/E30M3014.jpg

First pass with a little bit of Evercoat:

http://www.nrubenstein.com/images/e30m3/E30M3018.jpg

Core support mocked in:

http://www.nrubenstein.com/images/e30m3/E30M3015.jpg

Front end mocked together:

http://www.nrubenstein.com/images/e30m3/E30M3016.jpg

http://www.nrubenstein.com/images/e30m3/E30M3017.jpg

Engine bay is pretty clean:

http://www.nrubenstein.com/images/e30m3/E30M3021.jpg

Aside, of course, from the spot on the frame rails next to the header. Luckily, it all ground away cleanly and I hit the rest of it with rust converter:

http://www.nrubenstein.com/images/e30m3/E30M3020.jpg

Sanding away the Maaco:

http://www.nrubenstein.com/images/e30m3/E30M3019.jpg

http://www.nrubenstein.com/images/e30m3/E30M3022.jpg

http://www.nrubenstein.com/images/e30m3/E30M3023.jpg

http://www.nrubenstein.com/images/e30m3/E30M3024.jpg

[Nick M3]

Almost got the windshield out without cracking it. Oh well. Protip: Don't try to take out the adhesive cutter tool once you've got it in. Just keep going:

http://www.nrubenstein.com/images/e30m3/E30M3025.jpg

What the heck is this hideous sticker?

http://www.nrubenstein.com/images/e30m3/E30M3027.jpg

Oh, wow:

http://www.nrubenstein.com/images/e30m3/E30M3028.jpg

Anyone ever seen a CCA sticker turn to crap like that? I really hope I can figure out how to get that off without ruining the defroster.

Sigh, of course there's a bit of rust in the windshield rim:

http://www.nrubenstein.com/images/e30m3/E30M3029.jpg

http://www.nrubenstein.com/images/e30m3/E30M3030.jpg

No worries, some fresh sheet grafted in:

--forgot to take pics of the repair. will remedy soon--

I need to pick up some of Eastwood's brilliant Internal Frame Coating product. This should hopefully do a nice job of protecting the other side. I'd have killed for some of this when I did the 330is:

http://www.eastwood.com/internal-frame-coating-w-spray-nozzle.html

Antenna hole filled in. Can't stand that stupid, ugly thing. I'll either stuff an antenna under the rear deck, or in the trunk lid. Not that I really care much about radio reception:

http://www.nrubenstein.com/images/e30m3/E30M3031.jpg

[Nick M3]

Sunroof assembly removed:

http://www.nrubenstein.com/images/e30m3/E30M3026.jpg

Sunroof panel welded in:

http://www.nrubenstein.com/images/e30m3/E30M3032.jpg

This went surprisingly well… It just takes lots and lots and lots of patience.

Slapped on a sea of Evercoat:

http://www.nrubenstein.com/images/e30m3/E30M3033.jpg

http://www.nrubenstein.com/images/e30m3/E30M3034.jpg

http://www.nrubenstein.com/images/e30m3/E30M3035.jpg

Lots of sanding later….

http://www.nrubenstein.com/images/e30m3/E30M3036.jpg

It's not quite perfect yet, but it's getting reasonable:

http://www.nrubenstein.com/images/e30m3/E30M3037.jpg

http://www.nrubenstein.com/images/e30m3/E30M3038.jpg

http://www.nrubenstein.com/images/e30m3/E30M3039.jpg

http://www.nrubenstein.com/images/e30m3/E30M3040.jpg

Hopefully, by the end of this week, I will have the shell in primer. That'll be a great relief. I'm starting with PPG epoxy primer (DP48LF), followed by K36 primer surfacer (aka high build), and then I'll top that with another coat of DP48LF because K36 has to be sealed. After that, I'll go with Deltron for color and Concept for clear.

And I almost forgot. I bought ChaseN's S50B32, so that'll be going in once the engine bay is painted. That's a little ways off, though, so it's not really all that important. (Although it takes up a lot of space in Mike's garage...)

[equ]

Wow, congrats.. Very nice project. You'll need to update '(needs help)' to 'getting lots of love' soon.

[Plaz]

Wow!

[rumatt]

Wow. Rebuilding engines wasn't enough to keep you entertained so you needed to get into the bodywork business?

Impressed.

[blee]

So you went through all of that amazing work...to put an S50 in there???!! If you see me at my funeral one day, now you'll know why I was laid to rest in a grimace. ;)

[John V]

John V likes this.

E30 M3s that actually have some balls are very cool :)

[Pinecone]

Why not a high build primer/surfacer, one step?

[Nick M3]

So you went through all of that amazing work...to put an S50 in there???!! If you see me at my funeral one day, now you'll know why I was laid to rest in a grimace. ;)
Yeah, but this S50 has ITBs, 321hp, an 8K rev limit and a 6spd attached.

