E36 328, soft top, £575, What's the worst that could happen?
Discussion
Still waiting for some bits to arrive for the headlining so I've got some other jobs done. Managed to rob some bits from a mates E36 before it gets scrapped, All free 
.
Got a passenger side fog light. It's cracked but better than a gaping hole in the bumper.
New latch for the boot tool kit
Arial without the spiral wire
Eagle eyed viewers may have noticed my bonnet needed to be propped up when working as the struts were goosed. Got new ones which work much better but are shorter though which I found odd. Maybe it's because they are from a saloon??
Then on to a couple of bigger jobs, the first was to fix my glove box lock. The key always worked in the lock but it didn't actually prevent the glove box from opening. I wanted it working for times when I leave the car with the top down.
I took the panel out to see what the problem was and found the linkage was broken.
Got the full panel out of the scrapper and removed the good linkage. Fitted it to mine and all works perfect now
Next I wanted to track down the cause of my Tail light fault (all bulbs fine)
After some investigation I found that the rear right tail light was not a check control unit. It must have been damaged and replaced when the dent below it was done. The difference is that in a check control light the two tail light bulbs are wired separately and monitored by the OBC. In a non-check light the bulbs share an earth meaning my OBC could only "see" one light working and flagged a fault. You can see the missing pin in the pictures below:
Bridge between the two bulbs cut and new separate pin added from a spare light
Refitted and no more warning
All in all a very productive day. And It's not cost me a penny
.
Got a passenger side fog light. It's cracked but better than a gaping hole in the bumper.
New latch for the boot tool kit
Arial without the spiral wire
Eagle eyed viewers may have noticed my bonnet needed to be propped up when working as the struts were goosed. Got new ones which work much better but are shorter though which I found odd. Maybe it's because they are from a saloon??
Then on to a couple of bigger jobs, the first was to fix my glove box lock. The key always worked in the lock but it didn't actually prevent the glove box from opening. I wanted it working for times when I leave the car with the top down.
I took the panel out to see what the problem was and found the linkage was broken.
Got the full panel out of the scrapper and removed the good linkage. Fitted it to mine and all works perfect now
Next I wanted to track down the cause of my Tail light fault (all bulbs fine)
After some investigation I found that the rear right tail light was not a check control unit. It must have been damaged and replaced when the dent below it was done. The difference is that in a check control light the two tail light bulbs are wired separately and monitored by the OBC. In a non-check light the bulbs share an earth meaning my OBC could only "see" one light working and flagged a fault. You can see the missing pin in the pictures below:
Bridge between the two bulbs cut and new separate pin added from a spare light
Refitted and no more warning
All in all a very productive day. And It's not cost me a penny
Edited by JordanTurbo on Friday 17th April 19:53
Been busy with this over the last couple of weeks.
Rear end started to knock and wander around on bumpy roads. I narrowed down to the rear trailing arm bushes (RTABs)
Started to strip the rear suspension down, Bush center itself wasn't in that bad nick but had totally detached from the outer metal part.
New Lemforder replacements
Fitted them to the trailing arms. Offset to the same position as the old bushes so that the rear geometry is the same.
As some may have noticed reading this thread, When working on my cars I tend to suffer from what my wife has come to call "While I'm there syndrome" meaning small jobs tend to snowball as and when I find extra bits I want to do. This was no different and I decided, while I had the trailing arms off, I'd replace the two rear bushes and ball joints as well. Old on the right, new on the Left. I also took the opportunity to upgrade the lower bushes to Ball joints same as the M3.
Arms refitted to the car and vehicles weight taken on the suspension so I could mark the angle that the RTAB brackets should sit.
Weight back on the stands so I could tighten everything up including lining up the witness marks I made on the camber bolts before removal
All done and no more knocks. Rear end feels much better as well
Rear end started to knock and wander around on bumpy roads. I narrowed down to the rear trailing arm bushes (RTABs)
Started to strip the rear suspension down, Bush center itself wasn't in that bad nick but had totally detached from the outer metal part.
New Lemforder replacements
Fitted them to the trailing arms. Offset to the same position as the old bushes so that the rear geometry is the same.
As some may have noticed reading this thread, When working on my cars I tend to suffer from what my wife has come to call "While I'm there syndrome" meaning small jobs tend to snowball as and when I find extra bits I want to do. This was no different and I decided, while I had the trailing arms off, I'd replace the two rear bushes and ball joints as well. Old on the right, new on the Left. I also took the opportunity to upgrade the lower bushes to Ball joints same as the M3.
