Yet another rescued E36 328i M Sport project...
Discussion
FFS I think old C70 is a bit daft but there you go. Reading, understanding and comprehension do not seem to be his strong points unfortunately - he sounds like typical kid with very little real world knowledge about much. After all, if EVO said it then it must be true.
Saying the M3 is the "best" car for £15k is very different from saying it's the most fun which is what I and the OP probably look for. I don't think Barker, Catchpole,Meaden etc would say any BMW is the most fun 15 grand would buy. Nowhere near.
As for what I questioned before re. Mods vs standard, he hasn't answered that but there you go...And as for "better" E36s than the OPs, what a condescending thing to say. Define "better" as I think you will have a different view of that than most.
Anyway, enough engagement with t
ts - OP, are you going for a quick shift? I am thinking UUC along with pulleys, E34 M5 clutch and lightweight flywheel.
Saying the M3 is the "best" car for £15k is very different from saying it's the most fun which is what I and the OP probably look for. I don't think Barker, Catchpole,Meaden etc would say any BMW is the most fun 15 grand would buy. Nowhere near.
As for what I questioned before re. Mods vs standard, he hasn't answered that but there you go...And as for "better" E36s than the OPs, what a condescending thing to say. Define "better" as I think you will have a different view of that than most.
Anyway, enough engagement with t
ts - OP, are you going for a quick shift? I am thinking UUC along with pulleys, E34 M5 clutch and lightweight flywheel.Edited by SidewaysSi on Sunday 19th November 23:17
Edited by SidewaysSi on Sunday 19th November 23:20
Edited by SidewaysSi on Sunday 19th November 23:21
Good to see this project is still forging ahead. I very much appreciate you posting all these pics of your sill repairs, as I'll soon be starting to hack away at my own 328. From what I can see through the, erm, large hole that has appeared 
in the OS/R sill the inner looks to be in better condition than your passenger side, but the outers are pretty bad along the bottoms around jacking points, rears and seams where the underseal has peeled so will need complete replacement. Plus might as well tackle rear arches whilst I'm at it. Oh and the battery compartment. RTABs need doing too, come to think of it 
No comment on the C70 vs everyone else nonsense...
in the OS/R sill the inner looks to be in better condition than your passenger side, but the outers are pretty bad along the bottoms around jacking points, rears and seams where the underseal has peeled so will need complete replacement. Plus might as well tackle rear arches whilst I'm at it. Oh and the battery compartment. RTABs need doing too, come to think of it No comment on the C70 vs everyone else nonsense...
SidewaysSi said:
FFS I think old C70 is a bit daft but there you go. Reading, understanding and comprehension do not seem to be his strong points unfortunately - he sounds like typical kid with very little real world knowledge about much. After all, if EVO said it then it must be true.
Saying the M3 is the "best" car for £15k is very different from saying it's the most fun which is what I and the OP probably look for. I don't think Barker, Catchpole,Meaden etc would say any BMW is the most fun 15 grand would buy. Nowhere near.
As for what I questioned before re. Mods vs standard, he hasn't answered that but there you go...And as for "better" E36s than the OPs, what a condescending thing to say. Define "better" as I think you will have a different view of that than most.
Anyway, enough engagement with tts - OP, are you going for a quick shift? I am thinking UUC along with pulleys, E34 M5 clutch and lightweight flywheel.
Saying the M3 is the "best" car for £15k is very different from saying it's the most fun which is what I and the OP probably look for. I don't think Barker, Catchpole,Meaden etc would say any BMW is the most fun 15 grand would buy. Nowhere near.
As for what I questioned before re. Mods vs standard, he hasn't answered that but there you go...And as for "better" E36s than the OPs, what a condescending thing to say. Define "better" as I think you will have a different view of that than most.
Anyway, enough engagement with t
ts - OP, are you going for a quick shift? I am thinking UUC along with pulleys, E34 M5 clutch and lightweight flywheel.
