Das Race: My '97 M3/4/5

[Jake]

Well, I was supremely lucky at Crazy Ray's (I'll probably never call it LKQ) on Saturday. Joey and Matthew tagged along and we found, almost immediately, all the body panels I needed to fix the M3.

She'll be receiving the hood from a 318ti, the driver's door from a 318i, the fender from a 328i and the nose panel from a different 328i:



Total parts cost was about $185.

I'm going to need to paint the door and hood (both are white), so I ordered primer, clear, and the correct Cosmos Black from AutomotiveTouchup.com. I've used them for smaller touchup paints in the past and had good results. They custom-mix the paint when you order it, and in this case, are sending it to me in spray cans. The plan is to strip the panels, sand well, and spray 'em in the garage or backyard.

Started getting the fender and hood cleaned up. Had to strip the hood of the insulation, washer nozzles, etc. I am not sure if the nose piece and fender will be painted. They're already black, just not the sparkly metallic black that the M3's got. My plan is to see how much paint is left over after the white parts are done.



Car is off at RRT for an alignment and I am hoping to pick it up Wednesday after work. Onward!