E36 328i Touring. When it breaks, upgrade it...
Discussion
328wagon said:
I am indeed the brother of the floppy-haired journo! I've read your thread with a growing sense of impending financial doom. My plan has always been to keep her as standard as possible, but the inevitable M50 swap will have to happen. I'm torn between 'standard' and 'sensibly modified'! Still, yours looks a treat, shame about the bump!
Here's a shot of my old girl:
That looks superb. Never seen those wheels on an E36 before, let alone a Touring, and they really suit it.Here's a shot of my old girl:
Edited by 328wagon on Thursday 19th February 11:21
For what it's worth, I've gone a bit balls-out, but some mods haven't been entirely necessary. I've tried to go for the 'sensibly modified' route- it still has a full interior, and is mostly fairly OEM+. If I was doing it all again, I would not roll the arches and fit silly offset wheels- that was the biggest mistake I made with this car, by a country mile. Everything else I'd gladly do again- maybe with the exception of M3 Evo exhaust manifolds, as they were a friggin' pain in the backside.
M50 is definitely worth doing. If you need a hand, then let me know- fitted my fair share of them now.
Now unbroken.
You wouldn't even know it had been bent.
2 new front wings, rolled properly this time. New nosecone. Old bumper back on until I get an MTech one. Smoked amber indicators in, but have clear ones I picked up from the scrappy today. A bit of unbending. Crash totally missed the chassis, suspension components and bonnet- very lucky indeed.
Onwards and upwards. Time to just enjoy driving her for a bit.
You wouldn't even know it had been bent.
2 new front wings, rolled properly this time. New nosecone. Old bumper back on until I get an MTech one. Smoked amber indicators in, but have clear ones I picked up from the scrappy today. A bit of unbending. Crash totally missed the chassis, suspension components and bonnet- very lucky indeed.
Onwards and upwards. Time to just enjoy driving her for a bit.
JakeT said:
I noticed in a previous post you said you regretted rolling the arches, and now new front wings are on they're now standard again so is there anything you can do to bring the rear arches back to factory? Or is it time and £££ in the body shop needed for it?
I've rolled the fronts again, but taken my time this time around. Ergo, they don't look rubbish. I'm going to get custom arches made up for the back.Well... it's been a while!
So. Things. Stuff. Yes.
After the 'off' at Bedford, I got her looking very well indeed. Schnitzer mirrors, M3 bumper with the lip, polished up the Pininfarinas a bit.
Then I got bored of the Pininfarinas being a nightmare to look after, so I put some home-refurbed Style 81s on, in sparkly grey!
My mate Martyn's track E36- brilliant bit of kit.
Then I got bored of the breaker being sat on the drive, so I pulled the engine out.
A different M3 bumper that sat right, sparkly wheels...
Also put standard clear rears on it all round.
Lovely interior...
Another road trip to Kent, sitting pretty after a clean with James's convertible.
Time to start playing with heads... this is the difference between S50 gaskets and the M52 ports. Considering just how much I should remove.
Clean.
Out playing with Sean's now it's fully working again- his has a lovely spec. Cat Cams, Supersprint M3 mid section, 3.15 M3 LSD...
Pulling apart some 3-litre engines for some bits.
They were all slightly broken in some way, but I have two fully serviceable sets of cranks/rods/pistons and a spare M54B30 intake cam.
Shiny brakes...
Shiny Dymag wheels with new Bridgestone S02s...
Brakes fitted, KW strut hanging merrily in the background, fitted M3 Evo hubs.
Om nom nom.
Rear brakes- fitted the 294mm rears off an E46 320d. The rear brakes from the 320d/325i/328i are a perfect fit for the E36 and a useful upgrade over the 276mm standard. You can't go 313mm E36 M3 discs or 320mm E46 330 rear discs without changing the entire handbrake/trailing arm assembly, so this is a great compromise.
Shiny and fitted.
I decided to take it to Cadwell, seeing as I'd got the brakes done literally the day before we were due to go...
So yeah, a lot of work done.
The brakes were actually relatively easy, BUT- big caveat emptor to those who consider it- changing to M3 hubs causes some issues. Namely, mad-tyte negative camber and it f
ks with your castor. This results in a car that slices through corners, but on anything other than a photocopier-smooth road, the wheel constantly jinks and twists in your hands. This makes for a slightly nervy drive. The 460 mile trip to Cadwell was interesting to say the least. I'm hoping that some eccentric wishbone poly bushes will cure this a touch, as M3 Evos had castor built into the hubs and lower arms... and I'll be buggered if I'm stumping up for M3 Evo lower arms.
Other things to note- the engine bits are all in place now. Just need to buy new shells for the big end and rods, and new piston rings, and a gasket set. The 2 M54s I pulled apart- one was hydrolocked (you can probably spot which one), but I have pulled some rods from a spare M52 engine I have laying around and they'll do the job just fine (same rods). The second M54- that was a result of being run low on oil and no oil change for ages. One of the oil channels for the intake cam had got blocked, and it had superheated- thus shearing the camshaft and making for some interesting running characteristics.
I'm hoping to have the new engine built and installed before I go back to the 'Ring. Apart from that, the only real pressing issue is the headlining is sagging- going to measure up and trim it myself in Alcantara.
Cadwell was an epic track- loved it. Car felt really at home there, and also demolished some pretty fast metal while she was there. I will definitely be going back- a very interesting, challenging track.
Happy reading folks.
So. Things. Stuff. Yes.
After the 'off' at Bedford, I got her looking very well indeed. Schnitzer mirrors, M3 bumper with the lip, polished up the Pininfarinas a bit.
Then I got bored of the Pininfarinas being a nightmare to look after, so I put some home-refurbed Style 81s on, in sparkly grey!
My mate Martyn's track E36- brilliant bit of kit.
Then I got bored of the breaker being sat on the drive, so I pulled the engine out.
A different M3 bumper that sat right, sparkly wheels...
Also put standard clear rears on it all round.
Lovely interior...
