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Thread: rebuilding a e36 M3.

  1. #1
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    rebuilding a e36 M3.

    so i recently purchased a e36 m3, its a 98, with only 68k miles. One owner, super taken care of with all maintenance reported to carfax from dealer. i picked it up for a song, and it came with a parts only parts car. the car was rear ended, and sat for a few years. it runs great, turns right over, and runs great. The parts car, is a 98 323, that also runs, well it ran until i cut off the rear end. Now the car has been dropped off at a Frame shop, where they will cut the entire rear end of the car underneath the rear seat at the spot welds seam and put a new rear end in and weld it back up with a continuous weld seam instead of factory spot welds. that will make it stronger than original, and that would be the proper way of doing this repair, and on a car like this, i want it done right. this is gonna be my little build thread with the progress. not gonna happen over night, its just a project car that i decided to fix and most likely wont sell for a long long time. For more up to date Pics, Follow me in Instagram @Busted.Knuckle.Garage
    here are some pics. enjoy.

    IMG_6999.jpg

    IMG_6997.jpg

    IMG_6996.jpg

    IMG_7001.jpg

    IMG_7021.jpg
    -alex

    "You don't have a soul. You ARE a soul. You HAVE a body." - C.S. Lewis

  2. #2
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    Last edited by Bystrov; 03-10-2018 at 09:58 PM.
    -alex

    "You don't have a soul. You ARE a soul. You HAVE a body." - C.S. Lewis

  3. #3
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    -alex

    "You don't have a soul. You ARE a soul. You HAVE a body." - C.S. Lewis

  4. #4
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    Itll be like that herbie movie where hes welding the beetle together on the race track and then they end up taking 1st and 3rd when the car breaks in half before the finish

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  5. #5
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    yes. exactly like that.
    -alex

    "You don't have a soul. You ARE a soul. You HAVE a body." - C.S. Lewis

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bystrov View Post
    they will cut the entire rear end of the car underneath the rear seat at the spot welds seam and put a new rear end in and weld it back up with a continuous weld seam instead of factory spot welds. that will make it stronger than original, and that would be the proper way of doing this repair, and on a car like this, i want it done right.
    Pretty much like this repair;
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_en...l=Arthurtussik
    [IMG][/IMG]

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by AJLM34A View Post
    yup. tussik does great repairs and exceeds factory spec, (in my vast experience with frame and collision repair) except in this video there are 3 layers of steel in the floor boards and pillars, where as in e36, there are unfortunately only two, using a carbide blade, and a Milwaukee cordless sawzall with 3 bars on my 5.0 battery i was able to cut the whole car in half in under 3 minutes. they are like tin cans.. (unfortunately) but its what is needed to do a proper repair.
    -alex

    "You don't have a soul. You ARE a soul. You HAVE a body." - C.S. Lewis

  8. #8
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    Avus Cosmos Calypso!
    Baller repair attempt! I got rear ended and had considered the same repair with even less damage (just to passenger quarter panel). It's totaled now and well into becoming just a shell. Look forward to your progress reports...

    Btw, why didn't you just swap all the M bits onto the 323?
    Last edited by scooper; 03-11-2018 at 11:16 AM.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by scooper View Post
    Baller repair attempt! I got rear ended and had considered the same repair with even less damage (just to passenger quarter panel). It's totaled now and well into becoming just a shell. Look forward to your progress reports...

    Btw, why didn't you just swap all the M bits onto the 323?
    323 has a "Parts only" title and its auto. the repair on the m3 is gonna cost me around $800, so in the long run time wise its cheaper. and u know these older cars. you pull on a plug and it breaks in your fingers type of junk. also the m3 vin will remain an m3. the M3 has a rebuilt title, but say i wanna sell it down the road, this thread will show proof that it was fixed the correct way not just half assed in some dudes garage. but i doubt ill wanna sell it any time soon. 68k miles is really hard to come by with these cars.. i also have a Dakar Yellow Sedan shell, but thats gonna me a project further down the line.
    -alex

    "You don't have a soul. You ARE a soul. You HAVE a body." - C.S. Lewis

  10. #10
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    Thank


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  11. #11
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    You found someone to weld the two pieces of car together for only $800? It sounds like a lot more work than that.

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Twright View Post
    You found someone to weld the two pieces of car together for only $800? It sounds like a lot more work than that.
    I do this for a living, and it’s only a 2 day job. after doing this a while you have frame contracts. Prices I get with the amount of work I bring to my frame guys, vs price you you get by walking off the street to a body shop asking to get this job done, are about few grand difference.