You sound really defensive, when you absolutely don't need to be, particularly the bolded bits. The "just a kid with no experience" bit is a poor way to frame a point, and wholly inaccurate.
The OP's car is going to be great when he's finished with this epic recommissioning - that isn't up for debate at all. This is in no way to denigrate the hard work that is going into this build.
Your "comprehension" is the failing bit. Evo named the M3 its best car for £10k, AND the best for £15k. The E36 M3 was in budget at the time, but didn't get a look-in. That doesn't make the OP's car any less impressive, by any measure - it's just me reporting the collective opinion (and it's not just Evo who think it's the best M3 of them all).
All I can say is read my previous posts. For the love of God man.
And please stop talking about EVO. For £10k the E46 M3 is the best ALL ROUND UNMODIFIED car money can buy, no question. That I entirely agree with. I have driven an E46 M3 for 5000 miles and it was a good car.
OP - looks like great work on the sills. Also what do you think about your brakes? I am running 15" wheels and will be putting on DS2500s and uprated fluid. Is it much worse than the 330Ci upgrade?
Also what difference ratio do you have? I was thinking 3.64 but highly tempted by the 3.91 to be honest.
And please stop talking about EVO. For £10k the E46 M3 is the best ALL ROUND UNMODIFIED car money can buy, no question. That I entirely agree with. I have driven an E46 M3 for 5000 miles and it was a good car.
OP - looks like great work on the sills. Also what do you think about your brakes? I am running 15" wheels and will be putting on DS2500s and uprated fluid. Is it much worse than the 330Ci upgrade?
Also what difference ratio do you have? I was thinking 3.64 but highly tempted by the 3.91 to be honest.
SidewaysSi said:
...........
OP - looks like great work on the sills.
Thanks. Almost out of the woods with the welding. Inner sill work has been completed now and the passenger side sill is being welded on as we speak - so to speak. Will get some pics when I'm back over to the garage in the next couple of days.
Also what do you think about your brakes? I am running 15" wheels and will be putting on DS2500s and uprated fluid. Is it much worse than the 330Ci upgrade?
I have already done some posts about the brakes upgrade a couple of pages back. Refurbed and powder coated E46 330 brake calipers all round. New drilled and grooved E46 330 discs with new pads. An E36 M3 EVO servo and master cylinder. New brake lines throughout the car with new braided flexi brake pipes from the solid brake lines to the refurbed calippers. New hand brake shoes and hand brake cables. Uprated brake fluid - can't remember the brand. You will need to be running 17" wheels to fit the E46 330 brakes as they are much bigger than the original weedy 328 brakes.
Also what difference ratio do you have? I was thinking 3.64 but highly tempted by the 3.91 to be honest.
Had a proper E36 328 Sport LSD fitted a while back. It has the correct ratio for the car/engine. Covered in a previous post some time back.
OP - looks like great work on the sills.
Thanks. Almost out of the woods with the welding. Inner sill work has been completed now and the passenger side sill is being welded on as we speak - so to speak. Will get some pics when I'm back over to the garage in the next couple of days.
Also what do you think about your brakes? I am running 15" wheels and will be putting on DS2500s and uprated fluid. Is it much worse than the 330Ci upgrade?
I have already done some posts about the brakes upgrade a couple of pages back. Refurbed and powder coated E46 330 brake calipers all round. New drilled and grooved E46 330 discs with new pads. An E36 M3 EVO servo and master cylinder. New brake lines throughout the car with new braided flexi brake pipes from the solid brake lines to the refurbed calippers. New hand brake shoes and hand brake cables. Uprated brake fluid - can't remember the brand. You will need to be running 17" wheels to fit the E46 330 brakes as they are much bigger than the original weedy 328 brakes.
Also what difference ratio do you have? I was thinking 3.64 but highly tempted by the 3.91 to be honest.
Had a proper E36 328 Sport LSD fitted a while back. It has the correct ratio for the car/engine. Covered in a previous post some time back.