Another road trip to Kent, sitting pretty after a clean with James's convertible.
Time to start playing with heads... this is the difference between S50 gaskets and the M52 ports. Considering just how much I should remove.
Clean.
Out playing with Sean's now it's fully working again- his has a lovely spec. Cat Cams, Supersprint M3 mid section, 3.15 M3 LSD...
Pulling apart some 3-litre engines for some bits.
They were all slightly broken in some way, but I have two fully serviceable sets of cranks/rods/pistons and a spare M54B30 intake cam.
Shiny brakes...
Shiny Dymag wheels with new Bridgestone S02s...
Brakes fitted, KW strut hanging merrily in the background, fitted M3 Evo hubs.
Om nom nom.
Rear brakes- fitted the 294mm rears off an E46 320d. The rear brakes from the 320d/325i/328i are a perfect fit for the E36 and a useful upgrade over the 276mm standard. You can't go 313mm E36 M3 discs or 320mm E46 330 rear discs without changing the entire handbrake/trailing arm assembly, so this is a great compromise.
Shiny and fitted.
I decided to take it to Cadwell, seeing as I'd got the brakes done literally the day before we were due to go...
So yeah, a lot of work done.
The brakes were actually relatively easy, BUT- big caveat emptor to those who consider it- changing to M3 hubs causes some issues. Namely, mad-tyte negative camber and it f
ks with your castor. This results in a car that slices through corners, but on anything other than a photocopier-smooth road, the wheel constantly jinks and twists in your hands. This makes for a slightly nervy drive. The 460 mile trip to Cadwell was interesting to say the least. I'm hoping that some eccentric wishbone poly bushes will cure this a touch, as M3 Evos had castor built into the hubs and lower arms... and I'll be buggered if I'm stumping up for M3 Evo lower arms.Other things to note- the engine bits are all in place now. Just need to buy new shells for the big end and rods, and new piston rings, and a gasket set. The 2 M54s I pulled apart- one was hydrolocked (you can probably spot which one), but I have pulled some rods from a spare M52 engine I have laying around and they'll do the job just fine (same rods). The second M54- that was a result of being run low on oil and no oil change for ages. One of the oil channels for the intake cam had got blocked, and it had superheated- thus shearing the camshaft and making for some interesting running characteristics.
I'm hoping to have the new engine built and installed before I go back to the 'Ring. Apart from that, the only real pressing issue is the headlining is sagging- going to measure up and trim it myself in Alcantara.
Cadwell was an epic track- loved it. Car felt really at home there, and also demolished some pretty fast metal while she was there. I will definitely be going back- a very interesting, challenging track.
Happy reading folks.
Cheers geeks. Mini project tonight...
Got very bored of my saggy headlining. I'd been wanting to change it for ages, and it finally gave me a reason to get it sorted because the damn thing was pretty much touching my head.
Old headlining. Mucky, sagging, generally a bit sad and tired. Quite easy to strip out- mostly Philips screws hidden behind the Jesus handles, that kind of thing.
Stripped the fibreglass backing board, scrubbed off all the old foam. Easy peasy.
MAJESTIC. Test fit.
Dat paisley doe.
Used Trimfix to create a contact adhesive bond. Easy enough, frustrating to get wrinkles out of!
Devil is in the detail.
Fully trimmed, all holes cut. Time to re-install...
Fitted at the back.
Fitted at the front, all accessories on.
Fit and finish on the tricky bits- quite happy with it, to be honest.
Also changed the spacers- at the back there was nothing, which looked a bit pathetic with ET35 7.5J wheels (she was used to having ET20 8J/ET13 8.5J). I needed to reduce the size of the spacers up front due to catching issues, so bunged the 18mm spacers up front on the back, and chucked some new 12mm spacers on the front. Perfect!
Looks much more complete now. Still loads of room for the Brembos up front too. Happy days. Just got to get on with that engine build!
Got very bored of my saggy headlining. I'd been wanting to change it for ages, and it finally gave me a reason to get it sorted because the damn thing was pretty much touching my head.
Old headlining. Mucky, sagging, generally a bit sad and tired. Quite easy to strip out- mostly Philips screws hidden behind the Jesus handles, that kind of thing.
Stripped the fibreglass backing board, scrubbed off all the old foam. Easy peasy.
MAJESTIC. Test fit.
Dat paisley doe.
Used Trimfix to create a contact adhesive bond. Easy enough, frustrating to get wrinkles out of!
Devil is in the detail.
Fully trimmed, all holes cut. Time to re-install...
Fitted at the back.
Fitted at the front, all accessories on.
Fit and finish on the tricky bits- quite happy with it, to be honest.
Also changed the spacers- at the back there was nothing, which looked a bit pathetic with ET35 7.5J wheels (she was used to having ET20 8J/ET13 8.5J). I needed to reduce the size of the spacers up front due to catching issues, so bunged the 18mm spacers up front on the back, and chucked some new 12mm spacers on the front. Perfect!
Looks much more complete now. Still loads of room for the Brembos up front too. Happy days. Just got to get on with that engine build!
Well, it has been a while. It's been a turbulent- but interesting- few months.
So. To business. I decided the M52B28 was a bit wet, and that I should really set about building a new engine. I sat down in a workshop with a couple of very buggered M54B30s, and relieved them of their internals. I also got given a set of M54B30 internals in exchange for the internals from the M50B25 from my breaker and the head, all of which were immaculate. I then purchased a potentially fked M52B28 from someone for a very low price so I had a spare head to hand.
The M54s really were goosed- one of them had a snapped intake cam due to oil starvation, and the other had been hydrolocked and had a piston that was bent like a banana.
so I used the ones I got given for the M50 bits instead. The M52, upon inspection, was actually in incredibly good condition- the head was pretty much untouched and the block had barely been used by the looks of it.
So... the start. M50B25 block. Cleaned up with a wire wheel, sprayed with WD40, and skimmed the mating surface down.
It came up really quite well. We were shocked.
Clean and shiny M54B30 piston and rod.
