Last year I commissioned a now-defunct shop (theiving bastards! - long story, too long for here) to build me a track car consisting of a salvage title 1994 325i sedan shown here:

http://bmarks.smugmug.com/photos/39504397-M.jpg
http://bmarks.smugmug.com/photos/39504336-M.jpg
http://bmarks.smugmug.com/photos/39504417-M.jpg

They rebuilt the appropriate parts, found a low mileage 1997 M3 which was wrecked, and swapped the entire drivetrain into the '94. At that point I began gutting out the interior, adding seats and a rollbar, and later a lot more items. But I was never happy with the body. The passenger side doors looked as if the clearcoat had decided to vacate the premises many years ago, the entire body had probably 200K miles on it, and the car was just plain boring to look at.

Seeing an opportunity to learn something and to possibly cheaply re-do the car so that it at least looked a little more presentable than the plate (see below) indicated, I decided to convert it to an M3 body and fix up dings, dents, and the crappy caulked-in sunroof panel. With the guidance of a neighbor with experience, I began the lengthy process of tearing it down and using bondo to fix the worst areas.

Plate:

http://bmarks.smugmug.com/photos/39848168-M.jpg

(Track bastard - since the car was a conglomeration of a '94 325 and a '97 M3 with parts and panels from who-knows-how-many other cars....)

Here are some intermediate steps in the process:

Bumpers, lights, and trim removed
http://bmarks.smugmug.com/photos/76052468-M.jpg

Goopy, black caulk finally removed from sunroof
http://bmarks.smugmug.com/photos/76052673-M.jpg

Someone got a little crazy with the fender roller; Wrinkly fenders
http://bmarks.smugmug.com/photos/76052558-M.jpg

Bare carbon fiber hood
http://bmarks.smugmug.com/photos/76052600-M.jpg

Side skirts from another '97 M3
http://bmarks.smugmug.com/photos/76052858-M.jpg

A bit rough, prepped for painting from purple '97 M3
http://bmarks.smugmug.com/photos/76052231-M.jpg

Bondo 101
http://bmarks.smugmug.com/photos/76052424-Ti.jpg

Wrinkle-be-gone
http://bmarks.smugmug.com/photos/81889380-M.jpg

Huge dent filled in
http://bmarks.smugmug.com/photos/81889384-M.jpg

Scuffed and ready
http://bmarks.smugmug.com/photos/82222914-M.jpg

No more visible carbon fiber
http://bmarks.smugmug.com/photos/82222910-M.jpg

Next comes the fun part. Using ultra cheapo but still apparently good quality PPG Omni paint, a one step acrylic urethane (i.e. prep, primer, and spray, no clear coat), we began painting. One night we took the flexible pieces and painted them separately using a flex additive. Another day we did the main body. One coat of primer, two coats of paint. The paint went on very thick. I have always liked Imola Red E46 M3s, so I figured why not have an Imola Red E36 M3?

After securing the various pieces I would need to replace or that I didn't have (for example, door handle surrounds with new rubber seals, front lower grille, M3 flat side moldings) I began to realize how much extra work was still left to do. I ended up buying some Evercoat brand molding paint in matte black and refinishing all of the molding as well. It came out great. I finally zipped everything up this past Sunday. Here are a few more intermediate photos, then the final result. Well worth it. Looks fantastic from 10 feet, and decent but not perfect up close. Still has dimples and whoopty-dos, but not nearly as bad as before.

Hood done
http://bmarks.smugmug.com/photos/84495897-M.jpg

Bumpers done
http://bmarks.smugmug.com/photos/84495903-M-1.jpg

Car done (note: didn't bother covering windshield as it cracked when I was removing some surrounding trim and I got it replaced after the paint was done)
http://bmarks.smugmug.com/photos/85104851-M.jpg

Almost there - still working on grille surround, molding, lower grilles, fog light blockoffs, and door handle surrounds
http://bmarks.smugmug.com/photos/85387963-M.jpg

FINALLY DONE! Remember, this has no clear coat!
http://bmarks.smugmug.com/photos/87823777-M.jpg
http://bmarks.smugmug.com/photos/87823778-M.jpg
http://bmarks.smugmug.com/photos/87823775-M.jpg
http://bmarks.smugmug.com/photos/87823782-M.jpg
http://bmarks.smugmug.com/photos/87823774-M.jpg
http://bmarks.smugmug.com/photos/87823781-M.jpg
http://bmarks.smugmug.com/photos/87823780-M.jpg

wow man thats hot!

wowwwwwwwwwww NICE!!!!!!!

