E36 V8 Swap Part 4: Donor Inspection -or- “The Good, The Bad, and The 'Oh ****'”

"MikaelVroom" (mikaelvroom) 05/09/2016 at 15:43 • Filed to: None

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I bought an M3. It cost me $2450. What kind of M3 can you get for $2450? Not a good one, but an M3 nonetheless. Given that my super thorough pre-purchase inspection consisted entirely of looking at the car from several feet away and not questioning anything the seller said, I was in for some surprises when I got the car home and actually took a closer look.

!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! describe both the (potentially demented) thought process behind- and the actual process of- trading actual American dollars for a actual German car that didn’t actually work. I knew it didn’t actually work going in, but I didn’t quite anticipate the level of…degredation…that was going to be so prevalent in the car. However, there were a few pleasant surprises along the way that eased the initial shock and pain.

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E36 V8 Swap Part 3: Buying the Donor –or- “How I followed every rule about buying a used car and still got a piece of junk.”

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Now the E30 M3 was little more than a homologation special built purely for the racetrack, and it showed – there was no mistaking an E30 M3 for its more tame 3-series counterparts. Likewise, the E46 M3 has more bumps, bulges, fender flares, and extra exhaust pipes than a Kia Spectra after a tornado smashed it into Autozone’s “Appearance” aisle. It’s visually distinct enough that even from a distance an E46 M3 won’t be mistaken for your run-of-the-mill sorority-girl-special-325i. But the E36 M3 was very similar to the basic 3-series with only a few visual indications that it’s something special. I’m okay with that.

The BMW is relieved to be back in suburbia, among its people.

This particular M3 is a 1997 model year, one of two years that Americans got the sedan (or “saloon”, if you want people to know that you watch Top Gear and are also an obnoxious person). If you’re super “hip” and “with it” on the BMW forums, you’ll call this one an M3/4/5 (four door, five speed). Being able to use this numerically pleasing shorthand really eases the pain of not getting the 6-speed (and more powerful engine) of the European M3.

This M3 is also equipped with the luxury package, which consists of sideskirts from the non-M 3-series, no front lip like the regular M3 has, an odd front bumper with slats on it, probably heavier heated power seats, and ugly wood trim throughout the interior. Also chrome interior door handles. LUXURY. Fortunately, at some point this car got the regular M3 front bumper, complete with curb-checking lip and one busted fog light.

The fact that the front bumper was replaced at some point should probably be a red flag.

The Exterior

From several feet away it looks pretty good, right? When I began to look a little closer, however, the flaws started to become much more apparent. It had some rust. It looks like somebody caught the lip of the rear bumper with a running angle grinder cutoff wheel. The entire front bumper and fascia were covered in rock chips. And oh yeah, it had been repainted. Poorly.

I’m honestly not even sure how this would happen.

The Interior

Right, so the exterior’s a bit of a mixed bag (the kind of mixed bag that’s like 90% broken glass and 10% clear rock candy, maybe). How about the interior? Well the crown jewel of the inside of the car (I’m using the term “jewel” generously. Also “car.”) is the faux-suede headliner the previous owner just had installed before selling me the car. It cost $500, which he mentioned several times as I looked over the body rust and listened to the engine make all kinds of horrible, awful noises at idle. I see nothing wrong with those priorities, and that definitely shouldn’t have been yet another red flag.

He was a smoker and hadn’t really taken the time to clean the ash out of the ashtrays or remove the stray butts from the driver’s footwell or clean the hazy fog from each interior window, but he did install several different air fresheners in the vents. So instead of the car smelling like stale cigarette smoke, it smelled like stale cigarette smoke and some noxious, overpowering combination of whatever air freshener makers think fruits and flowers smell like. If that scent were marketed as a perfume, I can only assume it would be called Eau de Truck Stop Prostitute.

Also oh my Holy Mother of Rockford Fosgate so many RCA connectors. Like ten. Literally ten. Ten RCA connectors. I honestly have no idea what they were all for, or what the thought process was behind adding the last pair of wires.

