# My new M3 Winter Project.



## Mirror Finish Details (Aug 21, 2008)

Had this little beauty delivered this morning, ready for a bit of TLC.



















I think a little Scholl S3 Gold and a little effort will bring her back..................................................................................................................................................BUT HERE IS THE TWIST.
































































It has had a nasty bang, only cat D so no major damage. Engine and box sweet as a nut, only 35k on it.

Fitted new bonnet, wing and door today, waiting for rear 3/4 from BMW then down body shop, complete strip down and full respray.

Will then store over winter and look forward to smokin round in it next spring.​


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## samm (May 19, 2006)

Look forward to the updates on this.


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## cotter (Aug 31, 2008)

Thought you said you were having a quiet day today? Lol

Look forward to seeing this come together :thumb:


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## Mirror Finish Details (Aug 21, 2008)

cotter said:


> Thought you said you were having a quiet day today? Lol
> 
> Look forward to seeing this come together :thumb:


I did not think it was arriving untill Wednesday. Hoping to chisel off the rear 3/4 on Saturday.

This is the second one I have done over the past few years, hoping to make a good profit come sales time nearer the Summer.


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## Minus8 (Aug 1, 2011)

Nice motor bar the obvious, looking forward to some after shots


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## David (Apr 6, 2006)

looks nice that, much prefer the coupe over the soft top but an M3 none-the-less

keep it until spring, sell it for a couple of K more (as long as you purchased correctly)


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## block (Jun 28, 2006)

Not sure that'll polish out! Lol


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## 500tie (Oct 15, 2009)

Should be a bit of fun putting that back to it's former glory.


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## Lewisredfern001 (Apr 21, 2011)

Just out of interest what would someone expect to pay for a rear quarter from BMW and someone to fit it? I've know painting costs. Jus purely part and fit?


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## Mirror Finish Details (Aug 21, 2008)

Lewisredfern001 said:


> Just out of interest what would someone expect to pay for a rear quarter from BMW and someone to fit it? I've know painting costs. Jus purely part and fit?


Was £500 for the rear quarter which includes the sill. Should be delivered tomorrow.


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## The_Bouncer (Nov 24, 2010)

Blimey Not got it done yet Steve ?

Thought we were gonna see some finished pics already :thumb:

only kidding, nice cars these, sure you'll turn it back into a minter. - going to subscribe to this one for sure.


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## badman1972 (Jun 24, 2010)

Should make for some good viewing and an interesting turnaround, quality motor! Some of the best bargains on the road Cat D stuff, look forward to seeing this one sorted


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## Mirror Finish Details (Aug 21, 2008)

Due to family issues I have not had much chance to play with the M3 this week.

I did however spend a hour drilling out spot welds along the sill and top of the wing, it is almost loose now apart from the wheel arch, so some progress. The only place to get a rear wing is from BMW, no pattern parts for a convertable. So at least I know all the parts are gunuine BMW. I may have to cut the wing near the wheel arch and mig weld it together with a full seam weld, as the inner wing and outer wing seem to be rolled together. I used a special drill bit that only drills half the spot weld, so when I come to fit the wing I can make the plug welds grind them down and they will look like pucker spot welds. This is important for me, the MOT and DFT test.

All the lights in the front are trial fitted the bonnet now shuts and is aligned to the wings. Roof works after I had to bash the wing with a lump hammer due to it catching, so that is one relief.

Popped the code reader in and their are no fault codes, another relief. So the 3.2L straight 6 is in excellent order. 

So waiting on the rear quater being delivered tomorrow and the wishbone which was broken when it went through a hedge and hit a gate post.

I am not going to get the whole car sprayed now as the passenger side is fine, I will just get it detailed. A friend is going to lend me his spray booth one evening and I will take the front bumper, bonnet, wing, door and rear bumper and spray them my self. I'll let him mix the paint though. Then once the car is road legal I'll take it and blow in the rear wing. I have not painted for years, looking forward to it.

