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Thread: /// mock 3

  1. #51
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    sunny QLD, australia
    Posts
    1,218
    My Cars
    e21 320i, wide s50 e36
    ive never been overly happy with the coilovers i got for this originally, they were a no name brand, but "supposed" to be specced to suit the car. i was never told the spring rates, and the rears were super soft, so i bought 5" 900lb springs for the rear, which lessened scrubbing, but thats about it. i bought them with the intent to go low, which they did without any hassle.

    so many brands, so many prices, so many choices, a couple months ago, i decided to go with GAZ coilovers. so after a few emails back and forth, they order was placed, and i waited for them to be built and sent to me.

    after much reading, umming and ahhing i decided to opt for true coilover rears. mainly for the ability to adjust the height on the car easier, and not having to worry about not having the spring trapped when jacking the car up. i know there will probably be a few people condemning me for my choice, telling me the cars going to break in two, etc. i found many people saying a full cage tied into the towers was needed, and on the other hand, many people having no troubles with just the z3 reinforcement plates(which i already have)

    before installing, i checked my towers for any damage, rust, cracks, etc and all was good. this week i'll be ordering a masonengineering 3piece brace, and the lower brace which ties into the rear diff subframe mounts, for a bit of extra support, whether it will actually help or not i dont know, but in my mind it should, even if its a small amount.

    i also have a pair of the replacement tower sheetmetals in the shed "if" the shocks punch through.

    essentially, i know the risks, im happy to do the repairs should it come to that.


    anyway, they arrived last monday, and i spent tuesday night installing them. front spring rates are 650lb, rears are 300lb(which equates to ~750lb in stock location i believe)



    the rears required some trimming/modifying of the plastics covering the fuel evap lines and what not. i also gave the towers a few light taps in areas i thought it might rub.



    the passenger side(rhd, stfu :p) will be fun to adjust with the muffler in the way, but definately doable



    fronts were easy, but the new adjustable tops were fun to line up with the strut brace.



    all done and so far so good. once i get my diff built, i have a full rebushed rear end to go in, then ill start replacing front end stuff.

    its currently sitting 5-10mm lower than what it was before all round






    i also have a set of 135i calipers on the way to play with.

    Last edited by hakhawk; 07-07-2013 at 03:24 AM.


  2. #52
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    H-Town/Los Angeles USA
    Posts
    1,911
    My Cars
    bmw e36 328i 4dr saloon
    ohhh nice!! I like what I see here!!!
    1996 328i (m52B28US) OBD1 euro ZF 5spd. 3.23LSD conversion / Chem. PnP Head/ DINAN stg.2 CHIP/ VAC race valves/ S52 cams/ A/C delete/ fan delete/ Washer Fluid resv delete/ ARP head studs/ Cometic 140MLS / VAC Solid Engine/trans Mounts/ CAI / 2.5"Borla race exahaust/ NGK R spark plugs, M50 Mani, S50 Oil Res, Riot Racing HFTB, SAMCO Hoses, JBR FW, X-Brace, Mtech Front Bumper, RE RSMs, stoptech SS lines, Bilstein sports, H&R Race Springs, S52 Reinforcement plates, Kosei K1 w/ bridgestone RE960as, Brembo/stoptech slotted rotors, M3 Trailing arms, M3 Calipers, M3 Axles, ACS strut brace, weight reduction.

    http://mbuild.blogspot.com/

  3. #53
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    sunny QLD, australia
    Posts
    1,218
    My Cars
    e21 320i, wide s50 e36
    so i dropped the diff, gears and helical center off to central diffs in melbourne yesterday. should have it back in 2 weeks if all goes well. then i can organise putting the new rear end and other bits and pieces in finally, then i'll finally be able to unleash the potential of the s50. i've restrained myself for so long, so as not to shatter another 4cyl diff, and cant wait to really give it the beans.


    random snap out the front. might still drop the rear down a touch more sometime.




