E36 328i Touring. When it breaks, upgrade it...
Discussion
So I always wanted one of these since I was a kid... love the look of estates, the E36 Touring especially.
After dabbling with buying various E36s over the years (325tds saloon, 318is saloon, 316i Compact, 320i Touring and a 323i Coupe), I finally dumped my girlfriend and used the some of the house account money we'd saved to buy this:
1999 328i Touring SE in Titanium Silver... few bits of rust, sports half-leather interior, MTech wheel & gearknob, 18-function computer, a few dents and a couple of rusty spots. Arches were solid, car had been sent to BMW specialists for 7 years to be looked after, and even though it had a fairly porky 162,000 on the clock, the engine was 142,000 miles young... the first owner tried fording, at great expense. All for £750, including a nice stereo (my 'usual' Alpine), a pair of snow socks and a sat nav... couldn't say fairer than that!
Decided to make it look and go as I wanted it to, starting with a few bits...
16" Style 30s. Classic E36 Sport look.
Crystal rear lights, as I hated the standard ambers. Smoked the top parts with some fairly light film just to 'take the edge off' the immense clarity. Still bright as anything.
Illuminated MTech gearknob. The standard one was so, so rough... wobbled about on the shaft... not good at all.
In between the 'early stages', I fitted a Dave F air filter to hear the straight six snarl a little better, replaced the dodgy boot struts, and popped some smoked side repeaters in to de-amber. Also bought an M50 manifold, but held off on fitting it as a friend had binned his 323i and had a converted one ready to fit. There's some MTech springs in the wings, but can't be bothered to fit them with the weather being decidedly uncooperative.
Calamity struck when I realised about 1/2 a mile into owning my new wheels that the previous owner hadn't been very forthright with a few things, namely an offset that was so wrong it beggared belief and buckling of epic proportions. Yay. I couldn't engage the throttle without the rear tyres rubbing and smelling rather beautiful. Cornering was much the same. So I got looking and found a set of these...
... but I decided they looked a little bit 'chav monster', so they're back up for sale already.
On one of my regular sites, someone posted they had a set of wheels for a BMW... no one was biting as it was a Skoda forum... so I made him a stupid offer that he, strangely, accepted. Cue roadtrip.
17" staggered Style 32s with decent Michelin Pilot Sports on them? Yes please.
Then, finally, sorted out the weedy front end. Smoked front indicators, a new nosecone without a socking great dent in it, de-washered it for a cleaner look and the fact that the system was kaput, and an M3 bumper that I swapped my M50 manifold for. As you do.
So, future plans thus far... secure an M50 manifold, fit some M3 exhaust manifolds, remap it (should be at least 230bhp). There's a scrappy breaking a Touring in the same colour, so I'll secure some of the panels and spray them as & when. Also want to bung the convertible X-brace on there to sharpen the steering, and get the suspension fitted.
Very much enjoying BMW ownership.
After dabbling with buying various E36s over the years (325tds saloon, 318is saloon, 316i Compact, 320i Touring and a 323i Coupe), I finally dumped my girlfriend and used the some of the house account money we'd saved to buy this:
1999 328i Touring SE in Titanium Silver... few bits of rust, sports half-leather interior, MTech wheel & gearknob, 18-function computer, a few dents and a couple of rusty spots. Arches were solid, car had been sent to BMW specialists for 7 years to be looked after, and even though it had a fairly porky 162,000 on the clock, the engine was 142,000 miles young... the first owner tried fording, at great expense. All for £750, including a nice stereo (my 'usual' Alpine), a pair of snow socks and a sat nav... couldn't say fairer than that!
Decided to make it look and go as I wanted it to, starting with a few bits...
16" Style 30s. Classic E36 Sport look.
Crystal rear lights, as I hated the standard ambers. Smoked the top parts with some fairly light film just to 'take the edge off' the immense clarity. Still bright as anything.
