gjm

Sealed for life automatic? I had the fluid in mine changed, but I'll bet there are thousands out there, at 150000km and (much?) more, running the ATF the factory put in.

I've just checked RealOEM for my car against an E36 328i coupe, and the towbar fittings are definitely different there: the E36 appears to have a much longer pair of rails running forward from the outside ends of the main beam that fits across the back of the car.

Thanks Jason. That's looks promising. And thanks for going to the trouble of the pics and the red lines. I'll take another look under the back of my car but I anticipate that when the towbar and mounting was removed, so was the wiring.

Aye... My idea was to make something that handles like a 4-seater go-kart, but still be comfortable to drive. No out-and-out track day weapon plans so retaining the sunroof isn't a problem, and may even be nice. Just so long as the cartridge doesn't rot everything out!

I'll do some poking around too and see if I can find any more info, but please let me (us) know what you find. Might your towbar currently be 'resting', or looking for a new home....?

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C393287 I love the W126 SEC. Fabulous cars. I've had two - a 560 and a 500; the 560 was the definitive cruiser, while the 500 was more sporty. If I had the money, I'd be popping this in the garage for sunny days.

Thanks guys. I wasn't considering the sunroof removal as a prerequisite for fitting a rollcage, but typically a sunroof proves a weak point in a vehicles structure. I was wondering whether there was still merit in sunroof removal following installation of a cage, given the cage would add rigidity - would removing the sunroof then be unnecessary? However, Richard's description of the problems that can occur when a sunroof is fitted does make a compelling case for getting rid of it. Richard - a new roof skin, without sunroof, can be had from Walloth & Nesch for about 325 euros, ex tax. See here. Sadly the same isn't true for the E28.

A tow car is a great start, but it'll need a bar to hook things to. My Touring has had a towbar fitted at some point, a fact confirmed by my having a receipt for the purchase and fitment of a custom item. Sadly it's not there now, just a small piece of plastic cutaway showing where it was. No brace, crossbar or mounting or anything. So, I'm on the lookout for a towbar. The question here is: what will fit? In a perfect world I'll find an E46 Touring being broken for spares, and get the parts from that. However, the world is far from perfect. Would a towbar from another model fit? Perhaps from an E36? I'm not looking to haul anything serious on a regular basis.

Naaah... Well, not yet. I'm chatting with someone about multi-map ecu programs (standard, economy and performance), decat downpipes, hybrid turbos and EGR delete kits. It's actually starting to sound practical. I'll keep drinking. Still, 220bhp, 420Nm, and 5.6l per 100km? Probably fry the gearbox.

Right - I've got everything sorted here. Time to go home. Where'd the sun go? It was lovely out, earlier. Sorry Mojo - won't be today. Monday is a possibility, but would it be worth just making your offer and seeing what she says? You know you're in for suspension and/or wheel changes, but the other things you mentioned don't sound like show stoppers.

Weld a coupla fours together - after a few Woodies, no-one would know the difference...

I wasn't sure where to put this, so thought I'd start here. Has anyone had a sunroof 'filled in'? What sort of success did they/you have? It's probably easier to replace teh roof skin, but this is for an E28, and I've not seen one of them without a sunroof in... Well, forever. However, if fitting a roll cage, would removing the sunroof actually be necessary? Lo-o-ong term plan. Maybe.

I'd anticipated the E34 being a bit of a bus when compared to an E36, but I was surprised to find the difference in weight is only about 200lbs.

Mojo is keen on the red E36 coupe, and I've offered to take a look for him as while I'm working in Hamilton and it's in Morrinsville, I'm a sight closer than he is. Sadly, the 'quiet week' at work has been anything but, and it'll be near dark before I get out tonight - I'm still here. I'd planned to be away by 4 at the latest...

6s are for console tables. 8s are for coffee.

Aye... Keep it simple but get it right. I really shouldn't mess with my commuting car. (But the EGR and cat delete are still a good idea.) Naah... All that nocturnal wearing myself out will have to be banked for another time. Having seen Mojo's thread, I quite fancy a caged E36 coupe with a dry-sumped M90 running throttle bodies and an aftermarket EMS...

You're a very bad man...

They've just about finished rubbering Meremere for this weekend's racing, too. Good grief... Rubbering up for a drag race... Back on topic, would it be fair to say an E36 is most likely a simpler car than a E46? (I don't know - I've never owned an E36.) That may be a consideration if longer-term ownership is likely.

Had to fill up again today... Good grief! That's twice over Christmas! Economy is down a bit, probably hampered by traipsing around the hills, twists and turns of the Coromandel, and numerous short trips around the local area. 544.6 miles on 61 litres of fuel, so that's just over 40mpg, 14.37km per litre or 6.96 litres per 100km. I've started investigating the replacement of the turbo... It's not smoking, but under hard acceleration it does make some 'interesting' noises. I've checked the history and there is no mention of there ever having been any work done on it - at very nearly 373000km it is certainly due some attention. Reports I have seen suggest that 200000 miles is about the limit, and this one has likely done over 230000 miles now. There's options, of course. Steve could probably rebuild the existing one, but that means taking the car off the road. I could buy a used one and have Steve rebuild that (would you take a chance fitting an unchecked, used turbo to your car?), but it'll likely have to come from abroad, and by the time it is checked/sorted could cost $1200. The expensive option is to buy a hybrid turbo (from abroad) designed to be used on the M47TUD20 engine. All up cost for that could run to $2.5k. This is usually associated with extracting more power, but I'm told that the reality is simply a more efficient solution, meaning the potential for better economy. (And more power. ) In between the refurb and the enhanced solution lies the new GT1749V purchase, or even buying a warranted refurbished standard unit. Not sure what BMW want for one of those, other than that it'll be expensive. This may well be the most cost-effective option in the long run. Regardless, it'll be done properly (no quick fixes here), and I'll fit a decat front downpipe at the same time. While I've been looking at this, I have come across a couple of suggestions that a swap for the M57D30 or M57TUD30 isn't impractical. Well, BMW did make an E46 330d so that makes some sense, but it still sounds like more work than I really want to get in to.

In 1980s-1990s UK (especially London), BMWs had a poorly stereotyped reputation as being the vehicle of choice for a specific cultural group most commonly consisting of pimps, pushers and dealers. Certainly it did seem at the time the case that any 5- or 7-series in black with dark tinted windows was driven by someone looking like a cheap rapper, living on a council estate and dishing out dodgy handshakes while parked illegally. I'll leave you to work out for yourself what 'BMW' was claimed to stand for... Personally I don't think BMW drivers are any worse (or any better) than drivers of other marques. The difference is that BMWs are still recognisable as being BMWs, while so many other manufacturers now produce models that are so generic as to have possibly come from anywhere. As such, when a BMW is seen to be driven poorly, people comment on it because they can add credence to their fury by declaring the manufacturer, something they can't do in the case of many models from Japan, Ford, or elsewhere.

I'll be i Hamilton tomorrow and Friday (and all next week) if that helps at all? I occasionally go to Tauranga, but don't have any plans for that at the moment.

I'll be in Anglesea Street tomorrow and Friday, and can bring a torque wrench down with me. You're welcome to borrow it and return after the weekend.

She's a good lass, and no mistake. Even stayed married to me after I turned up home with a 1990 Porsche 928GT without having spoken to her first... I did look at that first, but this one being over 600km away makes that a little tricky.