  4. #54
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    sunny QLD, australia
    Posts
    1,218
    My Cars
    e21 320i, wide s50 e36
    so after about 2000 odd km to nsw and back, i have in my possession a vortech t trim supercharger kit for an s50b32 m3 motor.


    came with:


    vortech v1-t race supercharger w/ bracket to suit my motor and 3 different sized pulleys(one of which i left with a mate to fix up some dings in it)
    custom plenum to suit oem itb's
    hybrid branded intercooler
    moristech interceptor ecu w/ plug from b32 ecu, so i can work out whats what for mine
    full piping/hose kit with bov
    600cc injectors
    crappy squished pod filter, which ill replace.


    plan is to go over everything, make sure its all good, replace what needs replacing, etc. clean it all up, paint brackets and what not, then sort out what parts i need to install it.


    i'll obviously need to get the ecu retuned to suit my motor


    googled the part number of the injectors, theyre 440cc @3bar but the s50b32 runs at 5bar(bumping up the flow rate to probably around 600cc), so ill need different injectors for mine.


    i want to rotate the compressor housing, because where it is, the tower needs to be "massaged" to clear the outlet, and i dont like the hose setup how it was on the last vehicle, so i can change that aswell.


    im sure theres more stuff i cant think of right now, so heres some pics




















    fear not, i will try and finish my carbon airbox aswell, just might not be as quick as id planned, depending on when i get the charger on


  5. #55
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Spokane, Wa
    Posts
    1,718
    My Cars
    '97 M3/2/6 '01 996tt
    Nice build!
    http://www.hardmotorsport.com http://Facebook.com/HardMotorsport

  6. #56
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    sunny QLD, australia
    Posts
    1,218
    My Cars
    e21 320i, wide s50 e36
    the mason engineering rear strut brace turned up today, might install the top piece this weekend, will install the lower piece when i do the diff/suspension swap



    got the software and wiring diagrams for the ecu, gotta poewr it up and see if i can read the old tune sometime.

    and got my mate making some spacers to bolt the blower to the bracket in extra points, and so i can make a brace from the blower to oil filter housing(much like the brace on the vf engineering kits
    Last edited by hakhawk; 07-25-2013 at 05:03 AM.


  7. #57
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    sunny QLD, australia
    Posts
    1,218
    My Cars
    e21 320i, wide s50 e36
    so small update, still working on the supercharger, ended up popping a bearing in half pulling the cover off, so now i have a full rebuild kit for it(seals were knackered, but bearings felt ok).



    making a second brace for it, like the vf engineering kits, as i wasnt over keen on using JUST the 10mm alloy plate to keep it all in place



    will finally be putting an oil cooler on, since the hardlines(which are currently being bypassed due to original cooler being stuffed when i got the motor) wont fit with the supercharger




    ive had the last 2 weeks, and next one on holidays from work, so i was going to actually have a "holiday", but instead have ended up working on the car. turned out the outer ball joiints on the rear control arms were stuffed, so i decided it was going to be my best time to do the rear end swap, seeing as i finaly had my rebuilt diff back.

    this is what the car looked like for the last 2 weeks :p



    old 4cyl rear end out



    rear subframe reinforcements welded in



    and rtab reinforcements done(yes its a touch messy, gasless mig + no room to move)



    turner camber arms and whiteline swaybar also installed



    whole rear end was redone, new rubber bushes, upper and lower outer ball joints instead of one of them being bushes, rtab limiters, new wheel bearings



    and new cv's from cardone, because the ones i got with the rear end had gotten water inside and rusted. i tried cleaning them up, but they were notchy as, so bit the bullet and bought new ones



    mason strut brace installed



    while the exhaust was off, i finally did my uuc evo3 +dssr , and e21 transmission mounts





    and back on the ground






    so i went from a 3.38 168mm open diff, to 3.46 188mm torsen, i still need to do front control arms(they were my original plan to do over the holidays, but they still havent arrived) and get a wheel alignment, but the car already feels more sure footed on the road.

    next update will hopefully be of the supercharger installed!
    Last edited by hakhawk; 09-14-2013 at 04:46 AM.


  8. #58
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Vancouver, WA
    Posts
    420
    My Cars
    97 BMW 328i
    Love everything about this E36, well done sir.

