Unloved e36 328 sport revival
Discussion
Thought i'd share the journey - it's going to be a long one!
In deep with this & i'm going to end up with shares in Eng Weld but I'm refusing to let this thing go to the scrap yard in the sky!
She's been unloved for years, blatantly been through a couple of Dodgy MOT's but i'm hoping will be a little beauty when it's resurrected!
Looked half decent when I fell for it and took the plunge. No MOT fails on rust he said, just a bit of crust on the arch he said.
I took the skirts off, had a good prod around and reality sunk in pretty quick!
A few months have elapsed, whilst I composed myself in preparation for what was coming!
Long story short - sills are shot, rear arches are pretty shot. Oh boy, we've all seen this before!
Has also had a questionable repair on the O/S rear quarter. The amount of filler in the arch was absurd, some near enough 10mm thick. I'm almost ashamed to say I didn't notice this before I bought it. I've had my hand up inside the panel and the spot welds are still there from when it was pulled out.. the panel is scrap.
The damage covers a larger area than repair panels cover so it's a full rear quarter to repair this side.
Onto today - Dash out to remove the damn carpet and check the rest out.
I had already noticed some damage to the floor (It's sat way too low) However wasn't really expecting to find this.
O/S
N/S
I haven't finished poking around on the O/S but there's not much point really, I'll just wait until I cut both of the sills off.
My guess - It's had a few wallops on the floor pan from being so low - it's split the seam sealer and however long it's been at this height for the water has seeped in and done it's worst!
Was surprised to see this though - The front of the sills on the outside show near enough no rust, just goes to show there are probably lots of e36 with hidden rot!
So the list grows.
2x new sills (potentially looking like bmw genuine)
2x new inner rears
1x O/S rear quarter
1x N/S rear arch repair panel
I am certainly going to cut out all of the offending warped floor pan and see what the front inner sills hold when Gary grinder comes out to play!
Daren't tell anyone how much I paid for the car
In deep with this & i'm going to end up with shares in Eng Weld but I'm refusing to let this thing go to the scrap yard in the sky!
She's been unloved for years, blatantly been through a couple of Dodgy MOT's but i'm hoping will be a little beauty when it's resurrected!
Looked half decent when I fell for it and took the plunge. No MOT fails on rust he said, just a bit of crust on the arch he said.
I took the skirts off, had a good prod around and reality sunk in pretty quick!
A few months have elapsed, whilst I composed myself in preparation for what was coming!
Long story short - sills are shot, rear arches are pretty shot. Oh boy, we've all seen this before!
Has also had a questionable repair on the O/S rear quarter. The amount of filler in the arch was absurd, some near enough 10mm thick. I'm almost ashamed to say I didn't notice this before I bought it. I've had my hand up inside the panel and the spot welds are still there from when it was pulled out.. the panel is scrap.
The damage covers a larger area than repair panels cover so it's a full rear quarter to repair this side.
Onto today - Dash out to remove the damn carpet and check the rest out.
I had already noticed some damage to the floor (It's sat way too low) However wasn't really expecting to find this.
O/S
N/S
I haven't finished poking around on the O/S but there's not much point really, I'll just wait until I cut both of the sills off.
My guess - It's had a few wallops on the floor pan from being so low - it's split the seam sealer and however long it's been at this height for the water has seeped in and done it's worst!
Was surprised to see this though - The front of the sills on the outside show near enough no rust, just goes to show there are probably lots of e36 with hidden rot!
So the list grows.
2x new sills (potentially looking like bmw genuine)
2x new inner rears
1x O/S rear quarter
1x N/S rear arch repair panel
I am certainly going to cut out all of the offending warped floor pan and see what the front inner sills hold when Gary grinder comes out to play!
Daren't tell anyone how much I paid for the car
tvrfan007 said:
Crikey that's grim! Kudos for taking that on, most would've abandoned track slagging that!
If this was 5 years ago I would of already driven it straight to the scrap yard.However soaring prices on these and the simple fact they are getting thin on the ground leaves me no option, unless I find any more seriously hidden nasties!
It's ridiculous to think I um'd and ah'd over buying an E36 M3 circa 5 years ago for 5k and some of these sport's have already surpassed that!
I've had a quote from BMW;
Rear quarter - £405
Rear inner sills - £103 (each)
I Will get away with a pattern repair panel on the N/S for the rear arch.
Outer sills I have been quoted £498 from BMW, which I really don't want to end up succumbing too - I was hoping to make pattern Saloon sills work but it totally depends how bad the inner sills are at the front.
The scary thing is from the outside (at the front) It doesn't look half as bad as some I have seen.
These E36 really hide their rot very well - and I must advise anyone who is serious about repairing one or buying with the intention to keep must pull the carpets or get up on a ramp to have a proper nosey.
I did have the intention of restoring it back to full factory (ish) spec with sports interior as it came with base spec front seats and no rears.
