E36 328i Touring. When it breaks, upgrade it...
Discussion
So I always wanted one of these since I was a kid... love the look of estates, the E36 Touring especially.
After dabbling with buying various E36s over the years (325tds saloon, 318is saloon, 316i Compact, 320i Touring and a 323i Coupe), I finally dumped my girlfriend and used the some of the house account money we'd saved to buy this:
1999 328i Touring SE in Titanium Silver... few bits of rust, sports half-leather interior, MTech wheel & gearknob, 18-function computer, a few dents and a couple of rusty spots. Arches were solid, car had been sent to BMW specialists for 7 years to be looked after, and even though it had a fairly porky 162,000 on the clock, the engine was 142,000 miles young... the first owner tried fording, at great expense. All for £750, including a nice stereo (my 'usual' Alpine), a pair of snow socks and a sat nav... couldn't say fairer than that!
Decided to make it look and go as I wanted it to, starting with a few bits...
16" Style 30s. Classic E36 Sport look.
Crystal rear lights, as I hated the standard ambers. Smoked the top parts with some fairly light film just to 'take the edge off' the immense clarity. Still bright as anything.
Illuminated MTech gearknob. The standard one was so, so rough... wobbled about on the shaft... not good at all.
In between the 'early stages', I fitted a Dave F air filter to hear the straight six snarl a little better, replaced the dodgy boot struts, and popped some smoked side repeaters in to de-amber. Also bought an M50 manifold, but held off on fitting it as a friend had binned his 323i and had a converted one ready to fit. There's some MTech springs in the wings, but can't be bothered to fit them with the weather being decidedly uncooperative.
Calamity struck when I realised about 1/2 a mile into owning my new wheels that the previous owner hadn't been very forthright with a few things, namely an offset that was so wrong it beggared belief and buckling of epic proportions. Yay. I couldn't engage the throttle without the rear tyres rubbing and smelling rather beautiful. Cornering was much the same. So I got looking and found a set of these...
... but I decided they looked a little bit 'chav monster', so they're back up for sale already.
On one of my regular sites, someone posted they had a set of wheels for a BMW... no one was biting as it was a Skoda forum... so I made him a stupid offer that he, strangely, accepted. Cue roadtrip.
17" staggered Style 32s with decent Michelin Pilot Sports on them? Yes please.
Then, finally, sorted out the weedy front end. Smoked front indicators, a new nosecone without a socking great dent in it, de-washered it for a cleaner look and the fact that the system was kaput, and an M3 bumper that I swapped my M50 manifold for. As you do.
So, future plans thus far... secure an M50 manifold, fit some M3 exhaust manifolds, remap it (should be at least 230bhp). There's a scrappy breaking a Touring in the same colour, so I'll secure some of the panels and spray them as & when. Also want to bung the convertible X-brace on there to sharpen the steering, and get the suspension fitted.
Very much enjoying BMW ownership.
After dabbling with buying various E36s over the years (325tds saloon, 318is saloon, 316i Compact, 320i Touring and a 323i Coupe), I finally dumped my girlfriend and used the some of the house account money we'd saved to buy this:
1999 328i Touring SE in Titanium Silver... few bits of rust, sports half-leather interior, MTech wheel & gearknob, 18-function computer, a few dents and a couple of rusty spots. Arches were solid, car had been sent to BMW specialists for 7 years to be looked after, and even though it had a fairly porky 162,000 on the clock, the engine was 142,000 miles young... the first owner tried fording, at great expense. All for £750, including a nice stereo (my 'usual' Alpine), a pair of snow socks and a sat nav... couldn't say fairer than that!
Decided to make it look and go as I wanted it to, starting with a few bits...
16" Style 30s. Classic E36 Sport look.
Crystal rear lights, as I hated the standard ambers. Smoked the top parts with some fairly light film just to 'take the edge off' the immense clarity. Still bright as anything.
Illuminated MTech gearknob. The standard one was so, so rough... wobbled about on the shaft... not good at all.
In between the 'early stages', I fitted a Dave F air filter to hear the straight six snarl a little better, replaced the dodgy boot struts, and popped some smoked side repeaters in to de-amber. Also bought an M50 manifold, but held off on fitting it as a friend had binned his 323i and had a converted one ready to fit. There's some MTech springs in the wings, but can't be bothered to fit them with the weather being decidedly uncooperative.
Calamity struck when I realised about 1/2 a mile into owning my new wheels that the previous owner hadn't been very forthright with a few things, namely an offset that was so wrong it beggared belief and buckling of epic proportions. Yay. I couldn't engage the throttle without the rear tyres rubbing and smelling rather beautiful. Cornering was much the same. So I got looking and found a set of these...
