Supercharged E36 318Ti
Discussion
I’ve had four of these , still got three , and all bought for around £600 each. None of them needed much if any welding. I’ve put m52 2.8’s in in two of them with m50 manifold etc. They make cheap reliable track day cars . Well done for supercharging and saving your one but can’t help thinking you’ve made a lot of hard work for yourself for less power and reliability.
It probably should have been scrapped when I found the first bit of rust, but swapping over all the chassis and supercharger mods to a new car filled me with an equal amount of dread. If I got another E36 I wouldn't know if that was rust free as they can hide it fairly well. It only cost around £150 to sort and its fun learning a new skill 
The supercharger has been on for over 9 years now and it's broken down with the following (this is tempting fate!):
1 coil pack
1 stuck radiator cap causing rad to pop
It must have done about 30 track days so far so it's fairly reliable.
The supercharger was easier to fit than an engine swap at the time as I didn't have a garage. If the engine does go bang I have a spare one in the garage that someone gave me for free (no love for the M44!).
The supercharger has been on for over 9 years now and it's broken down with the following (this is tempting fate!):
1 coil pack
1 stuck radiator cap causing rad to pop
It must have done about 30 track days so far so it's fairly reliable.
The supercharger was easier to fit than an engine swap at the time as I didn't have a garage. If the engine does go bang I have a spare one in the garage that someone gave me for free (no love for the M44!).
The M44 isn't as useless as everyone says it is, that being said it isn't the most characterful engine.
A quick headskim, remap and a decent exhaust system and a 4bar FPR and you can release 170 reliable horses from one.
I know a man knocking up a kit to take them to just under 200 for 1k (aggressive cam, different ECU mapping, some other bits)
It mounts really well in the E36 chassis and the M44 equipped is/saloon arguably handles better than the 6 pots.
But still, no love, mainly thanks to the Americans not really bothering with it as they couldn't get their heads around the emissions stuff. Also not helped that dropping a 6 pot in gave easy extra power for less work/money than actual tuning. Doesn't make the M44 a donkey just the E36 platform was ripe for conversion.
A quick headskim, remap and a decent exhaust system and a 4bar FPR and you can release 170 reliable horses from one.
I know a man knocking up a kit to take them to just under 200 for 1k (aggressive cam, different ECU mapping, some other bits)
It mounts really well in the E36 chassis and the M44 equipped is/saloon arguably handles better than the 6 pots.
But still, no love, mainly thanks to the Americans not really bothering with it as they couldn't get their heads around the emissions stuff. Also not helped that dropping a 6 pot in gave easy extra power for less work/money than actual tuning. Doesn't make the M44 a donkey just the E36 platform was ripe for conversion.
The m44 is ok and great for a twenty year old four pot. Because it has a iron block it is nearly as heavy as a all aluminium m52. Add a supercharger and it might well weigh more !?
I’ve had no failures with many track miles on my m52s but had a m44 blow a head gasket between cylinders on road only car.
It’s good to see a compact with a tuned m44 in but there is a reason everyone puts a six cylinder in , it just works.
I’ve had no failures with many track miles on my m52s but had a m44 blow a head gasket between cylinders on road only car.
It’s good to see a compact with a tuned m44 in but there is a reason everyone puts a six cylinder in , it just works.
330ti said:
The m44 is ok and great for a twenty year old four pot. Because it has a iron block it is nearly as heavy as a all aluminium m52. Add a supercharger and it might well weigh more !?
I’ve had no failures with many track miles on my m52s but had a m44 blow a head gasket between cylinders on road only car.
It’s good to see a compact with a tuned m44 in but there is a reason everyone puts a six cylinder in , it just works.
As a guy that organises a championship that exclusively uses the M44, I can say hand on heart you are unlucky. I must has seen some 200+ cars over a 8 year period and can count on one hand the number of HG failures I have seen, usually these occur for a handful of specific reasons, generally a crapped out rad cap or the plastic pipe at the rear of the engine breaking as they go brittle and people dont replace them on a rebuild and dont notice the break when refitting back to the car (think its the one that goes to the heater matrix).I’ve had no failures with many track miles on my m52s but had a m44 blow a head gasket between cylinders on road only car.