Scuffed and ready
http://bmarks.smugmug.com/photos/82222914-M.jpg


:rofl I love the target bag :rofl

Holy shit you did an awesome job though. Imola is the best color for the E36. :buttrock

could you post a picture of a closeup of the painted carbon fiber hood

could you post a picture of a closeup of the painted carbon fiber hood

Sure, what exactly do you want me to try and capture?

:eyecrazy :eyecrazy Wow that is amazing, what a transformation!

Looken good!!

Very nice job, I have a couple questions:

1) Does the paint you used (the same kind) come in different colors, and if so can you link me to where you can get it on the internet?

2) What type of spray gun did you use?

3) Why didn't you leave the hood CF?

Very nice work.

Very nice job, I have a couple questions:

1) Does the paint you used (the same kind) come in different colors, and if so can you link me to where you can get it on the internet?

2) What type of spray gun did you use?

3) Why didn't you leave the hood CF?

Very nice work.

1) Yes, they will match any color you want. Any local car paint store that carries PPG can do it - I walked in and asked for Imola Red, they mixed it up, done. Search Google or Yahoo for PPG Paint and you should find it. I used their Omni MTK line. Ultra cheap, but good quality and covers well. Apparently not good if you are trying to match an existing painted car, but fine if you are doing the whole thing as we did.

2) My neighbor who lent so much time and guidance to the project had a very old gun - I don't recall the brand name off hand - be happy to ask later when he's online.

3) I wanted it to look more "streetable" and I am not a big fan of the exposed carbon look. My wife (who also instructs at HPDE with me) wanted to leave it exposed but I felt it would not look right unless the car stayed gray or black. I want to retain a relatively tame and "stock" exterior appearance while the interior and powertrain are hidden beneath. The car is wicked quick for a stock internal engine - 240rwhp, 220lb-ft at the wheels. Weight is about 2800lb. Full safety inside (cage completion soon) including 4.0L fire safety system and various gauges, plus 6-point harnesses.

damn dude you painted this by yourself with no prior painting experience ?

my hat is off to you sir

im in dire need of a paint job but definitely dont have the money for that right now. i never even thought of doing it myself but now.. just maybe..

damn dude you painted this by yourself with no prior painting experience ?

my hat is off to you sir

im in dire need of a paint job but definitely dont have the money for that right now. i never even thought of doing it myself but now.. just maybe..

Rob sprayed most of it while I watched and learned. I did a lot of the prep work and body work with his guidance. I sprayed the grille surround piece (forgot it in my basement when we did the main body) and it came out great, no drips or anything. With some scrap panels from a junkyard, you could practice and learn how to do it without problems. It's not hard, you just have to take your time and be careful.

The chemicals WILL KILL YOU so you need to be very careful and wear proper protection. Even doing it outside you can die from the chemicals, so BE CAREFUL.

Nice transformation.

wow new car

Nice Work!Looks great!!

Nice car/project

pics of the door jams and engine cavity, did he do a "complete" color change?

Wow...that's some great work there, man. Approximately how many hours would you say you put into this? :eek:

Great job. The car looks awesome.

One little thing... you should use some plastic polish on the headlight lenses.

Wow...that's some great work there, man. Approximately how many hours would you say you put into this? :eek:


2nd

How many?

very nice. can't wait to see it in person. i remember it when it was black. with the power steering working, you and your wife really haul that car. i'm pretty fast, but you guys left me like if i was driving a uhaul.

Its amazing what a little time and effort can do if you keep your self focused and not loose interest.Love it!!!!!!!!!!! I would have to pass on the hood pins

Wow, looks great!

Very good work.

awesome job on that. im quite jealous.

outstanding work. beautiful car.

pics of the door jams and engine cavity, did he do a "complete" color change?

