Get $5 off your next order through my link sponsr.is/magicspoon_mattross_0824 or use code MATTROSS at checkout. Or look for Magic Spoon in your nearest grocery store!
Hi, From someone who disassembled countless real E30 M3's. Your car is real, you can see it in the details. M3's have a wider front window edge to glue in the front window (only M3's have that) It has the coolant reservoir bracket in the front battery tray. Suspension that came with the car. Chassisnumber starts with WBS. Cannot see it in your video but if the car has a curled front tow hook thats also M3 specific. You can check if your wiring loom is M3 specific by searching for the oil temp plug kinda triangle shaped should be nearby all the cluster plugs Enjoy the project!
Remove the front bumper and look at the bumper mounts at the front of the chassis leg. Bmw hand welded brackets in, that allowed quick changes of the bumper when racing, via 2 bolts rather than the normal E30 way of multiplebolts and clips. Also if it's an early car it should have a second fuel tank behind the rear seat, unless that's a euro spec thing? The C pillar area also has some tell tales, the sloping rear part is just an aero device, glued onto a standard roof, so the rear shelf has a funny little bit added in right at the rear glass.
Great info! Does the window edge for the front window, does that difference in width matter? Buddy is restoring an M3 that has some damage to the A pillars and was looking to replace with a regular E30 325is A-pillars
BRO LETS JUST GET IT OUT THE WAY, YOU NEED A GARAGE !! the efforts your put in moving parts and cars can be put in working on the cars itself , and it will also keep you motivated and productive, the channel is booming , make it your next move bro
The amount of work needed to make that look convincingly like an M3 if it was fake would have been massive. 100k followers incoming congratulations. Great content.
It's not that much. Biggest is to change rear fenders. C pilar was available as oem sparepart If I remember right it's bolt on part. Here in Finland there were plenty of replicas back in days. Most were done after hiiting rear quarter to something and rear wings needing change anyway. But If VIN number say it's M3 then it is.
Re the mig issues Matt, might be worth changing the liner, assuming its a budget welder then its probably got a plastic liner fitted which tend to wear causing friction (especially if the wire going through it isn't totally clean), a metal liner and can really make a difference, loving the channel and the awesome projects
Poke the wire through a couple ear plugs before feeding it through the drive rollers. Helps wipe off the metal dust that collects on the roll from static.
Satin Black of course.. Also characteristic for M3 is a glued Windscreen, just saying 😂 The most expensive parts are the c pillar cover (inside) .. Greets from Germany and keep going Matt 💪🏻
I think you've got three options for the subframe powdercoat color: 1: Matte black, tried and true 2: Red(same as the body paint): slightly rice? 3: Gunmetal / Satin black: Keep it classy, OEM+
Go watch Chromatic Garage, he has just completed an underside restoration on an E30. He had all the arms and subframes powder coated “semi gloss black” which looks very OEM and perfect 👌
Also The ugly antenna isn’t in front of the sunroof on the regular 3series either, if you pull the headliner and antenna you can tell if it was done at the factory or not.
Welder advice, with the massive disclaimer that I'm a newb/DIY person. I myself own a no-name "130" flux-core (mig without gas) welder. I've had issues like you seemed to have too. For ME, the wire would get stuck in the "gun" part. Although the wire can get stuck just about anywhere. Different wire quality can also make a massive difference. Anyways... Most common cause to ME, is the tip having crap in it, or just being worn out. New tips are REALLY affordable, so I'd suggest changing out those first. Second cause COULD be that your wire feed wheel thingy inside the wheel, is slipping on the wire. Make sure it's really snug. Third cause could be that your wire tubes are worn out, causing it to snag/catch. Depending on wire quality and how clean and not-twisted you keep your cables (with the tube that contains the wire), this is a consumable that can last a long or really short time. I'm really careful with mine, and I keep the "cable" between my welder and "gun", as straight as possible, always avoiding sharp-ish bends. (because I can't afford a new welder or even these hoses/cables) Something I've noticed from doing low budget DIY welding stuffs: flux-core welding is a really messy process. My tips do degrade decently fast, which I really don't like. So before I start welding, I cut off the tip of the wire. Then I remove the tip of the welder gun, and inspect it visually. If the hole seems to be at least round, I grab my can of WD-40, and spray some trough the tip. WD-40 really likes to attract dust, junk and grime. And because I'm using a spray can, it also blows the dust, debris and grime out. Once I put the bits back and start welding, there is a flame on the tip of my gun for a second or 2. But this isn't an issue. The gun is supposed to handle way higher temps, and I don't believe much if any carbon would be infused into your welds. Hope this did help ever so slightly: even junk-tier tools can get a job done well enough.
