Few questions about coupe restoration

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Well, since my stepfather and I were unable to sell our two E9's for the price we wanted, we have decided that unless some one pops up very quickly with the right price (which would be nice) we will do some work on the cars ourselves. They are still for sale during the whole process, but by the looks of it we will be keeping them

Granted, this will not be a pretty restoration. We love the cars, but we dont have a huge amount of money to spend on them. Everything that is being done will most likely be done by us, and for as cheap as possible. However there are a few things that will cost us

First, how much, on average, does it cost to repaint a coupe? Im not talking full strip everything and dunk it in the tank and repaint every square inch. Just an exterior repaint. Because we sold some parts, the doors, trunk lid and roof will be different colors, and in general the car needs to be repainted. This will be the largest expense, but to me it is important to having a car that has no rust, stay rust free.

Next major possible expense, the windshield. We have heard estimates as high as $900. Thats pertty far up there. We currently have one usable windshield, and one decent one. The other was cracked and thrown away. What is the cheapest these come for?

next major step, missing parts. we do not by any chance have all the parts to put the car back together, there are still a handful of parts missing. What is the best source of coupe parts. I know we have a huge collection of parts, but I'm sure there will be a few things that are missing.

Anyway, thats all I can think of right now. Sadly for a while we are going to have Franken-coupe, but I think even without spending huge amounts of money, we will eventually have a nice car to drive, at least that is all I am hoping for.
 
wow

There are a lot of variables here and I am afraid a coupe resto and budget do not really work in the same sentence. The paint just for the materials will run you about $2K not including any body/prep work nor paying someone to paint it. Missing parts are tough and can run pennies or big bucks. Good luck with your endevor but be prepared to spen a lot. I have a 85 535I 5 speed I would be willing to swap if you have any interest.
 
I guess it depends on how good you want the coupe to look. You could probably pull all the trim and lights, drop the bumpers, do any minor bodywork yourself and drag it to Earl Schrieb. He charges $300

Not sure how good it will look and years ago when my friend had an old galaxie 500 painted, there was paint on the windows, tires, and other places. But it is cheap......

Then you can re-install everything you took off.
 
Material Cost

$2000.00 just for materials ?????I want some of what Hplug's smokin'! ! ! acrylic single stage enamel $300, single stage urethane $450, base coat/clear $600 that includes primers.
Spray away brother!!
 
Captian

There are many other materials you need to paint a car other than paint. Maybe $2K is high but the total cost of materials will be a lot closer to my number than $600 unless you use Krylon.
 
I'm looking...

Tails:
How much are you asking for the 73' shells/cars. I am looking for another shell for a freind. You can reach me here or at: [email protected]. I look foward to hearing from you soon. Don't get discouraged... You can easily do that with an Oldtimer BMW. Hang in there... if not... start from a different plateau. (Maybe a car that costs alot more or one with less rust.) But if you're like me... or MOST of the rest of the Ladies and Gentlemen on THIS board... you will withstand the test... Good Luck with whatever you decide...

Regard,
 
Check your PM Box

more then anything, my stepfather and I want what is best for the Cars. we are well aware that we can never offer a full restoration for our CS. If we do end up putting it back together, it will be as Franken-Coupe, sort of a scary image.

Maybe to some one else, even the CSI may be a candidate for restoration, but to us it is only parts to put the CS back together. I must say, if we can figure something out to save both cars, that would be great, but sadly we have come to understand that in order for that to be the case, the car's will no longer be ours.

The nice thing is, even without the CS and CSI, we still have my old 535i, and Bruce's 73' Lotus Europa. So we still have some fun cars around
 
You can spend as little or as much as you want for paint and body work. When I got my coupe it was a CA car but it either had a small dent or minor rust on every panel. Since I also didn't feel like paying a small fortune I found a local body shop who was willing to take it on as a "fill work" car. It took them about 18 months but they took it down to bare metal, straighened the dings and dents, cut out the rust and welded in new metal as needed. All said and done they charged me $4500 (orignal quote). I felt so badly when I picked it up that I gave them $6000 since they had done such a terrific job. To be honest, I've seen people spend 3-6x as much with results that were no better.

This may be an anomaly, but if you are on a budget you may be able to find a good shop that will take it on as fill work. It's worth asking around, I went to half a dozen shops before I decided.
 
body and paint shop in MD

jhjacobs said:
You can spend as little or as much as you want for paint and body work. When I got my coupe it was a CA car but it either had a small dent or minor rust on every panel. Since I also didn't feel like paying a small fortune I found a local body shop who was willing to take it on as a "fill work" car. It took them about 18 months but they took it down to bare metal, straighened the dings and dents, cut out the rust and welded in new metal as needed. All said and done they charged me $4500 (orignal quote). I felt so badly when I picked it up that I gave them $6000 since they had done such a terrific job. To be honest, I've seen people spend 3-6x as much with results that were no better.

This may be an anomaly, but if you are on a budget you may be able to find a good shop that will take it on as fill work. It's worth asking around, I went to half a dozen shops before I decided.
Click to expand...

JJ I read you reply and see you are in MD , so am i and looking to get my
3.0 painted this winter also i would love to see yours . Please give me a shout and suggest. on the shop you went to for painting thanks
ty 202 210 4138
 
Re: Material Cost

captain dig me said:
$2000.00 just for materials ?????I want some of what Hplug's smokin'! ! ! acrylic single stage enamel $300, single stage urethane $450, base coat/clear $600 that includes primers.
Spray away brother!!
Click to expand...

I don't wish to ruffle any feathers but please don't use single stage paint unless its just to tart something up to sell it on quickly, the finish doesn't last it fades and oxidises very easily and is very old technology which is why it is cheap.
 
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