It’s good to see a compact with a tuned m44 in but there is a reason everyone puts a six cylinder in , it just works.
I did agree the 6pot is an easy swap because of the E36 platform, I am not certain your weights are correct, the M52 is heavier than the M44. (pretty sure the M44 is about 100kg and the M52 is about 140kg, the M44 also sits further back and lower)
Don’t know why head gasket went but it was in my sons car. Not a problem I just popped one of the spare engines in I had taken out and it is fine 18 months later. M52 sits about 2 inches further back but obviously has two cylinders poking out front. M44 sits lower? It can’t sit lower. You might be correct in that a six cylinder car is 40kg heavier but a lot of that is not in the engine ie ZF gearbox , chunkier diff, exhaust ,better spec trim etc.
I often come across compact cup cars at the track so know how well they can go
I often come across compact cup cars at the track so know how well they can go
Such a lovely Compact, really like it.
Can't help but think the M42/44 engine suited this car much better than the Coupe, given it's hot hatch character.
I had a 316i Compact from new. A lovely refined place to whirl away the miles, if a bit sloppy in the handling dept.
A friend had a 318is E36 which had a lovely balance to it, more so that the six pots (including the M3), for me. I really enjoyed driving it.
Another mate had a nightmare when his M52 523i blew it's head gasket, as they often do. Torquing up the head bolts is like russian roulette!
When it was all sorted, I didn't have the heart to tell him about the Nikasil block he still had!
Can't help but think the M42/44 engine suited this car much better than the Coupe, given it's hot hatch character.
I had a 316i Compact from new. A lovely refined place to whirl away the miles, if a bit sloppy in the handling dept.
A friend had a 318is E36 which had a lovely balance to it, more so that the six pots (including the M3), for me. I really enjoyed driving it.
Another mate had a nightmare when his M52 523i blew it's head gasket, as they often do. Torquing up the head bolts is like russian roulette!
When it was all sorted, I didn't have the heart to tell him about the Nikasil block he still had!
Thanks for the nice comments. Good to see some love for the M44! I think its a great engine, especially for track work given how reliable and cheap they are.
I'm looking forward to getting it out of winter hibernation, batteries charged, insurance and MOT sorted, just need to sort the tax out online, might wait till April to save another £20.
I need to sort this rust hole out, anyone know of a breaker who will cut the area out that I need (the bit outlined in pink). I've tried a few and they're not interested, which is fair enough. Other option is to weld it up using lots of small pieces and then skim with filler over the top, but I don't like that idea compared to using an original panel. Panels still available from BMW, but at £100 each (it covers two panels plus the rear 3/4) it seems a bit steep.
2019-03-19_01-27-21 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
Cheers
Dylan
I'm looking forward to getting it out of winter hibernation, batteries charged, insurance and MOT sorted, just need to sort the tax out online, might wait till April to save another £20.
I need to sort this rust hole out, anyone know of a breaker who will cut the area out that I need (the bit outlined in pink). I've tried a few and they're not interested, which is fair enough. Other option is to weld it up using lots of small pieces and then skim with filler over the top, but I don't like that idea compared to using an original panel. Panels still available from BMW, but at £100 each (it covers two panels plus the rear 3/4) it seems a bit steep.
2019-03-19_01-27-21 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrCheers
Dylan
The single mass flywheel is a Valeo kit made for the E36 325. I had to get it lightened by a machine shop. You can also use an M20 (I think) flywheel off an E30 with pressure plate, starter and clutch plate from other BMWs but it seemed a bit of a faff. It makes the car rev so much nicer and was a direct fit.
