Yet another rescued E36 328i M Sport project...
Discussion
External door handle covers can be removed very quickly and simply. Open door, remove plug at end of door. Insert special tool, slide retainer back, remove trim. Fit new one. Slide retainer forward. Sorted.
It’s been a while since I did one. But that’ll be close enough.
Or remove door trim panel and do it the long way.
It’s been a while since I did one. But that’ll be close enough.
Or remove door trim panel and do it the long way.
helix402 said:
External door handle covers can be removed very quickly and simply. Open door, remove plug at end of door. Insert special tool, slide retainer back, remove trim. Fit new one. Slide retainer forward. Sorted.
It’s been a while since I did one. But that’ll be close enough.
Or remove door trim panel and do it the long way.
Thanks for the tip mate. Will get that sorted next week. I have, however, already got the door cards off - or should I say, I haven't refitted them yet - so either way would work for me...It’s been a while since I did one. But that’ll be close enough.
Or remove door trim panel and do it the long way.
Edited by RickBristol on Friday 8th June 16:46
It's now time for one of the last updates before the car is finally finished!
The brakes...
Have now had the replacement 3.0 litre M3 brake servo, master and reservoir fitted.
Have also fitted the new Hel braided stainless steel flexi brake lines to the front brake calipers.
Have fitted the refurbed E46 328 brake calipers and carriers, together with the EBC Red Stuff ceramic disc pads - to help with the brake imbalance, due to having the much larger E46 330 front brake discs and calipers fitted.
Left side.
And right side.
Have then had the new Hel braided stainless steel flexi brake lines to the new powder coated brackets on the trailing arms and new 'S' shaped solid connecting brake lines fitted.
And the the new Hel braided stainless steel flexi brake lines from the new powder coated bracket on the trailing arm to the rear brake calipers.
Here you can see the new bolts for the rear shocks to the trailing arms have been fitted - as opposed to the incorrect ones that were fitted by the last 'mechanic', as he had lost the originals...
Next, the clutch, brake servo, brakes and purple tag power steering rack are going to be bled to get everything working.
The brakes...
Have now had the replacement 3.0 litre M3 brake servo, master and reservoir fitted.
Have also fitted the new Hel braided stainless steel flexi brake lines to the front brake calipers.
Have fitted the refurbed E46 328 brake calipers and carriers, together with the EBC Red Stuff ceramic disc pads - to help with the brake imbalance, due to having the much larger E46 330 front brake discs and calipers fitted.
Left side.
And right side.
Have then had the new Hel braided stainless steel flexi brake lines to the new powder coated brackets on the trailing arms and new 'S' shaped solid connecting brake lines fitted.
And the the new Hel braided stainless steel flexi brake lines from the new powder coated bracket on the trailing arm to the rear brake calipers.
Here you can see the new bolts for the rear shocks to the trailing arms have been fitted - as opposed to the incorrect ones that were fitted by the last 'mechanic', as he had lost the originals...
Next, the clutch, brake servo, brakes and purple tag power steering rack are going to be bled to get everything working.
Went over to the garage to give the mechanic a hand to finish the final mechanical tasks today as the car goes off for it's MOT in three and a half years on Wednesday. 
First up was to fix an annoying leak on the diff drain plug. We decided drain the original oil and refill with some fresh Castrol Syntrax LSD oil.
And also fitted two new copper washers, as the diff had metal washers fitted that were causing the leak in the first place...
We then checked the braided brake line connections and bled the brakes.
Next up was fitting the new ABS sensors as the last 'mechanic' managed to damage them when stripping the rear suspension
, some months back. £72 each!!!! 
Bolted to the trailing arms and cable tied the wires to the suspension arms too.
I then fitted the new rear brake pad wear sensor and refitted the casings for both the ABS and brake wear sensor connectors.
Fitted the new front brake pad wear sensor and cable tied it to the shock, as the plastic retaining clip was knackered.
We then fitted the freshly powder coated heat shield for the air filter.
And finally, for today, fitted the replacement top engine and custom fuel rail covers.
First up was to fix an annoying leak on the diff drain plug. We decided drain the original oil and refill with some fresh Castrol Syntrax LSD oil.
