My somewhat leggy E36 M3 Evo, quick car history
Discussion
Hi All,
I thoroughly enjoy the Readers' Cars section of the site so figured it was about time I gave something back!
The route to me buying this car was somewhat torturous - I had a Peugeot 205 GTI for about 6 years that I had converted to run with a Citroen Xsara 2.0 16V engine, with Gaz suspension, 309 rear beam and wishbones and 306 GTI6 brakes all round, along with a fairly comprehensive selection of mods.
Did about 30,000 miles in this car!
(one for the bad parking thread, maybe)
I actually bought this car in ~2007 for £600 as a standard 1.6!
Anywho, that got a bit much for being an only car - must be getting old. Did take me and three friends to the south of France twice and did me well though university and for three years afterwards!
As I was thinking of selling up, my dad's Audi A3 TDI broke:
He wanted to trade it in but was so pissed at the Audi garage's £500 trade in valuation (based on it having a busted turbo) that he give it to me for the £500 he was offered instead and bought a Ford Focus.
I popped a new turbo (cost: £300) on and drove it for about 6 months but although it was frugal (and my friends thought it looked smart) it was so tedious to drive I had to get rid.
Running a two car garage was a bit silly so both cars got put on Ebay. I made a tidy profit on both of them - if you don't count the thousands I spent on the Peugeot over it's ownership! Peugeot went for about 2.5K, Audi went for about 4.5K.
Sadly the 205's last MOT was due in 2015 so I guess it's in the big scrapyard in the sky.
The Audi is still plowing on and has had nearly 25,000 miles put on it since I sold it so that's good news!
With the cash from both of these sold I was into e36 M3 money (back in 2013!) so scraped my pennies together and bought this:
I saw a good few pups out there but this one looked pretty good - the previous owner had a e39 M5, e30 M3 and X5 parked up outside his massive house so I figured he was probably on the level! He later told me he was an accountant for Apple which explains a bit.
Since buying I've driven to France about five time, including around the Vosges (like a mini Alps) in winter:
Driven around an airfield:
Rebuilt the whole rear axle:
Been to France in the rain:
Picked up some flies in France in the sun:
Missed a fairly important milestone:
Been a very effective bike carrier:
As you can probably tell from the 205, I've got a touch of the tuning bug. It's not too bad, but I can't help but do the odd small mod to the cars I own.
The previous owners were fairly fastidious, but were reactive, not proactive in their servicing, meaning that parts that were past their best but not failing were due some love. Hence the following:
- Bilstein suspension and H&R lowering spring
I bought there after doing the driving instrucion day above. The instructor helpfully told me 'your suspension is f
ked', so I replaced the OE stuff with bilstein dampers and H&R lowering springs.
- Rebuilt the rear axle
This was due to an annoying clunk from the back end over bumps. not obvious when the car was on stands, but when I pressed the old ball joints out it was clear that all four were well past their best. In addition, the RTABs were replaced, along with the lower arms, diff mounts, subframe mounts and diff seals.
- New geniune BMW screen
The existing screen was not original and clearly not sealing properly - the car got quite wet inside when it rained! A genuine screen from Paul @ GlassTec sorted this problem, and stopped a fair few squeaks from the interior trim, too!
- Purple tag steering rack
One of the quickest BMW racks commonly available, this really modernised the car! Highly recommended!
- Pink Volvo Injectors:
Cheaper than refurbishing the existing ones, and better atomisation of the fuel to boot!
- K&N induction kit:
The standard e36 M3 is fairly muted - this lets lots of lovely induction noise out!!!
- Rebuilt the VANOS:
Fairly easy job actually, although I couldn't really tell much difference afterwards - definite change in engine not at ~3K RPM then another at ~5.5K RPM so all would seem to be working nicely.
- And lots of petrol and service items, including a new radiator, PS pump, alternator, water pump, thermostat, lots of oil and fuel filters, and lots or rear tyres!
She's up to 136,000 miles, roughly 14,000 miles in my ownership now - and I think she still scrubs up pretty good:
Where the horsies come from:
With most things how I want them on the old beast as she approaches 140,000 miles I'll try and keep this updated with the work I do along with the mods along the way!
