Project Ring-shed E36 325i
Discussion
_Batty_ said:
sniff diesel said:
Revelling in leather lined, V8 powered waftyness! Being summoned for towing duties tomorrow which I'm hoping it'll cope with ease. Been getting 14mpg knocking around so far 
jaysus.thats a touch stiff
One of my fleet will on a good day return 9mpg. Mind you, it has got a 10 litre straight six turbodiesel stuck to an autobox.
Would that 14mpg by any chance be the result of having the urge to unleash the V8 on regular occasions?
Hi Sniff, As you and Benny C seem to be the E36 guru's I thought I'd pick your brains a bit.....
I've got a bit of free time and cash on my hands at the moment and so have been looking at getting an old E30/36 with a 2.5 or 2.8 engine in. Initially I'd use it on the road to introduce me to the thrills and skills of a RWD car. Ideally I'd like something costing around the 1-1.5k mark so it's decent enough to be a runner, but probably needing some tlc. Plus as I'm a car DIY novice, it might be an ok to learn a fe spannering skills?
Maybe I'd go down the track path that you've done at some point in the future, which leads me to crux of my question. Due to an injury, I have to drive an auto....do you guys have any idea how strong/relaible the BM box is, and what; if any chance I'd have of taking one on track and not destroying it?
Hope I've not waffled on too much, and that what I've said makes sense. If anyone else has any advice, it'd be much appreciated
PS I was thinking something like this, might be a good place to start
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2009...
ies/transmission/automatic/engine-size-cars/2-6l_to_2-9l/price-to/2000/fuel-type/petrol/radius/1501/page/1/postcode/s119as?previous=%2Fsearch%2Fresults%2Fusedcars%2Fpostcode%2Fs119as%2Fradius%2F1501%2Fmake%2Fbmw%2Fmodel%2F3_series%2Ftransmission%2Fautomatic%2Fengine-size-cars%2F2-6l_to_2-9l%2Fprice-to%2F2000%2Ffuel-type%2Fpetrol%2Fsort%2Fpriceasc%2Fpage%2F1&anchor=advert200940342908705&logcode=p
I've got a bit of free time and cash on my hands at the moment and so have been looking at getting an old E30/36 with a 2.5 or 2.8 engine in. Initially I'd use it on the road to introduce me to the thrills and skills of a RWD car. Ideally I'd like something costing around the 1-1.5k mark so it's decent enough to be a runner, but probably needing some tlc. Plus as I'm a car DIY novice, it might be an ok to learn a fe spannering skills?
Maybe I'd go down the track path that you've done at some point in the future, which leads me to crux of my question. Due to an injury, I have to drive an auto....do you guys have any idea how strong/relaible the BM box is, and what; if any chance I'd have of taking one on track and not destroying it?
Hope I've not waffled on too much, and that what I've said makes sense. If anyone else has any advice, it'd be much appreciated
PS I was thinking something like this, might be a good place to start
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2009...
ies/transmission/automatic/engine-size-cars/2-6l_to_2-9l/price-to/2000/fuel-type/petrol/radius/1501/page/1/postcode/s119as?previous=%2Fsearch%2Fresults%2Fusedcars%2Fpostcode%2Fs119as%2Fradius%2F1501%2Fmake%2Fbmw%2Fmodel%2F3_series%2Ftransmission%2Fautomatic%2Fengine-size-cars%2F2-6l_to_2-9l%2Fprice-to%2F2000%2Ffuel-type%2Fpetrol%2Fsort%2Fpriceasc%2Fpage%2F1&anchor=advert200940342908705&logcode=p
Can't help you on the auto front, but from my limited experience I can tell you that they are fairly easy and cheap cars to work on. Mike (co-owner) and I have never done any serious work to a car before, although we do both know how to hold a spanner. There's not much you can't DIY on these cars with a bit of help from Haynes and the internet 
Windymiller said:
sniff diesel said:
Had some floor plates cut to size following Windymiller's plans (thanks mate 
)
Thought they looked familiar )
TIA
Jamie
joe_90 said:
How are those Gaz shocks on the track? any good?