if you want to be a 100% sure decode the chassis number. i found this on a forum : look at chassis number, you will have 'WBS' then a model number like 'AK07' , then 3 insignificant digits then the serial like 'ae42418' model numbers are: AK01 - 200bhp non-catalyst models AK03 - US models AK05 - 195bhp and later 215bhp models with catalyst AK07 - Sport Evolution (EVO3) BB01 - convertables without cat BB05 - convertables with cat serial numbers: AK01 cars: 07/85 to 02/87 - 0842001 to 0845000 02/87 to 07/87 - 219001 to 2190004 and 2190788 to 2190879 02/87 to 05/87 (EVO1) 2190005 to 2190787 07/87 to 01/89 - 2190880 to 2191371 and 2191954 to 2199224 03/88 to 05/88 (EVO2) 2191372 to 2191953 09/87 to 01/89 - 1893242 to 1894694 01/89 to 08/89 - AE31000 to AE31242 AK03 cars: 12/86 to 01/89 - 2195001 to 2198685 01/89 to 12/90 - AE33000 to AE34628 AK05 cars: 09/86 to 07/87 - 1891001 to 1893241 09/87 to 01/89 - 1893242 to 1894694 01/89 to 08/89 - AE40000 to AE40336 and AE40869 to AE40899 04/89 to 07/89 (Cecotto & Ravaglia) AE40337 to AE40868 09/89 to 12/90 (215bhp cars) AE40900 to AE42418 AK07 cars: 12/89 to 03/90 - AC79000 to AC79599 (evo3/sport evo)
For the MIG splattering everywhere I´m sure its the copper tip that has built up weld and is now braking/blocking the wirefeed as wire is getting pushed out. Unscrew the mouthpiece and take a hand file and clean off the copper tip and you should be good to go:)
@@matt13ross I would make sure ur dies on the feed side arent worn out. A new set on amazon is cheap, they should look almost like a snake skin on the inside surface where the wire runs. Second, make sure you keep ur guns trunkline as straight as possible, my miller 220(?) idk old asf, has issues feeding the wire if theres loops/hard bends in the fat wire running to the gun. Also make sure u have gas lol, ive done that before too 'Not sure about how the HF welder is setup, but if your doing too big of a pass on 120v only then u could be running out of amps on ur torch too.
Hi bmw enthusiast but not a mechanic at all. But definitely a fabricator welder for 10 years. Don’t worry about the skills you’re getting it man. Keep using this project as practice! It’s progress! But i don’t know your electricity situation but it very well could be a lack of voltage from your breaker that is causing the spitting, crackling. It’s not enough power going through. Also always clean your nozzle and tip on the mig. Keep it up man can’t wait to see you finish this project!
Hey brother just wanted to say that we’re proud of how far you’ve come. Can’t wait to see you hit 100k. My 7yr old just hit his 100th and he’s stoked. Keep cranking out great content.
You don’t necessarily need a new garage, but you could use a large shed or shipping container to house your spare parts, tools and possibly even project cars. Does your HOA allow large external sheds/garages?
22:32 - E30 M3 front subframes are in fact different; they have additional reinforcement around the ball joint holes. Plates that replicate this reinforcement are available aftermarket and are recommended. I've torn those out of non-M subframes before.
also you'll want to check that your trailing arms still fit into the subframe. Removing bushings in the demonstrated fashion can bend the two sides of the trailing arm out of alignment.
My friend uses this one for industrial welding. Had it for about 3 years with little issue. He likes it better than the equivalent Miller die to cost and features. I bought the same one and have been using it for about a year. No complaints.
5:19 When you were pointing to the two stickers in the door jam, the one on top with the vin# was removed and reapplied so the security feature of the sticker is showing that it was tampered with. This was an old school trick they did back in the days to switch the vin# on cars and it looks like they did a bad job on this one
Some welding advice. When welding indoors, with no wind, set the gas flow to 10 on your gauge. 25 is way too much, and too much wastage too. Tip 2, slow down the wire whilst test welding, the higher speed may be your issue. Tip 3. Get a 300amp rated earth clamp.
It's been a while since I welded but from what I understand most of the welding machines have a duty cycle, where once they hit a certain temp they shut off or have to work at a lower amperage
I might know the problem with the mig @10:31, however im a nother Noob welder here. When my mig does the splatter and not a consistent sizzle, its either your die's slippin on the feed wheel, or your gun's trunk wire is coiled up and causing too much friction on the wire to be pushed out.
Wheel bearing tip, pop the ball races out, run a chunky bead of mig weld around the inside of the bearing. As it cools it contracts and you can just tap the outer part of the bearing out. Way easier than beating on it if you don’t have a press.
Vevor Mig-270 has been awesome. It's $240 and works like a $800 welder. It's an inverter welder so you get better continuity. A few tips I figured out as an amature: throw out the wire that comes with the machine. Get a spool of Lincoln wire and use Lincoln tips as well. Also I get better welds when I run the machine on 220v than on 110v with the adapter.