Currently I've been inspired by Gerant's Boxster S:
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
And am developing a plug and play HID upgrade kit.
I'd like to do the bearing shells and ARP rod bolts soon as well, although I may give in and send her to a garage to do the work!
The interior could do with a bit of a tidy, too, so will be looking for ways to do that also
I thoroughly enjoy the Readers' Cars section of the site so figured it was about time I gave something back!
The route to me buying this car was somewhat torturous - I had a Peugeot 205 GTI for about 6 years that I had converted to run with a Citroen Xsara 2.0 16V engine, with Gaz suspension, 309 rear beam and wishbones and 306 GTI6 brakes all round, along with a fairly comprehensive selection of mods.
Did about 30,000 miles in this car!
(one for the bad parking thread, maybe)
I actually bought this car in ~2007 for £600 as a standard 1.6!
Anywho, that got a bit much for being an only car - must be getting old. Did take me and three friends to the south of France twice and did me well though university and for three years afterwards!
As I was thinking of selling up, my dad's Audi A3 TDI broke:
He wanted to trade it in but was so pissed at the Audi garage's £500 trade in valuation (based on it having a busted turbo) that he give it to me for the £500 he was offered instead and bought a Ford Focus.
I popped a new turbo (cost: £300) on and drove it for about 6 months but although it was frugal (and my friends thought it looked smart) it was so tedious to drive I had to get rid.
Running a two car garage was a bit silly so both cars got put on Ebay. I made a tidy profit on both of them - if you don't count the thousands I spent on the Peugeot over it's ownership! Peugeot went for about 2.5K, Audi went for about 4.5K.
Sadly the 205's last MOT was due in 2015 so I guess it's in the big scrapyard in the sky.
The Audi is still plowing on and has had nearly 25,000 miles put on it since I sold it so that's good news!
With the cash from both of these sold I was into e36 M3 money (back in 2013!) so scraped my pennies together and bought this:
I saw a good few pups out there but this one looked pretty good - the previous owner had a e39 M5, e30 M3 and X5 parked up outside his massive house so I figured he was probably on the level! He later told me he was an accountant for Apple which explains a bit.
Since buying I've driven to France about five time, including around the Vosges (like a mini Alps) in winter:
Driven around an airfield:
Rebuilt the whole rear axle:
Been to France in the rain:
Picked up some flies in France in the sun:
Missed a fairly important milestone:
Been a very effective bike carrier:
As you can probably tell from the 205, I've got a touch of the tuning bug. It's not too bad, but I can't help but do the odd small mod to the cars I own.
The previous owners were fairly fastidious, but were reactive, not proactive in their servicing, meaning that parts that were past their best but not failing were due some love. Hence the following:
- Bilstein suspension and H&R lowering spring
I bought there after doing the driving instrucion day above. The instructor helpfully told me 'your suspension is f
ked', so I replaced the OE stuff with bilstein dampers and H&R lowering springs.- Rebuilt the rear axle
This was due to an annoying clunk from the back end over bumps. not obvious when the car was on stands, but when I pressed the old ball joints out it was clear that all four were well past their best. In addition, the RTABs were replaced, along with the lower arms, diff mounts, subframe mounts and diff seals.
- New geniune BMW screen
The existing screen was not original and clearly not sealing properly - the car got quite wet inside when it rained! A genuine screen from Paul @ GlassTec sorted this problem, and stopped a fair few squeaks from the interior trim, too!
- Purple tag steering rack
One of the quickest BMW racks commonly available, this really modernised the car! Highly recommended!
- Pink Volvo Injectors:
Cheaper than refurbishing the existing ones, and better atomisation of the fuel to boot!
- K&N induction kit:
The standard e36 M3 is fairly muted - this lets lots of lovely induction noise out!!!
- Rebuilt the VANOS:
Fairly easy job actually, although I couldn't really tell much difference afterwards - definite change in engine not at ~3K RPM then another at ~5.5K RPM so all would seem to be working nicely.
- And lots of petrol and service items, including a new radiator, PS pump, alternator, water pump, thermostat, lots of oil and fuel filters, and lots or rear tyres!
