rDavid's E36 328i Sport

[dsme94]

Hi all and thanks for taking the time to read my thread. 
 
I used to own a DC2 which unfortunately ended up in a sorry state after hitting a dear. This is the second E36 we have had in the family, my Dad being the first owning a red 318 around 8 years ago which was an awesome car.
 
So yeah, I hit a deer in my Integra and it damaged the front end resulting in me having to replace the bonnet, bumper, passenger headlight and sidelight. I picked up the parts and fitted them but unfortunately the panels didn't align up properly. The car had been nothing but bad luck since I had got it so I decided to cut my losses and move on. Hopefully the E36 sees me well.
 
Anyway, enough of the talking. Here are a few pictures of my DC2 and my new E36. 
 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 
I performed the golf tee mod shortly after purchase.
 
I found this thing which came out of a Pizza from Dominoes so I rammed it in the pipe:

 
The pipe came off this thing: 

 
Cable tied to ensure it wasn't coming out

 
I've been keeping up to date with keeping it clean, just jet washing it every day to rinse any dirt off. 
 
A good few weeks into ownership I got an error on the OBC which stated the coolant was low. E36s are notorious to cooling issues. This went on for a good while and I couldn't find out where the leak was coming from until I noticed a hairline crack down the thermostat housing. 
 

 
A short video of the leak can be seen here:  http://davidelliott.tk/images/328/waterleak.html
 
I had decided I was going to do a cooling overhaul so this was the perfect excuse to do it. So I went ahead and bought these parts:
New radiator
Upper and Lower radiator hoses
Thermostat housing
Thermostat
Water pump
Serpentine Belt
Radiator cap
Coolant
 
Tools:
Viscous fan removal tool from halfords, 32mm and 36mm spanner
Water pump pulley holding tool 
 

The majority of the parts arrived on Tuesday with the rest arriving Wednesday and Thursday of this week. I started the job on Tuesday and everything came off ever so easily, unfortunately I spoke too soon. 
 

Big boxes
 
Unfortunately I did end up getting a plastic thermostat housing. All parts are branded Meyle which I think is German?

 
I attempted to remove the viscous fan and I just couldn't get it to budge using the screwdriver to hold the pulley in place and the 32mm I bought from Halfords. So I opted for a pulley holding tool from i6autmotive on ebay, which I paid extra for delivery to ensure it arrived the next again day. Slotted that over the bolts on the pulley, couple wacks on the 32mm with a hammer and kaching, it came off. 
 

Fan off, hoses off, serpentine belt off and manky, manky water.
 

A better look at my cracked thermostat housing  x( if you imagine the system under pressure the gap would certainly have been more open.
 

Just as well I had ordered a new belt, as this one was pretty guff.
 
Water pump was a bit tight but it came out eventually. It does test your patience. Looking here I did have a metal water pump (or brass)?

 
Here is the tool I bought, along with the website if anyone would like to purchase one in the future. 


 
Here is the tool I bought from halfords, they are purposely for Viscous fans. One end is 32mm and the other is 36mm. 

 
I used a few guides, one being on bimmerworld - a user done an overhaul and written a guide. I also use pelican parts which provides guides on removing the serpentine belt, water pump, thermostat etc which is all worth a read before attempting the job. 
 
This job was not difficult at all and if you are handy with a spanner it's very easy to do.
 
I have an expansion cap on the way as well as I forgot to order this.
 
I shall be attending this years Edition38 festival and JAE.

Edited by dsme94 on Sunday 10th August 16:24

[dsme94]

Well, I finally have another update. As you may know from a few of my threads I have ordered coilovers for the car and I managed to get them fitted yesterday. All went well apart from the drivers side strut and I'll explain why shortly.

So the obligatory box picture :lol:


Got the car in the air


Got the struts unbolted:


New ones bolted in:


Unfortunately I never got a picture with the springs in. So rears done, piss easy. Top mounts were replaced with Lemforder parts.

