What is this brace?

[SlowJoe]

Can someone tell me what this brace thingy is? It's under the car, under the tranny, and goes across the transmission tunnel. It's held on with only two bolts.
It appears to be a hollow tube, rusted, and needs to be replaced.
I don't know what it's called to even search for one.

Thanks for the help.

Sorry the picture isn't any better.

[jayjaya29]

Chassis brace. Best off replacing it with an x brace. Just search x brace e36 and itll pop up

[JitteryJoe]

It is a reinforcement brace. It can be replaced with an X-brace which is typically preferred (I believe 51718410212 is the x-brace part number). Your 99 should have the tapped holes for the x-brace if you go that route, but double check.

[bluptgm3]

That is the factory chassis brace for Coupe, Sedan, and ti. Z3 and Convertible got the X-Brace.

The X-brace is attached with bolts that thread into rivet-nuts. These can be added if your E36 is not fit with them. A lot of on-line vendors sell a hardware kit.


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[blckstrm]

In a similar vein with all the suggestions to get an X-brace - most guys getting an X-brace will just throw theirs in the trash.

Post in the want-to-buy section and someone getting an X-brace should be able to get you the one they just removed super cheap.

[pbonsalb]

I added 2 more nutserts to the factory holes just a few inches behind those for this cross brace and use their original brace plus an xbrace. Not sure if this would work with a stock exhaust (mine is custom 3.5”).

[SlowJoe]

Post in the want-to-buy section and someone getting an X-brace should be able to get you the one they just removed super cheap.

Thanks for that suggestion. I'll be looking for a stock one because I like to keep everything stock on this car.

Thanks for the responses everybody.

[NeilM]

Thanks for that suggestion. I'll be looking for a stock one because I like to keep everything stock on this car.

The X-brace is a stock BMW part, just only on the convertible. It makes a substantial difference to front end chassis rigidity and should be on every E36, period, no exceptions.

Neil

[RightYouAreKen]

And it's not super expensive. Although I have noticed the price of the kit has gone up about $150 in the past 4 years. I bought mine for $130 in early 2015

https://www.getbmwparts.com/p-e36-3-...pke36xbracekit

[NeilM]

And it's not super expensive. Although I have noticed the price of the kit has gone up about $150 in the past 4 years. I bought mine for $130 in early 2015

Yeah, I had been about to type "best $125 you can spend on your E36." Bought my X-brace back in the 90's for about that. Then I looked up the current price. Still the thing to do though.

Neil
96 M3, one owner

[TostitoBandito]

Yeah, I had been about to type "best $125 you can spend on your E36." Bought my X-brace back in the 90's for about that. Then I looked up the current price. Still the thing to do though.

Neil
96 M3, one owner

Wow that's crazy. I looked up my receipt and I paid under $200 for it from TMS in 2014. I poked around on their site and found multiple listings for the same part, including this one:

https://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-341320-tms341320/

Weird that they were different prices, but that says in stock with hardware for $194.55 with free shipping.

[SlowJoe]

The X-brace is a stock BMW part, just only on the convertible. It makes a substantial difference to front end chassis rigidity and should be on every E36, period, no exceptions.

Neil

And it's not super expensive. Although I have noticed the price of the kit has gone up about $150 in the past 4 years. I bought mine for $130 in early 2015

https://www.getbmwparts.com/p-e36-3-...pke36xbracekit

Yeah, I had been about to type "best $125 you can spend on your E36." Bought my X-brace back in the 90's for about that. Then I looked up the current price. Still the thing to do though.

Neil
96 M3, one owner

Wow that's crazy. I looked up my receipt and I paid under $200 for it from TMS in 2014. I poked around on their site and found multiple listings for the same part, including this one:

https://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-341320-tms341320/

Weird that they were different prices, but that says in stock with hardware for $194.55 with free shipping.

Thanks for the info guys. Any idea if these X-Braces are direct bolt on for a 99?
Thank you.

[jayjaya29]

Yes it is a direct bolt on for a 99.

[TostitoBandito]

Just be mindful of torque on the smaller bolts which go into the subframe. They go into threaded nutserts (your 99 will have them from the factory) but they can break loose and spin inside the holes. That's why they recommend using blue loc-tite and torquing to spec (the loc-tite holds them as much as the torque). If you're like me and you have to take it on and off on occasion, you'll likely inevitably spin a nutsert and have to replace it, which is a pain.

I've also managed to partially strip one of the bigger bolt holes on the outer chassis rail because my x-brace is borderline too wide to line up properly with the holes (it's really close). No idea why that is. I did hit the x-brace hard on curbing while spinning at the track once (which took a small chunk out of it), but even if it slightly bent that should make it narrower not wider. Will probably just replace it next time I take it off, and re-tap those holes at the same time.