Lovely clean bores, ready for their new pistons...
Another boring shot. Lololololololol.
ARP main stud kit on the bottom end. Genuinely the worst service I've ever had from a company. Useless bunch of wkers.
Removed the washers in the end. Didn't like the fact some of the nuts barely bit on the thread.
Internals in and working:
How the valves looked...
Cleaning them up the old-fashioned way!
And a deeply satisfying end result. Look at that...
Supertech valve stem seals.
Sitting nice and pretty...
24 hydraulic lifter assemblies, sitting on the wall, 24 hydraulic lifter assemblies, sitting on the wall, and if one of those assemblies, should not-accidentally-be-split-down-and-cleaned, there'll be 23 hydraulic lifter assemblies, sitting on the wall, waiting to be cleaned.
Russian doll-style size comparisons of the components inside the lifters. Wow!
Lotta splitting down.
Bing. Head on.
Bing. Valve springs on. Tool for this job- £9.99 off eBay. That site really has revolutionised stuff like this.
Cam #1 in.
In very good condition...
Vanos assembly on.
Pretty rocker cover.
Judgement Day on July 30th. Pulling her old heart out.
Some good angles here.
Bing. Out.
This accurately reflects the mood of that day.
New engine's pulleys, all cleaned up...
Close-up of new rocker cover.
Bing. All together!
Sitting and waiting for her new heart. She looked like this for a while.
S50 manifolds on.
Cut down the Lambda bosses so 328 Lambdas would actually fit properly.
Genuinely spent 5 minutes debating whether it was worth sticking this clutch back in or not.
Clearly wasn't.
And it's in.
Snug fit... looks like it was always there!
New rear springs... that one snapped. Big bang. Terrifying. Amazing service from KW as usual- ordered on Wednesday at 1pm, showed up Thursday at 10am.
Shocks look in good nick for 12 years old.
New exhaust, courtesy of Ferrari's OEM manufacturer.
Then the issues started... it was pissing out coolant. Initially due to the fact that the M52 heater return pipe is notorious for not sealing properly. It's a pressure fitting with 2 O-rings, and the pipe bolts to the block to hold it in the right place. Naturally, the M50 block was missing one crucial bolt hole for the heater return pipe to bolt into. Cue three-four weeks of chasing coolant leaks in various places, starting with the heater return pipe, leading to the timing cover, then ultimately resulting in this...
I was far from amused. A new head gasket on a 13 fking mile old engine. Classic.
In other news, I did fix the heater pipe and timing cover issue resolutely.
Ghetto engine hoist so I could drop the sump and get the timing cover out...
Cleaned the mating surfaces.
New M50 timing cover.
My new heater pipe assembly. The top pipe is the M52 one. See how it's a solid pipe that plugs into the timing cover? That's what caused the issues. The M50 one has a flange that protrudes where the hole is- they're actually the same part number, just that the M50 timing cover has that flange which has a softpipe attaching to it. So I cut down a spare M52 heater return pipe at a suitable place, then cut the M50 softpipe, and slid it over the M52 one. The pressure fitting for that alone was genuinely tighter than the 2 O-rings provided for the M52 heater return pipe. Problem finally solved, 3 weeks later.
Looks OEM!
Would also like to point out that in between all this work, some penis in a Golf understeered into her on a roundabout.
I was far from amused, as you can expect.
I also took her to her final dyno day as a 2.8. She returned a very healthy 245bhp and 228lb/ft. Video below- worth it for the noise alone.
And finally, last night, after a good few months of hard graft, problem solving, missing taking her on a Nürburgring trip, blood, sweat, tears, and nearly breaking her for parts last week... here she sits. A living, breathing, E36 330i Touring. Happy reading folks.
So. To business. I decided the M52B28 was a bit wet, and that I should really set about building a new engine. I sat down in a workshop with a couple of very buggered M54B30s, and relieved them of their internals. I also got given a set of M54B30 internals in exchange for the internals from the M50B25 from my breaker and the head, all of which were immaculate. I then purchased a potentially f
ked M52B28 from someone for a very low price so I had a spare head to hand.The M54s really were goosed- one of them had a snapped intake cam due to oil starvation, and the other had been hydrolocked and had a piston that was bent like a banana.
so I used the ones I got given for the M50 bits instead. The M52, upon inspection, was actually in incredibly good condition- the head was pretty much untouched and the block had barely been used by the looks of it.So... the start. M50B25 block. Cleaned up with a wire wheel, sprayed with WD40, and skimmed the mating surface down.
It came up really quite well. We were shocked.
Clean and shiny M54B30 piston and rod.
Lovely clean bores, ready for their new pistons...
Another boring shot. Lololololololol.
ARP main stud kit on the bottom end. Genuinely the worst service I've ever had from a company. Useless bunch of w
kers.
Removed the washers in the end. Didn't like the fact some of the nuts barely bit on the thread.
Internals in and working:
How the valves looked...
Cleaning them up the old-fashioned way!
And a deeply satisfying end result. Look at that...
Supertech valve stem seals.
Sitting nice and pretty...
24 hydraulic lifter assemblies, sitting on the wall, 24 hydraulic lifter assemblies, sitting on the wall, and if one of those assemblies, should not-accidentally-be-split-down-and-cleaned, there'll be 23 hydraulic lifter assemblies, sitting on the wall, waiting to be cleaned.
Russian doll-style size comparisons of the components inside the lifters. Wow!
Lotta splitting down.
Bing. Head on.
Bing. Valve springs on. Tool for this job- £9.99 off eBay. That site really has revolutionised stuff like this.
Cam #1 in.
In very good condition...
Vanos assembly on.
Pretty rocker cover.
Judgement Day on July 30th. Pulling her old heart out.
Some good angles here.
Bing. Out.
This accurately reflects the mood of that day.
New engine's pulleys, all cleaned up...
Close-up of new rocker cover.
Bing. All together!
Sitting and waiting for her new heart. She looked like this for a while.
S50 manifolds on.