She's up to 136,000 miles, roughly 14,000 miles in my ownership now - and I think she still scrubs up pretty good:
Where the horsies come from:
With most things how I want them on the old beast as she approaches 140,000 miles I'll try and keep this updated with the work I do along with the mods along the way!
Currently I've been inspired by Gerant's Boxster S:
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
And am developing a plug and play HID upgrade kit.
I'd like to do the bearing shells and ARP rod bolts soon as well, although I may give in and send her to a garage to do the work!
The interior could do with a bit of a tidy, too, so will be looking for ways to do that also
Edited by shalmaneser on Friday 17th February 16:02
I'll be following this with interest.
I love seeing threads showing these cars being cared for with lots of preventative maintenance and the odd sympathetic mod or two along the way.
Are the H&R springs fitted in the photos above?
How do you find the H&R against the stock setup, ride vs performance?
I also own a e36 M3 (albeit of the silvercross variety) and have fully refreshed the suspension over the last year, but still feel it would benefit with a small reduction in ride height.
ETA.. Looks like we've been to the same airfield.
I love seeing threads showing these cars being cared for with lots of preventative maintenance and the odd sympathetic mod or two along the way.
Are the H&R springs fitted in the photos above?
How do you find the H&R against the stock setup, ride vs performance?
I also own a e36 M3 (albeit of the silvercross variety) and have fully refreshed the suspension over the last year, but still feel it would benefit with a small reduction in ride height.
ETA.. Looks like we've been to the same airfield.
Edited by Drew986 on Friday 17th February 18:46
Drew986 said:
I'll be following this with interest.
I love seeing threads showing these cars being cared for with lots of preventative maintenance and the odd sympathetic mod or two along the way.
Are the H&R springs fitted in the photos above?
How do you find the H&R against the stock setup, ride vs performance?
I also own a e36 M3 (albeit of the silvercross variety) and have fully refreshed the suspension over the last year, but still feel it would benefit with a small reduction in ride height.
ETA.. Looks like we've been to the same airfield.
Looks like we have! Learnt a lot there, and pretty much destroyed my rear tyres at the same time! I love seeing threads showing these cars being cared for with lots of preventative maintenance and the odd sympathetic mod or two along the way.
Are the H&R springs fitted in the photos above?
How do you find the H&R against the stock setup, ride vs performance?
I also own a e36 M3 (albeit of the silvercross variety) and have fully refreshed the suspension over the last year, but still feel it would benefit with a small reduction in ride height.
ETA.. Looks like we've been to the same airfield.
Edited by Drew986 on Friday 17th February 18:46
Re. The springs - they are fitted in the last pic. I find them a very good compromise of handling vs comfort. I reckon that back in 1997 the ride/handling balance was probably tilted towards comfort over sportiness compared to modern tastes, and I think this modernises the car significantly. It is still a great mile muncher, but feels so much tighter then before.
olly22n said:
Lovely.
Planning to hold on for the long term?
I hope so! It's getting enough miles on it now that I think the value will probably start to dip... Who knows. The problem is that I can't think what to replace it with, the obvious choice of the E46 M3 has so many issues... Head gaskets, vanos problems, and the major chassis subframe problems that I'm not sure what the value would be of the upgrade. And if not that, what other big petrol four seat rear wheel drive coupes are there? Planning to hold on for the long term?
TheDukeGTi said:
Looks great! I'm in a similar position with mine, so I'll be following with interest. Is the purple rack some kind of BMW performance item or was it standard on a particular model?
It's a great upgrade,totally bolt on. Purple tag racks were available on E46 compacts and later sports model coupes and saloons. They're all over Ebay for ~£70:http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-3-SERIES-E46-POWER-STE...
