m539restorations
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Updates & behind the scenes
🕑 Added 2023-05-02 23:47:52 +0000 UTCA lot has been going on lately and I wanted to share some exciting developments with you.
First, the biggest news. I got help with video editing!
Lately, I've been really stretched thin and I'm struggling to find time to do basic things in life between everything that I do. For a while, I was thinking to make a post that I'm looking for a video editor, and back in March, a subscriber wrote me on Instagram and offered video editing help as he does this for a living. My first question was, does he actually watch the videos, to me it's far more important if he's familiar with the content and style of the videos than any other qualifications. Turns out, he's been following the channel since the beginning and after talking to him, I confirmed that and decided to give it a go. His name is Krišjānis, from Riga, Latvia. Last 5 videos I've done with him, besides the new torque spec pop-up in the last video, I don't think you'd be able to notice it. :)
As I have a specific way of editing, it was tough in the beginning to explain what was in my head, but we are getting there. It might not look like it when you watch the video, but I try to make every second count, quick and precise cuts, no dead space (so to speak) for the sake of making a longer video, and every tool sound, torque wrench click is precisely cut down to a frame to make one satisfying sequence.
The way it works now, he's doing the rough cut and then the fine cut. After that, I'm going over the entire video and doing the final cut. This shortened my editing time by 2 days on average which is amazing. I can be in the shop working and filming, while he's editing. Normally I need 3 to 4 days to edit one video myself, and now to cut that down to 1-2 days is incredibly helpful. Now, this doesn't mean there will be a new video every week, I frankly don't think that's possible unless I were to change the content and style of the videos drastically which I don't want to do. At the end of the day, I still need a lot of time to finish working on the car and have enough content for one fulfilling episode, but it will certainly speed things up, and as we get into a rhythm, I'm hopeful the episodes will land faster.
The second big news, another 2-post lift from Bendpak has been installed in the Dojo! Given that the E31 has been occupying the 2-post lift for months now while I'm waiting on the machine shop and parts, I came to the realization that I need another one. So the scissor lift went out and in its place Luuk and I installed Bendpak XPR-9S. I couldn't get another GP-7 that has the beam on the top as the ceiling wasn't high enough in that part of the shop, so I settled with this one that has the plate on the bottom. Honestly, it's an awesome lift, it lifts really high, it's wider than GP-7 and the plate on the floor is not a problem as it's behind where the transmission normally is. Bendpak kindly supported the channel once again with this lift and then legend, Luuk came from the Netherlands and helped me install it. He also designed the reinforcement plates as I wanted added safety. The scissor lift is in my landlord's garage for now, that one is great for smaller jobs and polishing, but not suitable for serious mechanical work.
This brings us to project Frankfurt, E92 M3. I've never had so many comments and requests for an update video to the point where people are getting angry. I also cannot resist anymore and with another 2-post lift at my disposal, I have to remove and tear that engine apart. I just need to finish a couple of things on the E60 M5 tomorrow and then the M3 is going on the lift!
Since I'm 99% sure the main bearings spun and the block won't be usable, I bought a donor car. E93 M3 with a DCT, it's a RHD car from the UK that I bought from a subscriber in Dublin, Ireland. It has 170k km (106k miles) and a healthy engine. The car was in an accident and was totaled, the front right strut tower cracked and moved so it has serious structural damage which makes it a perfect donor car. I got it for 12k euro which is a pretty darn good deal considering used S65 engines go for 8-10k in Germany, and this car is complete. We are going to strip down that engine as well and thoroughly refresh it before it goes into project Frankfurt.
But wait, there's more. I got another donor car, a 2004 E46 330i with a 6-speed manual! This is a donor for project Cologne, E46 325i Touring. I've been hunting for 330i 6-speed for years and this one popped up not far away for 3k with a supposedly bad engine. I scooped it up for 2.5k and it's currently parked at a friend's shop as I'm running out of space in the Dojo, haha. It also seems that it has the same issue as project Rottweil, knocking cats which the seller thought was a rod knock, but this is yet to be confirmed. For this project, I'm still undecided if I want to just refresh the engine and do the swap, or go OEM+, bore out the block to 3.3L, get custom pistons, Schrick cams, headers, etc... and get the most out of N/A M54 which is one of my favorite engines. Let me know what you would like to see. This is not something that's going to happen soon, but when I saw it, I had to jump on the deal.
As far as project Marseille goes, E31 850i, I am still waiting on the heads to come back. As expected delays with the machine shop, but the heads are done. Top Mar from PL ported them and did a multi-angle valve job. The problem is Dblias, they took absolutely forever to regrind the cams and then I got upgraded double valve springs from them that didn't fit. Took 3 weeks to get an answer from them, they are ridiculously slow to respond, but it's finally resolved, and Top Mar has the valve springs and they can finish the heads.
Quick update on project Rottweil, E39 530i Touring. Infinitas (ex G-power) is sending me a supercharger kit for it! They are on board with the project which is awesome and the package should be landing soon. I also managed to score E38 heated front contour seats! They are one of the best seats BMW made, so we are going to make them pretty, transfer over the active function and plop them in the Touring for the ultimate comfortable driving experience.
The next video is going to be on the E70 X5 and E60 M5, doing a bit of work on both, and then E92 M3! I'm going on a vacation to Italy towards the end of the next week so I'm on a sprint to finish 2 videos before we leave. I'll be also at Lake Como for Concours d'Elegance and Wheels & Weisswürscht. BMW Group Classic invited me so if anyone is there for the event, please let me know and come say hi!
This is the part where I struggle to find the right words and express my gratitude to all of you for your support. You are making this possible and for that, thank you from the bottom of my heart. I love you all and hope you are excited for many, many projects that are coming!
