Prince's BMW E36 318is Coupe

Hi all,

I bought this car quite a while ago. Originally I got the car as my Civic was involved in an accident and I needed something to get me from A to B, but wanted something that would hold it's value. I travelled to Peterborough one very snowy evening to check the car and it was fine (mechanically) so I lowered the seller to £1200 and drove it away that night. After owning the BMW for a while I decided to keep it instead of the Civic.

I've quietly started my project over the last month or so and decided to share it with everyone on here. It's not the most powerful car in the world but right now it fits the bill perfectly.

The previous owner's work wasn't the best so I have to correct scratches, rust and the awful back box. I've already had to replace a blown manifold (common problem on the M42 lump) and replace the clutch thanks to the release bearing. He did have some taste though as M3 rear lights have already been installed and the car has lowering springs (which will do for now). The car also had the full tool kit, torch, warning triangle and first aid kit.

My plans are:

Cosmetics
- M3 Body Kit
- AC Schnitzer Mirrors
- MTEC Mouldings
- BBS Style 5s (Summer Use)
- Smoothed Boot
- Lashings Of Carbon Fibre

Suspension
- HSD Coilovers (Fully Adjustable)
- X Brace
- Eibach Anti-Roll Bars
- Powerflex Purple Poly Bushes
- Front Upper Strut Brace
- Rear Upper Strut Brace

Power (Aiming for 160bhp+)
- Scorpion Exhaust
- Simota Carbon Fibre Induction Kit
- Big Bore Throttle Bodies
- Remap

Brakes
- Either a 330i conversion or an M3 conversion

Interior
- Honda Integra DC2 Type R Recaros
- Sport Headlining Conversion

In the future I will look into the possibility of a turbo or an engine conversion.

This is how it looked when I bought it:

Obviously those awful eye brows had to come off, and that terrible M badge had to be removed.

So as soon as I had the time I removed them and gave it a clean:

 

[Prince]

No update, just some picture whoring. Last Sunday was the Northampton meet (big thanks for Seb for organising it) so here are the pictures that were taken of my car (a big thanks for all of these as well).

Also to confirm for anyone wanting to see the car properly (who hasn't already), I will be at Gaydon.

 

[Prince]

Updates have been quite quiet since the 'charger went on. I achieved 140mph now, which I'm quite happy with. I think it would have done a little bit more but I didn't want to keep pushing it. Apart from that it's running very well. I might need a new brake duct as well. :lol2 I've also got a little update that I'm sure [MENTION=39]Devil[/MENTION] will appreciate...

I think they compliment the interior nicely and the gearknob feels much better to use than the OEM version.

 

[Prince]

Not a big update but definitely an important one. Today I took advantage of the sunshine and changed the oil. I didn't take many pictures as I took them step-by-step last time. The purpose of the pictures is to show everyone what I use and where I bought it from.

The oil. Gulf Competition F/S 5w40. Expensive compared to some oil but highly recommended.

You can buy from Opie Oils here.

I love the look of fresh oil.

Oil filter. Hengst.

You can buy one from Car Parts 4 Less here. It also comes with everything you need (new copper washer and o-rings).

I also recommend that if you have one these style oil filter housings (mine was swapped for an M43/M44 version due to the supercharger).

You should buy one these.

Plenty available from eBay. I seller I used is out of stock but search 'Oil Filter Socket 76mm' and you'll find them (I paid £6 for mine).

*Please note that I have no affiliation with any of the above sellers so if your order goes tits up then I shall take no blame*

 

[Prince]

Today I got Steve (thanks mate! :thumbsup) to fit my rear brakes and sort my handbrake out for me (as only one side worked!). As they needed doing I took the chance to upgrade from the solid dics found on the 318is and to vented discs found on the 328. They are a straight swap but you will need the 328 calipers. The discs used are Nitrac and can be bought from DC Performance and the pads are from Stoptech/Axxis. I then chose to paint mine to patch the fronts. I didn't take many pictures as Steve was quite busy already and I didn't want to slow him up too much. As I also forgot to take a picture, the brake fluid used was ATE Super Blue (Dot 4).

Before.

You can see why the handbrake didn't work on this side...

All together.

After.

As far as I'm concerned they look much better and it's great to have a fully functioning handbrake as well! I'm not really expecting to notice a big difference in performance though. After we finished I took these pictures of my coupe next to Steve's 'loon and compact.

Comments welcome.

 

[Prince]

Here are some pictures taken by various people at Santa Pod (thank you to Martyn, Mathew and Mike)...

