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Thread: 1997 M3 4 Door with LS/T56

  1. #51
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
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    Stuttgart, Germany
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    577
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    1997 M3 / 5.3
    With the help of the local BMW dealer (prices aren't too bad!), I sourced all the fasteners and 'inserts' to mount all undertray/liners/brake ducts/lamb chops in the front end. All were missing thanks to the neglectful PO. I'm sure it will drive better now...

    Also dropped off the Comp Cams 26-918 valve springs, retainers, locks, and OEM valve seals at the machine shop.

    Little at a time...
    Last edited by Tim Mc; 02-05-2019 at 01:23 PM. Reason: Spelling

  2. #52
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
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    Stuttgart, Germany
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    577
    My Cars
    1997 M3 / 5.3
    Some images of the fresh block:

    17 07 30 M3 L33 Pass Cylinders

    New rear cover (for simplicity):

    17 07 30 M3 L33 Rear Cover

    Finally have a 'functional' brake ducting/inner fenders/lamb chops, and front belly pan:

    17 07 30 M3 Brake Ducts

    And yesterday sourced a used DS2 rear wheel to replace my currently crack/welded(!) one (cost was $100):

    17 07 30 M3 Wheel Used

    As well as a better condition rear lower seat...previous was black leather spray painted gray...again by PO (cost was $120):

    17 07 30 M3 Rear Seat

    I plan to have the wheel powder coated OEM color...hopefully it will clean up the minor curb rash/marks-that normally is $450 for a set of 4 here in Tampa.

  3. #53
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Location
    FL Gulf Coast
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    1,205
    My Cars
    E36 - 1998 328iS - LS2
    Was the seat from the Orlando CL ad?

    Tipsy


    Quote Originally Posted by Tim Mc View Post
    As well as a better condition rear lower seat...previous was black leather spray painted gray...again by PO (cost was $120):

    17 07 30 M3 Rear Seat

  4. #54
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Houston, TX
    Posts
    206
    My Cars
    1997 M3 Sedan
    Looking good! I love the estoril/gray combo.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

  5. #55
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    Stuttgart, Germany
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    577
    My Cars
    1997 M3 / 5.3
    BigL350: I agree-a great color combo. The original paint still grabs one's eye...at least the sides. I've also found the gray is much cheaper than the black/anthracite. I purchased an 'A' pillar interior trip from BMW for $58. The black one is $230...guessing the black supply is drying up.

    Tipsy: actually it came from Paul the 'Russian.' I was looking for a wheel and he also had the seat. It is not perfect and I wonder if it is for a coupe as it went in pretty hard. But anything was better than what was in there-I didn't want to give anyone a ride due to the flaking seat! The leather is pretty good... The back still needs replacement due to one hole...but acceptably for now. Both Paul's and the CL add were folding seats and mine is not-apparently not interchangeable.

    Put 1000 miles on the car since bought...21 mpg average. Drives pretty good...wish it wasn't a automatic.

  6. #56
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    Stuttgart, Germany
    Posts
    577
    My Cars
    1997 M3 / 5.3
    Received the updated 799 cylinder heads. They fully cleaned them and installed new valve seals, Comp Cams beehive 26-918 springs, and new locks/steel retainers. They removed .003 from the deck surface and set the springs with no shims-resulting in 160 pounds on the seat.

    No issues with the valve seats or guides...even with 100,000+ miles on them...modern engines.

    Hopefully sufficient to see 7000 rpm on the little engine...with Dad driving! :-)

    Also purchased new interior 'A' pillar trim ($60 odd per side). The interior is pretty grungy...and has a scent. New parts always smell good.

  7. #57
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Calgary, Alberta Canada
    Posts
    1,584
    My Cars
    318I,CTSV,328IS,M3,135i
    Nice project. I also have a 97 M3 sedan auto. It had a ruined back seat when I got it. I found crayons so I assumed original owner was mother with a few kids/car seats. I rebuilt it to stock. I bought another E36 sedan for my LS swap. I much prefer the 4 door look plus it is easier to grab the seat belt. Keep up posting on the build

  8. #58
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    Stuttgart, Germany
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    577
    My Cars
    1997 M3 / 5.3
    Albertan: Thanks...we keep plugging away.