Nice looking thing. Good to know it's got miles on it and has been used as intended 
Totally useless info: When I was at school, one of my friends (he's still a friend now) parents got rid of their Cavalier and replaced it with a white E36 BMW 316i. This would have been in around 1996 I suppose - well it must have been as the reg number was P...RYW
Told you it was useless info, but had to mention it as seeing your RYW plate brought that memory back very vividly. Funny what you can remember from years back. Maybe they were registered in or around the same place.Very nice OP, looks like a well cared for example, always admired these and they look great on Sunflowers, de-badged an sans spoiler. Glad to see its in daily use and a perfect car for a French Road trip too. If you can resist modding too much you will have the comfort of knowing it is not going to cost you anything long term.
si_xsi said:
Very nice OP, looks like a well cared for example, always admired these and they look great on Sunflowers, de-badged an sans spoiler. Glad to see its in daily use and a perfect car for a French Road trip too. If you can resist modding too much you will have the comfort of knowing it is not going to cost you anything long term.
Thanks for the comments everyone!I'm certainly going to keep the mods to the barest minimum, and anything I do will be a simple bolt on with the option to return to stock at any time. I've actually still got the old suspension, rack, induction system and injectors stashed away in storage so these can either be passed on to the next owner or refitted before sale.
I'd like to think that the mods modernise the car without taking away anything from the driving experience - it certainly feels fast enough and has a lovely predictable feel when indulging in a dap of oppo as I found out on the drive limits day.
I'll try and keep this updated with the bits and pieces I do on the car - currently the passenger side door is playing up so it's looking a bit sorry for itself without a door card but I should be able to get things fixed soon enough.
I actually managed to find this the other day - presumably around the time the previous owner bought the car!
http://www.historics.co.uk/buying/auctions/2014-03...
I've noticed in the car's history that it had been to Germany for a few years as there is a bit of a gap in the receipts about this time, and this listing also mentions it having a TUV certificate. Id love to find out more if anyone knows about it.
Edited by shalmaneser on Tuesday 21st February 14:15
Looking good, looks like all you need to do is keep up the preventative maintenance on the body work.
From personal experience I would suggest the following if you haven't already:
From personal experience I would suggest the following if you haven't already:
- Keep those rear arches clean to stop them rotting out from the inside!
- Remove the side skirts, inspect the factory lifting points and sill section and clean out all the accumulated crap that may have collected inside the skirt. If any of the lifting points are rusty then sort it asap, it will save you hassle down the line.
- Keep an eye on the the jacking points under the car for rust especially N/S.
- Remove, inspect and clean the side moldings, especially the ones on the front wings and the ones between rear arch and door. These moldings have plastic coated metal rails on the inside that can start to rot out and contaminate the panel it is pushed onto.
- If pressure washing your car don't get close to the rear lights, you'll push water under the seals which will collect in your boot well.
eztiger328 said:
Looking good, looks like all you need to do is keep up the preventative maintenance on the body work.
From personal experience I would suggest the following if you haven't already:
I'm a little late to this thread but (and my frame of reference is my much missed 56k mile 1996 Saloon that I sold in 2014), it's also worth taking the front arch liners out, and cleaning out the back of the front wing and placing some sealant in there. From personal experience I would suggest the following if you haven't already:
- Keep those rear arches clean to stop them rotting out from the inside!
- Remove the side skirts, inspect the factory lifting points and sill section and clean out all the accumulated crap that may have collected inside the skirt. If any of the lifting points are rusty then sort it asap, it will save you hassle down the line.
- Keep an eye on the the jacking points under the car for rust especially N/S.
- Remove, inspect and clean the side moldings, especially the ones on the front wings and the ones between rear arch and door. These moldings have plastic coated metal rails on the inside that can start to rot out and contaminate the panel it is pushed onto.
- If pressure washing your car don't get close to the rear lights, you'll push water under the seals which will collect in your boot well.
I had mine done (more knowledge than talent) and whilst the metal was, mercifully, okay, the amount of crud that came out was alarming.
If doing the side mouldings, it's worth checking that the clips still have the rubber grommets in place that sit in the panel holes to prevent the clips removing paint. If you change them, it's also worth looking at the "M Appearance Pack, as that has (at least for the saloon) all the side mouldings in it for (from memory) c50% of the separate parts prices. You have to swap the "M," badge out for the "M3," ones but that's about a minute a side, from memory.
Some parts of your history are surprisingly similar to mine! I also owned a 205 GTi 1.6 . I was very tempted to do the GTi-6 swap from a VTS like you had (after all, it's one of the easier conversions to do), but the car didn't quite do it!
