E36 328i Touring. When it breaks, upgrade it...
Discussion
Little niggles fixed over the last few weeks! Mostly interior based.
- full set of BMW floormats, found them at the scrappy complete with fixings
- working ashtray (my old one wouldn't stay shut)
- finally relit the headlight switch bulb (I had no idea it even illuminated!)
- moved the iPod connection from the storage cubby near the gearshift to the glovebox (ow)
- installed an original E36 analogue clock where the storage cubby lived
- put the missing passenger footwell downlight in
- put smoked amber indicators on the front
Much tidier down below now- no messy iPod cable hanging out, nice old-skool clock. Looks lovely. Need a couple of new bulbs for the OBC though. Irritating! I had to cut the storage cubby and the row of switches/cigarette lighter area apart- but the storage cubby was slightly bigger than the clock unit. Luckily I checked before I started cutting willy-nilly, so managed to get the size just right. The storage cubby actually provides the structural support for the whole bloody thing, so I bound the clock up with tonnes of leccy tape and rammed it in- job done. I honestly wonder how my cars stay in one piece sometimes.
Finally- all bulbs working and accounted for!
OEM BMW mats all round- all black, all fixings accounted for. Laaaaaavvvvly. These really lift the interior so much- the Tesco's standard one-size-fits-all mats I had before were green, s
tty and generally didn't look right.
A sight most E36 owners never see- a working headlight switch light. For those who are quoted £8 (!!!!!!!) for the bulb assembly from BMW, fear not... the holder and the bulb separate, and the bulb that goes in is a 286- like a mini 501. I bought mine from Halfords in a rush, but I'm sure eBay would have them for pennies. Just unscrew the headlight switch on the underside of the dash, yank it out, disconnect the rotary switch, pry out the bulbholder and replace the bulb. Be VERY careful if you try to remove the foglight switch- I tried a few at the scrappy and they just disintegrated in my hands!
The mats, fixings, ashtray, headlight switch (bought a spare unit), clock, passenger footwell downlight, glovebox light and some trim for the boot cost a princely £22... and the effect on the interior is worth that and more. Looks much classier and tidier.
- full set of BMW floormats, found them at the scrappy complete with fixings
- working ashtray (my old one wouldn't stay shut)
- finally relit the headlight switch bulb (I had no idea it even illuminated!)
- moved the iPod connection from the storage cubby near the gearshift to the glovebox (ow)
- installed an original E36 analogue clock where the storage cubby lived
- put the missing passenger footwell downlight in
- put smoked amber indicators on the front
Much tidier down below now- no messy iPod cable hanging out, nice old-skool clock. Looks lovely. Need a couple of new bulbs for the OBC though. Irritating! I had to cut the storage cubby and the row of switches/cigarette lighter area apart- but the storage cubby was slightly bigger than the clock unit. Luckily I checked before I started cutting willy-nilly, so managed to get the size just right. The storage cubby actually provides the structural support for the whole bloody thing, so I bound the clock up with tonnes of leccy tape and rammed it in- job done. I honestly wonder how my cars stay in one piece sometimes.
Finally- all bulbs working and accounted for!
OEM BMW mats all round- all black, all fixings accounted for. Laaaaaavvvvly. These really lift the interior so much- the Tesco's standard one-size-fits-all mats I had before were green, s
tty and generally didn't look right.A sight most E36 owners never see- a working headlight switch light. For those who are quoted £8 (!!!!!!!) for the bulb assembly from BMW, fear not... the holder and the bulb separate, and the bulb that goes in is a 286- like a mini 501. I bought mine from Halfords in a rush, but I'm sure eBay would have them for pennies. Just unscrew the headlight switch on the underside of the dash, yank it out, disconnect the rotary switch, pry out the bulbholder and replace the bulb. Be VERY careful if you try to remove the foglight switch- I tried a few at the scrappy and they just disintegrated in my hands!
The mats, fixings, ashtray, headlight switch (bought a spare unit), clock, passenger footwell downlight, glovebox light and some trim for the boot cost a princely £22... and the effect on the interior is worth that and more. Looks much classier and tidier.
Some serious work's been put in recently...
Ever since I bought the car, I've always felt that the gearchange has left a lot to be desired. Never seemed to enjoy engaging, and it used to slur fast gearchanges horrendously. A CDV delete didn't fully fix this either... and the other week, when I put my foot down in 5th, it all became clear as to why... the revs skyrocketed, the speed did not.
Ah.
This was a crucial moment. A clutch is no small operation- it can be expensive. A decision was made. Keep the car, fix for cheap, run until dead... fix the car with serious parts and make it faster... or scrap her?
This is a standard E36 328i dual mass flywheel & clutch setup. It reduces unwanted transmission vibrations, allows softer gearchanges without so much effort and generally makes the car a smoother, more refined place to be.
Yawn.
It also doesn't help that the dual mass flywheel weighs 21kg by itself. This seemed like a lot, and rather unnecessary.