Comments welcome.

 

[Prince]

There you go mate. Those are all the main updates over the last couple of months.

 

[Loz]

Great pics as always Prince.

 

[T9 man]

The car is looking very good Prince, I have looked through the pictures twice now and I still can't see any of the lovely ladies who are usually draped all over your car :blink:

 

[Prince]

Great pics as always Prince.

The car is looking very good Prince, I have looked through the pictures twice now and I still can't see any of the lovely ladies who are usually draped all over your car :blink:

Thanks lads.

Due to expenses things were cut down this year. Not too bad really as the missus was with me so it saved 'that conversation'!

 

[obi_waynne]

Nice pics, thanks for sharing and keeping us updated. What's the plan with the charger power wise, are you where you wanted to be now?

 

[davalav]

The last pic... Bonnet bra on a bimmer.... Surely not? Cramps your cars sexiness! Good pics mate!

 

[Prince]

Nice pics, thanks for sharing and keeping us updated. What's the plan with the charger power wise, are you where you wanted to be now?

Power wise there is a still a lot to do but it'll get there progressively. Smaller pulley, more aggressive cams, BBTB, improved intake (i.e. smoother), different injectors (can't remember off the top of my head but Mustang and turbo Volvo ones have been mentioned), uprated fuel pump, water/meth injection and a custom map.

The last pic... Bonnet bra on a bimmer.... Surely not? Cramps your cars sexiness! Good pics mate!

Cheers mate! I agree, a bra belongs on tits, not on a car.

 

[turbonutter69]

A bra belongs on the floor.

 

[T9 man]

 

[davalav]

Hey Buddy! Hows the car going? Any updates? Been bored at work this afternoon and re read through all the thread! Such an awesome car! Forgot how gorgeous it was!

 

[Prince]

Hey Buddy! Hows the car going? Any updates? Been bored at work this afternoon and re read through all the thread! Such an awesome car! Forgot how gorgeous it was!

Hello mate! A fair few updates tbh. Won't be many for a while though as me and the missus are moving in at some point this yeah. Thanks dude!

 

[Prince]

Essentially it's a E46 Compact steering rack. As explained to me, the early compacts (as in the ones made for the first couple of years) used this rack and it is actually quicker than the Z3 rack (the Z3 rack also being way more expensive than I payed). They measure 51mm per turn vs stock rack which is 44.5mm per turn, and Z3 at 49mm per turn. It has been modified to be a straight swap (hopefully).

 

[Prince]

I've got some new winter wheels and winter tyres. I wasn't actually looking for new rims, but I got an offer for my old winter wheels that was too good to turn down, then these came up at a good price.

Here are the wheels.

The eagle eyed among you will notice two things in particular. They are Style 24 reps, and the two on the left are different from the two on the right. This is because the person who had them before started to refurb them. I shall continue their work (and better it). I'm no expert and I've never used filler on a wheel before, but the two on the left are already awaiting paint (my work mainly) so it can't be that hard to fill in the 'motorsport' on the other two. They will be going black.

Tbh I didn't want reps. They are generally made from 'lesser' materials giving them a lower strength and higher weight.

In fact these weigh 10.5kgs each, a 3kg increase over my LTW5s. (This means the overall weight will go from 30kg, up to 42kg!). In rotational weight, that means I'll be adding roughly between 24-36kg (I don't know the exact formula, just rough ratios).

Onto the tyres. These are Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3Ds. A very highly rated winter tyre. Read the review from tyrereviews.co.uk here. These are technically part-worns as they were used for around a month last year, then the owners Jag blew it's gearbox. They are 225/45/17s. I went with a slightly bigger tyre than last year as I'm now running more power. This is also the standard tyre size BMW use a 7.5J rim.

I'm actually quite looking forward to testing them out in some snow!

Comments welcome as always. :thumbsup

 

[Prince]

I've been quietly making progress on the winter wheels. Tbh I've kinda enjoyed it. It's been more work than I originally planned and I've taught myself how to use filler which was interesting (also inhaled way too much fumes and dust!). 4 out of the 5 are now awaiting paint as I've picked up another rep for a spare (which will get a quick refurb).

I wouldn't have filled in the 'Motorsport' if 2 out of the 4 hadn't already had it done, but it's not that difficult if anybody else fancies giving it a bash.

Here it is with a few layers of filler and a light sanding.

Here it is after I finished. I'm quite pleased with how smooth it feels, but time will tell if it looks good after paint.