Well I already have enough RCA cables to run eight channels of audio from my four channel stereo to the trunk, better add two more to make it an even ten channels of audio. From my four channel stereo into my four channel amp. Also I should probably install another air freshener.

The half-heartedly electrical-taped stereo harness adapter was a nice touch.

So there’s some wear on both the driver’s and passenger’s bolsters, but we already established that this car wasn’t well cared for, so no surprises there. I’m sure the guy was far too busy smoking, purchasing air fresheners, and installing RCA cables to worry about properly conditioning the fine German leather seats. After some time with the Shop-Vac and a little elbow grease, the interior cleaned up pretty nicely for the most part.

Nuts and Bolts

But what about the car’s mechanical integrity? The guy I bought it from was really proud that it had never ever leaked a drop of oil, ignoring the splash of oil that appeared on the valve cover after our test drive and the glowing low oil pressure light. Maybe it never leaked a drop onto the ground , but plenty of it ended up on the front subframe.

Where’d the engine go?? Oh, that’s for the next installment.

Also rust. There’s…a lot of rust. Probably more than I should be comfortable with. But those are just the fenders, and they’re non-structural so it doesn’t really matter, right? Right??

But here’s what surprised me. Mechanically speaking, it’s like someone somewhere along the line knew what they were doing. Check these out:

Suspension mount reinforcement plates, front and rear. But of course they wouldn’t fit in without some rust of their own.

According to the forums, the E36 was the first chassis BMW designed with CAD instead of “good old fashioned German engineering so that’s why the chassis suspension mounting points tear apart under normal use” (I swear that’s almost an exact quote). Also, the rear trailing arm bushings have too much play and can tear their mounts apart under normal everyday driving conditions, so “RTAB limiters” are a necessity, which this car already has.

RTABs, consider yourselves limited. Also, did I mention rust?

Next up, adjustable UUC sway bars front and rear ($350).

And Koni shocks in back ($250).

And all rubber brake lines replaced with braided stainless steel ($125).

Also rust.

And a stainless Borla catback ($775).

Slightly less rust.

And a decent set of projector headlights ($200).

All things I probably would have done myself, which makes the purchase price a little bit sweeter and helps make up for some of the…uh…less fortunate findings.

With the initial inspection complete, it was just about time to commence TEARDOWN and NEW ENGINE ASSEMBLY. Stay tuned! And before I forget, no summary of this car as I bought it would be complete without remembering this sticker on the rear passenger window.

Stay classy, everyone.

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Catch my build thread here on Oppo with a new installment each Monday, or if you like spoilers check out !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! for the latest updates. Instagram me !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , I promise that any pictures I post of my welds will be the inch of bead that went well, not the six inches of bird poop.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > MikaelVroom 05/09/2016 at 16:07

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Huh, that looks familiar. I’ve decided all sedans were spec’d in silver with the optional wing. Then subsequently owned by people who can’t do stereo wiring but try anyway.

They’re even rusting in the same places, though my rear quarter is much further gone... Been poorly repainted too.

General Mayhem > MikaelVroom 05/09/2016 at 16:13

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I have just three words concerning your purchase of this car... ARE YOU DAFT?!?!? CP all day long!!!

QuadPole > MikaelVroom 05/09/2016 at 16:13

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With that much rust on the underside, consider dropping the subframe and welding on some OEM subframe reinforcements. I suspect the subframe and subframe mount is not faring much better than the rest of the underside of the car. This would also be a good time to go black polys for the subframe bushings.

Klaus Schmoll > Logansteno: Bought a VW? 05/09/2016 at 16:17

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Still a beautiful car. They have aged really well.

damnthisburnershitsux > MikaelVroom 05/09/2016 at 16:17

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However, there were a few pleasant surprises along the way that eased the initial shock and pain

hopefully one of those pleasant surprises was the left over half of an 8-ball the original owner had hidden when getting pulled over, cause you’ll need something that strong

gofry > MikaelVroom 05/09/2016 at 16:21

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The smoke is a total deal killer. The smell will never, ever come out.

