1996 BMW E36 328i Coupe - we have history...
Discussion
Not strictly about the cars but closely related.
I love my garage. It’s one of the main reasons I bought this house. It’s only about 3 years old and is a good size, light, power etc.
One thing that bothers me though is the floor. It’s nice and flat and smooth, but it’s unsealed concrete, so dust gets all over everything, especially me when I’m under a car, or kneel to take a wheel off, or just touch the floor for any reason. I got a bit fed up of getting coated in the stuff all the time, so this weekend I have been painting.
I bought a double garage kit from Resincoat. It included the appropriate primer for my dusty floor, and enough for two coats of their two-part epoxy garage floor paint, along with brushes, rollers etc. the idea being it’s everything you need to do the job start to finish. My kit appeared to be lacking a handle for the roller frame. I don’t know if that’s by design or they missed it out, but I improvised and all was fine. It’s super easy to mix and apply, and I had about the right amount of paint despite mine being an oversized single as opposed to a double.
From this:
To this:
I’m happy with that, and tomorrow I will be able to put all my shizzle back in there. It should be a much better environment for tinkering now.
And yes, I’ll be painting the wall in the back corner. I couldn’t get to it before because the work bench was there.
I love my garage. It’s one of the main reasons I bought this house. It’s only about 3 years old and is a good size, light, power etc.
One thing that bothers me though is the floor. It’s nice and flat and smooth, but it’s unsealed concrete, so dust gets all over everything, especially me when I’m under a car, or kneel to take a wheel off, or just touch the floor for any reason. I got a bit fed up of getting coated in the stuff all the time, so this weekend I have been painting.
I bought a double garage kit from Resincoat. It included the appropriate primer for my dusty floor, and enough for two coats of their two-part epoxy garage floor paint, along with brushes, rollers etc. the idea being it’s everything you need to do the job start to finish. My kit appeared to be lacking a handle for the roller frame. I don’t know if that’s by design or they missed it out, but I improvised and all was fine. It’s super easy to mix and apply, and I had about the right amount of paint despite mine being an oversized single as opposed to a double.
From this:
To this:
I’m happy with that, and tomorrow I will be able to put all my shizzle back in there. It should be a much better environment for tinkering now.
And yes, I’ll be painting the wall in the back corner. I couldn’t get to it before because the work bench was there.
buy_cheap_pay_later said:
Not strictly about the cars but closely related.
I love my garage. It’s one of the main reasons I bought this house. It’s only about 3 years old and is a good size, light, power etc.
One thing that bothers me though is the floor. It’s nice and flat and smooth, but it’s unsealed concrete, so dust gets all over everything, especially me when I’m under a car, or kneel to take a wheel off, or just touch the floor for any reason. I got a bit fed up of getting coated in the stuff all the time, so this weekend I have been painting.
I bought a double garage kit from Resincoat. It included the appropriate primer for my dusty floor, and enough for two coats of their two-part epoxy garage floor paint, along with brushes, rollers etc. the idea being it’s everything you need to do the job start to finish. My kit appeared to be lacking a handle for the roller frame. I don’t know if that’s by design or they missed it out, but I improvised and all was fine. It’s super easy to mix and apply, and I had about the right amount of paint despite mine being an oversized single as opposed to a double.
From this:
To this:
I’m happy with that, and tomorrow I will be able to put all my shizzle back in there. It should be a much better environment for tinkering now.
And yes, I’ll be painting the wall in the back corner. I couldn’t get to it before because the work bench was there.
Nice work - if I may offer a bit of adviceI love my garage. It’s one of the main reasons I bought this house. It’s only about 3 years old and is a good size, light, power etc.
One thing that bothers me though is the floor. It’s nice and flat and smooth, but it’s unsealed concrete, so dust gets all over everything, especially me when I’m under a car, or kneel to take a wheel off, or just touch the floor for any reason. I got a bit fed up of getting coated in the stuff all the time, so this weekend I have been painting.
I bought a double garage kit from Resincoat. It included the appropriate primer for my dusty floor, and enough for two coats of their two-part epoxy garage floor paint, along with brushes, rollers etc. the idea being it’s everything you need to do the job start to finish. My kit appeared to be lacking a handle for the roller frame. I don’t know if that’s by design or they missed it out, but I improvised and all was fine. It’s super easy to mix and apply, and I had about the right amount of paint despite mine being an oversized single as opposed to a double.
From this:
To this:
I’m happy with that, and tomorrow I will be able to put all my shizzle back in there. It should be a much better environment for tinkering now.
And yes, I’ll be painting the wall in the back corner. I couldn’t get to it before because the work bench was there.
