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Thread: 1995 Cosmos M3 - helping back to life

  1. #26
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
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    Maryland/Massachusetts
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    2016 M3

    1995 Cosmos M3 - helping back to life

    Thanks for the kind words everyone! It means a lot, and being a perfectionist there is always another project/thing I can see to change haha Unfortunately the Modena seats are in a little worse shape then the pictures show.

    To respond to a couple of you:

    Shaft9ii: The 6x9s really are good and not being an audiophile they sound night and day difference from the stock speakers. This was one of the most satisfying changes I have made actually.

    Kevcm: I decided to stay with stock FCABs. I did them as part of work done with the shop I have been working closely on some of this and as a daily driver I don't think I was looking too much more into it.

    Olemiss540:
    The e36 came about when I moved to New England and didn't want to drive my e46 with 55k miles (at the time) in the winter or on my 40+ mile commute. Especially with my e46 being SMG the difference in driving feel and experience is noticeable. The e46 is much newer and more comfortable
    Highway cruising or just enjoying shear high revving acceleration, but I have found the e36 to be more fun sometimes on the twisty smaller New England back roads and also it feels more connected to the road then the e46. I am lucky to and really enjoy having both

    Also to note the e36 is at 183k now on the odo!
    Last edited by nate161514; 02-08-2015 at 10:22 PM.

    2016 Alpine/Sahkir M3
    Sold: 1995 Estoril/Modena M3 - LTW's, SSK, Euro Lights, X Brace, TCK S/A, ECS, Rogue DMS, Turner Stage 1, BavSound, Leatherz
    Sold: 2005 Imola/Black M3 - Dynavin D99, ZCP Wheels, Eisenmann Sport, BLine Motorsports, CSL Diffuser, Storm Motorwerks
    E36 Build Thread: http://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/sh...g-back-to-life
    instagram: nate161514

  2. #27
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Seattle, WA
    Posts
    59
    My Cars
    1999 BMW M3 Coupe
    It's a fortunate car to get such an owner, and looking great! Bunch of that stuff is on my list as well, some done, some to do of course.

    2/'99 M3 Coupe - Estoril Blue / Black Vader / Contours / Style 32s - 200K
    ARP Studs | M50 manifold | ASC TB, SAP, and CCV delete | Catch Can | 7K limiter | DSSR
    Factory X-brace | Eibach/RD strut bar | Vogtland coilovers | RD front sway | Powerflex FCABs | JT RSMs | Factory RSM reinforcement plates | ECS RTAB limiters | Z3 rack | 0-ring shielded lower steering column bearing | RD front bumper cover | ZKW E-codes | C33 Aux-in mod | BSW mids

  3. #28
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Maryland/Massachusetts
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    115
    My Cars
    2016 M3
    Another small project complete, as I just finished installed BavSound Speakers for the entire front of the car.



    First Impressions: Sounds awesome compared to the stock 95 Nokia setup. When taking the speakers out you can really see the difference in quality and the difference in performance when the music is actually playing is quite noticeable.

    My current setup is the Pioneer 6x9s and the Bav Sound full front setup. I am also happy with the price for the entire process, the speakers from BavSound were around $300 and my rear speakers were $80 used. I did the install on both myself so as far as money for the betterment of something I use everyday it was well worth it.

    Bav Sound Tool Kit: I also got this to suplement the tools I had for working on the interior. I think this is a must have if you are going to do your own interior work. It is packaged right, has quality pieces and they are made to work with BMW sizes.

    One Negative: BavSound had the speakers backordered when I first purchased them (also got a discount b/c of that), but it took almost two months to receive them after ordering. I didn't need them right away so a wait was ok and I knew that would be a possibility but just a word of caution to anyone buying backorder from them.

