E36 Touring epic tidy up

[Statek 87]

So since I don't have weekends to do anything fun, but still wanted something to tinker with, I decided on a longer-term tidy up project. Loosely "tidy up", as it will likely take much sweat and blood and probably a bucket load of $$ to bring this unloved wagon back to some sort of respectability. I have a vague idea of how I want this to turnout, but initially it will be a matter of cleaning up, sanitising it and making sure it's road worthy.

 

 

Rough list of things which need addressing:

• Exterior: peeling clear coat, few dents, few small rust spots
• Interior: seats, door trims, roof lining, a really good clean
• Engine seems healthy, although wanting to upgrade later down the line
• Mechanical list of things pending WoF

Wish me luck!

[balancerider 758]

On 7/15/2019 at 6:38 PM, Statek said:

 

• Engine seems healthy, although wanting to upgrade later down the line

M54 transplant? A manual e36 touring as a great starting point for a project

[Statek 87]

1 hour ago, balancerider said:

M54 transplant? A manual e36 touring as a great starting point for a project

It is indeed a great starting point  long road ahead!

[hunter 408]

I have some 18 x 8 S65 reps (italian made) if you're looking to change those wheels up.

[Statek 87]

On 7/18/2019 at 8:52 PM, hunter said:

I have some 18 x 8 S65 reps (italian made) if you're looking to change those wheels up.

Thanks, but i'll stick with my spare set of Style 68s for now while I tidy up the car - I'll probably end up getting some shinier spinners later down the line...

[Statek 87]

On the weekend I found some decent condition front seats to replace those ratty ones. I've never really been for leather, but they were the best seats in all 5 pick-a-part/zebra-u-picks in Auckland, they seem pretty comfy and they'll match the leather door cards.

So took a portion of the interior apart to give the car a semi clean before it goes for a WoF this weekend - the car seems to have been pretty unloved so it took a while to get it looking semi decent. I also took the sagging headliner off as i'll be retrimming it in a little while - but at least now i don't have to lean my seats that low to drive it anywhere.

I started fitting the new seats into the car when I found that someone had raided the donor car and took the forward/backward sliding adjustment cable out from the driver's seat. Not the biggest deal, because i've got a spare cable in the old seats, but for the life of me I can't figure out how to disassemble the seat controls from the seat to take the old cable off.

Does anyone have advice or a link to a guide for forward/backward seat adjustment cable replacement? I can't find anything about these manual seats on the internet...

[zero 1162]

Is this Brents old wagon?

Looks like you are making good progress.

[Statek 87]

52 minutes ago, zero said:

Is this Brents old wagon?

Looks like you are making good progress.

Yep, got it from Brent.

Don't hold your breath - this is a long-term project plus I need to squirrel away money without my better half noticing  
I'll be making a list of parts which need replacing or reconditioning as I find them, then i'll slowly rebuild the car depending on priority or availability of parts. Luckily I found a goldmind of touring parts in the UK.

The biggest and scariest job for me will be the body work...

[zero 1162]

The msport front bumper looks best on the touring imo.

I had a e36 touring I sold recently, and they really are nice cars. The fact they are far less common than the sedan,coupes is definitely a plus in my book.

Yours would look nice with the msport exterior trim I reckon.

[Statek 87]

2 hours ago, zero said:

The msport front bumper looks best on the touring imo.

I had a e36 touring I sold recently, and they really are nice cars. The fact they are far less common than the sedan,coupes is definitely a plus in my book.

Yours would look nice with the msport exterior trim I reckon.

Yeah man, the plan is to go with the m-sport kit  love how they look. You're right - there's not many tourings, and that's why i went with it.

[Statek 87]

Sorted the seat adjuster cables - hidden screw directly under the rail.

Also sorted the net on the back. Seats still need a good clean, which I'll do before chucking them both in the car.

[balancerider 758]

On 7/22/2019 at 10:48 PM, Statek said:

Luckily I found a goldmine of touring parts in the UK.

This may have to be your source if you want matching leather rear seats. Think the first gen touring that was imported to Japan was the E46

[Palazzo 477]

You might get lucky, there was a touring with leather seats at Pickapart last year. Sat there for ages.

[Statek 87]

Finally got my brother-in-laws E46 330i out of the garage and got the E36 in. Time to start addressing WoF issues. 

First question - why would both front wheels be rubbing on the inside rear at full lock? it's running 205/55/16 with et44 wheels. Wheel alignment looks fine (it's not, but it definitely isn't toeing out so much as to cause this). I chucked a style 68 on to see if it would make a difference, but still rubbing.

Googling around, makes me think that the rack may not have steering rack stops? Anyone able to confirm if this might be the cause? (for reference: https://www.turnermotorsport.com/image/suspension/e36_rack_stop.pdf) 

[Statek 87]

Turns out the inner rack ends were replaced and some non-OE lock washers have made it on instead of the spacered washers BMW designed. Sorted now thanks to @M3AN gifting me the proper set. Tyres no longer rub  

Also sorted the other WoF items out: windscreen washer pump, front brake hoses, new wipers all around, both rear fuel hoses, p/s belt. Just need to arrange a recheck.

[Statek 87]

Long time since update, even though some work has been done. Things are slowing down, as we found out we're pregnant and my wife is currently having a hard time dealing with the nausea - which means I'm running laps around her, providing everything she needs at whatever hour she needs it. As a result, my garage time no longer exists, or at least is split into very brief visits.

Changes since last update: 

• Purple rack has made it into the car
• Style 68 wheels have made it onto the car
• Some dashboard light bulbs have been replaced, and some have been ordered and are pending replacement

I've been trying to decide what's next, whether to focus on the exterior (which is in very poor shape), suspension or engine. It was easy to decide when an E46 with M54B30 came up for sale for a very decent price. Even if the engine will be unusable due to the issues the previous owner highlighted, at least i'll have all the wiring, ECUs and auxiliaries necessary to do the swap.

So currently I'm (very slowly) diagnosing the M54B30 - it drove home just fine, but apparently if you add oil above the minimum line it will start smoking from the exhaust. So far I've pulled the coils and plugs out, in an attempt to drain the plug holes from oil - I'll be compression testing it, then seeing whether it actually has issues, or just needs some new gaskets.

The spark plug is still in the hole in this picture - it's just covered to the top ?

 

[Statek 87]

Finished cleaning up the headliner, it didn't take long but it was a pretty boring job none-the-less - clockwise order. Now just need to drop it off for my trim guy to do.

Also compression tested the M54, and all 6 cylinders are 145-155 psi - note that the compression tester may be questionable - the results being in the same range is what's important here. As a result, I started ordering parts to catch up on some maintenance (read: OIL LEAKS and cooling system) before it is moved into the E36.