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Thread: Project "eBay E36"

  1. #1
    Join Date
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    E34, E36, E36/7

    Project "eBay E36"

    Okay I realize the word "eBay" is pretty taboo on here. But the purpose of this build is for me to have some fun and learn drifting for as cheap as possible. So if you can't stand to see someone install cheap china made parts on a beater e36 sedan (saloon? in the US we say sedan) you might as well leave now. Phrases like "Lemforder only" and "don't waste your money on those. buy real ones instead" will just be ignored.

    If you've made it to this point, welcome to my half-assed attempt at beginner drifting.

    The journey begins with my friend and his KA-T S13 coupe. He attended a drift event last year and re-kindled my love for cars going sideways. This past March, there was another event at a nearby track which he entered in so I attended as well. After the event my mind was made up.

    I've been building my E34 for years now and that clearly wasn't going to be done by August, so I decided that i wanted to find a cheap car i could start drifting in with no regard for the car's cosmetics. I figure if I'm learning, I'll probably crash at some point so no point in starting out with something pretty and expensive. A couple weeks went by and i had decided on a 92 E34 525i that had been parked behind our shop for the past 9 months. The size and limited aftermarket might be an issue, as well as the steering box, but i figured what the hell. Its a 5spd, the body is rough, and its a first drift car for cheap.

    I was all set to buy it when someone sold us their E36 sedan. A 1995 325i 5spd with 128,000 miles. I came in to check out the car and it was perfect. Slight front and rear end damage, some rust around the rear fenders and sideskirts, bumper starting to come off at the rear wheel arch, and completely blown suspension all around. But the best part was that it was a running, driving, DD capable m50tu powered e36 for under $1000. Sold.

    May 20, 2015
    And so it begins.

    Here she is the day I made the purchase.


    2015.05.21 - day 1 by George, on Flickr


    2015.05.21 - day 1 by George, on Flickr


    2015.05.21 - day 1 by George, on Flickr


    2015.05.21 - day 1 by George, on Flickr

    As i said, she's a bit rough which is perfect. I won't feel bad adding the inevitable dings and dents that go along with being a drift noob.

    May 23, 2015

    First thing i noticed on the drive home was that i coudln't really take the thing above 5000 rpm and the fan was loud as hell. Stopped at a friend's house and we checked out the fan to find a missing fan blade. Out came the cooling fan. Next order of business was the suspension. I surely couldn't begin my drift journey with factory blown shocks. I mean...


    dat bounce tho

    With the cooling fan out of the way she made it home without incident. of course i made her pose with my wife's E46


    2015.05.23 home by George, on Flickr


    2015.05.23 home by George, on Flickr

    so i did what i do best. found the cheapest option possible to go low and stiff (giggity).

    picked up a set of Street Edge coilovers and no-name camber plates.


    2015.05.31 coilovers install by George, on Flickr


    cp-e36-g(4) by George, on Flickr

    While browsing ebay I figured i'd add a time proven staple of cheap mods. the infamous cold air intake.

    May 30, 2015

    Knowing how simple these are to install, I threw on the cold air intake in the driveway after work.


    2015.05.30 cold air intake by George, on Flickr

    May 31, 2015

    With a box of parts to install I got started sunday around mid morning. Figured it was a good time to see how the intake sounds. The ricer in me is absolutely giddy.



    Took some before and after shots with the coilover install, a couple while still on the lift, but sadly no real install pics as i was focused on just getting done.

    BEFORE

    2015.05.31 Coilover Install by George, on Flickr


    2015.05.31 Coilover Install by George, on Flickr

    Camber Plate in place

    2015.05.31 Coilover Install by George, on Flickr

    And it's a good thing i had a set of these around. The stock wheel/tire combo was rubbing in the front.

    2015.05.31 coilovers install by George, on Flickr

    This is just about the lowest setting. I think there's barely any pre-load on the spring here.

    2015.05.28 coilovers install by George, on Flickr

    But i wanted to keep everything on as close to the highest setting as possible and go from there. So after a lot of collar turning in the front, and setting the spring perches to the highest setting in the rear, I ended up with this.

