Z3 CSL Build...

[neopolymath]

Took it over to Firestone this morning. The guy on the phone said they wouldn't do a lifetime alignment on my car because it was lowered and "special BMW stuff" that isn't aligned like normal cars. Once I got in I talked to the manager who tried to give me more of the same story but cut it out once he realized I wasn't buying it. I basically just told the guy to get it in and do the best they could, the car tracked straight as an arrow before, I just want the toe straightened out. I was able to convince the manager to let me get the lifetime alignment PROVIDED they can even get it up on their rack... they haven't called yet so I'm thinking they got it up. Having the non-M bumper helps with ground clearance a bit...

It's always fun explaining "Hey I know the VIN says the car is a 2.8, but please, align it as an 'M Coupe' not a 2.8..."

Hoping this car will be daily drivable again once the alignment is finished!

Why does it seem like almost every alignment shop is devoid of any independent or critical thinking? It took a long time to find one that would adjust my eccentric bolts in the rear. Toe is no biggie, but the hunter machine just makes it so much easier and precise than doing both camber and toe on a lift at home.

[BimmerBreaker]

Why does it seem like almost every alignment shop is devoid of any independent or critical thinking? It took a long time to find one that would adjust my eccentric bolts in the rear. Toe is no biggie, but the hunter machine just makes it so much easier and precise than doing both camber and toe on a lift at home.

Because 99% of what they do is mindless adjustments on economy cars

All that can be adjusted on my car now is toe, but I'm still gonna pay for the lifetime, so when I get my new LCA's on they can align again, then I'm gonna do a weld-in rear adjustable kit eventually too.

[BimmerBreaker]

dat toe doe...

Drives great now, control arm bushings are shot so I have a little bushing shake around 50-70. A little shake, nothing bad, just enough that the control arms are like "hey just so you know you need a new bushing not trying to kill you in the meantime though" ...new arms will go on soon, Rockauto has E36 M3 arms supposedly for really cheap. I got the Firestone guys to give me a lifetime alignment AND knock $20 off... sweet...

Next up on this car... bilsteins in the rear to get it sitting pretty, LCA's, and the CSL bodywork stuff. That is still happening, just slow, need to find a paint booth - friend said we could use his garage but isn't cleaning it so we are gonna find somewhere else.

[BimmerBreaker]

So the front stuff had the Bilsteins and H&R's so I decided to do the rears today as well...

I did not remove the entire rear hatch carpeting. But I also managed to do it without breaking anything except some of the skin on my forearms. I followed the DIY guide here but once I got two screws for the trim just below the rear windows out, I just popped that trim up to get access to the plastic clip underneath for the carpeted panel. I undid those clips (a chore - but one of those trim removal tools with the "grabber" 90 degree part at the end of it came in handy - easier to "pull" these suckers out than try to wedge something under and pop them out) and then wrestled my hands underneath the carpet. Passenger side was misleadingly easy, I did that side first and expected the driver's side (with it's longer carpeted panel) to be only slightly harder. How naive I was. Either way, the whole job took me maybe an hour start to finish, once the old struts are out it all goes back together very easily. It's not that I'm too lazy to remove the extra stuff in the hatch to get "proper" access, more so just that I know on these older cars, especially ones like mine that have spent their entire life in the Arizona heat, plastics are brittle. The less I remove, the less chances there are something breaks. I bent that carpeted panel to high heaven and back but it's a very flexible panel, nothing broke, and I didn't have to cut my panels.

I also installed Rogue Engineering RSM's at this time, not sure why anyone would go through the hassle of doing this job then use stock mounts... (on a roadster, sure...)





Sitting great now

Got her all washed up and looking nice. Ammo NYC sealant on it as well since its being parked outside right now...