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    -alex

    "You don't have a soul. You ARE a soul. You HAVE a body." - C.S. Lewis

  13. #13
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    e90 M3,X5,e46 racer
    We did that on one of our track cars ... was backed hard into a wall, so we cut the rear off a donor car and replaced it. Ours was done at the rear window seam and across the C pillar ... Car ran many seasons after without any issues. Done correctly, it can certainly be as good or better than factory.
    Check out the 8legs Racing page: https://www.facebook.com/8legsRacing/


  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by ScotcH View Post
    We did that on one of our track cars ... was backed hard into a wall, so we cut the rear off a donor car and replaced it. Ours was done at the rear window seam and across the C pillar ... Car ran many seasons after without any issues. Done correctly, it can certainly be as good or better than factory.
    Mine is getting cut at the window as well, it’s the strongest structural point with reinforcement. I just cut the donor on the roof with enough slack for the frame tech to cut where he needs it cut.


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    -alex

    "You don't have a soul. You ARE a soul. You HAVE a body." - C.S. Lewis

  15. #15
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    So, i brought it to a repair facility, and they really butchered the repair. no one else wanted to fix it, and i was kinda SOL..... its not even superficial stuff like body work, im talking the frame is still back an inch and half, the tire barely clears the battery box on pass side, and the car is a hazard to anyone who is sitting in the back seat IF there is ever an accident. Not a chance im willing to take. Maybe some one who does track then most of that stuff gets cut away and reinforced with structural bars but, i decided to buy a E36 clean rust free southern shell with clean title off a good friend and fellow forum member.

    ill be swapping literally EVERYTHING off of my 68k milage car including all the drive train (and upgrading things with better things when i can and better bushing engines mounts and so on and so forth) to this new shell, except the wiring harness.

    i would like to swap the Gauges too, so i can keep track of the engine miles, as i wont care for body miles since mostly everything will be replaced on the body with my donor... will this give me issues? and if so what needs to be replaced off my donor to keep the gauges at original 68k miles?

    i will be uploading pics shortly once i pick up the shell.

    here are some pics of the e36 donor if some one wants it as a track car.
    43743646_2204292969784053_5945640338726060032_n.jpg
    44882489_330455387513014_980937961669394432_n.jpg
    Last edited by Bystrov; 10-28-2018 at 10:05 PM.
    -alex

    "You don't have a soul. You ARE a soul. You HAVE a body." - C.S. Lewis

  16. #16
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    ∞FX37,M3a/4,94 332
    [QUOTE=Bystrov;30133695]So, i brought it to a repair facility, and they really butchered the repair. no one else wanted to fix it, and i was kinda SOL..... its not even superficial stuff like body work, im talking the frame is still back an inch and half, the tire barely clears the battery box on pass side, and the car is a hazard/QUOTE]

    I'm sure I'm not the only one that would love to see how bad it looks, will you post a few pictures?
    [IMG][/IMG]

  17. #17
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    [QUOTE=AJLM34A;30133946]
    Quote Originally Posted by Bystrov View Post
    So, i brought it to a repair facility, and they really butchered the repair. no one else wanted to fix it, and i was kinda SOL..... its not even superficial stuff like body work, im talking the frame is still back an inch and half, the tire barely clears the battery box on pass side, and the car is a hazard/QUOTE]

    I'm sure I'm not the only one that would love to see how bad it looks, will you post a few pictures?
    Ask and thou shalt receive ... I mean if it was a track car, u can cut out that box and be fine. So it will make a fine track car shell.
    IMG_9628.jpg
    IMG_9626.jpg
    IMG_9630.jpg
    IMG_9629.jpg


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    Last edited by Bystrov; 10-30-2018 at 01:39 AM.
    -alex

    "You don't have a soul. You ARE a soul. You HAVE a body." - C.S. Lewis

  18. #18
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    Started tearing it down and get it ready to give up the engine and tranny to a new host.

    IMG_9665.jpg

    And here’s the New shell
    IMG_9598.jpg


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    -alex

    "You don't have a soul. You ARE a soul. You HAVE a body." - C.S. Lewis

  19. #19
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    Another dakar!
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  20. #20
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    IMG_9760.jpg
    Doing a square set up for wheels
    IMG_9832.jpg
    IMG_9833.jpg


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    -alex

    "You don't have a soul. You ARE a soul. You HAVE a body." - C.S. Lewis

  21. #21
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    IMG_9725.jpg
    IMG_9726.jpg


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    -alex

    "You don't have a soul. You ARE a soul. You HAVE a body." - C.S. Lewis

  22. #22
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    IMG_0215.jpg
    IMG_0210.jpg
    IMG_0228.jpg
    IMG_0323.jpg



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    -alex

    "You don't have a soul. You ARE a soul. You HAVE a body." - C.S. Lewis

  23. #23
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    -alex

    "You don't have a soul. You ARE a soul. You HAVE a body." - C.S. Lewis

  24. #24
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    rebuilding a e36 M3.

    Last edited by Bystrov; 12-16-2018 at 05:14 PM.
    -alex

    "You don't have a soul. You ARE a soul. You HAVE a body." - C.S. Lewis

  25. #25
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    IMG_0451.jpg
    IMG_0463.jpg


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    -alex

    "You don't have a soul. You ARE a soul. You HAVE a body." - C.S. Lewis

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