1996 BMW E36 328i Coupe - we have history...
Discussion
Quick recap:
I bought an M style front bumper for Trixie the track car, just to make her look a bit more purposeful. I got one that had been smashed up at one end because... well... cheap. It did come with a lip as well, which was also a little bit broken.
I had a go at fixing up the bumper and sprayed it Montreal Blue. Whilst the big cracks, which I repaired with mesh and filler, have stayed closed, the others, repaired with hot glue and duct tape, haven't. This was me stubbornly refusing to buy any additional repair materials because otherwise the philosophy of cheap bumper would have been ruined. She's wearing the smashed up bumper in the Shelsley Walsh pictures above, and from a distance it looks passable. Certainly less noticeable than the rusty holes in the wings...
But it's crap, not to put too fine a point on it. It was probably a misguided project in the first place really, and I started looking for un-smashed up bumpers. Anyone who's been keeping up with my nonsense will know that I ordered what appeared to be a stupidly cheap new bumper from Germany, that came with a lip and a mesh insert. All together, plus delivery, it came to £85, which is mad if it actually fits and doesn't explode. It was black, so I also spent £50-odd on primer, paint, and lacquer (I didn't bother lacquering the smashed up bumper, but thought I'd treat this one right).
There was a suggestion that import taxes might cause my bargain to be slightly less bargainous, but nothing has cropped up on that front. Today I came home to this:
All present and correct. The bumper appears to be a cheaply moulded piece of relatively flexible plastic. It doesn't look or feel the quality of an OE part, which is neither surprising nor a problem. It did come with a few bonus scratches, which is a bit annoying for a brand new product. If it wasn't going on my already imperfect track car, I'd be pretty miffed, but as it is, I'll accept a bit of 'character' for the price I paid.
I wasted no time in breaking out my eBay rattle cans, cleaned the bumper down, degreased it, and got some primer on.
Three coats of blue and two of lacquer, punctuated by a trip to the pub, and it looks like this:
Shiny. It has been marred somewhat by the odd insect gluing itself to the paintwork, presumably in protest at how many of their fellows are going to meet their end squished at high speed on this bumper. It started with a few blemishes though, so what's a couple more between friends? If I wanted a perfect finish, I wouldn't have started from here, as the old joke goes. It's certainly good enough, and the best part is that it's unlikely to fall apart once I put it on the car.
The paint I used was this product from eBay:
The cans that arrived looked nothing like the picture, but given that they're relatively inexpensive amateur paints, I was quite impressed. I think the main thing I liked was that they were a lot more forgiving than the Halfords paints I've used in the past. With those, if you accidentally get too close, you've immediately got a big pool of paint that starts running. With these ones, I could do a few passes pretty close to the surface and the paint would build up, but not to the point that it would run. I think possibly due to the spray pattern being quite wide and linear. Whatever it was, I found it much easier to get a decent finish with these than I have done with Halfords paint in the past. I would definitely use them again.
If I tot up everything I've spent on the bumper misadventure, including two bumpers, one broken and one fake, all the paint, lips etc, it comes to about £280. Out of that I've got a new bumper, lip, and mesh insert for Trixie, and a lip and a mesh insert for Derek. That's not a terrible return for that outlay (caveat - I haven't tried putting the fake bumper on the car yet), but I wouldn't go this way again!
I've been having a think about what to do for the rest of the year. Having gone rust hunting and had the conversation with the welder, the stuff I need to do to get that sorted has been quite prominent in my mind. I would like to go to Retro Rides in August, so I thought maybe I could get the bodywork sorted before then, do that, and then call it a day for this season. My winter project will be dropping the subframe and trying to make it look less like it was dredged up from the Mary Rose, and I'd quite like to get cracking on that.
Then I had a bit of a correction in my thought processes. There's not much point having this thing if I do a couple of track days and then get all upset about some rust and waste the summer months faffing about with repair work. The fact is, the rust doesn't stop me actually using the car, and if I don't get out on track a few more times this year then I think I'm wasting an opportunity. I need to curb my natural inclination to Fix Everything Now, and prioritise using the car while the weather permits. There will be plenty of time in the autumn and winter to faff about with it, when there isn't the option to go driving.
So... I've booked Castle Combe on 11 July. I've never been there, so it'll be another new experience.
I'm also going tomorrow morning to cut the boot floor out of a car that someone's breaking. Having that in hand will at least allow me to book in the welder whenever's convenient.
I bought an M style front bumper for Trixie the track car, just to make her look a bit more purposeful. I got one that had been smashed up at one end because... well... cheap. It did come with a lip as well, which was also a little bit broken.