Edit: Eventually, I will probably go to an S54. On paper, it's not much of a difference but the S50 seems to stick around the 300whp mark. The S54 is going to 350ish without even bothering with cams. I'm really hoping to find a totaled MZ3 donor because it'd be possible to do a 100% OBD-II compliant swap with one of those.

Edit 2: and of course, you'll be welcome to try it for yourself.

[Nick M3]

Why not a high build primer/surfacer, one step?
Well, the PPG high build primer (K36) requires a sealing coat before paint and I kind of want to lay down the epoxy as a base.

[JST]

And see here I was feeling all impressed with myself for finding the time to slap a new coat of paint on my front door trim.

Very nice.

[bren]

I still can't get over that garage.

And here I am, too lazy to pull the heads from the vette that has been sitting almost a year.


Hopefully, by the end of this week, I will have the shell in primer.

You know the trick of misting the primer with black paint before you block it right? Helps show the low spots real quick and easy.

[Plaz]

And see here I was feeling all impressed with myself for finding the time to slap a new coat of paint on my front door trim.

Very nice.

I'm impressed with that. We've needed to do that for at least a year and haven't yet. :eeps:

[Nick M3]

I still can't get over that garage.

And here I am, too lazy to pull the heads from the vette that has been sitting almost a year.


You know the trick of misting the primer with black paint before you block it right? Helps show the low spots real quick and easy.
Yeah. But you have to get to a certain point before it's worth bothering with a guide coat.

[Pinecone]

OK, they used to have an epoxy high build primer, all in one. Put it down over bare metal, sand, and as long as you did not go through anyplace, you were ready for color.

I used it when I redid the hood on my Dodge Daytona to add the intercooler scoop.

[FC]

Cool. Nice work.

[Nick M3]

OK, they used to have an epoxy high build primer, all in one. Put it down over bare metal, sand, and as long as you did not go through anyplace, you were ready for color.

I used it when I redid the hood on my Dodge Daytona to add the intercooler scoop.
I've seen people claim that DP48LF can be used as a high build, but I've seen a lot of people say it doesn't sand well. I figured that I wouldn't chance it.

[blee]

Yeah, but this S50 has ITBs, 321hp, an 8K rev limit and a 6spd attached.

Edit: Eventually, I will probably go to an S54. On paper, it's not much of a difference but the S50 seems to stick around the 300whp mark. The S54 is going to 350ish without even bothering with cams. I'm really hoping to find a totaled MZ3 donor because it'd be possible to do a 100% OBD-II compliant swap with one of those.

Edit 2: and of course, you'll be welcome to try it for yourself.

One of these days, I'll take you up on that last bit. It's still sacrilege. Then again, the car looked pretty beat up to begin with. What are you doing with the old S14?

[Nick M3]

One of these days, I'll take you up on that last bit. It's still sacrilege. Then again, the car looked pretty beat up to begin with. What are you doing with the old S14?
Dunno. Compression was 60/120/25/60, so it's a rebuild core. I figure it's best to hold on to it in case I ever have the desire to return it to a more pure configuration.

[zach]

Holy crap! Nice work, my friend.

[ff]

[jealous]

I'd love to have the time, the location, and of course the know-how to take on projects like that. Looking forward to seeing the finished product :cool:

[Jeff_DML]

[jealous]

I'd love to have the time, the location, and of course the know-how to take on projects like that. Looking forward to seeing the finished product :cool:

+1

[equ]

How much more weight up front with an s50? I'm sure it's worth the hp/tq increase... But if the s54 is as heavy as I remember it to be, that may be upsetting point for an e30m3's exquisite balance (that I've only read about).

[Jeff_DML]

How much more weight up front with an s50? I'm sure it's worth the hp/tq increase... But if the s54 is as heavy as I remember it to be, that may be upsetting point for an e30m3's exquisite balance (that I've only read about).

maybe a S65 instead? ;)

[Nick M3]

The S50B32 and the S54 are very, very close relatives. It's basically the same weight. It'll probably net out to close to a hundred pounds extra on the nose. It's not perfect, but it's livable. If I really wanted to, there are some beautiful CF parts that would knock that weight off the front.

[blee]

Dunno. Compression was 60/120/25/60, so it's a rebuild core. I figure it's best to hold on to it in case I ever have the desire to return it to a more pure configuration.

Yikes. Well, given how much it would cost to rebuild that engine, throwing in a different one is not totally insane. You might be able to sell it for a decent amount of money if you didn't want to keep it sitting around. Buying one in the future, however, might prove to be trickier.

[Nick M3]

Yikes. Well, given how much it would cost to rebuild that engine, throwing in a different one is not totally insane. You might be able to sell it for a decent amount of money if you didn't want to keep it sitting around. Buying one in the future, however, might prove to be trickier.
I was kind of hoping that I'd at least get a chance to decide whether or not I hated it. The problem with rebuilding is that I would not be able to resist taking the options down. And as I'm sure you know, that gets even more expensive. It's probably possible to get a grand for it. And another few hundred for the G265. We'll see how I feel when the thing is together.

