Jeff E36

UPDATES 24.04.2016 Been a little while again since my formal forum update (been craaaaaaazy busy) - but for those of you who have been following my social medial channels you'll probably be up to date on what the car looks like at the moment. For those who do not - here is your update! Since the last photos, I've decided to run my old clear indicators as I felt the amber lights were a little too high contrast for me - I felt this new colour combo suited the car more, so after I popped them on I decided to take a few cheeky snaps here and there. Being busy with other life stuff was putting me off working on the rear spoiler, however one of my best friends from high school got back in touch with me and reminded me he is a professional automotive painter. So without further delay, we tee'd up a weekend to get some work done on my LTW spoiler. The LTW spoiler was cracked along the top panel and I hadn't had the time to get around to fixing it and painting it. So on an early Sunday morning my friend Quinton invited me to his workplace, a panel and paint shop to show me how it's done. Watching a professional fill and bog panels/bodywork was awesome, really shows how amateur I am compared to someone like him. It was great to watch and learn how to best go about fixing things. Next up was watching him mix up the paint - pretty incredible that a colour that normally appears as 'black' (cosmoschwartz black) actually has a whole bunch of other colours in the mix! Interesting to learn and see! Next was to watch him prep, and then paint the 4 pieces of the LTW wing. It's great to show the kind of time, effort, and care painters go through to ensure a quality finish. Quinton really did an outstanding job, couldn't have done anything remotely as impressive by myself! Big props to him and allowing us to use the workshop out of hours to get it done in a morning The final product - 4 pc high rise LTW, painted, and mounted on the E36: It has been incredible to say the least, to see my car being shared on various automotive social media channels around the world. The great feedback I continue to receive is what keeps me going! Next on the list is I'm going to be looking in to making a custom rear diffuser to mount on the rear bumper ... I'll leave you with a bonus pic of her from the weekend at a friends back yard garage. Watch the forums for a new build thread which will probably be popping up for my friends new E30 project ... it'll definitely be a crowd pleaser As always, if you're interested in more immediate/day-to-day updates on the build, feel free to follow me on my social media channels as listed in my signature. P.S. - I've recently launched my website for my photography work! Check it out if you are interested haha www.JWNZofficial.com PEACE! ~Jeff

Hey man thank you for the detailed feedback! Really glad to hear/know others do appreciate the build! I definitely did consider the rocket bunny ducktail, and may even run one at some point in the build if cash/time allows - but I decided in going the LTW as I intentionally wanted something really loud and attention-grabbing - I sort've figured it just worked with the whole look and feel of the build!

225/40 in the end, and sorry I sold my old 2 piece on already! The one I used in the pics was borrowed. My own wing just arrived this week, planning to modify it before mounting

Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaas! Didn't know you were based out East too btw - let's be friends. Because stretch.

Thanks man, and yeah good chat Will definitely be talking more in future regarding what's happening under the hood I'm sure haha Cheers! Dahahaha, breakin' dem necks

Weird, this didn't come up in my last reply for multi-quote, so you get a special solo reply haha But thank you for the kind feedback, I'm the same, this must be my favourite wheel for E36 now hahaha. And yup, definitely swapping the centers in the future is something on the back of my mind!

Thanks again for your help bro Cheers man, fair enough - maybe might look different in person vs in photo? Personally I love the colour of the wheels with the wrap, but hey that's just me - all subjective right? Haha the tyre in the pyrotechnics photo was huge stretch, we didn't end up running that, it was just to experiment and see what it would look like. With that said, I think you already know the answer to your question. 225/40 #nosweg Hahahaha am I really that bad!??! I waited 6 months for these Works! Hahahha. Thanks though bro

