Before building his '84 318i and starting the tuner shop, Donlyson Auto Concepts, Francis Fabiculanan didn't follow the European tuning scene closely. "This is the very first car I ever built," he explained. "I was inspired by the growth of car shows. When I started building my car, I wasn't really recognized in the Japanese import scene, but some people admired the unique design and pushed me further. I also discovered Bimmerfest and it helped drive me even more."
Francis used his enthusiasm, dedication and creativity to try something different from the norm. "I'd see people with a lot of expensive components, and I'd see people with not a lot of money. I was motivated to build something that was unique and creative but not all about the money."
After examining his checkbook, Francis removed the car from storage following three years off the road. He drove the car occasionally and during his travels an accident damaged the front and rear bumpers. He was compelled to build the car even more, but had to see what was affordable. "I tried to restore the car with all OEM parts, but it was going to be too much money. It was really expensive to replace both bumpers, so I decided to rebuild the broken ones in my own style. I smoothed the lines and molded them into one-piece, matching the contours of the body." Francis also added a unique touch by adding billet grilles to the aggressive face.
After the front bumper was finished, Francis widened the fenders to fit the 17x7" SSR-style wheels. The front fenders were also modified to house custom side grilles with miniature BMW emblems. "The small emblems are actually from BMW key chains," he smiled. "I took them apart and mounted them on the grilles." Francis worked his way down to the side skirts, constructing his own from scratch. They were handmade from fiberglass and then molded to the body for a cleaner look. The smoothed rear bumper was detailed with a custom center-exit exhaust developed by the owner. "I had to remove the spare wheel well," Francis said. "After it was cut out I put sheetmetal on the floor."
Once the new exhaust was fitted, Francis contemplated a rear wing. "While at work I always kept an eye out for salvaged parts," he explained. "I kept some in storage in case I could reuse them in a new and creative way. The rear wing was obtained from a salvaged Nissan. I measured the dimensions and it fitted perfectly."
With all the body components ready for the final stage of painting, he experimented in his family's bodyshop to achieve the final color. "It's actually a custom mixture I made. To add more definition, I decided to paint it two-tone. The trunk and the hood were painted black because I liked the contrast. And because there wasn't too many carbon panels available for my car, painting it black was the next best option."
The creativity continued inside because it started far from perfect. He began by disconnecting the factory dashboard. After days of cutting, modifying and paint-matching, he reinstalled the dash with new gauges and audio controls molded in. Interestingly, Francis deleted the glovebox to fit the three Auto Meter gauges and an original BMW net bag. A Sparco steering wheel was also installed to complement the new look.
For his driving comfort, the worn factory seats were swapped for racing seats he reupholstered in black cloth with red stitching. The rear seats were beyond saving, so were ditched in favor of an audio enclosure.
He fabricated the enclosure from fiberglass, carbon and wood. Opting for quality JL Audio products, he mounted three amps and three subs into the box. Two Kole Audio capacitors provide a harder bass hit.
To accompany the bass, Infinity and Audiobahn speakers were wired throughout the cabin to provide a complete audio package. All this meant the engine bay was the only area untouched. However, the motor was already swapped for a 2.5 liter before he began driving it. "The motor was rusted and dirty," he explained. "So I had all the parts removed, cleaned and chromed." To suck more air and give the engine a meaner sound, he constructed his own cold air intake with a functional heatshield. Francis successfully built a BMW out of the box. Through his creative mind and bodyshop experience he was able to build a showstopper without depleting his life savings. We look forward to seeing what other projects come out of his new custom car shop.
Francis Fabiculanan
LOCATION: Los Angeles, CA
OCCUPATION: Owner of Donlyson Auto Concepts
1984 BMW 318i
ENGINE: 2.5 liter i-6 with custom cold air intake and center-exit exhaust, chrome and diamondplate components
DRIVELINE: five-speed manual transmission
SUSPENSION: H&R lowering springs
WHEELS & TIRES: 17x7" SSR-style wheels painted black, 215/45-17 Nitto NT450 tires
BRAKES: slotted rotors front and rear
EXTERIOR: custom bodywork comprising one-piece smooth front bumper with billet grilles, fiberglass side skirts, one-piece smoothed rear bumper, fender grille inserts, widened fenders, OE Nissan rear wing, two-tone paint
INTERIOR: modified and painted dashboard, sheetmetal center console, reupholstered racing seats with red stitching, Sparco steering wheel and pedals, Momo door sills, Auto Meter carbon Ultralite gauges, carbon rear shelf, rear seat removed, OE passenger-side net bag
AUDIO/VISUAL: Alpine CDA-9811 head unit, Infinity mid-range speakers, Audiobahn tweeters and rear speakers, 12" JL Audio W7 inverted subwoofer, two 10" JL Audio W3 subwoofers, three JL Audio amplifiers, two Kole Audio digital capacitors
THANKS: father Joey, sister Vivian Munoz and family, wife Arlene, Roger Balangue, Gustavo Marquez, Enrique Rojas and Paul Calica