MikaelVroom > Logansteno: Bought a VW? 05/09/2016 at 16:23

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You have the twisty sideskirts! I haven’t decided whether or not I like them better.

MikaelVroom > gofry 05/09/2016 at 16:25

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The worst of it was when I Rain-X’d the inside of each window and removed the film, it reeked. After a good carpet shampoo, leather conditioning, and Febreezing there’s no smoke smell, even on a hot day.

mfennell > MikaelVroom 05/09/2016 at 16:25

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I’ll make one positive observation about the seller. It sounds like he’s the only smoker in the world who does not use the nearest open window to discard his butts.

MikaelVroom > QuadPole 05/09/2016 at 16:26

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The suspension components were rusty and the fender undersides are gone, but the actual structure looks solid still. Are you talking front or rear subframe?

MikaelVroom > General Mayhem 05/09/2016 at 16:27

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My wife has called me many things, but daft is not one of them. Probably because she’s not British. If she was British I’m sure she’d call me “daft” every day of my life.

MikaelVroom > damnthisburnershitsux 05/09/2016 at 16:28

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I did find something almost as good as an 8-ball - a set of upholstery shears probably from the recent headliner job. Who doesn’t love a nice set of big-ass scissors??

MikaelVroom > Klaus Schmoll 05/09/2016 at 16:29

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The design has certainly aged well. I’m not so sure about the actual cars.

MikaelVroom > mfennell 05/09/2016 at 16:31

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I think his town probably just ran out of space for more cigarette butts , so he resorted to the driver’s footwell and, eventually, the ash tray.

dataPOG > MikaelVroom 05/09/2016 at 16:31

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How do you leave a pair of big ass scissors in a car? I shouldn’t be surprised though, I found a 18 inch flathead screwdriver behind driver side headlight in my car.

computiNATEor > MikaelVroom 05/09/2016 at 16:37

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Based on where it is, that is one nasty power steering fluid leak, not engine oil leak. BMWs from the 90s all the way to the late 2000s (and even now, AFAIK) use plastic power steering reservoirs, and they’ll leak generic ATF just about everywhere, as seen here on the front subframe. On the e39, it’s even better; the ATF drips down onto the front of the alternator, ruining its bearings prematurely. Oh, well, lifetime-warranty’d Bosch it is. My reservoir and hoses, which were brand new just a year and 25k miles ago, are already leaking. During hard driving, the ATF heats up too much and sprays from the vent tube all over the engine bay, too, which is just brilliant.

MikaelVroom > computiNATEor 05/09/2016 at 16:40

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Yeah, the rack was in bad shape. I ended up replacing it with a rebuilt unit and steering effort dropped considerably, as did the leaks.

elvisizer > MikaelVroom 05/09/2016 at 16:41

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this reminds me of the time I randomly bought a 944 turbo for $5000 on the way home from work one day . . . . .

That actually turned out decently- I drove the dying turbo around for about a year, put almost nothing into it, then sold it to a porsche mechanic when it had some real issues for $3000.

dannyzabolotny > MikaelVroom 05/09/2016 at 16:44

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Honestly, I’d love to find a beat up E36 M3 to use as a daily beater while I make my E39 M5 perfect. The S52 engine may not be all that powerful, but it’s reliable and can take a lot of abuse. Rust isn’t an issue in Arizona either.

QuadPole > MikaelVroom 05/09/2016 at 16:44

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Rear subframe.

Klaus Schmoll > MikaelVroom 05/09/2016 at 16:45

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Too many owners by now. The first owners took care, the second owners still cared for them when they could afford it, the third owners just wanted bang for the buck, the fourth owners thought they could fix the little niggles but made it worse and eventually gave up, and now people like Logan and Mikael have to fix other peoples’ mistakes and the damages from denying a rather needy machine it’s much needed maintenance.

relative paucity > MikaelVroom 05/09/2016 at 16:46

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Your idea of “rust” and mine are very, very different. This thing looks showroom-new to me! XD

FastShoes > MikaelVroom 05/09/2016 at 16:48

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While reading this I almost broke out in hives looking at all the rust, oil, cords and work that this car needs. You must be a dauntless individual with ice water running through your veins to tackle this.

