E36 328i Touring. When it breaks, upgrade it...
Discussion
S3_Graham said:
Shout if you decide to get rid of your vaders. Happy to do a deal on my M3 cab interior! If love a set of in the Modena colour but they are silly money and would involve a dash swap etc... I think black would work but ideally grey.
Mines also a slightly odd spec in that it's heated but not electric.
Thanks, but I'll be keeping hold of the Vaders for a while now- getting them kitted out with heat and the lumbar support, just to make the ultimate OEM seats for an E36- geeky, but fun!Mines also a slightly odd spec in that it's heated but not electric.
MarkwG said:
Love what you're doing: just a heads up you may not be familiar with, the flexi joint on the rear manifold has a tendency to fracture - might be worth getting it done as a pre emptive strike, I can recommend Iridium in Southampton. They are a b!tch to fit, my indie swore he'd never do another when he swapped mine over...
Thanks 
she's a labour of love! I am aware of that issue, mine seem to be absolutely fine. I have spoken to Iridium- they're literally two streets away from me- but they never bothered getting back in touch when I asked if they could do two for me. We did the manifolds on my best mate's 328i saloon, they were evil. However, I'm happy enough to try them on mine! I have some better ideas about fitting them!So 2015 didn't really get off to the best start, as far as cars go...
She spat out a spark plug on the Severn Bridge, of all places, a solid 110 miles from home. Pulled over on the hard shoulder, f
k all compression, sounded like a lawnmower, checked the coils as they were the last thing I changed...
Right then. Brilliant. Plug #6 spat out totally. It had been helicoiled in the past, but that had clearly given up the ghost...
So she got taken to a good friend's workshop, where she was laid up from Jan 4th > Jan 14th. In that time we found out a few things...
Front subframes should not look like this.
They don't usually come in separate pieces.
Evo manifolds are truly massive compared to the standard ones, and something I will never ever ever be fitting when the engine's in a car, again. I ended up removing the subframe and engine mount bracket to improve access from underneath- meant you could do each manifold one at a time, as opposed to messing about juggling them.
Removed rocker cover and a load of ancillary bits on the top of the engine to improve access to the bolts. Hideous job. Never again.
KWs on, but needed some TLC, so straight off again until some bits turn up...
In between buggering about with mine, helped a friend fit an M50B30 stroker lump to his E30 Touring. That'll be fun!
TLC underway.
Cams going in.
New Riot Racing bits of shiny goodness.
Wet tyre marks suggesting she was, in fact, moving under her own steam again- suggestion correct, all fixed.
Chucked these in as well. On genuine BMW rails- pretty cool.
All back together!
M3 exhaust on. Excuse hideously dirty car.
Recaros peeking out...
Metal M52 rocker cover, given some love with the sandblaster and some metal polish...
Final list of things played with:
- Front subframe removed and replaced with M3 item (has threads for sump guard)
- M3 Evo exhaust manifolds fitted
- Full M3 system fitted with gutted backbox
- Riot Racing cams installed
- Spark plug well rethreaded, thankfully
- New plugs bunged in
- New seats installed
- Front suspension changed but put back to Bilsteins for now
Quite happy with all that.
She spat out a spark plug on the Severn Bridge, of all places, a solid 110 miles from home. Pulled over on the hard shoulder, f
k all compression, sounded like a lawnmower, checked the coils as they were the last thing I changed...
Right then. Brilliant. Plug #6 spat out totally. It had been helicoiled in the past, but that had clearly given up the ghost...
So she got taken to a good friend's workshop, where she was laid up from Jan 4th > Jan 14th. In that time we found out a few things...
Front subframes should not look like this.
They don't usually come in separate pieces.
Evo manifolds are truly massive compared to the standard ones, and something I will never ever ever be fitting when the engine's in a car, again. I ended up removing the subframe and engine mount bracket to improve access from underneath- meant you could do each manifold one at a time, as opposed to messing about juggling them.
Removed rocker cover and a load of ancillary bits on the top of the engine to improve access to the bolts. Hideous job. Never again.
KWs on, but needed some TLC, so straight off again until some bits turn up...
In between buggering about with mine, helped a friend fit an M50B30 stroker lump to his E30 Touring. That'll be fun!
TLC underway.
Cams going in.
New Riot Racing bits of shiny goodness.
Wet tyre marks suggesting she was, in fact, moving under her own steam again- suggestion correct, all fixed.
Chucked these in as well. On genuine BMW rails- pretty cool.
All back together!
M3 exhaust on. Excuse hideously dirty car.
Recaros peeking out...