And also fitted two new copper washers, as the diff had metal washers fitted that were causing the leak in the first place...
We then checked the braided brake line connections and bled the brakes.
Next up was fitting the new ABS sensors as the last 'mechanic' managed to damage them when stripping the rear suspension
, some months back. £72 each!!!! Bolted to the trailing arms and cable tied the wires to the suspension arms too.
I then fitted the new rear brake pad wear sensor and refitted the casings for both the ABS and brake wear sensor connectors.
Fitted the new front brake pad wear sensor and cable tied it to the shock, as the plastic retaining clip was knackered.
We then fitted the freshly powder coated heat shield for the air filter.
And finally, for today, fitted the replacement top engine and custom fuel rail covers.
'Some' of the mountain of interior parts that still need to be fitted to the car.
As I'm going back to the garage to finish fitting the interior on Monday, I decided to treat the replacement interior - my original was shagged - to some leather cleaner and conditioner. Came up a treat too.
Going to enjoy doing this final part.
As I'm going back to the garage to finish fitting the interior on Monday, I decided to treat the replacement interior - my original was shagged - to some leather cleaner and conditioner. Came up a treat too.
Going to enjoy doing this final part.
Did I say "I'm going to enjoy this final part"?....
STUPID BOY! Should have known that I was tempting fate........
Firstly, let's return to the rear brake setup. I had a pair of e46 328i calipers and carriers that I bought second hand and had them sand blasted and powder coated.
Well, once fitted to the car and the brakes bled, it was found that the rear brakes were binding. So on further inspection, we realised that the carriers were actually from the e46 330i and were causing the calipers to sit too high, resulting in only half of the brake pad touching the discs. Also, there is a bit of casting on the carriers that was rubbing on the discs, which is what was causing the binding in the first place. So, off to BMW to buy the correct e46 328i carriers, as they are a main dealer only part - £125 each as well!...
We also found that the calipers themselves were not operating as smoothly as we would have liked, despite having been refurbed with a rebuild kit. So, off to Euro Car Parts to buy a new pair of e46 328i calipers. Only £89 each with a promotional code and after returning the original calipers to them. £160 each otherwise.... They came complete with new pistons and much better seals and were ready assembled too...
Checking that they fit together correctly.
We could now start fitting them.
And job done.
The lesson to take away from this. DON'T rely on second hand mechanical parts! It can really bite you hard: the cost of original parts, fitting them, taking them back off, then buying and fitting proper parts - same thing happened earlier in this thread with the starter motor...
STUPID BOY! Should have known that I was tempting fate........
Firstly, let's return to the rear brake setup. I had a pair of e46 328i calipers and carriers that I bought second hand and had them sand blasted and powder coated.
Well, once fitted to the car and the brakes bled, it was found that the rear brakes were binding. So on further inspection, we realised that the carriers were actually from the e46 330i and were causing the calipers to sit too high, resulting in only half of the brake pad touching the discs. Also, there is a bit of casting on the carriers that was rubbing on the discs, which is what was causing the binding in the first place. So, off to BMW to buy the correct e46 328i carriers, as they are a main dealer only part - £125 each as well!...
We also found that the calipers themselves were not operating as smoothly as we would have liked, despite having been refurbed with a rebuild kit. So, off to Euro Car Parts to buy a new pair of e46 328i calipers. Only £89 each with a promotional code and after returning the original calipers to them. £160 each otherwise.... They came complete with new pistons and much better seals and were ready assembled too...
Checking that they fit together correctly.
We could now start fitting them.
And job done.
The lesson to take away from this. DON'T rely on second hand mechanical parts! It can really bite you hard: the cost of original parts, fitting them, taking them back off, then buying and fitting proper parts - same thing happened earlier in this thread with the starter motor...
RickBristol said:
Windjammer said:
Who are you going to for the remap? Have got an e30 with a 328 lump in the front that needs a new map, running far too rich
Enda at endtuning.com Check this guy out. Used to be a chip tuner and is a BMW specialist. Don't go anywhere else mate. He's very good at mapping, in fact I think he made the official race map for the BMW compact cup series.