... but I decided they looked a little bit 'chav monster', so they're back up for sale already.
On one of my regular sites, someone posted they had a set of wheels for a BMW... no one was biting as it was a Skoda forum... so I made him a stupid offer that he, strangely, accepted. Cue roadtrip.
17" staggered Style 32s with decent Michelin Pilot Sports on them? Yes please.
Then, finally, sorted out the weedy front end. Smoked front indicators, a new nosecone without a socking great dent in it, de-washered it for a cleaner look and the fact that the system was kaput, and an M3 bumper that I swapped my M50 manifold for. As you do.
So, future plans thus far... secure an M50 manifold, fit some M3 exhaust manifolds, remap it (should be at least 230bhp). There's a scrappy breaking a Touring in the same colour, so I'll secure some of the panels and spray them as & when. Also want to bung the convertible X-brace on there to sharpen the steering, and get the suspension fitted.
Very much enjoying BMW ownership.
jaacck said:
Nice, the last wheels definitely the best. Not keen on the black. Spray them silver tho and be nice. Style 5's good lookin wheel
they're not style 5s though - style 29s innit 
Definitely liking the multi-spokes though. Easier to clean too! I always feel like they benefit from darkening a few shades so the brake dust doesn't make them look so obviously grimy once you've done a few miles. I was thinking about going down the Style 32 route had I not fallen for the Hartges
Edited by vsonix on Sunday 25th November 19:32
That is a fantastic looking car, it is amazing how a few simple modifications can make such a big difference. I have a very similar engine to yours in my E46 and it really is lovely - I hear they respond very well to induction kits if you feel like releasing a bit more noise.
On the subject of modifying, how did you smoke the indicators? Did you use the original ones? I still have amber ones and would like to do something similar. I don't want to derail your thread, so drop me a PM if you like
On the subject of modifying, how did you smoke the indicators? Did you use the original ones? I still have amber ones and would like to do something similar. I don't want to derail your thread, so drop me a PM if you like
Getaway- you have an email!! Payday on Friday, you see. 
Petrolveins- they sell for so cheap. I think 98 onwards was Alusil. I saw a Boston Green one with 73k and full heated leather go for 895 on eBay! A lot of straight six for your money, and a huge parts/user base.
Bork- cheers! I was determined to essentially turn it into a Sport, never been a fan of amber or weedy bumpers! I bought the indicators, they're made by Depo- not brilliant quality, mind. Clear ones you can smoke really easily with some cheapo Chinese tint film. Not too dark either, so you don't look like a chavvy barstool!
Petrolveins- they sell for so cheap. I think 98 onwards was Alusil. I saw a Boston Green one with 73k and full heated leather go for 895 on eBay! A lot of straight six for your money, and a huge parts/user base.
Bork- cheers! I was determined to essentially turn it into a Sport, never been a fan of amber or weedy bumpers! I bought the indicators, they're made by Depo- not brilliant quality, mind. Clear ones you can smoke really easily with some cheapo Chinese tint film. Not too dark either, so you don't look like a chavvy barstool!
Cheers guys. Phil- I absolutely despise amber, so they won't come back, but I have a photo with them on with the M3 bumper and I could almost see the appeal.
The whole point was modernising her, the rear lights and the smoked indicators/repeaters made the biggest difference. Looking forward to the next stages- MTech suspension to drop the front a touch, M50 courtesy of Mr. Getaway... the engine is fascinating on these cars. Various rumours fly around, but the ones with most gravitas involve an M50'd car with a remap and an M3 exhaust manifold reaching an easy 245bhp on the rollers. The M3 exhaust mani also serves to pump back in some of the low end torque that gets shifted further up the rev range when you go M50.
An LSD is also on the list, and if I find a cheap M3 6-speed gearbox, that'll be going on too. I know to many it will seem bizarre modifying some sub-1k, leggy Touring... but I want to see what she can do...
The whole point was modernising her, the rear lights and the smoked indicators/repeaters made the biggest difference. Looking forward to the next stages- MTech suspension to drop the front a touch, M50 courtesy of Mr. Getaway... the engine is fascinating on these cars. Various rumours fly around, but the ones with most gravitas involve an M50'd car with a remap and an M3 exhaust manifold reaching an easy 245bhp on the rollers. The M3 exhaust mani also serves to pump back in some of the low end torque that gets shifted further up the rev range when you go M50.
An LSD is also on the list, and if I find a cheap M3 6-speed gearbox, that'll be going on too. I know to many it will seem bizarre modifying some sub-1k, leggy Touring... but I want to see what she can do...
Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff