Got a "New" 1994 325is

[Deus Ex Machina]

damn, that vinegar worked magic, I would have never thought of that and would have taken a brass wire wheel to them

Yeah it's pretty crazy. I had some rust bubble on the small body seam at the bottom of the tail light on one side. I took a needle file to it yesterday and removed the paint and most of the rust.

I am going to try taping a roll of gauze over the small spot and then using a squeeze mustard bottle to wet the gauze with vinegar. I will keep the gauze wet enough where it is saturated without dripping.

I've paid pretty serious money for rust killer that didn't work half as good as this.

White Vinegar is two dollars and some change per gallon.

[Deus Ex Machina]

Well, hardly any of my parts are in yet. FCP Euro wins the quick ship award because they are the only ones that have parts to my door as of yet.

So I got bored.

I got with my M3 parts hookup and asked him if he had any rough Vaders for a good price. "Yeah I got a set, and I'm coming down your way today".

Yes, they are rough. But yes they were a good price. They were in a convertible with a bad top. The leather is roached with an extra large side of roach, and some padding will need repair. But they are complete and functional Vaders, and they will be beautiful once I do some pad surgery and install new tan leather.


And I picked up a pretty nice set of rears really cheap so I would have the whole set.


I got these to eliminate the spotty door panel situation.


And these to finish off my wheels once I strip and paint them.



I'm pretty much done for a while until I get the parts I have refurbished and installed. (Other than bushings, bearings, stuff I will need to put the parts I have on, and padding and new leather for the seats...) Ok, that sounds bad. But I won't be doing the seats for a while, I just got them to have them on hand, they were extremely cheap for a full set of M seats.

[TX S3]

cant wait to see the fresh clean up...great save man

[Deus Ex Machina]

cant wait to see the fresh clean up...great save man

Thanks, I will definitely keep posting progress.

[Deus Ex Machina]

I got a box full of fresh Depo lights today. I got the projectors with no angel eyes and a complete set of smoked lights including fogs. I think they are really nice, they are far better than the shot out plastic junk that was on there.

I started blasting my M wheels, I only got two done before the warm air in my compressor lines started pulling condensation from the cool air outside. After that the operation came to a standstill. I may have to wait until spring to finish the work on those. I will use Lab Metal on the small imperfections, sand smooth and have them powdercoated.


Until then, my E36 might look pretty dumb with a full M body package and bottle cap wheels, so I picked these up for $100 and a case of Bud Light.


They have some pretty light curb rash in a few spots, and some scratches in the paint, but I can make them look like new pretty easy. I think that was a pretty decent deal on a solid set of Style 42's. Some of the stuff on the rim in the pic will clean off.

I will post pics of the wheels when I get them done, and some with them on the car soon. New tires are in order (very cheap for the 16" style 42's).

[Deus Ex Machina]

Almost all of my mechanical parts are due by the weekend except the expansion tank which looks like Monday.

Once I get all of that done, I am hoping I sell some more stuff for BMW money... I may have to adjust what I get for the suspension to accommodate the M3 brakes though.

[Ajaxx1989]

damn going all out

"why spend more on the car than whats its worth?"

[Deus Ex Machina]

damn going all out

"why spend more on the car than whats its worth?"

Yeah, that ship has already sailed.

It will probably be a while before I replace all of the suspension stuff, but the rear trailing arm bits are spotty, so i will see what the difference is between getting just the few parts and the whole kit.

[Deus Ex Machina]

Some of my parts have started filtering in.


I didn't get any of the mechanical stuff yet, but the alternator cooling system is back on. I will have to get some screws/washers and paint them black to secure it but the lower duct is attached well. No need in buttoning it down yet anyway, they will have to be pulled to do the water pump.

It's starting to look like a real BMW.


I took the old windshield cowl off, but It got too dark to see good. I vacuumed out under there and did a rough cleaning, I will get it spotless tomorrow when I have light, then install the new one.


I got one nice but not really necessary part. My old shift knob was worn badly so I picked up a weighted BMW ZHP knob. Feels minty!

Now I need to re-dye my shift boot, it looks like crap next to the new knob.

[Deus Ex Machina]

I am going to put in my Depo lights this weekend and I was researching the city light situation. I was going to leave them disconnected, but I think I am going to run amber in them.

[Deus Ex Machina]

All of my cooling system parts are out for delivery today, even this one:


But....