The E30 lower control arms are very similar to the E36 arms, apart from the E36 ball joints are held in rubber bushes in the arms. This means they give a bit of play (and reduction in noise/vibration) and the ball joints can't be replaced. E30 arms are cheaper too
The E30 lower control arms are very similar to the E36 arms, apart from the E36 ball joints are held in rubber bushes in the arms. This means they give a bit of play (and reduction in noise/vibration) and the ball joints can't be replaced. E30 arms are cheaper too
Couple of updates...
I had to replace the ECU a few years back as I fried it trying to put a supercharged map on it using a Galleto cable. The replacement ECU I bought only came with one transponder. To get round this, I taped the transponder to the aerial ring around the ignition barrel so I could use my two original keys. This means there is no EWS immobiliser protection though. I bought an AK90 key coder and a blank chip off ebay China and tried to code it. I followed the instructions here:
https://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=949...
Fairly simple, remove EWS box from under the dash, read EWS box using AK90 and a laptop, write the code to a new transponder, fit new transponder in key.
Unfortunately, the ribbon cable was wired backwards on the AK90 so I had to swap that! This is it in its correct position:
DSC_4015 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
I kept getting a "pin no touch" error, so I had to trim the beige connector block and scrape the potting compound around the chip off:
DSC_3966 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
Finally got it to work, and the new key works the same as the old one. Not bad to £25.
Got a large crack in the screen so got a replacement on the insurance. Managed to wangle one with the green sun trim at the top. Scuttle plastics then looked really tired, so £40 to BMW got new ones. Bit steep for a couple of bits of plastic, but I'm getting fond of this car now!
Before:
DSC_3744 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
During:
DSC_3746 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
After:
DSC_3973 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
New intake boot and catch can hoses:
DSC_3970 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
Then its first full clay bar, polish and wax in a few years:
Screenshot_20190807_124902 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
Screenshot_20190807_124950 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
Screenshot_20190807_125044 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
Screenshot_20190807_125112 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
I don't know why the Compact gets so much hate, I think the E36 looks great as a hatchback. I've been using it as my daily for the last few months, I always pick it over the MX5 1.8 NC which is the other option on the drive.
I've got a few evenings free soon so I'll be rebuilding the diff, hopefully won't be too impossible!
I had to replace the ECU a few years back as I fried it trying to put a supercharged map on it using a Galleto cable. The replacement ECU I bought only came with one transponder. To get round this, I taped the transponder to the aerial ring around the ignition barrel so I could use my two original keys. This means there is no EWS immobiliser protection though. I bought an AK90 key coder and a blank chip off ebay China and tried to code it. I followed the instructions here:
https://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=949...
Fairly simple, remove EWS box from under the dash, read EWS box using AK90 and a laptop, write the code to a new transponder, fit new transponder in key.
Unfortunately, the ribbon cable was wired backwards on the AK90 so I had to swap that! This is it in its correct position:
DSC_4015 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrI kept getting a "pin no touch" error, so I had to trim the beige connector block and scrape the potting compound around the chip off:
DSC_3966 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrFinally got it to work, and the new key works the same as the old one. Not bad to £25.
Got a large crack in the screen so got a replacement on the insurance. Managed to wangle one with the green sun trim at the top. Scuttle plastics then looked really tired, so £40 to BMW got new ones. Bit steep for a couple of bits of plastic, but I'm getting fond of this car now!
Before:
DSC_3744 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrDuring:
DSC_3746 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrAfter:
DSC_3973 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrNew intake boot and catch can hoses:
DSC_3970 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrThen its first full clay bar, polish and wax in a few years:
Screenshot_20190807_124902 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrScreenshot_20190807_124950 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrScreenshot_20190807_125044 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrScreenshot_20190807_125112 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrI don't know why the Compact gets so much hate, I think the E36 looks great as a hatchback. I've been using it as my daily for the last few months, I always pick it over the MX5 1.8 NC which is the other option on the drive.
I've got a few evenings free soon so I'll be rebuilding the diff, hopefully won't be too impossible!
