[Toaster29]

About a month ago I ran into some enablers on this forums who shall remain nameless after waxing eloquently in another thread about this very model and how it was my HS dream machine. Later that afternoon I had a cashier's check and a one way flight to Walmart land

This particular lump is a 98 with 128k miles. The interior is in startling good condition for an E36. The body is in really excellent shape and I would say the paint is just a little above average. All upward facing surfaces have a lot of etching in the clear coat from bird droppings, sap, and hard water deposits as well. The front end has the standard road rash for a nearly 130k mile car. Another member on here who happens to be quite the BMW aficionado to be a hairless cat had already checked it out in person and said it rode well and pulled strong Fair enough.

Arrived Saturday morning about a month ago and the guy picked me up in it. First glance were the cracking door handle gaskets . Easy fix. Interior was in excellent condition. Car drives great. Front struts are blown. The drive home nearly 700 miles was easy as pie. It drives like a modern vehicle on the interstate. Quiet, smooth, excellent pickup in 5th gear, and average 26.5 mpg according the trip computer along the way. I had to stop to buy a charger for my phone and it was weird using a radio that is a radio, haha. The interior smells just like my Dad's E38s. The interior gongs are the same. The materials are similar. The starter makes the exact same whir as my Dad's V8 BMWs. Every time I get into this thing I am 16 again. This is both extremely awesome for nostalgia purposes and sad that 98 was 25 years ago.

This car was owned by its purchaser until 2021, then by the guy I bought it from. It was a California car until it went to live in Arkansas and there's not a single spec of rust. He installed the super dark tint which will be going immediately. Probably 40% ceramic to replace.

Untitled by glmmd81, on Flickr

Another aspect of this particular car that I really liked was there were a number of high impact projects I could do that would really change the appearance and performance of the car for relatively little money compared to the pricing I'm used to seeing with the rest of my fleet. This car was only a little more than a set of wheels and tires for the F8, etc. Nevertheless the first order of business was a new windshield. The old one was original and sandblasted into oblivion. New glass is like a fresh shower at the end of a long day. WOW. What a difference.

Next order of business was new bumper trim. Or specifically the torch trick followed by a thorough degreasing and then repaint with trim paint suggested by the forums. MUCH better. Reconditioned all the door seals and door trim pieces as well. The leather was in pretty good shape but needed a little cleaning. Got to that next followed by a 24 hour conditioning. I have the contact info for a leather guy who is supposedly a magician and when the car is back from detail/paint, that's next.

First day back with some trim reconditioning already done:

Untitled by glmmd81, on Flickr

More trim work:

Untitled by glmmd81, on Flickr

Engine bay is clean. New OEM radiator, expansion tank, hoses, thermostat, etc, etc. New valve cover. Has the 90s-tastic OEM BMW alarm also.

Untitled by glmmd81, on Flickr

Headlights were terrible. OEM plastic units with halogens. No bueno. Ordered the euro glass projectors with HIDs and new clear fogs (also HIDs). Much, Much, MUCH better. Aimed correctly. Light pattern is acceptable. Zero issues with flashing from other drivers.

New lights:

Untitled by glmmd81, on Flickr

Untitled by glmmd81, on Flickr



Goes to the detailers next week. The clear is hard on this car and a lot of the etching will come out. We will see about the road rash. May need some respray on the front end, TBD. I want it 95% or so. Not perfect. Want to be able to use it and not worry about rock chips. Really excited about the outcome of this one.

The stock 4 spoke steering wheel feels great, but the looks offend me. I found a remanufactured M technik 3 spoke with airbag and clock spring. It's on the way now and I'm really excited about that. The car came with an "upgraded" Dinan short shifter. I think short shift kits are a cancer for manual transmissions. They NEVER improve performance, just increase the notchy feeling and result in less precision. That's a hill I will die on. I don't care about your subjective experience Anyway, got the car on the lift and messed with that some. It wasn't installed 180 degrees out like I hoped, but for some reason it's now centering 3-4 again though the entire pattern is shifted to the passenger's side. Any ideas? I am well aware of the trans detent problem, this isn't it.