Illuminated MTech gearknob. The standard one was so, so rough... wobbled about on the shaft... not good at all.
In between the 'early stages', I fitted a Dave F air filter to hear the straight six snarl a little better, replaced the dodgy boot struts, and popped some smoked side repeaters in to de-amber. Also bought an M50 manifold, but held off on fitting it as a friend had binned his 323i and had a converted one ready to fit. There's some MTech springs in the wings, but can't be bothered to fit them with the weather being decidedly uncooperative.
Calamity struck when I realised about 1/2 a mile into owning my new wheels that the previous owner hadn't been very forthright with a few things, namely an offset that was so wrong it beggared belief and buckling of epic proportions. Yay. I couldn't engage the throttle without the rear tyres rubbing and smelling rather beautiful. Cornering was much the same. So I got looking and found a set of these...
... but I decided they looked a little bit 'chav monster', so they're back up for sale already.
On one of my regular sites, someone posted they had a set of wheels for a BMW... no one was biting as it was a Skoda forum... so I made him a stupid offer that he, strangely, accepted. Cue roadtrip.
17" staggered Style 32s with decent Michelin Pilot Sports on them? Yes please.
Then, finally, sorted out the weedy front end. Smoked front indicators, a new nosecone without a socking great dent in it, de-washered it for a cleaner look and the fact that the system was kaput, and an M3 bumper that I swapped my M50 manifold for. As you do.
So, future plans thus far... secure an M50 manifold, fit some M3 exhaust manifolds, remap it (should be at least 230bhp). There's a scrappy breaking a Touring in the same colour, so I'll secure some of the panels and spray them as & when. Also want to bung the convertible X-brace on there to sharpen the steering, and get the suspension fitted.
Very much enjoying BMW ownership.
Getaway- you have an email!! Payday on Friday, you see. 
Petrolveins- they sell for so cheap. I think 98 onwards was Alusil. I saw a Boston Green one with 73k and full heated leather go for 895 on eBay! A lot of straight six for your money, and a huge parts/user base.
Bork- cheers! I was determined to essentially turn it into a Sport, never been a fan of amber or weedy bumpers! I bought the indicators, they're made by Depo- not brilliant quality, mind. Clear ones you can smoke really easily with some cheapo Chinese tint film. Not too dark either, so you don't look like a chavvy barstool!
Petrolveins- they sell for so cheap. I think 98 onwards was Alusil. I saw a Boston Green one with 73k and full heated leather go for 895 on eBay! A lot of straight six for your money, and a huge parts/user base.
Bork- cheers! I was determined to essentially turn it into a Sport, never been a fan of amber or weedy bumpers! I bought the indicators, they're made by Depo- not brilliant quality, mind. Clear ones you can smoke really easily with some cheapo Chinese tint film. Not too dark either, so you don't look like a chavvy barstool!
Cheers guys. Phil- I absolutely despise amber, so they won't come back, but I have a photo with them on with the M3 bumper and I could almost see the appeal.
The whole point was modernising her, the rear lights and the smoked indicators/repeaters made the biggest difference. Looking forward to the next stages- MTech suspension to drop the front a touch, M50 courtesy of Mr. Getaway... the engine is fascinating on these cars. Various rumours fly around, but the ones with most gravitas involve an M50'd car with a remap and an M3 exhaust manifold reaching an easy 245bhp on the rollers. The M3 exhaust mani also serves to pump back in some of the low end torque that gets shifted further up the rev range when you go M50.
An LSD is also on the list, and if I find a cheap M3 6-speed gearbox, that'll be going on too. I know to many it will seem bizarre modifying some sub-1k, leggy Touring... but I want to see what she can do...
The whole point was modernising her, the rear lights and the smoked indicators/repeaters made the biggest difference. Looking forward to the next stages- MTech suspension to drop the front a touch, M50 courtesy of Mr. Getaway... the engine is fascinating on these cars. Various rumours fly around, but the ones with most gravitas involve an M50'd car with a remap and an M3 exhaust manifold reaching an easy 245bhp on the rollers. The M3 exhaust mani also serves to pump back in some of the low end torque that gets shifted further up the rev range when you go M50.
An LSD is also on the list, and if I find a cheap M3 6-speed gearbox, that'll be going on too. I know to many it will seem bizarre modifying some sub-1k, leggy Touring... but I want to see what she can do...
The DIY time is beginning to take over...
Following a recent haemorrhage of money from my bank account (which has absolutely nothing to do with fuelling her, strangely), I've decided on a few things...
1) to take routine maintenance upon myself, as I'm unlikely to sell the car and it's at the age/mileage where people won't give a s
t anyway.
2) to buy one 'big' item (£50+) for the car each month, as opposed to the many millions I did before.
3) to walk around more, and save some petrol in the process. I did it today.
Number 1 has already started coming into effect. Last night, I finally replaced the fuel pump/sender with one that had a working float. This was something I'd neglected to do because a) I've been busy b) I'm lazy and c) I'd not run out of fuel. Item 'c' reared its head with an ugly vengeance last night, therefore I had to replace it. Surprisingly simple- removed rear bench, uncovered the fuel pump (4 screws), released the fuel pump (one very large catch), replaced pump & O-ring seal. Took all of half an hour. Plus a further half an hour to evaporate the spilt petrols.
Next up- coolant flush, oil change and fuel filter change. The oil's sitting on the passenger seat along with some engine flush and a new filter, just need a 36mm socket, some patience and an ice cream tub (these are lacking in the House of Sam currently, I think I'm one of the few people who lost weight over Christmas...)
Oh, and to treat her today... yellowed up my foglights (you may think it's chavvy, I just like to break up the silver/black) and finally put some mesh in the basking shark-esque mouth that was giving everyone a lovely look at the cooling fan.
I've had a quote for some spray work- the bumper, rusty bits on nosecone, peeling lacquer and rusty bonnet will set me back a whopping £300 or so. Got to plan carefully, as there's also a guitar potentially on the way...
Anyhoo, pics. Opinions welcome... expecting to get nuked for the yellow tint.
December's mod: M50 manifold, as soon as someone here gets back to me.
January's mod (already secured, eager beaver that I am): convertible x-brace for the underside.
February: going to be front suspension, I reckon. Not looking forward to changing that though.
Following a recent haemorrhage of money from my bank account (which has absolutely nothing to do with fuelling her, strangely), I've decided on a few things...
1) to take routine maintenance upon myself, as I'm unlikely to sell the car and it's at the age/mileage where people won't give a s
t anyway.2) to buy one 'big' item (£50+) for the car each month, as opposed to the many millions I did before.
3) to walk around more, and save some petrol in the process. I did it today.
Number 1 has already started coming into effect. Last night, I finally replaced the fuel pump/sender with one that had a working float. This was something I'd neglected to do because a) I've been busy b) I'm lazy and c) I'd not run out of fuel. Item 'c' reared its head with an ugly vengeance last night, therefore I had to replace it. Surprisingly simple- removed rear bench, uncovered the fuel pump (4 screws), released the fuel pump (one very large catch), replaced pump & O-ring seal. Took all of half an hour. Plus a further half an hour to evaporate the spilt petrols.
Next up- coolant flush, oil change and fuel filter change. The oil's sitting on the passenger seat along with some engine flush and a new filter, just need a 36mm socket, some patience and an ice cream tub (these are lacking in the House of Sam currently, I think I'm one of the few people who lost weight over Christmas...)
Oh, and to treat her today... yellowed up my foglights (you may think it's chavvy, I just like to break up the silver/black) and finally put some mesh in the basking shark-esque mouth that was giving everyone a lovely look at the cooling fan.
I've had a quote for some spray work- the bumper, rusty bits on nosecone, peeling lacquer and rusty bonnet will set me back a whopping £300 or so. Got to plan carefully, as there's also a guitar potentially on the way...
Anyhoo, pics. Opinions welcome... expecting to get nuked for the yellow tint.
December's mod: M50 manifold, as soon as someone here gets back to me.
January's mod (already secured, eager beaver that I am): convertible x-brace for the underside.
February: going to be front suspension, I reckon. Not looking forward to changing that though.
pstruck said:
No nuking for the yellow fogs, but it's funny that you say you did it to break up the black and silver, yet you changed the orange indicators to remove the colour. Not criticising, as I'd do (well did) the same (smoked indicators, not yellow fogs).
Ha! Oh, the obvious, unnoticed irony. I hate ginger indicators, and secretly lust after yellow fogs. You got me. I might have to try ambers with the yella...
Looking forward to the next bits of 'Ring prep. Should be a doozy!
Clutch delay valve ripped out today.
Brystone near Totton performed the act (as I didn't really fancy bleeding the clutch system), and managed the feat for the princely sum of £40 and about an hour of my time.
What a difference- it turns out the E36 has a bite point and clutch feel and everything! Wow! Can also make fast gearchanges without them getting slurred into oblivion. Thusly, the car sprints through the gears quicker and it's a damn sight safer overtaking.
Well worth it, if anyone wants it done.
Brystone near Totton performed the act (as I didn't really fancy bleeding the clutch system), and managed the feat for the princely sum of £40 and about an hour of my time.
What a difference- it turns out the E36 has a bite point and clutch feel and everything! Wow! Can also make fast gearchanges without them getting slurred into oblivion. Thusly, the car sprints through the gears quicker and it's a damn sight safer overtaking.
Well worth it, if anyone wants it done.
I know Liam, it's fine, chill.
Leins- I'd be interested to see if that happens. If I get a windfall I might stockpile a few- they really are a great all-rounder.
Regarding the CDV- the M52 was the first BMW engine to have it, I think. Probably the best drivetrain mod I've done yet!
I was waiting for the yellow fogs to come under attack- they're still 50/50 for me, and the effect on the light is much easier on the eye. Time will tell on this one!
Leins- I'd be interested to see if that happens. If I get a windfall I might stockpile a few- they really are a great all-rounder.
Regarding the CDV- the M52 was the first BMW engine to have it, I think. Probably the best drivetrain mod I've done yet!
I was waiting for the yellow fogs to come under attack- they're still 50/50 for me, and the effect on the light is much easier on the eye. Time will tell on this one!
vsonix said:
I've been sitting on the fence about it for a while partly because since I have only driven E36s with them fitted since I passed my test therefore I am worried I might start driving like a mong and stalling all the time... but you make a good case! I've always found the clutch kinda vague when pulling away and driving at slow speeds... am I right in thinking you don't need to let the clutch out as gradually/tentatively when pulling away as it becomes clearer what it's actually doing most of the time?
Exactly that. You can feel what the car's doing and actually make fast gearchanges without the car slurring.Right, finally, some good progress.
Spent a lot of time ripping apart various parts of the car the last couple of weeks, and I'm pleased to say that Claudia has even more of a bite to match her bark. Best mate came over and we decided to tackle the job of installing an M50 manifold. Took a couple of hours to get the standard manifold off, and then the fun and games truly began. The M50 manifold has about half the spaces on it that the M52 manifold does! We ended up leaving out a metal cylinder because it 'clearly isn't that important, it just feeds air between the manifold and the intake'.
The rest of it was fairly simple- the vac line from the fuel rail and the charcoal canister (?) were condensed into an identically-sized pipe using a T-piece, drilled a hole for the purge valve to breathe into, the oil separator slotted into an existing hole and the temp sensor was the same (although different in resistance due to OBD1 & OBD2 compatibility).
Got it all back together, and she roared into life... then died promptly.
stballs.
Remember that metal cylinder? One incorrectly identified Idle Control Valve later...
So I dragged a thoroughly pissed off car up to Camberley the following day, with no idle. That was fun. Only lost her 5 times, but it was still irritating and I've probably cooked my starter motor a bit. We refitted everything, and built a neat little T-piece junction for the oil separator & ICV (they share the same size pipe) to feed into. Started, idled, ran like a dream, idled a little low. Didn't think too much of it. You can really feel the torque loss at low revs, but once you get up the rev range she simply flies. The noise is a lot more characterful and open now, too.
Still had trouble with the occasional stall and, as mentioned, a very low idle. Got a can of carb cleaner and sprayed it all round where the manifold met the head, waiting for a change in engine note (temporary seal). Nothing. MAF sensor was fine. No leaks there. Throttle body and T-piece turned out to be the areas of issue, wasn't sure why until I took it all apart again!
Throttle body gasket was horribly smushed in and wasn't sealing, and the T-piece... well...
So I rejigged my crappy attempt at vac pipework, ended up removing about 12" of it in total (less is more), started her up and she ran. Properly. Right idle, smooth, clean, sprayed all the connections again to check for leaks... job done.
Today I finally changed the oil like I'd been meaning to, which was fun- the stuff that came out was a hideous colour. Also fixed a leak in the coolant system that saw the car eat through her entire complement in 6 days. Including 2 days of not being driven.
Other gratuitous shots...
The black BBS are back on for now- going to run the tyres down to the canvas, get them sandblasted back to bare metal and refurb them in a nice, light anthracite with polished bolts. The '32s are in hiding for now- I've already worn the rears down to the canvas. No idea how.
Other news- she passed her MOT with flying colours, but will need a couple of lower arms soon. Going to get Powerflex bushes on there at the same time, and I'm building my own new front struts with some secondhand 328i struts (£30 delivered!) and Eibach springs/Bilstein B4 shocks. All in good time!
Spent a lot of time ripping apart various parts of the car the last couple of weeks, and I'm pleased to say that Claudia has even more of a bite to match her bark. Best mate came over and we decided to tackle the job of installing an M50 manifold. Took a couple of hours to get the standard manifold off, and then the fun and games truly began. The M50 manifold has about half the spaces on it that the M52 manifold does! We ended up leaving out a metal cylinder because it 'clearly isn't that important, it just feeds air between the manifold and the intake'.
The rest of it was fairly simple- the vac line from the fuel rail and the charcoal canister (?) were condensed into an identically-sized pipe using a T-piece, drilled a hole for the purge valve to breathe into, the oil separator slotted into an existing hole and the temp sensor was the same (although different in resistance due to OBD1 & OBD2 compatibility).
Got it all back together, and she roared into life... then died promptly.
s
tballs.Remember that metal cylinder? One incorrectly identified Idle Control Valve later...
So I dragged a thoroughly pissed off car up to Camberley the following day, with no idle. That was fun. Only lost her 5 times, but it was still irritating and I've probably cooked my starter motor a bit. We refitted everything, and built a neat little T-piece junction for the oil separator & ICV (they share the same size pipe) to feed into. Started, idled, ran like a dream, idled a little low. Didn't think too much of it. You can really feel the torque loss at low revs, but once you get up the rev range she simply flies. The noise is a lot more characterful and open now, too.
Still had trouble with the occasional stall and, as mentioned, a very low idle. Got a can of carb cleaner and sprayed it all round where the manifold met the head, waiting for a change in engine note (temporary seal). Nothing. MAF sensor was fine. No leaks there. Throttle body and T-piece turned out to be the areas of issue, wasn't sure why until I took it all apart again!
Throttle body gasket was horribly smushed in and wasn't sealing, and the T-piece... well...
