My coupe (caution many photos) update

[Kyle in NO]

That is Juan talented craftsman!

[Das_Prachtstrasse]

Damn that is some nice leather work.

[Matthias]

Beautiful work! What a talented craftsman.

-Matthias

[ElGuappo]

Mike, this is going to be amazing.
I hope I get to sit in it someday. I promise I'll wash first.

[OcCoupe]

The coupe took a ride to the exhaust shop for a new exhaust system. A little ride on the tow truck and now a little time at the exhaust shop.



I can barely take a picture while the car is on the ground so why would I expect to be able to take anything decent while its in the air?

Down pipes, and o2 sensor.



I was trying to get a shot of the exhaust.

[leadphut]

nutz.

museum piece.

[tig]

Not only do I need a Juan, but I need a <insert exhaust guy's name here>. Sigh.

As excited as ever to see this beaut come together, Mike!

[Shawn D.]

Dang -- three mufflers!

[OcCoupe]

Dang -- three mufflers!

E9 and E3s came with 3 mufflers.

[wkohler]

As did E12s and Euro E28s.

[Pavel]

Later this week I will install the front sub frame, front wheel bearings, rotors and eventually all 4 calipers.

Offtopic: I have been meaning to ask about the MaxJax lift. How is usability? Does the car feel secure on it? I am looking to buy one for home use towards the end of the year, and moving it in and out of the way will be critical as well.

For those looking for one - amazon has it on sale at close to 2k. http://www.amazon.com/Dannmar-MaxJax-Po ... rds=maxjax

[1st 5er]

Offtopic: I have been meaning to ask about the MaxJax lift. How is usability? Does the car feel secure on it? I am looking to buy one for home use towards the end of the year, and moving it in and out of the way will be critical as well.

For those looking for one - amazon has it on sale at close to 2k. http://www.amazon.com/Dannmar-MaxJax-Po ... rds=maxjax

Interested in a real testimony too.

I wonder how long the sale last?

[OcCoupe]

I was not a fan of the MaxJax at first. For some reason I couldn't get my head around it until I finally started using it. My shop mate Andy is the one that purchased it and now that it is installed I really like it. It has made my life easier in many ways. There are a few things I don't care for. You have to bleed it every time you disconnect the lines and reconnect. It sometimes wants to get off lever; but just by a little bit. Running it to the top fixes the issue. I do wish it traveled a few inches higher. I have one of those short rolling shop stools that is just too tall at its lowest setting. I suppose that I could modify stool. I can live with all of those issues if it means that I don't have to lay down on the ground to work on the car. Doing brakes and suspension work is so much easier using the MaxJax.

[Pavel]

I was not a fan of the MaxJax at first. For some reason I couldn't get my head around it until I finally started using it. My shop mate Andy is the one that purchased it and now that it is installed I really like it. It has made my life easier in many ways. There are a few things I don't care for. You have to bleed it every time you disconnect the lines and reconnect. It sometimes wants to get off lever; but just by a little bit. Running it to the top fixes the issue. I do wish it traveled a few inches higher. I have one of those short rolling shop stools that is just too tall at its lowest setting. I suppose that I could modify stool. I can live with all of those issues if it means that I don't have to lay down on the ground to work on the car. Doing brakes and suspension work is so much easier using the MaxJax.

I think that is the key! Especially when considering the envelope of the work space. I am not able to install a full blown 2 post due to the height in of my ceiling. And I want to be able to wheel it out of the way when I don't use it. That is one part I am worried, how easy is it to push it around the garage. Thanks for the feedback!

[OcCoupe]

Each post has a set of wheels. Unbolt the post from the ground, lock the arms and use the rods as a handle. Its like moving a small refrigerator on a proper dolly.

[wkohler]

WOW!

[Karl Grau]

Can't wait to see it on Sunday!

[m-racer]

brilliant work!

[OcCoupe]

After a bit of futzing and sorting we finally got to that big moment.

http://youtu.be/5-okShAeiFU

http://youtu.be/hIX2kSo8sgs

[Kyle in NO]

The money shot?

[GaAlpinaOwner]

Awesome Michael!

[1st 5er]

After a bit of futzing and sorting we finally got to that big moment.

http://youtu.be/5-okShAeiFU

http://youtu.be/hIX2kSo8sgs

[Matthias]

Congrats!

-Matthias

[OcCoupe]

Thank you!!! It was definitely a great day(s)!!!

[davintosh]

Well that was boring; no smoke, no fire, no explosions... Can I have my clicks back please?

[Pavel]

Great feeling! Just did that in February as well.

[OcCoupe]

It has been some time since I last posted. Lots has happened and progress has been made! I am not exactly sure where to begin so here it goes:

The engine needed some breaking in and some additional tuning, as well as a tank of gas so I took the obligatory run around the block as often as I could. Took care of a couple of leaks including the replacement of the freeze plug that sits behind the starter. I apparently did not do a good job of seating it when we built the motor.

The windows still had to go in and I had to re-assemble the wind wings. This was not as easy as it seemed and I was warned of the challenges. Fortunately it went together and with some minor adjusting needed after the plating process. Unfortunately I can't find the pictures of the assembly or install. I will update the thread when I find the pictures.

I had the bumpers, all the chrome trim for the doors and windows re-chromed. I also had the interior bits re-chromed or bright-dipped. The exterior aluminum bits were polished then clear coated by our man Dan at Speedway. Dan also did the Alpina wheels including the Alpina that went in to the trunk (which fits). More on that later. I also had the Petri wheel plated and brushed. After Juan recovered it in leather the Petri now looks like a new wheel.

Juan had been working diligently on the dashboard, binnacle, and lower pieces. He removed as much material as he could from the dash and filled in the cracks with epoxy, he then added a dense thin foam to the dash which he then shaped prior to wrapping the whole thing in vinyl. He followed the same steps on the glove box, fuse box door, and kick panel. Juan added the french stitching on the binnacle per my request. I like seeing the detail and it was a reminder of Juan's hard work. Once Juan was finished with the glove box and other bits he handed them over to me so that I could flock them.

The beltline trim was a bit of a bitch to install correctly. The polishing process caused the trim to get warped so we had to rework the pieces so they would lay flat against the body. All this had to be done before the windows and doorcards and delaying this would then delay Juan since he needed to move forward with the doorcards once the waistline trim/wood was installed.

Once that was installed we could move forward with the rest of the interior including the install of the dash and gauges.

For the radio I decided to go with a German Blaupunkt to match the rest of the theme of the car. I had opted early on to go with a full euro look which included a speedo in KPH and the heater panel in German. None of the graphics are in English. I sourced a 4x6 speaker for the front grill then had Juan perforate the leather on the kick panels and the hat shelf for speakers for the 4" speakers and the 6x9s which are run by an independent amplifier that plugs in to my iphone/ipad. I am not an audiophile but I do like to listen to music.

Ashtrays after plating the inserts. I also had the ashtrays for the 3.3li plated at the same time.








Here is the aluminum trim for the windows after it came back from polishing at Speedway.


The dash after Juan filled the cracks, knocked down the old material and covered it in foam.


Everything after it was re-covered. All the chrome trim was re-plated.








The glovebox before and after I flocked it.



The binnacle.




Installing the dash.


Newly cut trunk pieces.


The install.




I couldn't find a nice set of wheel arch covers and being that the original ones are made of potato chips and the new ones don't look all that great we opted with covering the arches with the elephant skin. I also asked Juan to cover the towers in the elephant skin to complete the look.










Here is the start of the interior. Door cards, waist rails and wood. The window felt is NLA, luckily I purchased more than enough of the front window felt so that we could use what was left to make the felt for the inside and for the rear windows.


As you can see the wind wings are also in.


A shot of Juan trying out his own work.

This is the spare tire. It is an Alpina 16" wheel. I did not modify the trunk to make it fit in any way.