About the front suspension part that goes to the bin, if the wishbone are aluminium, they're from an M3, the offset ear-thingy at the end is also a silentbloc/rubber thingy specific to M3. Cheers
For the welder get a YesWelder or ArcCaptain multiprocess. You can do gas MIG, flux MiG, tig and stick. The new Harbor Freight Vulcan line is supposed to be great for the money as well.
one good thing with TIG welding is the far less oxidation.. Im not talking about the outside part which you can grind down and paint, but you'll also get oxidation on the inside. The oxidation is where it will start to rust. Tig is very forgiving on this matter.
Maybe BMW has a Classic department and they can confirm with the VIN the date of production, date of delivery, original colours and motor numbers... Many brands offer such services, you pay 150$ but you receive an original document. The best to finish a "matching number" 's restoration.
When removing the wheel bearing try running a weld around the inside race , when it cools the weld will shrink a little and bearing hopefully will come out ?
I meant mig is easier but the welds are not as strong. Not as clean and don't look as nice. The mig was sputtering because u have too much wire speed. The wire is crashing into the work. Too much wire speed or not enough heat. It's a balance u need to find with the material being welded to
I would not worry about overspray. Even in the video that paintjob does not look any good. And as a new welder you would not go bad if you pick up something from used market manufactured from any reputable brands. These hobby market welders are pretty good for ocasional welding but they have limits.
Problem with welding in general is metal warpage. Do a few tacks at opposite ends and clamp a heavier piece of metal to the thing you are welding to dissipate the heat. It might look good visually, but you need to make measurements with proper tools, not visual measurements. Good luck. Also wear proper protection, shorts are a very bad idea.
I'm a certified welder, the problem you have with the mig is that it's just need a minor adjustments in gas and spool speed and power out put, those things you always need to adjust when welding a type of metal and thicknesses 🤭 but you surly did a good job for someone with no degree in it 💪👌 tig welding was my specialty 🤭 keep up the good work🙌
Great content! I dit this on my car as well. On the front subframe weld the reinforcement plate from the engine mounts on the inside so the engine will not be 5mm higher in the car! (The fan is going to hit the shroud.) it is harder to weld on the inside but way better.
Everlast Lightning MTS 275 is the best bang for the buck. It's an inverter machine instead of using a transformer like the welders you have. It's very smooth and consistent arc. They would probably give you a free one if you asked them because for awhile there they were giving you tubers some as samples. And I think you have more followers than they do. But you want an inverter machine that's the most important thing.
Matte black for sure... Also. Since you have all the suspension and subframes off, you should look into rhino coating the whole underside of the car. It's not too expensive and not hard at all. It'd probably take the whole day just because you'd want to power wash and and do a little sanding and scuffing but it's well worth doing. Especially if your going as far as powder coating everything and all new bushings and suspension. At the very least you should do the wheel wells.
Hey , if choosing colors , best options would be Ral 5013 mate , Ral 7016 mate , or just Ral 9007 mate , but if going to the brave side ral 4011 mate , or super chrome . If what , just talk to your powder coater guy , see the color palets , perhaps he has some samples of colors done on sight. Nice to see simple guy doing best he can :) cheers.
The hardest part to replicate on a normal e30 chassis would be to widen the base of the windshield. A normal e30 doesn't get a glued in windshield. The m3 does. For that the frame has more material for the glue to stick onto. You can see that on your car. That ist normally (at least for me) a dead giveaway. Great car. Mine is also sitting and waiting for my time.
my question is why bother tig welding something like a suspension crossmember? It only make sense for the extra expense of tig when you are going to weld something stainless or chromoly or aluminum obviously. If it was just for practice though I get it
A welder's duty cycle is the percentage of time it can safely operate at a specific amperage within a 10-minute period before it needs to cool down. The duty cycle is an important specification for welding equipment and is typically represented as a percentage. For example, a welder with a 60% duty cycle can be used for 6 minutes out of a 10-minute period before it needs to cool down. If the duty cycle is exceeded, the welder may overheat and potentially damage the welder and the materials being welded.
I had some of my E36 M3 suspension and subframe stuff powder coated "BMW Silver" by Bonehead Performance in Feasterville-Trevose northeast of Philly. It's one of their in-house custom colors. It all came out beautiful. They do excellent work. Super friendly people too if you end up dropping it off in person like I did. I highly recommend them.
I'm also a real car guy and think I can tell you my take on exactly what's going on there. The prior owners obviously probably took the original suspension off to rebuild such as you are when it was getting the body work done, and it looks like they swapped a non-m drive train to make it a roller, right? That's what I would do anyways?
Great work sir, though that paint job is rough as hell. Are you going to do a full body paint? Also, get new VIN plates/sticker made please, the old ones are wrecked by the painters...
