Another F81 Build Thread

[attbimmer]

Hi all,

There have been a few at this point, but figured someone may still be interested so I thought I'd start a build thread to capture my progress on building an M3 wagon out of an F31 and F80. I've always liked wagons and have had several M3s in the past. After seeing some other F81 builds recently as well as selling my last project car I decided to dive in a start working on my own.

So far I've sources the 2 donor cars. The F31 is a 2015 328xi M sport with pretty high miles, but it has a clean title which I wanted for the end build and also has dark headliner and shadowline trim. The F80 is a 2018 comp pkg car with 6-speed and 60k miles. It has a salvage title from a front end collision and was rebuilt a couple years ago. It has some mods on it that I'm not sure yet what I will do with. One bonus was a full m performance exhaust on it. Although they both look decent in pictures when you take a closer look both are certainly not pristine and I was able to pick up the 2 together for less than the price of a nice clean M3. I also don't feel too bad cutting up either given their overall condition and value.

Anyway I'll post more as things progress. For now here are a few pictures of what I am starting with.






I don't plan to rebuild anything with the leftover parts from the 328 interior/drivetrain/electronics or the M3 body, so if anyone wants anything feel free to reach out. Also I won't be keeping the aftermarket CS hood in case anyone wants it.

I don't love gray exterior paint on the wagon so will likely end up changing the color since I'll have the body down to a bare shell anyway. Not sure yet which direction I will go yet, but would prefer a brighter color vs white/gray/black.

[attbimmer]

I've started disassembly on the wagon. First started removing most of the interior and then went on the underbody, front end and then the drive train. Overall things are going smoothly. When you are taking literally everything apart you can just kind of go in the opposite order the car was built. Usually when doing some mod or repair you try to do the minimum needed to get to the one part you actually want to get to. Not so in this case.

Most annoying thing so far is the press in plastic clips that hold wiring harness to the body. Some come out without too much fuss, but others are a bit of a pain to wiggle out and some are just old and brittle and just break.

The transmission in this thing is enormous, but still came out easily with engine and front subframe all together.

Still got lots to keep pulling off, but it's mostly lots of little things and about a million plastic clips for the wiring harness.

I did find an awesome little snap-on flat head screw driver with an angle in it that is great for prying and removing wiring connectors that some past mechanic dropped under the passenger seat and forgot about it. Was a nice little bonus.

A few pics of roughly how things sit.

[attbimmer]

My current target is to get the wagon fully stripped and ready for the body shop by the end of Nov or worst case before the end of Dec. Will see how things go.

I won't be keeping the mineral grey paint, but have not decided on a specific color to go with yet. Imola or Melbourne red are current front runners. I'd consider a good blue as well, but not sure which. Or perhaps some other color. Don't want anything too over the top, but would like a color vs grey scale. If anyone has any recommendations feel free to share.

[henrylee]

Awesome build!!

[Boznien]

Subscribing! Can't wait to see more on this build.

[EezyBeezy]

Subscribed. This is going to be good.

[attbimmer]

Continuing on, I had the windshield pulled, along with the rear side windows that are also glued in. I also pulled out the remainder of the dash/HVAC/... From inside that I was now able to just easily pull through where the engine and windshield used to be. I also pulled out everything else from the engine bay aside from the wiring running through the firewall.





At this point I took a brief pause for a few things.

First to clean up the tons of parts that were starting to pile up in inconvenient locations. I don't have a ton of space so trying to keep things as organized as possible theoughout this project. Some items are just going to get scraped as I'm not sure it would be worth finding someone that wants some of misc plastic parts that don't often go bad. Most of the electronics I took individual pics of and will list for sale.

Second was related to how the chassis is lifted and balanced as well as how I will be able to move it around when needed.

I'm using a quick jack, which is about the best option given the garage space I have available. It is isn't as nice as a full lift, but is super convenient to be able to raise/lower the car with the press of a button vs jacking corners and adjusting jack stands constantly. That said the way the quick jack works is it doesn't just move straight up and down. It pivots up and forward and this means that you need to be a little more careful with weight distribution of the car and where you are lifting from.