Dave0321 said:
How much did you get the riot racing cams for, is shipping to the UK a nightmare? Do they run smooth?
Invoice is at home, will check tonight and let you know. The big bore throttle body came with them aswell. Sam, the lad who built the car, fitted them and I do believe he now offers his own JD cams, with a very similar grind, will check that aswell.
Runs absolutely brilliant, pulls very hard.
MUN 802 said:
Invoice is at home, will check tonight and let you know. The big bore throttle body came with them aswell.
Sam, the lad who built the car, fitted them and I do believe he now offers his own JD cams, with a very similar grind, will check that aswell.
Runs absolutely brilliant, pulls very hard.
Nice one.Sam, the lad who built the car, fitted them and I do believe he now offers his own JD cams, with a very similar grind, will check that aswell.
Runs absolutely brilliant, pulls very hard.
Trying to find info on cam swaps seems to be pretty tricky. I suppose because its more expensive than an M50 manifold.
Dave0321 said:
Nice one.
Trying to find info on cam swaps seems to be pretty tricky. I suppose because its more expensive than an M50 manifold.
Invoice for cams. Trying to find info on cam swaps seems to be pretty tricky. I suppose because its more expensive than an M50 manifold.
See links below for cams and big bore throttle:
http://westcoastriots.com/shop/automobile-machine/...
https://westcoastriots.com/shop/automobile-machine...
I bought the car with everything already in and set up. I’m still in contact with Sam who built the car and will be going down to his next week to pick up a replacement Mishimoto radiator so if you require any further specifics I can find out next week. Will also inquire about the cams he made.
SidewaysSi said:
Thanks all. I need someone to supply and fit the bits. BW Chip tune are near me but don't seem interested. Any other ideas (SE region).
Enda at endtuning.com Check this guy out. Used to be a chip tuner and is a BMW specialist. Don't go anywhere else mate. You can post it to him with a list of mods and he'll turn it around the same day and post it back to you. Had mine back in two days. .Well, it seems like an absolute age since I last updated the thread. Its been a lot of work / money sunk into the last few months, even when you think the end is in sight. I have also been very busy with work, so haven't had much time to do an update.
I must also admit, that for a while there, I had started to fall out of love with the car. Took too long, drained me of way too much money, AND stubbornly refused to play ball as we tried to drag it over the line. A bit like trying to drag a dead horse that's been welded to the floor up a VERY steep hill........
So, I now feel that it's time to record some of the last parts of this rebuild, and actually have got some of my enthusiasm for it back...
So let's go. First up is a few pics of the car when we, foolishly, thought we were almost done. Car started, ran and everything...
I even bought the b
h some new interior door handle surround clips - the originals no longer worked properly, AND some lovely chrome edged window switches.
Got the remapped ECU back from Enda at EndTuning.
And how did she repay us?...
Although the car ran, it idled badly and wouldn't rev properly once it got hot!!!
What we came to realise is, although most of the electro-mechanical sensors were working in the past, as the car has been pretty much stood for nearly three and a half years. The moisture and dirt that may have found its way into some of them has caused them to fail...
The offending throttle position sensor.
The replacement crank position sensor and ABS sensor...
The replacement Vanos solenoid.
And fitted.
Once all these sensors were replaced, the car ran perfectly AND passed the MOT. I'd like ot have said 'Happy Days' at the time, but I can assure you I really wasn't feeling it...
Have got another more interesting update coming next...
I must also admit, that for a while there, I had started to fall out of love with the car. Took too long, drained me of way too much money, AND stubbornly refused to play ball as we tried to drag it over the line. A bit like trying to drag a dead horse that's been welded to the floor up a VERY steep hill........
So, I now feel that it's time to record some of the last parts of this rebuild, and actually have got some of my enthusiasm for it back...
So let's go. First up is a few pics of the car when we, foolishly, thought we were almost done. Car started, ran and everything...
I even bought the b
h some new interior door handle surround clips - the originals no longer worked properly, AND some lovely chrome edged window switches.Got the remapped ECU back from Enda at EndTuning.
And how did she repay us?...