    AFTER

    2015.05.31 Coilover Install by George, on Flickr


    2015.05.31 Coilover Install by George, on Flickr

    COMPARISON

    2015.05.31 coilovers install before-after by George, on Flickr

    As you can see, the front dropped by around an inch or so, but the rear is actually taller in this picture. After driving around for a couple days the rear seems to have settled about an inch so it at least looks normal-ish now. During the install, I found out the rear upper shock mounts are bad. the bushing is seperated from the rubber so the shocks just kinda clank around in the back. New ones have been ordered, as well as new front LCA mounts.

    I noticed some timing chain rattle and upon checking the oil it seemed pretty thin. Read: it was dripping off the end of the dip-stick as soon as you pulled it out. So i also did an oil/filter change with some fresh 10-40 and the noise is all but gone. I'm guessing it could still use a chain/tensioner so that's on my list in the near future.

    The new rear shock mounts and front control arm mounts will be here friday, so i'll install those this weekend. What i didn't realize though is that apparently the hardware inside my E34's S3.64 differential can be swapped into my e36 case. So this weekend i'm hoping to drop both differentials, swap the internals, and reinstall them, giving the e36 the S3.64 and the E34 the 3.15 open diff. The e34 won't be needing the limited slip anytime soon and if i do end up driving it soon, it'll be fine on the 3.15 open diff for the early tuning stages.

    So there you have it. The early beginnings of an e36 being built in the cheapest way possible.
    Last edited by JesterMX6; 06-22-2015 at 09:02 AM.
    13 Grand Cherokee Limited V8 - Daily Driver - Wife
    97 Z3 2.8 Roadster
    95 325i Sedan - Project #ebayE36
    90 BMW 535i/5 - i should probably work on this again...

  2. #2
    Join Date
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    June 6, 2015

    Got the new rear shock mounts installed.


    2015.06.07 shock mounts by George, on Flickr


    Got some tires put on my E34 basketweaves and played with the ride height some more.


    2015.06.07 basketweaves shop by George, on Flickr


    2015.06.07 basketweaves driveway by George, on Flickr

    June 7, 2015

    No pictures. Pulled the e34 into the shop and dropped the differential. Having my dad (or someone at the shop) open it up and make sure it's in good condition this week so over the weekend we can swap the internals into the e36 diff case.
    13 Grand Cherokee Limited V8 - Daily Driver - Wife
    97 Z3 2.8 Roadster
    95 325i Sedan - Project #ebayE36
    90 BMW 535i/5 - i should probably work on this again...

  3. #3
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    98 328is
    im down on this.

    edit: do you have a link for the intake? how do you like it? im all for throwing cheap shit on my 328is, so i probably dont care too much, but id like to get the same one that someone already has, since ebay is full of 11ty different chinese designs.
    Last edited by RandomHero27; 06-22-2015 at 04:23 AM.

  4. #4
    Join Date
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    here's the one i used

    http://www.ebay.com/itm/371239687526...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

    as for how i like it? its an ebay intake. it pulls air from behind the lower bumper area and the air ends up in my engine. it does what its supposed to do, and it does it for under $40 bucks lol

    i didn't need use the maf adapter elbow. the silicone was a little tight. Installation was simple enough. removed one of the horns, needs to be remounted somewhere. Changed the angle of the other one so that its out of the way.

    I installed the intake tube from the top of the engine bay, filter i put on from underneath. tightened the clamps, took it for a drive and enjoyed the ricer noises coming from under the hood. filter sits just above the fog light as you can see in the picture above.
    Last edited by JesterMX6; 06-22-2015 at 09:00 AM.
    13 Grand Cherokee Limited V8 - Daily Driver - Wife
    97 Z3 2.8 Roadster
    95 325i Sedan - Project #ebayE36
    90 BMW 535i/5 - i should probably work on this again...

  5. #5
    Join Date
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    June 27 - 28, 2015

    Got to work on the car over our summer shutdown.

    Decided it was time to fit the 16" wheels from my e34 onto my e36. This required rolling the fenders. I started with the rear, but definitely did not take my time. because drift car.


    2015.06.27 rear fender rolling by George, on Flickr

    With the fender rolled, i noticed the rear bumper was going to be an issue when the car was down.


    2015.06.27 bumper catching tire by George, on Flickr

    There was a simple solution to that problem though


    2015.06.27 rear bumper removed by George, on Flickr

    With the bumper gone, the rubbing ceased. I might trim the bumper and mount it again at some point, but for now this will do.

    The ball joints and bushings up front were all pretty well destroyed so I picked up a cheap front suspension "refresh" kit off ebay. Control arms, inner/outer tie rods, lollipops.

    You can see here how after i unbolted the tie rod, it just kinda hung there.


    2015.06.27 front tie rod by George, on Flickr

    The left control arm also had issues coming out, so the cut off wheel was used.


    2015.06.28 stubborn left control arm by George, on Flickr

    Also the larger bolt on the control arm that goes through the frame is a huge pain. The nut that goes on is in a horrible spot with very little room to move. Lots of 1/4 turns to get this thing tight.


    2015.06.28 PITA control arm nut by George, on Flickr

    After all that, turned out they didn't send the right control arm. I put the old one back on finger tight and got the car rolled back out to the parking lot.

    Here is how it turned out with 15" wheels up front and 16" wheels in the rear.


    2015.06.29 16s rear 15s front by George, on Flickr

    June 30, 2015

    Since I was waiting on parts, i decided to roll the front fenders. I rushed through the rears but wanted to see how taking my time might turn out on the first one up front. So with a little patience and a lot of heat, it turned out pretty well.


    2015.06.30 front fender rolling taking my time by George, on Flickr


    2015.06.30 front left fender by George, on Flickr


    2015.06.30 front left with 16" wheel by George, on Flickr

    Happy with my work, but realizing i didn't care how nice it looked, i went back to just yanking the roller back and forth on the passenger side.


    2015.06.30 front right fender rolling rushed by George, on Flickr


    2015.06.30 front right fender rolled rushed by George, on Flickr

    July 3, 2015

    After a couple days away from the cars to get some other stuff done, I got back to work on #ebayE36

    With the fenders done, but still waiting on the right control arm, I pulled the differential out of my e34 to get ready for the swap into the e36.

    The diff i'm using ( i think i mentioned already) is an S3.64 off my E34 535i, originally out of an E32 735i Automatic. It's in excellent condition and should keep me in 2nd gear for low speed drifts and 3rd for some of the quicker ones.


    2015.07.03 S3.64 diff from e32 by George, on Flickr

    July 4, 2015

    While not necessary, it seemed it'd make things easier to remove the cat-back exhaust. With that dropped, you can see just how much rust had built up around the bolts on this car.


    2015.07.04 diff removal, rust everywhere by George, on Flickr\

    No more pictures of the work because I got busy yanking bolts, but everything came out with some penetrating oil and some extra effort. I thought i was home free until i got to the final bolt on the right axle shaft. It looked like a transformer had chewed up and then over tightened the bolt on there as the torx head was extremely mangled. after spraying it down with penetrating oil and letting it soak, i tried everything from a vise-grip to a chisel to hammering on a slightly smaller socket onto the thing. None of which worked. Eventually the cut-off wheel was used to take the head of the bolt out. With that done, I unbolted the sway bar from the frame, leaving it on the suspension, rotated the bar out of the way and out came the diff. I'll be taking it apart this week and getting the S3.64 internals swapped over.

    All in all, a good week of working on my cars. Got some good progress made on both my E34 and the E36. For now, they wait on parts.


    2015.07.05 parked after a week of progress by George, on Flickr
    13 Grand Cherokee Limited V8 - Daily Driver - Wife
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    95 325i Sedan - Project #ebayE36
    90 BMW 535i/5 - i should probably work on this again...

  6. #6
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    98 328i, 79 911SC
    this build is awesome.
    perfect missile car build IMO.
    always trying to make it lighter and faster

    ^^former build: http://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/sh...-neglected-M3/
    current build: http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsc...car-build.html
    instant grams: doktor_b

  7. #7
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    July 8, 2015

    Picked up a pair of e46 wheels for cheap.