UPDATES 05.03.2016: Righto! It's been a while since my last post, but I promise that's for a good reason, and the wait, has most certainly been worth it. If some of you follow me on my photography social media page, many of you will know that last night I received a very nice visit from the Work Wheels NZ man, bearing the gifts I have been waiting the last 6 months for ... The picture speaks for itself really. Although they were delayed several months due to manufacturing defects in Japan - David from Work Wheels NZ was outstanding in his service for the delivery of my wheels in the end. The wheels are Work Meister M1 3 piece, specs 18x10 et-2 on all corners. They are gunmetal grey face with polished lip finish, and gold plated accessory hardware. Needless to say, beautiful. The next morning I was off to Autostance to see Matt and Heino to organise my tyres and fitment for the new wheels. We got straight to test fitting and discussing what tyres would be best suited for the wheels. My friend Daniel willingly agreed to come by and help me out where possible today too, and take photos on my behalf when I was unable to After a few discussions, it was time to slap the tyres on! Heino with a pyrotechnics show in the middle of the day. The tyres fit just right for the fenders, so it was just a matter of time before we got each one fitted up... At the same time, I wanted to change the E36 lug bolt wheel set up to a stud and nut set up - I much prefer it this way as it is much easier to remove/change wheels, not risking the wheels while messing around trying to line up the darn wheels with the hub. The Meister center caps cover up the bland center holes which normally leave something to be desired. Decided to take a quick cheeky photo with all 4 wheels on the car ... At this stage, I was stoked to say the least. The car looked damn good with the Works - I have yet to see anyone else local running this wheel set up on a BMW in New Zealand, and I have no idea why nobody has done it sooner! After this, it was time to adjust and correct some of the crazy negative camber I had before, to make the fitment more flush and sensible Not too much of an issue adjusting the camber thanks to easy to use adjustable rear camber arms As a final bonus touch, Matt offered to give me some colour to my exhaust tips - unfortunately Roni's sticker was burnt, but of what *IS* burnt, looks like it might be permanent Great blowtorch skills Matt, 10/10 hahah. All that was left, was to take her outside ... At this point, just couldn't get over how damn good she looked. I'll really let the images do most of the talking. Many of you may have noticed I am no longer running the LTW wing in these images, don't worry, I will be putting something on the rear - something crazier hopefully It's been a huge wait for these wheels, but today has been an amazing day, finally putting this car together with the wheels I had in my mind from the start. The final product is every bit as perfect as I had imagined. I still stare at it now and can't believe it looks the way that it does, and that it's my car. It's come so far over the past few months. I have to give a huge shout out and thanks to Matt and Heino from Autostance today, who basically lent me their assistance and skills for the better part of the day to get it all sorted in one go! Also have to give a big thanks to David from Work Wheels NZ for helping me organise and bring these beautiful wheels to New Zealand! The build isn't 100% finished, but it's certainly getting there. I still have a few things in store for it, and then after the visual customisation is done, it'll be time to look at doing work under the hood ... For now, I'll leave you with this one last pic - see you on the next update! Peace. Jeff

Thank you man! Haha we'll be putting together a build thread for her 280zx like mine too! Obviously won't be on this forum of course, but I'll link it for whoever is interested when it's up Thanks bro - appreciate the help! Thank you for the feedback man! I actually have a set of clear lights for front and rears, it made the whole car look a little too dark for me - but I guess I have the option to change them for different vibes whenever I feel like! I'm also keeping my eyes peeled for some M3 mirrors, but not gonna pay the ridiculous prices people are asking for them at the moment And thank you for the feedback on the wrap, it's quite possibly the part I'm most proud of - really pleased we managed to do it ourselves. Hoping to inspire others to do the same, backyard/garage builds FTW!

UPDATES: Big update for you all - detailing the last modifications and work to the E36 before finally getting her to the 2016 4 and Rotary Nationals Show & Shine! There was one thing missing about the rear end of the car which didn't suit the look, and that was the cutesy stock exhaust tips I still had on the car, so, in order to beef it up a bit, and also give her a bit of volume, I had the rear muffler removed, and replaced with stainless steel pipes. Ultimately I would've preferred to install an aftermarket muffler, but in the interests of time and funds, I decided to go with this temporary option to make it for the show. I have to give a huge thanks and shout out to Juhan and the team from Backyard Developmentz for helping me out with doing the cutting, and welding. They are a busy bunch, all trying to get their *own* cars finished, but he offered and took the time to knock out the exhaust job in one night for me. Really appreciate his efforts! With the ride height dialed in to a drive-able height, there wasn't much else for me to do with the car other than to take her to the show. I made up a decal which I decided to place on both my doors, which are the names of the few key individuals that really helped me make this car come to fruition. I wanted to illustrate to people that this car is by no means the product of one man's work - but a team of people coming together and pooling their skills and resources. This list of names does not reflect the *only* people who helped me - but they are the people who spent the countless late nights with me, working in the garage till the ridiculous early hours of the morning, sharing sleep deprivation with me. They are the people who impacted me, and the progress of my car the most. Without these people, this build would not be where it is. It would not have made it to the show this weekend. And for that reason, their names will always be on this car. It is as much a product of their work, as it is mine. SHOW DAY The time had arrived. Time to take the cars in to the show and shine, set up, and show the country what we had spent so long to put together. The set up day began with our StanceMob member Bryce, arriving at our place to convoy to the show together. I think some of you may appreciate his absolutely clean E36 on Modenas, running genuine Ferrari centercaps: We then lined up our little convoy together, and wow ... it was just stunning to see our work finally on the road. In these pics, the car was at it's raised height for driving, the plan was to drop her down for the show once we were there. Arrived outside the show and took a few cheeky snaps ... Once inside, we dropped the car back down for it's intended show height ... And that's the way we left her for the show. The next day was sensational. My first experience as a competitor at nationals, and it was an awesome experience. Meeting all the people who have been following my build was incredible. It was really fulfilling to have strangers approach and ask about the car, showing interest in the work done, and the process of making it happen. What made it all worth it for me - was being able to step back, and watch people just stop dead in their tracks when they saw the car, and then continue to turn their heads sideways to oogle and look closely at all the fine details we put in. It was a great feeling to see people appreciate all the hard work put in to the car. It was also extremely fulfilling when people would ask about the colour of the "paint" - only for me to reveal that it was a wrap, and not only that, it was all done by ourselves, in our garage. The responses I got from that was priceless. Again - it made all the hard work finally worth it. The day ended on a very slightly sour note unfortunately. In the packing up process, I was raising the rear of the car to get her home safely - however, one of my rear shock mount bolts decided it wanted to cross-thread, and no longer sit tightly and hold my shock in place. A silly little problem, but one that meant it was no longer safe to drive home. With the help of my lovely girlfriend, my friends, and StanceMob family we managed to organise a quick and affordable tow truck to take her back home. And that's that! So for now, I'm going to relax. I intend to edit some photos, kick back in the sun with some beers, spend time with people who I've been neglecting due to this build, and catch up on sleep. The next time you see the car, hopefully it'll be on the new wheels I've intended to have for them since the beginning of the build. I'll keep you all updated on any changes to the car though. Thank you for following my build, and reading my story to this point. It's been awesome sharing my journey. Peace. Jeff P.S. - Does anyone know how to fix the threaded shock bolt/hub problem? Anyone able to lend me a hand to fix it this coming week?