So I rejigged my crappy attempt at vac pipework, ended up removing about 12" of it in total (less is more), started her up and she ran. Properly. Right idle, smooth, clean, sprayed all the connections again to check for leaks... job done.
Today I finally changed the oil like I'd been meaning to, which was fun- the stuff that came out was a hideous colour. Also fixed a leak in the coolant system that saw the car eat through her entire complement in 6 days. Including 2 days of not being driven.
Other gratuitous shots...
The black BBS are back on for now- going to run the tyres down to the canvas, get them sandblasted back to bare metal and refurb them in a nice, light anthracite with polished bolts. The '32s are in hiding for now- I've already worn the rears down to the canvas. No idea how.
Other news- she passed her MOT with flying colours, but will need a couple of lower arms soon. Going to get Powerflex bushes on there at the same time, and I'm building my own new front struts with some secondhand 328i struts (£30 delivered!) and Eibach springs/Bilstein B4 shocks. All in good time!
martin mrt said:
Love it, it looks great on the BBS'
Only thing that ruins it for me is the silly foglight tint
Thanks- the BBS look shocking dirty and brilliant freshly cleaned. Annoying! Want them refurbed soon. The foglights I do like unfortunately Only thing that ruins it for me is the silly foglight tint
plus when I use them they're much easier on the eye for other drivers if the conditions are poor.vsonix said:
Nice, M50 manifold's my next project too! Funny, most people say they don't really notice the loss of low-down grunt all that much - do you think it might have something to do with the other issues you had? Apparently the BBTB helps offset the torque loss a bit although from what I've read the gain appears to be fairly negligible so I dunno if I'm going to bother considering the cost to gain ratio. You going for a remap as well?
I've not noticed that much of a problem since I've got it all back together and cleaned out the engine a bit. The coolant issue caused the worst running- mpg was shocking, I saw 18mpg on one trip. Expensive knock. 
I'm tempted by a remap BUT I've been offered an Alpina 2.8 lump with 240bhp or so, fully fitted, for £600 plus my engine. As a remap will cost £250 at least, and the Alpina one is already remapped, it's theoretically £350 for the Alpina engine. Tempting!! If I chicken out, then yes, I'll get it mapped. The up-top performance is simply breathtaking.Chunkychucky said:
Nice one OP. Another fan of E36s here (tourings esp), I can see why you want to swap the engine, box and fit an LSD etc, i've often fancied doing exactly the same given how cheap the cars are atm. Nice mods so far, I think the Sport alloys will looks alot better when refurbed
Cheers! I'm very proud of her currently. Running well, looking OK. yeah I agree with you! Black is so teenage. vsonix said:
One thing I've noticed is for some reason my shifts are never as 'perfect' as they were with my 318ti on the 328i, wondering if it's got something to do with flywheel weight or something. Engine always seems to carry too much momentum while the clutch is depressed, if you see what I mean? It's not an issue as such, though, more of a difference in feel.
Yes, I get it exactly. Do you find that it feels like the clutch is slipping sometimes? Apparently the M20 flywheel is the best cure for it- the dual mass is freakin' awful. For me it affects me most on fast gearchanges, but I've been told the car had a new clutch at around 145k and it doesn't slip under load (i.e. 20mph in 5th up a hill).Sf_Manta said:
sc4589 said:
vsonix said:
One thing I've noticed is for some reason my shifts are never as 'perfect' as they were with my 318ti on the 328i, wondering if it's got something to do with flywheel weight or something. Engine always seems to carry too much momentum while the clutch is depressed, if you see what I mean? It's not an issue as such, though, more of a difference in feel.
Yes, I get it exactly. Do you find that it feels like the clutch is slipping sometimes? Apparently the M20 flywheel is the best cure for it- the dual mass is freakin' awful. For me it affects me most on fast gearchanges, but I've been told the car had a new clutch at around 145k and it doesn't slip under load (i.e. 20mph in 5th up a hill). if I get the balls (and the funds) to drop that Alpina lump in, I'm hoping it'll be a moot point. That means your offset is slightly too aggressive- I run that size in the 32s. Which alloys are they?