No, it's not complete. I will try to get pics later. We kept the underhood area clean - it's still black but the edges you can see beyond the rubber weatherstripping are all red. The door jambs are also black with overspray. This was intended to look great on the outside from at least 10 feet away :)

Wow...that's some great work there, man. Approximately how many hours would you say you put into this? :eek:


Oh gosh...I'm not really sure. Maybe 60+ over the course of a few months including a few very intense weekends of all-day work.

Great job. The car looks awesome.

One little thing... you should use some plastic polish on the headlight lenses.

Been there, done that. I tried. It did very little to help them. They looked fine before - but now they are obviously VERY old and worn. I guess that's what happens after almost 200,000 miles.

very nice. can't wait to see it in person. i remember it when it was black. with the power steering working, you and your wife really haul that car. i'm pretty fast, but you guys left me like if i was driving a uhaul.

Are you coming to VIR Full in September? We'll be there. Please don't get too close to the car or you'll see 100000 imperfections :help

Its amazing what a little time and effort can do if you keep your self focused and not loose interest.Love it!!!!!!!!!!! I would have to pass on the hood pins

You know, I'm not crazy about them, either, but I could just NOT get the factory latches to keep the hood in place properly, and can not take the risk of something happening especially at 130+ MPH on track. They were more of a safety item than a bling item. I would prefer a 100% stock look, but they're required in my situation. :eyecrazy

To everyone else, thanks for the comments. I hesitated putting this post up but it took so damn long and so much work that I felt I had to share with folks who could appreciate it.

Sure, what exactly do you want me to try and capture?

just a shot of the hood with the carbon fiber pattern coming through. i would like to see how that looks since ppl always talk about painting CF.

bravo! well done man... aslo Mr.M i really like your car as well, very clean and classy and mean lookin:clap

just a shot of the hood with the carbon fiber pattern coming through. i would like to see how that looks since ppl always talk about painting CF.

You don't see the CF pattern at all. I color sanded the hood and it's pretty much flat with a little orange peel in spots that I didn't get quite right. Was more of an experiment but there is definitely no sign of CF from the top.

good job, one of the best looking diy paint jobs i've seen.

good job, one of the best looking diy paint jobs i've seen.

Thank you! Sadly, I think you might change your mind if you saw it up close. I could make it look really good if I was willing to spend another 10-20 hours on it. I may in the future, but I keep reminding myself it's a track car and not worth the time. If I don't draw the line somewhere I will keep going til it's perfect which won't ever happen!

ultra sweet looking

Wow! Great job, good to see how far a little patience will go.

looks amazing! great to see all of us still loving these 7-14 year old cars :)

WOW, great work. You must have some great skills. I personally would have picked the blackest of the blackest paint on that car.

looks great good choice on the color as well

black was old and busted........................Imola the new hotness....good work

2nd

How many?


+3

Nice conversion, but why no clearcoat? Just wondering.

Nice conversion, but why not clearcoat? Just wondering.

No need. This is better. If I have paint damage, I can just touch up and sand/buff and you can't tell. Not quite that easy with clear coat. And clear coat adds a lot of complexity to the process. The factory does it because it's cheap. They put the smallest amount of paint they possible can on, then use a lot of clear to cover it. This has a lot of paint, but no clear. And it's just as shiny.

+3

Answered above :)

No need. This is better. If I have paint damage, I can just touch up and sand/buff and you can't tell. Not quite that easy with clear coat. And clear coat adds a lot of complexity to the process. The factory does it because it's cheap. They put the smallest amount of paint they possible can on, then use a lot of clear to cover it. This has a lot of paint, but no clear. And it's just as shiny.

Good to know, I never knew that!

Wow Soo Clean I like it...

Nice work and excellent reasoning on what you wanted to accomplish. A track car has different requirements than a daily driver, and this is a VERY nice looking track car. I think you came up with an excellent mix of form vs. function for the labor you put into this.

What kind of engine/suspension mods have you done? In scanning throgh this thread I didn't notice them. Putting down 240 hp at the wheels with a stock internal M3 engine and drivetrain does seem wicked quick! :buttrock

Nice work and excellent reasoning on what you wanted to accomplish. A track car has different requirements than a daily driver, and this is a VERY nice looking track car. I think you came up with an excellent mix of form vs. function for the labor you put into this.