I wonder what this is..?
Looks like a corresponding number that it matches up to.
Certainly not a dual mass clutch setup...
Machined goodness. The retrofit solid flywheel Valeo kit comes in at 12kg, so a pretty good saving on the standard crap. However, this one is lightened to a slightly more elfin 7.2kg... and is nicely balanced with the corresponding pressure plate too. Lovely.
Seal of approval from Kittychops.
So, there we go. Dual mass ripped out, solid flywheel fitted. Impressions are as such:
- gearchanges are more positive and more of a challenge to get 'smooth', but that's part of the fun. The fact my gear linkage was rebuilt during this operation helps a lot.
- engine feels like it's fuelled by Coke now- has a lot more get up and go.
- acceleration is harder, not by a huge amount but noticeable. Especially up the top end and initial takeup.
- clutch feel is WAY better- I can actually feel what's going on, but it's also easier to stall.
- no real noticeable increase in transmission noise or vibrations, from what I can tell.
I'm happy. The kit didn't cost too much (less than half the purchase price of the car), and a very friendly mech sorted it out for a very good price. Definitely worth it.
Next up for power: viscous fan removal and my (already booked) remap.
Next up for handling and stopping: struts have touched down, time to strip them down, recondition them, add new springs & shocks, put some 300mm E46 grooved discs on and enjoy.
Next up for looks: this...
No idea what it is but it looks good. Nice and OEM, more aggressive than standard and not an M3 bumper.
Oh, and a couple more interior & night-time shots... back on the Style 32s soon!
Bon appetit!
Ever since I bought the car, I've always felt that the gearchange has left a lot to be desired. Never seemed to enjoy engaging, and it used to slur fast gearchanges horrendously. A CDV delete didn't fully fix this either... and the other week, when I put my foot down in 5th, it all became clear as to why... the revs skyrocketed, the speed did not.
Ah.
This was a crucial moment. A clutch is no small operation- it can be expensive. A decision was made. Keep the car, fix for cheap, run until dead... fix the car with serious parts and make it faster... or scrap her?
This is a standard E36 328i dual mass flywheel & clutch setup. It reduces unwanted transmission vibrations, allows softer gearchanges without so much effort and generally makes the car a smoother, more refined place to be.
Yawn.
It also doesn't help that the dual mass flywheel weighs 21kg by itself. This seemed like a lot, and rather unnecessary.
I wonder what this is..?
Looks like a corresponding number that it matches up to.
Certainly not a dual mass clutch setup...
Machined goodness. The retrofit solid flywheel Valeo kit comes in at 12kg, so a pretty good saving on the standard crap. However, this one is lightened to a slightly more elfin 7.2kg... and is nicely balanced with the corresponding pressure plate too. Lovely.
Seal of approval from Kittychops.
So, there we go. Dual mass ripped out, solid flywheel fitted. Impressions are as such:
- gearchanges are more positive and more of a challenge to get 'smooth', but that's part of the fun. The fact my gear linkage was rebuilt during this operation helps a lot.
- engine feels like it's fuelled by Coke now- has a lot more get up and go.
- acceleration is harder, not by a huge amount but noticeable. Especially up the top end and initial takeup.
- clutch feel is WAY better- I can actually feel what's going on, but it's also easier to stall.
- no real noticeable increase in transmission noise or vibrations, from what I can tell.
I'm happy. The kit didn't cost too much (less than half the purchase price of the car), and a very friendly mech sorted it out for a very good price. Definitely worth it.
Next up for power: viscous fan removal and my (already booked) remap.
Next up for handling and stopping: struts have touched down, time to strip them down, recondition them, add new springs & shocks, put some 300mm E46 grooved discs on and enjoy.
Next up for looks: this...
No idea what it is but it looks good. Nice and OEM, more aggressive than standard and not an M3 bumper.
Oh, and a couple more interior & night-time shots... back on the Style 32s soon!
Bon appetit!
vsonix said:
I'm glad to see you also have your cat employed to check for defects!
He thought something was wrong, and I was like, "you have cat to be kitten me right meow". But it was just a red herring. 
Manta- thank you! She's having a bush refresh (tehe!
) in the near-ish future, along with new lower arms.Oh, and I appear to have just bought an LSD...
Paul S4 said:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a345/S65-AMG/BMW...
On the analogue clock....
I am considering getting one after seeing your post !
And was it easy to wire up? presumably you found a permanent live feed to connect the clock to ?
Would there be any way the clock would fit above the OBC ie put the OBC on the bottom, then the clock/tray above it?
Apologies for all the questions...but it looks really good on your car !
It's an odd one! The clock is meant to be where the OBC is. I used the positive & earth from the cigarette lighter, and hacked into the ASC button for illumination. However- the clock is smaller than the storage cubby on the bottom part. You need to cut the cubby free from the heated seats/ASC/cigarette lighter area, but leave the very bottom lip on, or it'll not fit. I then bound the clock unit with electrical tape to 'bulk it up', so it created a tight snap-in seal. I have been considering swapping them round!On the analogue clock....
