Project: 'Barn Find' - 1995 Avus Blue M3

[jaysonx]

Fresh carpet is fresh!

This was the last one in stock, but it has a recent manufacture date - so I think BMW still produces/keeps a couple in stock based on demand. I looked and looked online trying to find a clean uncut example and could not find any. Sure enough - one pops up today in California in excellent condition - lol. Oh well, such is life.

[MParallel]

Can't beat new.

So the other one that was left in stock must have been sold.

Interesting to see if the quality is on par with the original new carpeting.

Nowadays more often than not, parts seem to be made by either a different supplier then 20+ years ago and/or not the same quality.

Of course this may vary much by part.

[TX S3]

great find

[jaysonx]

Lots of great progress since we last left off:

Let's start by getting this new carpet installed



Carpet installed and the rebuilt heater box is in, I am super proud of this thing - I went through it all with new heater core, new fans, new O rings everywhere, and other odds and ends (it was great to have two boxes to pull from).


Oh and this brand new foam gasket for the top was around $80! It's the little things though.




Dash going back in. I did this super methodically, cross-referencing the Bentley manual and realoem.com to ensure all the right bolts were going in all the right places. No squeaks or rattles here!


Wiring up the center console, decided I'm going to replace the lighter outlet since the old is looking fairly funked. The computer also needs some new bulbs so ordered them as well. Vents are still getting a deep clean. Darn, that carpet looks great!



The Interior will sit like this for another few days while I wait on parts. On the engine side, things are getting buttoned up as well. Awaiting a new intake filter and elbow there. Tons of random parts on order, but I am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel!

Short list of items left to address:

- Finish replacing rear vent window seals
- Install new air intake parts
- Finish securing what's left of the engine bay grommets
- Remount Sideskirt
- Change Oil
- Install new fuel filter
- Fill tank w gas
- Fill Coolant
- Start 'er up!

More mid-term items that remain
- Euro steering wheel
- Respray hood (likely needed)
- Respray trunk (going to either fill in the old spoiler mounts or find a OEM replacement
- Clean up wheels
- (4) new tires + (1) spare
- New Windsheld
- (this list will go on and on)

[MParallel]

Brilliant.

[sirhodjibob]

This is looking really good. How much of a pain was it to remove the dash?

[jaysonx]

This is looking really good. How much of a pain was it to remove the dash?

There are a couple howto’s online - it isn’t too bad , the tough part is keeping everything organized for reassembly. I used labeled ziplock bags for everything but even then I’m confused by some of the bits.

Main thing is to take your time and DO NOT force anything to come apart.

[nick325xit 5spd]

So, I know you just slapped it back in, but maybe consider swapping it to a black dash? That weird black grey dash has always bugged me in the grey interior, and with the anthracite carpet, it'll look extra strange.

[jaysonx]

So, I know you just slapped it back in, but maybe consider swapping it to a black dash? That weird black grey dash has always bugged me in the grey interior, and with the anthracite carpet, it'll look extra strange.

I thought about it, but I actually like the dove interior and I would need to source a ton of trim bits to pull it off correctly (trying to keep things as close to factory stock as possible). The anthracite carpet will fit in fine, the headliner and trim panels are all anthracite as well, as are the black bits on the dash.

[jaysonx]

I was going to toss the factory shift boot and replace it with a new one, but for the heck of it, I figured I would let it soak overnight with generous amounts of leatherique rejuvinator (after an ample cleaning). It actually came out great!








Old pic for comparison.

[UNVM3s]

wow that leatherique is incredible stuff...

[Braymond141]

wow that leatherique is incredible stuff...

Eh. If you like the added sheen and fake sales pitch. Don't get fooled by this stuff.

Any leather cleaner (meaning no gloss adding conditioner) would have cleaned it up just fine. Even a mild solvent would have been better to keep the original super matte finish and also clean it.

Leatherique maintained



Leatherique deleted (note these are 122k mi seats. It's impossible to make them look like new, but I can make them look better than using Leatherique products)

[jaysonx]

Eh. If you like the added sheen and fake sales pitch. Don't get fooled by this stuff.

Any leather cleaner (meaning no gloss adding conditioner) would have cleaned it up just fine. Even a mild solvent would have been better to keep the original super matte finish and also clean it.

Leatherique maintained



Leatherique deleted (note these are 122k mi seats. It's impossible to make them look like new, but I can make them look better than using Leatherique products)

There was a time ~10 years ago when it was difficult to find really good leather care products (I think that's about how old my bottle of rejuvenator is). Agree though that other products have passed it by. I really want to try out the colourlock line.

Leatherique always leaves an oily film/sheen that seems to take a while for it to go away.

In this case, though, it did do a good job of restoring some of the pliability to the leather.

[jaysonx]

Parts keep rolling in. New pedal covers installed.



Air filter for intake and a new 3' Coupler


The engine bay is officially back together!


Question for you guys:


The outer cover for my ignition does not stay in place and I am having a difficult time determining the part. Is this all only sold as one unit? It does not look like anything is visibly broken, but it is loose and not 'snapping in' to anything. If anyone has any tips on this one it would be greatly appreciated! I probably can glue it on but would rather not.

[timboogeyman]

Lots of great progress since we last left off:

Let's start by getting this new carpet installed


Carpet installed and the rebuilt heater box is in, I am super proud of this thing - I went through it all with new heater core, new fans, new O rings everywhere, and other odds and ends (it was great to have two boxes to pull from).


Oh and this brand new foam gasket for the top was around $80! It's the little things though.




Dash going back in. I did this super methodically, cross-referencing the Bentley manual and realoem.com to ensure all the right bolts were going in all the right places. No squeaks or rattles here!
Wiring up the center console, decided I'm going to replace the lighter outlet since the old is looking fairly funked. The computer also needs some new bulbs so ordered them as well. Vents are still getting a deep clean. Darn, that carpet looks great!



