Project Ring-shed E36 325i
Discussion
sniff petrol said:
I'd have thought that you'd be better off spending the money on an M3 engine now your car stops and handles more than well enough?
That'll be coming next year once we've run the car for this "season" and are happy with it. Some cheap headers and a couple of straight pipes will only cost us £200.
benny.c said:
sniff petrol said:
I'd have thought that you'd be better off spending the money on an M3 engine now your car stops and handles more than well enough?
That'll be coming next year once we've run the car for this "season" and are happy with it. Some cheap headers and a couple of straight pipes will only cost us £200.
Update
Picked up these yesterday evening off a canceled race car build:
Whiteline adjustable antiroll bars:
Gaz Gold coilovers:
Not sure whether to wait and fit them after getting back from the Ring just in case I write the car off or it breaks down over there. If I've fitted expensive bits to it then I'd have spend loads getting it recovered.
Picked up these yesterday evening off a canceled race car build:
Whiteline adjustable antiroll bars:
Gaz Gold coilovers:
Not sure whether to wait and fit them after getting back from the Ring just in case I write the car off or it breaks down over there. If I've fitted expensive bits to it then I'd have spend loads getting it recovered.
sniff petrol said:
Not sure whether to wait and fit them after getting back from the Ring just in case I write the car off or it breaks down over there. If I've fitted expensive bits to it then I'd have spend loads getting it recovered.
Fear not Mr Sniff, got a dead e36 out there now to be picked up soon, could always do you a deal do do 'em as a pair 
iguana said:
sniff petrol said:
Not sure whether to wait and fit them after getting back from the Ring just in case I write the car off or it breaks down over there. If I've fitted expensive bits to it then I'd have spend loads getting it recovered.
Fear not Mr Sniff, got a dead e36 out there now to be picked up soon, could always do you a deal do do 'em as a pair P.S. Did you see your old E30 for sale again not long after you got rid of it?
Price wise I'd discuss by email, varies on time scales etc, quicker collect is more ££
my e30 yeh was up about a month later I think, not sure why, but the fella did have 2 e30 racers already so maybe just bought it in a whim & realised later he didnt want it, as it was sold in need of work maybe he underestimated how much? then again it was up for more ££ in his ad, so maybe he just wanted to make a quick buck?
my e30 yeh was up about a month later I think, not sure why, but the fella did have 2 e30 racers already so maybe just bought it in a whim & realised later he didnt want it, as it was sold in need of work maybe he underestimated how much? then again it was up for more ££ in his ad, so maybe he just wanted to make a quick buck?
PurelyRetro said:
Any more developments sniff?
Been working hard on it today as it happens. Will do a little update later once I've uploaded a few pictures.Had a change of plan with the car after taking on a new job as a train driver. I'll be training until June 2009 so won't have the time to get to the Ring until then. The plan at first was to keep it a disposable car in case I suffered any mishaps at the Ring and could just leave it there, now I'll be turning it into my full on track car and will get rid of my 205 GTi.
Update:
Thanks to a contact from Benny.C, I was put in touch with a bloke that had cancelled his race car build. I'd already bought his coilovers and ARB's off him and we did a deal for me to take his car complete with Sparco multi point roll cage (in the car but not yet welded) fibreglass bonnet and DTM style stainless back box, plus a few other bits and bobs. Was a long journey to north Devon and back with a van and trailer, but worth it for the amount of stuff I got for the money.
Also on the way home I was able to pick up the Corbeau bucket seats and 6 point TRS harnesses I'd won on Ebay. Does anyone know if these harnesses are road legal or will I need to keep the original seat belts for the MOT?
Once I got home I had a good look at the red 325 to see if it would make a better base for my track car. It's a '92 J reg the same as my grey one and it had the bonus that it was already largely stripped and only done 87k.
In the end the fact that my grey E36 had a replacement engine less than 2 years ago and a new clutch and stuff this year made me decide to scrap the red one. I spent most of my spare time last week removing any parts that I'm ever likely to need, then took the shell to the scrappers:
With the red car out of the way I was able to start work on the grey one again.
Stripped all the sound deadening from the interior, it leaves a horrible sticky mess behind which I'll have to clean off with some white spirit or something.
Then set about taking the dash out:
Horrible fiddly job but at least I won't need to put it all back in. Once the cage is in I'll put the upper most part of the dash back in but with no glove box and centre console and stuff.
By the end of the day I'd also removed the heater assembly and matrix, then reconnected the water pipes. The water level didn't seem to drop but I'll probably have to bleed the system again.
Next jobs are to take the front passenger door off to get the main part of the cage in. Would any one be able to recommend someone to weld the cage in for us?
Thanks to a contact from Benny.C, I was put in touch with a bloke that had cancelled his race car build. I'd already bought his coilovers and ARB's off him and we did a deal for me to take his car complete with Sparco multi point roll cage (in the car but not yet welded) fibreglass bonnet and DTM style stainless back box, plus a few other bits and bobs. Was a long journey to north Devon and back with a van and trailer, but worth it for the amount of stuff I got for the money.
Also on the way home I was able to pick up the Corbeau bucket seats and 6 point TRS harnesses I'd won on Ebay. Does anyone know if these harnesses are road legal or will I need to keep the original seat belts for the MOT?