I had a go at fixing up the bumper and sprayed it Montreal Blue. Whilst the big cracks, which I repaired with mesh and filler, have stayed closed, the others, repaired with hot glue and duct tape, haven't. This was me stubbornly refusing to buy any additional repair materials because otherwise the philosophy of cheap bumper would have been ruined. She's wearing the smashed up bumper in the Shelsley Walsh pictures above, and from a distance it looks passable. Certainly less noticeable than the rusty holes in the wings...
But it's crap, not to put too fine a point on it. It was probably a misguided project in the first place really, and I started looking for un-smashed up bumpers. Anyone who's been keeping up with my nonsense will know that I ordered what appeared to be a stupidly cheap new bumper from Germany, that came with a lip and a mesh insert. All together, plus delivery, it came to £85, which is mad if it actually fits and doesn't explode. It was black, so I also spent £50-odd on primer, paint, and lacquer (I didn't bother lacquering the smashed up bumper, but thought I'd treat this one right).
There was a suggestion that import taxes might cause my bargain to be slightly less bargainous, but nothing has cropped up on that front. Today I came home to this:
All present and correct. The bumper appears to be a cheaply moulded piece of relatively flexible plastic. It doesn't look or feel the quality of an OE part, which is neither surprising nor a problem. It did come with a few bonus scratches, which is a bit annoying for a brand new product. If it wasn't going on my already imperfect track car, I'd be pretty miffed, but as it is, I'll accept a bit of 'character' for the price I paid.
I wasted no time in breaking out my eBay rattle cans, cleaned the bumper down, degreased it, and got some primer on.
Three coats of blue and two of lacquer, punctuated by a trip to the pub, and it looks like this:
Shiny. It has been marred somewhat by the odd insect gluing itself to the paintwork, presumably in protest at how many of their fellows are going to meet their end squished at high speed on this bumper. It started with a few blemishes though, so what's a couple more between friends? If I wanted a perfect finish, I wouldn't have started from here, as the old joke goes. It's certainly good enough, and the best part is that it's unlikely to fall apart once I put it on the car.
The paint I used was this product from eBay:
The cans that arrived looked nothing like the picture, but given that they're relatively inexpensive amateur paints, I was quite impressed. I think the main thing I liked was that they were a lot more forgiving than the Halfords paints I've used in the past. With those, if you accidentally get too close, you've immediately got a big pool of paint that starts running. With these ones, I could do a few passes pretty close to the surface and the paint would build up, but not to the point that it would run. I think possibly due to the spray pattern being quite wide and linear. Whatever it was, I found it much easier to get a decent finish with these than I have done with Halfords paint in the past. I would definitely use them again.
If I tot up everything I've spent on the bumper misadventure, including two bumpers, one broken and one fake, all the paint, lips etc, it comes to about £280. Out of that I've got a new bumper, lip, and mesh insert for Trixie, and a lip and a mesh insert for Derek. That's not a terrible return for that outlay (caveat - I haven't tried putting the fake bumper on the car yet), but I wouldn't go this way again!
I've been having a think about what to do for the rest of the year. Having gone rust hunting and had the conversation with the welder, the stuff I need to do to get that sorted has been quite prominent in my mind. I would like to go to Retro Rides in August, so I thought maybe I could get the bodywork sorted before then, do that, and then call it a day for this season. My winter project will be dropping the subframe and trying to make it look less like it was dredged up from the Mary Rose, and I'd quite like to get cracking on that.
Then I had a bit of a correction in my thought processes. There's not much point having this thing if I do a couple of track days and then get all upset about some rust and waste the summer months faffing about with repair work. The fact is, the rust doesn't stop me actually using the car, and if I don't get out on track a few more times this year then I think I'm wasting an opportunity. I need to curb my natural inclination to Fix Everything Now, and prioritise using the car while the weather permits. There will be plenty of time in the autumn and winter to faff about with it, when there isn't the option to go driving.
So... I've booked Castle Combe on 11 July. I've never been there, so it'll be another new experience.
I'm also going tomorrow morning to cut the boot floor out of a car that someone's breaking. Having that in hand will at least allow me to book in the welder whenever's convenient.
Court_S said:
Nice update; it does indeed look good on the hill.
I enjoyed the PH hill climb at Prescott in April and was glad that I paid to get four runs.
Thanks. I enjoyed the PH hill climb at Prescott in April and was glad that I paid to get four runs.
