A brief history of my 1988 BMW M3 restoration

Jan 13, 2016 2:42 AM

Tippey764

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65348

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1642

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The story all starts here when someone tipped me off about an abandoned M3 in the woods. There was a long 2 weeks after locating the car to actually tracking down the owner of the car since the car was sitting on the property of a foreclosed house. A link to the whole story is at the bottom.

A couple weeks later after tracking down the owner it was on its way home

quick stop to clean off 5 years of grime

looks weird all clean

Removing panels to send off to paint

Some freshly painted parts

Disassembling the wheels to be refinished

Towing the car to the body shop

Test fitting the freshly painted fender

Engine bay painted

One of the first coats of paint

Clear coat applied

All finished

Dropping the new engine in ( to all you purists the s14 was missing and unobtainable )

Starting to look like a car again

s52 engine wired into the chassis

Wheels are back from being refinished with brand new rubber

Its getting there

First time outside in 6 months

Ready to get buffed now that its back together

Roast my e30 m3

Next to my buddies / customers 850i 6 speed.

Its not a selfie if I didn't take the photo myself haha

Thanks for browsing. If you want to read the story on how I found the car then go here http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=331431

Wow - just wow. That is a find of a lifetime. Great job!

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Gorgous! My 1987 325 and I send you a +1

10 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

Gotta love old BMW's, they may not have very good World War history, but German's can build gorgeous and durable cars!

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Absolutely Beautiful! Gotta finish it off with the M badge on the front grill

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Saw your thread on r3v a year or so back. This was the one with the bent frame right? How'd that end up working out?

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

What a beauty!

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 1

+1 because M3

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

please don't stance your car with some retarded ass camber, insanely stretched tire an edge of your rims sticking out.Just my 2.

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

It's not your car :) just my 2 cents

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

it's your car, do as you wish, but PLEASE get rid of those split rims.

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Any reason you you chose an S52 over an S54?

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Beauty, should've dropped an s54 into it though ;)

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 1

money

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Forever up one the e30, I'm drooling

10 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

Uhm my pants just got tighter!

6 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Do a skid.

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

as a former 91 e30 owner, this was well done. how's the interior?

10 years ago | Likes 30 Dislikes 0

That was what I was wondering about all the time

10 years ago | Likes 10 Dislikes 0

Its nothing special. It was in average shape but it was mostly all there.

10 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

You son of a bitch

10 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

god damn that turned out great

10 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 1

WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU ABANDON GOD'S CHARIOT IN A WOOD?!!??! >:(

10 years ago | Likes 74 Dislikes 3

Cos it's not a Mercedes

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 8

The logs were soaked in wood so it kinda got stuck.

10 years ago | Likes 25 Dislikes 5

An old Mustang sat at an abandoned house near me for years until my friend bought it for parts. Turned out it was a goddamned Shelby.

10 years ago | Likes 11 Dislikes 0

Holy shit O-o

10 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

...and then he painted it red and put a Coyote in it. Blasphemous, really.

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

850i droooooooool. Nice work!

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Not big fan of BMW, but the older ones are nice. Who the heck would leave E30 M3 to just rust away, those well be some expensive cars 1 day

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 1

Buddy of mine just bought one, 91 as well, with 65k miles; $29000 US

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Iconic cars will have iconic price. Investment that you can enjoy while it gains more value.

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

They are already kinda priced high, he stole that car at $2500.

10 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

And seems liek I am on crack cocaine today, can't rwite shite.

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

That 8 series is the sex. Yours is the sex too, just redder. MUCH SEXNESS

10 years ago | Likes 53 Dislikes 4

I'd kill a man for a 6speed 850

10 years ago | Likes 10 Dislikes 1

Really? I personally don't find them attractive. To each their own

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

I'd kill the man who killed a man for a 6 speed 850.

10 years ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 0

Then i would have kill you.

10 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

I don't like this game anymore D:

10 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

Is that zinno? Where did you get the new paint?

9 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

The car was painted at a dealer body shop where a buddy works, they mix all their own PPG paint. Also yes is zinnoberot

9 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Damn i want to respray my 325is but want to keep it factory paint. I should start hanging out at body shops and making friends haha.

9 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Why would you want to keep 20+ year old faded paint?

9 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

I meant like respray it in zinno not like alpine white or something obtainable.

9 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Sweet find!

10 years ago | Likes 7 Dislikes 2

I've always wanted to try driving one of those.

10 years ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 0

I'll tell you honestly. Its not a very special car to drive. Drive a regular non M and its about the same.

10 years ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 1

I've always heard so much hype about them since they came out. They were always the "purist's car." I have an S2k, and they live up the hype

10 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

e30 m3 purists think the s14 is an amazing four cylinder. I actually wanted to swap the f20c from an s2k into a 318is.

10 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

I would love to do a 7 build with the f20... That would be fun!

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

I wonder what it's like to have money.

10 years ago | Likes 16 Dislikes 2

Ask OP's parents.

10 years ago | Likes 13 Dislikes 7

because theyre LHD parts. I'm in uni, work part time and my parents have funded $0 all my projects...

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 2

Parents didn't pay for shit.

10 years ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 1

I've done what OPs done but with VW's and Audis and in Australia where parts are way more scarce and more expensive or don't fit 1/2

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 1

I mean... They got a fuckin' boat right there...

10 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

Not my house. Thats at the house of the person who bought the car from me.

10 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

Well... THEY got a fuckin' boat right there, why did you sell it? It was a beauty

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

I enjoy restoring cars more than owning them. I sold this and I move onto the next project. I gained so much publicity from this car that

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

that I was able to open up a shop and gain a few good customers. I have another identical 88 m3 at my shop undergoing another restoration

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

"Restoration" - Proceeds to show pictures of disassembling parts and sending them off to a professional instead of doing it himself

10 years ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 4

Uhhh no, every last bit of work on this car was done by 3 people. My self, my brother, and a friend who works in a dealership body shop.

10 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

He mentioned the 850 owner is a customer; maybe he works at the shop that did the work?

10 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

I own the shop. I do the work between my brother and I. Right now the 850 is getting an engine built for it actually.

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Awesome where are you guys located? Been on the hunt for a good Indy Beemer shop...

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

I live in rockville MD but my shop is in frederick MD. Its nothing special, just a small 850sqft space with one lift. Its enough for me.

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Rats, I'm down in SC. I'm jealous of anybody who has the guts to open any shop regardless of size, best of luck to you guys.

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Cool car! Congrats on the rich parents! And shit, I don't even mean that to be rude. That's a real gift. Allows you to spend time on this!

10 years ago | Likes 16 Dislikes 2

My parents are not rich. They did not donate a cent to this build. The build was between my brother and I. We paid for the whole thing.

10 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

Who's house is that?

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

I live in a house like the one seen in the 8th photo. Definitely nothing special.

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

The house of the buyer. That was the last photo I took with the car after delivering it to his place in miami.

10 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Well my apologies! I meant no offense either way. Good for you, dude. That's awesome.

10 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0