Cut down the Lambda bosses so 328 Lambdas would actually fit properly.
Genuinely spent 5 minutes debating whether it was worth sticking this clutch back in or not.
Clearly wasn't.
And it's in.
Snug fit... looks like it was always there!
New rear springs... that one snapped. Big bang. Terrifying. Amazing service from KW as usual- ordered on Wednesday at 1pm, showed up Thursday at 10am.
Shocks look in good nick for 12 years old.
New exhaust, courtesy of Ferrari's OEM manufacturer.
Then the issues started... it was pissing out coolant. Initially due to the fact that the M52 heater return pipe is notorious for not sealing properly. It's a pressure fitting with 2 O-rings, and the pipe bolts to the block to hold it in the right place. Naturally, the M50 block was missing one crucial bolt hole for the heater return pipe to bolt into. Cue three-four weeks of chasing coolant leaks in various places, starting with the heater return pipe, leading to the timing cover, then ultimately resulting in this...
I was far from amused. A new head gasket on a 13 f
king mile old engine. Classic.In other news, I did fix the heater pipe and timing cover issue resolutely.
Ghetto engine hoist so I could drop the sump and get the timing cover out...
Cleaned the mating surfaces.
New M50 timing cover.
My new heater pipe assembly. The top pipe is the M52 one. See how it's a solid pipe that plugs into the timing cover? That's what caused the issues. The M50 one has a flange that protrudes where the hole is- they're actually the same part number, just that the M50 timing cover has that flange which has a softpipe attaching to it. So I cut down a spare M52 heater return pipe at a suitable place, then cut the M50 softpipe, and slid it over the M52 one. The pressure fitting for that alone was genuinely tighter than the 2 O-rings provided for the M52 heater return pipe. Problem finally solved, 3 weeks later.
Looks OEM!
Would also like to point out that in between all this work, some penis in a Golf understeered into her on a roundabout.
I was far from amused, as you can expect.
I also took her to her final dyno day as a 2.8. She returned a very healthy 245bhp and 228lb/ft. Video below- worth it for the noise alone.
And finally, last night, after a good few months of hard graft, problem solving, missing taking her on a Nürburgring trip, blood, sweat, tears, and nearly breaking her for parts last week... here she sits. A living, breathing, E36 330i Touring. Happy reading folks.
Edited by carpetsoiler on Wednesday 9th September 01:07
Thanks guys. It's been a real labour of love, and I came so close to snapping quite a few times!
Helix- yes mate, 13 miles old and we had to pull the head off. Hilarious.
Chunky- get one before they all disappear. There's a lovely Atlantis Blue one on eBay at the moment. And yes, this one is quite mad.
Manta- next trip is already booked for April 15th-18th. See you there??
Matt- of course you can have a drive. Just give me a few hundred miles!!
Helix- yes mate, 13 miles old and we had to pull the head off. Hilarious.
Chunky- get one before they all disappear. There's a lovely Atlantis Blue one on eBay at the moment. And yes, this one is quite mad.
Manta- next trip is already booked for April 15th-18th. See you there??
Matt- of course you can have a drive. Just give me a few hundred miles!!
iacabu said:
Not as keen on the Dymags as some of your previous wheels but still looking great!
Big YES to the headlining though
It's more 'form over function' these days... and those Dymags are awesome! Magnesium road race wheels... for rarity value they're pretty much off the charts too!Big YES to the headlining though
The headlining is being redone soon- I was a bit too slow last time and the adhesive had started going off before I'd stuck down precious paisley. So I've gone for something a little more psychedelic...
Ben- thanks a lot it's been a hell of a learning curve, but I've decided after a lot of deliberation that I'd gladly do it again.
Ian- was good to meet you, and hopefully I'll be putting her up the strip next year... she's running better and better.
In other news, had some bodywork done and the car doesn't look like a fking shed any more. This is good times indeed. New 24lb injectors are on their merry way from the States, and then she's in for mapping. We've worked out that the greedy cow doesn't misfire/knock/retard timing as long as she's fed the finest-quality super unleaded. Definitely seems to prefer Shell Fast and the Furious Nitro VPower Willywaver, or whatever it's known as these days.
More updates to come... she's still far from finished.
it's been a hell of a learning curve, but I've decided after a lot of deliberation that I'd gladly do it again.Ian- was good to meet you, and hopefully I'll be putting her up the strip next year... she's running better and better.
In other news, had some bodywork done and the car doesn't look like a f
king shed any more. This is good times indeed. New 24lb injectors are on their merry way from the States, and then she's in for mapping. We've worked out that the greedy cow doesn't misfire/knock/retard timing as long as she's fed the finest-quality super unleaded. Definitely seems to prefer Shell Fast and the Furious Nitro VPower Willywaver, or whatever it's known as these days.More updates to come... she's still far from finished.
Well, it's been a while.
It's certainly been a busy year (?) or so since I last did a proper update, too... and it will continue to be a while, as I need to get my photos from my phone onto Photobucket!!
The 3.1 has been a fraught project. It's been one of those things that, when it's worked, it's been unstoppable. I genuinely feel that the 3.1 is my favourite engine in an E36 chassis. After working out more foibles, and changing more parts, I felt like we were finally getting somewhere. Between January and May, we had a fully functioning, weapon of an estate. Everything meshed together well. In April, she went to the 'Ring and was a thoroughly enjoyable car.
In early June, tragedy struck. A rad hose popped off the thermostat housing on a gentle drive to drop off an MX5 soft-top. When I restarted the engine, the oil light was on, and a gentle tick-tick-tick that got steadily louder proved that all my lifters were draining all their oil at an alarming rate. She was nursed onto the back of a trailer, unceremoniously discarded on my driveway, and she is still sat there following some interesting tests with an oil pressure gauge, and some replacement parts.