Prescott isn’t far from me either so will probably give it a go at some point. Although on current experience, as fun as Shelsley was, I think I prefer circuits to hills. Happy to do it all though and see if my mind is changed!
The new bumper is on. Complete with old broken lip (the new lip is going on the new car). I know it looks suspiciously like the previous one, but let me assure you, it’s better.
Fitment wasn’t exactly glove-like, but it went on and looks fine.
Having previously attached the mesh insert with duct tape, this time I was armed with starlock washers, which is what I think is the proper method of securing it. I could be wrong. Anyway, I’d measured one of the lugs with a micrometer by reaching through a bumper, and it was about 4.5mm in diameter. I ordered some 4mm starlock washers, and some 5mm in case the lugs got thicker further down.
The lugs on the new bumper aren’t consistent, obviously, and some of the 4mm washers stayed in place and others fell off. I’ll need some 3mm…
That’s a minor concern, though.
Having booked my next track day, I need to get the arch liners back on, in the hope that they play some part in radiator airflow, and it was their absence at Donington that caused the overheating. Two likely issues with this:
1. One of the tabs to screw it to on the wing is still attached to the arch liner, which is several metres away from the car. It had rusted through and just came off with the arch liner.
2. The M Sport bumper needs different ‘pork chop’ filler pieces (that go between the arch liner and the front bumper) to the non-M bumper. Notwithstanding that my non-M pork chops went in the bin a long time ago anyway because they were broken.
The solution to 1. is probably to drill a hole through the most solid part of the rusty lower wing that I can find, and cable tie the arch liner to it.
The solution to 2. is most likely, if I can’t get away without them, to borrow said parts from Derek. And his brake cooling ducts. Again, I’m not a fan of using him as a parts mule, but he doesn’t mind as long as he gets them back, and bits get cleaned that wouldn’t otherwise be seen.
That will be a job for this afternoon. I’ve just jet washed the inside of the wings and arches after they got mucky at Shelsley, so they need time to dry out.
This morning I was at CR M-Tech in Shrewsbury where they are breaking a Boston Green coupe. I did this:
1 x boot floor ready to go in the track car. Paul at CR M-Tech also let me have a few of these, because I was short a couple on my front bumper.
While I was there I mentioned that I’d been there before, about four years ago, to pick up a manual conversion kit. Paul, asked,
‘ZF box?’
To which I replied, ‘no, Getrag.’
To which his response was a surprised, ‘and it’s still going?’
This made me chuckle a bit because I recall Chris telling me four years ago that Getrags are plenty solid, and they use them in their race and rally cars without any issue. I bet he says that to all the boys!
I’m thinking I might try and book in the welder between Castle Coombe and Retro Rides. The only thing that makes me pause is that I’m going to have to drop the fuel tank for him to weld the boot, and I don’t know how tricky that’ll be or how much of a pig’s ear I’ll make of it.
I’ve spent more time and effort this afternoon wrestling with arch liners than I ever want to again.
The coupe got its arch liners back on, and I didn’t need to steal any parts from the convertible.
The convertible got the new lip that came with the fake plastic bumper. It didn’t fit, but I made it fit. It was a bit of a stretch, and as a consequence it points a bit up in the air in the middle. Most people probably wouldn’t notice. Car people would probably think there’s something a bit off with it. But I know that I got duck face when I was trying to give Derek a sexy pout.
Sigh.
I’ll probably end up getting him a proper one that actually fits.
The coupe got its arch liners back on, and I didn’t need to steal any parts from the convertible.
The convertible got the new lip that came with the fake plastic bumper. It didn’t fit, but I made it fit. It was a bit of a stretch, and as a consequence it points a bit up in the air in the middle. Most people probably wouldn’t notice. Car people would probably think there’s something a bit off with it. But I know that I got duck face when I was trying to give Derek a sexy pout.
Sigh.
I’ll probably end up getting him a proper one that actually fits.
JeremyH5 said:
Great progress and I think you are right to keep using it on track rather than stopping to fix everything first.
Oh, I found more rust. The inner arch on the passenger side is going. When I went to put the top centre screw in to hold the arch liner, the bodywork just crumbled behind it. Hopefully it won’t compromise the strength of the strut tower. I’ll need to get it seen to though otherwise it definitely will at some point. Bottom of the bulk heads can go too. Rear subframe mounts. Chassis legs. Eugh getting flashbacks of my poor little compact.
Otherwise great updates. Can't say im too surprised about the fitment issues though and the damage upon arrival. The bumper has come up pretty nicely and doesn't seem to fit badly.