I'll post some pics once I get the rear wing off.


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## DuncanMon (May 25, 2009)

Always love seeing write ups of written off cars being repaired. My dad runs his own bodyshop doing body work and spray painting and has dabbled in repairing and selling over the years when he needed to and its where two of my cars have came from.

Looking out a car you want then fixing it up is a great sense of satisfaction. Allot of it can sort of go against the detailing thing as as you said taking a hammer to a wing which is a little different from the normal here haha!

My Dad has no interest in our detailing malarky and I went to show him the pictures and he wasn't happy with how glossy they were as it was hard to really see the damage as easy, had to laugh at him!

Good luck, get more pictures in progress up!


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## cra3g...d (Jul 30, 2011)

A cracking car well worth a second chance m8 looking forward to seeing this come together . you seem to write with much excitement lol.


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## Mirror Finish Details (Aug 21, 2008)

*UPDATE*

I managed to get the rear quarter off this morning, took a lot more work than planned but got there in the end.


















This is the heafty structure behind the wing for streghtening the car being a convertable.

















Some fettling will be needed here with the trusty old lump hammer, as the body needs hammering out a bit as the battery catches on the inner wing. If I can't straighten up the origional stuff I have the bits from the car I got the bonnet from.

Sill area.









Front wing off.









Interior got a good soaking, need to get all the glass out.









£500 for this part alone.









Lights back in and replacement bonnet now properly fitted.









Wing, door and bumpers were sprayed yesterday, so may get them on this week.

If I can get the wish bone changed and the rear wing sorted this week the car can go for the finish spraying before I go to Texas next Saturday.


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## Demetrios72 (Jun 27, 2011)

Good luck matey


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## Ns1980 (Jun 29, 2011)

Looks like a real challenge. Good luck, looking forward to seeing the finished article!


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## cotter (Aug 31, 2008)

You're certainly not wasting time Steve!


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## quattrogmbh (May 15, 2007)

Is that a carbon fibre front crossmember in the last photo?


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## ITHAQVA (Feb 20, 2011)

Poor baby, subscribed. Will be nice to see this Racing Tank back on the road doing what they are best at. Annoying everyone else


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## David (Apr 6, 2006)

thats had some dent! that interior is rotten and has no sat nav upgrade

on the plus side - an M3 will always sell and its a manual

good luck with it all


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## Ninja59 (Feb 17, 2009)

quattrogmbh said:


> Is that a carbon fibre front crossmember in the last photo?


looks like a CF/kevlar twill mix from here


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## Obsessed Merc (Apr 10, 2011)

It looks well and truly fooked to me.
Hats off to you if you have the skill, time and patience to get this back to anything other than banger racing condition.

I wish I wasn't so thick with my hands..

Mark


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## prokopas (Apr 29, 2010)

Can't wait to see how this will come out


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## Strothow (Oct 29, 2009)

Looking good, be interesting!


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## Leemack (Mar 6, 2009)

Ooh, I like these beasts.

Was in the market for one last year so I may come back in so I'll be keeping my eye on this :thumb:


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## Mirror Finish Details (Aug 21, 2008)

David said:


> thats had some dent! that interior is rotten and has no sat nav upgrade
> 
> on the plus side - an M3 will always sell and its a manual
> 
> good luck with it all


_I was going to re paint the leather in black, but a big BMW forum member said to leave it in the colour. Just needs a good clean. Is not that bad really._

_
Already sold, could not resist the offer so finish this and look out for another._



Ninja59 said:


> looks like a CF/kevlar twill mix from here


_
Cheers mate, I did not even notice the Carbon on the front or back._



Obsessed Merc said:


> It looks well and truly fooked to me.
> Hats off to you if you have the skill, time and patience to get this back to anything other than banger racing condition.
> 
> I wish I wasn't so thick with my hands..
> ...


