Ahmedsinc

Where is the best place to go for new fabric to redo the headlining on my E36? Tried using curtain cloth last time (got it for nix so thought it worth a try) and unsurprisingly the fabric was too thick and the thermal lining disintegrated care of the glue I've been through spotlight a couple times but don't really know the first thing about material so am a bit lost. Alternatively, does anyone have a black headliner kit for sale? Will need to include pillar trims. Ta!

Looks like that one would've hurt! Wonder how much it'll go for?

Brent gave me the same advice when I did my conversion. Have looked under the car a couple of times since & the prop shaft is showing no signs of doing anything it shouldn't. Again, I have no idea if the same will apply for an E30, but it worked for me.

I ran into the same ballache when I converted my E36 to manual. Brent helpfully pointed out there's a big nut right about where the splined end of the front half slides into the back half. Spin it a few times (bout 10mm thread on my one) & magically the driveshaft will lengthen! No idea if this applies for E30s but it's worth a go Apparently they were all made that way so as not to need a different part between coupes & sedans, sedan driveshafts seem to be about 18mm longer, no idea why though. Good luck!

Brian Roberts Towing out in Pukekohe have come back at $200+gst door to door, which by the time I hire a trailer, borrow a Land Rover or similar, pay for fuel and factor in the time it's probably only marginally more expensive than getting it myself. Thanks for the leads, will be getting in touch. Anyone else shipped a wreck before?

Am quite possibly going to need a vehicle transported from Hamilton up to Waiuku next week. Not in driveable condition but to the best of my knowledge is still rolling. Can anyone recommend a company that won't charge the earth? I was looking at hiring a tandem car trailer and collecting myself but am struggling to find a loan vehicle that will pull 2 tonne Unless someone has a suitable vehicle that I could borrow for beers / fuel / much respect? TIA

Such are the joys of subscribing to an enthusiasts forum Given the chance, personally I'd own a manual anything over an auto / semi auto box of mechanical trickery. But if I were to win / be thrown the keys to an SMG ///M would I be complaining? Hell no!

Stock exhaust note from the early 325i E36s isn't too shabby. Have been asked a few times if its a V8 VY/VZ SS Dunnydores with the factory sports exhausts are rather decent too

Any photos of the item in question?

Lol, wut?! Granted, a 33%ish increase in hp & torque will test any chassis limits, but surely the ///M engineers would have allowed a fair amount of wriggle room? It's not like we're talking about a mass production car here

Rare it may be, bit of a stretch to call it pretty though have never been able to work out how the surrender monkeys manage to design so many god-awful looking autos!

Going by your customers rides it comes as no surprise you've built an engine that is beyond the capabilites of a standard brake system Apologies for the thread jack Ray

Lol, I pulled it cos I had a look at the photos after I posted to realise it is turbocharged & didn't want to look like a total dick How's your E34? Haven't heard anything lately

Rather eclectic colour scheme they went for. Didn't this start off as a V8 (1UZ / M60?) Please correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the basis for a successful drift car a high torque engine with a linear power curve? If so, what's with the 13b??

Not sure I'd claim to be passionate about mine, but 190ish hp & 185ish ft/lb (well, at least when it left the factory!) with a manual box & LSD is enough to keep me entertained Sure, they're hardly earth shattering figures, but not everyone can afford an M. (Or a cracking great V12, for that matter ) For what my old hack is, it gives me a decent amount of entertainment without being a strain on either my wallet or my patience. And I'm pretty sure I'd feel a hell of a lot safer driving an E30 than a Corolla!

Pretty riced out, but at least it has the go to match the show. Certainly fractionally less repulsive than all the auto 318s out there with ginormous wheels and aero additions that would add downforce at speeds that are only theoretical for the engine Not at all my taste but I'm sure someone out there will love it!

Oooh, nearly forgot to ask - when Ray did the conversion for you, was it a ZF kit or the Getrag? Ta

Very few do, as you well know. Having said that, with a little patience and some good timing they can be had for reasonable sums, so long as you don't mind getting your hands dirty When I made the comment that the E36 (only model I've owned so the only one I'll make comment on) was not designed with longevity in mind I wasn't referring to the engines. More the well documented issues with trims parting company with the surfaces they were mounted to, electric gadgets failing just from age (understandable) and other niggly bits that are more annoying than critical failures. Might I moot the reason the E30s are such a great car is they frequently didn't have the bits that their more modern counterparts are know to fail on? Personally I'd rather own an E36 over an E46 just because they're less complicated than their successors. Mechanically speaking, my 325i ( and a mates NZ new manual 318is) have proven themselves to be near unkillable. Having said that, nearly everything 12v related (barring the headlights, starter & alternator) have pooped themselves at some point of ownership. But, they are 20+ year old cars now, these things are to be expected Edit: High mileage isn't scary. Poor service records are!

The E36s were never designed to be a long lived car. If you want something that will still happily run after 550000km might I suggest a Falcodore. Perhaps take some local cars out for a drive and see what you think?

Lol, such a big pile of work in such a little car! Good on ya for having the bollocks to tackle something like that. Any photos of the completed / work in progress Isetta you have? Do rather have a soft spot for the little oddballs

From what I've heard, three fifths of bugger all. Their cash now pricing is pretty well equivalent to a trade in at a yard After all, they're in it to make money, not fulfil a sense of social duty

Ha, reading this reminds me why I'm grateful to be a Kiwi. In the US half the country would be in an apocalyptic hysteria, whereas here we're relieved it's just a 6.3 quake, not something wrong with our car!

What he said!!

Nah, you've still got every right to bitch about insurance. I can't think of any other group of people in history that managed to have their own brand of extortion legalised AND condoned by the Government

Holy crap!! That's a pretty good effort, even better that you crawled out and got to grumble about your insurers after the fact! Makes me a little nervous about my E36!