Ordered a front lip from Rieger for my B5 which was scratched. However, i was feeling beyond lazy and just slapped it on the car as i was inevitably going to scratch it at some point too.
Otherwise great updates. Can't say im too surprised about the fitment issues though and the damage upon arrival. The bumper has come up pretty nicely and doesn't seem to fit badly.
Ordered a front lip from Rieger for my B5 which was scratched. However, i was feeling beyond lazy and just slapped it on the car as i was inevitably going to scratch it at some point too.
B'stard Child said:
I appreciate the ethos 
Those metal stitch things are buttons you'll need one sooner than you think - put it on the christmas list 
PS I am expecting an application from you for Sprint "track time" at Retro Rides Gathering in August (the sprint format is a little different to a normal track day) as I think you are local ish to the circuit?
I've got fond memories of doing my first sprint there in 2007 at the first retro rides event but I won't w
e out the picture again
Done. I’ve entered the sprint on the Saturday and got a camping ticket, so I’ll be there all weekend. Those metal stitch things are buttons you'll need one sooner than you think - put it on the christmas list PS I am expecting an application from you for Sprint "track time" at Retro Rides Gathering in August (the sprint format is a little different to a normal track day) as I think you are local ish to the circuit?
I've got fond memories of doing my first sprint there in 2007 at the first retro rides event but I won't w
e out the picture again I’m also off to Castle Combe tomorrow. I suspect I’ll get some practice driving this thing in the wet!
At the petrol station earlier:
What a cracking day. My expectations were not high. Not because of the track. I've never been to Castle Combe before, so had no reason to doubt the quality of that particular ingredient. I'd been feeling under the weather the last couple of days, the forecast said rain, and I had no friend to take with me on this occasion. All of which factors led me to think that it might be a damp, miserable, boring affair. I very nearly got in touch with Javelin yesterday to postpone my booking to a more auspicious occasion.
I'm glad I didn't.
Looking at the forecast, I was expecting the rain to come at any moment, probably mid to late morning, and be showery for the rest of the day. I had resigned myself to a day of learning how to handle this car in the wet, but after two lots of sighting laps (I thought a good idea on an unfamiliar track), I decided to go out as soon as the pit lane opened and make the most of the dry track while it lasted.
After my most recent track day experience (at Donington with MSV) I was feeling a little jaded about track days in general. I didn't enjoy that one as much as I usually do - too much looking in the rear view mirror and not enough clear track to enjoy. Well, on my first few laps at Combe I thought I'd mistakenly booked out the entire track to myself! I barely saw a soul, and it was perfect to get to know the layout and the lines without having to get out the way of race teams and supercars all the time. I stayed out as long as I could, thinking that it might be my only dry session of the day, and was only stopped by a red flag.
As the morning wore on, and the rain threatened but never delivered, I started to get into a rhythm (and get overconfident and brake too late, of course) and really locked in the sequence of bends in my mind. At no point did I feel that the track was busy. There was the odd car to let through and the odd overtake to execute, but the majority of the time I felt unconstrained and was able to make the most of the track and the car.
I don't know if God is a reader of this thread or something, but my run of scarcely believable luck when it comes to weather on track days continues. It stayed dry well into the afternoon, whilst I was thinking any dry session after about 10am was a bonus! I'm normally a staunch advocate of staying until the chequered flag, and have had some of my best experiences late in the day when many people have gone home and the track is clear, the car warm and I've got my eye in. On this occasion, however, I made the call about 4pm to pack up and go, for several reasons. I was running low on fuel, my rear pads were getting pretty thin (road pads), the fact I was flying solo meant I'd done a lot more driving than I normally do so was pretty tired (plus being ill), and I'd had plenty of clear track throughout the day so didn't feel like I'd missed out. As it turned out, it wasn't a bad call!
Yes, the long-awaited rain hit at that precise moment and there was a bit of a deluge. I drove off into the sunset feeling dry, smug, and very tired!
Interestingly (or not, if you're not into this sort of thing), a certain famous chap was in attendance:
I didn't take any pictures of the man himself, because I think it's weird to go round taking pictures of people you don't know when they're minding their own business. For those of you unfamiliar with The Smallest Cog, it's Richard Hammond's car restoration business/TV show. He has a race prepped MGB which is what they were there testing, film crew and everything. They will be some footage from it in one of his episodes, I presume, and you might just see a tatty old blue BMW puttering past in the background.
