Bmw e36 316 daily progress

[Leo316]

Hi all

So I bought an e36 316i a bit impulsively, I needed a new daily driver and a friend of my parents was going overseas and was selling so I decided to go for it with the intention of driving the car a bit then selling it.
The car seemed to run fine initially but soon blew the head gasket l, I also started noticing some other issues with body work etc.
Anyway, I have decided to keep the car as my daily and slowly fix up the issues to get it running smoothly. So far maintenance has been 1x head gasket and head engineering (kind of wish I had gone for maybe a 1.8 motor for a bit more power-M42 I think, instead of fixing the head), new radiator and thermostat (trying to fix the overheating which was caused by the head gasket being clogged up), new starter motor, new bulbs for headlighs and brake light switch, new headliner to replace the gross sagging one that was on, I have also bought new brake pads which I will fit soon.

Anyway, now that the car is running reasonably well I wanted to start with some more fun things. Bought a set of style 44 rims which I will refurbish and then put on some 205/45 tires (square set up so I can rotate) and I also want to lower the front a bit just so the car doesn't have such bad reverse rake.

Now my main question is what front suspension setup would be easiest for me to get a slight drop in the front, is there any OEM setup for an e36 that is a bit lower than standard 316 which could fit easily? I want to retain driving comfort and just gain a slight drop in the front to even the look out and hopefully improve handling a bit. If there is no oem setup like this available my next option would be entry level drop springs and maybe having my current struts shortend? Although I would prefer oem.

Feel free to comment or chip in with regard to suspension setups that are budget. I will post pics as soon as I figure out how

 

[Leo316]

Here are some pics with the test fit. These are just some old tires that came with the wheels (too big for my liking, they are run flats but in pretty bad shape)
And the wheels need a refurb, they have a lot if curb rash and damaged paint but otherwise straight

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[Nino Anthony]

Looks like a nice and clean canvas you have to work with, good luck with the build and most of all enjoy the car.

 

[Leo316]

Thanks! I'll try post updates and pics as things move along. Hopefully get a start on the wheels this weekend

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[Swys46]

Hi Leo, looking good.

I also bought a 316i recently with the intention of daily driving, but seems to have been more work than I anticipated. Luckily the parts are somewhat cheaper to find secondhand. Good luck with the build.

 

[Leo316]

Yeah haha always turns out to be more work than expected when buying a 25 year old car.. car has been through a lot of maintenence but turned out to be quite a reliable daily.. nothing too exciting has been done apart from regular servicing, I have bought a few odds and ends recently so will be doing some updates as I clean things up and put parts on the car.

Will update as I get round to it, but the list for this coming week/ weekend is as follows:

Mechanical parts needed to install:
-drum brake pads
-ball joints
-Tie rod ends

Might give the drums and calipers a bit of black paint just to clean them up a bit while I'm replacing the pads, must say the 316 brakes are quite poorly specd for a car of this weight - would be nice to look into an upgrade in future.

Exterior parts:
-New (to me) wiper motor cover / windscreen scuttle - need to clean the drain holes in the rain tray area as water seems to be getting in the car and pooling behind the passenger seat, I suspect it's from this area.
-new front badge
-good wash and polish
-remove headlights, clean inside and install new headlight bulbs

Interior
-remove carpet, presure wash/ steam clean and reinstall
-new back panel for passenger seat to replace broken panel

Anyway, that's the list for this week, will update with some pics as I get round to it.

Here's a pic or 2 of the car with the new tires and wheels refurbished, car is a bit dirty in the pics but its a daily and it has to work. The tires have changed again since for some with a bit more meat as you can see iv been doing some dirt roads with the car

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[Ahmedy]

I also had a problem with water under the driver foot well leading towards the rear . I managed to find a rubber grommet to plug a hole in the lower part of the firewall. The original one brittled out . You may want to check it out if the rain tray area isn't the cause.

 

[Leo316]

Shot, I'll check that as well. I also reattached all the vapor barriers in the doors with a new silicone glue because they had also started to come loose

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[Leo316]

I also had a problem with water under the driver foot well leading towards the rear . I managed to find a rubber grommet to plug a hole in the lower part of the firewall. The original one brittled out . You may want to check it out if the rain tray area isn't the cause.

So I replaced the rain tray cover after repainting the second hand one that I got. Quite convinced this is not the issue. Water seems to be coming from under the passenger seat moving toward the back. Can't figure it out because it happens when the car is standing still as well.

Some pics of the refreshed parts going on

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[Ahmedy]

That's

So I replaced the rain tray cover after repainting the second hand one that I got. Quite convinced this is not the issue. Water seems to be coming from under the passenger seat moving toward the back. Can't figure it out because it happens when the car is standing still as well.

Some pics of the refreshed parts going on

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That's odd . I would suspect it to have come from the front of the car towards the rear . If memory serves me correct my rear passenger carpets where more wet than the front. But that's where I found a damaged rubber plug, behind the clutch and accelerator pedal.
Some searching has shown that there are tiny outlets behind the front wheels which get clogged, they lead up to the sunroof. Another post says that perhaps the blower motor has drains too , which may also get clogged.
It may be worth parking on a slope where the front of the car is lowest and hosing it down to see if there is still water coming in.

 

[Leo316]

I will double check those areas, but definitely seems to be on the passenger side. I suspected it was maybe building up in the rain tray and going into blower motor but I couldn't find the drain for the blower motor.

I will check those other areas though, hosing the car down and trying to see where the leaks are is a good idea. Last time it rained there was about 3l of water at the passenger seat footwell. All windows closed and no visible water on seat or door card

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