B3 3.2 Touring its suddenly getting old

Post Thu Jul 07, 2011 5:51 pm

Theres a alpina B3 3.2 touring e36 turned up in camberley with an engine fault and a helmet trade type owner who can't fix it. Its done the "headgasket" which with further conversation means its had the head welded and it overheated. It still runs badly and he thinks its bottom end now. He stripped it and put it back together. The head has been refurbed by a an alpina specialist in tonbridge wells i've never heard of for £2500 bla bla and bullshit this.

Its 1 mile from home and hes going to break it. Worth a look?

boston green, cream leather. i don't want the interior he thinks its worth £800.

I'm tempted to take the e30 pina touring down there just to satisfy my nosey needs and put him on the back foot.

I can't see the car being worth more than £800 as it is to me as e36s don't break very well.

Post Thu Jul 07, 2011 6:06 pm

I'll bell you in a bit you 'orrible c*nt.

Post Thu Jul 07, 2011 7:42 pm

I've seen that.. Would be good to see it saved! Think the interior looks mint with the Boston.

Post Thu Jul 07, 2011 8:02 pm

Going to have a peak 2moro, can't hurt! this happened with the E30 one a few years ago

Post Thu Jul 07, 2011 9:05 pm

Well, it's an iron block M50 motor so he'll have gone some to bugger the block.

It's worth far more fixed than it is in bits. If the crank and slugs are okay, the rest you can make up.

Post Thu Jul 07, 2011 9:08 pm

Its an M52 casting Andy, but bigger bores obviously. The compression chambers are worked so the head is different also.
I agree on the fix it though

Post Thu Jul 07, 2011 10:09 pm

If the engine is goosed then a US spec E36 M3 evo engine (S52B32) is basically the same.

Post Thu Jul 07, 2011 10:11 pm

its 2 owners and 181,000 up and Munich bellends service history and numberplates.

So its ally block Dan? whats the stats on these? 265bhp and similar toreques. I'm guessing with an auto box its a nice e36 wagon to drive with a good turn of speed.

Post Thu Jul 07, 2011 10:16 pm

No its not an alloy block and yes 260 odd brake.

Post Thu Jul 07, 2011 10:26 pm

I would love one in my E34 touring with an auto box on the back

Torque is great, I can pull from 20 odd mph in 6th gear

Post Thu Jul 07, 2011 10:36 pm

How much would it be worth fixed up? Not that much is my geuss!

Post Thu Jul 07, 2011 10:39 pm

£2500-3000 on a good day.

Post Thu Jul 07, 2011 10:41 pm

What the whole car or engine only?

Post Thu Jul 07, 2011 10:43 pm

The car!

Post Thu Jul 07, 2011 10:49 pm

I am definitely in the 'if I had the space' excuse camp.. I'd love it to rock everyday.

Post Fri Jul 08, 2011 10:10 pm

I take you put a deposit down then?

Post Fri Jul 08, 2011 10:14 pm

Well i had a look, hes looking to get what he can back. Engine is very poorly, runs on 4-5 cylinders. Loads of mayo / oil in the coolant. white smoke when revving it. Wasn't aloud to drive it.

It overheated on his wife so the story goes, head has been overhauled/welded by a place munich bellends use. Hes had his bmw dealer mechanic friend remove and fit the head. GSF headgasket set has been used by the looks of it. Also they had a drama with the head bolts being the ones they bought were too long by 15mm or so and M50 type head bolts are correct to use? I couldn't work out apart from its fubared and you need to start again on it.

Its a total spec car, adjustable alpina top mounts on the front, the vent guage all working. bodywork looked excellent for an E36, no visible rust on the doors arches or tailgate. nice and straight. Interior for cream is very very good, hardly any wear to the drivers seat.

A/C, cruise, heated seats leccy windows all round, plus sun roof, M3 wing mirrors, clear indicators all round. factory upgraded sound system, 10 speakers i think. No PDC was all i couldn't see. Tons of service history and 3 owners.

Rims all nice with eagle F1's all round.

Looked a really nice car with a f**ked engine. He told me £2300 has a long MOT. I left it as i thought more like 2000.

Has to be worth 3.5 4k running? really cool car with all the bits fitted you could want.

Post Fri Jul 08, 2011 10:19 pm

Definately worth rescuing, sounds like a happening turd. I reckon 2k is a very generous bid ,taking into account the engine dramas and leg on it. Hopefully the council type will see sense and take your dollars !

Post Fri Jul 08, 2011 10:57 pm

pacerpete wrote: I reckon 2k is a very generous bid ,

I thought that, E36 B3's haven't been fetching much lately but not seen any B3 tourings for sale for a while ?