Metal M52 rocker cover, given some love with the sandblaster and some metal polish...
Final list of things played with:
- Front subframe removed and replaced with M3 item (has threads for sump guard)
- M3 Evo exhaust manifolds fitted
- Full M3 system fitted with gutted backbox
- Riot Racing cams installed
- Spark plug well rethreaded, thankfully
- New plugs bunged in
- New seats installed
- Front suspension changed but put back to Bilsteins for now
Quite happy with all that.
JordanTurbo said:
Good work.
I look forward to seeing a print out once it's been on the dyno with the new cams.
So do I... it started out at 233bhp on its first dyno day, with just induction kit/M50 manifold/lightweight fly/exhaust system. Now it's running a lot more stuff under the bonnet... we'll see.I look forward to seeing a print out once it's been on the dyno with the new cams.
JordanTurbo said:
Who are you getting to remap it? I'm in Surrey so planning to go to Jason at BWchiptune once I've fitted an M50.
I'm in the process of chatting to Skuzzle Motorsport, who are near Winchester. As I'm doing blue top 24lb injectors, a 3.5" MAF, Evo coil packs plus all the rest of the stuff, I want it done properly... they know their stuff.Final running issue fixed- a buggered CCV > manifold pipe- and she's back to full health. Feels very punchy now- mid-range is fantastic. Doesn't quite have the lungs up the top end any more, but that can be solved with nice straight through mids. I'll keep the gutted M3 backbox as it's a touch quieter than an aftermarket, and should work well with straight mids. Very happy now!
matt132 said:
I was just about to ask about the sound. I have the manifolds and centre section ready to go on my 328 but I haven't sourced a backbox yet. Probably just find myself a standard one as I don't want asbo loud.
Also, you aren't the first one to say how much of a bd the manifolds are to fit. I hate paying people to do things on the car that I can do, but they may be an exception.
Mine's pretty liveable with the gutted standard backbox. My best mate runs M3 Evo manifolds, a Supersprint X-pipe decat mid section and the Supersprint race exhaust- it's stupidly loud. We measured it at 117dB holding it at 4500rpm in neutral... Also, you aren't the first one to say how much of a b
d the manifolds are to fit. I hate paying people to do things on the car that I can do, but they may be an exception. 
Personally I won't be doing manifolds again until the old engine comes out and the new engine goes in. They are about as fun as having cholera.
geeks said:
Still loving your work, makes me feel bad for neglecting mine for a shortwhile 
There was a stage when I just wasn't looking after this... it lasted about a month, if that, before she spat her dummy/spark plug out in a big way! 
you'll get back into it.Sammo123 said:
Looking really good! What are those Recaro seats from?
Thanks labour of love! The Recaros are just Recaro Speeds, but on genuine BMW rails, I can get you the part number if you want? They aren't cheap, I know that much, but they have all the provisions for seatbelt buckles and the seatbelts themselves (on Tourings/saloons they bolt to the seat rail, odd).Sammo- basically, you need the M50B25 block, and the M54B30 crank/rod/pistons. Then just glue it all together. I'll be doing it over the next few months or so, just building the parts up at the moment- easy does it. I'm not exactly in a rush, the nigh-on fully maxed out M52B28 is quite adequate at the moment!
Geeks- get on it! It'll be worth it in the end. My best mate has been building his saloon up as well, that's turned into quite the monster now. The carbon bits I got from e36coupe.com forum, I've had some really good buys from there. They're quite expensive new- I paid about £40 for them all?
Geeks- get on it! It'll be worth it in the end. My best mate has been building his saloon up as well, that's turned into quite the monster now. The carbon bits I got from e36coupe.com forum, I've had some really good buys from there. They're quite expensive new- I paid about £40 for them all?
Edited by carpetsoiler on Monday 19th January 19:46
manmaths said:
Love reading the updates on this - I think it looks great.
I don't know that much about mechanical stuff - I was trying to follow what happened to the plug in your last update.
Did the spark plug actually come out of the cylinder head? What caused this?
Thanks! Bit shabby round the edges, but she'll get there. I don't know that much about mechanical stuff - I was trying to follow what happened to the plug in your last update.
Did the spark plug actually come out of the cylinder head? What caused this?
once the performance/mechanical upgrades are done, I'll be sorting out the cosmetics.The plug basically worked itself loose- it was helicoiled at some stage. All the plugs seemed a bit... loose... so I'm guessing #6 just took the brunt of it, for whatever reason. Then it totally stripped the thread on the plug, and bam. Engine dead.
in fact, I have commented on yours. geeks said:
Ah so you have
You might regret the offer of help lol!