Another big job off the to do list, but first, replaced the passenger side engine mount which decided to call it a day which allowed the throttle body to make a break for freedom and dent the bonnet 
DSC_4387 - Copy (1) by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
So on to the diff, a big job which I'd put off for ages but had bought a 30 te press which was taking up room in my garage so thought I would give it a go. The diff was making whiney noises and it is off an E30 so around 30 years old. It's a plate type diff so I thought the clutch discs would probably be a bit gone. It still locked up ok though and never spins the inside wheel pulling out of junctions etc.
No photos of getting the diff off the car as that's the easy (!) bit. Nothing of diff disassembly too as this is a case of just undoing bolts. Even the front pinion nut came off ok with my electric impact wrench. I then spent a good few hours cleaning all the parts up. Then I spent another few hours chipping off rust off the case, wire brushing and re-painting. Rust had really set in which was surprising as these castings seem to only get surface rust but I had large flakes. I guess its road salt and age.
This is the LSD dissembled:
DSC_4369 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
These are the really scored and damaged clutch and dog plates:
DSC_4370 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
DSC_4373 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
Even the spider gear carriers were a bit scored, but I lapped them using wet and dry on a flat surface:
DSC_4371 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
I couldn't get the bearing off the pinion, but after smashing off the cage, using a slitting disc to put a cut on the race and then hitting with a cold chisel it split and came off. I have a bearing puller, but its the one with the 3 arms, not the one that cups around it.
Now the nice bit can start, rebuilding!
DSC_4385 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
I replaced the 4mm washer with an extra clutch and dog plate to upgrade from a 2 plate to a 3 plate. The plates were bought from Automac. The didn't look to have any friction material on them like the old plate, but when I checked with Automac it turned out the "friction material" is only there to reduce noise. The clutch discs are actually metal against metal. The 4mm washer gets removed and the extra plates go next to one pair of plates to take up the difference. All bevel washers have their smaller diameters pointing outwards (not towards the centre of the diff). Not too bad so far...
This BMW wheel bearing kit was very useful to help press in the bearings, as was the old bearings:
DSC_4387 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
Pressing the races into the output flanges:
DSC_4392 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
Press the pinion race into the diff case:
DSC_4386 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
Pressing the pinion bearings onto the pinion using random bits of tube:
DSC_4388 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
Pre-crushing the crush washer using the old crush washer as a guide. I took a couple of mm off the height making sure it was still taller than the old washer. This makes it easier to tighten up:
DSC_4389 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
Pressing the pinion in. The case is actually hanging free and its the pinion gear that is being pressed against the top bearing:
DSC_4390 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
Setting the pre-load on the pinion using a weight, measuring the distance and calculating the torque. I did this without the seal installed and measured the drag "dynamically". I'd push the arm down just above horizontal then see if the arm carried on moving. If not, keep moving the weight further down the arm until it did. If I didn't do this then I'd be measuring the initial stiction to movement as well. Saved me buying one of those bendy arm torque wrenches. Costs were racking up so I needed to save some cash!
DSC_4393 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
The double dots are the new setting. The single dots I marked before removal. Close which is good to see as a secondary check.
DSC_4394 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
Checking the backlash which was in spec. I should have checked it before disassembly to see if it had changed, but forgot. I also put some engineers blue on the teeth to check the mesh, but I just made a mess, couldn't interpret the results, so thought "stuff it" and get it back together.
DSC_4395 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
Filled it up with Castrol B373.
What's the result? Well it's much better now, very little whine compared to before (its all polybushed so a little whine is not surprising). It makes some crunching sounds on full lock in car parks, but I think that's due to the different design of clutch discs. I could always add some LSD additive to remove it...
Bit of a long post but maybe useful to someone rebuilding their diff Was a long job but quite fun, let me know if I got any of the process wrong, would be good to know if I ever need to do something like this again.
DSC_4387 - Copy (1) by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrSo on to the diff, a big job which I'd put off for ages but had bought a 30 te press which was taking up room in my garage so thought I would give it a go. The diff was making whiney noises and it is off an E30 so around 30 years old. It's a plate type diff so I thought the clutch discs would probably be a bit gone. It still locked up ok though and never spins the inside wheel pulling out of junctions etc.
