Project: 'Barn Find' - 1995 Avus Blue M3

[E85STI]

Yes, this is a great thread. It's getting me motivated to replace more things on my car.

[jaysonx]

Since the world seems like it is in perpetual backorder I am sort of playing the waiting game on a few things. Do have some updates though.

1) I was able to locate an OEM spoiler! A very good example popped up on FB marketplace in a not-so-great area outside of NYC. I purchased it sight unseen, sent funds via paypal and had a 3rd party courier service pick it up. Honestly, there were so many potential points of failure in this transaction that I was somewhat certain that I would never see my money again (or spoiler). However, with a little bit of luck (and mucho side drama w the courier service that I won't get into) the spoiler materialized and was in terrific shape! I sent it out for paint and am waiting to hear back.

2) I ordered my suspension setup! I've been educating myself on all the unique nuances of the 1995 M3 suspension vs. 96+. Given that I want a ride that is fairly close to OE, I decided to pull the trigger on a 1995 Dinan Stage 1 Suspension System. (https://www.dinancars.com/products/s...rts/D190-3101K). My alternate was an H&R 'OE' spring set w./ Koni's from Tirerack, but it sounds like the custom valved Koni's from Dinan will provide a well-sorted ride. Sure I could have gone with KW's or another coilover setup for about the same cost, but I don't think it would ride as nice. Now I need to figure out if I'm doing OE 95 spring top hats or the somewhat questionable 96+ L/R tophat swap + more camber. It isn't really clear if the 96+ swap also screws with the castor. Hrm. I think I'll lean OE 95 on this one.

3) The door cards which I have mentioned in the last few posts are still waiting to make an appearance.

So, while we're waiting I think we can get some work done.

Test fit / bolted down the OEM spoiler before sending it out for paint. Ordered new 3m mounting tape as well. Should be trivial to install once I get it back. (Superman Look Anyone??)


Back on the jackstands she goes for an undercarriage assessment. What a mess - this one is never going to be pretty underneath. I will replace and powercoat as much as makes sense though.


Front suspension disassembled - These are Racing Dynamics springs stamped 1998. They are in remarkable shape for their age. Bilsteins not as much.


LCA's are off without too much fuss, Sawzall'd one frozen bolt but otherwise GTG. I will press out these balljoints for new ones. Also looks like I need to tee up the pressure washer for yet another blast of the wheelwells.


Next, I will drop the steering rack and make some sort of a decision there. Yellow tag rack swap from rack doctor is the way to go it seems, but is it worth the $700+ it now costs?? I found one at a yard near me for a much more reasonable $200, but a roll of the dice and all...

Subframe, diff, driveshaft, and trans are all going to come out as well. I imagine the car will likely sit in this form till spring at this pace. Will see once the parts start showing up!



All this mess is stressing me out, cleaned all the Leather and Alcantara in the 911 for some peace!

[RBNetEngr]

Rather than getting stock ‘95 or ‘96 upper strut mounts, you may want to get some camber plates so you can have the camber adjusted specifically to your alignment needs rather than stay with whatever you get.

Stock ‘95 upper mounts will give you less than 2 deg of negative camber (fixed), and the ‘96 mounts will give you less than that, unless you swap them, where you may get more camber than you want/need.


-rb

[jaysonx]

Rather than getting stock ‘95 or ‘96 upper strut mounts, you may want to get some camber plates so you can have the camber adjusted specifically to your alignment needs rather than stay with whatever you get.

Stock ‘95 upper mounts will give you less than 2 deg of negative camber (fixed), and the ‘96 mounts will give you less than that, unless you swap them, where you may get more camber than you want/need.


-rb

That is an interesting thought as well. I was looking at some SPC camber plates but it seems that they run stiff bushings that increase NVH. Are you (or anyone here) familiar with some options that offer adjustability w/ close to OE ride quality? I will do some more digging.

[jaysonx]

Quick progress updates. The spoiler has appeared! The paint match is perfect! (also peep that new M3 badging!)





It feels so nice to get it mounted and secured, covering up the holes that I have been staring at for months now.

Also just received confirmation that my Dinan suspension shipped today. Good things to come!

[sirhodjibob]

Looking good!

[bmwstephen]

love the oem high arch spoiler! really rounds up the coupe's rear end.