    2015.07.07 more wheels by George, on Flickr

    Then got to work on the differential. Separated all the parts out of the two cases and got ready to swap the pinion and races into the e36 case.


    2015.07.08 assembling the diff by George, on Flickr

    Also got my revshift bushings in.


    2015.07.08 revshift diff bushings by George, on Flickr

    But when i went to press the bushings out of the cover, i wasn't paying attention and split the outside of the mount apart on the press. Replacement cover has been ordered.

    Once the diff was assembled, everything is too tight to turn, so it's time to check clearances and order shims as necessary.

    July 12, 2015

    With the diff still out, I figured i'd get started on other stuff. I got the lock actuator pulled out of the rear passenger door so i can use it again. The correct control arm finally arrived, so I installed that and finished up the front end.

    Then i started on the brakes. It was like 100 degrees yesterday so i only got the rear done. the heat was getting to me so i'll get the fronts done sometime this week hopefully.


    2015.07.12 rear brakes by George, on Flickr
    13 Grand Cherokee Limited V8 - Daily Driver - Wife
    97 Z3 2.8 Roadster
    95 325i Sedan - Project #ebayE36
    90 BMW 535i/5 - i should probably work on this again...

  8. #8
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    July 15, 2015

    Well I don't think we'll have the S3.64 ready to go in time, so I found a 3.91 open diff and bought that. Once it gets here it'll be welded and thrown in. I'd like to stick with a posi rear end since i want to DD the car for a while, but the welded unit will get me up and running in time for the August event. only a few more weeks to go.
    13 Grand Cherokee Limited V8 - Daily Driver - Wife
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  9. #9
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    Sweet build man. I love the carelessness. Pretty much how I am with the cosmetics of my drift car. It's not to not really car about dents, scratches, etc when building a car.
    1995/98 BMW S52 Powered 325is. --DriftSlut--
    Drift Build Thread:
    http:// www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...52-Drift-Build


  10. #10
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    yeah i'm enjoying it. i'm putting more care into the E34. the e36 is something i'll be able to toss around and not worry about what happens.
    13 Grand Cherokee Limited V8 - Daily Driver - Wife
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    95 325i Sedan - Project #ebayE36
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  11. #11
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    July 27, 2015

    A friend of mine has been rocking a welded diff in his S13 for a couple years now so I asked him to weld my diff for me and he sent me a couple pictures. Can't wait to get this installed.


    2015.07.27 diff weld by George, on Flickr


    2015.07.27 welded 3.91 diff by George, on Flickr
    Last edited by JesterMX6; 07-28-2015 at 08:41 PM.
    13 Grand Cherokee Limited V8 - Daily Driver - Wife
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    90 BMW 535i/5 - i should probably work on this again...

  12. #12
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    Subscribing for progress. And style 73s.

  13. #13
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    on a sedan even. nice lol
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  14. #14
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    August 1 - 2, 2015

    Spent the weekend pulling double duty on both our master bathroom remodel and on the E36.

    Got the revshift bushings pressed into place and installed the welded 3.91 diff


    2015.08.01 random shot by George, on Flickr


    2015.08.01 revshift bushings by George, on Flickr

    then finished up my front brakes refresh with the PowerStop kit


    2015.08.01 front brakes complete by George, on Flickr

    After that i did a ghetto alignment with some string just to get the car road worthy and took it for a shake down. No issues seemed to arise so i pulled it back in for a couple more things.

    I added another degree of camber or so and it seems to be planting the front end a little better.

    I then tackled the issue of bypassing the EWS system. There's a lot of "definitive" guides on the subject, but some of them include some info while others leave some info out. In my trial and error process, i found out that i needed to keep my silver label ECU in the car, but with pin 66 cut and the EWS wires 1 and 3 connected to each other, I'm able to run a cheap eBay 413 Red chip. Car runs great and while the advertised power increase is too neglegable to notice, i am getting the full 7k revs out of the motor now so at the very least i'm able to verify that the chip is different than the factory one.

    After reassembling the interior I was able to get the car home without incident. I'll probably take it to work a couple times this week just to shake the cobwebs out.