Moved on to the front. I noticed the shocks were yellow and had red springs. Is this a standard setup?


I had a better look, suddenly I became deeply concerned... Can you spot why?


After scraping away the rust and smashing on 17 spanners and sockets, I finally got the strut out:


So I got on the phone to BMW to order new bolts and some parts for the rear suspension, the parts consist of:
Rear plates
Rear shims
Front camber nut and bolt
Strut bolts



Now inspecting the struts, I am glad I done the suspension.



So finally with the coilovers fully fitted, I had to raise the front up slightly as if I kept it like this then I smash my arches up when going round corners. I can't wait to get the original wheels for it.



Adjusted for how it will sit just now:

Edited by dsme94 on Tuesday 13th January 09:34

[dsme94]

Another Fluffer said:

Possibly interested in the wheels if you're after selling? also I have a set of genuine 328i sport wheels I can offer in return?

I am interested, are the staggered? (RC041 and RC042)?

rallycross said:

Yellow shocks are correct bilsteins factory fit on the sport.
Looking at that rust I'd guess that car has lived a lot of its life in Scotland.

All it's life in Scotland, central to be precise. The car has very little rust for being 17 year old, that's the only rot there is.

[dsme94]

No idea! I'm just happy that the rotten st has been replaced.

At the weekend I attended the German Invasion day at Crail Raceway and I went up the strip with the BMW.

I was going to go all out and strip it but I didn't have the time, so with literally a full tank of fuel and full interior I managed to run a 14.8 which I am personally really happy with. Going again soon so hoping to get an induction kit and m50 inlet before hand. I have some videos but I'll upload them when I receive them from mates.

[dsme94]

s m said:

The AVUS pack was actually the yellow Bilsteins and eccentric bushes for the lollipops - this gave it slightly more caster and the wheelbase was increased about 10mm.
All 328 coupes incl the Sport got option 704 M-tech suspension (25.5mm FARB, 18mm RARB ) which could also be specified on a saloon as an option. It was a No cost option delete on the coupes to have the normal suspension and standard 24mm FARB, 15mm RARB.
So, generally all 328 Coupes should have the 704 ARBs and Mtech suspension but on the Sport also got the eccentric lollipop bushes and yellow Bilsteins over and above that. Plus early Sports got a factory LSD ( replaced by ASC on later cars )

Mines has ASC, I'll be looking at getting an LSD shortly.

Ferosferio said:

Lovely, just lovely I had an Arctic Silver M3 some years ago and I've yearned for another since selling it on.

Any movement on the wheel front? This will look much better when/if you get the RCs on. I actually have a set of RC041s on my Corrado at the moment (with H&R adapters), they're great looking wheels.

Currently in talk with Another Fluffer, could have them by the end of the month. I'm very excited to get a set.

DanielJames said:

Looking good matey, didn't know you were at JAE should have said!

Cheers mate! Yeah I was at JAE, wasn't in this unfortunately . I was sad your 'teg wasn't there .

[dsme94]

I got my finger out and purchased myself a Dave.f induction kit from FAB_BMW on bmwenthusiasts and wow what a noise!!

Video: http://davidelliott.tk/images/328/davef/index.html

Pictures:

[dsme94]

dazz1871part2 said:

I was looking at getting a heat shield from him (£80 no?) where u get ur filter from? U think u get good cold air from the head light without cold feed pipe?

I got the kit from a member on http://bmwenthusiasts.co.uk/. The induction kit is made by davef which is a k&n filter with a heatshield which is better than no heatshield, it stops the filter drawing in warm air from the engine. Lastly, I doubt it - I am going to get a pipe that runs from the bumper up to the filter.

[dsme94]

g3org3y said:

Nice '28 Sport. Not many of these (in good condition) around now.

DaveF still making kits? I remember them from the E36coupe.com forum (I ended up going for the rival Gruppe M rep!).