Although the car ran, it idled badly and wouldn't rev properly once it got hot!!!
What we came to realise is, although most of the electro-mechanical sensors were working in the past, as the car has been pretty much stood for nearly three and a half years. The moisture and dirt that may have found its way into some of them has caused them to fail...
The offending throttle position sensor.
The replacement crank position sensor and ABS sensor...
The replacement Vanos solenoid.
And fitted.
Once all these sensors were replaced, the car ran perfectly AND passed the MOT. I'd like ot have said 'Happy Days' at the time, but I can assure you I really wasn't feeling it...
Have got another more interesting update coming next...
Well, after talking through numerous issues we were having with getting the car running properly, mentioned in my last post, the guy who did the engine rebuild pointed out that as we had put racing cams in the engine, I wouldn't realise their full potential OR extract all of the available horses out of the engine without fitting a tuned exhaust. I had also been doing some swatting-up about tuned exhausts - harmonic balancing - on Enda's EndTuning website, about the same thing.
http://www.endtuning.com/exhaustsystems/
So, whilst looking at a post on one of the ArseBook BMW groups, I noticed that a chap selling-off some S50 engine bits had a picture of them with a pair off manifolds in the top of the picture. I PM'd him straight away, asking if they might be for sale too. He said yes!
Sold them to me for £280 as well!... Was told to expect to pay anywhere between £500 and £750 for a second hand pair IF you can ever find them....
And here they are on my living room floor...
After talking again with Sam - the engine rebuilder - and telling him that I'd managed to get my hands on a pair of "50 manifolds,he then pointed out a few things to me. 1, that they were a waste of time without the rest of the system. 2, that I would need to get the correct Lambda sensors, which are now hard to get hold of, as neither the 328 or M3 Lambda sensors would work. 3, that the manifolds are a complete bd to fit, and are easier to fit if you take the engine out of the car!!!.....
So, this then became a sub-project that I was going to put on the back-burner for the next year or so. It's almost impossible to find a complete S50 exhaust system, as many people scrap the mid section with the CATs as you can get £200 for the CATs at the scrap yard...
I decided to look into getting the parts that I'd need to do the exhaust replacement, at some point in the future. I managed to source the proper manifold studs from America for $40, instead of around £320 from BMW - over £11 = VAT EACH!!! I also managed to find the correct NTK Lambda sensors too.
Over the next few weeks, I looked around for S50 exhaust and found loads and loads of back boxes - NO mid-sections... I eventually found two complete systems, both in poor condition, loads of money AND one of the was in Lithuania. The other was in London, but after negotiating with the seller, was then informed that he'd sold it to someone before I could get to go and collect it!!!!
Took me over a year to source a decent original 328 LSD, so reigned myself to 'the long haul' before I'd find a decent complete S50 exhaust system.
fk me sideways! A week later a complete S50 exhaust system off a 3.2 EVO appeared on Ebay. Rang the guy straight away. Turns out it was from his M3, that he'd written-off many years ago, when the car only had around 30k miles on it, and he'd forgotten the exhaust until he'd just cleared his garage out. £320 as well!! So, off I go to collect it...
Couldn't believe my eyes / luck when I saw it.
Look at it! Its like new....
Game on!
I then enquired at my local BMW dealer about the mounting brackets, nuts, bolts etc that I'd need, as the system didn't have any when I collected it.
£200 was quite sobering, but hey, had to be done. And there they all are, scattered over the garage floor, behind the back box...
Out with the old 'pig irons'...
Getting the new Lambda sensor bosses welded into the manifold collectors.
Now, rather than trying to relive the pain, anguish, stress, bleeding fingers, cursing and the almost ABSOLUTE IMPOSSIBILITY of trying to fit the manifolds to the head AND fit the once-use copper nuts - with the engine INSTALLED. I'll take a deep breath, and just put up some pics taken along the way...
Which then allows me to move onto the much less stressful main exhaust system fitting.
NEVER, in the history of man kind, has someone meant it more sincerely 'don't try this at home'...
Also, after driving the car a couple of weeks earlier, we found that both the clutch release bearing and the main input shaft gearbox oil seal had failed, so they both got replaced, while doing all the messing around with sorting out the exhaust. E36 world! Never a dull moment.