[jaysonx]

Looking good!

Thank you! Now you have me wanting to do the 3rd brake light delete like you did - lol. The rear parcel only comes in anthracite though.

love the oem high arch spoiler! really rounds up the coupe's rear end.

It really looks sharp! The original spoiler was a Made in Taiwan reproduction that was nowhere near the fit/finish of this OEM part. I was honestly very much on the fence about putting a spoiler back on vs. getting the trunk lid filled in and repainted. Now I am certainly glad I went this route.

[RBNetEngr]

That is an interesting thought as well. I was looking at some SPC camber plates but it seems that they run stiff bushings that increase NVH. Are you (or anyone here) familiar with some options that offer adjustability w/ close to OE ride quality? I will do some more digging.

I can’t speak from experience, but looking around at Turner Motorsports and Bimmerworld, there are some potential options.

KMAC:
https://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-3...tage-1-street/

IRP:
https://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-4...ndart-springs/

GROUND CONTROL:
https://www.bimmerworld.com/Suspensi...E36-M3-96.html

Maybe someone who has used these can comment whether they are good or not for your street use.

I recently installed ST coilovers, with the ST/KW adjustable upper mounts, and I don’t notice an increase in NVH with them.


-rb

[jaysonx]

I can’t speak from experience, but looking around at Turner Motorsports and Bimmerworld, there are some potential options.

KMAC:
https://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-3...tage-1-street/

IRP:
https://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-4...ndart-springs/

GROUND CONTROL:
https://www.bimmerworld.com/Suspensi...E36-M3-96.html

Maybe someone who has used these can comment whether they are good or not for your street use.

I recently installed ST coilovers, with the ST/KW adjustable upper mounts, and I don’t notice an increase in NVH with them.


-rb

TY for the recos here. I just ended up ordering a new set of 95 OE mounts (which is agitating cause the cost is about 2x than the 96+). I got an update on my door cards, should be here in a week.

[jaysonx]

So - colder temps are settling in here in the Northeast and things are progressing a lot more incrementally. I figure enough time has passed that I may as well post an update - even if the car itself isn't transforming all that much.

The exhaust coming out, all of the bolts were frozen long ago creating general annoyance. Sawzall did the job where needed. I won't be keeping the stock mid-pipe and will probably sell the cats to a scrapper since that seems to be a thing.


Pushing the axles out using this hack I saw on youtube - which means the method is likely very questionable, but it worked. Sidenote, this new Bosch pro factor impact is friggin amazing. Can't recommend it enough.


Bosch doin' its thing on the Torx output shaft bolts, removing the calipers, and using a long extension made things easy. I like easy.


Fudging with the diff and subframe. I disassembled everything in parts vs. dropping it all at once.


Sure enough, there she goes. Hard to tell from the pic, but I have the 6-bolt input shaft on mine.


Things are much easier to get to w the diff out of the way.


And before too long, here is what is left...


Current state:







Parts Drops:
I was able to score this Schmiedmann stainless 's-tech' exhaust system. Comes with new headers and high-flow cats. VAC Motorsports says it fits the S50 perfectly. The Schmiedmann site says M50 but it's imported from Europe. We will discover the truth soon enough.

Dinan Stage 1 Suspension System - 1995 BMW M3
So this one is a bit of a laugh, I know the system is great, but what I did not realize is that I need OE Sachs struts to go with it (it is a cut-a-strut/strut insert). Being that I do not have OE shocks to pair with it, I ordered two of those as well. RIP me. Hope I like it.


Active Autowerke exhaust cleaned up w some Menzerna on my DA polisher.


Diff is POR-15'd. May just have it rebuilt.


Here is a roll-up view of many of the larger parts that I have staging to go on the car. Countless small packages of bushings, mounts, hardware, ball joints, general other items not shown. I still have some work to do to finish pressing everything out. Note the new Sachs struts along w the Konis. Plus I am rebuilding the diff side / CV joint for the axles.


My door cards which have been ordered for quite some time still show available in the US inventory after having been replenished from Germany, but they have yet to actually materialize at my doorstep. The good news is there is no rush, but still would like to have them show up at some point! I am on the fence about replacing all of the wheel bearings/dust shields/rear hubs. They honestly feel fine to me (and my BMW Tech friend) but considering I already have this apart, why not? I also have a dove center console on its way from german ebay for an armrest delete.