Post Fri Jul 08, 2011 11:14 pm

2k is more than generous for a foreseeable engine rebuild, especially one with pinis price tags, you'd spend a grand quicker than you could draw it out the bank by the sounds of it, if the block is scrap (and it could be if theyve animal'd the wrong bolts in) you will be crying into your empty wallet....
Tell him to break it and give me a shout when the donk gets split

Post Fri Jul 08, 2011 11:16 pm

i wasnt sure what to offer, as when i pulled up he was on the phone, guess who? someone about the alpina!

That was my guess but i thought it high, he said it would break well. I said in the polite 13 way it won't bust for big dollars. Its worth more as a whole.

Post Fri Jul 08, 2011 11:18 pm

It will break for similar but is he a down and out dole dosser with nothing better to do?

Post Fri Jul 08, 2011 11:27 pm

Sounds like you need to be round there tomorrow with 2 grand in an envelope Chief. If the block is fuckered, I bet you can bore a standard M50 out - I very much doubt Alpina cast their own so they will have done just that. It's the crank and pistons you need - to be honest, if the head is bolloxed you'd just whack a good stock M52 head on there with the Alpenis cams. You could do a decent shoestring rebuild and still make a bag out of it - if you wanted to sell it again....which I doubt you would after you've driven it. They're a lovely fast old thing.

I'll bring your book to Pod as well. Finally finished it.

Post Fri Jul 08, 2011 11:30 pm

Its the same block as the S52 Andy, M52 casting but iron rather than plasticine, rear crank sensor too which you wont get from an M50 casting

Post Fri Jul 08, 2011 11:38 pm

DanThe wrote:It will break for similar but is he a down and out dole dosser with nothing better to do?

Dan far from a dole dosser hes a trader with a large house in the nice bit of camberley, not where i am! Lots of cars and he seems pissed off with it, his fair point is its costing him money where he could be making money from another car in its place.

Hes spent money on it trying to fix it and its worse than when he started. His mechanic wants to take it apart again. I said hes f**ked it once dont' let him near it again. Its got a cheapo lamba sensor which wasn't plugged in. An auto electrician has been out and theres odd coil packs fitted. Reckons there is no compression on No.3. My gut impression is its been animauled with the wrong head bolts

reckons hes £5500 down on it. Some guy part ex'd it for a 190E merc, not even a cosworth!

Post Fri Jul 08, 2011 11:44 pm

If thats the case he has no argument for what it will break to IMO, he can only call that card if he is prepared to pull it apart himself. Typical trader though, something slightly different and nobody he knows can fix it, they can only make it worse with cheap shite parts. Big house doesnt mean big brain

Post Fri Jul 08, 2011 11:50 pm

True true, I'll bell him in the week see whats the crack and go from there.

Post Sat Jul 09, 2011 12:09 am

You can bet its a combo of the wrong head bolts and the wrong head gasket!

If they used some GSF/ECP head set then it most likely is the wrong gasket.

The B3 3.2 gasket is a US spec S52B32 one part number 11121405106.

The B3 3.2 bore size is 86.4mm and the M52B28 is 84mm.

Post Sat Jul 09, 2011 7:52 am

Exactly, GSF dont sell those gaskets, neither do ECP, ive tried to buy them before

Post Sat Jul 09, 2011 7:55 am

True....

They probably made the classic mistake of laying the gasket on the block and seeing that the fire rings match the bores perfectly....not realising that once compressed, they'll squash down into the bore and be useless.

Chances are it'll go again with the right gasket/bolts.

Post Mon Jul 11, 2011 6:11 pm

well i'm going back in a mo for another final check, but as i was typing this the phone rang and its sold to someone in cambridge, just transfered some monies so he said. So thats the end of that one. Obviously not meant to be, but pissed as i was looking forward to fixing and using it.

Post Mon Jul 11, 2011 6:12 pm

There is a cab and a coupe on egay at the mo I noticed

Post Mon Jul 11, 2011 6:13 pm

i like wagons! i was going over there in a minute too.

Post Mon Jul 11, 2011 7:25 pm

Bummer!

As with a lot of turds you have to make a decision there and then or risk losing it.

Hindsight an all that.

Post Tue Jul 12, 2011 8:52 pm

Well the plot thickened last night. i got a text at 10pm saying the sale had fallen the guy suddenly doesn't want it and was back forsale. So i said i'll ring 2moro.

so today when i spoke to him he said ok come over and i'll tell this guy that he can wait until after you've been as he has mucked me about.

Went round it with a fine tooth, more sales bull like constant talking when your trying to look round! He won't budge on £2300 for it so i walked...............again! bloody in dream land i think.

It had ASC and an open diff is this right?

wouldn't surprise me if he rang or text in a week or 2 saying do i still want it.