Arms refitted to the car and vehicles weight taken on the suspension so I could mark the angle that the RTAB brackets should sit.
Weight back on the stands so I could tighten everything up including lining up the witness marks I made on the camber bolts before removal
All done and no more knocks. Rear end feels much better as well
Edited by JordanTurbo on Friday 17th April 19:55
So with the car driving nicely again I also got my Headlining back in.
Before it went back in I needed to repair the bat wings (or dog ears as some also call them). They are basically plastic backing plates that pull the rear of the liner tight and neat when the hood is up. They get old and brittle and break where the string attaches on the back.
Repaired and strengthened with some strips of metal.
One attachment point was worse than the others and required some ingenuity. Not terribly neat but isn't seen and does the job.
Glued back into the headlining
As I'm going to be changing the plastics in the car to black I decided the light blue/grey liner would look out of place and ordered some fabric spray
And finally refitted. Well happy
Before it went back in I needed to repair the bat wings (or dog ears as some also call them). They are basically plastic backing plates that pull the rear of the liner tight and neat when the hood is up. They get old and brittle and break where the string attaches on the back.
Repaired and strengthened with some strips of metal.
One attachment point was worse than the others and required some ingenuity. Not terribly neat but isn't seen and does the job.
Glued back into the headlining
As I'm going to be changing the plastics in the car to black I decided the light blue/grey liner would look out of place and ordered some fabric spray
And finally refitted. Well happy
Edited by JordanTurbo on Friday 17th April 19:56
Vince70 said:
....I notice in one of the pics you have a blue Audi Avant with a Pistonheads sticker on the back, was you parked up in Bexhill last week as I parked a couple of cars away from yours the other day if it was.
Wasn't me unfortunately. My S6 is black and has been off the road most of this year due to me being in Afghanistan again.McSam said:
....How have you found the Yellowstuff pads? I'm using Redstuff at the minute but since there's little price difference was thinking of trying Yellow next.
I like them. Not had reds before so can't compare, but also had yellows on my 370bhp turbocharged Astra in the past and they did well. I've found it's important to do the bedding in procedure otherwise you get to the end of the break in coating and the braking power disappears.Another free modification done today. Took 10 minutes and is my favorite so far.
Removed the pass side rear door card panel (no screws, just slides forward)
Roof control module revealed
Rear white plug removed and stripped. Then black and white road speed signal wire removed and taped out of the way.
The roof can now be opened/closed while moving instead of having to stop.
Means if I'm in slow moving traffic and it starts to rain, I don't have to pull over or hold everyone up by stopping to raise the roof. Same when putting it down. I don't have to guess whether I have time at the lights any more, if the light turns green I can pull away while the roof finishes it's movements.
One thing to remember is that this modification will allow the roof to be operated at ANY speed. Some common sense needs to be used as trying to drop it at 70mph on the motorway would probably result in the roof stowing itself in the car behind's windscreen!
I've tested it upto about 15mph around the neighbourhood with no problems. I wouldn't have any need to do it travelling faster than that.
Removed the pass side rear door card panel (no screws, just slides forward)
Roof control module revealed
Rear white plug removed and stripped. Then black and white road speed signal wire removed and taped out of the way.
The roof can now be opened/closed while moving instead of having to stop.
Means if I'm in slow moving traffic and it starts to rain, I don't have to pull over or hold everyone up by stopping to raise the roof. Same when putting it down. I don't have to guess whether I have time at the lights any more, if the light turns green I can pull away while the roof finishes it's movements.
One thing to remember is that this modification will allow the roof to be operated at ANY speed. Some common sense needs to be used as trying to drop it at 70mph on the motorway would probably result in the roof stowing itself in the car behind's windscreen!
I've tested it upto about 15mph around the neighbourhood with no problems. I wouldn't have any need to do it travelling faster than that.
Edited by JordanTurbo on Friday 17th April 19:56
Weekend update
Been bored this weekend so decided to sort the tatty door mirrors. The paint was flaking on the base plates and the plastic parts were terribly faded.
Passenger side first, removed and stripped down.
Rubbed down, masked up and primed.
Few coats of satin black along with polishing the glass and silver cover.
Assembled and refitted.
Currently waiting for the paint on the drivers side to dry then it can go back on.