Thanks dude! Unfortunately not, I bought mines second hand.

[dsme94]

TehRin said:

Nice E36 - I've always had a thing for the way these look. Awesome at going sideways too.

Yeah they are good cars and look good too! I don't put it sideways and if I do it's a rare sight.

RS Grant said:

Where about are you based, I'll keep an eye out at Crail/Knockhill.

Off topic, but how much does a set of RC041 (front) and RC042 (rear) alloys go for??


Cheers,
Grant

I live in Falkirk so quite a bit away from Crail but not too far from Knockhill!

RickBristol said:

Look on e-bay. £800 - upwards for a really good set...

I'd agree with Rick, £800 for a good set with tyres.

[dsme94]

Little update, some good news and some bad...

I finally got around to doing the drop links, I have the oil, spark plugs and rocker cover gasket to change and still have power steering pulley to change which I'll hopefully get around to this weekend..

Car up on axle stands and the hub jacked up to allow for the drop link to be removed.


Old drop link off, new drop link threads copper greased and fitted.




The state of the old ones...



Managed to snap the other side lol..


and then my s**t ass iPhone ran out of battery . The fronts were piss easy to do but the rears were a nightmare!! Had to remove the suspension strut and spring to allow access to the drop link... The nuts were knackered because they were so rusty, if there was room to chap a smaller socket on then it would be much easier but because the space is so confined it makes it really difficult. Removing the rear drop link from the anti roll bar was quite difficult too, I ended up taking a grinder to it because I lost patience. I used a G-clamp and a socket to put the new drop link onto the arb. I also bought new swing support bracket - note that the swing support brackets do not come with the nut.

Car feels absolutely fantastic to drive now with the new drop links!*

So I put everything back together and went to start the car to be greeted with this message on the OBC


I had a look and I have a leak from the rear of the engine, stripped off the inlet manifold to get a look at what's leaking. Turns out it's a heater hose.*





On my way to BMW I seen this... Fuel has came down by 10pence the past month!



Lastly, the culprit of the coolant leak!




The part numbers for these heater hoses are:
64 21 1 394 291
64 21 1 394 293
11 53 1 703 844

New hoses on.


Put all the manifold etc back on which was a tedious job. Took my time to make sure I didn't forget anything and all is well. Bleeding it was a proper c**t again, it just wasn't for wanting to bleed and to top it off I drop the bleed screw into the expansion tank ~x(. So I had to take the hose at the bottom of the expansion tank off and run water through the expansion tank until it came out lool. Finally got it back and went back to bleeding and it still wasn't playing nice... I reverted to revving it then opening the bleed screw until water started to come out which worked . Then went for a run and got stuck behind some wallopers doing bike training :ymtongue:.*



My next mod is probably brakes because they are to put nicely, s**t. Thinking of going for the e46 caliper carriers, 330mm discs and a good pad but will that be enough? :-\

[dsme94]

James_G said:

Good work so far. Looking for a 328i Sport as a project myself, so keeping a watchful eye on this.

Cheers buddy! Look for rust, headgasket, cooling system overhaul (if it's not been done, set money aside to do it) and new suspension. Check out http://www.bmwenthusiasts.co.uk/forum/index.php spectacular community, very helpful with anything bmw related.

LanceRS said:

You have reminded me that I must do the drop links and rocker gasket on mine. Yours is looking good.

Made a good bit of difference but I think I can now feel play in the arb bushes . Something else that I need to get done!

g3org3y said:

Thanks for the update OP. Very satisfying when you can do the work yourself.

Thanks buddy, it is very satisfying doing jobs yourself but I do need a hand from time to time!

Edited by dsme94 on Saturday 1st November 01:25

[dsme94]

Since it was a nice day yesterday I decided to do my oil and spark plug change. I was going to do the power steering pulley at the same time but trying to get the viscous fan off without a hand is near impossible, so I've put that by for this weekend.