This usually isn't an issue, but in this case I have drastically changed the weight distribution of the car while removing so much from it. So much so that I noticed while starting to remove the engine/trans that if I didn't add addition support at the rear of the chassis it would have tipped back. At the moment the car is sitting on the quick jack and has a separate jack supporting the rear end.i could just set it one some jack stands and reposition the quick jack, but since I also want to be able to move around the chassis I started building some dollies for it. So far I built one for the rear out of wood, some mega lag bolts and heavy duty casters. It bolts up to the rear subframe mounting points and I'll be able to use it on the wagon chassis for a while and then switch it to the M3 chassis when I move the suspension from it to the wagon. Will build the front next and then should be movable again.

[F8XIce]

I honestly don’t remember how I felt when the F8X first came out, but it is definitely a stunning car. I have never understood BMW’s reticence when it comes to making performance wagons compared to Mercedes and Audi. So I love seeing people taking it into their own hands. Is this one going to be manual or DCT? And best of luck! If I had the money and time, this is definitely something I would want to do myself. I love this kind of thing.

[attbimmer]

Originally Posted by F8XIce

Is this one going to be manual or DCT?

It will be a manual.

[Stronie]

Originally Posted by attbimmer

My current target is to get the wagon fully stripped and ready for the body shop by the end of Nov or worst case before the end of Dec. Will see how things go.

I won't be keeping the mineral grey paint, but have not decided on a specific color to go with yet. Imola or Melbourne red are current front runners. I'd consider a good blue as well, but not sure which. Or perhaps some other color. Don't want anything too over the top, but would like a color vs grey scale. If anyone has any recommendations feel free to share.

Atlantis Metallic or Ferrari Red

[attbimmer]

Originally Posted by Stronie

Atlantis Metallic or Ferrari Red

I have considered that red as well. I never checked, but I assume what BMW calls Ferrari red is Rosso Corsa and not Rosso Scuderia. Or is it their own interpretation of a Ferrari red?

I also like Carmine Red from Porsche.

Blues are a lot harder for me. Atlantis I don't think I've seen in person. May be a bit like for my taste. Would likely lean toward a darker vs lighter blue, but not so dark it is mistaken for black. Interlagos wasn't bad. I also have seen a few Oslo blue cars that I liked a bit. Ultimately will likely stay with red though.

[attbimmer]

We are on the ground again and mobile (in a Flintstones sort of way). Seems to be plenty sturdy.

[blazer4495]

are you adding the m3 rear flares to the wagon?

[attbimmer]

Originally Posted by blazer4495

are you adding the m3 rear flares to the wagon?

Yes definitely.

[jagus]

Amazing!!! I take my seat here!

[Boznien]

Originally Posted by attbimmer

Blues are a lot harder for me. Atlantis I don't think I've seen in person. May be a bit like for my taste. Would likely lean toward a darker vs lighter blue, but not so dark it is mistaken for black. Interlagos wasn't bad. I also have seen a few Oslo blue cars that I liked a bit. Ultimately will likely stay with red though.

Avus Blue would be sweet.

[attbimmer]

Originally Posted by Boznien

Avus Blue would be sweet.

That's a good suggestion. Glad I have some time to think about it.

The wheels on the M3 will also need to be redone to address some small curb rash and a few areas where finish is starting to come off. I don't love the shiney or smoked machined finished they came with from the factory. Was considering having just one of them redone in silver to see how it looks. Not. Sure if anyone has done different finishes on the 666M wheels.

[scotty737]

Welcome to the club

[attbimmer]

Originally Posted by scottttt

Welcome to the club

Thanks. What color is yours? Looks great.

[scotty737]

Originally Posted by attbimmer

Thanks. What color is yours? Looks great.

San Marino blue. BMW has many blues 😉

[Ev0lutionx]

Originally Posted by attbimmer

We are on the ground again and mobile (in a Flintstones sort of way). Seems to be plenty sturdy.

Enjoying the build. Please be careful though, that looks sketchy and unstable.

[attbimmer]

Originally Posted by Ev0lutionx

Enjoying the build. Please be careful though, that looks sketchy and unstable.

It is held together with several 6" lag bolts and bolted at the car. It is quite solid.