Edited by RickBristol on Tuesday 21st November 16:49
Apologies for another (minor) thread derailment- having just upgraded my E46 to Brembo calipers, I have a set of 330i front brakes available- calipers fully refurbished in factory finish, seals, everything 4K miles ago, 325mm discs and pads, all on 4K miles.
And back on topic, I'm enjoying seeing the attention you're giving this, and pictures are always incredibly helpful. Unless we have another photobucket style internet disaster in the years to come!
And back on topic, I'm enjoying seeing the attention you're giving this, and pictures are always incredibly helpful. Unless we have another photobucket style internet disaster in the years to come!
MiggyA said:
Good to see this project is still forging ahead. I very much appreciate you posting all these pics of your sill repairs, as I'll soon be starting to hack away at my own 328. From what I can see through the, erm, large hole that has appeared in the OS/R sill the inner looks to be in better condition than your passenger side, but the outers are pretty bad along the bottoms around jacking points, rears and seams where the underseal has peeled so will need complete replacement. Plus might as well tackle rear arches whilst I'm at it. Oh and the battery compartment. RTABs need doing too, come to think of it
...
Am in the middle of stripping out the rear suspension today. Has been a major shot of a job. Will do a major post on Sunday when it's all been done. However, all the underside bodywork; subframe mounts, rtab mounts and consoles, spare wheel well and everything else has been found to be in mint rust free condition - luckily. Have about 50 odd pics to put up and write about, so might be a few days before it happens... in the OS/R sill the inner looks to be in better condition than your passenger side, but the outers are pretty bad along the bottoms around jacking points, rears and seams where the underseal has peeled so will need complete replacement. Plus might as well tackle rear arches whilst I'm at it. Oh and the battery compartment. RTABs need doing too, come to think of it ...
Edited by RickBristol on Friday 24th November 08:45
Have a mini update.
The new passenger side sill has now been clamped into position.
The area along the swage line will need some temporary bolts to pull it together, before welding.
The driver's door has been temporarily put back on to check the sill panel alignment.
Thought I'd put up a couple of pics of the old scuttle that I took off of the car. They show how ropey it was and why I decided to buy a new replacement.
The genuine BMW replacement scuttle was only around £35 too.
The car has been penciled-in to go to the spray shop around the 15th of next month...
The new passenger side sill has now been clamped into position.
The area along the swage line will need some temporary bolts to pull it together, before welding.
The driver's door has been temporarily put back on to check the sill panel alignment.
Thought I'd put up a couple of pics of the old scuttle that I took off of the car. They show how ropey it was and why I decided to buy a new replacement.
The genuine BMW replacement scuttle was only around £35 too.
The car has been penciled-in to go to the spray shop around the 15th of next month...
Edited by RickBristol on Saturday 25th November 15:41
OK. Major update time. Phew! Don't know what was more daunting, the work that I did on the car over the last two days, or the writing it up to put on here. Well here goes...
The time has come to remove the complete rear suspension setup and get it stripped, bushings, wheel bearings and all...
Firstly, the star of the show, over the last two days has to be....
What an absolute bd of a job it is, undoing parts that have been on this car for twenty years!
This was used to give a good coating to all of the nuts, blots and threads that hold the suspension to the car and all of the parts that makeup the rear end setup.
The first job to tackle was removing the exhaust back box to allow for removing the suspension.
Once this was done, it was found that the two mounting brackets on the car were shot.
So, I bought replacements.
And here are the old and new for comparison.
I then fitted the new back box brackets to the car. YET ANOTHER job done...
I removed the bottom bolts on the shock absorbers and moved them out of the way.
I then disconnected the four main prop bolts from the diff.
Next, the ABS and disc pad sensors had to be disconnected. These are on the passenger's side - the driver's side only has the ABS sensor.
And disconnected.
Passenger's side.
Driver's side.
And don't forget the speedo sensor on the back of the diff.
The next job was to disconnect the rear brake flexi pipes between the car and the trailing arms.