However I'm going to have to spend a massive chunk on panels alone so I'll be happy just to have a rot free chassis, Will probably throw my trusty old corbeau in there and enjoy it for what it is!
If I wasn't such an anal b*****d It would make much more sense just to patch and send, but it would bug me knowing it's not right!
Rome wasn't built in a day - although i'd like to drive it this side of 2030 LOL
Kettmark said:
How come its badges as a 318is? Replacement bootlid?
I've a soft spot for e36s too.
Yes mate. I've a soft spot for e36s too.
It had an awful black bootlid when I bought it. Managed to find this with OEM spoiler off a 4 pot with no rust.
However when i went to fit it i noticed that around the lock mechanism was cracked on both sides, another 'doh' moment.
Pretty hefty bootlids these though so i'm guessing another common problem from years of being slammed.
Will weld it up or look for another lid once i've seen the light at the end of the tunnel!
This is just from the O/S poking!
Edited by bombercountynick on Thursday 2nd July 20:33
PurpleTurtle said:
Looks like you’ve got your work cut out OP!
What’s your budget on this if you don’t mind me asking? Or has man maths taken over?
My heart usually rules my head (how i got myself into this!) So i can almost guarantee i'll end up spending more than I should.What’s your budget on this if you don’t mind me asking? Or has man maths taken over?
I paid £2200 for the car *sigh*
Initially the plan was to find a nice sport interior and just maintain / use the car as it is.
However It wasn't until I started looking for interiors that i realised how much good sets can fetch!
I haven't had a toy since i sold my impreza Ra a few years back, i'd not even looked and cannot believe the hike in prices in just 3/4 years for sought after parts across the board.
Micras to e30 m3s the prices are insane! I took redundancy and bought this on a whim !
Realistically just to get the chassis solid is probably going to end up costing me the best part of 2k. I'm tackling the welding myself with the help of a wise man, however i'm still undecided on whether I'll leave the rear quarter to a proper bodyshop, which will add £££
The car has covered 180k & although it has a partial bmw history (up to 140k) i can't see it ever being worth top money, especially with me being the 13th owner, regardless of how nice it turns out. This is why i'm yet to decide whether to restore and return to oem, with interior or restore, cage and just use as a fast road car.
I'm not in it for the money, i've always had a soft spot for these cars and realistically i've priced myself out of ever owning an M3 now unless i go see the bank!
Even if it takes me 2 years, the blow will be cushioned a little money wise, but i think we all know to do this properly i can bet my bottom dollar the receipts at the end are gonna be £5k+
Edited by bombercountynick on Thursday 2nd July 21:27
MitchT said:
I'll be watching this with great interest as I have a 318iS which I've owned from new and which now needs a lot of work. It keeps getting put off as all the classic car people I approach seem to expect me to source replacement parts myself. I have no car related connections whatsoever, while I'd expect them to have many, so quite why they want me to try to get the bits I need when they could probably do it a whole lot easier is a puzzle to me and has stalled proceedings somewhat.
Where are you Mitch? Im no expert but i know where to look for rust on these now! Bmw still offer all the panels mate, just make sure you're sat down in the comfy chair when they pass you the quotes!BricktopST205 said:
Not so long ago these were ten a penny for sub £2k. Problem is 99% of them have been turned into track slags so decent ones are few and far between.
They also double up as a nice useable classic so prices were only going to go one way!
Tell me about it mate! I've been driving since 2007 when you could of probably picked a MINT one of these up for the price you now pay for a tired one!They also double up as a nice useable classic so prices were only going to go one way!
And as you mentioned even 4/5 years ago nice examples were still rock bottom and cars like mine would of just been sent straight to the scrap yard 'cause even the parts weren't worth anything! Culmination of less of them on the road, facebook/scene tax, greedy online breakers has meant prices have soared for everything. It's all irreversible now though.
E36Ross said:
Nearly every E36 boot lid with a spoiler will have the cracks, Very common problem.
Amazing how the 328i have went from budget track cars to collector cars in the space of a few years.
Following with interest.
I thought this would be the case. The bootlid is Montreal blue so needs a full paint anyway so probably just easier to remove the lock and repair the cracks Amazing how the 328i have went from budget track cars to collector cars in the space of a few years.
Following with interest.
NiallSlimDrew said:
Fair play mate.
I'm going to keep a close eye on this as I'm gonna be looking for a 328 Sport resto project soon!
Tread very carefully when buying one of these mate. It totally depends what you want. I'm going to keep a close eye on this as I'm gonna be looking for a 328 Sport resto project soon!
I'll admit I was a bit of a sucker, I really wanted a genuine 328 sport, but in hindsight it would of been much easier + wiser to just find a clean car ( be it 316/320/323/325/328 ) and just build from there.
Same as with buying any old car, there are dis honest sellers everywhere, but at the same time only you can pull the trigger and hand over the cash!