I was behind the MGB on track for a few laps, and by pushing as hard as I could I was just able to keep up. Until the car in front of it pitted, and then I lost sight of it pretty quickly
I'm not by any means a celebrity-botherer, but I thought the opportunity too good to pass up while he was there, so I got him to sign my toolbox.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Castle Combe feels more like Mallory Park than Donington Park, in that there aren't a load of race teams with highly-developed fire-breathing monsters, and there wasn't a supercar in sight. What there was was a selection of more or less interesting motors and a load of people there for a good time. Here's a selection of the more interesting ones, starting with the E36s, obviously:
I loved the Alfas. The little red one span out just in front of me on the track. I spoke to the guy afterwards (both Alfas were his) and he said they'd found about half an inch of play between the rear axle and the body of the car. That would make it quite hard to handle, I suppose!
So how did Trixie get on? Well for a start she was sporting her new fake front bumper, and yes, you spotted it, a brand new front number plate. I'd got bored of looking at this:
She was absolutely spot on as usual. The pad rattle did make a brief appearance, but to all intents and purposes has gone. No weird suspension-type noises. There were a couple of random rev-drops that she hasn't done for a while, but in 159 miles on the track (about 86 laps) she barely blinked...
Oh, hang on...
Erm... That definitely looks like something that could be described as 'a blink'! Yes, the indicator sort of... fell out.
I noticed a clunk and a flash of orange on the front right corner, so I thought I'd either hit a cone (was fairly sure I was nowhere near one at the time) or the indicator had fallen out. I didn't know whether it was hanging off, or I'd left it on the track. I thought I'd best pop into the pits to have a look, and fortunately I had indeed taken it with me. I tethered it to the bodywork with some cable ties, and cracked on.
I've started taking less and less kit to track days. I started by taking half the world, but the car's reliability (less the steering rack at Thruxton but that's not her fault) has been such that it feels unnecessary to cart loads of stuff around 'just in case.' Cable ties, however, will always be on the list!
I was interested to see how the overheating issue was, now that I've put the arch liners back in. Unfortunately, the needle was still pushing up above centre when I was really going for it for a few laps. I could bring it back down fairly easily by a bit of short shifting and driving more smoothly than aggressively, which to be fair I probably ought to be doing anyway. I could still enjoy my laps whilst being sympathetic to the old girl, so I didn't feel it was a constraint. I'd like to get to the bottom of it one day but it is not a priority.
One good thing that came from Donington was that I became acquainted with a Sealy jerry can pump, when I borrowed one after yet another jerry can nozzle failed me. What a revelation! I bought one and used it today.
Makes refuelling an absolute doddle.
Anyway, that's probably enough waffle from me. I had a fantastic day that defied expectations, and I would definitely go back to Combe again.
I'm glad I didn't.
Looking at the forecast, I was expecting the rain to come at any moment, probably mid to late morning, and be showery for the rest of the day. I had resigned myself to a day of learning how to handle this car in the wet, but after two lots of sighting laps (I thought a good idea on an unfamiliar track), I decided to go out as soon as the pit lane opened and make the most of the dry track while it lasted.
After my most recent track day experience (at Donington with MSV) I was feeling a little jaded about track days in general. I didn't enjoy that one as much as I usually do - too much looking in the rear view mirror and not enough clear track to enjoy. Well, on my first few laps at Combe I thought I'd mistakenly booked out the entire track to myself! I barely saw a soul, and it was perfect to get to know the layout and the lines without having to get out the way of race teams and supercars all the time. I stayed out as long as I could, thinking that it might be my only dry session of the day, and was only stopped by a red flag.
As the morning wore on, and the rain threatened but never delivered, I started to get into a rhythm (and get overconfident and brake too late, of course) and really locked in the sequence of bends in my mind. At no point did I feel that the track was busy. There was the odd car to let through and the odd overtake to execute, but the majority of the time I felt unconstrained and was able to make the most of the track and the car.
I don't know if God is a reader of this thread or something, but my run of scarcely believable luck when it comes to weather on track days continues. It stayed dry well into the afternoon, whilst I was thinking any dry session after about 10am was a bonus! I'm normally a staunch advocate of staying until the chequered flag, and have had some of my best experiences late in the day when many people have gone home and the track is clear, the car warm and I've got my eye in. On this occasion, however, I made the call about 4pm to pack up and go, for several reasons. I was running low on fuel, my rear pads were getting pretty thin (road pads), the fact I was flying solo meant I'd done a lot more driving than I normally do so was pretty tired (plus being ill), and I'd had plenty of clear track throughout the day so didn't feel like I'd missed out. As it turned out, it wasn't a bad call!