  9. #59
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    Stuttgart, Germany
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    577
    My Cars
    1997 M3 / 5.3
    A Pillar trim from local dealer:

    17 08 06 BMW A Pillar Trim

    L33's 799 heads complete with CC beehive springs:

    17 08 06 L33 Heads Top

    Combustion chambers...minimal decking:

    17 08 06 L33 Heads Combustion Chambers

    Next chassis project...front brake refresh...StopTech rotors:

    17 08 06 BMW Brake Rotors Outside

    Even painted backside/vanes-first I've seen of that!:

    17 08 06 BMW Brake Rotors Inside

    We will order up some Hawk HPS pads and SS brake lines in short time.

  10. #60
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Location
    FL Gulf Coast
    Posts
    1,205
    My Cars
    E36 - 1998 328iS - LS2
    (In my best Homer Simpson voice); Ummmm....clean parts. Those A pillars are brand new?

    I swapped my tan dash for a black dash and recently decided to take it a step further. Even though I probably have the only only non-sagging original E36 headliner left in existence, I want to recover the headliner, pillars and package tray in a black micro suede. I've been doing tons of reading on various fabrics and came across some positive information about Headliner Express, which it turns out is not too far from us, in Winter Park.

    I reached out via email and ended up speaking with the owner, Bill, for about 15 minutes. Holy hell. The level of detail he got into with regard to types of materials, adhesives, methods of recovering. etc, etc. Needless to say, this guy seemingly knows what he's talking about when it comes to headliners.

    I'm going to remove the headliner and sunroof insert and bring those, along with the pillars and package tray to his shop in Winter Park and let him do his thing.

    Thought you might be interested, since you're local.

    Tipsy

  11. #61
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Calgary, Alberta Canada
    Posts
    1,584
    My Cars
    318I,CTSV,328IS,M3,135i
    I tried to glue my own headliner on. Made a heck of a mess but I had some extra. Took it to a local upholstery shop and for $150? They glued it on. Best money ever spent.

  12. #62
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    Stuttgart, Germany
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    577
    My Cars
    1997 M3 / 5.3
    Tipsy: Affirm...from Reeves. My current ones have broken plastic tabs on the backside...new ones snapped right into place.

    Headliner: Excellent! I'm not sure the current one is blue, green, or sun faded black. So a new headliner is on the list. Appreciate the info...likely we will just ask for a refresh of the current one.

    Albertan: I've read it is easy to do, but just looking at all the areas for myself to screw up...I'd rather let someone mess with the overhead.

  13. #63
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
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    Stuttgart, Germany
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    My Cars
    1997 M3 / 5.3
    Put some effort into the front brakes for an easy to do project with my helper. Hawk HPS pads, Stop Tech Rotors, and Lines.

    The old rotors had some miles on them...although Autozone pads were relatively new (round-filed):

    17 08 12 M3 Front Brake Old

    Helper doing it the right way...no rust on the hub!:

    17 08 12 M3 Front Brake by Helper Close

    Bits:

    17 08 12 M3 Front Brake Update Bits

    I'm impressed at the OEM pad thickness...Corvette's are half that from a similar year:

    17 08 12 M3 Front Brake Pad Thickness

    Finished (minus the brake lines):

    17 08 12 M3 Front Brake Update New

    Tried a rear wheel in the front:

    17 08 12 M3 Rear Wheel on Front

    Top view:

    17 08 12 M3 Rear Wheel on Front Top View

    I like the rotateability...but not sure of it sticking out...a spacer will also need to be added according to the research on this forum (~15 mm).
    Last edited by Tim Mc; 08-22-2017 at 06:35 PM.