No photos of getting the diff off the car as that's the easy (!) bit. Nothing of diff disassembly too as this is a case of just undoing bolts. Even the front pinion nut came off ok with my electric impact wrench. I then spent a good few hours cleaning all the parts up. Then I spent another few hours chipping off rust off the case, wire brushing and re-painting. Rust had really set in which was surprising as these castings seem to only get surface rust but I had large flakes. I guess its road salt and age.
This is the LSD dissembled:
DSC_4369 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrThese are the really scored and damaged clutch and dog plates:
DSC_4370 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrDSC_4373 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrEven the spider gear carriers were a bit scored, but I lapped them using wet and dry on a flat surface:
DSC_4371 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrI couldn't get the bearing off the pinion, but after smashing off the cage, using a slitting disc to put a cut on the race and then hitting with a cold chisel it split and came off. I have a bearing puller, but its the one with the 3 arms, not the one that cups around it.
Now the nice bit can start, rebuilding!
DSC_4385 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrI replaced the 4mm washer with an extra clutch and dog plate to upgrade from a 2 plate to a 3 plate. The plates were bought from Automac. The didn't look to have any friction material on them like the old plate, but when I checked with Automac it turned out the "friction material" is only there to reduce noise. The clutch discs are actually metal against metal. The 4mm washer gets removed and the extra plates go next to one pair of plates to take up the difference. All bevel washers have their smaller diameters pointing outwards (not towards the centre of the diff). Not too bad so far...
This BMW wheel bearing kit was very useful to help press in the bearings, as was the old bearings:
DSC_4387 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrPressing the races into the output flanges:
DSC_4392 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrPress the pinion race into the diff case:
DSC_4386 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrPressing the pinion bearings onto the pinion using random bits of tube:
DSC_4388 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrPre-crushing the crush washer using the old crush washer as a guide. I took a couple of mm off the height making sure it was still taller than the old washer. This makes it easier to tighten up:
DSC_4389 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrPressing the pinion in. The case is actually hanging free and its the pinion gear that is being pressed against the top bearing:
DSC_4390 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrSetting the pre-load on the pinion using a weight, measuring the distance and calculating the torque. I did this without the seal installed and measured the drag "dynamically". I'd push the arm down just above horizontal then see if the arm carried on moving. If not, keep moving the weight further down the arm until it did. If I didn't do this then I'd be measuring the initial stiction to movement as well. Saved me buying one of those bendy arm torque wrenches. Costs were racking up so I needed to save some cash!
DSC_4393 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrThe double dots are the new setting. The single dots I marked before removal. Close which is good to see as a secondary check.
DSC_4394 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrChecking the backlash which was in spec. I should have checked it before disassembly to see if it had changed, but forgot. I also put some engineers blue on the teeth to check the mesh, but I just made a mess, couldn't interpret the results, so thought "stuff it" and get it back together.
DSC_4395 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrFilled it up with Castrol B373.
What's the result? Well it's much better now, very little whine compared to before (its all polybushed so a little whine is not surprising). It makes some crunching sounds on full lock in car parks, but I think that's due to the different design of clutch discs. I could always add some LSD additive to remove it...
Bit of a long post but maybe useful to someone rebuilding their diff
Was a long job but quite fun, let me know if I got any of the process wrong, would be good to know if I ever need to do something like this again.Finally got around to dealing with this hole:
2020-07-20_10-58-17 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
I'd bought a new panel from BMW for £100 so I thought I might as well replace the whole panel rather than cut in just the rusty bit. Big mistake! First few spot welds:
DSC_6141 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
Few more sport welds:
DSC_6140 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
How many of these bloody spot welds are there?!
DSC_6139 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
The panel peeled off like a tin can. It took ages to get to this point. The panels are spot welded but brazed at the visible parts of the panel. Stupidly I thought a propane torch might melt the braze, but not a chance. Seems like an oxy actylene torch is the one for the job, so I had to grind it back, which led me to cut into the panel behind the panel I was taking off so loads off rectification welding was needed.