Also, you weren’t kidding about spoilers a’ plenty on your blog. I’ll check those out later. Thanks and good luck!

MikaelVroom > elvisizer 05/09/2016 at 16:49

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That’s 364 days, 23 hours, and 50 minutes longer than this thing lasted!

MikaelVroom > FastShoes 05/09/2016 at 16:51

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I’m pretty sure the pink eye I got last month was a results of debris falling off the underside of this car and into my eye.

eye-surgeon > MikaelVroom 05/09/2016 at 16:51

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I had an E36 for about 6 months. Driving dynamics are wonderful but the interior was beyond cheap and had the suspension/strut tower engineering flaws that make you wonder why BMW has a reputation for quality. It’s not well-earned. I moved on.

MikaelVroom > Klaus Schmoll 05/09/2016 at 16:52

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And all I’m doing is slowing the inevitable downward spiral.

MikaelVroom > QuadPole 05/09/2016 at 16:53

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I may dig into that one of these days, I’ve also looked into upgrading the diff bolt, especially if I decide to pump up the power at all.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > MikaelVroom 05/09/2016 at 16:54

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I think the twists fit the M body kit a little better, though I like the normal ones too. I have always found it odd that both designs have a dip in the middle. I guess to get over speed bumps?

TheHondaBro > MikaelVroom 05/09/2016 at 16:54

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That house in the background has no windows on that side.

MikaelVroom > eye-surgeon 05/09/2016 at 16:56

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I can’t believe you’d shit-talk the fake wood and rough hard plastic interior. It’s German Engineering ™.

MikaelVroom > TheHondaBro 05/09/2016 at 16:57

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They’re really missing out at seeing all of the weeds in my landscaping and my AC unit.

MikaelVroom > Logansteno: Bought a VW? 05/09/2016 at 16:58

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The E36 is famous for its substantial breakover angle, BMW wouldn’t want to sully that reputation on the M cars.

RacingShark > computiNATEor 05/09/2016 at 17:05

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I have an older 635csi that has a metal ATF reservoir. It too has problems when it gets hot, you have to keep it a bit below the recommended level or it will volcano out the top. Oh, the best part, the power steering system also powers the brakes! (there is no normal brake booster) So when it gets too hot and overflows, no brakes! Luckily this happened in the parking lot and not on the track.

didyourlysaythat? > TheHondaBro 05/09/2016 at 17:06

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This is not abnormal at all, Windows cost more than a plain wall and construction companies realized you'd rather not look out your window to see a neighbour looking back at you... Many newer neighbourhood have front, back and one side with windows, always looking the same way as the house next door.

gofry > MikaelVroom 05/09/2016 at 17:10

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I’m not sure I believe that. Even car dealer detailers can’t get smoke smells out of their used cars.

MikaelVroom > gofry 05/09/2016 at 17:13

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Well those guys don’t have the key ingredient I use every day, it’s a secret to all of my successes in life: Low Standards™.

I'm Abe Froman > MikaelVroom 05/09/2016 at 17:19

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The Luxury package is all kinda of bad:

1) You article finally explained my confused me that plagued me for nearly 20 years this day - is that an M3? OR....

2) allowed 325 (& 318) a cheap and easy method to copy an M3

3) BMW probably charged and arm & a leg for this package while further debasing the M3 nameplate .

Declan Hackett > MikaelVroom 05/09/2016 at 17:25

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Well, it’s never really going to be your M3 until you get your own stiletto marks and stank into the headliner!

Judging by the window sticker, the previous owner probably had too much of both for anyone to overcome…

Update:

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Hadn’t read that far when I started to type… I stand by my observation!

MikaelVroom > Declan Hackett 05/09/2016 at 17:26

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I’m terrified to think of the quality of ass this guy nabbed.

MikaelVroom > I'm Abe Froman 05/09/2016 at 17:29

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The Luxury package is all kinda of bad:

I like the adjustability of the power seats, and in theory the heated seats would be nice in the winter if they worked. Other than that, the luxury package makes it heavier and uglier. So more like a modern car.

