E36 328i Touring. When it breaks, upgrade it...

E36 328i Touring. When it breaks, upgrade it...

Author
Discussion

vsonix

3,858 posts

162 months

Friday 23rd May 2014
quotequote all
dazz1871part2 said:
Love ur car mate, by any luck have you got any pics of the hardcore sump guard? And a part number? Need something to look after my sump as I'm low.
was just about to ask the same thing! Does it provide the same amount of rigidity as the X-brace? I am sick of catching my X-brace on practically everything and don't wanna raise the car any further if I can avoid it.

carpetsoiler

Original Poster:

1,958 posts

164 months

Sunday 25th May 2014
quotequote all
vsonix said:
was just about to ask the same thing! Does it provide the same amount of rigidity as the X-brace? I am sick of catching my X-brace on practically everything and don't wanna raise the car any further if I can avoid it.
If anything, the sump guard is lower than the x-brace. I'll get better pics once I've excavated it from under the house and uprated the stiffness at the rear- don't fancy making it into an understeering pig of a car.

Also, for those of you who wish to hear the n0izemaker in action...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_FlSqhkjso

Ahead of my was a slightly modified Dodge Challenger. This is apparently louder...

jmflare

413 posts

140 months

Sunday 25th May 2014
quotequote all
Really liking this build, loads of little cool mods you've done that sets it apart from the crowd, especially those AC dials smile

carpetsoiler

Original Poster:

1,958 posts

164 months

Sunday 25th May 2014
quotequote all
Cheers dude. She's far from finished, but plenty more silly little touches to come. smile if you haven't listened to the tunnel run vid I linked, I highly recommend you do so- it's why you should drop a straight six in yours! hehe

fullbeem

2,044 posts

200 months

Sunday 25th May 2014
quotequote all
Liking the 328i and what you have done to her since you purchased her. Tempted by a BMW touring myself once I decide i've had enough of my octavia estate

carpetsoiler

Original Poster:

1,958 posts

164 months

Sunday 25th May 2014
quotequote all
fullbeem said:
Liking the 328i and what you have done to her since you purchased her. Tempted by a BMW touring myself once I decide i've had enough of my octavia estate
I sold an Octavia estate to buy one of these...



Best choice I ever made, car-wise. It is everything the Octavia is not- fun, entertaining, full of character, and horrendous on fuel! hehe

Mustard

6,992 posts

244 months

Sunday 25th May 2014
quotequote all
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2014...

If someone's after a cheap one, stumbled across this one, looks good for 750






147lusso

172 posts

141 months

Monday 23rd June 2014
quotequote all
carpetsoiler said:
I have been inundated with texts, forum messages and Facebook messages from various people who've seen the bloody thing at Japfest- I only went on the stand because two of our Hondas broke down getting there and they needed to fill up numbers! hehe

Glad you liked it. smile got a thread for your TDS? They can be monstrous if done right, I know a guy who did a massive top-mount turbo and huge intercooler... puts out some fairly insane numbers (for a TDS). I think they safely map to 170-180bhp, I'll check with my Luxembourish source...
Bit behind.. sorry!!

Well it was a nice surprise seeing a real car amongst the jap crap wink

Currently in the process of writing one, i've seen a few build threads of some monsters! Of course i'd rather have a 328 but I need a diesel. I have a few things in mind, a chip from end tuning gives you approx. 170bhp, with an EGR delete and decat 180 is supposedly possible! But for now just tidying it up will do (it's a bit of a shed)

carpetsoiler

Original Poster:

1,958 posts

164 months

Monday 7th July 2014
quotequote all
147lusso said:
Bit behind.. sorry!!

Well it was a nice surprise seeing a real car amongst the jap crap wink

Currently in the process of writing one, i've seen a few build threads of some monsters! Of course i'd rather have a 328 but I need a diesel. I have a few things in mind, a chip from end tuning gives you approx. 170bhp, with an EGR delete and decat 180 is supposedly possible! But for now just tidying it up will do (it's a bit of a shed)
Haha glad to oblige!

I'll be interested to see what you make of the TDS. If they're worth having, I'd be tempted to get one as a mad daily.

In the mean time... what's Claudia been up to? Not much really.

Purchased another set of BBSs- this time, a set of RTs. These are actually pretty rare wheels, so I probably won't ruin them... too much. They are being stripped back and redone, mind you.



They'll be silver probably. Not some ludicrous powdercoat this time- the centre caps are plastic, annoyingly, so I'll be rattle canning these to a nice finish!

Apart from that, I've been enjoying driving the car more than ever before. Nothing's broken at the moment... touch wood... and I'm saving for future plans. Which are:



And:



So basically, heading rapidly towards the 350bhp side of proceedings.

Another Nürburgring trip is booked for September, I'm hoping to have a new ally rad for an M3 fitted before then, along with the separate header tank. I'd also like to do the viscous fan delete before then, along with a sod-off big electric fan activated from inside.

Some gratuitous shots...







(E46 fuel rail cover- fits beautifully!)