    Up Next:
    Got My Three Spoke wheel, air bag, and slip ring in, just deciding who to send out to for recovering, Suggestions?
    Racing Dynamics Strut Bar Came in. Install coming up shortly
    Dying rear parcel shelf and C Pillars
    Modena Vaders out to get recovered.
    Spring/Summer Enjoyment

    2016 Alpine/Sahkir M3
    Sold: 1995 Estoril/Modena M3 - LTW's, SSK, Euro Lights, X Brace, TCK S/A, ECS, Rogue DMS, Turner Stage 1, BavSound, Leatherz
    Sold: 2005 Imola/Black M3 - Dynavin D99, ZCP Wheels, Eisenmann Sport, BLine Motorsports, CSL Diffuser, Storm Motorwerks
    E36 Build Thread: http://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/sh...g-back-to-life
    instagram: nate161514

  4. #29
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    NYC
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    117
    My Cars
    95 M3/2/5, 2011 Audi A4
    The new interior looks good! I recently picked up a 95 Avus/Dove that needs some work. I'll be following this thread for ideas. Great work!

  5. #30
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
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    Maryland/Massachusetts
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    2016 M3
    Finally got some time to do an Update! I finally got the interior recovered and the car really came together as a whole.

    I took the car in and found out that the water pump was on the way out so went ahead and replaced it, hoping to avoid any cooling issues, and got an oil change while I was at it.

    As the spring rolled around, I decided to have the rear bumped re-painted, it was cracking, splitting and generally looked awful.



    With the Bumper off at the body shop



    After the re-spray. I was really happy with how it came out, and it brought the rear end of the car back to life.

    Just as that was getting finished up, the modena seat covers I had ordered came in, so the car went over to the interior shop for the install.



    The finished product. Just an amazing job by luxury auto accessories on cape cod. The seats needed complete new foam and padding, but now look brand new and are by far the most comfortable vaders I have ever sat in. The seat covers are from Germanex imports in Cali as an fyi for those looking to do this.

    I also got my three spoke wheel back from Coby, wrapped in black alcantara, thickened, and with a yellow stripe. I also added rally road black alcantara boots for the ebrake and shift handle and a storm motorwerks black alcantara ebrake handle. I had previously used some fabric spray paint to re-do the parcel shelf, so the interior really came together.



    I took the car in to finish up some suspension issues, and had all the rear bushings replaced, and replaced the bent rear control arms with ECS adjustable arms. With this done and my TCK SA coils on, I had the car finally re-aligned and set up properly.

    Another big shout out has to go to Brian and Brandon at Inline Autoworks in Niantic, CT for helping me get the car to where it is today and providing what has to be some of the best indy BMW service on the east coast.

    I updated my license plate to the MD Farm plate which complemented the Modena and amber accents of the car. "ETHRTY6" was available so I took it!

    Here is how it sits today after a nice full exterior detail.





    I am in the process of moving to Miami, so the mods will slow down and the car will probably go into a more just as needed maintenance mode for a while. As it sits with 187k on the clock I am very happy with how it has turned out over the past two years. Thank you for the continued kind words on here!
    Last edited by nate161514; 07-20-2015 at 10:18 AM.

    2016 Alpine/Sahkir M3
    Sold: 1995 Estoril/Modena M3 - LTW's, SSK, Euro Lights, X Brace, TCK S/A, ECS, Rogue DMS, Turner Stage 1, BavSound, Leatherz
    Sold: 2005 Imola/Black M3 - Dynavin D99, ZCP Wheels, Eisenmann Sport, BLine Motorsports, CSL Diffuser, Storm Motorwerks
    E36 Build Thread: http://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/sh...g-back-to-life
    instagram: nate161514

  6. #31
    Join Date
    May 2015
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    United States
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    213
    My Cars
    99m3, 95 m3, 996tt
    Quote Originally Posted by nate161514 View Post

    Just as that was getting finished up, the modena seat covers I had ordered came in, so the car went over to the interior shop for the install.


    Great job so far - how do the seat covers match the rest of the Modena interior? I was thinking of doing this but have been told it won't come close to matching. more pics would be great.
    Thanks

  7. #32
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
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    United States
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    69
    My Cars
    '95 M3| '98 M3 | '03 M5
    Awesome and great write up on your M3!

  8. #33
    Join Date
    Nov 2002
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    MD
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    7,222
    My Cars
    996, S13, E46 E36, C4
    These are the kinds of build threads I love. I really enjoy seeing people take a car that needs work, and poorly modified in some manner, brought back to OEM+ status!