Yes, the long-awaited rain hit at that precise moment and there was a bit of a deluge. I drove off into the sunset feeling dry, smug, and very tired!
Interestingly (or not, if you're not into this sort of thing), a certain famous chap was in attendance:
I didn't take any pictures of the man himself, because I think it's weird to go round taking pictures of people you don't know when they're minding their own business. For those of you unfamiliar with The Smallest Cog, it's Richard Hammond's car restoration business/TV show. He has a race prepped MGB which is what they were there testing, film crew and everything. They will be some footage from it in one of his episodes, I presume, and you might just see a tatty old blue BMW puttering past in the background.
I was behind the MGB on track for a few laps, and by pushing as hard as I could I was just able to keep up. Until the car in front of it pitted, and then I lost sight of it pretty quickly
I'm not by any means a celebrity-botherer, but I thought the opportunity too good to pass up while he was there, so I got him to sign my toolbox.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Castle Combe feels more like Mallory Park than Donington Park, in that there aren't a load of race teams with highly-developed fire-breathing monsters, and there wasn't a supercar in sight. What there was was a selection of more or less interesting motors and a load of people there for a good time. Here's a selection of the more interesting ones, starting with the E36s, obviously:
I loved the Alfas. The little red one span out just in front of me on the track. I spoke to the guy afterwards (both Alfas were his) and he said they'd found about half an inch of play between the rear axle and the body of the car. That would make it quite hard to handle, I suppose!
So how did Trixie get on? Well for a start she was sporting her new fake front bumper, and yes, you spotted it, a brand new front number plate. I'd got bored of looking at this:
She was absolutely spot on as usual. The pad rattle did make a brief appearance, but to all intents and purposes has gone. No weird suspension-type noises. There were a couple of random rev-drops that she hasn't done for a while, but in 159 miles on the track (about 86 laps) she barely blinked...
Oh, hang on...
Erm... That definitely looks like something that could be described as 'a blink'! Yes, the indicator sort of... fell out.
I noticed a clunk and a flash of orange on the front right corner, so I thought I'd either hit a cone (was fairly sure I was nowhere near one at the time) or the indicator had fallen out. I didn't know whether it was hanging off, or I'd left it on the track. I thought I'd best pop into the pits to have a look, and fortunately I had indeed taken it with me. I tethered it to the bodywork with some cable ties, and cracked on.
I've started taking less and less kit to track days. I started by taking half the world, but the car's reliability (less the steering rack at Thruxton but that's not her fault) has been such that it feels unnecessary to cart loads of stuff around 'just in case.' Cable ties, however, will always be on the list!
I was interested to see how the overheating issue was, now that I've put the arch liners back in. Unfortunately, the needle was still pushing up above centre when I was really going for it for a few laps. I could bring it back down fairly easily by a bit of short shifting and driving more smoothly than aggressively, which to be fair I probably ought to be doing anyway. I could still enjoy my laps whilst being sympathetic to the old girl, so I didn't feel it was a constraint. I'd like to get to the bottom of it one day but it is not a priority.
One good thing that came from Donington was that I became acquainted with a Sealy jerry can pump, when I borrowed one after yet another jerry can nozzle failed me. What a revelation! I bought one and used it today.
Makes refuelling an absolute doddle.
Anyway, that's probably enough waffle from me. I had a fantastic day that defied expectations, and I would definitely go back to Combe again.
I feel both indicators and fog lights hold on by a thread most of the time with these. 
Weather is just utterly unpredictable at the moment i feel. Literally not a fking point looking at anything, as it'll just change! Glad you had a great day at combe anyway. The XJS is bloody cool.
Has maybe your viscous coupling started to fail? Meaning fan not as effective? Maybe worth getting a lower temperature thermostat? Or is it a sign of the water pump beginning to fail? Maybe rad slightly blocked. I guess a few avenues to look at. Probably worth looking at a slightly lower temp thermostat, can't remember which one people generally used. Might have been an E34 one...
Weather is just utterly unpredictable at the moment i feel. Literally not a f
king point looking at anything, as it'll just change! Glad you had a great day at combe anyway. The XJS is bloody cool. Has maybe your viscous coupling started to fail? Meaning fan not as effective? Maybe worth getting a lower temperature thermostat? Or is it a sign of the water pump beginning to fail? Maybe rad slightly blocked. I guess a few avenues to look at. Probably worth looking at a slightly lower temp thermostat, can't remember which one people generally used. Might have been an E34 one...
Scoobydrew95 said:
I feel both indicators and fog lights hold on by a thread most of the time with these.