DSC_6346 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
DSC_6347 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
New panel ready to go on with puddle weld holes drilled and zinc primed. Tip for the day, have a good think about which panel you want to drill as it would have been easier to drill the old spot welds through on the car, rather than using a spot weld bit and drilling them out on the new panel. I did it the hard way
three spot weld drill bits later!:
DSC_6348 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
New panel in, puddle welded and seam welded at the joins. Filled and sprayed with high build primer (always wanted a Dakar yellow BMW). Not many photos of this step as it was taking ages and I was getting really peed off with it!
DSC_6382 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
DSC_6383 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
Finally its back on the road after about 10 weeks off during lock down, so frustrating. Was close to giving up and scrapping the thing, but guess I learnt a lot during this job, so all good.
So now I have about a grand to spend on getting it sprayed along with a set of M3 mirrors and few other scrapes and scratches. Anyone know of a good body shop around the Wigan area?
Is this the end of the welding saga.... Probably not
Seems I get some kind of sadistic pleasure out of welding now
2020-07-20_10-58-17 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrI'd bought a new panel from BMW for £100 so I thought I might as well replace the whole panel rather than cut in just the rusty bit. Big mistake! First few spot welds:
DSC_6141 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrFew more sport welds:
DSC_6140 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrHow many of these bloody spot welds are there?!
DSC_6139 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrThe panel peeled off like a tin can. It took ages to get to this point. The panels are spot welded but brazed at the visible parts of the panel. Stupidly I thought a propane torch might melt the braze, but not a chance. Seems like an oxy actylene torch is the one for the job, so I had to grind it back, which led me to cut into the panel behind the panel I was taking off so loads off rectification welding was needed.
DSC_6346 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrDSC_6347 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrNew panel ready to go on with puddle weld holes drilled and zinc primed. Tip for the day, have a good think about which panel you want to drill as it would have been easier to drill the old spot welds through on the car, rather than using a spot weld bit and drilling them out on the new panel. I did it the hard way
three spot weld drill bits later!:DSC_6348 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrNew panel in, puddle welded and seam welded at the joins. Filled and sprayed with high build primer (always wanted a Dakar yellow BMW). Not many photos of this step as it was taking ages and I was getting really peed off with it!
DSC_6382 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrDSC_6383 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrFinally its back on the road after about 10 weeks off during lock down, so frustrating. Was close to giving up and scrapping the thing, but guess I learnt a lot during this job, so all good.
So now I have about a grand to spend on getting it sprayed along with a set of M3 mirrors and few other scrapes and scratches. Anyone know of a good body shop around the Wigan area?
Is this the end of the welding saga.... Probably not
Seems I get some kind of sadistic pleasure out of welding nowEdited by Dylan318Ti on Monday 20th July 12:46
Quite a big update, got it all painted up, did a track day, and now its back in bits again 
A local bodyshop did a good job of painting up the newly welded in panel:
DSC_6942 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
DSC_6941 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
I also got them to paint these Hagus M3 style mirros. Might be a bit chav spec for some, but when I bought the car it had a pair until they were nicked in leeds!
DSC_6943 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
DSC_6944 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
I did a trackday with a couple of mates at Bedford in October. They had a Boxster S and whilst that was quicker in a straight line, in the corners the compact seemed quicker, probably because it was better maintained. All went well until a hose fell off the fuel pump on the last lap of the day which left me free wheeling into the pits! Cue fishing around in the tank getting covered in hot petrol! Fastest car of the day was a M3 S50 powered E36 compact which slicks on, bit of inspiration for me
50512726807_125e2f1be2_o by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
50512680177_5570a0fc32_o by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
50511828183_b2c07bce34_o by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
50511808218_3852333062_o by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
She went really well but I was surprised by the amount of body roll. I've got coilovers with 10kg/mm springs at the back, but she still looks like a boat! I think I've got a bit faster that the last few trackdays.
