Eagle

+1 depends on the part but anything electrical related i always go OE\genuine unless its NLA.

Do the hidden OBC unlock and bring up the coolant temp so you can see what its actually reading under different conditions. The gauge being buffered means if it goes even a few degrees out of its normal middle range then its going straight to the red zone. 

Cooling system refresh is always a good idea as you probably given its probably on old\unknown parts. Never really heard of sensor failing but you can almost guarantee the thermostat and fan clutch are original. When i buy a car i usually remove the radiator at the same time and clean out all usual debris on the front of the fins and the AC condenser area. 

Yeah i bet it feels like a different car going from a worn stock setup. No doubt the solid subframe bushings and M3 arms to a lesser extent are contributing too.

Some people have better mannerisms suited to presenting this sort of stuff. I noticed but given the length of the video it didn't really bother me, plus id rather have some be themselves rather than put on a fake persona.

Cant say ive heard of that one. Im running them in my Ti which has the same front end steering parts as all E36's. Works fine with the E46 purple tag rack and E36 outer ends. 

Why not use E46 inner rods?

Height is perfect amount for me. 

Have you checked the live data in INPA?

Yeah would great to see what the spring\strut combo drives like on a E39. Too bad you arent close.

9 hours ago, Vass said:

I have laying around and not bother with an anti-rattle rings if they don't need it as it just seems far too easy to mess up the piston internals.

Yeah i dont bother with them anymore, the tolerances are small that its too much much guess work to me to get the correct spec without the right tools. Even with wear the vanos rattle is rarely heard most of the time in my experience.

9 hours ago, Vass said:

. That and the clunk from the driveline just keep annoying the hell out of me and really running out of ideas as to what it might be

Did you try running it up on stands to see if you could locate the source? 

From the photos it looks the the bumper is the worst offender. I dont miss black paint.

I can get 6x landed from Spareto from $160 (12 euro each) so i dont think the pricing is crazy. As for Repco you probably know what it stands for.

9 hours ago, ookii said:

Thanks team! Appreciate it.

Does anyone know what's the alternative part number for the ATF above? I rang BMW and they don't have it in stock and asked me to just buy one from Repco or Supercheap. But, none of these shops have the compatible ATF

Nothing special about the system, any ATF will work fine. Buy some reputable synthetic ATF (Valvoline Maxlife ATF at Bunnings etc is a good well priced option)  .

Main thing is to make sure you flush the system or do a number of drain and refills to get most of the old stuff out and the colour looking good.

31 minutes ago, hunter said:

Coolant system appears to be leaking again. Possibly from the top of the expansion tank, under the fan shroud. Sh!t. 
 

not what I need before a 3000km trip next month. Will be booking it in to Coombes for a pressure test this week.  

Damn. Is that bleeder line under there. Should of hit me up. ive got a pressure tester.

For those interested - BMW alignment with the E36 M3 strut mounts at max positive camber. Ends up basically the same figure as stock mounts\springs with max factory negative camber, but with the nice bump in caster.  Front does appear to have less grip in certain corners with less camber, but it tracks better at high speeds on rutted roads with a proper alignment. For <$250 it does alot for the money.

You forgot the subframe

Cap is usually correct

54 minutes ago, Sammo said:

Interesting - E30 is definately more 'fun' but E46 is fun as well and more well rounded.

I am tossing up putting a purple tag in the E30 at some point, although not dying to go through the cert process.

Stock rack is obviously slow but mines a little vague around centre too - maybe a rebuild would help?

Yeah i agree that E46 certainly ain't boring and is far more well rounded for sure, but the semi trailing arm is just more lively, the car weights 200-300kg less, better weighted steering, mechanical throttle etc. 

The stock E30 and E36 racks just feel rubbish compared to purple tag when you drive them back to back. Its just how they are id say rather than wear so long as there is no play in it. 

14 hours ago, Sammo said:

this thing must be driving so good now!

It is but honestly i find my 318ti auto is still more enjoyable to drive with the same purple tag rack, classic case of newer=better but less enjoyable. Something im sure you can understand when you 'downgraded' from your E46 to the E30. 4 cylinders having lighter front just adds to E30\Ti experience. I dont think its much slower if at all in the tighter corners despite being mostly stock.

Im sure its had a bit work done unlike most of the other CSL garage queeens\investment vehicles

Picked up a single Recaro SP-JC seat on fb for fairly cheap to replace the SR3. The SR3 is clearly superior for sprinted driving, but with the solid subframe mounts the body roll is much reduced so something a bit more livable makes sense more of the time.

Its certainly a nicer and well featured seat compared to the average Recaro whilst still being light. The bolstering\support isn't very aggressive, slightly improved over stock sport seats i reckon with added shoulder support but slightly flatter base bolstering, basically a SR7-F.  Feels so much nicer to sit in though, definitely got VW\Audi style Recaro vibe to it. Fits in the E46 better with good clearance for bolsters and airbag tensioner. Unfortunately like the SR3 it still sits about 1 inch to low for me, but its a small issue.

Features include - electric recline, cooling and heating function on the remote and a manually inflatable lumber bladder with thigh support on bottom. Manually folds forward too which is a must for me in a coupe and you dont have to hold it forward like the SR3.

Also matches the passenger seat better than i expected despite the Recaro branding and red stitiching

Sounds like a small amount of money well spent

NZ is great for getting less popular and rarer cars cheap, just as well because you have to spent a small fortune importing parts. 

225/45 are correct for the 7.5 fronts  

Finally got it back together and driving. I had an assistant helping me put the subframe in and it got it caught on one of the front studs and bent it slightly. I had undo it from the body to release the threads were caught inside the mount (These aftermarket alloy parts seem much softer than BMW bits). Ordered some brand new studs. lock nuts and bolts and did it by myself the second time with more patience, it went it fairly easy with some raw hide hammer persuasion.

Solid bushings. These have certainly modernized the car as claimed. Rear end wag\disconnect between front and rear is reduced and car is more composed with more grip in all driving, will be even better with the alignment redone. Driveline slop is reduced also when shifting and accel\decel. Id imagine with a high end dampers and springs would really do it justice with all the other supporting mods.

Only downside (for me at least) is the added NVH\knocking from diff backlash etc. Its much more pronounced due to no rubber isolation and i can also hear more rumble and a whine from the diff at certain speeds\frequencies, especially around 110-120kph (bearings arent the best). I will have to look into putting my helical into my old diff to try and reduce it as i dont think i could live with it long term.

ZF detents. Decided to do these while the box was out. Special thanks to @Vass for the tool loan. Mine weren't bad as such but doing all the detents has improved the shift quality more than i expected. I can see how these boxes get blamed for vague shifting. With all new bushings, detents and E60 shifter its the best stock'ish config BMW manual box ive driven. 

E36 M3 flywheel\clutch. Wanted to try the last M5X BMW to use a dual mass flywheel with conventional clutch. The M54 etc SAC pressure plate isn't the worse but has a stiff travel with little feel. The E36 M3 pedal effort is noticeable reduced and you can feel the engagement point off the floor far better. Makes it easier to drive in general combine with all the other related things.   

At this point i think its already at the OE+ type build (give or take). I drove a guys typical E46 the other day and this feels like a different car, for better or for worse.