Weather is just utterly unpredictable at the moment i feel. Literally not a fking point looking at anything, as it'll just change! Glad you had a great day at combe anyway. The XJS is bloody cool.
Has maybe your viscous coupling started to fail? Meaning fan not as effective? Maybe worth getting a lower temperature thermostat? Or is it a sign of the water pump beginning to fail? Maybe rad slightly blocked. I guess a few avenues to look at. Probably worth looking at a slightly lower temp thermostat, can't remember which one people generally used. Might have been an E34 one...
Agree about the weather. Makes getting the convertible out a bit of a dicey affair!Weather is just utterly unpredictable at the moment i feel. Literally not a f
king point looking at anything, as it'll just change! Glad you had a great day at combe anyway. The XJS is bloody cool. Has maybe your viscous coupling started to fail? Meaning fan not as effective? Maybe worth getting a lower temperature thermostat? Or is it a sign of the water pump beginning to fail? Maybe rad slightly blocked. I guess a few avenues to look at. Probably worth looking at a slightly lower temp thermostat, can't remember which one people generally used. Might have been an E34 one...
I replaced all the chocolate cooling components a couple of years ago, so I'd be surprised if the fan clutch or water pump were on the way out already. I've given it a good thrashing in those couple of years though, so it's not impossible I suppose!
I think a coolant flush is probably in order over the winter so would make sense to try a different stat and see if that helps. I'm loathe to change the whole cooling system as it seems pretty capable on the whole, and who's to say I wouldn't spend a fortune on fancy new parts and then just end up with the same problem!
In other news...
It's not really news. I'm just loving the convertible.
I used it loads during the hot days of early June. Less so recently, due to the weather and being away a bit. I took the chance today though and did my commute in it. Roof down, naturally.
I've only ever had 2.8 E36s before. Dare I say it I may have looked down on anything less, as 'inferior.' Naive I was, and missing out. Not inferior, different. A different experience, but what a lovely engine. Perhaps (almost certainly) the contrast with my daily-driven turbo diesel Octavia vRS plays a part in my perception of it, but every time I get in and drive the 323 I marvel at how damned smoooooth it is. Like teflon-coated butter. That 2.5l straight six is an absolute joy. It's not blessed with a surfeit of power. Sure, it's not going to smash you in the back of the head and steal your lunch money, but that's not the point, especially in a convertible. It's about the joy of it, the feel of getting from A to B, rather than how fast you can get to B and how terrified you are when you get there.
It just loves to be pushed gently and smoothly up through the revs, and power delivery is beautifully consistent. You can drive around at 5k rpm and not even really notice. It doesn't make a drama about anything, just rewards you with a lovely refined straight six sound. And because it's 'only' got about 170 hp, you've got longer to savour that sound and sensation of sliding your way up through the gears before you become illegal.
Today I left work tired, sore and just wanting to get home. I wasn't looking forward to the commute - who does? I just wanted to be home. I checked the weather forecast and despite the rather threatening-looking sky, it appeared worth the risk. I dropped the roof and went the scenic route (no one wants to go on the motorway with the roof down, do they?).
By the time I got home I'd cracked a rather unlikely smile. I have to say, this little bugger has got right under my skin!
It's not really news. I'm just loving the convertible.
I used it loads during the hot days of early June. Less so recently, due to the weather and being away a bit. I took the chance today though and did my commute in it. Roof down, naturally.
I've only ever had 2.8 E36s before. Dare I say it I may have looked down on anything less, as 'inferior.' Naive I was, and missing out. Not inferior, different. A different experience, but what a lovely engine. Perhaps (almost certainly) the contrast with my daily-driven turbo diesel Octavia vRS plays a part in my perception of it, but every time I get in and drive the 323 I marvel at how damned smoooooth it is. Like teflon-coated butter. That 2.5l straight six is an absolute joy. It's not blessed with a surfeit of power. Sure, it's not going to smash you in the back of the head and steal your lunch money, but that's not the point, especially in a convertible. It's about the joy of it, the feel of getting from A to B, rather than how fast you can get to B and how terrified you are when you get there.
It just loves to be pushed gently and smoothly up through the revs, and power delivery is beautifully consistent. You can drive around at 5k rpm and not even really notice. It doesn't make a drama about anything, just rewards you with a lovely refined straight six sound. And because it's 'only' got about 170 hp, you've got longer to savour that sound and sensation of sliding your way up through the gears before you become illegal.
