Thee Build.

This is the official build thread. Now that I have a guaranteed paycheck on the first and the fifteenth with no bills to pay, I can dump mass amounts of money into the only thing I care about. Mon Bmw.

As of right now, the car is in miserable condition. The interior is hideous and I'm pretty sure the only thing that has been changed is the engine (S52 swap), Rad and fan, clutch and 2 bilstein struts in the front. Seriously. The back end is still stock lol.




This weekend, here's the plan:

-Oil Change: Royal purple 0w40 (Found out post-purchase the PO was running 5w30....with a 150 shot )

-Trans Fluid Change: GM Synchromesh Friction Modified aka Jesus Juice

-Diff Fluid Change: Royal Purple 75w90

-Spark Plug swap: NGK Iridiums (Yeah yeah yeah, flame on )

-Fix the stupid pulley squeak: Idler, Adjusting + Belt

Hopefully that gets rid of most of the minor problems I've been having, if not I'll assess and replace




I also ordered one of these (apparently made to order ) short throw kits: http://www.bavauto.com//assets/produ...tshiftkita.jpg




During the following months, this is what shall ensue:

-All bushings replaced

-Control Arms Replaced

-Tie Rods + Boots

-Full Sound System

-Shocks/Struts, Springs & Hardware (Bilstein Sports, H&R Springs)

-Stiffer Front Sway Bar (H&R)

-Brake Overhaul (Rebuild Calipers, Rotors, Pads, SS Lines, ATE fluid etc)

-Black Dash swap, paint door panels black leaving the white inlays w/seats intact. (Probably have to replace some door panels as well..interior is shiiiity )

-Possible re-spray come summer




After this weeks scare of having to rebuild the bottom end, I plan on just doing it anyways come February. Hone, deck, balance, Rings, Bearings, Bolts, Gaskets. Probably a Valve job in their too.

The trans is on its way out, talked to that place out in Cali, $640 shipped. Done deal. Probably going to source a lot of my interior pieces from them as well.


I will post pics of the car as she sits tomorrow

Thanks for reading, Antic.

Excellent! Looking forward to watching the progress unfold.

Don't forget to take some pics as you go! Really excited to see this.

Good luck on the project!

PS, Iridiums are about the best plugs you can get for these cars, you won't get flamed for that.

I am interested to hear about the rationale behind the GM fluid choice though.

Sent from my LG Revolution 4G using BimmerApp

Originally Posted by E36 Phantom

I am interested to hear about the rationale behind the GM fluid choice though.

After I sold my 328is I somehow ended up buying a honda (prelude) . I noticed my trans starting to get a little notchy, guys on the forums recommended GM SM-FM. It worked instantly, no more notchiness and just overall smoother operation. And best yet, it only got better as I put more miles on it. I have since dubbed it Jesus Juice.

And yes, the new redline mtf works equally well. I just so happen to have a gm dealer very close to me

Edit: A quick google will bring up hundreds, if not thousands of posts praising this stuff. Its a very impressive formula.

Interesting.

Just remember the E36.MTs actually call for ATF, so make sure its compatible with MTs that spec auto fluid.

Sent from my LG Revolution 4G using BimmerApp

I still dont see the rational for doing a head gasket job and re-doing the bottom end when it isn't exhibiting any serious symptoms. :shrug:

Looking very promising doing an ecs tuning refresh kit tonight ill let you know how it turns out probably be the same deal that you'd need the stage 3 looks high quality feels the same. Sound system what'd you have in mind i highly recommend a Rockford Fosgate/Pioneer set up

Originally Posted by jayjaya29

I still dont see the rational for doing a head gasket job and re-doing the bottom end

That's the true beauty of it, I don't need a reason!

Hah, Engines getting close to 100k and from what I hear its had a pretty terrible life. Running extremely thin oil and being raced during grudge wars with a 150 shot every week. I figure **** it, once I get everything else situated with the car, refresh it a little and get it running close to stock. Until the next project.. ** cough Lxx/xx6 cough **

Ohhh so you're one of those people who like to waste money...might as well give it to charity, it'll do the world better.

I run through this

So I can earn this

And spend it like this

/topic

Go for it...if you can afford it, do it as long as it is legal and ethical!!!! If you don't treat you good...who will??

And honestly, I'd also probably want to rebuild the engine if it had been subjected to endless abuse with nitrous, thin oil, etc. If you're going to revamp the car on a large scale, you might as well go all out and do it right while you have the funds and energy.

My thoughts exactly.

Originally Posted by ZeGerman

And honestly, I'd also probably want to rebuild the engine if it had been subjected to endless abuse with nitrous, thin oil, etc. If you're going to revamp the car on a large scale, you might as well go all out and do it right while you have the funds and energy.

nitrous car = time bomb .....please dont rage on someones build thread when something actually makes sense just saying

^Not sure if that was directed at me or not, but I wasn't the one questioning the OP's motives for rebuilding his engine.

Originally Posted by ZeGerman

^Not sure if that was directed at me or not, but I wasn't the one questioning the OP's motives for rebuilding his engine.

Was directed at the guy saying give the money to charity instead of rebuilding
I won't take shots at you...your far to mean and why was there nitrous in your car may I ask lol. Just wondering

What the hell is it with all these e36's popping up with nitrous and ****.

Originally Posted by Shigeta

What the hell is it with all these e36's popping up with nitrous and ****.

Exactly what i was trying to figure out never heard about it before now and boom....all the sudden fast and furious is everywhere

I live in the world of if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Originally Posted by jayjaya29

I live in the world of if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

This, I don't have the luxury of having a DD and/or a space to keep the bimmer while I work on her...

First world problems.. lol

I have a DD and a garage for my M3, and I still live by the motto.

Alright. I've been doing some research and just want to bounce a few things off of you guys..

If I wanted to get a little more performance out of my s52..what are your opinions on a high compression build, and more importantly would it yield enough of a difference to justify the money spent?

Supertech Oversized valves - $500

JE Pistons (Choice of 11.5 or 12.5:1) - $800

Port and polish - $400

Would I need to upgrade the springs in the head as well? From what I've read the crank/rods are good up to 700hp/500tq which I won't be anywhere close to..

Any guesstimates on how a minor build like this would play out?

Edit: If running a higher comp ratio it seems I will need higher duration cams (Sunbelt sports). Also 11.5 seems the highest comp ratio useable on pump gas. Correct me if I'm wrong..

Edit of edit: Just saw a couple videos with a guy running 12.5:1..pump gas

If it's going to be a DD I'd stay conservative on the compression. You never know when you're going to get a bad tank of gas, are in a situation where 93 octane isnt available, etc. My dad did that with his mustang, so I'm just speaking from experience.

Originally Posted by Njohc

stay conservative

Yeah..that all makes sense. Realistically, if I can't hit 250-280 then I can't justify the extra cash for building it..and I'll probably just settle for a refresh. Can anyone chime in here with some experience?