    My first drift event ever will be in about 2 weeks at Raceway Park of the Midlands. Before that time comes I still want to see if the steering hub adapter i have fits and maybe swap out to a smaller steering wheel, do a permanent disable of the ACS and ABS, and I need to tie the battery down to pass tech. The Optima i have in there doesnt have the "feet" to let me use the factory bracket so i'll probably just bend a piece of metal to make my own.
    13 Grand Cherokee Limited V8 - Daily Driver - Wife
    97 Z3 2.8 Roadster
    95 325i Sedan - Project #ebayE36
    90 BMW 535i/5 - i should probably work on this again...

  15. #15
    MINIz guy's Avatar
    MINIz guy is offline #buttstuff2k14 BMW CCA Member
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    rolls coal
    Curious if the Revshift bushings could be pushed in by hand or not.

    Also, does your intake move excessively since it isn't braced by anything? How do you like the included eBay filter, or would you get a bigger K&N?

  16. #16
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    used a press for the bushings. they're very snug. Only issue is the bolts they came with were m12x1.75 and they're supposed to be m12x1.5 a trip to Ace solved that problem.

    As for the intake, i don't think it really moves at all. It's kind of "braced" by just resting against the body of the car. I can't imagine the M5x sucks in enough air to need more than just a cheap filter. and i've heard enough problems with the oils used in K&N filters potentially causing issues that i tend to stick to dry filters myself.
    13 Grand Cherokee Limited V8 - Daily Driver - Wife
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  17. #17
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    What grade bolts did you purchase at Ace?

  18. #18
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    Subscribed.

  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by pDubs View Post
    What grade bolts did you purchase at Ace?
    Grade 8.
    13 Grand Cherokee Limited V8 - Daily Driver - Wife
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  20. #20
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    August 22, 2015

    Starter started giving me issues so I replaced the starter with a carquest reman and ran into some issues. Turns out, someone has done the starter on this car and used a 96+ 328i starter on the car. So when i ordered a 95 325i starter, it was the wrong type. Luckily they had the 98+ model in stock so i was able to grab that and put it in. It's a bitch of a job because of the location, but i was able to do it without pulling the intake or the trans.

    And it turns out my "ebay" build is becoming less and less so. I put in revshift poly engine and trans mounts after doing the starter. Weird issue has happened though, after hard driving (no different than before) i'm getting a faint clutch smell when i come to a stop. Is it possible that running poly engine/trans/diff mounts are causing excessive clutch wear?
    13 Grand Cherokee Limited V8 - Daily Driver - Wife
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  21. #21
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    Probably need to change the brake fluid for the slave. After hard driving if the fluid is old, it is less likely to be awesome.....I should not reply after drinking, but yeah, you get the idea.

  22. #22
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    yeah its gotta be something like that or maybe just whatever the mounts had on them for coating is burning off and it smells like clutch. either way the clutch grabs fine so i'll just see what happens after a fluid flush.
    13 Grand Cherokee Limited V8 - Daily Driver - Wife
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  23. #23
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    Project "eBay E36"

    Quote Originally Posted by JesterMX6 View Post
    August 22, 2015
    Weird issue has happened though, after hard driving (no different than before) i'm getting a faint clutch smell when i come to a stop. Is it possible that running poly engine/trans/diff mounts are causing excessive clutch wear?
    With my all aluminum engine/trans/diff/subframe mounts I never get any clutch smell (it's Kevlar so it reeks and you know it when it does). It's possible that with the less drivetrain slack that it's just becoming easier to slip. Brake fluid I don't see effecting it as much even if it's really old. Mine came out black and I never had any issues with it. Its possible the clutch delay valve is letting it slip more too if you haven't already taken it out. Or just a worn pressure plate from the excess force.

  24. #24
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    its a 95 so no valve. at least i didn't see one. I'm going to flush my fluid and make sure my clutch slave is doing a proper job. if the smell persists then i'll just ignore it like i do with most things like this.
    13 Grand Cherokee Limited V8 - Daily Driver - Wife
    97 Z3 2.8 Roadster
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    90 BMW 535i/5 - i should probably work on this again...

  25. #25
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    Whats tire size are you running with the style 5's? 205/45? Definitely subbing to this.

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