Foo2rama > MikaelVroom 05/09/2016 at 17:32

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Those appear to be e46 seats...

Declan Hackett > MikaelVroom 05/09/2016 at 17:32

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Welcome to the real reason why M3 convertibles have such a premium!

Numbers6 > TheHondaBro 05/09/2016 at 17:32

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Some codes don’t allow windows facing another house sideways.

CitronC > TheHondaBro 05/09/2016 at 17:33

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Good walls make good neighbors.

Patrick Frawley > MikaelVroom 05/09/2016 at 17:36

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Wow.

That gentle scratching sound you hear is me crossing the E36 off of my shopping list.

FastShoes > MikaelVroom 05/09/2016 at 17:39

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While working with my dad in the garage growing up, he had this really old sticker that said “Be Wise, Protect Your Eyes.” It’s been my mantra ever since.

AssFault > MikaelVroom 05/09/2016 at 17:42

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What? When did grass no longer become acceptable motoring currency?

MikaelVroom > Patrick Frawley 05/09/2016 at 17:44

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turbo_corolla > MikaelVroom 05/09/2016 at 17:44

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Need any help welding that sweet sweet rust, I’m available for hire. Gas money and food haha

Delta88 > TheHondaBro 05/09/2016 at 17:46

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He had “marijuana grow room” in mind when he got the house built!

MikaelVroom > AssFault 05/09/2016 at 17:46

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Apparently at the same time that boobs became head-sized. And shaped.

MikaelVroom > FastShoes 05/09/2016 at 17:47

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MikaelVroom > Foo2rama 05/09/2016 at 17:48

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The E46 can’t touch this level of luxury.

Delta88 > AssFault 05/09/2016 at 17:49

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Since mostly everybody can get it legally now lol

InfinityAero > MikaelVroom 05/09/2016 at 18:04

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Hope you weld!

MikaelVroom > InfinityAero 05/09/2016 at 18:08

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My welding is so fine you can call me JB.

carry on my wayward sun > MikaelVroom 05/09/2016 at 18:08

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doood yer car is ass. and looking at it is giving me gas. So I think Ill go drive my oh sew faboo Elantra

SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman > Foo2rama 05/09/2016 at 18:11

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They aren’t

SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman > I'm Abe Froman 05/09/2016 at 18:14

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Not really debasing it honestly all that much. Yeah you got leather door inserts and power seats, sunroof and wood trim and no bumper lip but it’s not like power seats and sunroof were options that you couldn’t get by themselves on a base M3.

There was no performance removal relative to a base M3 for a M3 with that luxury package

aquila121 > MikaelVroom 05/09/2016 at 18:16

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So many air freshener jokes, but yet they didn’t get stale. Fun read, I sympathize. Now I get to go back and read your previous entries.

Chasaboo > MikaelVroom 05/09/2016 at 18:24

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I’m using that line.

Chasaboo > MikaelVroom 05/09/2016 at 18:25

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The most expensive car in the world, is a cheap German car. You get to live that motto firsthand.

SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman > MikaelVroom 05/09/2016 at 18:34

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Mulberry seats color?

I love that color

Zendax > MikaelVroom 05/09/2016 at 18:34

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Practice makes perfect.

Pyrochazm > MikaelVroom 05/09/2016 at 18:50

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I could imagine your hypothetical muffler shop: “Sir! Wait! Ya gotta let the glue dry on those headers!”

Bob Loblaw > MikaelVroom 05/09/2016 at 18:52

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The leak you have on and around the front subframe is probably also power steering fluid (actually ATF) from the steering rack. A solid replacement is the much faster z3 1.9 rack.

Also make sure to address the bolt on the front of the differential before it backs out.

MikaelVroom > Chasaboo 05/09/2016 at 19:03

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The BMW forums say you can’t get an E36 M3 for under $10k. Even if your initial purchase price is less than $10k, you’ll spend that much getting it working properly. My wife may be perusing these comments, so I’ll refrain from saying what I have into it so far.

shawn > MikaelVroom 05/09/2016 at 19:09

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You deserve a lot more stars.

