Newbie Questions

[iconoclast6]

Fresh off SigFest, I have some predictable items on my to do list.
1) Markus or Marshaw Evo adjustable rear wing, Pro-Cons?
2) S14 Valve cover and plenum planned powder coat where to source?
3) replace/upgrade stock s14 exhaust; camber adjustments.thought/sources?
4) Met Mr. M, great guy. I'm in Bklyn though. Any reputable shops our members are using in NYC/Queens?

Thanks

[nycmpower]

1) Don't think there are any real cons. Just depends whether or not you like the look.
2) Contact Dave @renewedfinishes
4) Don't know of any s14 specific shops in NYC. I use a local mechanic for regular stuff and Ron Checca for S14 specific. I recommend joining AAA Plus. They tow up to 200 miles for free. That will get you to one of the top m3 mechanics close to NYC.

[Brandon]

1. I have an original, so can't opine on the aftermarket wings.

2. I was quoted $265 for valve cover and plenum (red with silver lettering), which is incredibly reasonable.

http://renewedfinishes.com/gallery#Next

3a. There are as many cat/exhaust opinions as there are stars in the Milky Way, though I think we all agree on ditching the cat for a resonator if your state doesn't do emissions on 25+ year old cars. I have an Eisenmann Race with straight tips and a SuperSprint center resonator and love the combo.

3b. Front camber plates depend on what you're doing with the car and whether you mind a lot of noise/harshness. For a daily driver, Ground Control with the Touring camber plates are a good compromise between stock and the solid camber plates. http://www.ground-control-store.com/.../II=859/CA=244

You can also weld in rear camber adjustment points, but ask yourself whether you really need that kind of flexibility. If the car doesn't see track/race time, it probably isn't necessary.

4. I'd stick with the best of the best as he's close by and you know you aren't going to get screwed. He knows these cars inside and out and had a stellar reputation. Bite the bullet and use Don.

[L James]

Fresh off SigFest, I have some predictable items on my to do list.
1) Markus or Marshaw Evo adjustable rear wing, Pro-Cons?
2) S14 Valve cover and plenum planned powder coat where to source?
3) replace/upgrade stock s14 exhaust; camber adjustments.thought/sources?
4) Met Mr. M, great guy. I'm in Bklyn though. Any reputable shops our members are using in NYC/Queens?

Thanks

Chuck,

Glad to see you enjoying the car and looking to make it your own... Regarding your questions....

1. Original Evo III wing is heavier than the replicas. You will need to find a source to import a original one today. They are NLA via the dealers now. Replicas are lighter weight. They are cheaper. You will need to buy from a reputable source as some replicas are not as well made as others. The type of material makes a big difference. Markus and MA Shaw are good replicas.

2. As others have mentioned - Dave at Renewed Finishes

3. This is personal preference. I would look to some of the other responses. My cabrio is stock. My coupe is stock with the exception of the exhaust

4. As Brandon mentioned Don or another local expert is a good choice. Pay once fix it right. If you send it to someone who doesn't know, you may need to pay to fix what they fix.....

HTH

[88M3]

There is a very good mechanic shop in BedfordHills, NY called Bimmers Only. The owners name is Graham. The good thing his shop is a block or two away from metro north so you can drop off the car and then jump in the train to NYC. I have used him for years when there are things I don't want to tackle. If you call tell him I (Hugo) referred you. His number is 914-241-1084.

[iconoclast6]

Thanks folks. Information noted and under advisement. Prior owner did a masterful job with interior/exterior. During the Fall/Winter, I'll replacing the entire exhaust. I may as well as attend to the under body. In addition to frepairing the cracks, I'll probably opt for have the under body re-sprayed with a protective coating. Has anyone else gone down this path? Best product for respray? Will appreciate any thoughts, resources, links. Also, anyone interested in sharing shipping costs to NYC for a Markus EVO wing? Thanks, Chuck

[JS154]

Fresh off SigFest, I have some predictable items on my to do list.
1) Markus or Marshaw Evo adjustable rear wing, Pro-Cons?

Markus. Quality.

2) S14 Valve cover and plenum planned powder coat where to source?

Any powder coat shop can do this, easy.

3) replace/upgrade stock s14 exhaust; camber adjustments.thought/sources?

VSR center section. Stromung is popular

camber - for a street only car, just run the crash mounts. for a car that will also see auto-x or track day use on street tires, run the crash mounts with IE adjustable camber plates. Easy to adjust so you get decent turn in and don;lt kill your tires on the street.

Assuming you;ve already done sway bars. If you haven't - do. Full soft front full stiff rear.

4) Met Mr. M, great guy. I'm in Bklyn though. Any reputable shops our members are using in NYC/Queens?

cant help you there.

Thanks

1) Markus Quality
2)Any powder coat shop can do this, easy.
3)VSR center section. Stromung is popular

camber - for a street only car, just run the crash mounts. for a car that will also see auto-x or track day use on street tires, run the crash mounts with IE adjustable camber plates. Easy to adjust so you get decent turn in and don;lt kill your tires on the street.
4)cant help you there.

