Supercharged E36 318Ti
Discussion
I enjoy reading other peoples threads on here, so thought it was about time I got a thread up of my car as it might be mildly interesting. This is my first car purchased back in August 2007, I was looking at a Mazda 323 V6 (which still look great now) but in the end, my mate who was in to drifting convinced me I needed RWD! I wanted a hatchback and relatively fuel economy which doesn't leave much choice. At the time (and maybe a bit still now) people turn their nose up at the E36 compacts, but I thought it looked good. So with a grand from my parents, a grand from my gran and a grand from me, I purchased my first car, a BMW E36 318Ti Sport in cosmos black. Having only driven my parents Rover Mini, this thing felt awesome! Here are the photos from when I first bought it.
1923430_562935058449_9929_n by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
1923430_562935063439_249_n by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
I took it to Paris for my girlfriends (now wife's) 21st birthday present and used to drive between my first job in Oxford and where my girlfriend lived (Leeds). Got stopped by the police loads, must have been a drug dealers car before me... Lost it at a roundabout meaning it needed a new 3/4 panel, door and wing. Repaired at great expense, but even at this time I new I wanted to repair it rather than scrap it. Over the next few years the poor thing went through multiple sets of wheels as well as lots of different diffs as I tried to find an LSD that was:
1) Not knacked
2) Of a reasonable ratio
Finally found one of an E30 with a 3.46 ratio (original 3.38) which really helped with the feel of the car.
It was 10 year old when I bought it and was already fairly tired, so over the years it got upgraded:
Chassis:
Powerflex rear beam and offset control arm bushes
Superflex trailing arm bushes (changed for standard after stainless inserts rusted)
E30 control arms (no rubber bush around ball joint like E36)
Z3 steering rack (less turns lock to lock)
H&R street shocks and springs, too rolly on track, so upgraded to Spax coilovers
20mm spacers to clear coilovers at the front
Mondeo mk3 estate rear anti roll bar links on the front ARB as the original rubber ring kept ripping out
E46 225/45/17 wheels instead of the 205/55/16
Brakes:
E46 vented 300mm discs and calipers (up from 286mm solid)
EBC bluestuff pads front and rear
Braided lines
Driveline:
E36 325 solid flywheel, lightened
Z3 shifting rod for shorter throw
Interior:
Sparco rev bucket seat and three point harness
Engine:
Coil on plug conversion
Downing Atlanta Supercharger
As well as replacing lots of standard, worn out parts.
Leave it at that for now, but more to come, trackdays, supercharger and rust!
1923430_562935058449_9929_n by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr1923430_562935063439_249_n by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrI took it to Paris for my girlfriends (now wife's) 21st birthday present and used to drive between my first job in Oxford and where my girlfriend lived (Leeds). Got stopped by the police loads, must have been a drug dealers car before me... Lost it at a roundabout meaning it needed a new 3/4 panel, door and wing. Repaired at great expense, but even at this time I new I wanted to repair it rather than scrap it. Over the next few years the poor thing went through multiple sets of wheels as well as lots of different diffs as I tried to find an LSD that was:
1) Not knacked
2) Of a reasonable ratio
Finally found one of an E30 with a 3.46 ratio (original 3.38) which really helped with the feel of the car.
It was 10 year old when I bought it and was already fairly tired, so over the years it got upgraded:
Chassis:
Powerflex rear beam and offset control arm bushes
Superflex trailing arm bushes (changed for standard after stainless inserts rusted)
E30 control arms (no rubber bush around ball joint like E36)
Z3 steering rack (less turns lock to lock)
H&R street shocks and springs, too rolly on track, so upgraded to Spax coilovers
20mm spacers to clear coilovers at the front
Mondeo mk3 estate rear anti roll bar links on the front ARB as the original rubber ring kept ripping out
E46 225/45/17 wheels instead of the 205/55/16
Brakes:
E46 vented 300mm discs and calipers (up from 286mm solid)
EBC bluestuff pads front and rear
Braided lines
Driveline:
E36 325 solid flywheel, lightened
Z3 shifting rod for shorter throw
Interior:
Sparco rev bucket seat and three point harness
Engine:
Coil on plug conversion
Downing Atlanta Supercharger
As well as replacing lots of standard, worn out parts.
Leave it at that for now, but more to come, trackdays, supercharger and rust!
Bowlers said:
I miss my old Compact it was a great car to drive, lots of fun in the winter months. I actually preffered it to drive than my 318is weirdly. I keep looking to buy another, although they are so difficult to find now in Sport specification.
Little bit less weight and a lairy rear end helps keep it a bit more entertaining that a 318is! They finally seem to be going up in value, but very few of them around now. Still make sense as a daily car now, hatchback, RWD, NA, reliable engine. As long as it doesn't have rust....In summer this year I thought I would spend a bit of money on her to bring her up to scratch. I got a pair of wings and a bonnet cheap which sorted the front. The driveshafts were a bit knockey so I bought a pair and whilst under the car I saw a little rust hole. I've read elsewhere here that the first rule of rust is do not poke the rust, but I couldn't help myself:
Initial hole:
DSC_2568 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
Bit of poking:
DSC_2578 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
Bit of angle grinding:
DSC_2644 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
In for a penny...:
DSC_2653 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
Remains of the jacking point:
DSC_2657 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
At this point I thought is it time to scrap the old girl? The inner wing was gone as was the jacking point. The inner wing is no longer available and the jacking point comes with the entire 3/4 panel so big bucks. Pattern sills are available, but they are for the saloon. They are the same length, but underneath they differ at lot towards the rear of the car. I've got a Clarke mig welder so thought I might as well give it a go. It wouldn't be that expensive, sill £40, Zintec sheet £20, consumables £60. It would all be hidden by the plastic side skirt covers too. Sooooo….
Inner sill repair panel:
DSC_2666 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
My welding skills, fairly happy with this. Low power, only welding for a second or two at a time:
DSC_2668 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
Repair to jacking point, will be braced later:
DSC_2683 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
Tacking end piece in place:
DSC_2687 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
Inner wing done:
DSC_2689 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
Some fun for another time:
DSC_2691~01 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
Welding upside down not all fun (it was the really hot summer, normally weld in thick clothing):
DSC_2703 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
New sill welded on:
DSC_2694 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
Quick hand brush paintjob to stop it from rusting:
DSC_2698 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
Jacking point at the front of the car looking a bit sorry for its self, so thought I would use a bit from the sill panel to sort it:
DSC_2698~01 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
All welded:
DSC_2699~01 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
All done! Very proud of myself, learnt a lot, didn't spend too much, car back on the road. Thought I would tidy up the rear jacking point on the other side that had been "professionally" welded.
Uh oh, this doesn't look good:
DSC_2705 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
The rear beam support bracket had been welded to the chassis when it should have been a bolt on part!
DSC_2706 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
TBC!
Initial hole:
DSC_2568 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrBit of poking:
DSC_2578 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrBit of angle grinding:
DSC_2644 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrIn for a penny...:
DSC_2653 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrRemains of the jacking point:
DSC_2657 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrAt this point I thought is it time to scrap the old girl? The inner wing was gone as was the jacking point. The inner wing is no longer available and the jacking point comes with the entire 3/4 panel so big bucks. Pattern sills are available, but they are for the saloon. They are the same length, but underneath they differ at lot towards the rear of the car. I've got a Clarke mig welder so thought I might as well give it a go. It wouldn't be that expensive, sill £40, Zintec sheet £20, consumables £60. It would all be hidden by the plastic side skirt covers too. Sooooo….
Inner sill repair panel:
DSC_2666 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrMy welding skills, fairly happy with this. Low power, only welding for a second or two at a time:
DSC_2668 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrRepair to jacking point, will be braced later:
DSC_2683 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrTacking end piece in place:
DSC_2687 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrInner wing done:
DSC_2689 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrSome fun for another time:
DSC_2691~01 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrWelding upside down not all fun (it was the really hot summer, normally weld in thick clothing):
DSC_2703 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrNew sill welded on:
DSC_2694 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrQuick hand brush paintjob to stop it from rusting:
DSC_2698 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrJacking point at the front of the car looking a bit sorry for its self, so thought I would use a bit from the sill panel to sort it:
DSC_2698~01 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrAll welded:
DSC_2699~01 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrAll done! Very proud of myself, learnt a lot, didn't spend too much, car back on the road. Thought I would tidy up the rear jacking point on the other side that had been "professionally" welded.
Uh oh, this doesn't look good:
DSC_2705 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrThe rear beam support bracket had been welded to the chassis when it should have been a bolt on part!
DSC_2706 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrTBC!