When e30 M3s were cheap it was Very common for people to part them out and end up with a 4 lug. Not really a concern. As long as the vin is WBS it’s real.
For the welder… your gas psi is too low. Should be at 35-45psi. Also check your contact tip. Make sure it’s the correct size and not worn out. That would cause it to chatter like that. In a brand new tip the hole is perfectly round. In a worn out tip it’s egg shape and it need to be replaced
Don’t know and don’t care if it’s fake, I just love the process of bringing it back to life. But I have to say, for some reason I like the white one better. Something honest about a base model you can thrash, daily drive and bond with over every rock chip or scratch.
Don’t be worrying about people and your welds. The crap they welded in 1989 and let pass inspection is 9,000% worse than what you got rolling. Ugly and strong is better than pretty and weak.
BMW original color for undercarriage parts isn't actually matte black, but a SATIN or semigloss black. I like things looking original so thats my suggestion for powdercoat!
You are a brave man. I would check the geometry of this car first, as the entire rear end was replaced and the shock towers look very off. It was in a major accident a while ago at the rear. The footwell will also be a major issue.
@@franco992 If you can't see the major repair inside the trunk, then you might be missing something important, my friend. This car was hit pretty badly at the rear end-take a closer look inside the trunk and at the repairs. I did an inspection, and I believe this might be the same car that was for sale in Florida for a long time, which had damage at the back. I'm not sure if the current seller knew this or bought it after the repairs, but check the footwell area-it looks burned out or damaged as well. I would be extremely careful before you invest money into this car without considering potential issues with the body structure. If I recall correctly, the repairs were done incorrectly. I'll see if I can find the original rear-end photos. Thanks!"
Get $5 off your next order through my link sponsr.is/magicspoon_mattross_0824 or use code MATTROSS at checkout. Or look for Magic Spoon in your nearest grocery store!
A man showing his welds is like showing his feet online. It's brave and dangerous 😅
Ahahahaha
Bro I'm dead
😂🤣😂
And disgusting at times.
Very simple check what can be really change ...the distance between b pilar and c pilar is shorter on an m3 e30
Hi,
From someone who disassembled countless real E30 M3's.
Your car is real, you can see it in the details.
M3's have a wider front window edge to glue in the front window (only M3's have that)
It has the coolant reservoir bracket in the front battery tray.
Suspension that came with the car.
Chassisnumber starts with WBS.
Cannot see it in your video but if the car has a curled front tow hook thats also M3 specific.
You can check if your wiring loom is M3 specific by searching for the oil temp plug kinda triangle shaped should be nearby all the cluster plugs
Enjoy the project!
Great info!
Remove the front bumper and look at the bumper mounts at the front of the chassis leg. Bmw hand welded brackets in, that allowed quick changes of the bumper when racing, via 2 bolts rather than the normal E30 way of multiplebolts and clips. Also if it's an early car it should have a second fuel tank behind the rear seat, unless that's a euro spec thing? The C pillar area also has some tell tales, the sloping rear part is just an aero device, glued onto a standard roof, so the rear shelf has a funny little bit added in right at the rear glass.
Amazing details, thank you
@@scottishcontentcreators Thank you for the info
Great info! Does the window edge for the front window, does that difference in width matter? Buddy is restoring an M3 that has some damage to the A pillars and was looking to replace with a regular E30 325is A-pillars
BRO LETS JUST GET IT OUT THE WAY, YOU NEED A GARAGE !! the efforts your put in moving parts and cars can be put in working on the cars itself , and it will also keep you motivated and productive, the channel is booming , make it your next move bro
I absolutely do! I just have a lot of other life stuff to figure out first!
Probably build another shed or extension
Yeah or a carport to keep things outside without fear of hail or things like that.
He needs (deserves) 100k subscribers first 😆
It’s not a factory. If cars sold per month matters then different story.
The amount of work needed to make that look convincingly like an M3 if it was fake would have been massive. 100k followers incoming congratulations. Great content.
It's not that much. Biggest is to change rear fenders. C pilar was available as oem sparepart If I remember right it's bolt on part. Here in Finland there were plenty of replicas back in days. Most were done after hiiting rear quarter to something and rear wings needing change anyway. But If VIN number say it's M3 then it is.
A few weeks work to turn a 10k car into a 30k car....not bad..
@@ilkkak3065the whole wind shield and the a pillars are different to an normal e30 according to an other user who worked on alot of those m3's
There are some kits that extend the c pillar and replace the trunk but I'm pretty sure this is real
What about the VIN?
Re the mig issues Matt, might be worth changing the liner, assuming its a budget welder then its probably got a plastic liner fitted which tend to wear causing friction (especially if the wire going through it isn't totally clean), a metal liner and can really make a difference, loving the channel and the awesome projects
Poke the wire through a couple ear plugs before feeding it through the drive rollers. Helps wipe off the metal dust that collects on the roll from static.