New wheel on the way:

Untitled by glmmd81, on Flickr

Untitled by glmmd81, on Flickr

I have a new front lip I am going to throw on later today more than likely. Looking under the car, it needs belts and might as well do tensioner, idler pulleys. The bushings all look decent, but decided to do a full restore there. Still up in the air as the direction I want to go with the springs and shocks. Sort of leaning towards a Bilstein B12 pro kit currently. We will see. It needs a guibo also. Once all that sorted, it'll be time for some power. M50 mani, 3.5" maf, Dinan CAI, and Stromung catback with a yet undecided tune will be plenty with the appropriate noise to go along with it.

The engine is a gem. Turbine smooth with power from idle to redline. Sounds nice stock. Will sound a lot better once uncorked. The clutch drives like it has 5k on it, really amazing. Dynamically it is a little soft but I suspect most of that is from worn out components. Looking forward to experiencing that E36 balance. The hydraulic steering is a revelation. Just the right amount of heft. Great communication. My rack is in excellent shape and the boots look great.

Anyway, the car is getting there. It is a fun project and I'm enjoying spending some cathartic time with it these days with work being an absolute bear.

Some pics today before paint work next week:

Untitled by glmmd81, on Flickr

Untitled by glmmd81, on Flickr

Untitled by glmmd81, on Flickr

Untitled by glmmd81, on Flickr

Untitled by glmmd81, on Flickr

 

[MylesPH1]

Welp. In the E36 M3/4/5, we have found the perfect TCL car that transcends location, affiliation, income class and demographics. SO good if you like driving.

The clean examples that just need a few personal preference upgrades and some refresh of the basics are ideal, this looks like one of them. And yeah, I'd do the three-spoke airbag wheel right away, that one looks great!

Thanks for posting.

 

[patrikman]

Yes, love it.

 

[Off Pump]

As with most things, I love watching your projects and convince myself that I'll buy one of yours when you're done with it. For a lot of us 35-45 on here (the same cohort that's been on this site for 20 years) the E36/38/39 was THE car that we all dreamed of or at least piqued our interest in cars. Really ushered in the cool age of German cars beyond tank sedans. Good work so far. So many good memories of my friends' hand me down from their dads E36 in the early 2000s.

 

[whalemingo]

I'm glad I could be such an enabler. I'm interested to watch both of our cars get built because we are taking similar but different approaches to them. And TCL is always complaining about not enough project cars on here. Hmmph...

 

[NoXenons]

Looks good! I came close to purchasing this car's stepsibling, the E36/8, on several occasions. One of these days I'll have it..

 

[Tommietank]

Wow, we are degenerates. Love it

 

[kiznarsh]

Many congrats!

Looks to be a great canvas to paint your vision with the car. I haven't had an opportunity to work on the S52 but everything looks to be pretty accessible, and despite the age, seems like there's still plenty of new parts to freshen it up.

 

[Senior Member]

TCL is monkey see monkey do. One guy buys a Miata everyone buys a Miata. One guy leases a Frontier, everyone leases a Frontier. One guy buys a Sprinter, 2 guys buy a E36 M car. Barry disappears for a month, SOS goes missing.

Congrats!

 

[Iroczgirl]

Wow, that's absolutely amazing, congrats!!

I disagree on the shifter, my S14 has a B&M unit and it is one of the most pleasant and precise shifters I've ever experienced.

 

[eatrach]

I purchased my 98 4/5 with 87k miles from BaT. It is AW with grau leather. I did some extensive service on the car because the previous owners were bunch of clowns 🤡 . It is a pity what people can’t comprehend about these cars.
Recently I have been contemplating of selling it. My wife has some medical condition and will need to shell out some money. 😭
Anyway , enjoy yours.

 

[newusername]

Terrible car, I don’t know why you would even want such a piece of junk. I’ll be by next week to take it off your hands….









love it! Congrats on finding a really nice one.

 

[BGTI1]

Great car man good luck with it. Many, many years ago I had the same car in sliver though, and mine eventually developed the shift detent problem. It was super hard to shift in reverse when cold and the shifter did not sit centered in neutral. As the car warmed up and transmission oil warmed up and the transmission housing expanded ever so slightly, the bushing released some of the friction on the detent pin and the shifter worked fine. I took the transmission off and replaced the bushings in the housing and that cured all my shifter problems. It was crazy how much work it was to change some $20 bushings but it did take care of the problem. All I am saying is double check everything.

 

[fizay]

So much to love about this gen. I love the way it drives out of rough corners, really belies its age.

How's the cooling system? They're a pain point in these cars and best resolved by early replacement. Sounds like another pain point (leaky PS & accoutrement) is OK for now.

 

[DrivinAW8]

Makes me regret I wasnt able to restore the 328is “baby M3” i picked up in 2020… then sold in late 2021… but the kid who bought it fixed it quick and i can try to find another some day!

dove grey interior rocks too

 

[SchnellFowVay]

Great car! Congrats!

Some thoughts on the S52. I started going down the N/A modification route on my 2000 M Roadster ~6-7 years ago.

I started by going with the Shark Injector + M50 manifold + intake route. Total mistake. Don't do it. Yes, the engine revs higher and you feel the power build higher in the rev range. It is noticeably faster when driven like a race car. But it totally loses that 2,500-4,000rpm "Punch" that the S52 is known for. I ended up selling that car before I went with exhaust + headers.

But the S52 (to me at least) is either a "leave it stock" engine, or a "supercharge it" engine. The standard N/A upgrade path essentially turns it into a much less exciting, much less powerful S54. And it loses its character.

 

[PoorHouse]

Love all these M3/4/5 threads.

I miss mine but don't regret selling it to pursue the E30.
The 3 spoke wheel and a Stromung catback where the only mods I did to mine. The 3 spoke really enhanced the driving experience. The Stomung is on the quieter side with a nice tone. Suited how I used the car well.

After refreshing the stock suspension I didn't feel the need to upgrade. The roads here aren't great. The balance it offered was about perfect.

 

[Mr. Bigglesworth]

Bald cats are the worst.



Happy you're enjoying it, I've been waiting for this thread - Car seems to be coming right along and I'm genuinely excited for what's to come.

 

[danny_16v]

Great car! Congrats!

Some thoughts on the S52. I started going down the N/A modification route on my 2000 M Roadster ~6-7 years ago.

I started by going with the Shark Injector + M50 manifold + intake route. Total mistake. Don't do it. Yes, the engine revs higher and you feel the power build higher in the rev range. It is noticeably faster when driven like a race car. But it totally loses that 2,500-4,000rpm "Punch" that the S52 is known for. I ended up selling that car before I went with exhaust + headers.

But the S52 (to me at least) is either a "leave it stock" engine, or a "supercharge it" engine. The standard N/A upgrade path essentially turns it into a much less exciting, much less powerful S54. And it loses its character.

Respectfully, I don't agree with this. But of course that's personal.

The S52 is the only motor in the E36 M3 that was made to be so low end punchy, it totally goes in the opposite direction of what the US-S50 and euro S50/S52 had, which was a higher rpm power delivery that is characteristic of most all M motors. Giving it an M50 manifold and a good tune returns to character.

Let's not forget that for many many years the 1995 M3 was considered 'the best year' because of the S50 alone. Being OBD1 was part of it and OBD2 later took over as being as easy if not easier to tune. But nobody complained about the lack of torque on the S50 or its power delivery.

Either way, I think the shark injector may have been the mistake here. It's a very conservative tune. There are plenty of other options that give back some low end torque after an M50 manifold.

Sorry for the Hi-Jack Toaster29! You know how I feel about your car and I'm happy for you getting it... I'm sure I'll see it in person at some point

 

[Maximum_Download]

I'm kinda sorta green with envy here. That is a car that is on my used car watch list if the right one came along.