Dylan318Ti said:
Bowlers said:
I miss my old Compact it was a great car to drive, lots of fun in the winter months. I actually preffered it to drive than my 318is weirdly. I keep looking to buy another, although they are so difficult to find now in Sport specification.
Little bit less weight and a lairy rear end helps keep it a bit more entertaining that a 318is! They finally seem to be going up in value, but very few of them around now. Still make sense as a daily car now, hatchback, RWD, NA, reliable engine. As long as it doesn't have rust....
geeks said:
There is a reason that the numbers are lower these days.... www.bmwracedays.co.uk
Yep, the compact cup is definitely swallowing up a lot of the non rusty compact shells. I got some photos of the supercharger set up at the weekend. I got it from Gumtree around 7 years ago for £500 but it was missing a few bits. Took a few months to get it running right but it's worked well ever since.
Its a kit made by Downing Atlanta in America and seemed to be quite popular over there. Cost about $2500 new, which meant by the time it got to the UK with delivery charges and import taxes it was close to £2000. Most people just got a 328 or did an engine swap, so not many kits made it to the UK.
It has an aluminium cast manifold which connects the cylinder head to the Eaton roots blower. A bypass valve means pressure is not generated when there is a vacuum (throttle plate closed). When the throttle opens, pressure increases pre blower to close to atmospheric, the bypass valve shuts and pressure is generated post blower. Max pressure is 8 psi as standard but I have it running a smaller pulley running 9.5psi. It uses a longer aux belt with two extra idlers to provide belt wrap over the charger and the standard BMW tensioner. The blower goes into a custom cast elbow which connects to the standard throttle body, then a silicone elbow into a cone air filter with a home made heat shield.
The kit runs a rising rate fuel pressure regulator which increases fuel pressure from around 30psi at no boost to 90psi at full boost. This increases the amount of fuel the injectors delivers. It worked really well even so it sounds like a bodge, however, I managed to get the ECU mapped to run with a larger MAF off a 328 and four Volvo 5 cylinder turbo injectors.
I think power at the fly is around 200 hp over the 140 stock. The car is about now as fast as an E46 330i and the engine is otherwise standard (tested down the back straight of Bedford Autodrome
). Other things in the photos are the oil catch can and the coil-on-plug conversion using E46 316i coils.
DSC_3167 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
DSC_3168 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
DSC_3172 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
DSC_3170 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
Its a kit made by Downing Atlanta in America and seemed to be quite popular over there. Cost about $2500 new, which meant by the time it got to the UK with delivery charges and import taxes it was close to £2000. Most people just got a 328 or did an engine swap, so not many kits made it to the UK.
It has an aluminium cast manifold which connects the cylinder head to the Eaton roots blower. A bypass valve means pressure is not generated when there is a vacuum (throttle plate closed). When the throttle opens, pressure increases pre blower to close to atmospheric, the bypass valve shuts and pressure is generated post blower. Max pressure is 8 psi as standard but I have it running a smaller pulley running 9.5psi. It uses a longer aux belt with two extra idlers to provide belt wrap over the charger and the standard BMW tensioner. The blower goes into a custom cast elbow which connects to the standard throttle body, then a silicone elbow into a cone air filter with a home made heat shield.
The kit runs a rising rate fuel pressure regulator which increases fuel pressure from around 30psi at no boost to 90psi at full boost. This increases the amount of fuel the injectors delivers. It worked really well even so it sounds like a bodge, however, I managed to get the ECU mapped to run with a larger MAF off a 328 and four Volvo 5 cylinder turbo injectors.
I think power at the fly is around 200 hp over the 140 stock. The car is about now as fast as an E46 330i and the engine is otherwise standard (tested down the back straight of Bedford Autodrome
). Other things in the photos are the oil catch can and the coil-on-plug conversion using E46 316i coils.DSC_3167 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrDSC_3168 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrDSC_3172 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrDSC_3170 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrCheers! It's got a standard exhaust so it isn't too loud, but you can hear the whine of the charger when its on boost. Here's a video from a trackday at Aintree in 2017. It was wet all day and there are horse racing fences all the way round and a golf course in the middle! Tricky last corner that needs a strange line (was doing it wrong until I got instruction, this vid is after that).
My Movie by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
My Movie by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrAlways liked these.
