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🏋️‍♂️ VID-20200918-WA0003.mp4

After being out of the car scene for some time, I've decided to throw my hat back in the ring and create something fun to build and ultimately fun to drive. A user friendly budget would be a bonus but we'll see how that one pans out !! This will just be a fun street car so the aim is to have a mix of comfort, performance and looks. The car: A NZ new 2000 BMW 318Ci with 4 speed auto. Quite tidy generally with only a handful of the expected BMW "things that don't work no more" to resolve at a later date. Being under powered will hopefully mean no cracking around the subframe and minimal hard driving time etc on the body. The engine: A Nissan VQ37VHR from a 2009 Skyline 370GT automatic. 125k on it give or take so hopefully plenty of life left in it. Factory spec at 243kW which should be a solid upgrade over the cars stock 77 !! No plans for anything engine wise at the moment, must get mobile and legal first. Progress so far: The car is sitting with front end off, engine and driveline are out, rear interior and fuel tank etc removed. Have cleaned the underside to a reasonable standard and have welded in the CMP RACP reinforcement kit. Have cleaned and painted the 330 rear end components ready for reinstallation along with installing Powerflex bushes in most locations. Have created a rig to fire up and run the VQ37 on the ground which was a success and a lot of fun ... had the Nissan anti-theft (NATS) removed via UpRev and an ARC license installed at the same time. This was to validate that I can run the motor prior to install and working out the wiring later on when its more difficult. You can check the video here: Next Steps: REALLY keen to get the rear end back together so something is finished !! Will need to complete the welding in of the RACP to frame rails in the boot before the LVV certifier comes to check out my work. Once that's done I can get ready to stitch weld some other trouble areas then underseal and paint it all real pretty before installing the backend. Once the back end is together and looking slick I can finally turn attention to the pointy end and see if the engine is going to play nice. There will be a lot of work involved and a few options to investigate ... current thinking is it will be a custom oil pan and cross member at least. Steering rack may also be an issue. Some Pics To This Point:

I’m after a series 2 rear bumper for a 635csi.

Thanks Kyu; maybe I'll come across a better-suited plate one day. The diff bushes are factory BMW (which means buying the whole rear cover). E46 non-M3 have a slightly different rear bush setup; I'd go with factory rubber personally. Thanks David.

Set and forget. I do it when I have a set amount I want to pay. Set the auto bid and leave it, dont have to worry about forgetting to bid. Its possible Jim set an autobid at 15k, and Vonkrum had one set for slightly lower, which would explain the jump.

I did the garage at our previous house, same sort of deal as whats already been discussed ... installed some building paper within each timber cavity, insulated and lined with 12mm ply set the ply thickness off the concrete. Two coats of polyurethane and enjoy. To get the official information on retrofitting insulation you can refer to this standard ... speaking from an occupied / house perspective you're supposed to get a consent for insulating external walls. Unsure of the in's and out's of a non-occupied building. Just go for it: https://tenancy.govt.nz/assets/Uploads/Tenancy/NZS-42462016-Energy-efficiency-Installing-bulk-thermal-insulation-in-residential-buildings.pdf

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Rears....uhhh...abit ok...Lights too big. But therest...😍😍😍💪

https://collectingcars.com/for-sale/1981-bmw-e12-m535i

Pretty good. Certainly far better on slippery surfaces than 2wd. The system is pretty robust. It uses the same engines and auto trans as the 2wd cars, but that's where similarities end. There's a gear/chain transfer case from which a propshaft runs forward and back (to viscous diffs - a potential weak point). The bodyshell is wider and almost completely different forward of the windscreen: front suspension towers are further forward, arches are wider, trans tunnel is much wider (you'll not 'stretch' a stock one that far). The steering rack is behind the front crossmember and mounted inside the subframe. The front driveshafts can strip the splines at the transfer case. They're great for daily driving, especially in Europe where snow is common, but not so good for tuning. The rallycross cars used Xtrac gearboxes and different axles to contain the extra power used.

What happened to the post from Autoport themselves? It seemed genuine and helpful.

It's definitely firmer than a standard M3, but not uncomfortably so; no excess driveline noise in the cabin or anything of that nature. I've been meaning to update this thread for a while - recent (well, around a year ago now) additions include a CSL airbox (Karbonius). Some photos after a wash a while back:

Yeah I would think that compromises rust protection, I wouldn't be too pleased, you're paying good money for those! At the very least, they could do a partial refund so you can get that fixed up. Would probably be easier than dealing with returns (assuming you bought from overseas).

Just cosmetic, but at that price I'd want them to be perfect. You dont want your new springs to rust.

Screw, don't nail, the ply on. That's all I can add to the above.