Anyway, good to see the thread on your M3. It looks superb. Hats off for all of the work you have had done.
I am about to see if the balljoints are shot on mine ; I'll be getting the rear subframe rebushed on mine in addition to the RACP reinforced ; that should help out the rear end alot!
Quick question however. Did the M3s come without a boot spoiler? While I am sure they did I don't remember seeing one without the spoiler.
. I was very tempted to do the GTi-6 swap from a VTS like you had (after all, it's one of the easier conversions to do), but the car didn't quite do it!Anyway, good to see the thread on your M3
. It looks superb. Hats off for all of the work you have had done.I am about to see if the balljoints are shot on mine ; I'll be getting the rear subframe rebushed on mine in addition to the RACP reinforced ; that should help out the rear end alot!
Quick question however. Did the M3s come without a boot spoiler? While I am sure they did I don't remember seeing one without the spoiler.
Thanks for the kind words, all!
Sadly she's been a bit neglected over the winter so I've got a lot of work to do over the next few months; taking all the trim off and reattaching as well as cleaning behind the arches is now on the list too.
Rear ball joints really made a big difference - they will certainly be shot if they've not been done in the past and got rid of a couple of annoying clunks from the rear as well as tightening things up nicely.
I've actually got the original sales invoice for the car and the spoiler delete and boot badge delete are down as no-cost options which is cool!
Sadly she's been a bit neglected over the winter so I've got a lot of work to do over the next few months; taking all the trim off and reattaching as well as cleaning behind the arches is now on the list too.
SebringMan said:
Some parts of your history are surprisingly similar to mine! I also owned a 205 GTi 1.6 . I was very tempted to do the GTi-6 swap from a VTS like you had (after all, it's one of the easier conversions to do), but the car didn't quite do it!
Anyway, good to see the thread on your M3. It looks superb. Hats off for all of the work you have had done.
I am about to see if the balljoints are shot on mine ; I'll be getting the rear subframe rebushed on mine in addition to the RACP reinforced ; that should help out the rear end alot!
Quick question however. Did the M3s come without a boot spoiler? While I am sure they did I don't remember seeing one without the spoiler.
I loved that 205! Sadly it looks like it's been crashed or scrapped by the previous owner - it no longer taxed or tested.. I was very tempted to do the GTi-6 swap from a VTS like you had (after all, it's one of the easier conversions to do), but the car didn't quite do it!Anyway, good to see the thread on your M3
. It looks superb. Hats off for all of the work you have had done.I am about to see if the balljoints are shot on mine ; I'll be getting the rear subframe rebushed on mine in addition to the RACP reinforced ; that should help out the rear end alot!
Quick question however. Did the M3s come without a boot spoiler? While I am sure they did I don't remember seeing one without the spoiler.
Rear ball joints really made a big difference - they will certainly be shot if they've not been done in the past and got rid of a couple of annoying clunks from the rear as well as tightening things up nicely.
I've actually got the original sales invoice for the car and the spoiler delete and boot badge delete are down as no-cost options which is cool!
veevee said:
I've got the 205, it's been sitting on my drive for a couple of years but I fired it up earlier today as it happens! Needs a few things doing but hopefully have it on the road for summer.
Amazing! Have you got any pics of it?Did I sell it to you or are you further down the ownership line? I spent so much bloody money on that thing.
Quick Update as I close in on 138,000 miles
I bought a flat last year and that has kept me busy so the jobs have been backing up on the M3.
Just a few niggles to get done - the first and most annoying was a non-functioning passenger side central locking motor. Bought a new motor for this, it's a common part as obviously it's shared with all the e36's all over the world! The hassle is taking the door card on an off, then fiddling around blind behind the door panel but got there in the end:
Result? Functional central locking and a much happier girlfriend.
The M3 also took me and the GF up to the beautiful Mull of Galloway for a long weekend with some friends, Scotland really is beautiful and the M3 really is great for these kind of trips: A fantastic mile muncher on the motorway getting there, and loads of fun to throw around on the amazing scottish roads once you've arrived!