And disconnected. The pipe fitting on the other side completely refused to come apart, so it was cut off - something else that will need sorting at a later date.
All of the brake flexi pipes are going to replaced with new braided pipes.
Removed all of the four main subframe bolts.
I took the springs out of the carriers.
The RTAB mounting brackets looked a little bit on the rusty side.
But once removed, both the brackets and the bodywork they bolted to were found to be in perfectly serviceable condition. Phew! That could have been another load of extra parts and welding to sort...
With everything undone, the whole rear suspension assembly was ready to be removed.
Once removed.
The bodywork and all subframe mounting points were found to be in really good condition.
I then set about stripping the suspension assembly down to its constituent parts. First up was removing the brake calipers from the carriers.
Started removing all of the bolts from the spring carriers.
And from the lower trailing arms.
Pulled the trailing arms from the drive shafts.
And got the subframe removed from the diff.
Now. Here comes the REALLY hard bit...
Removing the main bearings. This was done as: A. The car had around 160K miles under the belt. B. In order to remove the Wheel flanges and disc back plate, the bearing casings broke. Around £53 per side for new BMW bearing kits - a no brainer really.
Removing the top rose joint on the trailing arm.
Removing the four main bushings from the subframe.
We had to drill some of the bds out first.
The subframe.
The trailing arms.
And all the parts that are going off to the powder coaters on Monday...
The diff and drive shafts look a bit lonely there on their own... Have given the rear aluminium casing a bit of a clean to cheer it up. will paint the main diff body black and then lacquer it.
Can't wait to post some pics of the rear end completely rebuilt, on the car with the lovely new brakes etc...
The time has come to remove the complete rear suspension setup and get it stripped, bushings, wheel bearings and all...
Firstly, the star of the show, over the last two days has to be....
What an absolute b
d of a job it is, undoing parts that have been on this car for twenty years! This was used to give a good coating to all of the nuts, blots and threads that hold the suspension to the car and all of the parts that makeup the rear end setup.
The first job to tackle was removing the exhaust back box to allow for removing the suspension.
Once this was done, it was found that the two mounting brackets on the car were shot.
So, I bought replacements.
And here are the old and new for comparison.
I then fitted the new back box brackets to the car. YET ANOTHER job done...
I removed the bottom bolts on the shock absorbers and moved them out of the way.
I then disconnected the four main prop bolts from the diff.
Next, the ABS and disc pad sensors had to be disconnected. These are on the passenger's side - the driver's side only has the ABS sensor.
And disconnected.
Passenger's side.
Driver's side.
And don't forget the speedo sensor on the back of the diff.
The next job was to disconnect the rear brake flexi pipes between the car and the trailing arms.
And disconnected. The pipe fitting on the other side completely refused to come apart, so it was cut off - something else that will need sorting at a later date.
All of the brake flexi pipes are going to replaced with new braided pipes.Removed all of the four main subframe bolts.
I took the springs out of the carriers.
The RTAB mounting brackets looked a little bit on the rusty side.
But once removed, both the brackets and the bodywork they bolted to were found to be in perfectly serviceable condition. Phew! That could have been another load of extra parts and welding to sort...
With everything undone, the whole rear suspension assembly was ready to be removed.
Once removed.
The bodywork and all subframe mounting points were found to be in really good condition.
I then set about stripping the suspension assembly down to its constituent parts. First up was removing the brake calipers from the carriers.
Started removing all of the bolts from the spring carriers.
And from the lower trailing arms.
Pulled the trailing arms from the drive shafts.
And got the subframe removed from the diff.
Now. Here comes the REALLY hard bit...
Removing the main bearings. This was done as: A. The car had around 160K miles under the belt. B. In order to remove the Wheel flanges and disc back plate, the bearing casings broke. Around £53 per side for new BMW bearing kits - a no brainer really.
Removing the top rose joint on the trailing arm.
Removing the four main bushings from the subframe.
We had to drill some of the b
ds out first.The subframe.
