Ahmedsinc

Have a BM53. PM if youre keen

Gah, life can be so unfair sometimes! Keen to see what you do with them, they're looking pretty sad in their current state

I've driven Invercargill to Auckland on not quite 2 tanks of gas. Todays prices roughly $250. One way grabaseat from Chch to Akl $99. $300 on the Bluebridge ticket makes for about $650 to get it south. Plus there's no better way to get to know your new whip than 700 miles of open road. Do it. You know it sounds like a good idea

Am I missing some subtle joke here or are you just a total f*ckwit?

True, but remembering it's owned by someone that appears to care about the car I wouldn't be surprised if the shocks, CABs and balljoints have been attended to. Rear subframe bushings aren't that expensive to sort out, just time consuming and fiddly. Already has LSD, ZF box and a tasty set of Hamanns plus new brakes and it's NZ new. All it needs is a pair of Vaders, a remus backbox & some M3 headers & midsection and it'll be the perfect non M E36. If the seller will let it go for $5750 it'd be a steal. You'll spend far more than that on a converted auto with a shite service history by the time you get it to a similar standard as this one. Just because auto 318s on 19s can be had for $2500 doesn't mean a good 328i is worth the same. Even high km M3s go for over 10k these days. Don't be scared by the odometer if it has a good history. As above, I'm more frightened by low km imports than high km cars with reliable histories

You have a set of 40s as well?? f**k I hate you!! Awesome job on the fives, the gold bolts look a bit mexican for my old man tastes but killer job nonetheless!

Confirms my initial thinking, hopefully the springs aren't also to blame. Will look at a pair of H&R springs as well, bit of a pain in the ass but oh well. Thanks for the input mate

By second compression cycle I mean push down on the guard then release. Once it has returned to full height it dips a little then returns to height. Kinda like it keeps bouncing a little. Rear end dips roughly 5mm, feels nice and stiff. Front dips more than 10mm, feels far softer. I'm 6"1', 105kg so I have a fair bit of weight to throw around.

Should have been more clear, sorry - I'm aware the M3s use vastly different geometry but I'm not looking at using M3 parts. Doesn't feel too easy to push down on the guard, but it does sink a little then rebound after releasing - ie it goes through a second smaller compression and rebound cycle after releasing the guard. I guess what I'm trying to get at is will a new pair of M-sport spec Konis, top hats and new bump stops cure the contacting guard issue?

Probably ought to have mentioned earlier that the bump stops have disintegrated. Oops. Is there any difference between Msport and standard top hats? M3 items allow for the greater caster along with CABs and control arm, but are the non M3 items the same? There is quite a bit of bounce when leaning on the front corners, seems pretty obvious to me that the struts are toasted. Will need to double check the part numbers but I'm 99% certain from memory that the springs are 6 cyl ones, not 4 cyl.

I assumed a worn strut would lead to excessive travel -> guard contacting tyre shoulder on bump. Alignment was done when front tyres were replaced in March. Current setup is Bilstein branded Eibach springs (40mm +/- drop) with what I assume are Bilstein sport struts. Older 20mm tube type (non rebuildable) as opposed to newer 40mm. Installed about 18 months ago as a short term solution to knackered factory shocks (were bled dry of fluid when I chopped them open to look inside) and as expected I think they're buggered! Will hopefully be dismantling an E36 with Msport springs shortly that I plan to use in place of the Eibachs - a little too low for my liking. Top hats still appear ok but will be replaced with struts, CABs renewed with urethane items just before Bilsteins went in. Had a chat with the guy on the phone at Stocks & he seemed to agree that the struts are the culprit here. Cheers for the input Ron

A bit off topic, but is anyone aware of a reputable supplier for IR type E39 keys? Would also like to source a blank valet & glovebox key if possible too! Have got all the kit minus loom(EWS box, 1x key, lock barrels, RF aerial boxes & complete steering column) to reftrofit RF to the wagon but not sure I'm brave enough but not sure I'm brave enough to tackle the job. Ta

Cheers Jason, arrived last week. No more fungus scented A/C Good bugger to deal with too

As above - does anyone have a hookup with Stocks? The Bilsteins on the front of my E36 have failed, edge of wheel arch is leaving little feather cuts on the shoulder of the (brand new RE002) front right tyre. I was quoted an extremely good price on a pair of Konis over the phone on Friday afternoon but I need a favour to get them at trade price. Am contemplating running a guard roller on the front but priority is getting the shocks in order first! Thanks guys!

Looks like an RE002 Bridgestone. Assymetrical

Options are slim in LSD here. Next ratio is 3.73, first gear is basically useless, fuel economy sh*t and revs are around 3400. Stick with what you have. Find a limited slip centre, take to Kayne Barrie and have him rebuild with new centre. Expect to spend well over 1k by the time labour is accounted for. Hope your pockets are deeper and better lined than mine! Never yet seen an auto E36 with LSD. Look at the id tag on the rear cover, will tell you ratio and LS or nit

Mmmmmm, hydrolock! How much for the block dude? Shed needs a new beer table

Mate if you can figure out a way to get 210mm internals to work in a 188mm case I'll be all ears!!

What areas do you live and socialise in? Would like to know so I can avoid them when I have my son in the car :| This deserves to be on farcebook

3100rpm at 100kph suggests a 3.46 final drive - getrag and ZF in E36 both use a 1:1 5th gear. 3.15 and getrag 220 revs at 2850 @ 100kph. 4.45 would have rpm well north of 4000 @100kph. Seems the jap import autos often got the 3.46...... consider yourself lucky, that's probably one of the cheapest and fastest ways to improve your performance without too much sacrifice!

I'd be calling Brent or Ray, both have the gear and expertise. Probably cost you more than $300 though. Even with a hoist it's more than a half day job

I understand the medium case diffs are good to around 350 ft/lb, an FI LS1 will probably be well beyond that. E36 M3 used large case diff, you'll probably need to find an M3 subframe and diff then use an appropriate ratio from a 7er to match your 5th gear. Ring Kane Barrie, he's probably the most clued up cat in Nz for BMW diffs. Good luck man

Anyone have any ideas on removing the crank bolt from a bare M50 long block? I see the factory torque spec is 330 ft/lb block is loose on the floor so can't use engine mounts to hold it in place. No rattle gun either Have got a length of pipe to extend my breaker bar, just stumped with securing the block in one place. Ta!

What are you planning to do with the rear end setup? Gonna run a 210mm diff? Not too sure the medium case ones will hold the torque if you're going down the forced induction route. Keep the updates coming!

Initially thought 18k was a bit steep for a 12 year old WRX, then I saw the mods list. Outside of an R32/34 GTR the bugeye RA is one of the few jap cars on my bucket list. Glws dude, only wish I had the cash now