Even on H&R springs and Bilstein B6 dampers it still gives a great ride - could be the fairly big tyre sidewalls.
Speaking of which, the fronts were knackered after the Scotland trip. Running about 2 degrees of negative camber does wear them out on the motorways. Having said that they are the same tyres as when I bought the car, so they're lasting about 15k which is pretty reasonable.
However now have some lovely new Michelin Pilot Sport 4s to match the rears.
Have also finally managed to fit the new propshaft giubo (flexable coupling) and replaced all the shift bushes and gearbox mounts.
The giubo was the original and had clearly suffered over nearly 140k:
so definitely worth the replacement.
gear shift bushes were a tricky job even with the driveshaft out, do not know how people manage to do it all in situ!
Although if I were to do it again I think I'd probably just replace the upper ball joint part:
as all the other bushes were in pretty good condition.
While I was under there I noticed some slop in the propshaft CV joint on the diff, a part in the M3 that is apparently shared with a lot of e39s, so may replace that at some point to tighten up the transmission. I've always noticed a bit of driveline shunt but have been told 'they all do that, sir' so I'm not too worried about it.
Finally, as a treat to the car (and myself) I've taken delivery of some Porsche brake calipers that I intend to fit in the near future. However, fitting requires the use of some wheel spacers to clear the much larger 4 piston calipers, which affects the scrub radius of the front wheels.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrub_radius
This geometry can cause changes to steering feel so I've decided to fit the 12.5mm spacers first to see if I can tell any difference before going all out on the fitting of the big brakes.
Initial thoughts are that the steering is more vague but I've got a trip down to Cornwall planned in a couple of weeks so will make a decision after that!
Anyway, thanks all for reading my ramblings, hope you find them interesting!
I bought a flat last year and that has kept me busy so the jobs have been backing up on the M3.
Just a few niggles to get done - the first and most annoying was a non-functioning passenger side central locking motor. Bought a new motor for this, it's a common part as obviously it's shared with all the e36's all over the world! The hassle is taking the door card on an off, then fiddling around blind behind the door panel but got there in the end:
Result? Functional central locking and a much happier girlfriend.
The M3 also took me and the GF up to the beautiful Mull of Galloway for a long weekend with some friends, Scotland really is beautiful and the M3 really is great for these kind of trips: A fantastic mile muncher on the motorway getting there, and loads of fun to throw around on the amazing scottish roads once you've arrived!
Even on H&R springs and Bilstein B6 dampers it still gives a great ride - could be the fairly big tyre sidewalls.
Speaking of which, the fronts were knackered after the Scotland trip. Running about 2 degrees of negative camber does wear them out on the motorways. Having said that they are the same tyres as when I bought the car, so they're lasting about 15k which is pretty reasonable.
However now have some lovely new Michelin Pilot Sport 4s to match the rears.
Have also finally managed to fit the new propshaft giubo (flexable coupling) and replaced all the shift bushes and gearbox mounts.
The giubo was the original and had clearly suffered over nearly 140k:
so definitely worth the replacement.
gear shift bushes were a tricky job even with the driveshaft out, do not know how people manage to do it all in situ!
Although if I were to do it again I think I'd probably just replace the upper ball joint part:
as all the other bushes were in pretty good condition.
While I was under there I noticed some slop in the propshaft CV joint on the diff, a part in the M3 that is apparently shared with a lot of e39s, so may replace that at some point to tighten up the transmission. I've always noticed a bit of driveline shunt but have been told 'they all do that, sir' so I'm not too worried about it.
Finally, as a treat to the car (and myself) I've taken delivery of some Porsche brake calipers that I intend to fit in the near future. However, fitting requires the use of some wheel spacers to clear the much larger 4 piston calipers, which affects the scrub radius of the front wheels.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrub_radius
This geometry can cause changes to steering feel so I've decided to fit the 12.5mm spacers first to see if I can tell any difference before going all out on the fitting of the big brakes.
Initial thoughts are that the steering is more vague but I've got a trip down to Cornwall planned in a couple of weeks so will make a decision after that!
Anyway, thanks all for reading my ramblings, hope you find them interesting!
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