I haven't lost heart, at all. I have just been very, very busy. Firstly, I spent a lot of time developing a set of cams for the M50/M52 engines. This came from a frustration at the lack of affordable aftermarket options available to us in the UK. I am happy to say that I am now working my way through the orders for my 3rd batch of 5 cams- we started selling them in April, and had a brief hiatus following some manufacturer hitches. They gained 14bhp and 25lb/ft just by dropping them into our development 328i (from 210bhp and 180lb/ft to 224bhp and 205lb/ft), and following mapping it made a heady 250bhp and 230lb/ft. We're not finished tuning that car either. I have also been designing other products and getting my fingers stuck in other pies.
Now... back to the good lady that this thread centres around. The engine is dead, and will be pulled out and revived. However, it will no longer live on in this car. In January, I happened upon a handsomely priced Alpina B3 3.3 lump- the 280bhp S52B33 lump, which is effectively a bored out and superstroked M50B25. That is being built to my spec. I've had some interesting gremlins- such as Alpina wanting £1,000 for the piston rings (yes, you read that right). However, now one of my major projects is firmly on the way, I predict that the new engine will be built and ready by December. I am aiming for 300bhp and 270lb/ft. This should be feasible. I will be using a set of bespoke cams that my engineer and I are designing at this current time, a better intake manifold, and the full S50 exhaust system. Seeing as Alpina managed to reach 280bhp with daggy exhaust manifolds, a set of fairly crap cams and a halfway house intake manifold (the Alpina one is a bit of a compromise between an M52 and an M50 manifold), I feel that 300bhp is not unreasonable.
She also has a Kaaz 2-way locking diff to go in, I'm completing a rear Brembo conversion to match the E31 840Ci Sport front Brembos, the existing Recaro Speeds have been oiked out and will be replaced with Recaro Pole Positions or Bride Vios IIIs, and I've finally got her on a set of lovely BBS RC304s with Nankang NS2Rs.
Watch this space- the rest of 2016 and 2017 will be an exciting one. A few pictures, just because. Oh- and there's a new addition to the stable. A lovely Santorini Blue 328i Sport, which the more eagle-eyed among you (especially the resident E36 perverts) will recognise from here.
My friend took Claudia out for his first ever lap of Nürburgring, in the snow. In a 260+bhp RWD car with no traction control. Balls the size of lemons.
Loved these three shots- nearly getting air coming out of Adenau bridge, I think. I'm not entirely sure where this was on the track, but that was a seriously fking fun lap.
So was this one, judging by my passenger's face.
The new arrival she's my daily until Claudia rises again.
More pictures of oily bits to come. If any of you are on Facebook, my page is JustDeutsch- there's a lot more detail about cams/projects on there.
It's certainly been a busy year (?) or so since I last did a proper update, too... and it will continue to be a while, as I need to get my photos from my phone onto Photobucket!!
The 3.1 has been a fraught project. It's been one of those things that, when it's worked, it's been unstoppable. I genuinely feel that the 3.1 is my favourite engine in an E36 chassis. After working out more foibles, and changing more parts, I felt like we were finally getting somewhere. Between January and May, we had a fully functioning, weapon of an estate. Everything meshed together well. In April, she went to the 'Ring and was a thoroughly enjoyable car.
In early June, tragedy struck. A rad hose popped off the thermostat housing on a gentle drive to drop off an MX5 soft-top. When I restarted the engine, the oil light was on, and a gentle tick-tick-tick that got steadily louder proved that all my lifters were draining all their oil at an alarming rate. She was nursed onto the back of a trailer, unceremoniously discarded on my driveway, and she is still sat there following some interesting tests with an oil pressure gauge, and some replacement parts.
I haven't lost heart, at all. I have just been very, very busy. Firstly, I spent a lot of time developing a set of cams for the M50/M52 engines. This came from a frustration at the lack of affordable aftermarket options available to us in the UK. I am happy to say that I am now working my way through the orders for my 3rd batch of 5 cams- we started selling them in April, and had a brief hiatus following some manufacturer hitches. They gained 14bhp and 25lb/ft just by dropping them into our development 328i (from 210bhp and 180lb/ft to 224bhp and 205lb/ft), and following mapping it made a heady 250bhp and 230lb/ft. We're not finished tuning that car either. I have also been designing other products and getting my fingers stuck in other pies.
Now... back to the good lady that this thread centres around. The engine is dead, and will be pulled out and revived. However, it will no longer live on in this car. In January, I happened upon a handsomely priced Alpina B3 3.3 lump- the 280bhp S52B33 lump, which is effectively a bored out and superstroked M50B25. That is being built to my spec. I've had some interesting gremlins- such as Alpina wanting £1,000 for the piston rings (yes, you read that right). However, now one of my major projects is firmly on the way, I predict that the new engine will be built and ready by December. I am aiming for 300bhp and 270lb/ft. This should be feasible. I will be using a set of bespoke cams that my engineer and I are designing at this current time, a better intake manifold, and the full S50 exhaust system. Seeing as Alpina managed to reach 280bhp with daggy exhaust manifolds, a set of fairly crap cams and a halfway house intake manifold (the Alpina one is a bit of a compromise between an M52 and an M50 manifold), I feel that 300bhp is not unreasonable.
She also has a Kaaz 2-way locking diff to go in, I'm completing a rear Brembo conversion to match the E31 840Ci Sport front Brembos, the existing Recaro Speeds have been oiked out and will be replaced with Recaro Pole Positions or Bride Vios IIIs, and I've finally got her on a set of lovely BBS RC304s with Nankang NS2Rs.
Watch this space- the rest of 2016 and 2017 will be an exciting one. A few pictures, just because. Oh- and there's a new addition to the stable. A lovely Santorini Blue 328i Sport, which the more eagle-eyed among you (especially the resident E36 perverts) will recognise from here.
My friend took Claudia out for his first ever lap of Nürburgring, in the snow. In a 260+bhp RWD car with no traction control. Balls the size of lemons.
Loved these three shots- nearly getting air coming out of Adenau bridge, I think. I'm not entirely sure where this was on the track, but that was a seriously f
king fun lap.
So was this one, judging by my passenger's face.