The Interior will sit like this for another few days while I wait on parts. On the engine side, things are getting buttoned up as well. Awaiting a new intake filter and elbow there. Tons of random parts on order, but I am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel!

Short list of items left to address:

- Finish replacing rear vent window seals
- Install new air intake parts
- Finish securing what's left of the engine bay grommets
- Remount Sideskirt
- Change Oil
- Install new fuel filter
- Fill tank w gas
- Fill Coolant
- Start 'er up!

More mid-term items that remain
- Euro steering wheel
- Respray hood (likely needed)
- Respray trunk (going to either fill in the old spoiler mounts or find a OEM replacement
- Clean up wheels
- (4) new tires + (1) spare
- New Windsheld
- (this list will go on and on)

Jayson, no issues with the instrument cluster after it was sitting so long? Did you test it or already replace the necessary chips?

[jaysonx]

Jayson, no issues with the instrument cluster after it was sitting so long? Did you test it or already replace the necessary chips?

I plugged it in and the only thing I can say at the moment is all lights work correctly - once I start the car I will be able to determine if there are any other issues.

[Bchanzzz no]

Parts keep rolling in. New pedal covers installed.



Air filter for intake and a new 3' Coupler


The engine bay is officially back together!


Question for you guys:


The outer cover for my ignition does not stay in place and I am having a difficult time determining the part. Is this all only sold as one unit? It does not look like anything is visibly broken, but it is loose and not 'snapping in' to anything. If anyone has any tips on this one it would be greatly appreciated! I probably can glue it on but would rather not.

It is an ews antenna you can pick one up from your local bmw dealer #61356965426 should be your part number

[jaysonx]

It is an ews antenna you can pick one up from your local bmw dealer #61356965426 should be your part number

That looks like it is it! All one assembly. Thank you!

[E85STI]

Really enjoying this thread. Makes me want to get off my butt and get my engine back together and then I remember all the rust on my car and I just lose interest.

[jaysonx]

I am increasingly impressed with Leatherique Rejuninator. I've never had leather that is as hard as cardboard needing restoration. I put the ebrake boot and handle in a plastic bag and let it sit in a warm area of the house for 24 hours, and the results speak for themselves! The pliability and softness of the leather fully returned.



In prepping to fill up the coolant, I borrowed a pressure testing tool from Advance. Good thing I did so - because one of the fittings to the throttle body was not as tight as it should be, and it would have made quite a mess when I filled.


After fixing the issue, the system held ~20psi for a good 5min so that is more than enough to ensure no leaks.


In other news, I changed the oil as well. Not sure I knew what to expect on this one, but the oil that drained was definitely VERY thick and slow, almost like a syrup. I just left it draining for about an hour, and a little over 6 liters came out (factory fill is ~7). A look into the filter housing.


A bit that spilled on the floor, dark color, and very thick.


I refilled with Castrol Synthetic, I am thinking that another oil change will be in the near future once I get things running.

[Mless5]

You've lucked out with the carpet, I waited for a year and a half and gave up. It sure does make a big difference!

[xxxxxxx]

So fresh, so clean!

How much of a pain was it to get the dash back in? Any tips?

Just waiting on the top foam seal for the heater core box, then I get to put everything back together.

[jaysonx]

After a long winter its finally starting to warm up here in the Northeast. Couple of progress updates to share:

New steering wheel arrived from Europe. This is the test fit, but I also have the airbag adapter ready to go in.


The headliner is recovered! Just need to cut out the sunroof area and other associated bits.


Rear parcel shelf is ready to go in as well (still need to send out the seats though).


Sunroof is back in as well! This panel was recovered along with the headliner.


Overall making some really good progress. My goal is to be back on the road before end of spring. Next up is installing the headliner and full interior reassembly.

[brianc]

Nice work. The car really doesn't look too bad at all. I'm constantly doing upkeep on my '98 M3. The E36 M3 is the only car I've had since '97, my current '98 was bought in '2004 when the '97 M3 was totaled (98yo women ran a red light - what a day that was). At any rate the interior trim just melts over the years regardless of how well you take care of it. Short if storing it in a vacuum with no light there's nothing you can do.. I keep mine in mint condition and a lot of the stuff you're doing I've had to do at least once over the years. I'm so anal that I go so far as replacing the whole seatbelt latch assemblies when the red buttons fades from UV (the ceramic coating trick doesn't really work - it makes look weird not new).
I finally just did my headliner.. mine lasted a lot longer than most it seems. What a pain in the ass that was. When you remove the A and C pillars the clips literally disintegrate. The ABS+PC material turns yellow and becomes unbelievably brittle over the years. You can buy new A/C pillars in anthracite for a small fortune - something nuts like $1000, but I ended buying other colors (tan and gray) and ripped off the material and sanded down and had recovered w/ original BMW material from Veterans upholstery supply in Los Angeles. The rear deck material that turns purple from UV was an interesting conundrum - the material is very hard to remove it would take hours and hours of sanding. My upholstery guy inspected it for a good while and decided we could try to glue over it. It came out very good. Did you upholster over it? Keep it up can't wait to see more

[h82crash]

Very nice work. I wish I had the funds to just replace a bunch of stuff on my 95 Avus. I actually dumped a little coin into a turbo build for it...priorities. But I recovered the sad door cards and rear panels myself. Even though the dove ones just became available again, I just couldn't justify the expense for new ones, No point in trying to pretend mine is original because 1) it has 200K+ miles and no purist collector would consider it anyway and 2) I like DIY projects. Something I can be proud of.


Keep up the good work. It's inspirational.

I wouldn't be too bothered by a "sheen" in the leather. Looks good from where I'm standing.