[Hoyt]

1) I've got a Mashaw carbon fiber replica wing and the quality is outstanding. I haven't' painted it yet to match the car because I love looking at the weave of the CF. It bolted right up with no issues at all.

2) renewed finishes if the best around.

3) I've got VSR center w/cats and an Eisenmann Sport, great sounds and quality on both pieces.

4) can't help you on this one since I'm in Michigan and do all my own work.

[iconoclast6]

Thanks Hoyt,

I have scored a valve cover and plenum. Will be sending them to Renewed Finishes.
I spoke to Mashaw, he doesn't have any wings in stock and put me on his list. Also have rcvd email from Markus. His product is pricier, but looks great and there is shipping issue.
Not sure of which way to go yet, unless I get someone to share shipping costs to NYC.
I like the sound of the Eisenmann Sport. We'll see if my budget can afford it.
The process continues...

[eddie_e30m3]

The valve cover and plenum is an easy project for the person who likes to do their own work. I used the Eastwood gun and completed the project in a weekend with professional results

[iconoclast6]

Very nice!!

[sbi///M]

1. I have a mashaw wing and for the price and quality I think it is your best choice. But he does not have them on hand, they are built to order so there will be some lead time necessary. It really like a one man operation and so service and communication can be spotty. He is a great guy and an enthusiast. I happen to call him when he had a FG/Cf wing in hand and I drove over and picked it up form his shop in OC immediately. The gel coat was nearly flawless, the CF weave was excellent with some small blemishes but for the price $750 cash I am very satisfied. The bases needed to be reworked a bit to sit flush on the rear deck but there will always be some work needed to be done when applying non oem reproductions.

If I had the money I would go with any of Markus stuff. But it is pricier you have to deal with shipping and with it being large fairly heavy (not as heavy as the OEM one but still heavy for shipping).

Most importantly the wings have the studs built in to the base just like the oem version which is key to installing and the hard part to making it line up correctly. The easy way is to install the nut in the base and put the screw from underneath like some other cheaply made replicas. I would stay away from those. Either way you go you will not be disappointed with either Mashaw or Markus products. I would not buy anyone else other than OEM.


I even had one of chutrain's wings and they were awesome fg/cf shipped for 1k. I was pretty happy with his meticulous nature and all the problem solving he had with shipping. I would have been very happy to keep it but has to sell for financial reasons. But it was a limited run which can only be found second hand not I believe, since I have been away from the scene lately and just getting back into it.

2. Renewed finishes all the way, They must have liked brandon much better than me, my quote was around 750 but i wanted the evo2 version white with m stripes. I will have to email dave again to see what was up with that.

http://renewedfinishes.com/gallery

[Andyman746]

Ma shaw wing here too. Great quality and fitment.

Dave @ renewedfinishes has done two of my plenum and valve covers. He's a great guy and is meticulous with his work. Brandon's price is standard, i paid that much a few years ago, not sure how much it is now. When the stripes are involved, it requires a lot more time and work... its comes out great and worth it, but definitely not the same price as a standard color plus topcoat. He is the only one i know that does the stripes in Powdercoat.

Andy

[AlpineRunner]

There is a very good mechanic shop in BedfordHills, NY called Bimmer's Only. The owners name is Graham. The good thing his shop is a block or two away from metro north so you can drop off the car and then jump in the train to NYC. I have used him for years when there are things I don't want to tackle. If you call tell him I (Hugo) referred you. His number is 914-241-1084.

Hugo we seem to cross paths a lot! I was doing some searching on Renewed Finished and saw this post about Bimmer's Only. I too used to to go to Graham exclusively at his old location just up the street from the train station when I first got my M3 ( and when I had my 328is). I tried to get a job there but it was when his son started turnign wrenches and he started working there.
He was a good guy but a few times he charged me to "learn some new repair" on my car. He also thought my M3 with 83K miles needed a full timing chain and guide rebuild. He was a nice guy and let me detail some cars to offset some costs when I was young, but ultimately I felt I could do a better job/.
Now that you're at P1, do you think they're better with older Bimmers such as ours?

[88M3]

Mike,
The owner of P1 is a very good friend of mine so I go to him but don't like bothering him. I do most of my work at home except alignments, or dyno testing of course.
P1 is a really good shop with experience on all cars but the owner worked for Ferrari, Maserati, and Mclearen for many years. He also owned many bmw's and did many mods on them so he is capable of working on anything. Graham is bmw specific but I have seen other cars in the shop. I had never had any issues with him and he is been very honest with me and has always taught me when I was there which I think is very valuable and worth the cost. So in a nutshell it depends what you are looking for and what problem you have. If you need an alignment for street or race car set up or a super charger/turbo install and dyno running then P1 does it in house! If you have an electrical gremlin then Graham might be your man since he is bummers only.

Hugo