The new arrival
she's my daily until Claudia rises again.More pictures of oily bits to come. If any of you are on Facebook, my page is JustDeutsch- there's a lot more detail about cams/projects on there.
helix402 said:
The new engine sounds good.
It'll be quite something. Piston rings turned up today- upgraded to S50 ones. The bearings are in the post. I've secured an M3 Evo sump/oil pump for it to avoid the issues I had last time.JakeT said:
I was wondering what had happened to this car a while ago to see you hadn't posted an update in ages. Looks like it's on track for greatness! I'm surprised you haven't gone 100% mad and tried to make an S38 work for some M5esque madness.
There came a time when I was so busy actually doing stuff to it that I didn't have time to update the thread, and just sort of... forgot! I will provide some more pics shortly!!! There's a lot been done!Polynesian said:
I've been really enjoying this thread, and then you start talking about developing the Alpina 3.3 a bit more... now, very interested in the cams and airbox, for my 3.3. I know the S52 manifold fits the head, I think it might foul the steering on my E46 but I guess is perfect on your E36.
Keep the updates coming!
Would it interest you to learn that my engineer and I are developing specific 3.3 cams? What we've noticed is that Alpina actually used the standard S52B32 exhaust cam- which is actually pretty pony, about 240º duration and 9.7mm lift from memory. The intake cam is a custom grind but I've not worked out what the specs are- one of my mechanics is currently running around with my set of Alpina cams in his car and won't give them back. Keep the updates coming!
however, I'm aiming to maximise the 3.3 to its full potential. S50 exhaust manifolds have been made to fit an E46, but it was a real bugger- I know one person who's done it. I can enquire on your behalf..? Polynesian said:
carpetsoiler said:
Would it interest you to learn that my engineer and I are developing specific 3.3 cams? What we've noticed is that Alpina actually used the standard S52B32 exhaust cam- which is actually pretty pony, about 240º duration and 9.7mm lift from memory. The intake cam is a custom grind but I've not worked out what the specs are- one of my mechanics is currently running around with my set of Alpina cams in his car and won't give them back. however, I'm aiming to maximise the 3.3 to its full potential. S50 exhaust manifolds have been made to fit an E46, but it was a real bugger- I know one person who's done it. I can enquire on your behalf..?
Please!!! I know it makes no difference day to day, it's already a great engine, blah, blah. But jesus, taking it to 286 and stopping there, 300 is just around the corner, Alpina. Yes, they obliged with the 3.4, but I rather like the sound of camming an Alpina engine, whacking on some beautiful and impossibly wriggly exhaust tubes, maybe an airbox and going for a nice round 300. however, I'm aiming to maximise the 3.3 to its full potential. S50 exhaust manifolds have been made to fit an E46, but it was a real bugger- I know one person who's done it. I can enquire on your behalf..? Grateful for any inputs on throwing more money at my aging BMW.
and, good on you, this is going to be an awesome Touring. We all know they are the best body shape :-)
ds. Well basically... the 3.4 isn't actually a 3.4. It's got 3,348cc of fury, but they had to differentiate it somehow. It's got bigger runners on the intake manifold, an 87mm bore (but same crank), and some seriously hairy cams. I went out in one the other week and (with all due respect), it's the first E46 I've ever desperately wanted!
I've enquired about the S50s on your E46. Don't be surprised if it's megabucks though. No one really likes taking that job on when there's an E36 involved, let alone an E46. Plus point here being that your engine is basically a big M50.
Now... where's my Photobucket app on my phone... s
t's about to get real.Photobucket app downloaded and installed.
Many hundreds of photos incoming.
2016 started with a leaky sump that needed sorting.
Always leave your phone number on your exhaust manifolds- very important when your car's upside down in a field and people need to check you're alright.
Surgery.
3.8kg UUC flywheel just peeking through at the back there.
New gasket, lots of st scraped off it.
One of many things that's been keeping me distracted- my little company (me) has been developing a plug and play gauge kit for the M50/M52 engined E36s.
The idea is that it'll replace either the climate controls (they relocate to the sunglasses cubby with relative ease), or the stereo fascia goes for cars that are a bit more track-orientated. I don't really want to entertain gauges down by the gearstick- they're not exactly in your eyeline when driving.
Voltage, oil temp, oil pressure, and an option to switch around with an accurate water temp as well.
Distribution block that screws into where the idiot light sensor goes on the back of the oil filter housing. Again, totally plug and play, and you retain the idiot light.
Time finally came to replace the shagged E36 M3 rad I had under the bonnet. Another £240 later...
Something else that's been keeping me occupied in the shed. Cams! This was from the first batch I had done. Currently taking orders for my third batch, and we're designing 3.1 stroker-specific cams at the time of writing.
Sitting pretty, and working at this time...
This was a good day. Fitting the first ever set of our cams!
The loyal test subject- a very fun 328 saloon.
Important to have correct tools- timing, torque wrench, socket set, and brass balls.
Freshly installed.
All back together.
More to follow...
Many hundreds of photos incoming.
2016 started with a leaky sump that needed sorting.
Always leave your phone number on your exhaust manifolds- very important when your car's upside down in a field and people need to check you're alright.
Surgery.
3.8kg UUC flywheel just peeking through at the back there.
New gasket, lots of s
t scraped off it.
One of many things that's been keeping me distracted- my little company (me) has been developing a plug and play gauge kit for the M50/M52 engined E36s.
The idea is that it'll replace either the climate controls (they relocate to the sunglasses cubby with relative ease), or the stereo fascia goes for cars that are a bit more track-orientated. I don't really want to entertain gauges down by the gearstick- they're not exactly in your eyeline when driving.
Voltage, oil temp, oil pressure, and an option to switch around with an accurate water temp as well.
Distribution block that screws into where the idiot light sensor goes on the back of the oil filter housing. Again, totally plug and play, and you retain the idiot light.
Time finally came to replace the shagged E36 M3 rad I had under the bonnet. Another £240 later...