19:06 for 2 welded sheet metal, you better give it weld thru primer... or sealed itnof on edge... it will rust from inside
Satin Black of course..
Also characteristic for M3 is a glued Windscreen, just saying 😂
The most expensive parts are the c pillar cover (inside) ..
Greets from Germany and keep going Matt 💪🏻
I think you've got three options for the subframe powdercoat color:
1: Matte black, tried and true
2: Red(same as the body paint): slightly rice?
3: Gunmetal / Satin black: Keep it classy, OEM+
how is red bodycolor rice? :D
Red goes hard imo
As long as he means for the body not the frame
Matte black? Are you ok? Do you have any taste?
matt black is tacky as fuck. techno violet or Marrakesh brown if youre going non oem
You must be either colorblind or trolling
no ventilation? I have a friend on permanent disability with an O2 tank strapped to him from inhaling welding fumes working at Electric Boat
yeah same here, have a buddy who has shaky hands and legs becuase off welding with no vents
Welding fumes are SOO SO bad for you!
I'm a builder and welding fumes are in the top 5 list of worst things I've ever inhaled!!
Go watch Chromatic Garage, he has just completed an underside restoration on an E30. He had all the arms and subframes powder coated “semi gloss black” which looks very OEM and perfect 👌
Also The ugly antenna isn’t in front of the sunroof on the regular 3series either, if you pull the headliner and antenna you can tell if it was done at the factory or not.
Welder advice, with the massive disclaimer that I'm a newb/DIY person.
I myself own a no-name "130" flux-core (mig without gas) welder. I've had issues like you seemed to have too. For ME, the wire would get stuck in the "gun" part. Although the wire can get stuck just about anywhere. Different wire quality can also make a massive difference. Anyways...
Most common cause to ME, is the tip having crap in it, or just being worn out. New tips are REALLY affordable, so I'd suggest changing out those first.
Second cause COULD be that your wire feed wheel thingy inside the wheel, is slipping on the wire. Make sure it's really snug.
Third cause could be that your wire tubes are worn out, causing it to snag/catch. Depending on wire quality and how clean and not-twisted you keep your cables (with the tube that contains the wire), this is a consumable that can last a long or really short time. I'm really careful with mine, and I keep the "cable" between my welder and "gun", as straight as possible, always avoiding sharp-ish bends. (because I can't afford a new welder or even these hoses/cables)
Something I've noticed from doing low budget DIY welding stuffs: flux-core welding is a really messy process. My tips do degrade decently fast, which I really don't like. So before I start welding, I cut off the tip of the wire. Then I remove the tip of the welder gun, and inspect it visually. If the hole seems to be at least round, I grab my can of WD-40, and spray some trough the tip. WD-40 really likes to attract dust, junk and grime. And because I'm using a spray can, it also blows the dust, debris and grime out. Once I put the bits back and start welding, there is a flame on the tip of my gun for a second or 2. But this isn't an issue. The gun is supposed to handle way higher temps, and I don't believe much if any carbon would be infused into your welds.
Hope this did help ever so slightly: even junk-tier tools can get a job done well enough.
if you want to be a 100% sure decode the chassis number. i found this on a forum :
look at chassis number, you will have 'WBS' then a model number like 'AK07' , then 3 insignificant digits then the serial like 'ae42418'
model numbers are:
AK01 - 200bhp non-catalyst models
AK03 - US models
AK05 - 195bhp and later 215bhp models with catalyst
AK07 - Sport Evolution (EVO3)
BB01 - convertables without cat
BB05 - convertables with cat
serial numbers:
AK01 cars:
07/85 to 02/87 - 0842001 to 0845000
02/87 to 07/87 - 219001 to 2190004 and 2190788 to 2190879
02/87 to 05/87 (EVO1) 2190005 to 2190787
07/87 to 01/89 - 2190880 to 2191371 and 2191954 to 2199224
03/88 to 05/88 (EVO2) 2191372 to 2191953
09/87 to 01/89 - 1893242 to 1894694
01/89 to 08/89 - AE31000 to AE31242
AK03 cars:
12/86 to 01/89 - 2195001 to 2198685
01/89 to 12/90 - AE33000 to AE34628
AK05 cars:
09/86 to 07/87 - 1891001 to 1893241
09/87 to 01/89 - 1893242 to 1894694
01/89 to 08/89 - AE40000 to AE40336 and AE40869 to AE40899
04/89 to 07/89 (Cecotto & Ravaglia) AE40337 to AE40868
09/89 to 12/90 (215bhp cars) AE40900 to AE42418
AK07 cars:
12/89 to 03/90 - AC79000 to AC79599 (evo3/sport evo)
0:55
For the MIG splattering everywhere I´m sure its the copper tip that has built up weld and is now braking/blocking the wirefeed as wire is getting pushed out. Unscrew the mouthpiece and take a hand file and clean off the copper tip and you should be good to go:)
I filed it but no change
@@matt13ross I would make sure ur dies on the feed side arent worn out. A new set on amazon is cheap, they should look almost like a snake skin on the inside surface where the wire runs. Second, make sure you keep ur guns trunkline as straight as possible, my miller 220(?) idk old asf, has issues feeding the wire if theres loops/hard bends in the fat wire running to the gun. Also make sure u have gas lol, ive done that before too
'Not sure about how the HF welder is setup, but if your doing too big of a pass on 120v only then u could be running out of amps on ur torch too.
