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qube

Finally back into a BMW! E36 328i Coupe

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So, as some of you already know (through my coffee meet chats) I had a Mercedes E class for quite some time and it finally sold this week.

Unfortunately I wasn't able to surprise everyone at the meet today but I just picked up an E36 328i Coupe M Sport and thus I am finally back into a BMW where I belong.

Its quite rough as it is, but the plan is to tidy it up as much as I can and keep it as a daily driver!

Stay tuned!

- engine oil and filter change

- some basic paint touch ups and bodywork

- clean and refit door cards

- replace door handle rubber seal

- replace headunit and wire up a aux line

- install armrest

- smoked side indicators

- clear or smoked rear lights

- paint black kidney grills

- apply sunstike tint to top of front windscreen

- replace gearknob with the newer round shape

- repair left front guard

- repaint rear bumper

- replace all four tyres with some proper ones soon

- replace all speakers

- replace key fob batteries and reprogram the central locking

- spoiler delete and replace with a lip spoiler

- replace front windscreen rubber seal

- retrim rear parcel tray from faded grey to black

- tint rear windscreen

- wheel alignment and balancing

- check all suspension components and bushings

- front lip

- trans fluid change

- manual conversion

post-3185-0-18794500-1433739675_thumb.jp

Edited by QUBE
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Nice work Kyu, look forward to seeing next meet

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Haha mike, I kind of knew I would be getting this today but wasnt 100% until i saw it and drove it. The chat did help confirm my initial thoughts. I still quite like the E36 looks wise and its just a great cheap runabout car with plenty of hands on work that can be done. Looking forward to it. I will still keep my eyes open for a nice E46 330ci but thats another story :D

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Nice. Welcome back to the BMW.

Looking forward to seeing pics.

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Guest MP0wer

We have competition it seems, everybody knows I have the best slushy box 328i M Coupe. :D

Can I interest you in a design for a future bolt on supercharger setup? My final product will be ready this month. :)

Edited by MP0wer

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Yu'll be allowed to park in FRONT of your shop now ;)

  • Like 6

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Finally!

Bang for buck, one of the best cars on the road IMO.

If not 5 speed, it's cheap to convert and you'll end up with a short diff to boot!

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gave it a quick wash and vacuumed the sh!t out of it just now.

manual conversion is definitely on the list but not urgently.

The first thing im going to do tomorrow is to put correct tyre pressure and then an oil and filter change as its pretty yucky atm.

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manual conversion is definitely on the list but not urgently.

Nah, buy hydes supercharger bracket so you can be 10% closer to a supercharged auto 328i :)

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I will update the first post with a small things to do list.

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so i was looking at the rego sticker as I was taking off the old one and replacing it with a clean new rego holder thingy and noticed that the car is registered as "BMW 328IAS" what is "ias" never heard of it before...

is it easy to change it to 328i if i go into vtnz or something?

(yes, i know its pretty pedantic of me but it kind of bugs me... i have seen some that are even registered as something more ridiculous like BMW 318i 4DR saloon evo sport m or something along those lines..)

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I = injected, A = automatic, S = sports? Not sure on that last one. To get it changed you need evidence, eg. Owners manual or a letter from a dealer, and then there is a change of registration details form to be completed. Not sure what Mr # it is, but I do know I've never seen anywhere that has it....

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Is it possible to change the submodel text for your car by contacting the NZTA?

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^ not sure. I will definitely look into it when I have time.

Anyway, so the oil and filter change went smoothly. got about 5L of very yucky black thickshake (oil) out of it after leaving it to drain for about 30-40 minutes. refilled it with 6.5L of the castrol edge titanium 5w-30 and a new filter.

While i was under the car i noticed that there was a lot of oil build up between the engine oil tank and the trans connection part. hmmm any ideas what it would be?

Also noticed some bushing on the front drivers side need attention. Will be placing an order overseas to get a bunch of goodies soon yay!

edit: Photos of said bushings :(

post-3185-0-78072700-1433838396_thumb.jp

post-3185-0-33551300-1433838402_thumb.jp

post-3185-0-07072400-1433838407_thumb.jp

Edited by QUBE

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Will be doing the headliner at some point but here is my temporary fix.. haha

Bmw spiderweb

post-3185-0-67350200-1433893267_thumb.jp

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hahaha. That headliner.

With the bushes, you might be okay for a while unless they are clunky or loose. But dry cracked or split boots will just lead to faster wear.

If you plan to keep the car get some Lemforder arms from Milland in Dunedin, cheapest way to go for the best quality.

Edited by Michael.

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Shipping will be pretty massive though due to the weight which is why I've never imported brake rotors or control arms.

Other aspect to keep in mind are those parts genuine or knock offs?

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ive used fcp euro before and they were always good. I will also check with paul at milland to compare prices.

hey mike, ive been searching for the part number for the front windscreen rubber seal but the straight piece that goes along the bottom edge. no luck

any ideas?

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/showparts?id=BG22-EUR-07-1995-E36-BMW-328i&diagId=51_2051

number one in this diagram i think

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^ not sure. I will definitely look into it when I have time.

Anyway, so the oil and filter change went smoothly. got about 5L of very yucky black thickshake (oil) out of it after leaving it to drain for about 30-40 minutes. refilled it with 6.5L of the castrol edge titanium 5w-30 and a new filter.

While i was under the car i noticed that there was a lot of oil build up between the engine oil tank and the trans connection part. hmmm any ideas what it would be?

Also noticed some bushing on the front drivers side need attention. Will be placing an order overseas to get a bunch of goodies soon yay!

edit: Photos of said bushings :(

Buy a set of e30 Lemforder ball joints and get them pressed into your suspension arms. They are a far better design than the e36 ones as they do not have the rubber dampening bit that collapses as yours have and allow play in the suspension. P/N is LEM-1051903. While you are about it, replace the 'lollipop' bushes with the offset e30 M3 ones, P/N LEM-1056001. These make a decent change to steering responsiveness. While you have the arms off, check the inner ball joints and replace them if they show any wear. part number LEM-1051802.

Replace the front ARB drop links with the rear drop links from a 2000-2007 Ford Mondeo Estate. These units are rose-jointed, giving a firmer, stronger hold over your anti-roll bar. Much better than the BMW ones. They are available from Lemforder, part number is LMI 2581102.

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Got the headliner out and going to retrim it over the weekend.

Will also be installing a front lip as well.

Pics once its done.

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