_
Cheers for the posative comments._



Showshine said:


> Ooh, I like these beasts.
> 
> Was in the market for one last year so I may come back in so I'll be keeping my eye on this :thumb:


_I am looking for the next one now, sold it today._


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## CraigQQ (Jan 20, 2011)

:lol: was gonna say.. title says winter project steve.. then you say will be stored over winter and done in spring :lol: 

what you looking for next?


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## Mirror Finish Details (Aug 21, 2008)

CraigQQ said:


> :lol: was gonna say.. title says winter project steve.. then you say will be stored over winter and done in spring :lol:
> 
> what you looking for next?


Was a winter project, then the phone went mad about buying it once finished. The damage was very little in reality, just the outer panels and the support beams in the boot. I got the rear 3/4 panel tack welded today.

I planned on keeping it but the offer on the table I would have been mad to turn down. He had been after one for a while and offered me more than I thought it would be worth. So he has bought a 04 M3 convertable for a lot less than retail. The car stands me at £5500 for the car, £1500 for panels and about £500 for the paint. I am not going to say what he paid me for it but these are still going for £13/14K on the market.

I will post pics of the rear wing going on tomorrow then it is in for paint.

Next project car, well if I can do one with out it selling then a Saab Convertable next.


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## Simply Clean (Aug 20, 2011)

Cant wait to see the end product:thumb:


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## Mirror Finish Details (Aug 21, 2008)

Little Update.

Got the rear 3/4 fitted and went on really well. Ended up seam welding it with the Mig rather then plug welds. I have a gap between the new panel and inner arch which a friend of mine is going to roll and seal for me. All the metal work in the boot worked straight, even with a little tug with a peice of rope around the tow bar on my car. 

Front lights are in and Xenons working, bumper is now on in the correct colour so just need to plumb in the light cleaners and fit the grills. Just waiting for the back light, again only available from Germany.

Need to clean up the replacement boot lid and get all the adhesive off as the M3 does not have a boot spoiler, the Alpina boot lid did and I am only going for origional.

Hopefully this week the rear 3/4 will get sprayed and the boot lid. Hopefully the finish will match the blue fleck in the origional paint.

I fired her up to move her tonight and did not realise the gear knob also lit up, pretty cool.

I'll take some pics tomorrow, but she is looking really good now and straight.


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## Chicane (Mar 31, 2011)

good good!


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## moosh (May 8, 2011)

Mirror Finish said:


> Due to family issues I have not had much chance to play with the M3 this week.
> 
> I did however spend a hour drilling out spot welds along the sill and top of the wing, it is almost loose now apart from the wheel arch, so some progress. The only place to get a rear wing is from BMW, no pattern parts for a convertable. So at least I know all the parts are gunuine BMW. I may have to cut the wing near the wheel arch and mig weld it together with a full seam weld, as the inner wing and outer wing seem to be rolled together. I used a special drill bit that only drills half the spot weld, so when I come to fit the wing I can make the plug welds grind them down and they will look like pucker spot welds. This is important for me, the MOT and DFT test.
> 
> ...


Hey dude you should have really pulled the rear quarter first before you cut it off as it won't help when it comes to fitting the new panel, the wheel arch is a bit of a bugger to get at the spot welds but if you buff off the sealer along the lip it will reviel the spot welds.

Not q bad wing to replace really, they split below the moulding so you might get away with leaving the sill in tack!

Nice thread, keep us posted (im a panel better painter to trade)


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## moosh (May 8, 2011)

Mirror Finish said:


> Little Update.
> 
> Got the rear 3/4 fitted and went on really well. Ended up seam welding it with the Mig rather then plug welds. I have a gap between the new panel and inner arch which a friend of mine is going to roll and seal for me. All the metal work in the boot worked straight, even with a little tug with a peice of rope around the tow bar on my car.
> 
> ...


Seam welded not plugged??

Show me what you mean?


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## Mirror Finish Details (Aug 21, 2008)

moosh said:


> Seam welded not plugged??
> 
> Show me what you mean?