Hi bmw enthusiast but not a mechanic at all. But definitely a fabricator welder for 10 years. Don’t worry about the skills you’re getting it man. Keep using this project as practice! It’s progress! But i don’t know your electricity situation but it very well could be a lack of voltage from your breaker that is causing the spitting, crackling. It’s not enough power going through. Also always clean your nozzle and tip on the mig. Keep it up man can’t wait to see you finish this project!
For MIG machine look if motor feed wire and has no issues with speed control.
If not, change MIG gun for new/better.
Hey brother just wanted to say that we’re proud of how far you’ve come. Can’t wait to see you hit 100k. My 7yr old just hit his 100th and he’s stoked. Keep cranking out great content.
I fix Tig welders in factories ...The problem is some components might be getting hot that causes a drop in voltage and amps and causes that splatter
You don’t necessarily need a new garage, but you could use a large shed or shipping container to house your spare parts, tools and possibly even project cars. Does your HOA allow large external sheds/garages?
Set a fan up when you weld to get that smoke moving away from you and your lungs.
22:32 - E30 M3 front subframes are in fact different; they have additional reinforcement around the ball joint holes. Plates that replicate this reinforcement are available aftermarket and are recommended. I've torn those out of non-M subframes before.
also you'll want to check that your trailing arms still fit into the subframe. Removing bushings in the demonstrated fashion can bend the two sides of the trailing arm out of alignment.
Textured satin black is always a winner with powder coating underbody components
My friend uses this one for industrial welding. Had it for about 3 years with little issue. He likes it better than the equivalent Miller die to cost and features. I bought the same one and have been using it for about a year. No complaints.
Check the angle on the rear window post. It’s different on an m3
It's the wire speed, turn it down just a little, 2-5 should work, or try to up the volt/amps but could risk burning through
Good content, editing & music. Thoroughly enjoyable. Keep it up & looking forward to the next video.
I second that
Thanks so much guys, means a lot!
5:19 When you were pointing to the two stickers in the door jam, the one on top with the vin# was removed and reapplied so the security feature of the sticker is showing that it was tampered with. This was an old school trick they did back in the days to switch the vin# on cars and it looks like they did a bad job on this one
My first thought too.
I seen that too
Powder coat color should be bronze!! Gold is red's accent color. You said subtle, so bronze would be super sick.
Some welding advice. When welding indoors, with no wind, set the gas flow to 10 on your gauge. 25 is way too much, and too much wastage too. Tip 2, slow down the wire whilst test welding, the higher speed may be your issue. Tip 3. Get a 300amp rated earth clamp.
It's been a while since I welded but from what I understand most of the welding machines have a duty cycle, where once they hit a certain temp they shut off or have to work at a lower amperage
Just cheaper machines, good ones will weld non stop
I might know the problem with the mig @10:31, however im a nother Noob welder here. When my mig does the splatter and not a consistent sizzle, its either your die's slippin on the feed wheel, or your gun's trunk wire is coiled up and causing too much friction on the wire to be pushed out.
I think a good color for the car would be "Rally Red" by Eastwood, This looks great on old cars and sometimes newer cars.
Wheel bearing tip, pop the ball races out, run a chunky bead of mig weld around the inside of the bearing.
As it cools it contracts and you can just tap the outer part of the bearing out.
Way easier than beating on it if you don’t have a press.
Never heard of that. Thank you!
Vevor Mig-270 has been awesome. It's $240 and works like a $800 welder. It's an inverter welder so you get better continuity. A few tips I figured out as an amature: throw out the wire that comes with the machine. Get a spool of Lincoln wire and use Lincoln tips as well. Also I get better welds when I run the machine on 220v than on 110v with the adapter.
I'll check them out thanks!
About the front suspension part that goes to the bin, if the wishbone are aluminium, they're from an M3, the offset ear-thingy at the end is also a silentbloc/rubber thingy specific to M3. Cheers
I checked. Steel ones
For the welder get a YesWelder or ArcCaptain multiprocess. You can do gas MIG, flux MiG, tig and stick. The new Harbor Freight Vulcan line is supposed to be great for the money as well.
