e36 spam charriot , minor update 9/10/08

[harry_p]

time to grow up a bit, be sensible and get a nice cheap, economical runaround.

slow as anything from standstill (slowest car i've ever owned) yet, wierdly, like all bmws seem to, is actually fine once you're up and running, and a lot quicker than you might have thought from its performance at lower speeds.

well built, no rust, smooth, quiet, decent stereo, seems to be pretty economical so far.

will do the job as a day to day spam charriot perfectly, whilst not being a ford or vauxhall

1 owner from new, just over 100,000 miles, full service history, alloys, 6 speakers cd player, remote central locking, power steering, leccy windows, leccy sunroof, parking sensors, front fogs. feels nice and tight, rattle and knock free. pretty pleased with it for just over a bag of sand.







already ordered some new numberplates as the ones on there are the same ones it left the dealership with in 1995 and looking a little worn. have ordered some clear front indicators, and put on the m5 turbines that were on the m3 (which can now wear the BBSs all year round if it's no longer going to be a daily driver)

other plans include giving it a damn good clean and polish as it looks like it's never had anything other than a basic car wash wash all it's life, and i'll probably colourcode the sills and bumpers as i don't really get the german love for two tone!

i will not be taking it on track any time soon

[d6dph]

Erm, Yeah nice!

Do you still have the metro and lancia too?

[Chase007]

Well done there mate i have been thinking of getting myself one of these as a run about too.

[harry_p]

lol, does look a bit scruffy in the pics, i cleaned the wheels and it made a huge difference, i'll do a proper ocd job on the paint as soon as it cools down a bit, and i've purposely left the grey bits faded and horrible as i don't want to put anything on them in case it's a pain to remove when i paint them.

i know it's not exciting in any way, but it drives well, is nicely made, has no rust, smooth and quiet. i can't think of much else for about a grand that i would rather have for boring everyday use.

yes, still have the metro, lancia and m3

looks a lot better with the turbines on, shame about the 4x4 rideheight

[e30bmlover]

not a bad choice harry... but i do love the 318ti's.. especially when people try it on. hows the m3??? i havent seen you about lately.

[harry_p]

the m3 currently has no gearbox, and is looking a sorry and dusty shad of pink at the moment

had too much on at the moment to get it sorted, when it went i had to get the lancia mot'd quick sharp, and then when i started using it daily again kept finding other bits and pieces that still needed doing which i hadn't got around to

hopefully now i have something to use regularly that shouldnt need too much tlc, i can put the effort into getting the other two into a decent state again.

the m3 looks even worse now it's on the compacts old wheels need to finish polising, and rebuild the bbss and get it back on those, and give it a damn good clean and polish.

i'm ignoring the metro, it's the only one not mot'd and taxed (but is building a nice bit of ncb) i'll get that sorted and take it out for a play when i'm happy with the widearched beasts.

[fuzzy]

i know of someone who has one exactly the same externally but under the bonnet is an e36 m3 evo engine

[harry_p]

don't tempt me, this is a sensible car

there are some pretty tasty s14 powered ones around too...

anyway,

pic with the wheels on, offset and slight tyre stretch makes them sit just about perfectly in the arches.

shame about the 4x4 rideheight. it'll be stayin g like it untill i happen accross some springs at a decent (cheap) price

also spent a couple of hours giving on side of the car some ocd style paint correction. no electrical polisher crap here, just some bottles of lotions and potions and knackered arms! the swirls and fine scratches make it very hard work, as the polih is constantly cutting into it. should be a lot easier the second time around! no idea when the whole lot will be done, as it's just too damn hot till about 8pm, and then you only get an hour and a halfs worth of light

[harry_p]

painted the sills, put the centre caps back on the wheels,


colourcoded front bumper, clear indicators, new numberplates, maved the tax disk closer to the corner of the screen (it was offeding my ocd)


clear side repeaters


colour coded rear bumper


suddenly it's looking a lot cleaner, tidier and more modern.

once it's been hit with the lowering stick i'll be very happy

[harry_p]

another update,

added a cheap set of coilovers to make it a bit less boatlike and stop the 17in wheels looking like 15in trims





also been stripping this manky trim off the b-pillars



not sure whether to replace with stock, leave clean, or find some nice gloss black vynal.

and went a bit ghetto with my rear lights. tinting spray found in the garage, plus masking tape, plus 10 mins = no more orange! looks better than i thought it might, but i'd still prefer a set of mtech rears with the clear indicators...



now think i might have to give the fronts a coat, as theyre a tad too bright white

[d6dph]

Such simple bits done but looks so damn cool

[harry_p]

that's what i was aiming for, the only real expense had been the suspension, but that wasn't silly money.

there are a couple of other subtle things i'd like to do, but nothing major. i'm happy with it as it is now, and won't be spending anything significant on it

[d6dph]

So what's left to do?

Kingdom front bumper (woodscrews and polyfiller optional extra)
Big alloy spoiler
twin "jap" exhausts.

[harry_p]

not entirely sure tbh.

needs something doing to the exhaust as the backbox is crumbling, would like a pipe to fit the hole, without looking aftermarket.

twin 5in slashcut jap cans hung under the middle of the bumper it is then

would also like some normal e36 projector headlights so i can fit some hids, although i actually prefer the look of the compact ones.