The trailing arms.
And all the parts that are going off to the powder coaters on Monday...
The diff and drive shafts look a bit lonely there on their own... Have given the rear aluminium casing a bit of a clean to cheer it up. will paint the main diff body black and then lacquer it.
Can't wait to post some pics of the rear end completely rebuilt, on the car with the lovely new brakes etc...
Edited by RickBristol on Saturday 25th November 17:52
Edited by RickBristol on Sunday 26th November 13:20
Have a mini update on the bodywork.
The passenger side sill has now been welded up.
And the holes in the inner sill / floor have been repaired.
Once the rear suspension has been rebuilt, next weekend after the parts get back from the powder coaters, the car will be going off to the spray shop to get painted. Can then look at getting the interior put back in.
The passenger side sill has now been welded up.
And the holes in the inner sill / floor have been repaired.
Once the rear suspension has been rebuilt, next weekend after the parts get back from the powder coaters, the car will be going off to the spray shop to get painted. Can then look at getting the interior put back in.
Have bought the remainder of the rear suspension bushes, bearings, rose joints etc in preparation for the suspension rebuild.
The rear brake calipers, carriers and rear disc protection plates arrived back from the powder coaters this week. Have also bought a refurb kit for the calipers - forgot to take a pic though...
Bought the last of the Powerflex bushings for the diff, trailing arms, upper arm spring carriers and lower arms. And you'll notice the complimentary packet of Haribos that was sent with the order...
Withe these, the whole of the rear suspension set up will be poly bushed... The previous order that I received for the subframe, anti roll bar and rear trailing arm bushings.
That little lot cost around another £380 for all of the bushings....
Collected the new rear trailing arm / drive shaft bearings and top mount rose joints from BMW.
And the new replacement handbrake cables.
Got the new drop links for the front anti roll bar. They're meant for the track, I'm sure they'll just add to the ride 'stiffness'...
The next update will come next weekend, when the rear suspension unit and the brakes get reassembled and fitted to the car.
The rear brake calipers, carriers and rear disc protection plates arrived back from the powder coaters this week. Have also bought a refurb kit for the calipers - forgot to take a pic though...
Bought the last of the Powerflex bushings for the diff, trailing arms, upper arm spring carriers and lower arms. And you'll notice the complimentary packet of Haribos that was sent with the order...
Withe these, the whole of the rear suspension set up will be poly bushed... The previous order that I received for the subframe, anti roll bar and rear trailing arm bushings.
That little lot cost around another £380 for all of the bushings....
Collected the new rear trailing arm / drive shaft bearings and top mount rose joints from BMW.
And the new replacement handbrake cables.
Got the new drop links for the front anti roll bar. They're meant for the track, I'm sure they'll just add to the ride 'stiffness'...
The next update will come next weekend, when the rear suspension unit and the brakes get reassembled and fitted to the car.
helix402 said:
On the E46 you have an upper ball joint on the rear susp and a solid lower one. The M3 E46 runs ball joints top and bottom, not sure if this works on the E36 but may be worth considering.
On any E46 you can run ball joints top and bottom.
Not bothered about that really. The lower and upper arm bushings are all Powerflex black series, so I'm sure the setup will be fine...On any E46 you can run ball joints top and bottom.
helix402 said:
All the best with your car. I shall refrain from offering helpful suggestions.
??? 
I didn't mean to rebuff you or your comments. Just that I've bought all the parts for the rear end now. And to be honest, I just want to get this project over the finish line now. Not planning on using it regularly on a track. The odd day at Castle Combe will probably do me. Anyway, thanks and appreciation for your continued interest in my project. I'm certainly not against timely suggestions going forward. 
You could say that. My mechanic had to move his workshop to a new unit over Christmas. Six weeks down the line, and we're continuing work on the car today! I've even taken an extended holiday to get things going again. Should have loads of pics of the lovely powder coated rear suspension, polybushes and new brakes over the next few days...
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