  14. #64
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
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    Stuttgart, Germany
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    My Cars
    1997 M3 / 5.3
    Add Stoptech SS brake lines up front with a fresh brake bleed with ATE fluid as well as new front sway bar links and frame bushings (OEM BMW):

    17 08 19 M3 Brake Lines Bleed and Sway Bar Connections

    Sourced a radio block off plate:

    17 08 16 M3 Radio Block Off

    As well as blockoffs for the front fog lights, ridding the car of the yellow jobs by PO:

    17 08 19 M3 Fog Light Old

    Complete:

    17 08 19 M3 Fog Light Block Off Installed

    Then tested it on a trip to local mountain bike trails:

    17 08 20 M3 MB

    Test drive resulted in tighter handling with no change on the pedal (already was pretty good). Unfortunately, the right front strut blew...ie no more dampening. These are inexpensive chinese "Maxx" struts the PO installed. Will drive us to refresh the complete front suspension along with Koni/Eibach setup...little sooner than expected, but desire to minimize the alignments required.
    Last edited by Tim Mc; 02-05-2019 at 01:28 PM. Reason: Spelling

  15. #65
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Houston, TX
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    My Cars
    1997 M3 Sedan
    Sounds like the PO was full of bright ideas lol. Looks like you're on the right track though. I considered blocking off the fogs too but I'm kinda partial to yellow fogs. My whole front bumper and everything attached to it needs to be replaced badly.


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  16. #66
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
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    1997 M3 / 5.3
    PO was just driving it into the ground...fortunately, very little body damage which is what I really didn't want. Interesting how every body panel has the VIN tagged...I know it is original. Nice.

    Got a weight on the car finally. 3237 on a certified scale...no people or fuel. Jack/spare intact with no radio or foglights. I'm very interested in the final weight with the L33 installed...hopefully less???

    I'm tempted to add a Sparco fixed seat (because I have one) and sunroof delete (because it rattles and doesn't work)...I will weigh just prior and after the engine swap though.

  17. #67
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Location
    FL Gulf Coast
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    E36 - 1998 328iS - LS2
    Quote Originally Posted by Tim Mc View Post
    I'm tempted to add...sunroof delete (because it rattles and doesn't work)...
    It looks like you're going for a minimalist/track oriented build but for the time being, fixing that sunroof rattle might be a challenging/rewarding project.

    Tipsy

  18. #68
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
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    Stuttgart, Germany
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    1997 M3 / 5.3
    Tipsy: I dislike sunroofs...half of them I've owned leaked eventually. Looks like rattles are quite common on the E36. I'd rather install a blockoff and install a headliner without the option. Son won't complain-it is a pretty awesome car as it sits...:-)

    Appreciate the link though...understand we can still crank it open, if desired!

  19. #69
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
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    Stuttgart, Germany
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    1997 M3 / 5.3
    Helper and I reworked the rear brakes...Stoptech rotors / Hawk HPS pads. I'm guessing the rotors had been replaced only once in its life! Quite a ledge on the rotor.

    Super easy to complete.

    New fluid and lines in the rear next week...

    May order the remainder of the engine parts next week as well...small steps...

  20. #70
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    Stuttgart, Germany
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    577
    My Cars
    1997 M3 / 5.3
    Shot of 222,000 miles rear suspension and undercarriage-pretty clean!:

    17 08 27 M3 Suspension Rear Old Complete

    Appeared to have a dead auxiliary fan (AC isn't too cool!)...so I pulled the front bumper for the first time:

    17 08 30 M3 Bumper Removal

    Amazing how easy it was...went back on as easy-very nice. I noticed the VIN was tagged on the bumper...quite amazing the original bumper still remains...

    New replacement fan (Rock Auto for $120):

    17 08 30 M3 New Auxilary Fan Front

    With the three day weekend approaching...big Summit box showed up with majority of the pieces to assemble an L33 engine. My helper and I may be busy this weekend. :-)
    Last edited by Tim Mc; 08-31-2017 at 09:24 PM.