I hope you've enjoyed reading this. Would make me feel better after all the pain its caused me...
http://www.endtuning.com/exhaustsystems/
So, whilst looking at a post on one of the ArseBook BMW groups, I noticed that a chap selling-off some S50 engine bits had a picture of them with a pair off manifolds in the top of the picture. I PM'd him straight away, asking if they might be for sale too. He said yes!
Sold them to me for £280 as well!... Was told to expect to pay anywhere between £500 and £750 for a second hand pair IF you can ever find them....And here they are on my living room floor...
After talking again with Sam - the engine rebuilder - and telling him that I'd managed to get my hands on a pair of "50 manifolds,he then pointed out a few things to me. 1, that they were a waste of time without the rest of the system. 2, that I would need to get the correct Lambda sensors, which are now hard to get hold of, as neither the 328 or M3 Lambda sensors would work. 3, that the manifolds are a complete b
d to fit, and are easier to fit if you take the engine out of the car!!!.....So, this then became a sub-project that I was going to put on the back-burner for the next year or so. It's almost impossible to find a complete S50 exhaust system, as many people scrap the mid section with the CATs as you can get £200 for the CATs at the scrap yard...
I decided to look into getting the parts that I'd need to do the exhaust replacement, at some point in the future. I managed to source the proper manifold studs from America for $40, instead of around £320 from BMW - over £11 = VAT EACH!!! I also managed to find the correct NTK Lambda sensors too.
Over the next few weeks, I looked around for S50 exhaust and found loads and loads of back boxes - NO mid-sections... I eventually found two complete systems, both in poor condition, loads of money AND one of the was in Lithuania. The other was in London, but after negotiating with the seller, was then informed that he'd sold it to someone before I could get to go and collect it!!!!
Took me over a year to source a decent original 328 LSD, so reigned myself to 'the long haul' before I'd find a decent complete S50 exhaust system.
f
k me sideways! A week later a complete S50 exhaust system off a 3.2 EVO appeared on Ebay. Rang the guy straight away. Turns out it was from his M3, that he'd written-off many years ago, when the car only had around 30k miles on it, and he'd forgotten the exhaust until he'd just cleared his garage out. £320 as well!! So, off I go to collect it...Couldn't believe my eyes / luck when I saw it.
Look at it! Its like new....
Game on!
I then enquired at my local BMW dealer about the mounting brackets, nuts, bolts etc that I'd need, as the system didn't have any when I collected it.
£200 was quite sobering, but hey, had to be done. And there they all are, scattered over the garage floor, behind the back box...
Out with the old 'pig irons'...
Getting the new Lambda sensor bosses welded into the manifold collectors.
Now, rather than trying to relive the pain, anguish, stress, bleeding fingers, cursing and the almost ABSOLUTE IMPOSSIBILITY of trying to fit the manifolds to the head AND fit the once-use copper nuts - with the engine INSTALLED. I'll take a deep breath, and just put up some pics taken along the way...
Which then allows me to move onto the much less stressful main exhaust system fitting.
NEVER, in the history of man kind, has someone meant it more sincerely 'don't try this at home'...
Also, after driving the car a couple of weeks earlier, we found that both the clutch release bearing and the main input shaft gearbox oil seal had failed, so they both got replaced, while doing all the messing around with sorting out the exhaust. E36 world! Never a dull moment.
I hope you've enjoyed reading this. Would make me feel better after all the pain its caused me...
helix402 said:
Still reading! Glad it’s alive.
It's more than alive mate. Thanks for your continued interest. Want to get it dyno'ed next, to see what it's gonna put out. It's definitely gonna be interesting. Before fitting the S50 3.2 EVO exhaust and manifolds, it was VERY quick.Still got some odd tidy-up jobs left to do, but should have the mechanical side sorted now..
You!
I was watching that m3 mid and back box on ebay!
I kid... I also got some s50 manifolds a few weeks ago too and just waiting to find a decent time to fit them. I intend to fit them to the standard 328i centre section though.
How long did it take you overall to fit the manifolds?