Today I left work tired, sore and just wanting to get home. I wasn't looking forward to the commute - who does? I just wanted to be home. I checked the weather forecast and despite the rather threatening-looking sky, it appeared worth the risk. I dropped the roof and went the scenic route (no one wants to go on the motorway with the roof down, do they?).
By the time I got home I'd cracked a rather unlikely smile. I have to say, this little bugger has got right under my skin!
Edited by buy_cheap_pay_later on Thursday 13th July 22:24
buy_cheap_pay_later said:
Agree about the weather. Makes getting the convertible out a bit of a dicey affair!
I replaced all the chocolate cooling components a couple of years ago, so I'd be surprised if the fan clutch or water pump were on the way out already. I've given it a good thrashing in those couple of years though, so it's not impossible I suppose!
I think a coolant flush is probably in order over the winter so would make sense to try a different stat and see if that helps. I'm loathe to change the whole cooling system as it seems pretty capable on the whole, and who's to say I wouldn't spend a fortune on fancy new parts and then just end up with the same problem!
The OE BMW stuff does seem to be very good, as long as bled up properly. I know a friend who's on his 3rd or 4th aftermarket uprated rad (reputable brands).I replaced all the chocolate cooling components a couple of years ago, so I'd be surprised if the fan clutch or water pump were on the way out already. I've given it a good thrashing in those couple of years though, so it's not impossible I suppose!
I think a coolant flush is probably in order over the winter so would make sense to try a different stat and see if that helps. I'm loathe to change the whole cooling system as it seems pretty capable on the whole, and who's to say I wouldn't spend a fortune on fancy new parts and then just end up with the same problem!
Maybe could also utilise the air con fan?
Great photos in any case.
Good journal 
Have you had the mobile welder out yet? I'd ask to have a look inside the sill once they've cut out the rot around the jacking point. It's likely that the inner jacking structure is corroded and probably the inner wing. Once I'd welded mine up I used Dinitrol ML sprayed into the cills through the holes for the side skirt clips to try and prevent further rot. It says it stops ongoing corrosion.
I'm not sure a lower temp stat will help as on track the higher temp stat will be fully open anyway. Do you have an electric AC fan and viscous fan? I run mine with the AC fan only as the viscous fan lowers air flow when the car's moving quickly.
Have you had the mobile welder out yet? I'd ask to have a look inside the sill once they've cut out the rot around the jacking point. It's likely that the inner jacking structure is corroded and probably the inner wing. Once I'd welded mine up I used Dinitrol ML sprayed into the cills through the holes for the side skirt clips to try and prevent further rot. It says it stops ongoing corrosion.
I'm not sure a lower temp stat will help as on track the higher temp stat will be fully open anyway. Do you have an electric AC fan and viscous fan? I run mine with the AC fan only as the viscous fan lowers air flow when the car's moving quickly.
Scoobydrew95 said:
The OE BMW stuff does seem to be very good, as long as bled up properly. I know a friend who's on his 3rd or 4th aftermarket uprated rad (reputable brands).
Maybe could also utilise the air con fan?
Great photos in any case.
Maybe could also utilise the air con fan?
Great photos in any case.
Dylan318Ti said:
Good journal
Have you had the mobile welder out yet? I'd ask to have a look inside the sill once they've cut out the rot around the jacking point. It's likely that the inner jacking structure is corroded and probably the inner wing. Once I'd welded mine up I used Dinitrol ML sprayed into the cills through the holes for the side skirt clips to try and prevent further rot. It says it stops ongoing corrosion.
I'm not sure a lower temp stat will help as on track the higher temp stat will be fully open anyway. Do you have an electric AC fan and viscous fan? I run mine with the AC fan only as the viscous fan lowers air flow when the car's moving quickly.
The welder will be in the autumn I think, once I've definitely finished using the car for this year and can put it up on stands for a few months in the garage and strip it down. Have you had the mobile welder out yet? I'd ask to have a look inside the sill once they've cut out the rot around the jacking point. It's likely that the inner jacking structure is corroded and probably the inner wing. Once I'd welded mine up I used Dinitrol ML sprayed into the cills through the holes for the side skirt clips to try and prevent further rot. It says it stops ongoing corrosion.
I'm not sure a lower temp stat will help as on track the higher temp stat will be fully open anyway. Do you have an electric AC fan and viscous fan? I run mine with the AC fan only as the viscous fan lowers air flow when the car's moving quickly.
With regard to cooling, I think I will go for an aluminium radiator, and maybe source an auxiliary electric fan as well (I sold/tipped my A/C fan, oops!). That'll be another little sub-project over winter.
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