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Thread: My 1999 E36 M3 Coupe Restomod Project

  1. #26
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
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    MD
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    1,917
    My Cars
    99 M3 / 95 325i
    Good stuff, looking forward to see how this turns out. Hope your daughter enjoys it!

    Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk
    -Chris

  2. #27
    Join Date
    Apr 2018
    Location
    Delaware
    Posts
    71
    My Cars
    99 E36 M3, 02 E39 M5
    Quote Originally Posted by ThreeD View Post
    Good stuff, looking forward to see how this turns out. Hope your daughter enjoys it!

    Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk
    Should be tagged in the next 6 weeks, then it’s time to teach her to drive stick.

    I’m having so much fun with it that I’m already looking for another one that I can build for myself.


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  3. #28
    Join Date
    Oct 2004
    Location
    California
    Posts
    976
    My Cars
    ''95 M3, '17 M2
    Very cool story and project.

    Sent from my SM-G960U1 using Tapatalk

  4. #29
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    Austin, TX
    Posts
    2,181
    My Cars
    S54 E36 M3, E32 740il
    Quote Originally Posted by Ryan86 View Post
    I got them on eBay as well - item # 300626079491. Make sure the smaller rings are seated properly and that you don’t overtighten the sides of the cluster during reassembly or they’ll pop loose. Twice. 藍
    Are those the actual metal ones, or the plastic ones? There's not a lot of detail on that listing page.

    I don't know which would actually be better. It's not like these will ever be touched - or even opened up - ever again.

    -Josh: 1998 S54 E36 M3/4/6 with most of the easy stuff and most of the hard stuff. At least twice. 271k miles. 1994 E32 740il with nothing but some MPars. 93k miles.

  5. #30
    Join Date
    Apr 2018
    Location
    Delaware
    Posts
    71
    My Cars
    99 E36 M3, 02 E39 M5
    Quote Originally Posted by blckstrm View Post
    Are those the actual metal ones, or the plastic ones? There's not a lot of detail on that listing page.

    I don't know which would actually be better. It's not like these will ever be touched - or even opened up - ever again.
    They felt like plastic, but the fit was spot-on. Really don’t mind, as you can’t tell their construction once they were installed.


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  6. #31
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    Austin, TX
    Posts
    2,181
    My Cars
    S54 E36 M3, E32 740il
    Quote Originally Posted by Ryan86 View Post
    They felt like plastic, but the fit was spot-on. Really don’t mind, as you can’t tell their construction once they were installed.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    Awesome - good to know there were no fitment issues. Thanks!

    -Josh: 1998 S54 E36 M3/4/6 with most of the easy stuff and most of the hard stuff. At least twice. 271k miles. 1994 E32 740il with nothing but some MPars. 93k miles.

  7. #32
    Join Date
    Apr 2018
    Location
    Delaware
    Posts
    71
    My Cars
    99 E36 M3, 02 E39 M5
    The front bumper was a PITA to wrap! All new OEM BMW parts; still need to do some small filler strips before installing the fog lights and brake ducts.

    Progress is progress - love the classic aesthetic of this car. While I loved my E46 M3, I’m already keeping my eyes out for another E36 that I can make stupid fast for my own use.












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  8. #33
    Join Date
    Apr 2018
    Location
    Delaware
    Posts
    71
    My Cars
    99 E36 M3, 02 E39 M5
    Finally got the back bumper wrapped - had to make a small seam in the area where the diffuser bolts to the car.

    Loaded the seats up and dropped off at the shop with new upholstery. While I’ve replaced seat covers before, it’s been 15+ years. I’d rather pay someone a few dollars that does it all the time with the proper tools to ensure that those Vaders look great when they’re done.

    Wrapping the roof tonight!








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  9. #34
    Join Date
    Oct 2011
    Location
    KC
    Posts
    388
    My Cars
    1995 M3 & 1998 M3 coupes
    It's really awesome to see you and the entire family working together on a project like this. I think it might inspire me to get off my but and finish redoing the interior on my car!

  10. #35
    Join Date
    Jun 2018
    Location
    Camano Island ,Washington
    Posts
    8
    My Cars
    1999 E36 M3
    The matte white on the car is killer looking. Makes me want my car that color.

  11. #36
    Join Date
    Apr 2018
    Location
    Delaware
    Posts
    71
    My Cars
    99 E36 M3, 02 E39 M5
    Skirts are on...