Also, I ordered fresh studs and gaskets from bmw... But, I ordered 24 studs, 24 nuts, downpipe gaskets and s50 head-manifold gaskets for about £100... not sure where your £320 figure comes from.
Did you not remove the steering column for a bit more space?
Why don't the 328i lambda sensors work?
I was watching that m3 mid and back box on ebay!
I kid... I also got some s50 manifolds a few weeks ago too and just waiting to find a decent time to fit them. I intend to fit them to the standard 328i centre section though.
How long did it take you overall to fit the manifolds?
Also, I ordered fresh studs and gaskets from bmw... But, I ordered 24 studs, 24 nuts, downpipe gaskets and s50 head-manifold gaskets for about £100... not sure where your £320 figure comes from.
Did you not remove the steering column for a bit more space?
Why don't the 328i lambda sensors work?
Edited by Dave0321 on Friday 28th September 11:33
Dave0321 said:
You!
I was watching that m3 mid and back box on ebay!
I kid... I also got some s50 manifolds a few weeks ago too and just waiting to find a decent time to fit them. I intend to fit them to the standard 328i centre section though.
How long did it take you overall to fit the manifolds?
Also, I ordered fresh studs and gaskets from bmw... But, I ordered 24 studs, 24 nuts, downpipe gaskets and s50 head-manifold gaskets for about £100... not sure where your £320 figure comes from.
Did you not remove the steering column for a bit more space?
Why don't the 328i lambda sensors work?
I'll reply properly later. But right now, there's a guy on Arsebook - Will Batchelor - selling S50 cats from e36 EVOs. That'll be the hardest bit to find, so worth getting on to it right away mate....I was watching that m3 mid and back box on ebay!
I kid... I also got some s50 manifolds a few weeks ago too and just waiting to find a decent time to fit them. I intend to fit them to the standard 328i centre section though.
How long did it take you overall to fit the manifolds?
Also, I ordered fresh studs and gaskets from bmw... But, I ordered 24 studs, 24 nuts, downpipe gaskets and s50 head-manifold gaskets for about £100... not sure where your £320 figure comes from.
Did you not remove the steering column for a bit more space?
Why don't the 328i lambda sensors work?
Edited by Dave0321 on Friday 28th September 11:33
Dave0321 said:
You!
I was watching that m3 mid and back box on ebay!
I kid... I also got some s50 manifolds a few weeks ago too and just waiting to find a decent time to fit them. I intend to fit them to the standard 328i centre section though.
How long did it take you overall to fit the manifolds?
Also, I ordered fresh studs and gaskets from bmw... But, I ordered 24 studs, 24 nuts, downpipe gaskets and s50 head-manifold gaskets for about £100... not sure where your £320 figure comes from.
Did you not remove the steering column for a bit more space?
Why don't the 328i lambda sensors work?
Well,I was watching that m3 mid and back box on ebay!
I kid... I also got some s50 manifolds a few weeks ago too and just waiting to find a decent time to fit them. I intend to fit them to the standard 328i centre section though.
How long did it take you overall to fit the manifolds?
Also, I ordered fresh studs and gaskets from bmw... But, I ordered 24 studs, 24 nuts, downpipe gaskets and s50 head-manifold gaskets for about £100... not sure where your £320 figure comes from.
Did you not remove the steering column for a bit more space?
Why don't the 328i lambda sensors work?
Edited by Dave0321 on Friday 28th September 11:33
It eventually took around ten hours to fit the manifolds with the engine in situ. Was an absolute b
d though. You'll need a ramp to fit some of the manifold nuts from underneath and fit some from above in the engine bay.I was quoted around £11 each + VAT for the original M3 studs from BMW. That's why I bought mine from America for around $40 for originals. The individual manifold gaskets I bought direct from BMW as they weren't that expensive.
We removed the steering column for greater access AND had already deleted the air con pump and associated pipework, which would have been a major obstruction.
Not sure of the technical details of why the 328 Lambda sensors had to be changed for the 325 sensors. Apparently they don't read correctly for the new setup. If you do a full stage 2 remap, you can dispense with the Lambda sensors altogether.
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