    1985 BMW 635csi || Auto || 200k || 15" Borbet || Delphin

  9. #59
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Location
    SF Bayarea
    Posts
    126
    My Cars
    1995 BMW M3 Coupe
    So proper. You did everything so right on this car, thanks for the inspiration

  10. #60
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Hayward, CA
    Posts
    306
    My Cars
    96 328is
    What are the mirrors you are using?

  11. #61
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    sunny QLD, australia
    Posts
    1,218
    My Cars
    e21 320i, wide s50 e36
    cheers guys. the mirrors are fibreglass replicas of the AC Schnitzer mirrors. mainly because theyre few and far between, and id rather someone break a replica than the real thing, as theres no spring loaded backup, its all solid.

    ive used many cars on here for inspiration(still do), so im glad mine can give some inspiration back


  12. #62
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    sunny QLD, australia
    Posts
    1,218
    My Cars
    e21 320i, wide s50 e36
    front control arms are done, tomorrow the cars booked in for its first wheel alignment since i bought it!!

    took a couple shitty weather pics, didnt get any of the control arm install, as i was fighting the rain the whole time





  13. #63
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Location
    Vancouver, BC
    Posts
    3,159
    My Cars
    1991 330iS
    Man this is great stuff. Keep the updates coming!

    Avusblau 1994 Euro M3 --> Journal Here
    Lagunagrün 1991 331iS-->Journal Here

  14. #64
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    sunny QLD, australia
    Posts
    1,218
    My Cars
    e21 320i, wide s50 e36
    well its time to build up another set of wheels, so i picked up a set of faces. just need to decide what lips i want and what colour to paint the faces, and try and find some cheap center caps


    ill be sticking with a sensible setup, no stretch, and the faces look to all have the same offset, so ill probably run 9" all round.




  15. #65
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    inside Super4BMW Ireland
    Posts
    328
    My Cars
    E36 318is, E36 320ic
    Just read this thread and I have to say I am well impressed and been glued to the screen, have you noticed any difference with having the Mason Engineering rear brace installed? Looking forward to seeing the 135i caliper upgrade to should be very nice indeed. It ain't no "318is" any more that's for sure!!!

  16. #66
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
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    sunny QLD, australia
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    My Cars
    e21 320i, wide s50 e36
    cant say ive really noticed any difference, but i did do the whole rear suspension at the same time, so hard to tell. i bought it mainly for the bit of reassurance with running the full coilover rear

    ive gotta have a play with the 135 brakes oneday, theyve been sitting in the shed, just havent had a chance to sit around and mess with them


  17. #67
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    inside Super4BMW Ireland
    Posts
    328
    My Cars
    E36 318is, E36 320ic
    Yup that's the problem with doing it all at once you can't tell which parts make the most difference, lol. The 135i setup should be good along with some braided lines etc. You will most likely need to have some brackets machined up for them to fit but a good machine shop worth they're salt could do that easily. Love the car, love the thread......SUBSCRIBED .

  18. #68
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
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    sunny QLD, australia
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    My Cars
    e21 320i, wide s50 e36
    yeh, braided lines ive decided will definately go on with the brakes. im hoping my new wheels will clear the current brake setup, and aiming to use the same rotors with the new calipers, mainly because i want to still be able to use 17" wheels. the fronts look to be fairly easy to do, just a new bracket, pretty much same as the oem ones, but different offset position, and shorter to suit the smaller rotor.

    rear ones the hard one, looking to keep current rotors, which are e46 328, ive looked into running bigger rotors, but they all require modified handbrake shoes, or no shoes altogether. so ill have to come up with a clever bracket design, which i hope will fit.

    luckily for the machining side of things, ive got a mate runs an engineering shop, so all i do is give him the cad files(which ill do myself) and he makes it up for me, at mates rates!! ive spent countless dollars with him between this and the e21(mostly the e21 though), so hes pretty much the only guy ill use.

    i really need to do the bearings in this supercharger and start getting that sorted too


  19. #69
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
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    wilmington De
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    2,358
    My Cars
    vinyl wrapped 97 328is
    sick man! no worrys about the rear shock towers blowing through because of the "true" coilover setup?