    Can't wait to see more progress pics!

    I completely understand that you are taking it to a shop to take care of certain issues. Small projects can often take a lot of time, not to mentioned researching how to do it, and lead to headaches, especially when daily driven.

    I'm actually doing the same exact thing with my car. Suspension bushings are my primary concern. Will post a thread one day.

  9. #34
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    Sugar Land, TX
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    27
    My Cars
    99 Alpine M3
    Hot damn modena! Best interior color in my opinion, especially so when it's on cosmos. Enjoying this refresh.

  10. #35
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
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    Maryland/Massachusetts
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    2016 M3
    Jferrante - on the new Modena seats, you have heard right, to a true perfectionist they are not a 100% match for the the worn Modena color of my rear seats. To me they look like "new" and are probably what the fronts looked like back in the day. The difference isn't as noticeable when just looking at the car in passing and since I'm up near 190k miles and not going to be in any concours events, they really look amazing and haven't had anyone comment on the color difference yet, all of the comments have been incredibly positive! I'll try to take and post some more pics when I get a chance.

    2016 Alpine/Sahkir M3
    Sold: 1995 Estoril/Modena M3 - LTW's, SSK, Euro Lights, X Brace, TCK S/A, ECS, Rogue DMS, Turner Stage 1, BavSound, Leatherz
    Sold: 2005 Imola/Black M3 - Dynavin D99, ZCP Wheels, Eisenmann Sport, BLine Motorsports, CSL Diffuser, Storm Motorwerks
    E36 Build Thread: http://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/sh...g-back-to-life
    instagram: nate161514

  11. #36
    Join Date
    May 2015
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    United States
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    213
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    99m3, 95 m3, 996tt
    Quote Originally Posted by nate161514 View Post
    Jferrante - on the new Modena seats, you have heard right, to a true perfectionist they are not a 100% match for the the worn Modena color of my rear seats. To me they look like "new" and are probably what the fronts looked like back in the day. The difference isn't as noticeable when just looking at the car in passing and since I'm up near 190k miles and not going to be in any concours events, they really look amazing and haven't had anyone comment on the color difference yet, all of the comments have been incredibly positive! I'll try to take and post some more pics when I get a chance.
    Thanks - I have debated this but my upholstery guy told me they would look funny - the other option of finding a donor passenger seat isn't turning out to easy to do either. In for more pics

  12. #37
    Join Date
    Jun 2015
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    Shelton, CT
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    120
    My Cars
    97 BMW M3/4/5
    car looks great! do you still have the black vaders? im looking for a set and im in CT, let me know!

  13. #38
    Join Date
    Nov 2013
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    corpus Christi texas
    Posts
    15
    My Cars
    M3 E36 1995 coupe
    Love that Modena interior , right now the only part for my interior to be complete are my vaders ( dove grey ) I've been looking everywhere for some used ones in decent shape but it's been impossible , so now I'm considering buying the covers do you mind telling how much for the upholstery job ??? By the way nice Job bringing her back to life .

  14. #39
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    Nov 2011
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    Maryland/Massachusetts
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    2016 M3
    I have gotten several PMs on the cost for the front seat re covering that was in my last update. The seat covers themselves were 750-800. They came already with the m stitching in the seats done and to match oem quality and fitment. I didn't do them but the quote was 500 for the rear seat cover. The labor total was another 700 so my total was around 1500 at the end of the day. The shop told me that my seats had to have the padding rebuilt and that was where extra cost came in. Depending on how good your seats were before the job will most likely effect lowering the price.