So got the car on axle stands, again..


I've noticed a lot of people in tutorials telling people to open these with a screw driver...


If you push here they open:


Located the sump bolt and removed it (17mm btw) with my tub at the ready




The old oil, which was minging..


Put the sump bolt back on and then got cracking with the spark plugs... Cylinder 1-6 respectively. No oil which is a relief .







Got the oil topped up, made my own funnel!


And a picture to state the mileage that the service was done .


Looks like I'm not at the end of my water leak neither...

Edited by dsme94 on Thursday 6th November 09:24

[dsme94]

helix402 said:

Top tip for rear anti roll bar link fitting, use some barrier cream, they slide straight on then. Car's looking good.

Noted, cheers

McSam said:

Nice work! The plug condition in particular is encouraging.

Surprised you're not happy with the brakes, what sort of use are they getting? I found mine adequate for road use, but they do fall over after a couple of hard laps of a track.

My (track-only) 328i is now using EBC Redstuff pads front and rear, with Brembo Max discs on the rear (fronts not up for replacement yet), but all standard size. This setup seems to be plenty for track use, I did 150 miles at Bedford Autodrome last weekend without any trouble.

The only problem I have is a very spongy pedal, braided hoses waiting to go on and I hear these are quite a transformation.

A note on upsizing the discs, if you decide to: E46 328i fronts are 300mm versus the 286mm which is standard on E36, but the calipers are identical, so you only need the carriers. I got these for £20 from a breaker, ready to go on my E36 when I wear my discs out! If you want to go any bigger than this (which except for very extreme track cars I wouldn't think necessary), say E46 330i 325mm discs, you need new calipers and bigger rear discs so as not to destroy the balance. Any bigger than 300mm also prohibits 16" wheels, and while I don't remember off the top of my head might want a master cylinder change so you don't change the pedal response.

Well, the front right disc has a slight kink in it. It feels like I am on the brakes forever to get the car to slow down. I don't know if it's the way I drive but there's no harm in having good brakes! Oh and the slightest bit of spirited driving using the brakes the kink really stands out..

I am planning on getting braided hoses as my mate has them on his Civic, first car I've ever felt them on and it's a very good mod. I have 328 E46 carriers in the post, I've done a fair bit of reading on brake upgrades and anything bigger than the 328 E46 swap you need to start messing about with the master cylinder which is not something I'm wanting to do. 330 brakes would also fit but as you said would destroy the balance and fitting the rear brakes off a 330 is a real pita.

So my plans are:
Braided lines
330mm discs (unsure on which brand)
Ferodo DS2500 pads
E46 Calliper carrier
Calliper refurb kits

[dsme94]

Another update.. Received a few parcels in the post, can you guess what it is?



You might have guessed in giving the size of them.



Going to get the two rears split and pick up nitromors today to strip the lacquer off the lips, hopefully have the rears refurbished before the end of next week and have some tyres to go on them. Not sure what to go for but I am thinking of getting Kuhmo tyres. My rear tyres were on the limit so I decided to purchase the RCs because I really didn't want to buy tyres for alloys that I was changing in the near future. Stay tuned.




Hence why I am refurbishing them .

[dsme94]

DanMateX said:

cool build

Thanks mate !

dazz1871part2 said:

Are u lot joking?? A mint set with good tyres go for £500 max £550. eBay prices are always high

Nope, please link me a set that are fully refurbished, polished lips (mirror finish) and good tyres for that price.

TheDoggingFather said:

Nice looking 328i Word to the wise, I wouldn't use Nitromors on alloys, it has a nasty habit of being absorbed in to the alloy, then after you've painted them and got them hot using the brakes etc, it makes a reappearance to remove all your nice new paint. Just a thought.

I've already bought nitromors, I got it from work so easily returned. I've read mixed reviews about it so I don't know if I should take it back or not. It will only be used on the lips, not the centres? Centres will be getting sent to powder coaters?