MikaelVroom > Bob Loblaw 05/09/2016 at 19:09

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Funny you mention that! I actually ordered a non-M Z3 rack off of eBay and installed it, only to find that it was the same 3.2 turns LTL as the stock rack. Clearly it was not what the seller claimed it was. I’ve spread the word on the BMW forums to avoid that seller.

MattRFrankenBenz > MikaelVroom 05/09/2016 at 19:10

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I’ve a buddy who used to say this was true of any ‘performance’ or ‘sports’ car you could buy, and was precisely the comment I was going to make.

MikaelVroom > Pyrochazm 05/09/2016 at 19:10

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I’d solve that problem by using zip-ties to hold the pipes in place until the glue dried. My ingenuity knows no bounds.

MikaelVroom > SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman 05/09/2016 at 19:12

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Yes, though I’m not sure the Germans have ever actually seen a mulberry.

MikaelVroom > shawn 05/09/2016 at 19:13

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As long as I have enough to dance with.

Casey388 > MikaelVroom 05/09/2016 at 19:19

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Always good to see a fellow Iowan on here. Looking forward to seeing the rest of the process.

computiNATEor > RacingShark 05/09/2016 at 19:23

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Wait, the power steering system is shared with the brake system? So brake fluid? That’s a system I’ve never heard of before.

There are metal assemblies available, like this expensive and beautiful one from a SoCal shop:

http://www.agatools.com/part/bmw-power…

logruszed > MikaelVroom 05/09/2016 at 19:24

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I had a similar bit of body kit on an early 80's Celica split like that. I don’t know how the initial fracture happened, possibly a door-ding or some other parking-lot mishap, but it became a genuine split in an automate car wash when a frayed bit of whatever soapy thing they were whacking my car with caught in the little fracture and tugged it in to a much larger gap.

Didn’t see you mention this but you’re going to want to change the cabin air filter after blasting the HVAC with something to get all the ash out. It’s a good thing the leather was darker. I had a Coupe DeVille with white leather interior I thought was cream until I took off the seat hardware to fix a switch. Smokers, gross.

SOCdriver > MikaelVroom 05/09/2016 at 19:30

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I was close to getting a 540i at one point for a project car. Then my friend beat me to purchasing one, then he doubled the cost of the car to get it running correctly and smogged. Then it shit out the rear diff while driving to work. It is still in his garage while he saves for a new transmission, drive shaft and rear diff. I am looking at another MR2.

aeOzzy > MikaelVroom 05/09/2016 at 19:31

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Awesome! If this was a forum, I would say:

sub’d.

and leave... Joking aside, I am looking forward to your updates!

Cronus > MikaelVroom 05/09/2016 at 19:31

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At least you're not planning on driving it across the country next week. You're not, right?

MikaelVroom > Cronus 05/09/2016 at 19:37

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Funny you mention that.

https://www.24hoursoflemons.com/rally

Actually, there’s a worse car I want to take.

MikaelVroom > SOCdriver 05/09/2016 at 19:38

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Wait...30 hours to replace some destined-to-fail chain guides doesn’t sound like your idea of a good time? What kind of enthusiast are you??

InfinityAero > MikaelVroom 05/09/2016 at 19:39

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After renting a welder for a day, and surveying the remaining rust on my Fiat, I’ve decided to invest in a cheap welding setup... takes forever to weld sheet metal, but also strangely satisfying... to the extent that I never want to work with wood again beyond furniture.

And coincidentally, I used JB weld to fill the couple pinholes remaining. One of my shock towers rusted through and impacted the shock shielding metal beneath, and it’s a little past repair, so I’ll be glassing over the small hole and covering it with some glass filled body filler before welding in the new patch panel.

ArtistAtLarge > MikaelVroom 05/09/2016 at 19:52

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You’ve got to be kidding. That’s just nasty.

ArtistAtLarge > gofry 05/09/2016 at 19:57

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I had the same issue with a car I bought. Constant cleaning fixed it. However, I still can’t get the smell out of the A/C when I first turn it on. It’s either the exchanger under the dash of the vents themselves, but at least it goes away after a few minutes.