    At the end of the day though they really look and feel like new seats. The suppleness and comfort level is night and day, I did a 500 mile drive with them shortly afterward and felt fine vs my original 20 year old vaders felt like sitting on a park bench

    2016 Alpine/Sahkir M3
    Sold: 1995 Estoril/Modena M3 - LTW's, SSK, Euro Lights, X Brace, TCK S/A, ECS, Rogue DMS, Turner Stage 1, BavSound, Leatherz
    Sold: 2005 Imola/Black M3 - Dynavin D99, ZCP Wheels, Eisenmann Sport, BLine Motorsports, CSL Diffuser, Storm Motorwerks
    E36 Build Thread: http://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/sh...g-back-to-life
    instagram: nate161514

  15. #40
    Join Date
    Nov 2013
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    corpus Christi texas
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    15
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    M3 E36 1995 coupe
    Well I think they worth the money because your interior looks amazing , it's a lot but if I don't fine some used ones I will definitely jump on the covers , thanks man and keep your good work .

  16. #41
    Join Date
    May 2008
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    Celle, Germany
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    41
    My Cars
    '98 M3 3.2 Coupe Euro, '97 528iA
    Huh, looks like you got a twin of mine 1998 Euro M3 Coupe. My car had Modena interior from the factory though
    Great thread!
    http://picasaweb.google.com/Azizov Life is too short... don't try to make it even shorter! (c)2003, Azik

  17. #42
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
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    Maryland/Massachusetts
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    2016 M3
    Hey Everyone!

    Back for another update. I have since moved about 1000 miles south to sunny florida for a couple years. Of course the M's came too.

    I got my zhp knob cut up a little, so I decided to upgrade and go with the lighted zhp knob from leatherz. Pretty simple install, but again looked great in the interior!






    And some pictures of my 2 cars together and one from the monthly meet with the BMW CCA Everglades chapter, which have been a great group so far in the short time I have been down here. One of the photographers at the last meet took some great pictures of the seats and interior that should give those asking about it a good look at how everything comes together. Thanks to Josh for the second picture!




    2016 Alpine/Sahkir M3
    Sold: 1995 Estoril/Modena M3 - LTW's, SSK, Euro Lights, X Brace, TCK S/A, ECS, Rogue DMS, Turner Stage 1, BavSound, Leatherz
    Sold: 2005 Imola/Black M3 - Dynavin D99, ZCP Wheels, Eisenmann Sport, BLine Motorsports, CSL Diffuser, Storm Motorwerks
    E36 Build Thread: http://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/sh...g-back-to-life
    instagram: nate161514

  18. #43
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    Nov 2011
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    Maryland/Massachusetts
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    2016 M3
    Another update after a while! Spoiler alert is that the car changed colors to Estoril Blue!

    So after a couple months in florida the climate and temperature change seemed to greatly affect the paint which was never 100% to start with...

    The main spot of concern was on the trunk, seen below, were rust was bubbling through the paint. The wheel wells also had some spots of rust and after a consult, it appeared there were several other places were the car had been resprayed or non oem parts had been used and not painted well, for example the body panel that houses the headlights and kidney grills.



    After looking at price estimates and how much money I already had into the internals of the car and interior. I decided to go ahead and fix all the rust and while I was at it change the color. With the interior already changed to Modena, I decided that the 'original' nature of the car was already gone and changing colors wouldn't upset the balance. I wanted to stick with OEM colors to keep everything OEM+ and was between Avus, Estoril, Boston Green, or Techno Violet. In the end I decided on Estoril Blue as it was a color I had always loved and wanted. Estoril/Modena was offered OEM too, but the stats I found online indicated only 40 such cars had been made.

    Anyway, on to the transformation! The car went to the level where the only place not Estoril in the engine bay, but with door jams and drip rails painted, its actually not particularly noticeable to an average person even with the hood up that the car was black before.





















    At the end of the day I am extremely happy with how it came out, and a big shoutout to Meister Motoring in Ft.Lauderdale that handled all the work on the repaint. The car sits at over 191k miles right now and drives and looks like its new. The color pops in the sun and looks subdued at night. A refresh essentially turned into an entire restoration, but the car really does look good and I think stays true to the OEM+ goal I had at the beginning of the project. Once I get more good pictures I will add some. A shoutout to Josh L. for the great shots at the end of this post.