Trans will come out next.

[sirhodjibob]

I proactively replaced all the wheel bearings and hubs on my car even though they had not failed. It's hard to articulately describe the difference a wheel bearing makes, but the car just felt smoother and bit quieter going down the road. I'm glad I replaced them. Same goes for getting the diff rebuilt (though I opted for a shorter final drive). It's expensive but I also never want to remove it ever again.

Also I would replace that rubber hose for the fuel filler neck while you have easy access. Mine was cracking.

Never knew Schmeidmann made headers for the E36! looks good and quite reasonably priced, curious to see how fitment is.

[jaysonx]

I proactively replaced all the wheel bearings and hubs on my car even though they had not failed. It's hard to articulately describe the difference a wheel bearing makes, but the car just felt smoother and bit quieter going down the road. I'm glad I replaced them. Same goes for getting the diff rebuilt (though I opted for a shorter final drive). It's expensive but I also never want to remove it ever again.

Also I would replace that rubber hose for the fuel filler neck while you have easy access. Mine was cracking.

Never knew Schmeidmann made headers for the E36! looks good and quite reasonably priced, curious to see how fitment is.

I think you are right about the hubs/bearings. This car rode so terribly that I should just consider every wear item in the driveline toasted and due for replacement. I keep tricking myself into thinking that I just need to do maybe one or two more things and I can get it back on the road, but the reality is I really should take my time here and do it right, else I end up pulling all this apart again and again.

And +1 on the fuel hose as well, I am going to clean up everything I can. I would drop the tank too if I hadn't just filled it up. Having to purge it once was already enough for me!

[importbanana]

Why is there black grease looking stuff at the end of the driveshaft?

[Johal E32]

Why is there black grease looking stuff at the end of the driveshaft?

It's a CV joint. They are packed with grease.


Love the progress OP! Refreshing all of the suspension is a lot of work but it is well worth it.

[Jim E.]

Really enjoying this build!

[importbanana]

It's a CV joint. They are packed with grease.

I'm talking about the end of the driveshaft coming from the transmission.

Confused. My e36 just has a dry connection there. No grease.

[jaysonx]

Really enjoying this build!

I'm talking about the end of the driveshaft coming from the transmission.

Confused. My e36 just has a dry connection there. No grease.

I believe the 95's are different from the 96+ in that regard.

[jayjaya29]

Perfect time to weld in reinforcement plates for the RTAB pockets. Great work so far.

[blckstrm]

Heh - what kind of shape is your arm rest in? Mine has been ugly the entire time I've had it. If it's worth selling, you want to sell it?

[E85STI]

More awesome updates! Man that exhaust looks so nice and pretty!

[jaysonx]

Heh - what kind of shape is your arm rest in? Mine has been ugly the entire time I've had it. If it's worth selling, you want to sell it?

It is actually in pretty good shape, I am going to be storing all the interior parts I take off though. All this stuff is getting increasingly difficult to find should I want to swap it back.

Perfect time to weld in reinforcement plates for the RTAB pockets. Great work so far.

I'd like to, but I think the chances of someone showing up at my house with welding gear + knowing what the heck they are doing is a bit remote. The good news though is there is no cracking at all.

More awesome updates! Man that exhaust looks so nice and pretty!

Thank you! Can't wait to see how it fits.

[jaysonx]

Hope everyone had an awesome Christmas. I was gifted this cool book for us afflicted types.

[mrbeverlyhills]

I have learned so much from this thread, thank you for taking the time to document all this, the photos are fantastic. I am just in awe of anyone that can do so much of this themselves.

+1 on the RTABs, made a huge difference on mine. The only other thing I did was weld an oil pan baffle in, completely stopped the chatter after a session on the twisties.

[jaysonx]

I have learned so much from this thread, thank you for taking the time to document all this, the photos are fantastic. I am just in awe of anyone that can do so much of this themselves.

+1 on the RTABs, made a huge difference on mine. The only other thing I did was weld an oil pan baffle in, completely stopped the chatter after a session on the twisties.

Thank you! I just ordered the E36 bushing replacement press/installer kit and wheel bearing removal kit as well. Between all of it, I should be good for every bushing and bearing on the car. Should be here in a week or so.