What kind of engine/suspension mods have you done? In scanning throgh this thread I didn't notice them. Putting down 240 hp at the wheels with a stock internal M3 engine and drivetrain does seem wicked quick! :buttrock

Thank you.

The car has a 1997 M3 3.2L engine converted back to OBD1 (meaning the older style manifold), a K&N FIPK intake, factory manifolds and cat. converter, and Borla cat-back exhaust. 240 wheel horsepower with 220 lb-ft, 2800 pound weight. Engine is stock inside and so is the exhaust until the cat-back.

The weight savings had already been completed before this job was done.

- Removed the entire interior except dash and part of the center console
- Removed airbags
- Factory steering wheel replaced with Sparco 335mm wheel
- Removed headliner and all interior trim
- Removed sunroof except for outer sheetmetal panel.
- Lightweight wheels and tires
- Ground Control race suspension/lowered by about 3-4"
- Borla exhaust saves about 30lb or so
- Carbon hood saves about 30lb or so
- Race seats saved about 80-100lb or so
- Removed all carpet and sound deadening - 100lb or so
- Spare and all trunk trim removed
- Removed excess stereo and other wiring and rear speakers

The car still has A/C, heat, radio, and front speakers and is fully street legal and passes inspection.

Dyno from last Feb.

http://www.itrents.com/332i/332dyno-s.jpg

Wow nice clean outstanding job. How long did it take you to complete this project? Do you have any pictures of the interior?

Wow nice clean outstanding job. How long did it take you to complete this project? Do you have any pictures of the interior?

Some interior shots:

http://bmarks.smugmug.com/photos/75001226-M.jpg
http://bmarks.smugmug.com/photos/75001285-M.jpg
http://bmarks.smugmug.com/photos/39504388-M.jpg

The 4-point rollbar is going to be converted to a full 8-point cage next month.

I would estimate probably 60+ hours - I didn't really keep a log, but I took my time on it over the course of a couple months.

Some interior shots:

http://bmarks.smugmug.com/photos/75001226-M.jpg
http://bmarks.smugmug.com/photos/75001285-M.jpg
http://bmarks.smugmug.com/photos/39504388-M.jpg

The 4-point rollbar is going to be converted to a full 8-point cage next month.

I would estimate probably 60+ hours - I didn't really keep a log, but I took my time on it over the course of a couple months.



Nice shots thanks bro. Is that a bolt on rollbar? Keep up the good work looks awesome. :thumbup:

Nice shots thanks bro. Is that a bolt on rollbar? Keep up the good work looks awesome. :thumbup:

No, it was custom made by Competition Cages. They are finishing it off into a full cage soon.

Loving the red- great job mang!!!:buttrock

Red GOOD

Wow, thats quite the project...I'm impressed!

Wow, that is an amazing job you've done on the car. What a transformation. It looks real sweet.

i wish i had the time/money to repaint my car Imola...

someday!


ps. nice license plate

Sweet setup you have thier, I hope that I can get my finished by Spring.

that's probably the nicest 10' car that I've ever seen. great job!

that's probably the nicest 10' car that I've ever seen. great job!

Thanks! People are still seemingly impressed by it, but of course I see all the imperfections. It looks fine whizzing by on the track so I don't care much. Thanks for the compliment - it was a loooooot of work. NEVER AGAIN! :lol:redspot

When i painted my race cars, I went by the 10 foot rule also. Just needs to look good for the fans. Im glad you painted the cf hood im also not a fan of the cf look.
I do have 1 problem with your car. If you havent done it yet, plz loose the reciever hitch....lol. VERY NICE RACE CAR BRO!

When i painted my race cars, I went by the 10 foot rule also. Just needs to look good for the fans. Im glad you painted the cf hood im also not a fan of the cf look.
I do have 1 problem with your car. If you havent done it yet, plz loose the reciever hitch....lol. VERY NICE RACE CAR BRO!

Well, I don't HAVE any fans, so I guess that part is moot. LMAO.