The M50 is worth the hassle, if you're nearby I will help you gladly. It really opens up the top end, sounds brutal and gives great gains. About 210bhp unmapped, 230bhp mapped. Now I know what I'm doing I'm a lot happier with the whole thing.
The CDV is well worth it, no more slurred gearchanges. Only 40 quid too. I've got my valve somewhere, I'll post a photo when I dig it out the toolbox.
Intake is definitely a must if you do M50- sounds like a junior M-car. Howly, hollow, aggressive.
The M50 is worth the hassle, if you're nearby I will help you gladly. It really opens up the top end, sounds brutal and gives great gains. About 210bhp unmapped, 230bhp mapped. Now I know what I'm doing I'm a lot happier with the whole thing.
The CDV is well worth it, no more slurred gearchanges. Only 40 quid too. I've got my valve somewhere, I'll post a photo when I dig it out the toolbox.
Intake is definitely a must if you do M50- sounds like a junior M-car. Howly, hollow, aggressive.
Funk said:
They're the M-Contours from the M3.
Some pics here: http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
We're only about an hour apart - I'm in Worthing... How much for an M50 manifold?
Dammit, this isn't what I should be spending money on!
I love those wheels! If the offset is below 30 they will rub like a bSome pics here: http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
We're only about an hour apart - I'm in Worthing... How much for an M50 manifold?
Dammit, this isn't what I should be spending money on!
h- only fix is arch rolling. You're not far away at all. They generally run around the £80-£110 mark, depending where you buy. If you can get one and some pipey bits andand drag your 'vert here, it can be done in around 4-5 hours. I can give you a full list of what you need, and have some leftovers from mine too!
Oh, and I've not done the exhaust mod. Has a knack of making economy even more ruinous! The M50 surprisingly makes the car more efficient- I saw nearly 36mpg with a vac leak on a 40 mile trip.
If you're in the area I'll gladly let you take it out for a spin if you want to 'try before you buy'.
Funk said:
Thanks, the wheels have grown on me somewhat. Apparently the offset is 41mm and they're 7.5 front, 8.5 rear.
I'll keep my eyes open for a manifold, perhaps something will pop up. As far as I was aware the exhaust mod simply makes the exhaust gas path slightly shorter; can't see why it should have an impact on the mpg?
Appreciate the offer of help as well - I'm not the most mechanically-able of folk. IT's more my thing!
They definitely shouldn't be rubbing then- how badly do they rub? If you can make it down you can try my 32s on the back and vice versa. We've got similar weights over the back, be interesting to see what happens.I'll keep my eyes open for a manifold, perhaps something will pop up. As far as I was aware the exhaust mod simply makes the exhaust gas path slightly shorter; can't see why it should have an impact on the mpg?
Appreciate the offer of help as well - I'm not the most mechanically-able of folk. IT's more my thing!
eBay always has loads of the buggers, few on PH classifieds too. Sod paying extra for the TB and fuel rail- unnecessary. All you need is the manifold, an extra throttle gasket, a bit of 22mm pipe, some connectors, couple of bits of metal and a lot of tea/coffee!
No worries- we're all friends here. I'm not a genius but I know how many bolts I'm meant to put back!
VinceFox said:
Bookmarked, like this.
Cheers. She's now had a deposit laid down for a remap- I really can't afford the Alpina engine at the moment, and I think it's nicer to have built my little project up- as opposed to just whacking an engine in there and being done.
Just waiting for my 'new' old struts to turn up so I can strip off the old springs and shocks, recondition the struts, fit some lowering springs (anyone got some lying around for a 6-cyl E36?) and some tasty shocks- thinking Bilstein B4s.
Ultimately I want the front end dropped by around 40-50mm, but I also wish to retain a degree of comfort.
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