My 1999 M3 Progress Thread

[bmwstephen]

interesting, I never seen that type of radiator ducting on an e36 before. The ones I have seen simply had a 2" flap that sat ontop of the oem undertray that directed air upward to the radiator.

Is it for special use?

[sirhodjibob]

This is exact same ducting the M3 GT uses. The aluminum center duct is shaped to allow for the front splitter attachments, and then the lower duct is for the factory oil cooler. I don't have an oil cooler yet but at least it's directing air over the power steering lines and oil pan so not the worst thing in the world.

[sirhodjibob]

"Euro" underbody panels installed. It's more or less the same as what's on the S54 Z3Ms. Not sure if there's much of an aerodynamic benefit but it probably doesn't hurt, but I do like that it provides extensive coverage underneath which should help prevent corrosion. It also adds additional heat shielding for the passenger side control arm.









This is the only area that needed some modification. I had to trim the panel a bit to accommodate the secondary O2 sensor connector. Based on the pictures I found, it looks like the Euro cars don't have these or it's routed differently, I'm sure someone here knows for sure.

[bmwstephen]

What are the part numbers to those? They look really cool and clean up the underside.

Did you also run into issue with the ur stock hear shield/sound insulation drooping onto your headers

[Cos270]

"Euro" underbody panels installed. It's more or less the same as what's on the S54 Z3Ms. Not sure if there's much of an aerodynamic benefit but it probably doesn't hurt, but I do like that it provides extensive coverage underneath which should help prevent corrosion. It also adds additional heat shielding for the passenger side control arm.

This is the only area that needed some modification. I had to trim the panel a bit to accommodate the secondary O2 sensor connector. Based on the pictures I found, it looks like the Euro cars don't have these or it's routed differently, I'm sure someone here knows for sure.

Ok, so i guess i'm not the only one with no covering for the secondary O2 sensor connector. I couldn't believe that it's just supposed to hang out there unprotected, but real OEM doesn't show any shielding for it. Has always bugged me anytime i'm under the car....

Edit: will this shielding fit on a sedan? Being in Michigan, one can never have too much underbody protection (even if it is a fair-weather-only car)

[frbz]

Euro motors do not have secondary o2 sensors. Just 2 primary sensors before the cats

[Black Magic]

sirhodjibob, I see you have installed Bilstein shocks. I have same on my '97 M3 and absolutely love them. I think they are by far the best riding and best control combination available. Not too harsh, but real tight. Just curious about your feelings on them? Your front end must be really tightened up now with the new control arms, ball joints and shocks. I have not yet done the control arms up front and I have 75000 on them but I see no cracks or other issues with the bushings and the ball joints feel tight. Talk to us about how it now feels. Nice job BTW reporting all your updates, which I find interesting to follow. I am the original owner on mine and have done some of the mods and updates but mine is still pristine and doesn't really need much...yet. I did install the OE ZKWs and like them a lot. Tell me about the H7 bulbs. I have the normal H1 and am not familiar with the H7s. Thanks

[notMpowered]

You are doing so well on this car man. So nice to see people doing things properly.

[sirhodjibob]

What are the part numbers to those? They look really cool and clean up the underside.

Did you also run into issue with the ur stock hear shield/sound insulation drooping onto your headers

To do this you need:
51718410212 - cross brace
51712491567 - center underbody panel
51712490230 - underbody panel bracket
51712489775 - "screening" - heat shield thing by the passenger side control arm
Hardware (numbers are estimates, if you order extra they are also used elsewhere on the car)
51718242741 x 6
07129904150 x 5
07149126885 x 15 (or 07119901299 if you want them in silver which is what I used)

This thread was helpful showing how it goes together, but although the Z3M pieces are very similar, they not exactly the same and use different part numbers: https://www.z3mcoupe.com/forum/showthread.php?t=19897

I'm assuming you mean the insulation around the transmission tunnel? If so I fixed that issue with with these: https://www.msportparts.com/collecti...ation-brackets
If you look closely you can them attached to the transmission mounts.

Ok, so i guess i'm not the only one with no covering for the secondary O2 sensor connector. I couldn't believe that it's just supposed to hang out there unprotected, but real OEM doesn't show any shielding for it. Has always bugged me anytime i'm under the car....