  21. #71
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Houston, TX
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    206
    My Cars
    1997 M3 Sedan
    Tim, you're located in FL, right? Fair warning, based on my not too scientific preliminary results and board members experiences, I wouldn't expect the stock pusher fan to cut it. I have a Mishimoto x-line radiator and Volvo fan setup. Driving around in traffic the week before last with the a/c on and the fan only operational on low speed, the coolant temp was slowly creeping up until I shut the a/c off. Ambient was 95-100*.

    Even on low speed, the Volvo fan moves a s**t-ton of air. I'm going to connect the high speed fan relay trigger wire tomorrow and see how it goes.


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  22. #72
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
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    Stuttgart, Germany
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    1997 M3 / 5.3
    BigL350: I'm tracking. I actually have the Volvo upgrade and decided to just get the OEM stuff working primo before doing the full swap. I assume you have upgraded the OEM wiring/relays/power to support the Volvo fan?

    How do you like the radiator? This one leaks...understand the automatics got the same radiator as manuals. Might be another purchase soon rather than deal with the once a week "Radiator Low on Fluid" warning.

    Thanks.

  23. #73
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Houston, TX
    Posts
    206
    My Cars
    1997 M3 Sedan
    Tim, I'm using the Volvo relay and triggering it with the negative output from the ECM. I removed the relays in the Wiring Specialties box and made jumpers from the negative side of the coils to the output pin of the contacts of the fan 1 and 2 relays so the trigger signal just passes through to the Volvo relay. The BMW fan circuits aren't being used.

    So far, I like the quality of the radiator. I can't speak for its performance because I haven't pushed the car that hard yet. It is thicker than the stock rad so you lose some room between the fan motor and water pump pulley. I have JUST enough with the f-body accessories.

    What really made up my mind to do the upgrade was remembering that when I was driving the car from NY to TX to relocate, the coolant temp started creeping up when running >100mph for more than a few minutes with the a/c on and 95-100*F ambient. Lower the mph to <90 it would go back down This was with the S52 and a relatively new OEM radiator, water pump, thermostat, hoses, etc. Could there have been something else going on that was causing that? Sure, but I didn't want to take a chance.

    Also, mounting the Volvo fan requires some creative trimming and hardware application when using a 940 shroud. There may be an easier to use OEM or aftermarket shroud. Also, you have to order the non-return flaps separately and they're expensive from Volvo. SPAL sells some that might work but I found them a few months too late.


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  24. #74
    Join Date
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    1997 M3 / 5.3
    BigL350: Cooling is certainly a high priority - location and considering the car will do autocrosses with low speed/high revs presenting a challenge. Would this be the Mushimoto X-Line radiator?:

    https://www.mishimoto.com/bmw-e36-al...tor-92-99.html

    I understand you adapted a Volvo shroud to the car for the Volvo fan. JTR seems to recommend using the OEM BMW shroud and adapting just the Volvo fan. I've not looked at my setup yet...

    http://www.jagsthatrun.com/BMW_Order.html

    Can you clarify the Wiring Specialties box comment? I'm very troubled with electricity...:-)

    Additionally, I will be using F-Body Accessories as well.

    Thanks.
    Last edited by Tim Mc; 09-03-2017 at 03:49 PM.

  25. #75
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
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    FL Gulf Coast
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    E36 - 1998 328iS - LS2
    Quote Originally Posted by Tim Mc View Post
    BigL350: Cooling is certainly a high priority - location and considering the car will do autocrosses with low speed/high revs presenting a challenge. Would this be the Mushimoto X-Line radiator?:https://www.mishimoto.com/bmw-e36-al...tor-92-99.html
    It looks like this is the X-Line fan for the E36. I didn't realize there were two different models available from Mishimoto for the E36.

    I've been planning to run the Mishimoto "drop in" replacement with the Volvo fan.

    I'm surprised to hear this has proven to be inadequate for LSx applications.

    Tipsy

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