I love them, so much adjustment (about 46 clicks on the front and 20 on the rear) you can soften them up for the road and set them to rock hard for the track. Even on a very hot day with sticky slicks I didn't go over about 60% stifness on the fronts and 50% on the rears, even disconneted the rear ARB altogether as it didn't need it with the stiff springs.I had to order some lower springs than were supplied as they seem set up to cope with the weight of a standard car rather than a stripped out one, but Gaz are great and will swap the springs for any others they have on the shelf or will even make a spring to your spec for about £30 each.
For the money I can't fault them at all.
sniff diesel said:
joe_90 said:
How are those Gaz shocks on the track? any good?
I love them, so much adjustment (about 46 clicks on the front and 20 on the rear) you can soften them up for the road and set them to rock hard for the track. Even on a very hot day with sticky slicks I didn't go over about 60% stifness on the fronts and 50% on the rears, even disconneted the rear ARB altogether as it didn't need it with the stiff springs.I had to order some lower springs than were supplied as they seem set up to cope with the weight of a standard car rather than a stripped out one, but Gaz are great and will swap the springs for any others they have on the shelf or will even make a spring to your spec for about £30 each.
For the money I can't fault them at all.
Which Gaz shocks did you go for? and the cost (if you don;t mind me asking)
Can we change the final drive? and you know if some headers and decat exhaust will add much power? or just allow it to rev more free.
We are thinking of:
stripped
plastic windows
all bushes done
Gaz coilovers
17" with 888's
uprated discs +pads
buckets + harnesses
exhaust
maybe (headers/final drive/ air filter)
and the all important random paint job.
Edited by joe_90 on Tuesday 17th November 08:03
joe_90 said:
Cool. we just got our 325, a bargin for 500 quid, 117K miles and a newish clutch.. So happy with that.. that % power increase did you get from stripping (its all about power to weight), as it feels slower than the clio cup.
Which Gaz shocks did you go for? and the cost (if you don;t mind me asking)
Can we change the final drive? and you know if some headers and decat exhaust will add much power? or just allow it to rev more free.
We are thinking of:
stripped
plastic windows
all bushes done
Gaz coilovers
17" with 888's
uprated discs +pads
buckets + harnesses
exhaust
maybe (headers/final drive/ air filter)
and the all important random paint job.
Sounds a good buy for the money. I mine went from around 1320kgs to 1120kgs including 45kgs of roll cage, so call that a 1/4 tonne in lost weight, although that includes 3mm poly windows, metal cut out of the doors and bootlid and fibreglass bonnet. After today's wet trackday I wish I'd have kept the original glass and heater blower, might weigh 20 kgs more but being able to see where you're going is worth more seconds per lap.Which Gaz shocks did you go for? and the cost (if you don;t mind me asking)
Can we change the final drive? and you know if some headers and decat exhaust will add much power? or just allow it to rev more free.
We are thinking of:
stripped
plastic windows
all bushes done
Gaz coilovers
17" with 888's
uprated discs +pads
buckets + harnesses
exhaust
maybe (headers/final drive/ air filter)
and the all important random paint job.
I went for Gaz Gold shocks, bought as second hand but unused. The costs are all listed in the blog on the car in my profile.
There aren't many options for the medium casing 3.15 diff on the 325i, if you change the whole back axle to a 320i one then you can use the 3.45 narrow casing diff. If you know what you're doing then it may be possible to swap the diff internals, but I'm no expert of diffs.
Decats don't appear to add any power - just noise, but will shave some 6-10kgs off the weight (depends on what pipe you use for the decat) plus you get a few quid in scrap for the old cats so should cover some of the costs.
The important bushes to change are the rear trailing arm ones, and the front wishbone ones. Go for the eccentric ones off the M3 3.0l as these fit straight in and add more negative camber on the front.
The only air filters that add power over a standard one are the Dave f kits and the Simotec carbon jobbie but both these are about £200 so personally I wouldn't bother. I've gone back to a standard airbox.
If you can be bothered to fit the complete exhaust off an M3 (either 3.0l or EVO will do) they both bolt straight on and are some 10mm larger diameter so should add some power. I know the EVO's throttle bodies can be modified to fit too a fair bit more power.
Be sure to start a build thread as it's always interesting to see what others are up to with their E36's.
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