A friend of mine bought one of these a few years ago and I've been in it on trackdays, night runs and roundabout drifting, must say it's great fun even without an LSD and not that much power.
M52B28 swaps are very common on them around here but an SC must be great too. Less weight on the front axle and and a more rev happy engine suits the compact very well I guess!
A friend of mine bought one of these a few years ago and I've been in it on trackdays, night runs and roundabout drifting, must say it's great fun even without an LSD and not that much power.
M52B28 swaps are very common on them around here but an SC must be great too. Less weight on the front axle and and a more rev happy engine suits the compact very well I guess!
Cracking car!!!!
I do love a BMW Compact and strapping an Eaton charger to a 318TI has always appealed to me . I remember when the Atlanta kits were first available in the US an it seemed like a great idea - its even better now that Eaton chargers are even easier to get hold of now since the likes of Mercedes/MINI/Jaguar using them on factory cars.
Like the poster above me, the I6 M52 swap is also very good to.
I do love a BMW Compact and strapping an Eaton charger to a 318TI has always appealed to me . I remember when the Atlanta kits were first available in the US an it seemed like a great idea - its even better now that Eaton chargers are even easier to get hold of now since the likes of Mercedes/MINI/Jaguar using them on factory cars.
Like the poster above me, the I6 M52 swap is also very good to.
I like this idea!
Nice to see someone doing something different for a change, looks like a fun car. Well done for getting stuck in with rust, a lot of people would find that quite a daunting task.
I had an E36 compact when i was 18/19, only a 8v though.... I think it's what gave me the bmw bug. I went to view a dakar yellow ti last year, but it was a turd.
keep up the good work.
Nice to see someone doing something different for a change, looks like a fun car. Well done for getting stuck in with rust, a lot of people would find that quite a daunting task.
I had an E36 compact when i was 18/19, only a 8v though.... I think it's what gave me the bmw bug. I went to view a dakar yellow ti last year, but it was a turd.
keep up the good work.
Great thread OP - I bet you're glad your mates talked you into RWD!
I'm sure there was a 323ti in Europe, but it never got sold in the UK sadly. But your charger is a different approach and is much more interesting than putting a 328 in.
Some nice work on the body repairs too.
I only got into BMWs some years later, so mine were both E46s - but my last Compact was a 325ti Sport that I had for over 3 years, and I still miss it.
I'm sure there was a 323ti in Europe, but it never got sold in the UK sadly. But your charger is a different approach and is much more interesting than putting a 328 in.
Some nice work on the body repairs too.
I only got into BMWs some years later, so mine were both E46s - but my last Compact was a 325ti Sport that I had for over 3 years, and I still miss it.
Excellent work OP. I loved our 318ti. I always felt it needed more power as although it could be tail happy I thought it didn't have enough grunt. I did think of getting a supercharger on mine but like you said it was around 2k. Always thought this model was the best looking compared to the better engined but ugly bug eyed E46 version.
Mine had BMW M alloys, a straight through exhaust (which was rubbish) and a AC Schnitzer body kit (double spoiler which I loved the look of. My car was originally red, but a previous owner had BMW do a full respray to blue!
Mine had BMW M alloys, a straight through exhaust (which was rubbish) and a AC Schnitzer body kit (double spoiler which I loved the look of. My car was originally red, but a previous owner had BMW do a full respray to blue!
Thanks for the nice comments, good to see some love for the compact, even if its "nice, but I sold it"
So now to the drivers sill that was previously repaired:
DSC_2706 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
And this was the repair to the 3/4 panel from 7 years earlier. The repair looked good, but they had just lapped the new panel over the old one, spot welded along and used loads of filler to get rid of the ridge. I think this isn't allowed as the MOT says any cut panel must have a continuous weld along it. You can only use spot welds/puddle welds where there were originally spot welds.
DSC_2707 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
DSC_2708 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
Now it's getting serious! This is a hole from the inside behind the drivers seat to the inner sill. I think this rusted because the previous repairs had blocked off all the drain holes and the sill probably always had a puddle in it:
DSC_2711 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
DSC_2712 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
Repair panel to the floorpan in:
DSC_2713 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
From the inside:
DSC_2714 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
Repair to the inner wing and jacking point. Was a bit windy so welding was getting harder, but needed to get it done!:
DSC_2854 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
Template for bracing. I think this helps reinforce the seat belt anchor point so couldn't leave it out. Puddle welding is fairly easy when welding from the top, but on the side, or even worse, upside down, is really hard. Technique seemed to be to start bang in the middle and get a nice puddle going and before it drops on your face, start spiralling outwards until its melted the panel on top of it:
DSC_2856 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
DSC_2854~01 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
This all took rather a while, but I had done the other side now, so I wasn't going to give up! This was after treating with Bilt Hamber deox gel to remove the welding slag.