Awesome.

[Ajaxx1989]

Damn send some of that cold this way.. middle of Dec and Socal is on fire and having to use AC ��

[Deus Ex Machina]

The door panels have been shipped.

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[Ajaxx1989]

damn! this car is gonna look good once your done with it

[phishy]

make sure to post how you feel about those aftermarket door panels.. i'm getting tired of screwing with these stock ones

[Deus Ex Machina]

make sure to post how you feel about those aftermarket door panels.. i'm getting tired of screwing with these stock ones

Will do. I got these because they mimic the stock look. I will have to cut the speaker holes and the mirror switch opening.

I will likely paint them since my panels are Brown and tan.

[Deus Ex Machina]

I didn't get the door latch pull kit.

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[Deus Ex Machina]

I'm not sure exactly why the Amazon warehouse labelled this as "Used-Very Good" and marked it way down as a Warehouse Deal.

It was brand new and the bag was sealed. The box was very slightly ratty.

I am thankful either way. I wouldn't have bought it otherwise. The fan, shroud and tank set me back a total of $185.

One fan switching kit to go, and all green lights.

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[finsky]

Clean build man! If only i could get as lucky as you and find a clean black e36 coupe 5speed, I've been on the search for a year and a half now , craigslist + classified still haven't yielded anything good. Good luck man

[Deus Ex Machina]

Clean build man! If only i could get as lucky as you and find a clean black e36 coupe 5speed, I've been on the search for a year and a half now , craigslist + classified still haven't yielded anything good. Good luck man

Thanks, the car isn't perfect, but in pretty good shape for the age. I think it was a good starting point. The guy I get all of my used parts from deals with these all of the time. He listened to it run and was impressed with how smooth it is.

Good luck finding one, you will enjoy driving the E36 manual. There is always a lot to do with these as far as bringing them up to standards mechanically but the end result can be a rewarding goal. I'm not there yet (Not really sure if you are ever "there" once you get started... don't tell my wife).

[finsky]

Thanks, the car isn't perfect, but in pretty good shape for the age. I think it was a good starting point. The guy I get all of my used parts from deals with these all of the time. He listened to it run and was impressed with how smooth it is.

Good luck finding one, you will enjoy driving the E36 manual. There is always a lot to do with these as far as bringing them up to standards mechanically but the end result can be a rewarding goal. I'm not there yet (Not really sure if you are ever "there" once you get started... don't tell my wife).

How long we're you looking for one if you don't mind me asking?

[Deus Ex Machina]

How long we're you looking for one if you don't mind me asking?

I happened across this one within a few weeks of starting my search for this specific car. I found it on the Facebook Marketplace. You can set your searches for a 100 mile radius of your location (or any location) and set notifications when new items are listed. It's best to do several searches such as "BMW E36", " BMW M3", "E36 Parts" etc. If you are in a rural area it may be a good idea to occasionally do a search for any city that is nearby you.

Many people cross post Craigslist ads on the FB Marketplace, but sometimes there are listings that only exist there. And depending on how they label their ad or what picture they put as their main, there can be a "backwater" listing effect where not many people view it. That's what happened with the one I got, I was lucky on it.

[fsteve]

This car is coming along very nicely, love what you're doing with it and once everything is put together its going to be a great car

[Deus Ex Machina]

This car is coming along very nicely, love what you're doing with it and once everything is put together its going to be a great car

Thanks fsteve, it's nothing special, but I like taking things and making them into something nice. I think it is starting to shape up.

I am going to be off work for ten days from this coming Friday through to the 1st of the year, so I hope to have a lot of progress to post.

I have been slacking on putting all of my progress into this thread, I will catch up on that soon

Here's the newest mugshot:


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[Deus Ex Machina]

I picked up a perfectly straight set of Style 42's with almost new tires on them for a deal that I couldn't pass up.

The paint is slightly oxidized around the edges, but absolutely zero rash or chips.

I have acquired the use of a heated shop, so these will be wet sanded and freshly painted sparkly silver by the weekend and on the car.

I am slightly ashamed to say I have 4 sets of wheels for this car right now. Style 68's, Two sets of Style 42's, and the bottle caps that came on it.

The bottle caps have new tires, so I will get what I can for them.

I had considered repairing the slight rash on the second set of 42's, painting them and selling them, but who am I kidding. Who doesn't need a spare wheel or 4. All 8 will look better than new.

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