But yeah, the S50 is quite a lot cheaper than what I'd do with an S14. On the street, it's probably more satisfying too. On the track, I'd absolutely prefer a 275whp S14 to the S50. But... That's a $20k motor. Or more.

[clyde]

Nice.

[Nick M3]

Alright, well, I'm trapped at home with a stomach bug, so that seemed like a great time to continue the writeup. In between *many* breaks. Sigh.

Anyway, pics!

http://www.nrubenstein.com/images/e30m3/update1/E30M3002.jpg

Decided to suck it up and pull the rear windshield. I had originally entertained the fantasy of leaving it in, but the nasty build up of Maaco lacquer scotched that. The rear window trim was one of the few things they *did* pull when they painted it. Oh well.

http://www.nrubenstein.com/images/e30m3/update1/E30M3003.jpg

After comparing the cost of having the glass pulled with the cost of a new one, I just pulled the damned thing myself. It actually came out fully intact and I was even able to get the BMWCCA sticker off. I'll have to test the defroster before it goes back in, but I'm hopeful.

http://www.nrubenstein.com/images/e30m3/update1/E30M3004.jpg

The last weird rust hole patched and finished. I really wish that I could explain these two rust spots. They are so out of character.

http://www.nrubenstein.com/images/e30m3/update1/E30M3005.jpg

http://www.nrubenstein.com/images/e30m3/update1/E30M3006.jpg

I did promise to show the windshield frame repair.

http://www.nrubenstein.com/images/e30m3/update1/E30M3010.jpg

Holy crap! It's a paint booth! Kind of.

http://www.nrubenstein.com/images/e30m3/update1/E30M3012.jpg

Luckily it fits over here for storage. It takes up a lot of space and I'm definitely looking forward to breaking it down and storing it.

http://www.nrubenstein.com/images/e30m3/update1/E30M3013.jpg

Plastic draped on it.

http://www.nrubenstein.com/images/e30m3/update1/E30M3014.jpg

[Nick M3]

Masking is a real pain in the ass. As annoying as sanding, IMHO.

http://www.nrubenstein.com/images/e30m3/update1/E30M3016.jpg

DPLF going on…

http://www.nrubenstein.com/images/e30m3/update1/E30M3018.jpg

More DPLF…

http://www.nrubenstein.com/images/e30m3/update1/E30M3019.jpg

More DPLF…

http://www.nrubenstein.com/images/e30m3/update1/E30M3021.jpg

Even more...

http://www.nrubenstein.com/images/e30m3/update1/E30M3022.jpg

*sigh* This is why it's a good idea to staple the plastic on. Luckily, damage to primer is easily repairable.

http://www.nrubenstein.com/images/e30m3/update1/E30M3024.jpg

Stapled together this time around. Much better.

http://www.nrubenstein.com/images/e30m3/update1/E30M3025.jpg

DPLF going into the engine bay!

http://www.nrubenstein.com/images/e30m3/update1/E30M3026.jpg

http://www.nrubenstein.com/images/e30m3/update1/E30M3027.jpg

Painted! In fact, I've top coated the bay, too. Apparently I didn't take any pics of that, but it doesn't really matter. The difference between DP48LF and AW doesn't really show up in pics.

http://www.nrubenstein.com/images/e30m3/update1/E30M3023.jpg

Some non-paint related news! I felt really bad about cutting two perfectly good subframes in half. Just doesn't feel right.

http://www.nrubenstein.com/images/e30m3/update1/E30M3030.jpg

http://www.nrubenstein.com/images/e30m3/update1/E30M3031.jpg

Fortunately, it's all for a good cause. Tyler Timmel is making me a couple of his lovely rear sump subframes so I can keep a dual pickup on the euro motor and so that I can swap to a rear sump pan on the 330is. The best part about this is that I get a pretty large weight savings by not having to run a skid plate.

On the paint front, after some thinking, I've made a few changes. Thanks to Reelizmpro, I've been convinced that AWII is a single stage paint. (I'd seen quite a few people swear that it's base/cc, but more research definitely indicates otherwise.) Given that, I've decided to switch to DCC Concept single stage. It has the advantage of easier repairability and much simpler application. And white single stage paints are very durable as long as they aren't crap, like that lacquer junk that was sprayed all over the poor thing.

[JST]

I want to hear more about that coffee. Irish creme, eh? Sounds fancy.

EDIT: seriously, though, nice freaking work.

[Pinecone]

I just wonder how it will look after the first trip through a gravel trap. :D

[Nick M3]

I just wonder how it will look after the first trip through a gravel trap. :D
The correct answer is shut up. ;)

[bren]

I just wonder how it will look after the first trip through a gravel trap. :D
I wonder if the new owner of that car is still finding gravel everywhere.