Been bored this weekend so decided to sort the tatty door mirrors. The paint was flaking on the base plates and the plastic parts were terribly faded.
Passenger side first, removed and stripped down.
Rubbed down, masked up and primed.
Few coats of satin black along with polishing the glass and silver cover.
Assembled and refitted.
Currently waiting for the paint on the drivers side to dry then it can go back on.
Edited by JordanTurbo on Friday 17th April 19:57
Hi guys, update time again.
Over the last couple of weeks I've got the sport bumper and wheels fitted along with a couple of other bits.
Here's a close up of the damage that meant the nose cone had to be changed too.
Before the bumper went on, I decided to swap the center sport bars for some Aluminium mesh (sprayed satin black before fitting).
Front end stripped.
New parts fitted along with wheels. The broken kidneys were repaired and sprayed black. The pass side rear was still jacked up hence the funny dragster forward rake.
The new parts meant I felt compelled to wash it for the first time since I bought it
Snow foam
New soft top cleaned and waterproofed using Auto Glym hood kit. It's waterproof from the factory but I wanted to add some extra protection to keep it looking nice.
Paint/glass masked off (It's a b
d to get off) and treatment applied.
And the results after polish and wax
Over the last couple of weeks I've got the sport bumper and wheels fitted along with a couple of other bits.
Here's a close up of the damage that meant the nose cone had to be changed too.
Before the bumper went on, I decided to swap the center sport bars for some Aluminium mesh (sprayed satin black before fitting).
Front end stripped.
New parts fitted along with wheels. The broken kidneys were repaired and sprayed black. The pass side rear was still jacked up hence the funny dragster forward rake.
The new parts meant I felt compelled to wash it for the first time since I bought it
Snow foam
New soft top cleaned and waterproofed using Auto Glym hood kit. It's waterproof from the factory but I wanted to add some extra protection to keep it looking nice.
Paint/glass masked off (It's a b
d to get off) and treatment applied.And the results after polish and wax
Edited by JordanTurbo on Friday 17th April 20:08
Thanks a lot guys. I'm pleased with it
So about £2000 including the original purchase price. Some might say a lot money, especially for a non sport, but like I said at the start of this thread. I set out with a budget of £2500 but couldn't find anything in the right spec or condition.
In my opinion, I now have a much better car than any I had viewed previously, and I know that all of the work underneath is done to my own high standards with good quality parts which to me is worth 10x more than a big folder or recipts.
Any modifications from this point forward will be taking it above standard sport spec, so are things I would have done to a good car anyway.
GreatGranny said:
Just out of interest, any idea of total spend?
Just to compare buying a dog and making it into a good car to buying a good car straight off.
Roughly:Just to compare buying a dog and making it into a good car to buying a good car straight off.
- Car - £575.90
- Brand new roof and window fitted - £600
- Full service (inc metal water pump and front brakes) - £200
- Suspension bush and ball joint refresh - £150
- Sport bumper, new nose cone and genuine M3 evo staggered wheels with decent tyres - £500
So about £2000 including the original purchase price. Some might say a lot money, especially for a non sport, but like I said at the start of this thread. I set out with a budget of £2500 but couldn't find anything in the right spec or condition.
In my opinion, I now have a much better car than any I had viewed previously, and I know that all of the work underneath is done to my own high standards with good quality parts which to me is worth 10x more than a big folder or recipts.
Any modifications from this point forward will be taking it above standard sport spec, so are things I would have done to a good car anyway.
Edited by JordanTurbo on Tuesday 14th October 12:46
g3org3y said:
I used the Autoglym stuff on the E30's cabrio roof and found it very decent actually.
Watch you don't get any of it on the glass as if it dries can be a bit of a mission to remove. I've also heard very good things about Renovo.
Yes I did mask everything off before applying the waterproofing.Watch you don't get any of it on the glass as if it dries can be a bit of a mission to remove. I've also heard very good things about Renovo.
JordanTurbo said:
Paint/glass masked off (It's a bd to get off) and treatment applied.
It looks a bit magic, the way it repels water as this vid shows.d to get off) and treatment applied.http://i883.photobucket.com/albums/ac39/bridges070...
Edited by JordanTurbo on Friday 17th April 20:10
Thanks for the comments guys. Plenty more to come yet, dont worry
The black kidneys were a half forced modification. The right one was broken and once I repaired it, I couldn't paint it chrome again. They are growing on me though.