I actually am not wrapping the roof, I intentionally left it black - so I haven't joined it. I just cut along the C pillar bit where it dips to the roof. If I was going to wrap the roof I'd probably join it along those lines?

Ooooooooo love your direction with the styling bro! Didn't think a flipped EZ lip could look that good either Where did you get your tyre graphics done? How're you finding the durability on driving + weather conditions?

I do indeed! Currently a friend is borrowing them on his 5 stud E30 as he has no wheels at the moment, but as soon as I get them back I'll be putting them up for sale If you're interested, I'll let you be the first to know when they're back in my possession!

Haha sure thing man! After this craziness of prepping for 4s I'll be a bit exhausted, but after a break, bring it round and we can do it Haha I'm glad I'm not the only one who likes this colour. I got hassled a few times saying it looked like primer Definitely come say hi and introduce at the show bro! I'll be with StanceMob (wherever we're placed) haha. Thank you again for the help bro! Looking forward to working on your E36 through this year too! Thanks! Heh, grey seems to be the new black?

UPDATES: Thanks for the great feedback so far guys - just thought I'd give you all an update on where things are at, especially with 4andR at the end of this week! I wanted to reveal the colour I've decided to wrap the car - I went through many colour choices in my head and numerous discussions with the gf, but in the end my heart kept going back to this "Battleship grey" by Avery Dennison. The girlfriend wasn't a fan of it at the time, but she's since admitted to me that she likes the colour now Wrapping a car was a huuuuuuge undertaking, especially when neither of us had any prior experience, there were certainly many frustrating moments, but we just had to keep reminding ourselves that this was a learning experience, and that it would all be worth it in the end. Since finishing the wrapping for the car, I can now say I'd definitely do it again, it's not too bad once you get the hang of how the material behaves, and what kind of prep work you need to do first. Next, I wanted to add something to the front end of the car, some more aero, to make things look more aggressive. So two weekends ago, I was lucky enough to have help from two new friends help me build a functional, aggressive, custom front splitter for the bumper. The splitter is made from a plywood base, then covered with fibreglass. It is hard-mounted to the chassis. I have to give a MASSIVE thank you to Daniel for designing the splitter for me, and Bradley for allowing us to use his fibreglassing material and facilities. Not only that, also dedicating an entire day with me to starting and finishing the splitter in a day! A month ago, I had never met either of these two people before. Both of these guys had left the occasional comment on my photography work, expressing a fair amount of interest and following my build. Over a few chats over the internet, we managed to get all 3 of us together, as car enthusiasts to build something for the car. Through this, I can now call both of these guys good friends of mine. The fact that they had never met me, or knew who I really was, and were just so willing to lend a hand and dedicate their efforts to me and the build is unbelievable. It's moments like these that make me want to continue building a car community like this, where people can connect just through their shared love for cars. The following week was a tough one, fitment with tyres revealed I had not cut the original factory guards high enough, and the wheels were approximating with the factory guards before reaching intended ride height. So the week was spent re-measuring, and re-cutting the guards, followed by re-welding them. It was tough, but we managed to get it done in time. After much tinkering, we finally had the car sitting on the ground. Be warned, the following images of fitment, will probably make many purists on here cringe and criticize. Just remember, this is a show car. This car is the embodiment of a vision I had in my head, that I wanted to produce and show the world. So yes, I know it's not going to be a very 'functional' BMW. With that said ... here you go Just a few final things to work out for the final fitment and looks for the show, and she'll be ready to roll. In the meantime, we're working hard to finish up t he girlfriends 280zx project for the show too. Thanks for reading the update, here's a little bonus pic of the girlfriend's Work wheels getting some tyres thrown on PS. Hope some of you guys are going to 4 and Rotary show! Would be cool to meet some of you Peace