Now plaster board the ceiling - insert a loft hatch at the back by the doorway - because that will always be clear of stuff
Lay loft insulation above it between the joists and board out some or all of the roof space for light storage
The garage will be warmer in the winter but more importantly much cooler in the summer as you will stop most of the solar gain on the roof tiles and loft space heating up the garage to unpleasant temps
I used to do no work in my garage in the summer due to the heat in there and it would be too damn cold in the winter
Now in the summer it's a lovely place to be even when it's 30 deg outside - don't think I've ever seen higher than 20 deg
In the winter it's always 5 degrees warmer than outside and just a small amount of heat (2kW electric heater for 30 mins) is enough to have it comfortable for working without loads of layers and gloves on
B'stard Child said:
Nice work - if I may offer a bit of advice
Now plaster board the ceiling - insert a loft hatch at the back by the doorway - because that will always be clear of stuff
Lay loft insulation above it between the joists and board out some or all of the roof space for light storage
The garage will be warmer in the winter but more importantly much cooler in the summer as you will stop most of the solar gain on the roof tiles and loft space heating up the garage to unpleasant temps
I used to do no work in my garage in the summer due to the heat in there and it would be too damn cold in the winter
Now in the summer it's a lovely place to be even when it's 30 deg outside - don't think I've ever seen higher than 20 deg
In the winter it's always 5 degrees warmer than outside and just a small amount of heat (2kW electric heater for 30 mins) is enough to have it comfortable for working without loads of layers and gloves on
It’s certainly on my to do list. I’ll get there eventually! Now plaster board the ceiling - insert a loft hatch at the back by the doorway - because that will always be clear of stuff
Lay loft insulation above it between the joists and board out some or all of the roof space for light storage
The garage will be warmer in the winter but more importantly much cooler in the summer as you will stop most of the solar gain on the roof tiles and loft space heating up the garage to unpleasant temps
I used to do no work in my garage in the summer due to the heat in there and it would be too damn cold in the winter
Now in the summer it's a lovely place to be even when it's 30 deg outside - don't think I've ever seen higher than 20 deg
In the winter it's always 5 degrees warmer than outside and just a small amount of heat (2kW electric heater for 30 mins) is enough to have it comfortable for working without loads of layers and gloves on
A double whammy today. Action on both fronts.
I’ll start with the OG E36, the track car.
Since I installed the new rack, and since it hadn’t had an alignment done this year, I took the opportunity whilst having the new front tyres fitted to have the alignment done as well.
I took the printout from last time I had it done, when it was set up by someone who had at least half a clue about setting cars up for track use. I asked them to match the numbers on the printout, which seemed fairly straightforward, but apparently wasn’t. I was met with ‘I did what you wanted but the computer said it was wrong so I did what the computer told me to do.’
I’d have thought it was obvious that I wanted them to do something out of the ordinary, otherwise why give them the printout? It took a bit of cajoling but we got there in the end.
It got some admiration from the lads who worked there, and from the guy working at WBAC next door. He had a silver E36 325i that was ‘slammed’ and was about 85% rust. He seemed quite knowledgeable though, and I’m always happy to talk E36s with fellow enthusiasts.
The car felt pretty good on the way home, albeit with a big boomy exhaust note. The new rack feels sharp. There was however a bit of a rattle coming from somewhere (not the exhaust) as I came up my road, so I’ll have to investigate that at some point.
I’m booked on an MSV track day at Donington Park on 22 May, and I’ve also now booked a slot at the Shelsley Walsh driving school on 13 Jun. It’s local to me so seemed rude not to have a go on the hill at some point.
Next up, Derek.
I got some part worn 225/45R17s from the obvious online repository of everything, and now my definitely fake, weirdly coloured Style 24s fit beautifully.
From this:
To this:
I’ll need some new centre caps because the ones on the 18s are in a terrible state. I’m surprised they managed to stay put. The ones in the picture are just sort of balanced there for visual purposes. I’ve ordered 4 for £8, so for now I’ll have to drive round without any.
I like the wheels, I’m definitely dubious about the colour. Derek cab wear them for a bit and I’ll see how I feel.
Oh, and I think he has a slight incontinence problem. There’s a definite smell of petrol about him at times. It’s not peeing out anywhere but it’s definitely emerging from the system somewhere. More investigation required.
Also, the bonnet cable is very slack, almost to the point that it doesn’t open the bonnet, the passenger door handles, inside and out, have a similar problem, and at least one but probably more of the speakers don’t work. All of this is just good tinkering fodder though. I’ll have a play when I’ve got a bit of time.
I’ll start with the OG E36, the track car.
Since I installed the new rack, and since it hadn’t had an alignment done this year, I took the opportunity whilst having the new front tyres fitted to have the alignment done as well.
I took the printout from last time I had it done, when it was set up by someone who had at least half a clue about setting cars up for track use. I asked them to match the numbers on the printout, which seemed fairly straightforward, but apparently wasn’t. I was met with ‘I did what you wanted but the computer said it was wrong so I did what the computer told me to do.’
I’d have thought it was obvious that I wanted them to do something out of the ordinary, otherwise why give them the printout? It took a bit of cajoling but we got there in the end.
It got some admiration from the lads who worked there, and from the guy working at WBAC next door. He had a silver E36 325i that was ‘slammed’ and was about 85% rust. He seemed quite knowledgeable though, and I’m always happy to talk E36s with fellow enthusiasts.