Before that however, I want to finish the suspension off. I have a set of 40/10mm H&R lowering springs that will go on once I've chosen some new dampers to go with them.
The black kidneys were a half forced modification. The right one was broken and once I repaired it, I couldn't paint it chrome again. They are growing on me though.
Usget said:
Are you sure you dont want a set of amber front repeaters to match the rears?! (Or failing that, smoked rear clusters and side repeaters?)
Next modicication on the outside will be non amber rear clusters and a sport rear bumper to match the front. Before that however, I want to finish the suspension off. I have a set of 40/10mm H&R lowering springs that will go on once I've chosen some new dampers to go with them.
Thanks again guys. That blue one looks nice, it was one of my preferred colours (along with techno violet 
) before this one came up.
Now that I have got this to a good standard, I'll be mainly concentrating on getting the Audi sold so progress will be slow for a bit.
) before this one came up.Now that I have got this to a good standard, I'll be mainly concentrating on getting the Audi sold so progress will be slow for a bit.
Edited by JordanTurbo on Thursday 16th October 14:54
While I concentrate on the Audi it might be a while until I get shocks to go with the H&R's, so decided to fit them to the standard struts for now.
The springs are 40/10mm (front/rear) and after a few miles to settle, the result is as I'd hoped. The rear has stayed where it was pretty much, but the front arch gap has been reduced considerably without being too low.
Did a quick driveway alignment to prevent any scrubbing for now. Once I've done the shocks and front top mounts I'll put it on a hunter machine and get all 4 wheels aligned properly.
The springs are 40/10mm (front/rear) and after a few miles to settle, the result is as I'd hoped. The rear has stayed where it was pretty much, but the front arch gap has been reduced considerably without being too low.
Did a quick driveway alignment to prevent any scrubbing for now. Once I've done the shocks and front top mounts I'll put it on a hunter machine and get all 4 wheels aligned properly.
Edited by JordanTurbo on Friday 17th April 20:14
Not updated this in a while, just been enjoying the car lately TBH.
Only problem I've had has been a limp coolant needle recently. Engine had been taking ages to warm up, and in anything other than heavy traffic the gauge would sit just on the cold side.
Doesn't look like much but the gauge isn't linear; straight up covers a wide operating range, so a small movement (up or down) equals a larger temp change. Easily diagnosed as the thermostat stuck open and once removed it was confirmed.
New one sourced and decided to fit a metal stat housing at the same time.
Refitted with genuine BMW seal and fresh coolant.
Decided to leave the viscous fan off for the winter. The AC fan is more than man enough during the cold weather.
After a bleed up and a long test drive, the engine gets up to temp quickly and needle is rock solid in the center. Happy days.
Only problem I've had has been a limp coolant needle recently. Engine had been taking ages to warm up, and in anything other than heavy traffic the gauge would sit just on the cold side.
Doesn't look like much but the gauge isn't linear; straight up covers a wide operating range, so a small movement (up or down) equals a larger temp change. Easily diagnosed as the thermostat stuck open and once removed it was confirmed.
New one sourced and decided to fit a metal stat housing at the same time.
Refitted with genuine BMW seal and fresh coolant.
Decided to leave the viscous fan off for the winter. The AC fan is more than man enough during the cold weather.
After a bleed up and a long test drive, the engine gets up to temp quickly and needle is rock solid in the center. Happy days
.Edited by JordanTurbo on Friday 17th April 20:15
carinaman said:
I got here from the C5 Avant thread. Very impressive fettling skills.
Cheers g3org3y said:
Of interest did you get the Circoli thermostat from ECP or the BMW OE?
I had exactly the same problem. I recently did a thermostat change on my E36 with ECP parts, the thermostat rubber meant the stat wouldn't sit properly and the new (metal) housing cracked when being tightened in place! I replaced the rubber with that on the original BMW stat and refitted the old housing - now perfect.
Both stat and housing were Circoli from ECP. Only thing I did was fit an OE BMW housing seal (the orange one), stat seal was the one that came with it.I had exactly the same problem. I recently did a thermostat change on my E36 with ECP parts, the thermostat rubber meant the stat wouldn't sit properly and the new (metal) housing cracked when being tightened in place! I replaced the rubber with that on the original BMW stat and refitted the old housing - now perfect.
Went together no problem, with no leaks.
Edited by JordanTurbo on Friday 12th December 00:03
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