The sill covers hide lots of rust, yes you can get underneath the car and have a good look but it would be well worth having any car you are interested in buying up on a ramp to check out all the areas you simply won't see from crawling underneath.
Edited by bombercountynick on Saturday 4th July 10:54
Won't be much to report on this until It's moved to car hospital for some grinding surgery!
However, Just thought i'd share a few of these. Note the condition of the front/outer sill, compared to the inner/floor. Just to show those who are looking at buying/restoring one of these, how well they hide rust.
O/S outer vs Inner/floor pan ( I have seen these extremely rusty on the outside
)
The inner doesn't look that bad here but I can assure you it is very crusty.
N/S
Would of been rude not to poke a hole in the O/S wheel well wouldn't it?
Going to be a long time before I get to sit in this. No matter how tidy the car ends up I will use this trusty old Corbeau!
It's like a worn old slipper, been in so many cars, roll on this day!
Attemped to squeeze the phone in to try take a peak at the Jacking points internally - the O/S Rear has actually suffered, this is going to need to be chopped, repaired or replaced If i can find a solid one. It's looking increasingly like genuine BMW sills both sides as they come with both Front & Rear jacking points.
The money shot.... If you think your e36 sills are bad, please feel free to take comfort in this! (I know i've pulled it about and gone to town but still !!)
Only plus note - These popped up so had a drive to Wales yesterday, collected then climbed a mountain!
The contour's will be refurbished & sold to get some pennies back into the fund!
Hopefully get the car moved next week and start grinding.
However, Just thought i'd share a few of these. Note the condition of the front/outer sill, compared to the inner/floor. Just to show those who are looking at buying/restoring one of these, how well they hide rust.
O/S outer vs Inner/floor pan ( I have seen these extremely rusty on the outside
)The inner doesn't look that bad here but I can assure you it is very crusty.
N/S
Would of been rude not to poke a hole in the O/S wheel well wouldn't it?
Going to be a long time before I get to sit in this. No matter how tidy the car ends up I will use this trusty old Corbeau!
It's like a worn old slipper, been in so many cars, roll on this day!
Attemped to squeeze the phone in to try take a peak at the Jacking points internally - the O/S Rear has actually suffered, this is going to need to be chopped, repaired or replaced If i can find a solid one. It's looking increasingly like genuine BMW sills both sides as they come with both Front & Rear jacking points.
The money shot.... If you think your e36 sills are bad, please feel free to take comfort in this! (I know i've pulled it about and gone to town but still !!)
Only plus note - These popped up so had a drive to Wales yesterday, collected then climbed a mountain!
The contour's will be refurbished & sold to get some pennies back into the fund!
Hopefully get the car moved next week and start grinding.
Edited by bombercountynick on Monday 6th July 18:36
Vince70 said:
My old minty low mileage example is off tomorrow to its new owner as I’ve just sold it for £1200.
I’m going miss it as I really believe the E36 was the last good and I was going to say rust free car BMW made till I saw yours.
But yours is going to make a great track car.
Bloody hell Vince that is a steal bud if she's clean ! I hope it's not going to a breakers I’m going miss it as I really believe the E36 was the last good and I was going to say rust free car BMW made till I saw yours.
But yours is going to make a great track car.
Looks lovely. This is my first e36. I've not had chance to enjoy it, slide it around a b road or do anything other than hunt for rust! I have Only ever been in my friends old m3 evo once, years ago! & forgot how small and compact they feel inside. Proper old feel, i am looking forward to the day it's roadworthy.
I don't think it will ever get tracked, i've always just had fast road cars, I'm too tight and lucky enough to live near some cracking roads lol. However I'm old enough now to know there is a time and a place for a spirited drive so fingers crossed it won't get damaged!
Aim is to make it a totally usable, rust free modern classic - with the option to put sports interior back in if i can find one at the right price.
Refuse to pay £600+ for non m3 interior call me stubborn but hey ho! Don't really want to give any greeder breakers any of my money if i don't have too!
Edited by bombercountynick on Monday 6th July 20:23
205pat said:
My biggest motoring cock up. I bought a rubbish 172 cup that came in px at a garage I used to work at, then next week a 45k 1 owner 328 sport comes in - for £250! I wasn’t allowed it as I’d just bought the Clio, gutted.
I’ve just had major welding surgery done on my Integra, it always costs more than you want, but the first day after it’s all back together and you go for a drive in the sun will make it totally worth it!
Madness what they used to go for!I’ve just had major welding surgery done on my Integra, it always costs more than you want, but the first day after it’s all back together and you go for a drive in the sun will make it totally worth it!
Makes me cringe to think what i have got rid of cars for in the past. My last dc2 had a tiny hole in the floorpan, spat my dummy out sold it cheap. I had an s2k with a tiny bit of rust the n/s rear sill, same again, sold it for peanuts!
I wish this bmw had as much rust as all my previous honda/Subaru put together it would be a god send, lol. You live and learn huh!
Edited by bombercountynick on Tuesday 7th July 09:22
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