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  12. #37
    Join Date
    Oct 2011
    Location
    KC
    Posts
    388
    My Cars
    1995 M3 & 1998 M3 coupes
    The white wrap looks awesome!

  13. #38
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Location
    Seattle, WA
    Posts
    1,433
    My Cars
    1999 BMW M3 Coupe
    Sexy. The dark ARC-8's look great on the white.
    1999 M3/2/5 - Titanium Silver - Track/Weekend Toy


  14. #39
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Central IL
    Posts
    9,873
    My Cars
    E36
    love it!

    wrapping mirrors?
    BMW CCA Illini Chapter Vice President
    1995 M3
    - My Favorite DIY's and FAQ's



  15. #40
    Join Date
    Apr 2018
    Location
    Delaware
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    71
    My Cars
    99 E36 M3, 02 E39 M5
    Quote Originally Posted by Moron95M3 View Post
    love it!

    wrapping mirrors?
    Refinished the mirrors in gloss black to match the wrap on the trim around the windows and the grilles. I don't trust my wrapping skills on a directional wrap like this to produce a decent result. Hahaha

  16. #41
    Join Date
    Apr 2018
    Location
    Delaware
    Posts
    71
    My Cars
    99 E36 M3, 02 E39 M5

    Angry Upholstery Setbacks

    Status update on the seats. I purchased a front and rear replacement kit from AutoBerry and am coming to regret the decision.

    The new Vader front leather was so loose the installer had to pad things out with foam so that they were tight. I asked if it was foam deterioration, he pointed out (correctly) that if it were, the stock upholstery wouldn't be as tight as it was.

    The back seats are the problem. The bottom portion fits ok - it's missing a strip to tie down the recess in the center, so it just looks strangely baggy in that spot, whereas the OEM seat was snug.

    The seat backs were missing attachment hardware - a plastic strip used to attach to the frame. The decision was made to transfer the hardware from the stock upholstery to the new one; hopefully that'll resolve it.

    The side cushions are a joke. The upholstery pattern doesn't follow the stock one, it's got no hardware to attach and I'm being told will require a combination of glue and zip ties to make it work.

    The rear headrests are definitely wrong as well - the new ones look like they'd fit the non-Vader front seats, not the small rear headrests.

    The worst part - the customer service. It's terrible. I've sent dozens of detailed pictures explaining the problem. At first, AutoBerry tried throwing the installer under the bus claiming that he was installing the wrong headrests... nope. The latest email from them states that someone must have swapped my seats out at some point, and they needed me to send both their upholstery as well as my stock upholstery so they could figure out which seats I had.

    There's only one type of rear seat for the car; everything matches the parts diagrams and photos of other E36 M3 coupes.

    Waiting on another slow reply from them - they won't talk on the phone, won't talk to the installer and take a day to reply to emails. So frustrating - so much for their 100% guaranteed fitment.

    Ryan

    IMG_4723 2.jpg

    IMG_4688 2.jpg

    IMG_4692 2.jpg

  17. #42
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    Austin, TX
    Posts
    2,181
    My Cars
    S54 E36 M3, E32 740il
    Whoa - that doesn't even look close.

    Man, that sucks. Hopefully they respond enough to get your installer something that they can get to look nice.

    -Josh: 1998 S54 E36 M3/4/6 with most of the easy stuff and most of the hard stuff. At least twice. 271k miles. 1994 E32 740il with nothing but some MPars. 93k miles.

  18. #43
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Location
    Seattle, WA
    Posts
    1,433
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    1999 BMW M3 Coupe
    Yeah that's disappointing to hear. I had heard good things about Autoberry and planned to use them at some point in the future to re-cover my front seats. Please let us know how it ends up going and post pictures of the results.
    1999 M3/2/5 - Titanium Silver - Track/Weekend Toy


  19. #44
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Location
    Upstate NY
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    M3
    Never have had seats restored and not saying what you have IS correct but they will be oversized I'm guessing a "LITTLE" how much that is your guy probably knows if he's a professional, but oversized I guess for the leather to shrink onto it. Seats get hot, they tighten up after a little bit. Good luck OP, for the price of that stuff it better be perfect...