DSC_2849 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
Time was getting on and the wife was getting a bit cross so I didn't take pictures of welding the new sill on. I needed to cut quite high up the 3/4 panel which meant the paint that's just above the plastic sill cover bubbled so it would be nice to get this sorted in the future, but it looks ok for now.
Found some more rust:
DSC_2860 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
Prep:
DSC_2866 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
Cut panel to size
DSC_2867 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
And weld (this is probably getting a bit repetitive now :s )
DSC_2868 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
How did I end up with a 1cm rust hole in the middle of the floor?!
DSC_2866~01 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
All done, what a relief. Apart from that nasty hole near the rear tail light which is just covered in duct tape at the moment, something for the summer!
A photo of how it currently is:
DSC_1198%20(1) by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
And a nice photo from a few years back of me at Oulton Part in the Autumn, one of my favourite tracks, its awesome.
XOX_00212-1 by Dylan O'Neill, on Flickr
And that's me up to date, jobs to do are:
Replace sagging headlining
Rebuild differential (I have all the bearings ready)
Get a new bucket seat to replace the tired old sparco rev one
Cheers for reading!
So now to the drivers sill that was previously repaired:
DSC_2706 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrAnd this was the repair to the 3/4 panel from 7 years earlier. The repair looked good, but they had just lapped the new panel over the old one, spot welded along and used loads of filler to get rid of the ridge. I think this isn't allowed as the MOT says any cut panel must have a continuous weld along it. You can only use spot welds/puddle welds where there were originally spot welds.
DSC_2707 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrDSC_2708 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrNow it's getting serious! This is a hole from the inside behind the drivers seat to the inner sill. I think this rusted because the previous repairs had blocked off all the drain holes and the sill probably always had a puddle in it:
DSC_2711 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrDSC_2712 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrRepair panel to the floorpan in:
DSC_2713 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrFrom the inside:
DSC_2714 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrRepair to the inner wing and jacking point. Was a bit windy so welding was getting harder, but needed to get it done!:
DSC_2854 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrTemplate for bracing. I think this helps reinforce the seat belt anchor point so couldn't leave it out. Puddle welding is fairly easy when welding from the top, but on the side, or even worse, upside down, is really hard. Technique seemed to be to start bang in the middle and get a nice puddle going and before it drops on your face, start spiralling outwards until its melted the panel on top of it:
DSC_2856 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrDSC_2854~01 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrThis all took rather a while, but I had done the other side now, so I wasn't going to give up! This was after treating with Bilt Hamber deox gel to remove the welding slag.
DSC_2849 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrTime was getting on and the wife was getting a bit cross so I didn't take pictures of welding the new sill on. I needed to cut quite high up the 3/4 panel which meant the paint that's just above the plastic sill cover bubbled so it would be nice to get this sorted in the future, but it looks ok for now.
Found some more rust:
DSC_2860 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrPrep:
DSC_2866 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrCut panel to size
DSC_2867 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrAnd weld (this is probably getting a bit repetitive now :s )
DSC_2868 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrHow did I end up with a 1cm rust hole in the middle of the floor?!
DSC_2866~01 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrAll done, what a relief. Apart from that nasty hole near the rear tail light which is just covered in duct tape at the moment, something for the summer!
A photo of how it currently is:
DSC_1198%20(1) by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrAnd a nice photo from a few years back of me at Oulton Part in the Autumn, one of my favourite tracks, its awesome.
XOX_00212-1 by Dylan O'Neill, on FlickrAnd that's me up to date, jobs to do are:
Replace sagging headlining
Rebuild differential (I have all the bearings ready)
Get a new bucket seat to replace the tired old sparco rev one
Cheers for reading!
I’ve had four of these , still got three , and all bought for around £600 each. None of them needed much if any welding. I’ve put m52 2.8’s in in two of them with m50 manifold etc. They make cheap reliable track day cars . Well done for supercharging and saving your one but can’t help thinking you’ve made a lot of hard work for yourself for less power and reliability.
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