I’ve had my first E36 for just over a year now, and I came to the realisation of how much work I’ve done to it. It really has turned into a project for me, and thought I would share out what I’ve done and learnt.
It's a 1994 320i Coupe in Samoa Blue.
Bought the car in May 2010, having gone to find a replacement car for my mate who had crashed in immaculate e36 compact, just 4 weeks after buying it. Despite having purchased a very sensible 1.6 Astra only 3 months prior, my first test drive of the 6-cylinder e36 resulted in me hooked and buying it. I may have been slightly spontaneous as I had worked over my easter break and amassed more disposable income than I had ever had as a student, the hike in insurance didn’t seem so bad.
While I was sort of knowledgeable of cars at the time, I quite lucked out in my find. It’s a 1994 2.0 coupe, so was on the verge of the m50-m52 cross-over point. Fortunately it has the m50 lump, so no engine block issues for me. It was rather sorry-looking, but crucially was at 94k miles and had full service history. The noise it makes is intoxicating and, I swear, was half the reason I bought it. I also later found that it had the M-sport package, with factory-fitted lowered sports suspension.
The 2.0 lump was a step up for me, but in hindsight a little too small. I don’t get great fuel economy, so a 325/328 would make more sense, however at the time my insurance was much higher, so a 320i was good enough.
Since this was never intended to be a project, I didn’t keep pictures or records of my every move. I do have a few before and after shots.
Just after I got it back to my terrible student neighbourhood:
Along the way:
How it looks now:
In the year I owned it, I have:
Replaced worn rear shock mounts
Fixed the passenger side window
Replaced faulty gearbox reverse switch
Replaced faulty camshaft position sensor
Full Inspection II service
Replaced lambda sensor
Replaced front control arms and lollipop bushes+brackets for uprated units
Replaced the purple velour seats with White/grey leather
Analogue clock to 18-button OBC conversion
Removed grey anti-stonechip from sills
Replace all anti-roll bar bushes and end links
Fitted clear lights all round
Retrofitted footwell lights
Retrofitted PDC system
Fitted aftermarket remote central locking
Fitted centre armrest
Retrofitted auto-dim rear view mirror
Replaced stock bottle-top alloys with Style 30 Sport alloys
Replaced clutch, along with stainless steel clutch hose
Replace trailing arm bushes with M-spec versions
Replaced chain tensioner piston spring
Retrofitted E39 cruise control, with M-sport steering wheel and stereo controls
Replaced front and rear speakers for upgraded units
Replaced sagging headliner
Replaced rear bumper with all-colour-coded version
Fitted angel eyes and HIDs
After a tip-off from Seismic22, found a guy who would fix my bubbling rear arches for a decent price. They had gotten much worse since I had bought the car, and wanted to tackle it before it got worse and required cutting out and welding. The repair is great, the paint finish not fantastic. The colour is ever so slightly off, and he managed to get light overspray over so many things, requiring much cleaning. Still, for the price it was good, and has hopefully stopped the rust for now. Plus he sprayed my lower front bumper for free, replacing that horrible 90s grey.
To Do:
Restore leather (mainly driver’s seat wear)
Retrim arm rest and door cards in colour-coded leather
Vanos repair and rattle fixes
Replace corroded rear brake pipes
Repair lifting point rust
Sort slight dents in bonnet
Source, refurbish and fit RC041/042 style BBS alloys
Fit exhaust tip trim
Maybe ‘To Do’:
Retrofit digital climate control with, including Aircon
Retrofit airbag system
M-Sport bumpers
M-sport door trims
Tuning Chip
Performance air intake
Electric rear vent windows
Cheers for reading!
Reply With Quote