So that brings me onto upgrades!!!!! Being stuck at home during lockdown means I've saved a few pennies. I splashed out on:
H&R anti roll bars
New rear Lemforder ARB links
20mm rear spacers plus longer studs for the spacers
Some longer bolts and shims so I can add a bit of camber at the front by shimming out the hub
New front shock top mounts, I did look into offset M3 ones which add camber, but they don't seem to be available at the moment
Genuine BMW M3 front strut tower reinforcements, these fit under the shock towers
Brass brake caliper sliders which replace the rubber ones. I've got some ceramic grease to try and stop these seizing as you loose the rubber protective boot
Genuine BMW rear spring pads for countries with rubbish roads. They are 20mm thick so will raise the rear ride height a bit. I did look into those threaded aluminium collars, but thought I would use spring pads for simplicity (plus they can't corrode!).
2020-12-10_11-55-02 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
I've got far too much rear camber as it is non-adjustable and when the car gets lower the camber increases. I did look into these:
https://www.condorspeedshop.com/products/solid-rea...
They raise the rear subframe meaning the front end of the trailing arm gets lifted, but the back end at the spring stays in the same place, this reduces the camber. However, getting stuff from the USA is a ball ache (I got hit for import duties for the brass caliper bushes).
Instead, I've gone for these:
s-l1600 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
I need to weld these to the rear beam and then I can adjust toe and camber using the eccentric bolts. Never thought I would do this mod, getting serious now! I'm waiting for delivery of these from a shop called Bimmertune.
So the beam is out:
DSC_6946 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
Usually I would use my hose clamp top stop the brake lines draining, but I've got braided hoses on this car. I made these up:
DSC_6939 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
Trailing arms off, new studs and spacers fitted. Baby monitor in the background! Best time to get jobs done is the 2 hour nap, but I can't do any noisy jobs! Top tip for removing the handbrake cables is to undo them inside the car at the lever. The other end was really corroded in the hub and wasn't coming out without breaking them. Taking the whole cable off only took 5 mins and they thread back through the car really easily.
DSC_6934 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
Two wheel nuts locked together to get the stud on with a coating of Loctite sticks like poop to blanket strength stuff:
DSC_6936 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
Bloody big gap:
DSC_6938 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
Measuring up some of the old wheel studs to use on the diff to make refitting the diff easier. I cut them down 10mm:
DSC_6945 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
I'm thinking of bracing the trailing arms like on the 2.8, 3.0 and Z3M Z3's:
pk011074-1999-bmw-z3-m-roadster-e36-1036-right-rear-trailing-control-arm-hub-spindle by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
I cut up some box section:
DSC_6951 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
Top side:
DSC_6950 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
Underside:
DSC_6949 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
I'm a bit nervous about warping the arms when welding them in. Anyone got any tips? Do I just need to tack it loads prior to fully welding? And then keep the runs short, trying not to put too much heat in?
Cheers for reading!
A local bodyshop did a good job of painting up the newly welded in panel:
DSC_6942 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrDSC_6941 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrI also got them to paint these Hagus M3 style mirros. Might be a bit chav spec for some, but when I bought the car it had a pair until they were nicked in leeds!
DSC_6943 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrDSC_6944 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrI did a trackday with a couple of mates at Bedford in October. They had a Boxster S and whilst that was quicker in a straight line, in the corners the compact seemed quicker, probably because it was better maintained. All went well until a hose fell off the fuel pump on the last lap of the day which left me free wheeling into the pits! Cue fishing around in the tank getting covered in hot petrol! Fastest car of the day was a M3 S50 powered E36 compact which slicks on, bit of inspiration for me
50512726807_125e2f1be2_o by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr50512680177_5570a0fc32_o by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr50511828183_b2c07bce34_o by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr50511808218_3852333062_o by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrShe went really well but I was surprised by the amount of body roll. I've got coilovers with 10kg/mm springs at the back, but she still looks like a boat! I think I've got a bit faster that the last few trackdays.