Polynesian said:

The car is looking great and you seem to be ploughing through the jobs and upgrades.

If you want some E46 328 caliper carriers (and calipers and discs) I just removed them from my Alpina B3 to put the 330ci 325mm ones on. Have then sat here in a box and you can have them for the postage or free for pick up.

Thanks buddy! That's a very kind gesture and I would have snapped that up swiftly if I hadn't already bought the caliper carriers!

getawayturtle said:

Top work, car is looking brilliant. Miss my old 328s!

Plenty more to come!

RS Grant said:

Can I be cheeky and ask how much you paid for these, I've got a set from a 328i Sport that I broke recently and they're in need of a refurb.. so finding it hard to price them. Proper staggered front/rear with tyres and also have a 5th spare wheel/tyre.

If you need any E36 bits; then I have a full button OBC, complete sport headlining, various switches, dual climate unit, etc. Would save me getting pissed around on eBay.


Cheers,
Grant

PMd.

getawayturtle said:

If it helps, I sold a set of RC041/RC042s from my old 328 sport on ebay a couple of months ago, all wheels needing a refurb, with legal but worn tyres for the grand sum of £102 (ebay bid)

Surprised it went so low. They were listed as collection from west midlands, lad ended up coming from South Wales to pick them up.

They were worth more than £102. You should have put a reserve on them.

[dsme94]

Took a trip ngy this morning to purchase his BBS RC041s and RC042s.



Began by getting the centers removed and chapping the socket on to make sure it was properly on. A lot of poo builds up behind here and when a socket isn't seated properly it's going to round the nut so I was taking no chances .




I went round each of them individually and cracked them all and then got the ratchet involved because i'm a lazy bd



I took the nut right to the end of the threads so I could then get the bolts out of the rim.


Then hit the center with a rubber mallet a few times and it popped off.


-- ADDITIONAL UPDATE

Thought I would update a little on this, not much progress on the wheels but bought myself a few little things, a Christmas present from me to me. Also took one of my best mates to pick up a '36 'skid car'.



Not much progress on the wheels, got bored so applied a little bit of polish to see how it came out.. Came out not bad. I just really want them done now, I not really had spare time to get on with them .





Bought some new shampoo as I ran out, I bought maxi suds from Chemical Guys prior to owning their Glossworkz shampoo which I really liked. I like my shampoo to be really sudsy hence why I purchased maxi suds. I also bought Chemical Guys wheel sealant to seal the wheels once they are done.



Bought myself a jet wash as they were on offer at work, £76 (Homebase).


And the most exciting update (for me anyway) M50 manifold and BBTB :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:

[dsme94]

Couldn't be fked polishing the lips, the sanding was taking far too long so decided to get the lips chrome powder coated. Not as nice as polished lips but still look good! Ordering tyres next week, unsure of which size to go for??? BBS RC041s for sale and my fake splits are also for sale. PM me if interested.

[dsme94]

I can finally update this. It's been a st week not being able to drive the beamer. Ever since I fitted my new radiator a few months ago there was a steady leak coming from the corner of the expansion tank. Sunday night it decided it would st itself, luckily it was stationary and I was standing outside. I started to smell coolant and then went to the front of my car to see a big puddle :-q. Swiftly switched the car off, filled the expansion tank and nursed it home.

See this video. CLICK.

Got on the phone to In Car Motor Factors - where I bought the radiator - to go about getting a new one. I was told the quickest way to get a new one was to pay for a new one and then get mines sent away to be inspected by Nissens.... Instant thoughts were this is going to be a headache. I emailed some pictures of the radiator leaking and a picture of the nissens radiator label. They got in contact with Nissens and Nissens decided to send me out a new rad without having to send my old one back, happy days :-bd. A little bit annoying, especially when the car can't be used but I finally took delivery of the new radiator today.