It also had the problem with that lovely “wet dog” smell. Previous owner must have left the windows open on one too many rain days. Same solution of constant cleaning fixed it as well. But it also only comes back when it’s been raining heavily for several days. I can live with both.

Pyrochazm > MikaelVroom 05/09/2016 at 19:59

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True story for you: I had an old F150 with a rusted out muffler. I tried to put it through emissions but the muffler was so bad not enough exhaust was available for the sensor probe thingy. Instead of you know, actually fixing the problem I went and bought a roll of duct tape and some aluminum foil. You know where I’m going with this. I stopped near the Emissions check place and wrapped the foil and tape around my rotted out can. It held juuust long enough to get the emissions done.

My contraption feel off before I made it past the rollers on the way out.

SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman > MikaelVroom 05/09/2016 at 19:59

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My old M3 had mulberrry seats! My current M3 (both E36s) has black seats

PancakePuppy > MikaelVroom 05/09/2016 at 20:00

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Is “Funny you mention that” your catch phrase? :)

1111111111111111111111 > MikaelVroom 05/09/2016 at 20:15

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I think the window sticker says everything you need to know about the previous owner(s)

breckenedge > MikaelVroom 05/09/2016 at 20:18

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Sweet! I recently got a $2500 Craigslist 1999 M-Roadster tagged and inspected here in Texas. Was running on 5 cylinders. Rear subframe welds are starting to let go after 2 autox sessions (on a rust free car!). Lots of parts comonality with the E36 M3. Total costs are now ~$7k, and still needs about $6k to finish it (all work done with my pops in the parent’s garage).

Next project will definitely be Japanese or American.

OrphanCarsR-Us > MikaelVroom 05/09/2016 at 20:20

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I....ow....just ow. I have owned and worked on e36 cars. Between the four doors and the rust I would be pulling the “oh-sh**” handle on the parachute. I’d consider this car fodder for other projects.

I wish you good luck and Godspeed sir.

MikaelVroom > breckenedge 05/09/2016 at 20:23

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My wife said she’s like a stick shift convertible someday, and I’m thinking a Z3M or Z4M would be a lot of fun.

MikaelVroom > PancakePuppy 05/09/2016 at 20:23

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Ooo, I need a catchphrase.

MikaelVroom > OrphanCarsR-Us 05/09/2016 at 20:34

4

Well no one can get mad at me for ruining a good M car with a V8 swap!!

TestDriver215 > breckenedge 05/09/2016 at 20:35

0

Why? German cars, especially BMWs, are far more fun to work on than Jap or US cars. That M3 was not well cared for, but if you find one that was, it doesn’t matter how old it is. I will say the E36 had a litany of issues, however, especially rust.

Boogie Down Bruthahood > MikaelVroom 05/09/2016 at 20:37

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Good for her and very impressive as they are both manual only!

You probably know the E36/7 m Roadster (98-00) and the M Roadster (S54 engine ) can be a “handful” due to it short wheelbase.

The E85 M Roadster is the last analog BMW.

The S54 requires “special maintenance” and pay close attention to main bearings.

I hope you get her a great car! She will love either one.

Boogie Down Bruthahood > MikaelVroom 05/09/2016 at 20:45

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“Damn, Carol you are in tough shape. You still look good girl with that stick and sunglasses come over here.”

(high-pitched Chris Tucker voice)

Acheron-MKII > OrphanCarsR-Us 05/09/2016 at 20:51

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Any experience with OBD I 318i’s? I’ve been looking for advice and can’t find anything that I haven’t tried yet. Stalls on cold idle. auto trans. trying to fix it before selling.

LongbowMkII > MikaelVroom 05/09/2016 at 21:03

0

Not as fun as a turbocharged Miata.

breckenedge > MikaelVroom 05/09/2016 at 21:09

1

I can confirm it’s a ton of fun, even with the regular ole S52. Gotta get used to people calling it a “Z3" though. Pffft, peasants.