Not really lol. I'm helping someone on here get theirs up to scratch, currently refurbing a set of BBS RC041s for them- not an easy task getting them perfect. I've also practically rebuilt my best mate's one with him, in one day we did coilovers, front & rear ARBs, spark plugs, oil change, oil filter, fuel filter, coolant change, new radiator, new cooling system + relocation, new thermostat & stat housing, viscous fan delete, big bore throttle body... I'm at the stage now where I feel relatively comfortable just getting them done! E36s are basically a big Meccano set that happens to be able to move under its own steam.You might regret the offer of help lol!
MOT due on Saturday. Well, actually, it was due on the 24th, but I kind of delayed it for various reasons.
So, for the next week or so, transportation is this...
I'm really quite taken with it, the noise and pull are giggly good fun!
Next parts to get sorted out- yes, another set of wheels- they are the BBS RS740/741s from an E39. So, 17", 8J front, 9J rear. They're actually quite rare, and will look fantastic all done up. The rear bumper is a factory-fit AC Schnitzer item, currently in Madeira Violet but soon to be, well, um, silver.
Yep, the wheels will certainly be a bit of work... but I like a challenge. The weird splined tool to get them apart arrives soon.
I also finally got these on...
Back to a standard SE bumper until the Reiger one is completed too. Very happy with the wheels- I wasn't sure how they'd look on, but I'm sold on them.
That'll do for now... but I can say that the performance needs a bit of help. Up to 4,800rpm or so, the engine is strong and pulls well. Then, all power flattens out and it starts hiccuping/burping. It completely plateaus between 5,000rpm and 6,400rpm. A routine check suggests that the standard 21.5lb pink top injectors simply aren't up to the job- they run at 80% duty cycle when the car's standard, so I'm fairly sure they'll be maxed out now- bearing in mind she ran 233bhp with just induction, M50 manifold, lightweight flywheel and a straight through exhaust. Now, in addition to those mods, she's running the M3 Mishimoto rad, M3 cooling system, EMP water pump, viscous fan delete, big bore throttle body, M3 Evo exhaust manifolds, full M3 exhaust system, and the lairy cams.
This morning, some nice blue top 24lb injectors arrived from the States. These come recommended by most of the Yanks, who say most mods up to cams will be good for 21.5lb injectors... cams apparently require 24lb. I also have the 3.5" MAF to go with the injectors, just need the intake boot and- most importantly- a dedicated rolling road remapping session. And that will surely be fun.
So, for the next week or so, transportation is this...
I'm really quite taken with it, the noise and pull are giggly good fun!
Next parts to get sorted out- yes, another set of wheels- they are the BBS RS740/741s from an E39. So, 17", 8J front, 9J rear. They're actually quite rare, and will look fantastic all done up. The rear bumper is a factory-fit AC Schnitzer item, currently in Madeira Violet but soon to be, well, um, silver.
Yep, the wheels will certainly be a bit of work... but I like a challenge. The weird splined tool to get them apart arrives soon.
I also finally got these on...
Back to a standard SE bumper until the Reiger one is completed too. Very happy with the wheels- I wasn't sure how they'd look on, but I'm sold on them.
That'll do for now... but I can say that the performance needs a bit of help. Up to 4,800rpm or so, the engine is strong and pulls well. Then, all power flattens out and it starts hiccuping/burping. It completely plateaus between 5,000rpm and 6,400rpm. A routine check suggests that the standard 21.5lb pink top injectors simply aren't up to the job- they run at 80% duty cycle when the car's standard, so I'm fairly sure they'll be maxed out now- bearing in mind she ran 233bhp with just induction, M50 manifold, lightweight flywheel and a straight through exhaust. Now, in addition to those mods, she's running the M3 Mishimoto rad, M3 cooling system, EMP water pump, viscous fan delete, big bore throttle body, M3 Evo exhaust manifolds, full M3 exhaust system, and the lairy cams.
