Project Ring-shed E36 325i
Discussion
Update:
Thanks to a contact from Benny.C, I was put in touch with a bloke that had cancelled his race car build. I'd already bought his coilovers and ARB's off him and we did a deal for me to take his car complete with Sparco multi point roll cage (in the car but not yet welded) fibreglass bonnet and DTM style stainless back box, plus a few other bits and bobs. Was a long journey to north Devon and back with a van and trailer, but worth it for the amount of stuff I got for the money.
Also on the way home I was able to pick up the Corbeau bucket seats and 6 point TRS harnesses I'd won on Ebay. Does anyone know if these harnesses are road legal or will I need to keep the original seat belts for the MOT?
Once I got home I had a good look at the red 325 to see if it would make a better base for my track car. It's a '92 J reg the same as my grey one and it had the bonus that it was already largely stripped and only done 87k.
In the end the fact that my grey E36 had a replacement engine less than 2 years ago and a new clutch and stuff this year made me decide to scrap the red one. I spent most of my spare time last week removing any parts that I'm ever likely to need, then took the shell to the scrappers:
With the red car out of the way I was able to start work on the grey one again.
Stripped all the sound deadening from the interior, it leaves a horrible sticky mess behind which I'll have to clean off with some white spirit or something.
Then set about taking the dash out:
Horrible fiddly job but at least I won't need to put it all back in. Once the cage is in I'll put the upper most part of the dash back in but with no glove box and centre console and stuff.
By the end of the day I'd also removed the heater assembly and matrix, then reconnected the water pipes. The water level didn't seem to drop but I'll probably have to bleed the system again.
Next jobs are to take the front passenger door off to get the main part of the cage in. Would any one be able to recommend someone to weld the cage in for us?
Thanks to a contact from Benny.C, I was put in touch with a bloke that had cancelled his race car build. I'd already bought his coilovers and ARB's off him and we did a deal for me to take his car complete with Sparco multi point roll cage (in the car but not yet welded) fibreglass bonnet and DTM style stainless back box, plus a few other bits and bobs. Was a long journey to north Devon and back with a van and trailer, but worth it for the amount of stuff I got for the money.
Also on the way home I was able to pick up the Corbeau bucket seats and 6 point TRS harnesses I'd won on Ebay. Does anyone know if these harnesses are road legal or will I need to keep the original seat belts for the MOT?
Once I got home I had a good look at the red 325 to see if it would make a better base for my track car. It's a '92 J reg the same as my grey one and it had the bonus that it was already largely stripped and only done 87k.
In the end the fact that my grey E36 had a replacement engine less than 2 years ago and a new clutch and stuff this year made me decide to scrap the red one. I spent most of my spare time last week removing any parts that I'm ever likely to need, then took the shell to the scrappers:
With the red car out of the way I was able to start work on the grey one again.
Stripped all the sound deadening from the interior, it leaves a horrible sticky mess behind which I'll have to clean off with some white spirit or something.
Then set about taking the dash out:
Horrible fiddly job but at least I won't need to put it all back in. Once the cage is in I'll put the upper most part of the dash back in but with no glove box and centre console and stuff.
By the end of the day I'd also removed the heater assembly and matrix, then reconnected the water pipes. The water level didn't seem to drop but I'll probably have to bleed the system again.
Next jobs are to take the front passenger door off to get the main part of the cage in. Would any one be able to recommend someone to weld the cage in for us?
minimatt1967 said:
Well this will certainly have to change 
Looking good Sniff! That was certainly a good parts haul from the red E36, glad you stuck with the dolphin(?) grey E36 much prefer that colour would look good with some black detailing
The red one certainly was a lucky find, should be able to sell a few bits to re-coup some costs too. Once the cage is in that'll need painting, then I'll need to flare the arches to accommodate some 17" wheels so I suppose it makes sense to get the other rust spots sorted out at the same time. Would it be wrong to paint the interior a different colour to the exterior?
matt21 said:
glad to see you kept the grey one. 
with the wadge of reciepts with that you can be assured its got strong mechanicals
Yeah, it was a known quantity mechanically after having driven it for some 400 miles. It'll only take me a couple of days to strip it down to the same level as the red one anyway.with the wadge of reciepts with that you can be assured its got strong mechanicals
First thing I did with the grey one was take the SH folders out - must have saved several kgs!
matt21 said:
sniff diesel said:
matt21 said:
glad to see you kept the grey one.
with the wadge of reciepts with that you can be assured its got strong mechanicals
Yeah, it was a known quantity mechanically after having driven it for some 400 miles. It'll only take me a couple of days to strip it down to the same level as the red one anyway.with the wadge of reciepts with that you can be assured its got strong mechanicals
First thing I did with the grey one was take the SH folders out - must have saved several kgs!