Snap of the BBS on


Does look a little odd without the front lip but should be getting one soon.

[dsme94]

Andy665 said:

Lovely car, I loved my Atlantis Blue 328i Sport, I know one day I'll deeply regret selling it, even at 122k it still felt fresh and attracted a lot of attention

Atlantis blue ? Such a lovely colour. It's not often you come across an Atlantis blue E36. When I was at Edition38 last year, there was a guy camping next to us that owned one. Looked the dogs ballocks, I was very jealous indeed. Do you have any pics?

NiceCupOfTea said:

Great thread. I was after a decent 328 Sport for some time and gave up looking in the end as I got sick of looking at sheds. My brother has a lovely Technoviolet 328 Sport, he has refreshed the suspension and kept it absolutely stock - just such a complete car.

I have a 323 cab which is a nice cruiser but a different beast.

It's hard to come by a decent one these days. Too many people are buying them to put them side on. Technoviolet is an amazing colour! Any pics of it and the cab?

Well another update for everyone. I had to buy a new boot grab handle two weeks ago because my brother opened my boot and snapped my current one!! ahole. Took a trip to Simmons BMW breakers in Livingston the next day to pick up the part which is in good condition, one minor little scratch. When the handle snapped off, my brother also managed to scratch the paint with it so i'm going to have to get the rotary on this. Still not talking to him for the hassle he caused me, lol. The screws were rounded so I was at it for ages in the freezing cold trying to get the grab handle off. Took this opportunity to finally change my number plate lights to LEDs.



I bought a lot of cleaning products for the car in preparation for summer, looking forward to giving it a good clean - it's just far too cold right now!! I bought:
CarPro wool wash mitt
Two buckets for two bucket method with grid guards
IronX
Dodo Juice clay bar kit
Autoglym Fast Glass (Amazing)
A new drying towel
Microfibres from Costco

I washed the car using my new products and then decided to clay bar it, I done the back end and then decided it was too cold and I put everything away lol. It's crazy how much a difference claying makes. You can see how dirty the rinse bucket is as well with all the grit at the bottom!!







I went to a BMW meet on the 1st at the 3 Bridges in South Queensferry. Had some lunch and meet some of the attendees. Good day out and thankfully the weather stayed dry. Got a couple of pictures next to another E36! Not the best of quality.



[u]My car turned 18 today[/u] and to celebrate I bought it some goodies, she's only done 95,000 miles! Took delivery of the center slats and splitter from FAB_BMW (from http://bmwenthusiasts.co.uk/) on Monday, thanks again! Both of them have been painted Avus blue so I got the nitromors out to take the paint off. It took absolutely ages and I ran out of time as I had to go to work. Hopefully finish them and get them on at the weekend.

[dsme94]

Splitter is on but the slats aren't, I haven't got the paint of the slats yet because nitromors is very very poor compared to what it used to be and is taking ages to remove.

I decided to something with my exhaust as it was too quiet. I bought a separate backbox in case I didn't like it and I could easily put the old one back on. I decided to gutt the backbox and wire up the valve to a switch in the car so it was either open or closed. Got the backbox cut open and then remove all the metal from the insides.




Got it welded back up and fitted to the car with new hangers.




Then removed the heatshield that's been doing my fking tits in for months!!


I have a short video of the car with the modified backbox.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gt3HdKKjbRE&fe...

I was browsing the Edition38 forum where I came across a MK2 Golf for sale locally, my girlfriend was on the look out for a new car and we had already been to see a couple of 6n2 Polo GTi's, one of which was riddle with rust on the rear arch and the other had high mileage, an engine rebuild (no receipts, so not done from my perspective) and when you pressed the brakes the pedal almost went to the floor. The mk2 needs paint but my main concern was rot and this one doesn't seem to have any. It had an engine rebuild a few years ago and has receipts to prove and you could clearly tell with how smooth it was running. Enough of talking :- , more pictures