I am considering getting one after seeing your post !
And was it easy to wire up? presumably you found a permanent live feed to connect the clock to ?
Would there be any way the clock would fit above the OBC ie put the OBC on the bottom, then the clock/tray above it?
Apologies for all the questions...but it looks really good on your car !
Manta- thanks! Be good to do when the diff goes on! This car will be like Trigger's broom soon...
Little bit of progress before next week, when all hell will be breaking loose!
First up, wheels. The black finish was st anyway, and I have a few little bits that need sorting out on the wheels. Purchased an Oakey Paint & Varnish Remover drill-mounted sanding disc, and a super-aggressive one, this is how we're doing so far...
Kittychops joins in the fun again. He's quite a useful cat.
The drill-mounted demon thing.
Two whole wheels and some of a centre cap done. This thing utterly rips up manky paint, and also leaves a beautiful finish- some 400/800/1200 emery paper will help me most of the rest of the way.
Haven't worked out what I'm doing with the black centre areas yet, but as the lips/centre nuts are going highly polished and the centre parts are going Mercury Grey (old Peugeot paint colour), I'm not sure it'll matter so much. Either way- love the look. It has unearthed a problem- the pleb who owned them before me sort of neglected to mention that I have 3 RC041s and one RC042. Arse. Now I'm in searching for either a '42 or a '41, any help?!!
Now, what else have I been up to... oh yes...
That'll be some painting, then.
next week my buddy should have these all sorted out in time for me... front bumper, front strips, side strips (MTech upgrade too, woo!) and rear strips all going to be silver. As far as I know, you don't see many colour-coded E36s... so this'll be a welcome change. The new bumper's awesome too- just a standard prefacelift one, but with some hench lip added on- anyone know what it is?
Apart from that, I've got an LSD coming next week too (standard 328i Sport one, like my revs as they are!) and a remap in the near-ish future. Then we're on to fitting the AC Schnitzer M3 suspension I picked up for a song off eBay, a couple of braces, then she's pretty much sorted mechanically... until I get bored and decide to drop a V8 in there.
Fitted these...
And a couple of gratuitous shots now she's back on '32s.
She's now also got a trip to the Nurburgring to train up for in August, so I've got plenty to get done by then- ideally I want her mapped, LSD'd, re-suspended, rebushed and re-lower-armed by that time. Once that's done, she's ready. LSD will be end of this month, as mentioned... remap will probably be May... going to get the suspension, bushes and lower arms done at the same time (not sure if I can handle that, I'm good with spanners but not good enough).
First up, wheels. The black finish was s
t anyway, and I have a few little bits that need sorting out on the wheels. Purchased an Oakey Paint & Varnish Remover drill-mounted sanding disc, and a super-aggressive one, this is how we're doing so far...
Kittychops joins in the fun again. He's quite a useful cat.
The drill-mounted demon thing.
Two whole wheels and some of a centre cap done. This thing utterly rips up manky paint, and also leaves a beautiful finish- some 400/800/1200 emery paper will help me most of the rest of the way.
Haven't worked out what I'm doing with the black centre areas yet, but as the lips/centre nuts are going highly polished and the centre parts are going Mercury Grey (old Peugeot paint colour), I'm not sure it'll matter so much. Either way- love the look. It has unearthed a problem- the pleb who owned them before me sort of neglected to mention that I have 3 RC041s and one RC042. Arse. Now I'm in searching for either a '42 or a '41, any help?!!
Now, what else have I been up to... oh yes...
That'll be some painting, then.
next week my buddy should have these all sorted out in time for me... front bumper, front strips, side strips (MTech upgrade too, woo!) and rear strips all going to be silver. As far as I know, you don't see many colour-coded E36s... so this'll be a welcome change. The new bumper's awesome too- just a standard prefacelift one, but with some hench lip added on- anyone know what it is?Apart from that, I've got an LSD coming next week too (standard 328i Sport one, like my revs as they are!) and a remap in the near-ish future. Then we're on to fitting the AC Schnitzer M3 suspension I picked up for a song off eBay, a couple of braces, then she's pretty much sorted mechanically... until I get bored and decide to drop a V8 in there.
Fitted these...
And a couple of gratuitous shots now she's back on '32s.
She's now also got a trip to the Nurburgring to train up for in August, so I've got plenty to get done by then- ideally I want her mapped, LSD'd, re-suspended, rebushed and re-lower-armed by that time. Once that's done, she's ready. LSD will be end of this month, as mentioned... remap will probably be May... going to get the suspension, bushes and lower arms done at the same time (not sure if I can handle that, I'm good with spanners but not good enough).
Picked up something tonight, courtesy of iiyama (Ian)...