19in chrome spinnaz and lambo doors will have to wait a while

[harry_p]

the suspesnion seems to have settled a bit more,



it's now officially John Lewis multistorey unfriendly. where the m3s exhaust used to just kiss the peak of the up ramps where they met the next level, the compact properly grinds out to the point of thinking it's going to get beached

floors and subframes i'm not too worried about, exhausts are ok as long as it's not going to rip it off the head.

sumps, gearboxes, fueltanks, fuel lines and brakelines are bad. will have to jack it up if it ever stops raining and see what's hitting. annoyingly it doesnt actually look stupidly low untill you see it parked next to something to get an idea of scale. don't really want to raise it as it's fine on the daily thrash, and normal tabletop type speed bumps aren't an issue, only the horrible thin rubber ones and their cheapo concrete brethren.

[Jon_Bmw]

So this sensible, economic runabout has been slammed on coilovers

Have you thought about converting it to LPG to regain some sensible'ness. Is it the m44 engine? I have to admit knowing nothing about compacts as I just don't 'get them.'

[maxfield]

Looks sweet dude

I'm liking these more and more.

[harry_p]

i think it's an m43 engine, i get easily confused

basically still a 1.6, very similar to the e30 m40, but with chain driven cams, changed to a 1.9 version in 1999, but still badged 316i, and with a whopping 2bhp more!

the 318ti compact started with the 1.8 m42 from the e30 318is, hich around 1996 (i think) changed to a 1.9litre m44.

have to be honest, untill recently i really wasnt a fan of compacts.

then something clicked, i decided one would be perfect for what i want, and had to have one.

[Jon_Bmw]

I assumed it was a 'ti.'

But thinking back, it did originally have placcy bumpers. Yeah I think m43 is the 8 valve version.

As nice as the mods are, you're not converting me yet!

[harry_p]

nah, proper base model motoring here shame the engines not quite small enough to sneak into the cheap tax band!

not expecting to convert anyone, least of all e30 fanboys tbh i wasn't expecting to be all that impressed myself. obviously they don't have the e30s character, but they feel so much more modern, so solid, and so rust free, even feels very similar to drive, just a bit bigger, bit more refined.

i'd seriously love to have one as a project. stripped caged and with a big engine i'm pretty sure it'd be a scream

oh, and have i mentioned that in the wet it goes sideways easier than the m3? lively little thing, and probably not something most people following would expect to see

[cliffybabe]

for a little run about that looks really

[bodger]

looks mate, id de lense the front headlights, did it to out e36 freshens them up a bit, just remove the glass and the lenses ar stuck in with silicone, cut it with stanley knike and they will pull out then re-fit glass, easy

[Jeepster]

I love those rims, really nice looking car that, well done

[Blitz]

Those wheels are so cool.

[robbo86]

never was too keen on those to be honest..... but having said that its looking good, not to sure about those wheels though

[harry_p]

sorry, but you're wrong . the wheels are just about the coolest wheels in the world ever. i love them because of the engineering behind them, the understated retro looks and the attention to detail, plus theyre a pretty rare sight. i have to admit that imho they look better on a smaller car with lower profile tyres than on an e34 as their design makes them visually shrink.

they really need to be seen up close to get the full effect.

few pics from when they first arrived,







see the centre cap, notice there's no recess for a screwdriver, or hole to poke a wire puller through...


simply push in the spring loaded badge


which reveals holes to put your fingers in, and pull off the cap


love it.

and the finned covers are handed for the left or right side, which scores plenty of geek points from me.

and you have to admire the german sense of humour in making a forged alloy and magnesium, highly functional and complex wheel which looks to most people like a set of plastic trims

[Jhonno]

never was too keen on those to be honest..... but having said that its looking good, not to sure about those wheels though

wrong wrong wrong wrong

Those wheels are part of the definition of cool.. I'd love dustbin lid covers for my M-Systems

[Jhonno]

Plus they are functional!!

[pacerpete]

never was too keen on those to be honest..... but having said that its looking good, not to sure about those wheels though

wrong wrong wrong wrong

Those wheels are part of the definition of cool.. I'd love dustbin lid covers for my M-Systems

In stock , can do !

[robbo86]

Dont get me wrong, they are certainly different, and i get what you mean about retro looks, but if you ask me they look like the belong on a delorean or summat suitably 80s amaerican. Clearly I am in a minority here but I am not all about big chrome style council shite wheels either. It just seems to me if your after acheiving that sort of look you might as well stick the trims on that came with my 318i

[Jeepster]

never was too keen on those to be honest..... but having said that its looking good, not to sure about those wheels though

wrong wrong wrong wrong

Those wheels are part of the definition of cool.. I'd love dustbin lid covers for my M-Systems

Agreed, some of those would be very nice with spacers and stretched tyres on my car

[harry_p]

tbh i was expecting them to be a bit pokier in the arches, 10mm spacers probably wouldnt be an issue. theyre not really wide enough to get much stretch unless you go for really skinny tyres. i like performance as well as looks, so don't really want to go smaller than a 215 which is a very minor stretch on an 8.

at the moment the rear sidewall just scuffs the return of the arch, but theyre bog standard, haven't even been touched with a rubber mallet let alone trimmed, or rolled, so little rub you can't hear it, but enough to leave a feint witness scuff.

i'd love a set of 9in rears, but they rarely come up on their own, and i don't really want to spend any more money on it at the moment

[bene30jane]

i dont like the wheels think the standard ones should have been left on it.... sorry

[Jhonno]

i dont like the wheels think the standard ones should have been left on it.... sorry

WTF?!

[bene30jane]

its only my opinion, no offense meant, see what you say about the engineering, in the pictures it looks like they come apart and are a 5 spoke alloy hidden underneath?....