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Missing cross-bar?!?

10K views 30 replies 10 participants last post by  dc_wright 
#1 ·
I think my car is missing the cross-bar behind the front cross member. The piece seen in this pic:
http://www.pelicanparts.com/BMW/techarticles/E36-Coolant_Flush/pic3.jpg

Mine is missing, but I can see where it used to be bolted up. I'm wondering if when the prior owner changed the clutch, he forgot to put it back on.
Does anyone know the proper name of this piece so I can order a new one or is there a better option?

Thanks.
 
#26 ·


Your cheap a$$ tires are likely your handling problem. No amount of suspension work will yield results if your tires have no grip. As you stiffen your body and suspension it puts more dependence on the tires to provide the performance improvement you want. You're spending all this time and work and all these different posts on suspension but you've still got those cheap Chinese aftermarket Sunnew and Sunny brand tires on the car I'll bet.
Ok, end of rant.
 
#8 ·
No, but I know numerous people with them. I'd like to get one eventually, mainly to protect my turbo and lines from debris as it sits almost right above it.


I kind of rate these things at pretty much pointless/will never notice the difference.

Front strut brace
Rear strut brace
X Brace
Intake
Exhaust
 
#11 ·
I dunno. I think bracing things up has the potential to make a good bit of difference. The unibody is essentially split down the middle by the trans tunnel, which I imagine greatly affects structural integrity. Seems like bracing those two sides together can make a difference.

An S54 Z3M roadster owner I know swears the front strut tower brace he installed made a huge difference.
 
#17 ·
I've seen a braced up m3 (front strut brace, rear tower brace, and cross brace) where the owner put the oem jack in the front jack spot, and lifted the entire side of the car. The was hardly any flex in the thing at all. :dunno:
 
#20 ·
On a side note, if you're replacing the radiator, double check ahead of time to see if you have the crimp on hose clamps for the small coolant overflow hose which runs along the top of the radiator and into the expansion tank. You'll want to replace that with a screw-type hose clamp (which BMW should have used in the first place...).
 
#21 ·
I'm in Cerritos. 91/605 if you want to come by pick it up this weekend.

The two junkyards for future needs are

Bavarian Auto Recycling
3688 Omec Circle Rancho Cordova, CA 95742
From outside the US call: (916) 635-4269

Pride Auto Parts
12300 Branford
Sun valley ca
818-890-1600 Gary
 
#23 · (Edited)
Finally found a junk yard down in Chula Vista that had ONE E36 that still had the crossover bar. And, appearantly someone had allready removed the bell housing or clutch and tossed the bar aside so I didn't even have to crawl under in the oily dirt to get it! :)
Not sure what bolts were needed but I grabbed some off the chassis that fit the threads.
$4 entry fee
$10 for the bar
$1 tax
$20 in gas driving damn near to the international border

Total: $35.00 :confused:

Though I did find some nice turns to drift around on the way to and from. So it wasn't a total wash! :)
 
#24 · (Edited)
I replaced my bar with an X-brace, the one pictured in post #4, tightened up my front end considerably along with my Sparco solid strut brace. Plus the extra protection under my oil pan.


 
#27 · (Edited)
LOL! I totally appreciate your candidness. And your rant has not reached deaf ears.
I've been holding off on the tires till I can wear out the current rears (they are still brand new except for one strip on the outside which was the inside, before I rotated them, and resulted from the previous owner running too much negative in the rear).

If it is indeed the tires, then it will be a great learning experience that also allowed me to upgrade the rest of the suspension and note the effects each piece had in the process.

I'm a chronic over thinking/analyzer and a good cold glass of water tossed in my face from time to time is a good thing. LOL!
 
#31 ·
LOL! I totally appreciate your candidness. And your rant has not reached deaf ears.
I've been holding off on the tires till I can wear out the current rears (they are still brand new except for one strip on the outside which was the inside, before I rotated them, and resulted from the previous owner running too much negative in the rear).

If it is indeed the tires, then it will be a great learning experience that also allowed me to upgrade the rest of the suspension and note the effects each piece had in the process.

I'm a chronic over thinking/analyzer and a good cold glass of water tossed in my face from time to time is a good thing. LOL!
Sorry for sounding harsh! I just saw you putting so much time and work into this and just had a gut feeling it was being wasted because of the tire issue. The only "mod" i have on my car's suspension are initial release (1" drop) Koni STR.T struts and STR.T rear shocks. The tires are Falken Ziex 912's and I have zero understeer and just a slight tendency for oversteer if I'm turning AND braking very hard simultaneously. Handling was exactly the same when I had Kumho Supra Ecsta tires. Like Karl and others have indicated this is what you should expect as the norm for an E36 if everything is right.
 
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