Yet again, quietly approved by Kittychops. He seems to like the car, but it's being savaged for parts and then either sent to the scrapman or going to a drift buddy. This has secured me a black leather interior, and plenty of bits to take off the car in preparation for what 'might' go wrong on Claudia...
Also had a lovely blat with a fellow PHer tonight, cheers for your help Rory, and it was a mighty fine choice for dinner! Big props to both Ian and Rory for their help- PH comes together very nicely as a community. Good times.
As of May 18th, I'll have my freshly sprayed parts back... picked up my beefy new LSD on Saturday, so that'll be nice when it's on. Using the blue Touring as a practise car for removing suspension/wishbones so I can do Claudia's without worrying too much. Time to get my freak on- if anyone needs any parts, let me know.
Yet again, quietly approved by Kittychops. He seems to like the car, but it's being savaged for parts and then either sent to the scrapman or going to a drift buddy. This has secured me a black leather interior, and plenty of bits to take off the car in preparation for what 'might' go wrong on Claudia...
Also had a lovely blat with a fellow PHer tonight, cheers for your help Rory, and it was a mighty fine choice for dinner! Big props to both Ian and Rory for their help- PH comes together very nicely as a community. Good times.
As of May 18th, I'll have my freshly sprayed parts back... picked up my beefy new LSD on Saturday, so that'll be nice when it's on. Using the blue Touring as a practise car for removing suspension/wishbones so I can do Claudia's without worrying too much. Time to get my freak on- if anyone needs any parts, let me know.
The dropping is coming! For now, though, my latest bargain...
Some quality time vacuuming before popping something in...
Awh yeah.
Electric, too!
And a black leather rear bench/seats from my breaking one until I find a tidy grey one from a Touring.
Next up- collect painted parts on May 18th, fit LSD, apply new suspension, new exhaust, remap, finish BBSs. Then she's pretty much ready for the 'Ring.
Some quality time vacuuming before popping something in...
Awh yeah.
Electric, too!
And a black leather rear bench/seats from my breaking one until I find a tidy grey one from a Touring.
Next up- collect painted parts on May 18th, fit LSD, apply new suspension, new exhaust, remap, finish BBSs. Then she's pretty much ready for the 'Ring.
Usget said:
Those Vaders look in good condition! I've never sat in any but they always appear to be some of the most comfortable seats ever produced - was always after a set for my Cabby but never found any under £300!
They're really not! I'm going to be refurbing them soon- anyone with experience from a decent leather refurb kit would be appreciated. Was considering putting them black, but I love them in grey and there's a LOT of grey plastic to change.They have usurped the Golf MkIV Recaros I had in my old Octavia as the most comfortable seats I've owned. They're beautifully adjustable, albeit slightly higher than the Sports seats. A small price to pay for the comfort and aesthetic properties, mind.
I now definitely have far too much to be getting on with- on the fitting list we have...
- 2.93 328i Sport LSD
- AC Schnitzer M3 suspension
- bigger brakes
And on the refurbing list we have...
- BBS RC041s (waiting on a spare 041, should be here mid-late May...)
- Vaders (don't want to take them out, they're so damn comfy!!
- sigh*
Been a busy old month.
First up, saw these on eBay and (shamelessly copying vsonix), I had to have them... they've got different centre caps, but are ultimately the same wheels- Hartge Design Ds. Not an easy find, although since I bought them I have since found another set on eBay... typical.
Next up, Sport rear bumper finally fitted. This was a labour of love and STILL isn't sitting right! I'll get there though... it looks good.
Next up- some quality rust-stripping/proofing, courtesy of the trusty paint/varnish/rust remover tool I bought a few pages back and a tub of silver Hammerite (perfect colour match for Titan Silver?!). Also stripped the exhaust of its black finish, purely because the Sport rear trim made it... 'disappear' a little bit.
Now on to the interesting toys...
Bilstein B10 Power Kit. Buy cheap, buy twice. Sold the second-hand AC Schnitzer M3 suspension, and went for this handsomely-priced set of new suspension that a chap hadn't fitted to his car.
The results are below...
The crime scene for the day. A very good friend has a tidy E36 cabrio that he's already done the suspension on. I jokingly mumbled on Facebook about holding a gun to his head and getting him to do mine... you can imagine my surprise when he chirped up with, "Don't forget your suspension tomorrow!" (Me: "Really? Are you sure? SA-WEEEEEET.")
Old versus new. It was the original suspension- 14 years old- all the shocks were utterly fubared! Although, bizarrely, the top mounts were in perfect nick. Be having them, in that case...
One of the lovely new struts, built up and ready to be popped in. Bubblegum blue and sterling silver- a good blend. They're Bilstein B8 shocks, with Bilstein's 'own brand' springs...
Snug as a bug in a rug.
The rears were pathetically easy to do- the hardest part was pulling apart the cargo bay to get at the top mount bolts in the back!
We ended up with something that looked a little bit like this:
While I was there, I collected my newly sprayed parts that I've been banging on about...