So that brings me onto upgrades!!!!! Being stuck at home during lockdown means I've saved a few pennies. I splashed out on:
H&R anti roll bars
New rear Lemforder ARB links
20mm rear spacers plus longer studs for the spacers
Some longer bolts and shims so I can add a bit of camber at the front by shimming out the hub
New front shock top mounts, I did look into offset M3 ones which add camber, but they don't seem to be available at the moment
Genuine BMW M3 front strut tower reinforcements, these fit under the shock towers
Brass brake caliper sliders which replace the rubber ones. I've got some ceramic grease to try and stop these seizing as you loose the rubber protective boot
Genuine BMW rear spring pads for countries with rubbish roads. They are 20mm thick so will raise the rear ride height a bit. I did look into those threaded aluminium collars, but thought I would use spring pads for simplicity (plus they can't corrode!).
2020-12-10_11-55-02 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrI've got far too much rear camber as it is non-adjustable and when the car gets lower the camber increases. I did look into these:
https://www.condorspeedshop.com/products/solid-rea...
They raise the rear subframe meaning the front end of the trailing arm gets lifted, but the back end at the spring stays in the same place, this reduces the camber. However, getting stuff from the USA is a ball ache (I got hit for import duties for the brass caliper bushes).
Instead, I've gone for these:
s-l1600 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrI need to weld these to the rear beam and then I can adjust toe and camber using the eccentric bolts. Never thought I would do this mod, getting serious now! I'm waiting for delivery of these from a shop called Bimmertune.
So the beam is out:
DSC_6946 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrUsually I would use my hose clamp top stop the brake lines draining, but I've got braided hoses on this car. I made these up:
DSC_6939 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrTrailing arms off, new studs and spacers fitted. Baby monitor in the background! Best time to get jobs done is the 2 hour nap, but I can't do any noisy jobs! Top tip for removing the handbrake cables is to undo them inside the car at the lever. The other end was really corroded in the hub and wasn't coming out without breaking them. Taking the whole cable off only took 5 mins and they thread back through the car really easily.
DSC_6934 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrTwo wheel nuts locked together to get the stud on with a coating of Loctite sticks like poop to blanket strength stuff:
DSC_6936 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrBloody big gap:
DSC_6938 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrMeasuring up some of the old wheel studs to use on the diff to make refitting the diff easier. I cut them down 10mm:
DSC_6945 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrI'm thinking of bracing the trailing arms like on the 2.8, 3.0 and Z3M Z3's:
pk011074-1999-bmw-z3-m-roadster-e36-1036-right-rear-trailing-control-arm-hub-spindle by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrI cut up some box section:
DSC_6951 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrTop side:
DSC_6950 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrUnderside:
DSC_6949 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrI'm a bit nervous about warping the arms when welding them in. Anyone got any tips? Do I just need to tack it loads prior to fully welding? And then keep the runs short, trying not to put too much heat in?
Cheers for reading!
Ref the welding speak to amc_adam on here (look for his mega Compact E46 M3 build or his Mini build)
In terms of suspension, seems like it would be a good time to switch to coilovers, also Powerflex do a set of concentric bushes that would allow the camber adjustment you are looking for.
In terms of suspension, seems like it would be a good time to switch to coilovers, also Powerflex do a set of concentric bushes that would allow the camber adjustment you are looking for.
Cheers, I'll see if I can message him. I've seen his build, its so impressive. I've got Spax coilovers fitted, on the front its a full coilover setup. On the back they are a separate spring/damper setup as per standard. The spring locates on a pad on the trailing arm and the damper through bolt. Some companies do make a full coilover setup for the rear, but it puts all the force through the shock tower and bottom shock mount. Unless the shock tower is reinforced, or tied into a cage I have heard it can cause them to crack, although I've not seen this. It means putting all of the suspension forces through one M12 bolt in single shear. I'd be a little worried over pot holes that it might snap (I had this bolt fall out at a trackday once which is maybe why I'm nervous 
).
I've got the powerflex offset bushes at the front, but I think they add caster, not camber.
).I've got the powerflex offset bushes at the front, but I think they add caster, not camber.
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