Once I got home I had a good look at the red 325 to see if it would make a better base for my track car. It's a '92 J reg the same as my grey one and it had the bonus that it was already largely stripped and only done 87k.
In the end the fact that my grey E36 had a replacement engine less than 2 years ago and a new clutch and stuff this year made me decide to scrap the red one. I spent most of my spare time last week removing any parts that I'm ever likely to need, then took the shell to the scrappers:
With the red car out of the way I was able to start work on the grey one again.
Stripped all the sound deadening from the interior, it leaves a horrible sticky mess behind which I'll have to clean off with some white spirit or something.
Then set about taking the dash out:
Horrible fiddly job but at least I won't need to put it all back in. Once the cage is in I'll put the upper most part of the dash back in but with no glove box and centre console and stuff.
By the end of the day I'd also removed the heater assembly and matrix, then reconnected the water pipes. The water level didn't seem to drop but I'll probably have to bleed the system again.
Next jobs are to take the front passenger door off to get the main part of the cage in. Would any one be able to recommend someone to weld the cage in for us?
minimatt1967 said:
Well this will certainly have to change 
Looking good Sniff! That was certainly a good parts haul from the red E36, glad you stuck with the dolphin(?) grey E36 much prefer that colour would look good with some black detailing
The red one certainly was a lucky find, should be able to sell a few bits to re-coup some costs too. Once the cage is in that'll need painting, then I'll need to flare the arches to accommodate some 17" wheels so I suppose it makes sense to get the other rust spots sorted out at the same time. Would it be wrong to paint the interior a different colour to the exterior?
matt21 said:
glad to see you kept the grey one. 
with the wadge of reciepts with that you can be assured its got strong mechanicals
Yeah, it was a known quantity mechanically after having driven it for some 400 miles. It'll only take me a couple of days to strip it down to the same level as the red one anyway.with the wadge of reciepts with that you can be assured its got strong mechanicals
First thing I did with the grey one was take the SH folders out - must have saved several kgs!
sniff diesel said:
matt21 said:
glad to see you kept the grey one.
with the wadge of reciepts with that you can be assured its got strong mechanicals
Yeah, it was a known quantity mechanically after having driven it for some 400 miles. It'll only take me a couple of days to strip it down to the same level as the red one anyway.with the wadge of reciepts with that you can be assured its got strong mechanicals
First thing I did with the grey one was take the SH folders out - must have saved several kgs!
matt21 said:
sniff diesel said:
matt21 said:
glad to see you kept the grey one.
with the wadge of reciepts with that you can be assured its got strong mechanicals
Yeah, it was a known quantity mechanically after having driven it for some 400 miles. It'll only take me a couple of days to strip it down to the same level as the red one anyway.with the wadge of reciepts with that you can be assured its got strong mechanicals
First thing I did with the grey one was take the SH folders out - must have saved several kgs!
sniff diesel said:
matt21 said:
sniff diesel said:
matt21 said:
glad to see you kept the grey one.
with the wadge of reciepts with that you can be assured its got strong mechanicals
Yeah, it was a known quantity mechanically after having driven it for some 400 miles. It'll only take me a couple of days to strip it down to the same level as the red one anyway.with the wadge of reciepts with that you can be assured its got strong mechanicals
First thing I did with the grey one was take the SH folders out - must have saved several kgs!
Small update, not been able to do much lately due to spending my working week in Cardiff as part of my training for my new job. What's left of the weekend after the F1, house work and going to the pub I managed to grab a bit of time to bolt a few bits to the car.
Fitted the fibreglass bonnet, was a bit of a pain getting things all lined up and drilled in the right places. I was a bit paranoid about making a mess of it but I think it looks alright. Will have to tweak it a bit though as it hits the passenger side wiper in the parked position.
I haven't riveted the bonnet pins down yet until I have the whole thing painted.
I then moved on to fitting the DTM style back box I got as part of the deal I had with the cage and bonnet.
I hope it doesn't look too chavvy for now, but it will go with the look of the car that I have planned. And either way it seems to weigh a fair bit less than the original even if it doesn't give any more power.
Test fitted the DTM style mirrors, these will have to come off again when it gets painted though.
I really want to get on and get the cage welded in so I can start on some paintwork but I'll have to wait until I get some time back home during the week.
Been offered a newly refurbished set of original BBS 17" alloys, they're missing the centre caps but they seem to pop up on Ebay from time to time or I may not even bother what with unsprung weight an all
Fitted the fibreglass bonnet, was a bit of a pain getting things all lined up and drilled in the right places. I was a bit paranoid about making a mess of it but I think it looks alright. Will have to tweak it a bit though as it hits the passenger side wiper in the parked position.
I haven't riveted the bonnet pins down yet until I have the whole thing painted.
I then moved on to fitting the DTM style back box I got as part of the deal I had with the cage and bonnet.
I hope it doesn't look too chavvy for now, but it will go with the look of the car that I have planned. And either way it seems to weigh a fair bit less than the original even if it doesn't give any more power.
Test fitted the DTM style mirrors, these will have to come off again when it gets painted though.
I really want to get on and get the cage welded in so I can start on some paintwork but I'll have to wait until I get some time back home during the week.
Been offered a newly refurbished set of original BBS 17" alloys, they're missing the centre caps but they seem to pop up on Ebay from time to time or I may not even bother what with unsprung weight an all
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