Before:
After:
Also, little bits- bagged a rear wiper from a 406 Estate and fitted that (Aero look), thus removing the spindly nasty mess that it used to have but retaining practicality. And here's the exhaust tips in context...
I've also rebuilt the cargo area as there was quite a lot of trim missing. I won't bore people with photos, but it all actually fits together now. Simple things.
Few photos with James and his utterly lovely E36 Cabrio- he now has my old Style 32s, so is well covered for gorgeous wheels on his car!
I know you're reading this mate, thanks again for all your hard work and help- he sprayed the new front bumper, new side strips, rear strips AND helped me change all the suspension on the car. Friends like that simply don't grow on trees.
What's next? Well...
These came in the post, so I guess I'd better fit them. Converted to fit the E36 (with some slightly dodgy-looking brackets), they came with grooved/vented 325mm discs and new pads. I've bought the relevant E36 M3 Evo master cylinder/servo/reservoir and done a test fit on the breaker car, should be relatively simple.
Apart from that, ECU will be changed for a mapped one before I nip to the 'Ring, then a tidy exhaust, then just the niggly bits- grey leather rear seats, refurb the Vaders, repsray bits, rust-proof. Well happy.
First up, saw these on eBay and (shamelessly copying vsonix), I had to have them... they've got different centre caps, but are ultimately the same wheels- Hartge Design Ds. Not an easy find, although since I bought them I have since found another set on eBay... typical.
Next up, Sport rear bumper finally fitted. This was a labour of love and STILL isn't sitting right! I'll get there though... it looks good.
Next up- some quality rust-stripping/proofing, courtesy of the trusty paint/varnish/rust remover tool I bought a few pages back and a tub of silver Hammerite (perfect colour match for Titan Silver?!). Also stripped the exhaust of its black finish, purely because the Sport rear trim made it... 'disappear' a little bit.
Now on to the interesting toys...
Bilstein B10 Power Kit. Buy cheap, buy twice. Sold the second-hand AC Schnitzer M3 suspension, and went for this handsomely-priced set of new suspension that a chap hadn't fitted to his car.
The results are below...
The crime scene for the day. A very good friend has a tidy E36 cabrio that he's already done the suspension on. I jokingly mumbled on Facebook about holding a gun to his head and getting him to do mine... you can imagine my surprise when he chirped up with, "Don't forget your suspension tomorrow!" (Me: "Really? Are you sure? SA-WEEEEEET.")
Old versus new. It was the original suspension- 14 years old- all the shocks were utterly fubared! Although, bizarrely, the top mounts were in perfect nick. Be having them, in that case...
One of the lovely new struts, built up and ready to be popped in. Bubblegum blue and sterling silver- a good blend. They're Bilstein B8 shocks, with Bilstein's 'own brand' springs...
Snug as a bug in a rug.
The rears were pathetically easy to do- the hardest part was pulling apart the cargo bay to get at the top mount bolts in the back!
We ended up with something that looked a little bit like this:
While I was there, I collected my newly sprayed parts that I've been banging on about...
Before:
After:
Also, little bits- bagged a rear wiper from a 406 Estate and fitted that (Aero look), thus removing the spindly nasty mess that it used to have but retaining practicality. And here's the exhaust tips in context...
I've also rebuilt the cargo area as there was quite a lot of trim missing. I won't bore people with photos, but it all actually fits together now. Simple things.
Few photos with James and his utterly lovely E36 Cabrio- he now has my old Style 32s, so is well covered for gorgeous wheels on his car!
I know you're reading this mate, thanks again for all your hard work and help- he sprayed the new front bumper, new side strips, rear strips AND helped me change all the suspension on the car. Friends like that simply don't grow on trees.
What's next? Well...
These came in the post, so I guess I'd better fit them. Converted to fit the E36 (with some slightly dodgy-looking brackets), they came with grooved/vented 325mm discs and new pads. I've bought the relevant E36 M3 Evo master cylinder/servo/reservoir and done a test fit on the breaker car, should be relatively simple.
Apart from that, ECU will be changed for a mapped one before I nip to the 'Ring, then a tidy exhaust, then just the niggly bits- grey leather rear seats, refurb the Vaders, repsray bits, rust-proof. Well happy.
vsonix said:
Nice! Think yours are the ones made by Ronal, not OZ like mine though. What fitment?
They are indeed the Ronal ones, could you tell by the odd centre cap? I also need massive spigot rings for the buggers! 82mm down to 72.6mm! They're ET46, 8.5J, 17" diameter. Absolutely adore them.Refined Detail said:
Coming along nicely! The 32's and the new Hartge wheels look great on it. Sits great on the new Bilstein's too. Have to be honest though, it looked far better with black trims imho (and I'm not usually a great fan of black plastics!)