Something else that's been keeping me occupied in the shed. Cams! This was from the first batch I had done. Currently taking orders for my third batch, and we're designing 3.1 stroker-specific cams at the time of writing.
Sitting pretty, and working at this time...
This was a good day. Fitting the first ever set of our cams!
The loyal test subject- a very fun 328 saloon.
Important to have correct tools- timing, torque wrench, socket set, and brass balls.
Freshly installed.
All back together.
More to follow...
We're currently at April.
Claudia decided to prove that she could really chuck some awesome curveballs at me. 14 days before Nürburgring, her first go as a stroker, and she decided that losing a rear subframe bush and possibly tearing out some mounts was a great idea.
NO IT IS NOT.
Couldn't really do this in my road.
Off it comes.
Mounts absolutely fine. So I made some reinforcing plates...
Cleaned and ground back...
Holding it in place...
Buzinga. Welded on.
While I was there... replaced the anti roll bars with fking massive Schnitzer items, rear subframe bushes are now Powerflex purples, and I also welded reinforcement plates into where the ARB mounts to the chassis. I made the nuts for the ARB carriers captive at the same time with a few little tacks.
Also replaced the pad retaining pins on the Brembos, cleaned stuff up, new droplinks at the front and another massive ARB...
Decided to change the cam caps as they were incorrect.
And the cam trays...
All back together...
...didn't fking time it properly and bent 4 valves. tt.
INTERJECTION: Nürburgring trip: T minus 4 days and counting at this point.
Onwards.
Fresh head.
Got fed up and put ARP head bolts in, so fking tired of swapping heads and spending out on new head bolts every few months...
Clean.
4 days later...
What a trip. We found out that she can do 160mph and keep pulling off the clocks, that clutches aren't fun to bleed in the snow, and that she can outpace a brand new Focus RS driven by a timid person.
Somewhere around this time, started building another project... just an M52B28 rebuild.
Disaster struck... rad hose popped off the thermostat housing. When I restarted... oil light was on and a faint ticking got steadily louder (not a spun bearing, don't worry). It was all the oil draining out of my lifters. Fml.
To be continued...
Claudia decided to prove that she could really chuck some awesome curveballs at me. 14 days before Nürburgring, her first go as a stroker, and she decided that losing a rear subframe bush and possibly tearing out some mounts was a great idea.
NO IT IS NOT.
Couldn't really do this in my road.
Off it comes.
Mounts absolutely fine. So I made some reinforcing plates...
Cleaned and ground back...
Holding it in place...
Buzinga. Welded on.
While I was there... replaced the anti roll bars with f
king massive Schnitzer items, rear subframe bushes are now Powerflex purples, and I also welded reinforcement plates into where the ARB mounts to the chassis. I made the nuts for the ARB carriers captive at the same time with a few little tacks.
Also replaced the pad retaining pins on the Brembos, cleaned stuff up, new droplinks at the front and another massive ARB...
Decided to change the cam caps as they were incorrect.
And the cam trays...
All back together...
...didn't f
king time it properly and bent 4 valves. tt.
INTERJECTION: Nürburgring trip: T minus 4 days and counting at this point.
Onwards.
Fresh head.
Got fed up and put ARP head bolts in, so f
king tired of swapping heads and spending out on new head bolts every few months...
Clean.
4 days later...
What a trip. We found out that she can do 160mph and keep pulling off the clocks, that clutches aren't fun to bleed in the snow, and that she can outpace a brand new Focus RS driven by a timid person.
Somewhere around this time, started building another project... just an M52B28 rebuild.
Disaster struck... rad hose popped off the thermostat housing. When I restarted... oil light was on and a faint ticking got steadily louder (not a spun bearing, don't worry). It was all the oil draining out of my lifters. Fml.
To be continued...
So. Where were we? Ah yes... she died. Brilliant.
Now, back in January of this year, I got linked to something on eBay that I couldn't really turn down... an Alpina 3.3 engine from the B3 3.3 E46, in bits. It had a cracked head, the cams, and the block with internals.
I didn't really care about the head, as they use a standard 1 738 400 head that's been ported/polished by Alpina. This is work that can be recreated if need be. I was most interested in the block, which uses unique Mahle pistons that are a) quite small and b) lightweight, as a result. It also uses a simply massive stroke- 94mm- and is pretty much the biggest you can fit in an M5x-based engine.
Nerd time... it's actually based on the US M3 engine, which is an S52B32. This has 86.4mm bore, and a theoretical 92mm stroke. It uses the same crank as an M54B30, which basically means the stroker done with an M50B25 block and M54B30 crank is a small-bore version of a US M3 engine.
Alpina seemingly bought every single piece of backstock from BMW, and set about using them in their cars. The first ones were the E39 B10 3.2 and the E36 B3 3.2, which were for all intents and purposes just a standard US M3 engine with an Alpina intake manifold and a remap. The cams are the same profile as the ones you got in the S52B32 engine. Power output: 261bhp and 240lb/ft.
Then came the E39 B10 3.3 and the E46 B3 3.3, which is the engine you see here. They put in their own crank, which has a 94mm stroke, they commissioned some pistons from Mahle, and they also upgraded the intake cam. The exhaust cam remained as per the US M3 engine, and I think the rods were retained as well. The head was ported/polished accordingly. Power output: 276bhp and 247lb/ft.
The final incarnation was the 3.4 lump that was used in the E46 B3 3.4S and the Alpina Roadster S. This was the pinnacle of the M5x engine, really. It was bored out to 87mm- really the very highest it can be bored to. The crank was left the same. It used quite a thick head gasket, from memory. Even wilder cams. A much bigger intake manifold. It wasn't actually a 3.4- it tipped the scales at 3,348cc- but they wanted to differentiate it from the 3.3 in name. Power output: 300bhp and 267lb/ft.
I've always had this craving to build a 333i, but with the 3.3 Alpina lump fetching a hefty £2,000+ by itself, it was always destined to be a pipe dream. Until this popped up.
Now... pictures...
Another of my amazing clean environments to pull an engine to bits in.