  20. #70
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
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    sunny QLD, australia
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    My Cars
    e21 320i, wide s50 e36
    Quote Originally Posted by whoshaunq View Post
    sick man! no worrys about the rear shock towers blowing through because of the "true" coilover setup?
    its always at the back of my mind, but after finding lots of uk guys running true coilovers with just z3 reinforcement plates and no issues, i decided to give it a crack. my mind says the mason brace should transfer some of the forces to the diff mount area(which has the m3 reinforcement plates now), theres absolutely zero rust around the towers, and should it fail, i bought the replacement tower metal just in case.

    ive put around 3-4000 miles without the brace and reinforcements, and a further ~500 so far with, and theres no sign of any problems. i keep poking my head in the boot to have a look, because i still havent sorted my carpet trim out.


  21. #71
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    sunny QLD, australia
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    My Cars
    e21 320i, wide s50 e36
    went to work to collect my boot carpet and some vinyl dye, on the way home i kinda detoured and went for a drive out to tarra bulga national park to see how much it had changed since last time.

    took some iphone pics on the way there and back. couple scenery shots mixed in, its much greener than last time from memory, still plenty of burnt out trees though









    this is where i turned around, continuing on is single lane with log trucks, done it before, but not today











  22. #72
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
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    sunny QLD, australia
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    My Cars
    e21 320i, wide s50 e36
    lips arrived today, its all feeling more real now!! once ive got the barrels, ill do a dry test fit, make sure everything actually fits, then get the centers done


  23. #73
    Join Date
    Jan 2003
    Location
    USA
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    3,850
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    BMW M3
    Nice work OP, with lots of parts replaced.
    Have to ask about rear shocks and springs, you eliminated the rear stock springs and now the new springs are transferred to the shocks so the entire rear weight of the car is now on the shock towers.
    I think they would need lots of reinforcement to prevent from cracking.

  24. #74
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
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    sunny QLD, australia
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    e21 320i, wide s50 e36
    Quote Originally Posted by M3C View Post
    Nice work OP, with lots of parts replaced.
    Have to ask about rear shocks and springs, you eliminated the rear stock springs and now the new springs are transferred to the shocks so the entire rear weight of the car is now on the shock towers.
    I think they would need lots of reinforcement to prevent from cracking.
    i did a lot of reading on this. theres people that say "dont do it, itll crack/tear/etc", "it needs a full cage, reinforced to the towers", then there are people who have been running this setup for multiple years with no ill effects.

    GAZ are involved in a e36 compact race series in the uk, which all use their coilovers, in full coilover form in the rear, so far i have been told there has been no problems(yes i know the sheetmetal in the compacts is different to coupes).

    i opted for the mason engineering rear brace to (in my mind) help with upwards forces as it ties the towers in with the diff mounts, and i have a set of rear tower panels in the shed if it all goes south. the coilovers have been in for over 6000 miles now, and ive been checking the towers regularly and am yet to see any signs of cracking.

    ive only just put the rear trims back in last week, so have been able to keep an eye on it every time i open the boot. i'll be pulling the trims back every now and then still and having a look see, checking the underside any time i have the rear end jacked up, but i dare say its going to be fine.


  25. #75
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
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    sunny QLD, australia
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    My Cars
    e21 320i, wide s50 e36
    so the motor got its 20,000 mile service today, which included the following

    oil + filter
    air filter
    plugs
    coils
    oil cooler
    wiper blades

    i did plugs and coils because the coils were original, and i plan on replacing all the electrics as i go, in hopes to improve some of the fuel economy and overall reliability. all the parts have done as much as 140,000 miles, so replacing them is better than not. i still need to sort out a laptop to run diagnostics and see what everythings doing properly.



    oil cooler lines came out great, so far no leaks, but ill keep an eye on it, will probably have to tighten the fittings after a bit. had to move the carbon canister a bit to clear the lines, but i want to move that out of the engine bay altogether before the charger goes in.



    parts are slowly rolling in for the new wheels, so far NOS center caps and bbs logos. currently waiting on valve stems, center cap tool and inner barrels





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