The Grant318is Dakar M3/2/5 Restoration Thread

[wiggie4you]

looks great the color really pops man.

[m3j0n]

Nice! coming along really well! Looking forward to your review of the ecs coilovers. They are the FKs that are on sale right now, correct?

[Grant318is]

They are the ST XTA. Basically KW V2 with camber plates.

[m3j0n]

They are the ST XTA. Basically KW V2 with camber plates.

sweet! how much did you score those for?

[///Mposter]

Very nice man. Love seeing threads like this.

[juiceman229]

If you don't mine how much did you pay for it

[Das1391]

This is absolutely beautiful! Love the attention to detail that you are putting into this! I've got that same stencil ready to put my M3 badge back on as well.

[Grant318is]

Put on the coilovers. Check out the review here:

http://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/sh...uning-on-my-M3

Also had some time this weekend to install a new radiator, shroud and resi:









Also installed my SSI underpanel from BimmerWorld:

New fender liners too:



Pulling her out of the garage after for a drive:

[Evolution8]

Very nice! Love your interior.

[mpower5266]

Looking good man.

[Grant318is]

Finally had some more time for the car:

this came in:



BSW Stage 1 Speaker kit:

At this stage I am pretty happy with the sound. The front midbass speakers in the foot well are backordered, so I won't post a whole review until I get them in and the setup is complete.

- As of now, the speakers along with the CD43 made a huge improvement.
- The highs are much more crisp and the bass is more present, but is still lacking. Hopefully the front mid bass will add more bass presence in the front of the car when I get them.
- I can't tell if the sound deadening actually made a difference, but I'm glad I got it. They offer it, but include no directions on where the best place to put it is. These are geared for the DIYer and for those who want an easy plug and play application. There should be directions for that kind of stuff.
- The rear speakers took some work to get in. It was tricky to get the screws to line up. Just get them all started and tighten them in a star pattern you will get them in.
- I recommend using a hot glue gun instead of the provided glue. The glue gun provides a quick drying time and is more secure. Not to mention that only two small tubes are included. I don't want to have to remove the panels again because the speakers come loose.

Some pictures of the install.

Rear deck 6x9s:




Compared to the factory HIFI speaker:



Installed:


Old blown one: Sounded so horrible!



On to the door speakers:

I removed the grills and old speakers. I used my drimmel to remove the plastic behind the grill so that it wasn't blocking the sound. I also replaced a broken grill with one I got on ebay.

Before:




After:




New tweeter:



I also used the sound deadening material that BSW sells on my door panels:

[m3pare]

Just went through the whole thread. Wow, great work Grant! I wish my paint was that clean!

[PeterHall]

I used some of the sound deadening on top on the 6x9's similiar to the factory ones. It helps a tiny bit. Also go with an aftermarket headunit. Sound quality is sooooo much better. And if you still find it lacking bass the stealth sub bavauto sells works pretty well. Though at some frequencys the rear deck tends to rattle.

[Lord DRIFT]

Nice car. What where the wheels that came on it? Those looked good.

[Kyle325i]

Car looks great

[dr ed]

What kind of adhesive did you use to attach the door pockets to the panels?

[///Mposter]

So how did the door panels come out? Was it expensive to reupholster them?

[Grant318is]

Just went through the whole thread. Wow, great work Grant! I wish my paint was that clean!

Thanks!

I used some of the sound deadening on top on the 6x9's similiar to the factory ones. It helps a tiny bit. Also go with an aftermarket headunit. Sound quality is sooooo much better. And if you still find it lacking bass the stealth sub bavauto sells works pretty well. Though at some frequencys the rear deck tends to rattle.

I went for the upgraded CD43 unit from a 2000 M Coupe. Will an aftermarket still make a difference?

Nice car. What where the wheels that came on it? Those looked good.

ECS sells them. They are currently only 70 bucks a piece. I prefer OEM.

http://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E36-M3-...oys/ES2628665/

You guys are making me wish I'd just bought another E36 M3... I suppose there will always be some available. Nice ones are getting harder to find though, and continually seem to be commanding higher premiums.

Thanks!

Car looks great

Thanks

What kind of adhesive did you use to attach the door pockets to the panels?

I used 3M black silicone. It give the panels some flex, is heat resistant and sets quick.

Looks very clean! You plan to keep it stock and clean or any mod plan?

I am planning on doing some wheels and a couple other things. Nothing major.

So how did the door panels come out? Was it expensive to reupholster them?

It cost me 500 bucks. I spent hours cleaning and preparing the material. The upholstery shop that i have been using for years and has always done good work completely botched it. I told them to use some foam backing on the material, but instead they glued it directly to the door card. After one day, they started bubbling and coming apart. They are in the process of redoing them they way I asked. Worst case, I will take them somewhere else.

The key thing is that on these cards (and any cloth) is that the material is glued to a foam backing which is then glued to the door at the factory. Most people see the panels coming apart and assume it is the glue that goes bad. That is a misnomer. The foam is actually what goes bad and causes them to come apart. You have to reapply a foam backing and then glue it back. You cant just reglue the fabric as the glue will bleed though and will be hard to clean. They were busy and rushed it. They are taking their time and redoing them properly.

[///Mposter]

It cost me 500 bucks. I spent hours cleaning and preparing the material. The upholstery shop that i have been using for years and has always done good work completely botched it. I told them to use some foam backing on the material, but instead they glued it directly to the door card. After one day, they started bubbling and coming apart. They are in the process of redoing them they way I asked. Worst case, I will take them somewhere else.

The key thing is that on these cards (and any cloth) is that the material is glued to a foam backing which is then glued to the door at the factory. Most people see the panels coming apart and assume it is the glue that goes bad. That is a misnomer. The foam is actually what goes bad and causes them to come apart. You have to reapply a foam backing and then glue it back. You cant just reglue the fabric as the glue will bleed though and will be hard to clean. They were busy and rushed it. They are taking their time and redoing them properly.

Damn I hope they didnt ruin the fabric. That would really blow. Ive always wondered how people fix the saggy door cards. Im assuming they spray adhesive on the bare door card while its still attached to the panel then tuck the edges?

[Grant318is]

Im assuming they spray adhesive on the bare door card while its still attached to the panel then tuck the edges?

You need to replace and reglue the backing. That is the only way to do it right.

[PeterHall]

I honestly love my aftermarket head unit. I couldn't imagine oem being better. Bluetooth for hands free talking makes the fact that it doesn't look 100% oem okay. Also a USB port for an Ipod is wonderful. Though I should've ran it into the glove box. and being able to change the treble, middle, and bass is nice.

[Grant318is]

Got a couple small updates. FINALLY got my backordered mid basses from Bavsound:



They made a large difference. More of a writeup soon.

Also found this simi rare high arch from a member on here. Unfortunately despite his best packing efforts, it got damaged:

[theKOVUm3]

Ouch! From the pictures, looks like the paint is really nice on that piece too - shame it was damaged. :/
The wing is still a nice touch though!

[Grant318is]

Ouch! From the pictures, looks like the paint is really nice on that piece too - shame it was damaged. :/
The wing is still a nice touch though!

Yeah. Nothing a little super glue wont fix.

[Grant318is]