E28 - the long slog
Discussion
Siko said:
What a brilliant thread! Top work.
Why thank you!Siko said:
Ps - Are you really Edd China? 
Now wouldn't that be good - this'd be done by now!Siko said:
Pps Interested to hear costs if its not too vulgar to ask?
I've not really gone through it, but a few bits I can remember:Car - £375
Engine - £320
Dampers - £575
Springs - £200
Total projected cost - c.£8-10k
I'm keeping receipts so I can add it all up at the end, and then weep gently...
The two pics I couldn't upload last night:
Driver's side corner of the screen:
Passenger:
Not great, but not too bad (I think).
Had a chat today with Martin Scott of Scott's Performance in Dartford. Making new engine mounts, gearbox linkages and shift mechanisms is a little beyond me. I've known Martin for a while (he used to run a few M3 race cars, amongst others) and he's going to take this on for me. It was always my intention to outsource this bit, but because of his wide range of skills I'm more than happy to take it here.
So, all I need to do is finish off stripping the fuel and brake lines out, get a new in-tank lift pump ordered and various other odds and sods, and then hopefully it should be off in the next fortnight or so.
Oh, and I also still need a gearbox. If anyone knows of an E36 M3 6 speed in good condition and for a good price, I'm all ears.
Driver's side corner of the screen:
Passenger:
Not great, but not too bad (I think).
Had a chat today with Martin Scott of Scott's Performance in Dartford. Making new engine mounts, gearbox linkages and shift mechanisms is a little beyond me. I've known Martin for a while (he used to run a few M3 race cars, amongst others) and he's going to take this on for me. It was always my intention to outsource this bit, but because of his wide range of skills I'm more than happy to take it here.
So, all I need to do is finish off stripping the fuel and brake lines out, get a new in-tank lift pump ordered and various other odds and sods, and then hopefully it should be off in the next fortnight or so.
Oh, and I also still need a gearbox. If anyone knows of an E36 M3 6 speed in good condition and for a good price, I'm all ears.
Output Flange said:
richtea78 said:
Id be interested to see how you go about fixing those holes round the windscreen
It won't be me doing it, but it's a screen out, new metal in job.The latest haul of parts is in (with more to follow).
A new fuel tank - this is from ECP rather than BMW, but looks to be ok from a cursory inspection:
A plug for the sump, to fit where the M50 had an oil level sensor:
A Renault Clio II brake servo - needed to clear the inlet manifold, apparently. Will need modifying slightly first:
Some wheels (and I've got a fifth already) - I had some of these before, but sold them on and regretted it, so I've bought some more. Hopefully get these off for a refurb shortly:
There's a rumour that you're meant to put rubber on them at some point, too. We shall see...
I also bought a gearbox cross member, new rubber mounts and bolts/washers etc. Was cheaper to get a new cross member from the dealer than a second hand one from eGay:
It'll need powdercoating, I think. I'm also wondering if I should get the outside of the fuel tank done too.
Anyway, I needed a new cross member because I've got a new gearbox. I got a bit trigger happy on eGay and hit Buy-It-Now before I realised where it was, and how much the shipping would be. So, yesterday morning I had a nice little jaunt down to Salisbury (from Herts, via Mayfair) and collected an E36 M3 Evo 6 speed box:
The eagle-eyed amongst you will notice that it's missing the linkage. That's because it is. However, one is winging its way to me, and should be here by the end of the week. Obviously I've not checked how close it is to fitting. I stronly suspect the answer is "not very", and the linkage will need cutting down so as not to come up between the rear seats. But hey, where's the fun in easy?
The reason I'm set on the 6 speed box is so that I can run a short diff. The M535i LSD I bought is a 3.07 ratio, which isn't much different to the standard 328i version. And that's boring.
To alleviate that potential boredom, a box arrived with this in it:
I'll admit that when it arrived I couldn't actually remember what ratio it was. I knew it was shorter, but not exactly what. Luckily it still had the tag on it - no so luckily, it's covered in rust. A quick swipe with the grinder and you may just be able to see the numbers (squint a bit, ignore the dolphins and it should all come clear):
For the benefit of those who are hard of hearing, it says 3.64. So that's nice. I think it has come from an E24, but in all honesty I can't remember. Whatever it is, once I've stripped it down it should become apparent whether it will work as a CWP donor.
So, although no work has happened, that's where we are for now. By the end of this week the new heater blower motor should have been released from customs (coming from the US), the gearbox linkage should have landed (it'll need some bits refreshed, that much is certain) and I should have an M50 inlet manifold and BBTB to go on the engine. I'm also planning to drop off a box of bits to the powdercoaters for a spruce up, and all being well, I might even get the spanners out over the weekend - I know!
A new fuel tank - this is from ECP rather than BMW, but looks to be ok from a cursory inspection:
A plug for the sump, to fit where the M50 had an oil level sensor:
A Renault Clio II brake servo - needed to clear the inlet manifold, apparently. Will need modifying slightly first:
Some wheels (and I've got a fifth already) - I had some of these before, but sold them on and regretted it, so I've bought some more. Hopefully get these off for a refurb shortly:
There's a rumour that you're meant to put rubber on them at some point, too. We shall see...
I also bought a gearbox cross member, new rubber mounts and bolts/washers etc. Was cheaper to get a new cross member from the dealer than a second hand one from eGay:
It'll need powdercoating, I think. I'm also wondering if I should get the outside of the fuel tank done too.
Anyway, I needed a new cross member because I've got a new gearbox. I got a bit trigger happy on eGay and hit Buy-It-Now before I realised where it was, and how much the shipping would be. So, yesterday morning I had a nice little jaunt down to Salisbury (from Herts, via Mayfair) and collected an E36 M3 Evo 6 speed box:
The eagle-eyed amongst you will notice that it's missing the linkage. That's because it is. However, one is winging its way to me, and should be here by the end of the week. Obviously I've not checked how close it is to fitting. I stronly suspect the answer is "not very", and the linkage will need cutting down so as not to come up between the rear seats. But hey, where's the fun in easy?
The reason I'm set on the 6 speed box is so that I can run a short diff. The M535i LSD I bought is a 3.07 ratio, which isn't much different to the standard 328i version. And that's boring.
To alleviate that potential boredom, a box arrived with this in it:
I'll admit that when it arrived I couldn't actually remember what ratio it was. I knew it was shorter, but not exactly what. Luckily it still had the tag on it - no so luckily, it's covered in rust. A quick swipe with the grinder and you may just be able to see the numbers (squint a bit, ignore the dolphins and it should all come clear):
For the benefit of those who are hard of hearing, it says 3.64. So that's nice. I think it has come from an E24, but in all honesty I can't remember. Whatever it is, once I've stripped it down it should become apparent whether it will work as a CWP donor.
So, although no work has happened, that's where we are for now. By the end of this week the new heater blower motor should have been released from customs (coming from the US), the gearbox linkage should have landed (it'll need some bits refreshed, that much is certain) and I should have an M50 inlet manifold and BBTB to go on the engine. I'm also planning to drop off a box of bits to the powdercoaters for a spruce up, and all being well, I might even get the spanners out over the weekend - I know!
A little update from today - nothing majorly exciting I'm afraid.
Diff parts are back from being blasted:
Blower motor has arrived:
Gear linkage has arrived:
And is fitted:
Which means I can confirm that gearbox contains 6 forward gears, and one reverse.
Clio servo has been rubbed down ready for painting - shown here next to E28 version for scale:
And here you can see the difference in clevis length, which will need adjusting for it to work:
3.64 diff has been stripped down:
This one definitely isn't a slipper:
Next job is to paint the servo, the gearbox bracket and the fuel tank with POR15 (and stonchip on the tank), followed by removing the old tank, lines and pump over the weekend. Also need to finish pulling the front subframe out and taking the steering box off so that I can give it a quick refurb.
Onwards!
Diff parts are back from being blasted:
Blower motor has arrived:
Gear linkage has arrived:
And is fitted:
Which means I can confirm that gearbox contains 6 forward gears, and one reverse.
Clio servo has been rubbed down ready for painting - shown here next to E28 version for scale:
And here you can see the difference in clevis length, which will need adjusting for it to work:
3.64 diff has been stripped down:
This one definitely isn't a slipper:
Next job is to paint the servo, the gearbox bracket and the fuel tank with POR15 (and stonchip on the tank), followed by removing the old tank, lines and pump over the weekend. Also need to finish pulling the front subframe out and taking the steering box off so that I can give it a quick refurb.
Onwards!
V8mate said:
Is that little servo going to have enough oomph? Are you altering the braking system from stock at the business end?
It's the one other people who have done M5x conversions have used, but I've not tried it myself yet. If it's no good, I'll find something else. The brakes are E34 540i at the front, E34 535i at the back. I'm also going to be fitting some performance pads that have good initial response (although I'm yet to decide which/order any).Huntsman said:
Why has that blower motor not got the fans on? The Behr one I bought from ebay.com came complete with fans.
Yes, it would appear that getting one with blades on is a better move. However, I'm sure it'll be the work of a moment to swap them over** It won't
Edited by Output Flange on Wednesday 20th February 18:31
Output Flange said:
Huntsman said:
Why has that blower motor not got the fans on? The Behr one I bought from ebay.com came complete with fans.
Yes, it would appear that getting one with blades on is a better move. However, I'm sure it'll be the work of a moment to swap them over** It won't
Edited by Output Flange on Wednesday 20th February 18:31
No, in the standard location on the N/S.
On a RHD E28 there's a linkage from the pedals that goes across the cabin side of the bulkhead and operates the servo. I guess it was a quick way to develop the RHD version, but it ain't pretty, and that linkage needs to be kept lubricated. The clutch master cylinder is on the OS, with a hydraulic line going across the bulkhead in the engine bay to the slave cylinder.
On a RHD E28 there's a linkage from the pedals that goes across the cabin side of the bulkhead and operates the servo. I guess it was a quick way to develop the RHD version, but it ain't pretty, and that linkage needs to be kept lubricated. The clutch master cylinder is on the OS, with a hydraulic line going across the bulkhead in the engine bay to the slave cylinder.
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