2k satin black for your subframe etc. nice and tough, and easy to fix
one good thing with TIG welding is the far less oxidation.. Im not talking about the outside part which you can grind down and paint, but you'll also get oxidation on the inside. The oxidation is where it will start to rust.
Tig is very forgiving on this matter.
Agreed!
Maybe BMW has a Classic department and they can confirm with the VIN the date of production, date of delivery, original colours and motor numbers... Many brands offer such services, you pay 150$ but you receive an original document. The best to finish a "matching number" 's restoration.
You could run the VIN and see what it’s registered as.
Sick car none the less
When removing the wheel bearing try running a weld around the inside race , when it cools the weld will shrink a little and bearing hopefully will come out ?
I meant mig is easier but the welds are not as strong. Not as clean and don't look as nice. The mig was sputtering because u have too much wire speed. The wire is crashing into the work. Too much wire speed or not enough heat. It's a balance u need to find with the material being welded to
Gloss black would look good and easy to clean
10:27 u need to optimize the settings innit for diffrent size metal and also maybe ur welding a lil too close?
I would not worry about overspray. Even in the video that paintjob does not look any good. And as a new welder you would not go bad if you pick up something from used market manufactured from any reputable brands. These hobby market welders are pretty good for ocasional welding but they have limits.
Problem with welding in general is metal warpage. Do a few tacks at opposite ends and clamp a heavier piece of metal to the thing you are welding to dissipate the heat. It might look good visually, but you need to make measurements with proper tools, not visual measurements. Good luck. Also wear proper protection, shorts are a very bad idea.
Glad it's not a fake, or at least is a very good one.
3:15… so why did you pull it in the garage in the first place?
I'm a certified welder, the problem you have with the mig is that it's just need a minor adjustments in gas and spool speed and power out put, those things you always need to adjust when welding a type of metal and thicknesses 🤭 but you surly did a good job for someone with no degree in it 💪👌 tig welding was my specialty 🤭 keep up the good work🙌
Semigloss is the right color for powder coating
Great content! I dit this on my car as well. On the front subframe weld the reinforcement plate from the engine mounts on the inside so the engine will not be 5mm higher in the car! (The fan is going to hit the shroud.) it is harder to weld on the inside but way better.
Matt the struggles are real hey. Keep on pounding and you will win. Take care be safe.
Love my E 30's. Thanks for the video ❤
The back glass and c pillar are a different shape than the non m e30
Great job, I always look forward to the new content!
Everlast Lightning MTS 275 is the best bang for the buck. It's an inverter machine instead of using a transformer like the welders you have. It's very smooth and consistent arc. They would probably give you a free one if you asked them because for awhile there they were giving you tubers some as samples. And I think you have more followers than they do. But you want an inverter machine that's the most important thing.
Matte black for sure... Also. Since you have all the suspension and subframes off, you should look into rhino coating the whole underside of the car. It's not too expensive and not hard at all. It'd probably take the whole day just because you'd want to power wash and and do a little sanding and scuffing but it's well worth doing. Especially if your going as far as powder coating everything and all new bushings and suspension. At the very least you should do the wheel wells.
Hi Matt!! You're working on so much project cars now, I remember being here since the you had only tthe 997
Try cleaning out the nozzle of the mig gun, wire might be catching on or gas flow might be obstructed.
From a kinda welder. The duty cycle on your mig is most likely trash. You need a better unit to work at the capacity you’d like/need.
Powder coat the parts in black, it's an E30 M3 and needs to be done properly!
I have a miller multimatic ac/dc 220. its a bit pricey now a days but its pretty freaken awesome and versatile.
Is your welder overheating? Check the manual, to see if it has a heat cycle.
go with matte black for the powder coat subframe parts
You can get all the kit the wider window Surrounds and extra trunk cover
Hey , if choosing colors , best options would be Ral 5013 mate , Ral 7016 mate , or just Ral 9007 mate , but if going to the brave side ral 4011 mate , or super chrome .
If what , just talk to your powder coater guy , see the color palets , perhaps he has some samples of colors done on sight.
Nice to see simple guy doing best he can :) cheers.
The hardest part to replicate on a normal e30 chassis would be to widen the base of the windshield. A normal e30 doesn't get a glued in windshield. The m3 does. For that the frame has more material for the glue to stick onto. You can see that on your car. That ist normally (at least for me) a dead giveaway. Great car. Mine is also sitting and waiting for my time.
my question is why bother tig welding something like a suspension crossmember? It only make sense for the extra expense of tig when you are going to weld something stainless or chromoly or aluminum obviously. If it was just for practice though I get it
A welder's duty cycle is the percentage of time it can safely operate at a specific amperage within a 10-minute period before it needs to cool down. The duty cycle is an important specification for welding equipment and is typically represented as a percentage.
For example, a welder with a 60% duty cycle can be used for 6 minutes out of a 10-minute period before it needs to cool down. If the duty cycle is exceeded, the welder may overheat and potentially damage the welder and the materials being welded.