Sorry about the hitch. I can't justify a truck/trailer (plus nowhere to park it), so I have to get my track tires to the track somehow ;)

Wow, looks great!

x2

that's what it is all about ...very good

great job love the color

great job.. looks AWESOME

Car looks great, quite the project.

The question I have is, how heavy is bondo? Doesn't the added weight of bondo negate any gains of the CF hood? Dents are lighter is what I'm getting at. :D

The Car Looks Great For The Nature Of The Build. Very Impressed.

damn that is very nice, love the work on the fender, can you do mine?lol.

Car looks great, quite the project.

The question I have is, how heavy is bondo? Doesn't the added weight of bondo negate any gains of the CF hood? Dents are lighter is what I'm getting at. :D

CF hood saves 20-30lb. There is not more than maybe a couple pounds (and probably a lot less) Bondo on there. Remember, my car is still a street car and has A/C, heat, radio, speakers, glovebox, door panels, etc. I'm not going for lowest possible weight, although lower weight is always better.

Your hard work paid off! it looks bad ass!

got any track pics of that red devil?

got any track pics of that red devil?

Sure:

http://www.smugmug.com/photos/97679174-L.jpg

http://www.smugmug.com/photos/97679177-L.jpg

http://www.smugmug.com/photos/97679187-L.jpg

http://www.smugmug.com/photos/97679186-L.jpg

http://www.smugmug.com/photos/97679195-L.jpg

http://www.smugmug.com/photos/97679201-L.jpg

http://www.smugmug.com/photos/97679209-L.jpg

nice! i wanna paint my car but to scared to mess up

those pictures are sexay.

those pictures are sexay.

too sexy for the track

too sexy for the track

You haven't seen it up close ;) :lol

Inspiring, I just picked up a 92 325i with the same end result in mind... Altough I'm not a red car guy myself... Looks good though!

WOW! I'm sure you are very proud. I would be too. Good, no, great job, man! It's looks awesome. I was wondering why you din't leave the hood CF as well but I see your point an on this particualr car I think you made a good choice.

Where did you get the bumper and side skits from and how much did they cost?

WOW! I'm sure you are very proud. I would be too. Good, no, great job, man! It's looks awesome. I was wondering why you din't leave the hood CF as well but I see your point an on this particualr car I think you made a good choice.

Where did you get the bumper and side skits from and how much did they cost?

Thank you :) I do feel pretty good about having done that much work on my own, but it still looks pretty crappy up close :lol

I bought the bumpers and side moldings and a few other things used on this forum and then prepped and painted them to match. IIRC, the front bumper was $275 or so, the rear was about $125, and the moldings were about $100. Side skirts were $75 for the pair, but they are not the sport moldings, they are the lux moldings. I don't really care.

That's fantastic! I wanted to sort myself a new bodykit and needed to source a cheap painter, but when you couldn't you just did it yourself! Absolute genius! Damn the standard grey crap bumpers!

The car looks awesome!!!!!

Hats off!!!! You did an excellent job!!!!! I'm inspired!!! I have a 95 blue e36 I'm gearing up (financial) to have the exterior and interior customized. Thanks for the inspiration.

The cars Sick. Thats all i can say.
Kudos

Sorry to pull up a thread from the grave, but your car is awesome and I have a couple Q's for ya. What was your total investement into the car (ie is this the cheapest route to a track-prepped M3?), what was the out of pocket cost for paint and bodywork? And what suspension setup are you running? (I might have overlooked this...) Thanks man, and :buttrock

Sorry to pull up a thread from the grave, but your car is awesome and I have a couple Q's for ya. What was your total investement into the car (ie is this the cheapest route to a track-prepped M3?), what was the out of pocket cost for paint and bodywork? And what suspension setup are you running? (I might have overlooked this...) Thanks man, and :buttrock

I could not even begin to tell you the total investment. If I had to do it over again, I'd start with a real M3 and not a 325. I also can't really say what I paid for paint and body work - I guess not including buying the bumpers and side skirts probably under $500 or $600 for all the paint, bondo, and materials. Just lots of time (which is valuable to me).

I run M3 subframes (reinforced) with Ground Control coilovers with Koni SA shocks and Eibach 550/650 springs, a GC infinitely adjustable front swaybar and a stock rear M3 swaybar.

very very hot