Essentials. Buzz gun, pot to throw all the bits in!
Crank wheel off...
Sump off...
Oil pump off...
Oily bits.
Still good crosshatching on the bores.
Weird black burnt mark- as this engine came to me with a very, very cracked head, guessing this is something to do with it.
Strange water staining. I'll let the engine shop deal with that. Can't feel it with your thumbnail, so that's good.
Got home for dinner that night with some essentials.
Lovely pistons/rods.
Bit crusty but not the worst I've seen!
And then came the debacle...
Now, back in January of this year, I got linked to something on eBay that I couldn't really turn down... an Alpina 3.3 engine from the B3 3.3 E46, in bits. It had a cracked head, the cams, and the block with internals.
I didn't really care about the head, as they use a standard 1 738 400 head that's been ported/polished by Alpina. This is work that can be recreated if need be. I was most interested in the block, which uses unique Mahle pistons that are a) quite small and b) lightweight, as a result. It also uses a simply massive stroke- 94mm- and is pretty much the biggest you can fit in an M5x-based engine.
Nerd time... it's actually based on the US M3 engine, which is an S52B32. This has 86.4mm bore, and a theoretical 92mm stroke. It uses the same crank as an M54B30, which basically means the stroker done with an M50B25 block and M54B30 crank is a small-bore version of a US M3 engine.
Alpina seemingly bought every single piece of backstock from BMW, and set about using them in their cars. The first ones were the E39 B10 3.2 and the E36 B3 3.2, which were for all intents and purposes just a standard US M3 engine with an Alpina intake manifold and a remap. The cams are the same profile as the ones you got in the S52B32 engine. Power output: 261bhp and 240lb/ft.
Then came the E39 B10 3.3 and the E46 B3 3.3, which is the engine you see here. They put in their own crank, which has a 94mm stroke, they commissioned some pistons from Mahle, and they also upgraded the intake cam. The exhaust cam remained as per the US M3 engine, and I think the rods were retained as well. The head was ported/polished accordingly. Power output: 276bhp and 247lb/ft.
The final incarnation was the 3.4 lump that was used in the E46 B3 3.4S and the Alpina Roadster S. This was the pinnacle of the M5x engine, really. It was bored out to 87mm- really the very highest it can be bored to. The crank was left the same. It used quite a thick head gasket, from memory. Even wilder cams. A much bigger intake manifold. It wasn't actually a 3.4- it tipped the scales at 3,348cc- but they wanted to differentiate it from the 3.3 in name. Power output: 300bhp and 267lb/ft.
I've always had this craving to build a 333i, but with the 3.3 Alpina lump fetching a hefty £2,000+ by itself, it was always destined to be a pipe dream. Until this popped up.
Now... pictures...
Another of my amazing clean environments to pull an engine to bits in.
Essentials. Buzz gun, pot to throw all the bits in!
Crank wheel off...
Sump off...
Oil pump off...
Oily bits.
Still good crosshatching on the bores.
Weird black burnt mark- as this engine came to me with a very, very cracked head, guessing this is something to do with it.
Strange water staining. I'll let the engine shop deal with that. Can't feel it with your thumbnail, so that's good.
Got home for dinner that night with some essentials.
Lovely pistons/rods.
Bit crusty but not the worst I've seen!
And then came the debacle...
Edited by carpetsoiler on Wednesday 23 November 18:26
So. Piston rings.
These I'm used to setting me back about £90 for a set of 6 for the 84mm M54 pistons... S50 ones for the M3 will usually run a bit higher, about £150 a set, give or take.
I called BMW and asked for a quote for some 3.3 piston rings, as they're unique to those pistons (allegedly).
They got in touch a day later.
Ha, I don't fking think so.
So I went about it the old fashioned way... ordered myself a set of digital Verniers off eBay, and got to measuring.
Top ring... 1.2mm
Middle napier ring... 1.5mm
Oil scraper ring... 2mm
So with the sizes discovered, I went on the rampage and set about asking various companies for some help sourcing some that weren't a thousand fking pounds for 24 bits of slender metal.
I was chatting to someone else who has an M54B30 turbo build. He asked about the viability of using S50B32 pistons in his engine... 'no mate, they're the wrong bore'... but... not for me.
The S52B33 and S50B32 share an 86.4mm bore.
So I went to the corner of my bedroom with the S50 pistons in it (everyone has that corner in their room, right?), and did some measuring...
That's the S50 piston rings on the B33 pistons.
Problem solved. S50B32 rings- same measurements, made for blocks the same material, with a higher rev limit. Same styles of ring, same thickness. What more could you want?
Further remedy to stop any further oil pump issues.
More to follow when Photobucket stops being a dick.
These I'm used to setting me back about £90 for a set of 6 for the 84mm M54 pistons... S50 ones for the M3 will usually run a bit higher, about £150 a set, give or take.
I called BMW and asked for a quote for some 3.3 piston rings, as they're unique to those pistons (allegedly).
They got in touch a day later.
Ha, I don't f
king think so.So I went about it the old fashioned way... ordered myself a set of digital Verniers off eBay, and got to measuring.
Top ring... 1.2mm
Middle napier ring... 1.5mm
Oil scraper ring... 2mm
So with the sizes discovered, I went on the rampage and set about asking various companies for some help sourcing some that weren't a thousand f
king pounds for 24 bits of slender metal.I was chatting to someone else who has an M54B30 turbo build. He asked about the viability of using S50B32 pistons in his engine... 'no mate, they're the wrong bore'... but... not for me.
The S52B33 and S50B32 share an 86.4mm bore.
So I went to the corner of my bedroom with the S50 pistons in it (everyone has that corner in their room, right?), and did some measuring...
That's the S50 piston rings on the B33 pistons.
Problem solved. S50B32 rings- same measurements, made for blocks the same material, with a higher rev limit. Same styles of ring, same thickness. What more could you want?
Further remedy to stop any further oil pump issues.
More to follow when Photobucket stops being a dick.
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