Thanks! The 32s are gone for now but if I want them back, I'll be able to grab them. I think the problem with doing the car colour coded is that barely anyone's done it on the E36 scene, so it weirds people out a bit. I absolutely love it, and it looks great in the flesh. Time will tell. The fact it's a fairly uncommon front bumper (compared to, say, the ubiquitous M3 bumper) also seems to freak a few out. Some people love it, some people hate it. All I know is that I absolutely adore it. Cheers guys! I'm really happy with the progress made, I reckon all the proper groundwork will be done and dusted within a year of ownership. I have until October 4th, or something like that!
Also been thinking, she's not really bargain bucket any more... I've spent more on wheels than I have on the original cost of the car, although I have sold a few sets here and there!
I will do a cost spreadsheet at some point, but it's still a very reasonable price for what is a quick, comfortable, fun and great-sounding machine. The practicality is an added bonus.
However, I have gained a squeak... an annoying squeak from the rear after the suspension change... one is not amused!! Checked the shock's fitment, it's fine, as is the spring. Reckon it could be the RTAB bushes- lucky they're being changed soon. There's a surprise!
Also been thinking, she's not really bargain bucket any more... I've spent more on wheels than I have on the original cost of the car, although I have sold a few sets here and there!
I will do a cost spreadsheet at some point, but it's still a very reasonable price for what is a quick, comfortable, fun and great-sounding machine. The practicality is an added bonus.
However, I have gained a squeak... an annoying squeak from the rear after the suspension change... one is not amused!! Checked the shock's fitment, it's fine, as is the spring. Reckon it could be the RTAB bushes- lucky they're being changed soon. There's a surprise!
Been busy again.
First things first, a bit of a service checkup and fixup before Nurburgring- less than a month away now!! New NGK Iridium sparkies, full coolant flush, fixed the coolant leak that was doing my head in, topped up other vital fluids. No point doing oil as that was done at 169k (on 172k now), and the brakes will be changed shortly so all fluid will be refreshed.
This is my amazingly safe work ramp.
Dodgy coolant tie-ons. Replaced with two brand-spankers jubilee clips, and cut down so frayed pipe is now out of the equation.
Engine in bits. That manifold really does take up a lot of space...
One plug at a time...
Old Bosch Super 4s versus new NGK Iridiums. Car certainly seems keener with the NGKs in.
Then yesterday, finally applied the limitation of slippiness in differential format, and possibly the most obnoxious exhaust this side of a space shuttle.
The 'new' diff. From a 328i Sport- for a very limited time (95-96), BMW offered a proper LSD in the Sport model. Shortly after, they 'replaced' it with ASC (not really a great move, in my eyes). These aren't the easiest to find, and this one was in great nick. Applied some brand new Castrol diff oil (if anyone wants to know exactly what, it was the Syntrax Differential Synthetic oil (75W140), which comes recommended by Opie oils). You can tell the Sport LSDs by the little metal tag in the photo above- you can just about make out the 'S293' stamp, which means Sport 2.93 ratio. I wanted 2.93 to preserve some semblance of motorway cruising.
Fitting was actually fairly straightforward, just very heavy. 4 16mm propshaft bolts- undo with foot applied to spanner. 12 E12 driveshaft bolts (6 each side), 2 13mm bolts that hold the ARB in place need removing to access the 2 18mm diff carrier bolts at the back, then 1 massive 18mm bolt at the front. Crowbar, apply, lever, do NOT drop it on your chest... they hurt!! Refitting is the reverse of removal (snigger), and good luck with that.
Exhaust... well.
James models it well, it came in three sections. Manifold back, decat, very easy to fit together... once you've flushed your dignity down a drain. Snapped 2 manifold studs (on one branch, I might add), many grazed knuckles, but when we fired it up... worth every. Single. Bit. On the motorway and cruising along, it's not intrusive. When you boot it, it sounds... good.
Upshot is I have two things left to complete before the 'Ring- wishbones, for which I've bookmarked some 3.0 M3 units with the eccentric bushes, and the Brembos. I've ordered some ATE Super Blue Racing brake fluid, and will be ordering braided HEL lines sometime this week. She's getting there. Love the spec now. We've officially passed our 10,000 mile benchmark since purchase too.
Celebrated with a little photoshoot last night, too...
Enjoy.
First things first, a bit of a service checkup and fixup before Nurburgring- less than a month away now!! New NGK Iridium sparkies, full coolant flush, fixed the coolant leak that was doing my head in, topped up other vital fluids. No point doing oil as that was done at 169k (on 172k now), and the brakes will be changed shortly so all fluid will be refreshed.
This is my amazingly safe work ramp.
Dodgy coolant tie-ons. Replaced with two brand-spankers jubilee clips, and cut down so frayed pipe is now out of the equation.
Engine in bits. That manifold really does take up a lot of space...
One plug at a time...
Old Bosch Super 4s versus new NGK Iridiums. Car certainly seems keener with the NGKs in.
Then yesterday, finally applied the limitation of slippiness in differential format, and possibly the most obnoxious exhaust this side of a space shuttle.