Small update, not been able to do much lately due to spending my working week in Cardiff as part of my training for my new job. What's left of the weekend after the F1, house work and going to the pub I managed to grab a bit of time to bolt a few bits to the car.
Fitted the fibreglass bonnet, was a bit of a pain getting things all lined up and drilled in the right places. I was a bit paranoid about making a mess of it but I think it looks alright. Will have to tweak it a bit though as it hits the passenger side wiper in the parked position.
I haven't riveted the bonnet pins down yet until I have the whole thing painted.
I then moved on to fitting the DTM style back box I got as part of the deal I had with the cage and bonnet.
I hope it doesn't look too chavvy for now, but it will go with the look of the car that I have planned. And either way it seems to weigh a fair bit less than the original even if it doesn't give any more power.
Test fitted the DTM style mirrors, these will have to come off again when it gets painted though.
I really want to get on and get the cage welded in so I can start on some paintwork but I'll have to wait until I get some time back home during the week.
Been offered a newly refurbished set of original BBS 17" alloys, they're missing the centre caps but they seem to pop up on Ebay from time to time or I may not even bother what with unsprung weight an all
Fitted the fibreglass bonnet, was a bit of a pain getting things all lined up and drilled in the right places. I was a bit paranoid about making a mess of it but I think it looks alright. Will have to tweak it a bit though as it hits the passenger side wiper in the parked position.
I haven't riveted the bonnet pins down yet until I have the whole thing painted.
I then moved on to fitting the DTM style back box I got as part of the deal I had with the cage and bonnet.
I hope it doesn't look too chavvy for now, but it will go with the look of the car that I have planned. And either way it seems to weigh a fair bit less than the original even if it doesn't give any more power.
Test fitted the DTM style mirrors, these will have to come off again when it gets painted though.
I really want to get on and get the cage welded in so I can start on some paintwork but I'll have to wait until I get some time back home during the week.
Been offered a newly refurbished set of original BBS 17" alloys, they're missing the centre caps but they seem to pop up on Ebay from time to time or I may not even bother what with unsprung weight an all
minimatt1967 said:
great choice of wheels sniff!I'd paint the centres dark... Possibly go for some wider sims on the rear? Or are they 328i sport rims?
They're 7.5 inches wide all round so I guess they're '28i sport rims. Would like another set so I can run some with ex BTCC Dunlop slicks.benny.c said:
Good progress - reckon that bonnet will need taping down like ours though to stop it flapping around
Those wheels look nice [and heavy]
It's frustrating not having the time to do much at the moment but that should change in the new year. I've tried to position the pins close together at the front to stop it flapping, it seems a bit sturdier than your CF job though so I hope it'll hold OK.Those wheels look nice [and heavy]
The wheels are only costing me what they cost to refurbish so it was rude not to, and I'll need another set or 2 for track use anyway so may well get some light weight jobs too.
Not sure what to do with the brakes yet, would like to upgrade them but I'd still like to keep it within the regs for the Kumho just in case I ever decide to take it racing...
Combover said:
Looks awesome Rich!
Have you tried it on the raod in that condition?
Hi Tom, it's a bit of a shed up close but I have plans.Have you tried it on the raod in that condition?
Last time I drove it all the interior missing apart from the dash and front seats and it weighed 1200kgs and it was definitely swifter than standard. Since then I've scraped all the sound proofing off, removed the dash, heater and blower although the dash top will be going back in. Soon I'll be getting rid of the electric windows and mechanisms to be replaced with polycarb, and chopping the rest of the metal out of the door panels and riveting some 0.5mm aluminium panels in place of door cards. A complete bin bag of wiring has come out that must have weighed some 20kgs;
Once it's all done I'm hoping for a weight around 1150kgs empty. It will have to remain road legal as I intend to use it on Touristfahren days at the Ring.
Spleeble said:
Hello Rich.
Its looking good, can't wait to take it out for a spin. Still don't know when my little car will be ready, hopefully end of October. Watching the hill climb last week and I think its something I want to have a go at and it seem quite cheap compared to other motorsport.
See you in a few weeks.