    2016 Alpine/Sahkir M3
    Sold: 1995 Estoril/Modena M3 - LTW's, SSK, Euro Lights, X Brace, TCK S/A, ECS, Rogue DMS, Turner Stage 1, BavSound, Leatherz
    Sold: 2005 Imola/Black M3 - Dynavin D99, ZCP Wheels, Eisenmann Sport, BLine Motorsports, CSL Diffuser, Storm Motorwerks
    E36 Build Thread: http://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/sh...g-back-to-life
    instagram: nate161514

  19. #44
    Join Date
    Sep 2002
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    Vancouver
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    98 M3
    Nice! That's the nice part of a black car. The bay looks decent as black even when you repaint. Forget keeping it original, it looks new, and it looks great.

    - 98 m3, techno/anthrazit cloth, 124k and officially worthless - 89 m3, alpine/black 143k and officially old - 2000 323it, tiag/grey, 169k and officially boring

  20. #45
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
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    Charlotte, NC
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    27
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    1990 BMW 325i Coupe
    Great journey! What'd the full paint job run you?

    Looking forward to see what's next.

  21. #46
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
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    Rigel 7
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    M3, 850i, E30T, E55T
    Wow, what a transformation! Estoril on Modena is droolworthy.

    I didn't see if it was earlier in the thread, but where did you source your seat leather from? Is it Nappa?

    I got mine from Autoberry and while the quality and fit are good, the grain in the leather is more than OEM Nappa. Your shop is right on the padding--I spent many hours forming, trimming and gluing specialty seat foam where required to fill the new leather, but the end result was worth it.

    You could apply some heat to tighten up the baggy areas, or just park it in the sun for a couple of days--condition the leather first though.

  22. #47
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
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    Richmond, VA
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    2,538
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    e28, Spec3, M3, M3, ZHP
    That looks amazing! That richmond car has been making a tour up and down the east coast evidently =)

    Great work...I really love the Estoril/Modena interior. I had modena on my black sedan a while back and loved that combo. Still sad I sold that one lol.
    Andrew Elmore

  23. #48
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
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    Central IL
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    9,873
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    E36
    WOW!!! nice work.
    BMW CCA Illini Chapter Vice President
    1995 M3
    - My Favorite DIY's and FAQ's



  24. #49
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
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    Maryland/Massachusetts
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    2016 M3
    Its been over 2 years, but I realized the other day that finally photobucket was back and I could come back to a thread like this! The prospect of having to re-upload and insert all the images again was beyond what I wanted to do. That being said, I didn't take as many pictures of work that I could have to update. But I will throw up some pictures from along the way.

    In Florida:


    New VDO Gauges:


    New Valve Cover
    Before:


    During:


    After:


    Last Drive in Miami and putting it on the truck north.


    Back up North:


    And hitting a milestone:


    Maintenance Wise I ended up doing a bunch of things:
    Z3 Steering Rack
    New Front Control Arms (This combination made things feel amazing)
    One of my brakes got stuck and ended up replacing all 4 brakes/pads/rotors
    New C Pillars
    New Windshield
    New Rear Windshield sealing and trim

    Hopefully with photobucket back and more time I can continue to add more pictures!

    2016 Alpine/Sahkir M3
    Sold: 1995 Estoril/Modena M3 - LTW's, SSK, Euro Lights, X Brace, TCK S/A, ECS, Rogue DMS, Turner Stage 1, BavSound, Leatherz
    Sold: 2005 Imola/Black M3 - Dynavin D99, ZCP Wheels, Eisenmann Sport, BLine Motorsports, CSL Diffuser, Storm Motorwerks
    E36 Build Thread: http://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/sh...g-back-to-life
    instagram: nate161514

  25. #50
    Join Date
    Feb 2002
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    Orlando, FL
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    8,884
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    Turbo 97 E36 M3, 99 M3
    You can always go buy an estoril in 2k (aerosol)/ 2k clear and do your frame/strut towers and you don't even have to remove the motor.....then, buy an estoril paint code sticker to mount on the shock tower....

    I always wanted estoril/modena and wish I looked for one back in 2001!
    1997 Arctic Silver/Black M3
    CES Stage IV (651rwhp/615rwtq @ 24 psi)

    1999 Techno Violet/Dove M3
    Auto/Convertible and staying stock!

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