The 'new' diff. From a 328i Sport- for a very limited time (95-96), BMW offered a proper LSD in the Sport model. Shortly after, they 'replaced' it with ASC (not really a great move, in my eyes). These aren't the easiest to find, and this one was in great nick. Applied some brand new Castrol diff oil (if anyone wants to know exactly what, it was the Syntrax Differential Synthetic oil (75W140), which comes recommended by Opie oils). You can tell the Sport LSDs by the little metal tag in the photo above- you can just about make out the 'S293' stamp, which means Sport 2.93 ratio. I wanted 2.93 to preserve some semblance of motorway cruising.
Fitting was actually fairly straightforward, just very heavy. 4 16mm propshaft bolts- undo with foot applied to spanner. 12 E12 driveshaft bolts (6 each side), 2 13mm bolts that hold the ARB in place need removing to access the 2 18mm diff carrier bolts at the back, then 1 massive 18mm bolt at the front. Crowbar, apply, lever, do NOT drop it on your chest... they hurt!! Refitting is the reverse of removal (snigger), and good luck with that.
Exhaust... well.
James models it well, it came in three sections. Manifold back, decat, very easy to fit together... once you've flushed your dignity down a drain. Snapped 2 manifold studs (on one branch, I might add), many grazed knuckles, but when we fired it up... worth every. Single. Bit. On the motorway and cruising along, it's not intrusive. When you boot it, it sounds... good.
Upshot is I have two things left to complete before the 'Ring- wishbones, for which I've bookmarked some 3.0 M3 units with the eccentric bushes, and the Brembos. I've ordered some ATE Super Blue Racing brake fluid, and will be ordering braided HEL lines sometime this week. She's getting there. Love the spec now. We've officially passed our 10,000 mile benchmark since purchase too.
Celebrated with a little photoshoot last night, too...
Enjoy.
OK, so a little bit before I go and trash the beautiful baby at the 'Ring.
Attempted the Porsche Brembos. It did not end well. Long story short- they fit under the wheels, but they're so freakin' wide that they would require the wheels to be offset by around 20mm at least before it fits nice and tidy.
So I binned off the idea, and fitted some braided HEL lines, bled through the system with some spanky ATE Super Blue Racing fluid (DOT4 but with excellent boiling points), and rebuilt the calipers with a funky Jewish touch.
Stops better. The sale of the Brembos paid for these...
Cadbury's Purple centres for my old BBSs. Got the barrels all polished up, and will be handpainting the bolts grey. Looks good. A bit loud and shouty, but they'll be for show/summer/a bit of tasteless fun!
Also attended a dyno day at JKM, just out of interest...
There was a lot of awesome metal there, but she was the loudest car there. Unsure if that's a good thing, but it was a great laugh. She didn't do bad at all, either:
Results so far: 233bhp, 224lb/ft. This is without a remap or the US-spec M3 cams, which I am planning on doing at some point. So over 20% gains from simple bolt-on mods I'm happy with.
All in all, pretty chuffed.
Attempted the Porsche Brembos. It did not end well. Long story short- they fit under the wheels, but they're so freakin' wide that they would require the wheels to be offset by around 20mm at least before it fits nice and tidy.
So I binned off the idea, and fitted some braided HEL lines, bled through the system with some spanky ATE Super Blue Racing fluid (DOT4 but with excellent boiling points), and rebuilt the calipers with a funky Jewish touch.
Stops better. The sale of the Brembos paid for these...
Cadbury's Purple centres for my old BBSs. Got the barrels all polished up, and will be handpainting the bolts grey. Looks good. A bit loud and shouty, but they'll be for show/summer/a bit of tasteless fun!
Also attended a dyno day at JKM, just out of interest...
There was a lot of awesome metal there, but she was the loudest car there. Unsure if that's a good thing, but it was a great laugh. She didn't do bad at all, either:
Results so far: 233bhp, 224lb/ft. This is without a remap or the US-spec M3 cams, which I am planning on doing at some point. So over 20% gains from simple bolt-on mods I'm happy with.
All in all, pretty chuffed.
getawayturtle said:
I need to stop reading your thread Sam, I'm getting fed up of your 28 being both faster and in better shape than mine
You must take a video of how the car is sounding now!
In all fairness, I spunk pretty much all my money on this car. You must take a video of how the car is sounding now!
I will do, but she keeps on breaking the microphones in cameras. I need some proper recording equipment to get the sound. Although... if you email me back (you cad), then I can provide a link of sorts..!
Nurburgring... done.
Set off on Thursday at 3:15am, returned home on Monday at 1:30am.
Average mpg for whole trip: 28.8, including three laps of the Ring and lots of hard & fast driving in between. Can't remember the exact miles, but it was a lot. Well into the 800s, I think... maybe even 900s.
I'll certainly be going again next year, loved every minute of it. The car never missed a beat, and felt better & better each time I took her out. Couldn't ask for more... apart from the rear exhaust manifold disintegrating on her last lap and suddenly becoming VERY loud.
One thing I didn't get about the Ring 'til I did it was the sheer amount of gradient change- over 1000ft in the whole thing. It was quite something to feel like I was going to faint heading down a particularly steep hill at the best part of 90mph, coming up to a corner with a Porsche GT3 next to me. Interesting.
Anyway, pics...
5:15am.
It was way too early...
Convoy ready for France...
One of the 135i monsters:
And the other!
Get out the way...
Ended up playing the Generation Game with a couple of silver E46 Tourings. The one at the back drove like an actual tt.
Rolling shot!
Beasts at rest in Nurburg, post road trip and one lap of the Ring.
Badge of honour...
Carousel, baby!
Another crash...
Mini carousel!
Bye Porsche.
Also watched the DTM...
Set off on Thursday at 3:15am, returned home on Monday at 1:30am.
Average mpg for whole trip: 28.8, including three laps of the Ring and lots of hard & fast driving in between. Can't remember the exact miles, but it was a lot. Well into the 800s, I think... maybe even 900s.
I'll certainly be going again next year, loved every minute of it. The car never missed a beat, and felt better & better each time I took her out. Couldn't ask for more... apart from the rear exhaust manifold disintegrating on her last lap and suddenly becoming VERY loud.
One thing I didn't get about the Ring 'til I did it was the sheer amount of gradient change- over 1000ft in the whole thing. It was quite something to feel like I was going to faint heading down a particularly steep hill at the best part of 90mph, coming up to a corner with a Porsche GT3 next to me. Interesting.
Anyway, pics...
5:15am.
It was way too early...
Convoy ready for France...
One of the 135i monsters:
And the other!
Get out the way...
Ended up playing the Generation Game with a couple of silver E46 Tourings. The one at the back drove like an actual t
t.
Rolling shot!
Beasts at rest in Nurburg, post road trip and one lap of the Ring.
Badge of honour...
Carousel, baby!
Another crash...
Mini carousel!
Bye Porsche.
Also watched the DTM...
OK, so now she's going pretty well, it's time to concentrate on what makes her handle/stop properly.
A buddy of mine came over from Luxembourg with this...
AC Schnitzer original lightweight strut brace- came off his old '93 ACS E36. Has made quite the difference, and looks boss.
These have all rocked up too.
That is...
- rear beam - front bushes
- rear beam - rear bushes
- RTABs
- wishbone lollipop bushes
- front ARB bushes
- rear ARB bushes
- EBC Redstuffs all round
All lightly used on another mate's E36 for a month before his went bang, and he had to break it.
Oh, and Luxembourg buddy also brought over something a bit interesting...
A very, very rare vehicle indeed... one of 221 Alpina B8s ever made, and one of only 27 to come in Touring flavour. He uses it properly too- had 284,000km on it when he came over! Absolutely ballistic car, unhinged would be a good way to describe it.
Enjoy.
A buddy of mine came over from Luxembourg with this...
AC Schnitzer original lightweight strut brace- came off his old '93 ACS E36. Has made quite the difference, and looks boss.
These have all rocked up too.
That is...
- rear beam - front bushes
- rear beam - rear bushes
- RTABs
- wishbone lollipop bushes
- front ARB bushes
- rear ARB bushes
- EBC Redstuffs all round
All lightly used on another mate's E36 for a month before his went bang, and he had to break it.
Oh, and Luxembourg buddy also brought over something a bit interesting...
A very, very rare vehicle indeed... one of 221 Alpina B8s ever made, and one of only 27 to come in Touring flavour. He uses it properly too- had 284,000km on it when he came over! Absolutely ballistic car, unhinged would be a good way to describe it.
Enjoy.
A video will be taken Tom... when it stops breaking the microphones on cameras...
I'll get one of my willing minions to video it next time we're off to the pub or something, promise.
Sami- the B8 was only available as... a 6-speed manual!! Alpina got it so right with that car. More power than an M3 Evo, more torque than any 5-Series made at that time, 6 manual cogs, beautifully appointed... back when they were new, an M3 Evo would've set you back £38k. These were £65k.
On the exhaust side of things, it was used anyway so hasn't changed in tone too much. All I can say that, once a video is done, I'll let that do the talking. Most people seem to know when I'm coming though. Not in a chavvy way.
I'll get one of my willing minions to video it next time we're off to the pub or something, promise.
Sami- the B8 was only available as... a 6-speed manual!! Alpina got it so right with that car. More power than an M3 Evo, more torque than any 5-Series made at that time, 6 manual cogs, beautifully appointed... back when they were new, an M3 Evo would've set you back £38k. These were £65k.
On the exhaust side of things, it was used anyway so hasn't changed in tone too much. All I can say that, once a video is done, I'll let that do the talking. Most people seem to know when I'm coming though. Not in a chavvy way.
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