Hey Ade, not sure if I'll have the seats in by then as I'm picking up a Subaru Forester this weekend.Its looking good, can't wait to take it out for a spin. Still don't know when my little car will be ready, hopefully end of October. Watching the hill climb last week and I think its something I want to have a go at and it seem quite cheap compared to other motorsport.
See you in a few weeks.
Looking forward to seeing both our cars on track together next year.
Regarding stiffness, by the time the cars are fully caged I'd doubt there's any difference in stiffness. The cage I've got has 2 bars going through the front bulkhead to the tops of each suspension tower and even a X bar between the rear suspension towers. Will post some pictures up once it's all in.
castrolcraig said:
rich, was it your pug i spotted in ph classifieds the other day??
If it was the black one with massive PH stickers then yes mate, had it for sale for over a month and it went to it's new owner last Sunday evening. Had loads of calls and emails from people just wanting to know how little I'd take for it, and wether I'd throw in a grand's worth of trailer with it for the price 
The nutter who bought it drove it 80 miles home on trade plates despite it having no MOT or tax, bet he had a headache buy the time he got back. He intends to do a bit of rally cross with it apparently. Glad it's gone to someone who'll use it as at one point I thought I may have to break it to get my money back on it.
WEREWOLF said:
Car looking good Rich.We`ll have to meet up with our respective cars on the same trackday next year.Pug will be finally(crosses fingers)be finished.
It's still miles off what I want it to be like, will deffo be at Oulton loads next year.What's the plans on your Pug then? Didn't think you could posibly make it any quicker than it was already.
S3_Graham said:
Hey, really loving yours and Benny c's cars!!.. so much so... that me and best mate are now on the hunt for a 325!!... sadly i sold 2 E30 325's at the start of the year.... and for a grand... desperate times and all that.... but not to worry ill be back.
Where abouts are you from? would ove to have a look at your car some time!
Glad to hear it, I think E36's represent the best value for a performance/handling/reliablity/tunability compromiseWhere abouts are you from? would ove to have a look at your car some time!
I'm in Shrewsbury and Benny's from Cheshire so we'll hopefully be out together at Oulton Park next year at some point.
A friend's brother's selling his 1997 323i coupe, it's a real minter only done 60,000 miles and he was only offered a pitance in part ex. he's from Hampshire so a bit closer to you. Drop him a PM if you're interested: http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/profile.asp?mem...
S3_Graham said:
its strange that E36's are cheaper than E30's??
Are the E36 saloons more rigid than a 3door E30??
Not really, E30's are starting to hit classic money where as E36's are still at the bottom of the car food chain, council estate cars as R5GTTgaz calls them.Are the E36 saloons more rigid than a 3door E30??
I've been in standard and fully caged E30's and 36's and to be honest I can't tell the difference. I think with a full welded in multipoint cage you're doubling the original stiffness anyway so I wouldn't worry about it. If you can afford an E30 then go for it but I prefer the better value for money that you get from a 36, like Antj said if it went into a barrier I wouldn't be as gutted, just get another one out of the local paper and re-shell it if the worst came to the worst.
JakeR said:
DaveShark said:
I was also wondering about harnesses/seat-belts. Im assuming it is ok to whip out the belts and still be OK for the MOT with the harness?
I am pretty sure harnesses are fine for MOTs... I had a track E30 with harnesses that passed MOT no probs, and loads of kit cars only have harnesses.Just need to get some camber adjustable top mounts so I can finish off fitting the coilovers so I can take the car to have the cage welded in.
PurelyRetro said:
Bump!
Any more updates Sniff?
Nothing since I last posted I'm afraid Charlie, just had a very heavy last 6 weeks at work (training to be a train driver and just finished my rules and regs)Any more updates Sniff?
A fellow Pistonheader (Chassis33) is meant to be welding the cage in for me shortly, can't wait to have that done then I can get it painted and start fitting out the interior. Will post some updates once there's progress.
S3_Graham said:
dont suppose you know of any other cheap E36's going....
S3 is now for sale and im on the virge of getting a 195k mile Mk2 golf but would MUCH prefer a beemer..... or infact if anyone else knows of any cheap good (as can be expected) BMW's in the south area-ish!
It's just a case of scouring the classifieds on here, Autotrader, Ebay etc. Also local papers and supermarket adverts can turn up some bargains. Keep on looking, it'll be worth it in the end.S3 is now for sale and im on the virge of getting a 195k mile Mk2 golf but would MUCH prefer a beemer..... or infact if anyone else knows of any cheap good (as can be expected) BMW's in the south area-ish!
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