(Two best mates also have E36 328s. A coupé and a Compact would give us the complete set.)

carpetsoiler

Original Poster:

1,958 posts

164 months

Saturday 2nd August 2014
quotequote all
Next step: cooling. Well, finishing the cooling system.

I bought this:



And this:



Size difference, and condition difference:



Got so far through, including plumbing the new header tank in and mounting it, then... great. Probably should've checked this first!



Yeah, that definitely won't fit.



These should do it:



They did indeed, but I managed to break the bottom hose during installation. So standard it is for now.



Like a glove...







So the final spec for cooling system:

- EMP Stewart Components water pump
- metal thermostat housing
- M3 header tank
- silicone hosing
- Mishimoto M3 radiator
- fresh coolant (obviously)

Soon to have the viscous fan deleted and a 16" electric fan stuck in its place. Should help the engine spin a little more freely, and it'll suck though a great deal more air. Also stuck on an M3 radiator cover, looks nicer than the standard 328i one.

Also stuck in foglight blanks, they look quite nice to be honest. Might stick with them, as I never use the foglights. Apart from that, just at the stage where I'm putting in fuel and enjoying her. US M3 cams will be arriving at some stage, or Riot Racing cams. I can't decide which!






ciaranthemurph

278 posts

205 months

Saturday 2nd August 2014
quotequote all
I'm liking this. Keep up the good work. Love the shape of the tourer and I do like a 328i. I was booked to be going to Nürburg in September too, but work has scuppered those plans. I like the fuel rail cover from the e46, nice and OEM. I'll hoping to be getting to upgrade my 328i for track days in the new year.

Following with interest!

carpetsoiler

Original Poster:

1,958 posts

164 months

Sunday 3rd August 2014
quotequote all
ciaranthemurph said:
I'm liking this. Keep up the good work. Love the shape of the tourer and I do like a 328i. I was booked to be going to Nürburg in September too, but work has scuppered those plans. I like the fuel rail cover from the e46, nice and OEM. I'll hoping to be getting to upgrade my 328i for track days in the new year.

Following with interest!
Cheers dude. She's really taking shape now, very happy with her. Final 'big' plans are sticking lairy cams in, a respray and rot exorcism, and finally a supercharger... just because.

The fuel rail cover is a nice touch, but I've broken it when installing the new rad! tt! Need to sand it down or replace it... *grump*

If you want any advice/how to guides to uprate/replace bits, then drop me an email. smile

carpetsoiler

Original Poster:

1,958 posts

164 months

Tuesday 16th September 2014
quotequote all
Well, it's been a busy few weeks at the Household of Claudia.

She's had a new steering rack, new PAS pipes, new tie rod ends (both inner and outer), new wheels, new lower steering joint, new Eibach rear springs, big bore throttle body, Samco black rad hoses and an oil change in prep for her next 'Ring trip... which is tomorrow.

She is now absolutely ferocious to drive, goes like stink and handles very well indeed. Maybe a touch understeery, but I have an M3 rear ARB coming to help rectify that... also have that sump guard to install still.

Unfortunately I don't have photos of most of the work, but observe the new wheels complete with 25 minute refurb- polished lips and barbecue paint. biggrin





The wheels are Rondell 058s, basically BBS RS740s... but with a ridiculous lip on them. And a horrendously aggressive offset. boxedin it's been an absolute nightmare getting them to fit. I've completely ruined my arches getting them tucked underneath, but there's still fitment issues... *sigh* oh well. I'll make them work. They're being refurbed properly soon, and will have metallic grey faces with a gold flake, polished lips, and a very thin pair of pinstripes between the face and the lip- one purple, one gold.

The steering was actually relatively straightforward in the end- system doesn't take much ATF (gladly, as I hate the smell of the stuff). The steering joint was a bugger to get right, and the steering wheel needed realigning somewhat! But by God has it made a difference... so nice to drive now. I know what I've been missing. It's basically a new setup.

So... we have no coolant leaks any more, thanks to the Samco hoses, she pulls even harder, thanks to the big bore throttle body (another easy install), she's healthy thanks to the oil change, and she's ready for another week of pounding the Nurburgring. Hold me back. biggrin

Hamster69

747 posts

145 months

Wednesday 17th September 2014
quotequote all
Have fun at the ring mate. Expect to see dome good pics on your return.

McSam

6,753 posts

174 months

Wednesday 17th September 2014
quotequote all
Just when I thought this couldn't get any more mouth-watering, a wild supercharger appears hehe please tell me you're serious?!

She's looking great, and I'm interested to hear how much of a difference you felt with the new steering components, I'll bear that in mind. Have a great trip to the 'Ring, look forward to footage and photos on your return!

carpetsoiler

Original Poster:

1,958 posts

164 months

Saturday 25th October 2014
quotequote all
Well... she made it back. Barely!

20 miles into the journey, she lunched her brakelight switch. This meant I had no brakelights for 400 miles, across 4 countries. boxedin As soon as we got to where we needed to be in Germany, I set about finding a BMW dealer/somewhere like Euro Car Parts. After many anecdotal encounters, I wound up at a German dealership and managed to order the switch I needed- only £35, so really not bad. Fitted, and continued with the fun times.