This morning, some nice blue top 24lb injectors arrived from the States. These come recommended by most of the Yanks, who say most mods up to cams will be good for 21.5lb injectors... cams apparently require 24lb. I also have the 3.5" MAF to go with the injectors, just need the intake boot and- most importantly- a dedicated rolling road remapping session. And that will surely be fun.
iacabu said:
First time I've had a look at this thread...you got it for a bargain initially and it's really coming along. I think all the wheel choices get a 
from me too, particularly the Rondells, I always wanted an e39 with those on
Thanks! from me too, particularly the Rondells, I always wanted an e39 with those onEdited by iacabu on Wednesday 28th January 04:00
the Rondells were a nightmare, and probably my biggest mistake with the car- because at that moment I took my eye off the performance ball to chase looks... and it ended very badly!Mark- the E39 is unique in that it has a 74.1mm centre bore, and everything else BMW-flavoured comes with 72.6mm. So, as iacabu correctly mentioned, some spigot rings do the job nicely. I can attest to this because I initially fitted the Rondells sans spigot rings... and it was like driving a Saab convertible from the early '90s.
amazing what a 1.5mm-thick ring of metal makes on each wheel.Humour said:
Cool constantly evolving project OP
Out of curiosity, which OEM BMW part is being used to fulfil the job of the larger 3.5" MAF?
Humour
It's never the same month to month. Out of curiosity, which OEM BMW part is being used to fulfil the job of the larger 3.5" MAF?
Humour
The 3.5" MAF is on the E36 M3s (both 3.0 and 3.2), the 540i, and the 740i. You need the plug as well, but fear not, the wires are conveniently labelled 1-4...
Humour said:
HA! Ain't that the truth 
Thanks for answering my query. Presumably then all E36's use the same 4 core of wire from MAF to the ECU? Strange that because I though the MAF connector was more than a 4-pin part. Must have not been paying enough attention during removal/refitting.
Hum
I think I've been fairly true to what I originally wanted to do. But plans do change, some are more fluid than others...Thanks for answering my query. Presumably then all E36's use the same 4 core of wire from MAF to the ECU? Strange that because I though the MAF connector was more than a 4-pin part. Must have not been paying enough attention during removal/refitting.
Hum
I can only assume so, yes. See below for pics.
Funk said:
Loving the upgrades and wishing I knew more about mine to be able to do stuff with it. I don't really have anywhere I can work on it even if I knew how.
Fallen out of love with it in the last couple of days, the heated seats have both decided to pack up (which means it's something behind the dash, yes, I've checked fuses 4 and 23, not it's not the fuses) and the two 12v sockets in the glovebox into one of which the dashcam is plugged have also decided not to work. Basically I have electrical gremlins. On top of that the central heater in the dash is merely puffing out warm air (it's still quite strong when cold but warm air is rubbish).
The other issue is that mine's a daily and I have no other transport so I can't really do anything with it that isn't 'all finished' within a day. I actually thought about getting rid of it on the drive home tonight.
Could be your heated elements in the seats finally giving up the ghost Funk- they're a bit of a sod for that. Very rare for an E36 to have electrical issues though- what've you been doing to it?!Fallen out of love with it in the last couple of days, the heated seats have both decided to pack up (which means it's something behind the dash, yes, I've checked fuses 4 and 23, not it's not the fuses) and the two 12v sockets in the glovebox into one of which the dashcam is plugged have also decided not to work. Basically I have electrical gremlins. On top of that the central heater in the dash is merely puffing out warm air (it's still quite strong when cold but warm air is rubbish).
The other issue is that mine's a daily and I have no other transport so I can't really do anything with it that isn't 'all finished' within a day. I actually thought about getting rid of it on the drive home tonight.
That is annoying, but you'll miss it if you do get rid. If you need any parts, let me know, I have something that may interest you...
Latest purchase:
A '95 M50 325i. Breaking for parts. I'm keeping the engine for my 3-litre stroker build, and am getting rid of everything else. It's got a f
ked auto 'box, and plenty of bits on it worth having... interesting to note that the same time last year, I broke another mid-'90s, 6-cylinder, pre-facelift, E36 convertible, also with a broken passenger window, rust everywhere but a strong engine, parking tickets obscuring the chassis number in the windscreen... got serious deja vu when I was completing the deal!
Two little monsters together. I've reverted to a s
t SE bumper for now because I'm sorting out a different bumper at the mo...I also got a little care package from Messrs K and W. Replacement bits for V3s. Let's clean 'em up, and build 'em up...
Also, I have a few other bits too...
24lb injectors turned up from the States. Comparison to an M50B25 green top injector:
They're much slimmer, but actually typically flow 25.5lb/hr as opposed to 24- this is because they are the Ford Racing blue tops, which usually run 3bar in the Mustang they live in. The BMW runs at 3.5bar.
Also, the bigger MAF versus the standard MAF...
(Humour- as you can see, they share the wires, but you need the plug too.)
And the Mishimoto 3.5" intake boot to let the 3.5" MAF actually fit!
Bonne journée. First trackday of the year at Bedford on Monday. Going to get the car on the KWs this weekend, then head on up there for some fun...