I'm now waiting for a sunny day to spray them. Fingers crossed!

I've also picked up some black headlining from a sport to swap over at some point. :thumbsup

 

[Prince]

Quick update on the winter wheels. Finally a day it wasn't pissing it down so I managed to get them primered (front and back) before it got dark.

Before.

After.

 

[Prince]

Right then, finally got round to taking some photos...

Here's the black headlining. I'm sure you've all seen the grey headlining already so here's a few I took of the progress and the headlining installed (the sunroof section was sprayed with cosmos black). Tbh taking the old stuff out is easy, but getting everything to line up when you fit the new headlining is suprisingly time consuming and very fiddly.

The wheels (Pre-laquered). Annoyingly, one of my #!#!#!#! family members managed to scratch the rims so the keen eyed among you will notice some marks (which are worse up close). Tbh I don't have the time with these anymore to rub them down and do them again, so I've layed another coat of black over them and now laquered them (once again dark when they were dry). But just for [MENTION=651]suj[/MENTION] here are a couple of pictures.

Here's a picture I took at work the other night as well. First attempt at night time shots, and tbh I think I need a better camera but you get the idea.

 

[Prince]

Here are some quick pictures of the winter wheels. The centre caps I bought are here. Apologies for the dirty car, but I'm not going to clean it in the rain!

Comments welcome. :thumbsup

 

[Prince]

Here is a picture of my coupe next to the missus' compact...

What a lovely looking couple!

 

[Prince]

Also guys, bare in mind that all those updates were done around October time. Since then all I've done is insure it. Next up will be the steering rack and possibly a new steering wheel. But the MOT comes first (which is in a few weeks)!

 

[T9 man]

Marvellous updates Prince, thanks for sharing buddy

 

[davalav]

Nice update! Started to worry when I saw you decided to spray your roof lining!

The Wheels look good. Gives it a proper OEM touch!

 

[Prince]

Marvellous updates Prince, thanks for sharing buddy

Cheers pal!

Nice update! Started to worry when I saw you decided to spray your roof lining!

The Wheels look good. Gives it a proper OEM touch!

Haha! It's just so much easier (and a bit pikey) than swapping out the sun roof panel. They are very heavy and taking them out often stops them ever working properly again.

I do like the wheels, but the summer set are so much better imo.

 

[obi_waynne]

Nice work, thanks for the updates and it's good to hear from you buddy.

 

[Prince]

Nice work, thanks for the updates and it's good to hear from you buddy.

Thanks mate.

 

[pgarner]

looking good as allways mate.

what filler did you use for the wheels, normal body filler or chemical metal ?

 

[Prince]

looking good as allways mate.

what filler did you use for the wheels, normal body filler or chemical metal ?

Cheers mate!

Yeah it was just cheap body filler I had laying around. Nothing special, in fact I got it from halfords ages ago so decided to make some use out of it finally.

 

[MasterAuron]

Looking guuurd. Tracked this yet? Sorry if it's in the thread my memory is ballsack.

 

[Prince]

Looking guuurd. Tracked this yet? Sorry if it's in the thread my memory is ballsack.

Cheers dude. No not yet mate. Got a few little upgrades first, the steering rack pictured above and some M3 ARBs. But tbh most if my spare money is going into my savings atm as me and the missus are moving in together this year so unfortunately the car has to lose out a little bit.

 

[T9 man]

Any recent updates Prince?

 

[Prince]

Any recent updates Prince?

Hello mate. Only one update recently...

The car is FOR SALE! Yes that's right I said for sale.

 

[davalav]

Hello mate. Only one update recently...

The car is FOR SALE! Yes that's right I said for sale.

NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

How comes mate? Such a shame after all the work you've put in to it! :sad2:

 

[Prince]

NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

How comes mate? Such a shame after all the work you've put in to it! :sad2:

Time to move on mate. It's become a little bit boring so I'm looking for another RWD car with more power.

 

[jarrus]

YOu should LS it instead, engines are easy to come by and easy to fit into the E36, its what I will be looking at doing in the future

 

[T9 man]

I cannot believe what I have just read :amazed: That could not have been an easy decision to make Prince, especially after all your efforts getting it to look just so. I wish you the very best of luck with your next project, whatever it may be

 

[Prince]

YOu should LS it instead, engines are easy to come by and easy to fit into the E36, its what I will be looking at doing in the future

The engines aren't the problem mate. It's more so that it doesn't excite me anymore. More so to look at it than anything else.