She lunched a rear tyre thanks to badly finished rear arches on the Saturday, so Sunday morning was spent dragging through piles of old tyres at Rent4Ring, who sorted me out with 2 Kumho Ecsta XS for the back. They smoked up nicely.

On the very last day, I was reversing in a little carpark in Adenau... hit a very high kerb that neither my PDC nor mirrors picked up, with a very loud 'bang'. Further inspection revealed that I sheared all 4 exhaust hangers... so a belt and several cable ties were employed to hold the system up until I got home. I made it. Yet more inspection has shown me that I need new exhaust manifolds, possibly a full new system and one new engine mount. Brilliant.

Despite that dim frame of mind, I've taken it in my stride- I have a pair of exhaust manifolds sitting around doing very little, and a standard exhaust system that I can simply rip the backbox innards if I have buggered my big lairy system.

On top of that, I have new coilovers coming, just received some lovely carbon interior bits, ordering some arches from Hard Motorsport (cheers Hamster!), another set of wheels on top of the new set I've already stuck on (Rondells have sold provisionally), cams have been pre-ordered from Riot Racing... it's going well.

Some pictures, you're probably bored of reading the waffle now.



This was the road to our apartment in Kelberg. Loved it.



One lap done! In fine fettle. The new cooling system has been working a treat.



We may or may not have dropped in at Spa on the way back...



... and we may or may not have seen 6 McLaren P1s testing there that day.



Beautiful track.



Yep, was definitely at the 'Ring.



Some nice metal that went round while we were there- it was TF, after all.



Cuddly Nürburgring hanging up in the back!



My friend with the B8 showed up too, which was cool. smile 4 up, it just barged around the German countryside without breaking a sweat. Mental car.



My new 720p HD camera. There's a lap or two on it somewhere...



You know it's an odd week when you see more GT3s than Fiestas somewhere.



Fabulous mornings and a Clubsport. Good shout.



Immaculate NSU Ro80 owned by a guy who had the local Subaru/Suzuki garage. He was really friendly, and despite not speaking a word of English and our broken German scraping by, we very quickly became friends. He showed us round his garage, which had some awesome old metal in it (old DKWs, more NSUs, a 450bhp Impreza, a Forester snowplough, a road legal go kart, some beautiful old motorbikes...). We'll be seeing him again next year, I think!

He also had this...



1 of 200 ever made, a Baur 2002. Noice.



At the start of the journey, getting impatient!



McSam- look! Another Montreal Blue saloon 328i! Common as muck... wink



Pretty blues.



The morning we set off, at 4:40am... ow.

Other random pics taken by others:



Posting my 10m17 lap on a shredded rear tyre- had to back off quite a lot, for obvious reasons. Next year, it'll be quicker.



Wet lap on Monday evening. Nothing got past. smile



Yet another track closure, so we decided to get a sneaky picture...



I did say those Ecstas smoked up well.



GP track selfie!!



Tandem E36s.



Last known picture of the car with an exhaust still intact.



Note the spare wheel- necessary after shredding...



Wet motorway on the way there.

Now... on with future plans.



These arches.



Yes, these ones. Organised them for $440 shipped from Hard Motorsport- should come to around £330 after import crap. Then spray them, and fit them, and cut off the dead metal that I've ruined.



These will go on soon, along with an M3 Evo rear ARB.



These are sitting in my bedroom. One is in my ladder rack. They're beautifully rare- BBS Pininfarina PA509s.



At the moment, these are her winter wheels- Style 81s from an E39. I've never seen them done on an E36, and I really like them- coupled with the colour coding, she looks for all the world like a shrunken E39 Touring!

Also have a knackered carbon fibre bonnet that I'm having filled/resprayed so it'll be half carbon, half silver, gradiented between the two. That should look nice. A respray is a nice idea, but not viable at this current time.

A supercharger, however... could well be next year's project. wink

ciaranthemurph

278 posts

205 months

Saturday 25th October 2014
quotequote all
S50B32!

McSam

6,753 posts

174 months

Saturday 25th October 2014
quotequote all
carpetsoiler said:


McSam- look! Another Montreal Blue saloon 328i! Common as muck... wink)
Is mine meant to be that colour?!

squints

looks out window

checks build sheet

Bugger. That looks way too vivid to be Montreal?!

ManOpener

12,467 posts

168 months

Saturday 25th October 2014
quotequote all
ciaranthemurph said:
S50B32!
Or an M62 to be a bit different. V8 E36 = awesome.

carpetsoiler

Original Poster:

1,958 posts

164 months

Saturday 25th October 2014
quotequote all
McSam said:
s mine meant to be that colour?!

squints

looks out window

checks build sheet

Bugger. That looks way too vivid to be Montreal?!
It is Montreal, just under petrol station lights and freshly polished. wink

ManOpener/ciaran- supercharger takes precedence, then ManOpener- you've got the second bet right- I've been planning on an M60/M62 for some time, but it's a real bd to do. S50B32s have been done, I'd like something a bit different- hence the supercharger, which should net me 350bhp minimum.