Ah your sharp tonight!!!!

Sorry slight wrong wording. I did the plug welds but there is a seam weld along the sill which a mate did, it is like rolled along the sill under the door. Quite an important weld on a convertable I was led to believe.


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## moosh (May 8, 2011)

Mirror Finish said:


> Ah your sharp tonight!!!!
> 
> Sorry slight wrong wording. I did the plug welds but there is a seam weld along the sill which a mate did, it is like rolled along the sill under the door. Quite an important weld on a convertable I was led to believe.


I was full anal-ysis what you were writing! :lol:

Good man sounds like a neat job to me! Cant wait to see it finished. :thumb:

Where did you pick her up from mate?


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## Mirror Finish Details (Aug 21, 2008)

moosh said:


> I was full anal-ysis what you were writing! :lol:
> 
> Good man sounds like a neat job to me! Cant wait to see it finished. :thumb:
> 
> Where did you pick her up from mate?


Cheers fella, I appreciate your input.


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## Mirror Finish Details (Aug 21, 2008)

*Update 21/09/11.*

Been a busy week but I did manage to get her finished apart from painting the rear wing and door. As I was attaching the rear wing I had a mobile mechanic friend of mine do a service on the car. the oil and filter was changed, rear diff oil changed, gearbox oil changed, coolant flushed out and changed as well as brake fluid. He carried out a trial MOT for me and was confident it will pass when it is all back together.

So on with the rear wing, front bumper, lights and number plate.

Some pics of progress.

Front wing sprayed and fitted; not bad reflection with no polishing. I am happy with the spray job.










Rear wing finally fitted and completly welded in. I have also sealed the seams with seam sealant.










The rear wheel is still waiting for a wishbone as the upper one is cracked, getting this is harder than I planned; this is the only thing really stopping me from driving it for it's MOT.

Slight mis alignment with the boot lid, perhaps a tweek with a lump hammer.










Need to get al that goop off and then it is ready for spray and M3 badge rather than Alpina badge.



















Just missing the rear light, 28 days availability from Germany. So I will wait as I am not using any part unless it came from BMW.




























And thats about it. Car just needs final paint. Will leave the car for a month to allow to fully cure then give a good detail and pass onto the new owner.​


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## Mirror Finish Details (Aug 21, 2008)

Small Update.

Had a few suspension problems that I have had to pay out for a professional fix. The wish bone was bent but had also bent the mount. So now that is now sorted I am back to finishing the rear panel ready for the spray booth. Had a few issues with the bonnet, I think some silicone had stuck so that is going to get a re sparay as well.

Good news is the car passed a MOT so when the back bumper goes back on it can go for the DFT test. Once that is passed i will give it a quick mop.

As there was 6 months MOT on it and a few months tax I must admit the M3 is one of the best cars I have driven, and due to the warm weather I got plenty of use out of it with the roof down.

Hope to post some final pics in the week.


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## Big Buffer (Jan 1, 2011)

Patience is not my strong point imh.

Looks well on the way to being an impressive machine once again.

Great work pal

:thumb:


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## Andyb0127 (Jan 16, 2011)

Looks good so far not to badly damaged. Bmw's new way of replacing quarters panels, sills, chassis, are all panel bonded and riveted no welding, you now get methods telling you where to makes any cuts and joins, same with mercedes you get templates for cuts and joins.

One thing i would check is where the subframe bolts up at the back by the rear diff, as we get alot of M3's in at work for this as they split around the mounts, weve done alot of these but all have been done under bmw warranty.

Oh i know this because im a panel beater and work in a body shop that repairs bmw, mercedes, aston martin, jaguar, 

Keep up the good work tho mate.:thumb:


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## Jakub555 (Aug 17, 2011)

Woooooooooow.....
fair play to you Steve

.... really very good job ...


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## stealthwolf (Sep 24, 2008)

dammit I wish this was complete. Exciting read throguh...can't wait for the finished product!


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