The car felt pretty good on the way home, albeit with a big boomy exhaust note. The new rack feels sharp. There was however a bit of a rattle coming from somewhere (not the exhaust) as I came up my road, so I’ll have to investigate that at some point.
I’m booked on an MSV track day at Donington Park on 22 May, and I’ve also now booked a slot at the Shelsley Walsh driving school on 13 Jun. It’s local to me so seemed rude not to have a go on the hill at some point.
Next up, Derek.
I got some part worn 225/45R17s from the obvious online repository of everything, and now my definitely fake, weirdly coloured Style 24s fit beautifully.
From this:
To this:
I’ll need some new centre caps because the ones on the 18s are in a terrible state. I’m surprised they managed to stay put. The ones in the picture are just sort of balanced there for visual purposes. I’ve ordered 4 for £8, so for now I’ll have to drive round without any.
I like the wheels, I’m definitely dubious about the colour. Derek cab wear them for a bit and I’ll see how I feel.
Oh, and I think he has a slight incontinence problem. There’s a definite smell of petrol about him at times. It’s not peeing out anywhere but it’s definitely emerging from the system somewhere. More investigation required.
Also, the bonnet cable is very slack, almost to the point that it doesn’t open the bonnet, the passenger door handles, inside and out, have a similar problem, and at least one but probably more of the speakers don’t work. All of this is just good tinkering fodder though. I’ll have a play when I’ve got a bit of time.
helix402 said:
Fuel pipes to the filter often crack and leak with age on the E36.
You’re bang on. Found the leak this morning, it’s coming from the front of the fuel filter. 
I think this is the hose you sent me when I was doing the fuel filter on the other one, isn’t it?
If it is, then I should be able to sort it this evening or tomorrow.
buy_cheap_pay_later said:
You’re bang on. Found the leak this morning, it’s coming from the front of the fuel filter.
I think this is the hose you sent me when I was doing the fuel filter on the other one, isn’t it?
If it is, then I should be able to sort it this evening or tomorrow.
It looks like it. Good job!I think this is the hose you sent me when I was doing the fuel filter on the other one, isn’t it?
If it is, then I should be able to sort it this evening or tomorrow.
I’d ordered some different blue tent repair patches from Amazon to see which had the best colour match for the soft top. This was the winner:
I squidged a bit of stormsure adhesive along the opening, then put the tape over the top and smoothed it down with a wallpaper seam roller. Looks alright from a distance. Definitely better than the green tape!
I squidged a bit of stormsure adhesive along the opening, then put the tape over the top and smoothed it down with a wallpaper seam roller. Looks alright from a distance. Definitely better than the green tape!
Good work on the E36 track car. I use a E36 318Ti on track and it's great. Reliability counts for a lot when you only do one or two trackdays a year.
For the brakes, some E46 came with 300mm discs (up from the E36 286mm). Not as big as the 330i 325mm discs, but a worthwhile upgrade when the carriers can be had for buttons. Can use the same calipers and pads as E36.
For the brakes, some E46 came with 300mm discs (up from the E36 286mm). Not as big as the 330i 325mm discs, but a worthwhile upgrade when the carriers can be had for buttons. Can use the same calipers and pads as E36.
[quote=buy_cheap_pay_later]
I’m booked on an MSV track day at Donington Park on 22 May
[\quote]
I have a couple of hours to have a bit of track day action on Monday, would a like minded passenger be accepted? Obviously I’ll bring my own helmet and stump up the passenger fee to MSV. If you’ve already got company, no worries.
I’m booked on an MSV track day at Donington Park on 22 May
[\quote]
I have a couple of hours to have a bit of track day action on Monday, would a like minded passenger be accepted? Obviously I’ll bring my own helmet and stump up the passenger fee to MSV. If you’ve already got company, no worries.
buy_cheap_pay_later said:
The new rack is undamaged. Hooray!
It came with track rods attached, but I presume it's from an E46 as the overall track is about 5-6cm wider than the one that came off my car. There was only about 1cm adjustment possible on each side, so that meant I had to swap the track rods over.
These ones are mine, from the E36, with my trusty tie rod tool in the foreground. They had locking washers, which were absent on the ones attached to the new rack. I decided therefore that they are unnecessary.
Fortunately (or entirely by design and obviously, I imagine), the bare racks are the same length. Rock on.
Rack on the car. It took some persuading to get the spindle on the rack into the pinch block on the steering column. Top tip here is to actually remove the bolt from the pinch block entirely. That's more effective than simply loosening it. That's probably a well known fact but it wasn't known to me until now!
Behold the purple tag!
I tightened everything to the torque specs in the Haynes manual, though the torques for the banjo bolts onto the rack seemed a bit feeble. From memory it was something like 32Nm and 43Nm for the small and large bolts. It felt to me like a recipe for leakage so I have to admit I did the 'I know better' and applied a bit more muscle.
It's filled with fluid and seems happy enough. Three turns of the steering wheel from lock to lock. I haven't got it back on the floor yet though.
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