JordanTurbo said:
I'll take you up on that this week if it's ok with you
Yes mate- drop me an email and we'll sort out the finer details. Free Tues/Weds evening, and all day Thurs/Fri.McSam said:
Anyway - you should have given me a shout if you were at Bedford today, I could have popped down for a look! My E36 is still lurking under its cover for the next month or so but would like to check yours out. Hope all went well!
Erm... about that...Are you Matt's brother, per chance? I believe we've spoken before, your Touring is lovely- seem to remember it had Schnitzer mirrors and Z4 wheels? Looked gorgeous.
So we had our first track day the other day! Bedford... we came, we saw, we conquered... and then we hit a barrier doing about 5mph.
First things first, the KWs went on.
Out with the old B10s, in with the even older KWs- they're from 2003, and still work impeccably!
It sat a tad low at the back without spring height adjusters... nipped them in not long after this shot..!
Then I had to fashion something using cunning and genius so I could adjust the rear rebound with ease, and make future suspension changes massively quicker. Taking apart the rear trim in a Touring is genuinely the longest stage in changing the rear suspension.
Cut it.
Find a hinge or two.
Raid the 'drawer of st' which happens to have 2 identical knobs, presumably from an Ikea flat pack desk.
Et voila!
Also got some tyre changes done- Federal RSRs on my track wheels, and stripped down my new BBS RS740/741s. I can't recommend Liam at Fast Tortoise highly enough- great prices, great service.
Cleaned her before the journey up to Bedford. No rubbing at all. Suspension set to fully soft all round- it is SO comfortable! Love it!
Three little monsters waiting for their Bedford fix...
Dat tuck doe.
New helmet and new seats.
Track wheels on. Note the little brown patch on the driver's side wing- that's where the tyre had burnt the paint and lacquer. Time to stiffen up some suspension settings, clearly...
Official photographer stuff from the car park.
Pounding through one of many wet laps.
The Clio, once overtaken, stayed behind...
What's that behind me, on the track? Another silver E36 328i Touring. Common as muck! He lost his rad about halfway through the day, but got it back up and running.
Then... ouch. Came out of the back hairpin before the straight with the chicane on it, doing about 20mph in torrential rain. Back end stepped out, caught it and held it. Then it snapped back the other way ridiculously hard, with no warning whatsoever. Cue sliding backwards, sideways, towards the only fking barrier at Bedford. Only doing about 5mph when I hit it, and already have all the replacement parts sorted out. Didn't bend anything important, so I drove her home from Bedford. Headlight still worked! Only thing that didn't work as it should was the indicator!
So we had our first track day the other day! Bedford... we came, we saw, we conquered... and then we hit a barrier doing about 5mph.
First things first, the KWs went on.
Out with the old B10s, in with the even older KWs- they're from 2003, and still work impeccably!
It sat a tad low at the back without spring height adjusters... nipped them in not long after this shot..!
Then I had to fashion something using cunning and genius so I could adjust the rear rebound with ease, and make future suspension changes massively quicker. Taking apart the rear trim in a Touring is genuinely the longest stage in changing the rear suspension.
Cut it.
Find a hinge or two.
Raid the 'drawer of s
t' which happens to have 2 identical knobs, presumably from an Ikea flat pack desk.Et voila!
Also got some tyre changes done- Federal RSRs on my track wheels, and stripped down my new BBS RS740/741s. I can't recommend Liam at Fast Tortoise highly enough- great prices, great service.
Cleaned her before the journey up to Bedford. No rubbing at all. Suspension set to fully soft all round- it is SO comfortable! Love it!
Three little monsters waiting for their Bedford fix...
Dat tuck doe.
New helmet and new seats.
Track wheels on. Note the little brown patch on the driver's side wing- that's where the tyre had burnt the paint and lacquer. Time to stiffen up some suspension settings, clearly...
Official photographer stuff from the car park.
Pounding through one of many wet laps.
The Clio, once overtaken, stayed behind...
What's that behind me, on the track? Another silver E36 328i Touring. Common as muck! He lost his rad about halfway through the day, but got it back up and running.
Then... ouch. Came out of the back hairpin before the straight with the chicane on it, doing about 20mph in torrential rain. Back end stepped out, caught it and held it. Then it snapped back the other way ridiculously hard, with no warning whatsoever. Cue sliding backwards, sideways, towards the only f
king barrier at Bedford. Only doing about 5mph when I hit it, and already have all the replacement parts sorted out. Didn't bend anything important, so I drove her home from Bedford. Headlight still worked! Only thing that didn't work as it should was the indicator!Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff