E36 328, soft top, £575, What's the worst that could happen?
Discussion
JordanTurbo said:
Not quite.
Non-M has normal lower bushes and normal top mounts.
3.0 M3s got offset top mounts which add caster. The side effect of tilting the strut back is that the wheel moves rearward in the arch. They got the eccentric lower bushes to shift the lower arm round and correct this.
3.2 Evos got top mounts that were tilted back the same amount in caster but also tilted out (less camber) because they have extra camber built into the hubs. They went bachback to the standard lower bush because the Evo specific lower arms have the forward shift built in.
The only vehicles that don't fit into the above are factory sports with the avus pack (Bilstein B12 kit). They are the same as other non-Ms but with eccentric lower bushes to add a bit of caster, but not as much as the M3.
Learn something new every day. Non-M has normal lower bushes and normal top mounts.
3.0 M3s got offset top mounts which add caster. The side effect of tilting the strut back is that the wheel moves rearward in the arch. They got the eccentric lower bushes to shift the lower arm round and correct this.
3.2 Evos got top mounts that were tilted back the same amount in caster but also tilted out (less camber) because they have extra camber built into the hubs. They went bachback to the standard lower bush because the Evo specific lower arms have the forward shift built in.
The only vehicles that don't fit into the above are factory sports with the avus pack (Bilstein B12 kit). They are the same as other non-Ms but with eccentric lower bushes to add a bit of caster, but not as much as the M3.
Edited by JordanTurbo on Monday 26th January 19:42
the offset bushes tend to feel better than the concentric ones anyway, you get better turn-in with them. Need to get some, but I'm lazy.
carpetsoiler said:
Learn something new every day.
No worries 
As far as I'm concerned 3.0 top mounts are the ones to go for when upgrading a 328 (or other non-M).
You probably already know about swapping Evo mounts (left fitted on right and vise versa). This reverses their effect and adds camber. IMO it adds too much and is not beneficial to handling. The only positive I can think of is to help fitment of daft offset front wheels, in which case handling isn't the main priority anyway.
The other down side of Evo mounts is that unless you run them with coilovers or the smaller diameter evo springs/dampers there's a high chance of contact between the upper spring seat and the chassis. Some get away with it but most don't.
Edited by JordanTurbo on Tuesday 27th January 15:06
carinaman said:
What's going on with the C5 Avant?
Seems I can't post in this section of the forum without being asked that. 
Still here being worked on when I get time, getting it ready to sell. Loosing the will with it at the moment TBH, especially with the s
t weather, hence deciding to do a few bits on this.JordanTurbo said:
Seems I can't post in this section of the forum without being asked that.
There's one at the end of the road and they're a classy looking design.JordanTurbo said:
Still here being worked on when I get time, getting it ready to sell. Loosing the will with it at the moment TBH, especially with the st weather, hence deciding to do a few bits on this.
I went without cars for a while as I got fed up with the grief and hassle. With the shift pattern then and getting lifts it wasn't too bad.t weather, hence deciding to do a few bits on this. Regarding the strut stuff, CAR Magazine mentioned that a few years ago as one of them had a 3.0 E36 for track days and they mentioned swapping the top mounts round, but your submission to the thread was far more useful in quality and quantity.
carinaman said:
I went without cars for a while as I got fed up with the grief and hassle.
It's not that bad. Just that getting the Audi ready on the few weekends I've been at home is more like work than an enjoyable hobby.I decided to do some bits on the e36 this time to keep my sanity
On that note I had another delivery today, this time from BMW.
>3.0 M3 offset top mounts
>M3 solid eccentric lower wishbone bushes
>New long seals for the front and rear of the soft top
>aerial base seal (not pictured)
should be able to fit them tomorrow if the weather holds out
Edited by JordanTurbo on Friday 17th April 20:19
Great thread!
Impressive tinkering. This is one of many E36 threads that have inspired me to buy another. Going to pick up number 5 today.
Regarding those top mounts and eccentric bushes, will they match up to the standard suspension and bottom arms?
I'll be looking to go down the Bilstein B12 route over next winter and I'll want to upgrade and powdercoat everything while I'm in there.
Impressive tinkering. This is one of many E36 threads that have inspired me to buy another. Going to pick up number 5 today.
Regarding those top mounts and eccentric bushes, will they match up to the standard suspension and bottom arms?
I'll be looking to go down the Bilstein B12 route over next winter and I'll want to upgrade and powdercoat everything while I'm in there.
Onto today's activitys. Didn't take many pictures as I wanted to make sure I was done before the grey clouds opened, especially as the roof needs to be opened to access the top of the rear shocks.
Front damper built up with H&R springs and M3 top mount.
And fitted to the car
comparison between standard centralised and M3 offset top mounts
and the standard lower bush Vs the M3 eccentric ones.
Wasn't 100% happy with the fit of the new bushes in the pattern lollipops, they still needed pressing in but weren't tight enough for me. For standard concentric bushes it would be fine but with these offset ones I wanted some extra location.
I decided to drill and tap the lollipop, then fit a securing screw to prevent any movement which would change the suspension geometry.
I then moved onto the rear shocks and had a problem, the Bilsteins have a slightly thinner shaft which means the bump stop and dust cover are a loose fit.
Found a spare jubilee clamp to tighten it up and hold it at the top where it should be.
And fitted.
First impressions from a quick test drive are good. Turn-in is much improved due to the increased caster, steering has got slightly heavier but not too much and has good weight to it now. The dampers have firmed up the ride but are still compliant enough for the roads around here. There's no increase in scuttle shake which is good, and the reason I didn't go for the stiffer B6/B8 kit.
looking forward to getting it on a Hunter machine for a full alignment soon.
Front damper built up with H&R springs and M3 top mount.
And fitted to the car
comparison between standard centralised and M3 offset top mounts
and the standard lower bush Vs the M3 eccentric ones.
Wasn't 100% happy with the fit of the new bushes in the pattern lollipops, they still needed pressing in but weren't tight enough for me. For standard concentric bushes it would be fine but with these offset ones I wanted some extra location.
I decided to drill and tap the lollipop, then fit a securing screw to prevent any movement which would change the suspension geometry.
I then moved onto the rear shocks and had a problem, the Bilsteins have a slightly thinner shaft which means the bump stop and dust cover are a loose fit.
Found a spare jubilee clamp to tighten it up and hold it at the top where it should be.
And fitted.
First impressions from a quick test drive are good. Turn-in is much improved due to the increased caster, steering has got slightly heavier but not too much and has good weight to it now. The dampers have firmed up the ride but are still compliant enough for the roads around here. There's no increase in scuttle shake which is good, and the reason I didn't go for the stiffer B6/B8 kit.
looking forward to getting it on a Hunter machine for a full alignment soon.
Edited by JordanTurbo on Friday 17th April 20:21
Alignment done today 
Went down to the Wheel alignment centre in Southampton. Nick there has a 4 wheel lazer system made by Supertracker. Before starting his own business he used to build and test the systems at Supertracker themselves, so he sure as hell knows how to use it!
We discussed the modifications I've made and came up with a setup to suit (slightly outside the 3.0 M3 settings on his recommendation) and he set to work.
Up on the ramps.
Printout
While it was on the ramp I spotted some cuts in the side wall of the N/S/F tyre.
I decided I might as well to do some tyre changing and went to the tyre place over the road (Nick ONLY does alignments). Now bare with me here.....
To start with she had mismatched 215/40s on the front and 215/45 continental sport contact 3s at the rear.
I had never really liked how the rears were stretched onto the 8.5 rims, they still have good tread so I had them moved onto the smaller fronts (replacing the st tyres) and bought some new wider Continentals for the back.
Now I have matching sport contact 3s all round, 215/45 at the front and 225/45 at the back. No silly euro stretch here!
So what has the tracking+tyres done to the handling? A genuine laugh out loud level of improvement is what! It didn't handle badly before, but the difference now is amazing! The B-road drive back to Andover was genuinely sublime; I had to put the roof down and take a detour I enjoyed it that much!
Very very happy
Went down to the Wheel alignment centre in Southampton. Nick there has a 4 wheel lazer system made by Supertracker. Before starting his own business he used to build and test the systems at Supertracker themselves, so he sure as hell knows how to use it!
We discussed the modifications I've made and came up with a setup to suit (slightly outside the 3.0 M3 settings on his recommendation) and he set to work.
Up on the ramps.
Printout
While it was on the ramp I spotted some cuts in the side wall of the N/S/F tyre.
I decided I might as well to do some tyre changing and went to the tyre place over the road (Nick ONLY does alignments). Now bare with me here.....
To start with she had mismatched 215/40s on the front and 215/45 continental sport contact 3s at the rear.
I had never really liked how the rears were stretched onto the 8.5 rims, they still have good tread so I had them moved onto the smaller fronts (replacing the s
t tyres) and bought some new wider Continentals for the back.Now I have matching sport contact 3s all round, 215/45 at the front and 225/45 at the back. No silly euro stretch here!
So what has the tracking+tyres done to the handling? A genuine laugh out loud level of improvement is what! It didn't handle badly before, but the difference now is amazing! The B-road drive back to Andover was genuinely sublime; I had to put the roof down and take a detour I enjoyed it that much!
Very very happy
Edited by JordanTurbo on Friday 17th April 20:23
LanceRS said:
Should the tyres not be 225/45 front and 245/40 on the rear? Good thread and nice car, I've been enjoying following this.
That's correct.Nick is great- he set up my Touring in summer. Car felt awesome, and thanks to that area being a private road, you can really hammer it round the trading estate before you take it back for tweaks.
Good work- glad to see it's going well. Where are you based? I'm not far from Nick...
LanceRS said:
Should the tyres not be 225/45 front and 245/40 on the rear? Good thread and nice car, I've been enjoying following this.
On an M3 with these wheels yes. But IMO that would be too much for the less powerful 328. Less rubber equals more fun à la GT86 etc... 
carpetsoiler said:
Where are you based? I'm not far from Nick...
I live in Ipswich but I'm currently down in Andover with work until the end of March.Just realised I forgot to update this....
Fitted the roof seals mentioned in earlier posts. First was the rear one which had broken near the roof hinge, not letting water in but a lot of wind noise.
Trim below was also missing which didn't help.
Mid swap.
And done, much quieter now. (Pic is the wrong side but you get the idea)
Then onto the front seal, it was torn above the drivers window and let in a steady drip during rain.
There are a few home made fixes on the net with varying amounts of success and longevity, but I decided to bite the bullet and get the full [ridiculously priced] seal from BMW so it would be sorted properly. Old one came off really easily, just pull.
Getting the new one on was a PITA though. Several lips and ridges that all needed to fit right, and the new stiff rubber didn't help at all. Ended up removing the side pieces of the roof to help.
That along with some washing up liquid did the trick and I now have a nice watertight beemer again.
Lastly, I also got the missing bits for my tool kit. (Thank you Sam, AKA carpetsoiler)
Fitted the roof seals mentioned in earlier posts. First was the rear one which had broken near the roof hinge, not letting water in but a lot of wind noise.
Trim below was also missing which didn't help.
Mid swap.
And done, much quieter now. (Pic is the wrong side but you get the idea)
Then onto the front seal, it was torn above the drivers window and let in a steady drip during rain.
There are a few home made fixes on the net with varying amounts of success and longevity, but I decided to bite the bullet and get the full [ridiculously priced] seal from BMW so it would be sorted properly. Old one came off really easily, just pull.
Getting the new one on was a PITA though. Several lips and ridges that all needed to fit right, and the new stiff rubber didn't help at all. Ended up removing the side pieces of the roof to help.
That along with some washing up liquid did the trick and I now have a nice watertight beemer again.
Lastly, I also got the missing bits for my tool kit. (Thank you Sam, AKA carpetsoiler)
Edited by JordanTurbo on Friday 17th April 20:25
carreauchompeur said:
Great work, still.
Cheers.carreauchompeur said:
Scare me, how much were the seals?
The two seals together came to about £280 inc VAT. 
Can't remember the individual prices but the front was the more expencive of the two by quite a margin. It's a complex shape and includes the fury window seal parts too but still daft money.
Still, at least I don't have to sit on a wet drivers seat any more.
Edited by JordanTurbo on Monday 23 March 20:11
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