Edit: will this shielding fit on a sedan? Being in Michigan, one can never have too much underbody protection (even if it is a fair-weather-only car)

I don't know if this will fit a sedan or if the sedan uses different parts.

[bmwstephen]

regarding this part:

51712489775 - "screening" - heat shield thing by the passenger side control arm does it go above or below the control arm?

Yes I was referring to the insulation around transmission tunnel but my issue is the front part (towards the bell housing) was sagging on the headers

[sirhodjibob]

sirhodjibob, I see you have installed Bilstein shocks. I have same on my '97 M3 and absolutely love them. I think they are by far the best riding and best control combination available. Not too harsh, but real tight. Just curious about your feelings on them? Your front end must be really tightened up now with the new control arms, ball joints and shocks. I have not yet done the control arms up front and I have 75000 on them but I see no cracks or other issues with the bushings and the ball joints feel tight. Talk to us about how it now feels. Nice job BTW reporting all your updates, which I find interesting to follow. I am the original owner on mine and have done some of the mods and updates but mine is still pristine and doesn't really need much...yet. I did install the OE ZKWs and like them a lot. Tell me about the H7 bulbs. I have the normal H1 and am not familiar with the H7s. Thanks

I noticed the difference from the control arms on the first turn out of the parking lot after install. The steering was noticeably more responsive. The ball joints had a lot of play and the bushings were cracking, so it was time to change. The Bilstein shocks were actually installed by the previous owner. I don't know how old they are but they feel pretty tired. New shocks/springs/mounts as well as replacing the rest of the bushings is the next project. I'll probably opt for coilovers but I'm still researching. I haven't purchased the Euro headlights yet either but I'll post up once they are installed. Schmeidmann is on holiday right now....

I did install Bilstein B6s with H&R springs on my SL500 Silver Arrow and it was absolutely shocking how much they transformed the handling of the car. For a 4000lb car that previously had the turn-in of a beached whale they did an amazing job. The ride quality was nice, but then again it is a classic Benz. The H&R coilovers (which use Bilstein struts) I installed on my Z4M were spine crushingly stiff, and I have a high tolerance for that sort of thing.

You are doing so well on this car man. So nice to see people doing things properly.

[sirhodjibob]

regarding this part:

51712489775 - "screening" - heat shield thing by the passenger side control arm does it go above or below the control arm?

Yes I was referring to the insulation around transmission tunnel but my issue is the front part (towards the bell housing) was sagging on the headers

Interesting. No mine is not sagging near the headers.

Here's 51712489775:

[SG_M3]

Great thread!

-Turner polyurethane shift arm bushing

This bushing adds a ton of NVH. I installed one and immediately bought a new stock bushing to replace it. It does nothing for shifter feel, just adds lots of trans noise.

[sirhodjibob]

I got a bit more NVH on deceleration in low gears but that was more so from the Rogue trans mounts. If the poly shifter bushing made a difference in NVH I can’t tell, but with the new detents and DSSR the shift quality is night and day.

[bmwstephen]

So did any of these parts require you to tap or drill into the chassis? Or were they all just bolted onto existing mounting points.

And did you feel a need to buy the stop buffer for the xbrace? I understood some xbraces did not come witj a bracket for that buffer (only the z3 xbraces did)

[sirhodjibob]

So did any of these parts require you to tap or drill into the chassis? Or were they all just bolted onto existing mounting points.

And did you feel a need to buy the stop buffer for the xbrace? I understood some xbraces did not come witj a bracket for that buffer (only the z3 xbraces did)

No drilling, all mounting points needed are present. You'll just to press in the plastic nut inserts in a few spots (should be obvious once you're under there and line it up).

I don't know how necessary the stop buffer is but it was $11 and can't hurt so why not. Hopefully with the brand new engine and trans mounts the oil pan never hits it. I wouldn't overthink it.

[NeilM]

I'm assuming you mean the insulation around the transmission tunnel? If so I fixed that issue with with these: https://www.msportparts.com/collecti...ation-brackets
If you look closely you can them attached to the transmission mounts.

I do like those, and don't find them overpriced considering how they're made. But they're way over-engineered for this simple job.

I used a single length of hardware store perforated steel strip, maybe $6. It's bent it into an inverted U shape, positioned over the transmission to support the sagging insulation, and secured through the perf strip's holes to the existing studs and large plastic nuts that fasten the tunnel heat insulation on either side.

Worked fine since I did it 15 years ago.

Neil

[blckstrm]

I do like those, and don't find them overpriced considering how they're made. But they're way over-engineered for this simple job.

I used a single length of hardware store perforated steel strip, maybe $6. It's bent it into an inverted U shape, positioned over the transmission to support the sagging insulation, and secured through the perf strip's holes to the existing studs and large plastic nuts that fasten the tunnel heat insulation on either side.

Worked fine since I did it 15 years ago.

Neil

LOL - this is exactly how I did it, too.

I bought the perforated steel strip to secure the flywheel when I replaced the clutch and flywheel, and then before I put the transmission back I bent it into a wide U shape and bolted it in the center to the two small holes aft of the shift lever. the holes on the bottom just happened to match perfectly to holes already present along the bottom of the trans tunnel.

Of course, this did require the transmission to be gone to go in with all the spring tension to really work well, but it's been perfect. If I hadn't had the access with the tranny out I'd have gone with Brett's brackets.

---

I'd like to know if these mount up to a sedan as well, though given how everything is the same I'd be more interested to hear if someone knows for certain of a reason they WON'T work. That would be very un-BMW-like to require different parts for the sedan.

[asrautox]

Great thread! Been lurking while deciding between E46 and E36. I've gone to look at a few E46's, but for some reason the E36 keeps pulling me back.. Threads like this make the decision even harder!

[sirhodjibob]

According to RealOEM it does fit the sedan.

https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/par...567&series=E36

[Braymond141]

I do like those, and don't find them overpriced considering how they're made. But they're way over-engineered for this simple job.

I used a single length of hardware store perforated steel strip, maybe $6. It's bent it into an inverted U shape, positioned over the transmission to support the sagging insulation, and secured through the perf strip's holes to the existing studs and large plastic nuts that fasten the tunnel heat insulation on either side.

Worked fine since I did it 15 years ago.

Neil

The design took me an hour in Fusion, most of which was using YouTube to learn how to do it. I have zero engineering skills and took a crude hand made metal bar design I made as the basis for those.

- - - Updated - - -

Those underpanels look awesome. I've always liked them on the E46 M3, now I want a full set for the E36. Thanks for the pics.

[das borgen]

The design took me an hour in Fusion, most of which was using YouTube to learn how to do it. I have zero engineering skills and took a crude hand made metal bar design I made as the basis for those.

- - - Updated - - -

Those underpanels look awesome. I've always liked them on the E46 M3, now I want a full set for the E36. Thanks for the pics.

Frankly, it's shocking to me you don't have them lol

[das borgen]

I do like those, and don't find them overpriced considering how they're made. But they're way over-engineered for this simple job.

I used a single length of hardware store perforated steel strip, maybe $6. It's bent it into an inverted U shape, positioned over the transmission to support the sagging insulation, and secured through the perf strip's holes to the existing studs and large plastic nuts that fasten the tunnel heat insulation on either side.

Worked fine since I did it 15 years ago.

Neil

do you have any photos of that setup? It seems like something I need to do

[NeilM]

do you have any photos of that setup? It seems like something I need to do

Sorry, I don't. It was so long ago that it was literally before every cell phone had a camera. I should note that I did it while the transmission was out of the car for a clutch/flywheel R&R. I don't know whether or not there's enough working room with the trans in place.

Neil

[blckstrm]

do you have any photos of that setup? It seems like something I need to do

I may. It might take a minute to find them though. Let me look.

[Edit] Welp, I guess it didn't take too long after all.

I guess it's actually just forward of the shifter, not after. But that bolt in the center went right into a hole in the chassis. I used a ball-peen hammer to shape it once it was in place, but then removed it again to un-flex it to give it the right amount of spring tension to hold it tight. Then I put it back, bolted it in place, and used the hammer again to shape the ends tight around the bottom of the rails at the bottom of the trans tunnel. I was going to put bolts through the holes in the metal and into the chassis - and they miraculously DID line right up - but I needed a nutsert, and by the time I found one I realized the metal didn't need them. The strip has been there since March 2016 and has done a great job.

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