Thanks for the info! Not sure if the DC of mine
Chrome for the subframe, would match the truck wheels nicely.
Regarding powder coating , either black or silver would be the go.
I had some of my E36 M3 suspension and subframe stuff powder coated "BMW Silver" by Bonehead Performance in Feasterville-Trevose northeast of Philly. It's one of their in-house custom colors. It all came out beautiful. They do excellent work. Super friendly people too if you end up dropping it off in person like I did. I highly recommend them.
That would look good!
Satin black for the powdercoat Matt! I've been enjoying all your videos, keep up the great work! 👊
I'm also a real car guy and think I can tell you my take on exactly what's going on there. The prior owners obviously probably took the original suspension off to rebuild such as you are when it was getting the body work done, and it looks like they swapped a non-m drive train to make it a roller, right? That's what I would do anyways?
use Mapp gas, burns hotter. yellow bottles
Can't go wrong with KW's...
For sure!
Great work sir, though that paint job is rough as hell. Are you going to do a full body paint? Also, get new VIN plates/sticker made please, the old ones are wrecked by the painters...
You need to look at duty cycle of the machine.and how long you can weld for.good luck!
Thanks for the tip!
I think matte silver or grey would be a great powdercoat color to spot oil leaks! :)
More than likely dude had particular wheels he wanted to run for whatever reason and it was cheaper to go 4 lug than to buy new wheels.
One of the few indicators is the tow hook in the front. Its different from a normal E30, and very hard to remake proper.
Didn't know that!
When e30 M3s were cheap it was Very common for people to part them out and end up with a 4 lug. Not really a concern. As long as the vin is WBS it’s real.
For the welder… your gas psi is too low. Should be at 35-45psi. Also check your contact tip. Make sure it’s the correct size and not worn out. That would cause it to chatter like that. In a brand new tip the hole is perfectly round. In a worn out tip it’s egg shape and it need to be replaced
Thanks!
Glad to see it’s not fake
Silver would be nice, easy to spot leaks on silver. As for subtle, red. 😂
It is easy to tell if it is a real M3, the VIN number reads M3, I stand corrected but my I think my 318i states it is a 318i on the VIN plate.
Don’t know and don’t care if it’s fake, I just love the process of bringing it back to life. But I have to say, for some reason I like the white one better. Something honest about a base model you can thrash, daily drive and bond with over every rock chip or scratch.
Don’t be worrying about people and your welds. The crap they welded in 1989 and let pass inspection is 9,000% worse than what you got rolling.
Ugly and strong is better than pretty and weak.
I say the same thing when I'm in the gym!!!! lololol
@@matt13ross speaking of welders though. I use a miller multimatic 215. All your different welding types in one machine.
Man, I'd love a Miller machine! Just too far out of my budget right now. :(
@@matt13ross I feel that lol. I used that “buy once cry once” mentality and saved to make it work. It is nice to have it all in a compact setup.
That is a greay mentality though!
Fit a purple tag steering rack
I'll have to look that up
@@matt13ross it's from a E46 330i ZHP. People like them because it's fewer turns lock to lock.
BMW original color for undercarriage parts isn't actually matte black, but a SATIN or semigloss black. I like things looking original so thats my suggestion for powdercoat!
Are you Putting in a S54? V10 is another option. The S14 in stock 2.3 Liter form is uninspiring today.
Those quarter panels are a serious sign that this is real. Very expensive and tough to replicate that.
Love the e30 project
Nice work! That's wild you did all of that without a press. You are a brave and stubborn man. 😆
Stubborn I sure am!! Haha thanks
When the music stops while you were welding was suspenseful. Legit thought something bad was about to go down.😭 If you're new here.... 10:08
What do you use to edit with? The titles etc are real nice. Mad respect for all the garage work and then editing side of it too.
love this project, just make it centerlock like the DTM M3, haters gonna say its a motorbike 😆
You are a brave man. I would check the geometry of this car first, as the entire rear end was replaced and the shock towers look very off. It was in a major accident a while ago at the rear. The footwell will also be a major issue.
Are you serious? Do you know this car?
@@franco992 If you can't see the major repair inside the trunk, then you might be missing something important, my friend. This car was hit pretty badly at the rear end-take a closer look inside the trunk and at the repairs. I did an inspection, and I believe this might be the same car that was for sale in Florida for a long time, which had damage at the back. I'm not sure if the current seller knew this or bought it after the repairs, but check the footwell area-it looks burned out or damaged as well. I would be extremely careful before you invest money into this car without considering potential issues with the body structure. If I recall correctly, the repairs were done incorrectly. I'll see if I can find the original rear-end photos. Thanks!"
@@siemprebmw3284 blimey, I’ll watch it again.
maybe previous owner change to 4 lug wheel hub to match a wheel he has!