As you can see the tire/wheel fit under the floorboard.


Moving back to the interior, here is Juan wrapping the Petri in leather. We used the same leather as on the tops of the doors and the gator/shifter boot. The wheel was re-plated at the same time as the bumpers.


Juan doesn't have the machine to do this and it takes him all day. His complaint is that his hands hurt due to all the pulling and stretching plus pushing the needle through the thick leather.


Here is the interior/dash completely installed. Juan did an outstanding job. I have to say it really was a pleasure working alongside of him at his shop. He's a real artist and a wonderful person.


A better shot of the Petri.


Exterior shot with the Alpinas.


There was a lot of pressure to finish the car for the Monterey car week and for the 100th anniversary celebration of BMW. We often worked 'till 1 or 2 in the morning with the occasional 4:00am push. I was fortunate to have some help from a few BMW friends. I really owe Chris Macha a huge thank you for his last minute push to get the car finished. I also owe Jeff Brown, Doug Park, Mike Pelly, Chris Kohler, and the illustrious Andy Wong a big thank you for their support. Not to mention the physical, technical, and cheer leading support from Paul Cain and a few other mischief's that answered to the cries for help. Their help and experience was key to finishing the project. Also Juan Ortiz was truly amazing, he is one talented individual and a very kind human being.

The final push was when Paul invited the east Coast Kids to his house to see the coupe for the first time. Paul had just finished a garage remodel and felt it would be a great place for a gathering. He was right! I barely got the Petri on the car when Juan and I had to hop in and head over to Paul's for a little bubbly.











The next day JP Logistics picked up the coupe to ship it to Monterey for the BIG week! Legends of the Autobahn on Friday and the Pirelli Oktoberfest on the following Wednesday.


The car was then taken to their depot so they could load it on to an enclosed carrier.

I made friends with a local shop in Monterey a few years ago and they graciously agreed to let me use their hoist to do some last minute undercarriage detailing the night before Legends. The car was undoubtedly clean but this was a good opportunity to have a last look and final wipe down of all the undercarriage.




Legends is one of my favorite BMW events. The cars are amazing, the region is fantastic, the people are great, and the competition is fierce!!! Where else do you get to see 56 Coupes in one event?! Of those I believe that 14 were judged in the Coupe Concours category. All were incredibly nice examples and the owners were great! This was the first time I had ever shown my coupe at an event and what better place? Everyone was some complimentary and supportive, it was a real treat to be there among friends. Towels down was at 9:30am and the judges were coming around the corner. At the end there were 3 coupes and I was happy to be the owner of one of them. Sven's car is an absolute beauty and the other Nachtblau coupe was also a stunner. Unfortunately I cannot remember the owners name but he had just completed his restoration as well. Needless to say we were all in good company.


That's my blue 3.3li in the background next to GolfBavaria's Golf Bavaria.

And us crossing the finish line!


I can't stop thanking everyone who helped and also everyone who provided mental support. This was 4 long years in the making and at the end it was well worth it. I regret not being able to get to know the East Coast Coupe guys a little better; but I am happy I had a chance to meet everyone.

Congratulations to Peter Gleason and Chris Auty and their well deserved wins at Pebble and Quail respectively!!!

Here are some random pics that I will update when I find the ones I lost.
Refreshed speedo. I had it calibrated so that it would read accurately. Also had it returned to zero since the driveline was completely refreshed.


Some pieces I had re-chromed.


Flocking.





Flocking in a box.


Virgin flocking.


Dash install.


Bumper after assembly and install.


Tuning and some chaos.


Front bumper assembly.


I was missing one of the front window regulator stops so I had one made.


Glass installed. The locking strips are brand new and they do not fit correctly, actually they suck and they are NLA. I paid $700.00 to get the last set and I am not sure it was entirely worth it.

[leadphut]

wow! your car is brand new.

so nice!

[oldskool]

Just re-read the whole thing. For the 5th time.

[hugh1850]

Simply stunning.