  20. #45
    Join Date
    Apr 2018
    Location
    Delaware
    Posts
    71
    My Cars
    99 E36 M3, 02 E39 M5
    Quote Originally Posted by Mklock View Post
    Never have had seats restored and not saying what you have IS correct but they will be oversized I'm guessing a "LITTLE" how much that is your guy probably knows if he's a professional, but oversized I guess for the leather to shrink onto it. Seats get hot, they tighten up after a little bit. Good luck OP, for the price of that stuff it better be perfect...
    A little is fine; check out how far off the rear side bolsters are:



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    Last edited by Ryan86; 06-22-2018 at 07:44 AM.

  21. #46
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Location
    Upstate NY
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    1,154
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    M3
    Lol wow, is that for a different car! That's miles out... GL let us know how they treat you.

  22. #47
    Join Date
    Jun 2018
    Location
    PNW
    Posts
    10
    My Cars
    97 M3 Sedan, 04 Forester
    Subscribed, love the progress. I just picked up a 97 M3 sedan as a fun weekend/project. I love that steering wheel and the silver rings look great, ordered a set. Where did you get the steering wheel? Also does that head unit use the factory harness? Plug and Play? How is the color match to the climate control and OBC?

  23. #48
    Join Date
    Apr 2018
    Location
    Delaware
    Posts
    71
    My Cars
    99 E36 M3, 02 E39 M5
    Quote Originally Posted by bowenac View Post
    Subscribed, love the progress. I just picked up a 97 M3 sedan as a fun weekend/project. I love that steering wheel and the silver rings look great, ordered a set. Where did you get the steering wheel? Also does that head unit use the factory harness? Plug and Play? How is the color match to the climate control and OBC?
    The steering wheel was sourced on eBay; there's a seller in Germany that does them - the craftsmanship is fantastic.

    The head unit connects via an ISO harness to the stock one, so no factory wires were cut or spliced. It's a bit brighter and more yellow than the stock OBC/climate control, but reasonable close and looks period-correct.

    As an aside, I reinstalled the front seats and took the car for a drive - it was glorious. I'm going to have to lift it even further; I replaced the H&R Race springs with H&R Sport springs, but it's still rubbing. I just picked up a set of H&R OE Sport springs that I'll install next weekend - can't have the kiddo getting stuck on speed bumps!

    In other news, I picked up another 1999 E36 M3 an Estoril Blue convertible from Indiana. I'm going to clean it up, drive it for the summer with a for sale sign and try to make a few dollars. Hoping it arrives next week!

    Ryan

    IMG_4835.jpg

    IMG_4834.jpg

  24. #49
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    Austin, TX
    Posts
    2,181
    My Cars
    S54 E36 M3, E32 740il
    Quote Originally Posted by Ryan86 View Post
    The steering wheel was sourced on eBay; there's a seller in Germany that does them - the craftsmanship is fantastic.

    The head unit connects via an ISO harness to the stock one, so no factory wires were cut or spliced. It's a bit brighter and more yellow than the stock OBC/climate control, but reasonable close and looks period-correct.

    As an aside, I reinstalled the front seats and took the car for a drive - it was glorious. I'm going to have to lift it even further; I replaced the H&R Race springs with H&R Sport springs, but it's still rubbing. I just picked up a set of H&R OE Sport springs that I'll install next weekend - can't have the kiddo getting stuck on speed bumps!

    In other news, I picked up another 1999 E36 M3 an Estoril Blue convertible from Indiana. I'm going to clean it up, drive it for the summer with a for sale sign and try to make a few dollars. Hoping it arrives next week!

    Ryan

    IMG_4835.jpg

    IMG_4834.jpg
    I found the Sports a bit too short, too, but I got the 25mm spring pads to alleviate it.

    I've thought about getting race springs - they're close in the back and shorter in front if I recall, which is what I'd like, in addition to being stiffer (which I think would benefit the car).

    Did you ever drive the car with the race springs? Are they enough stiffer they make a difference?

  25. #50
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Location
    Seattle, WA
    Posts
    1,433
    My Cars
    1999 BMW M3 Coupe
    Seats look pretty good. If you don't mind my asking, how much did it cost you to get the covers fitted and finished? Or did you do it yourself? Did Autoberry end up replacing any of the stuff they initially sent you?

    As for ride height, you can probably shim it with a spacer or something, but the cleanest solution is getting height adjusters. For the rear they should just bolt right in (as opposed to the front where they're part of the coilover/strut). Are you running wider wheels/tires than stock? What's your rear camber at?
    1999 M3/2/5 - Titanium Silver - Track/Weekend Toy


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