Matty's Garage Projects (Aus)
- Thread starter octane_matty
- Start date
Bighead38
Well-known member
Need to subscribe to this thread.
OP
octane_matty
Well-known member
Not sure what happened with the pictures there!
Seems onedrive or iphone has changed handling of HEIC photos
Either way just re-linked photos
Photo is pre-grout
I think i watched a bunnings video then went for it
Used heaps of spacers to make sure everything stays put while it dries.
Velo's were going to be the easy option for me but this car will see much more street time than track. The CS's have so many benefits of height adjust, better for normal belts and easier to get in/out without a removable steering wheel etc.
In an E36 chassis the recaro's are WIDE and TALL. Doesn't help that from factory the E36 sport seats are offset by about 20-30mm to the door
I've only found pictures of 1 E36 online with these seats fitted and very limited information if the install was actually successful long term.
I'm going to attempt to include all position adjustments (friends/partner may drive it) somehow in the E36
I'm honestly not even sure this will be possible because of how tall and wide these seats are. The side bolsters may hit the center console and backrest hit the roof.
I'd been looking into recaro's for a few weeks and searching Renaults, ford focus, audi on ebay/facebook/gumtree for cheap seats. Most wreckers want 2-2.5k for cloth and 2.5-8k for pleather.
After all the data mining from Facebook one night after work i opened facebook marketplace and there they were!
Previous owner has a Renault Megane and was returning to stock.
The centers have been re-upholstered from Yellow to Red and probably not considered 'mint' but still very clean seats.
Offered a few hundy under the asking price and snapped them up for under 2k.
Also have purchased Airbag delete covers from the UK which arrived last week (Capital seating)
If i can't make the mounts work i'll let you know.
Last edited:
OP
octane_matty
Well-known member
Wow! another 6 months went by!
2020 has been rough to say the least!
things are looking up though! zero cases in Victoria for over a week now. Biden will be president and it's starting to get warm in Melbourne
I haven't been as productive in lockdown as i'd have hoped but getting lots of traction on completing projects at the moment!
Updates for the E36 from my painter have been coming through
He's been loving fixing my terrible work
With the E36 out of the way it's been a good time during lockdown to catch up on some work around the house.
New front door with august smart lock
I run a mortise lock with no outside key on this, just a handle on the outside.
Looks super clean but definitely took some work to install
re-plastered hallway with square set cornice
Cut up some leftover blackbutt from the king bed build to make a new entry hall table
Made some trim changes to our cupboard doors in the hallway
some pine, quad and shaker style complete
E36 is getting close to being fully primed hopefully painted and back before
The next 3 months are going to be a bit hectic but i'll try and keep up the updates.
on the To-do list; Outdoor kitchen with kamado classic, concrete benchtop, bathroom demo, kitchen. RIP bank account.
2020 has been rough to say the least!
things are looking up though! zero cases in Victoria for over a week now. Biden will be president and it's starting to get warm in Melbourne
I haven't been as productive in lockdown as i'd have hoped but getting lots of traction on completing projects at the moment!
Updates for the E36 from my painter have been coming through
He's been loving fixing my terrible work
With the E36 out of the way it's been a good time during lockdown to catch up on some work around the house.
New front door with august smart lock
I run a mortise lock with no outside key on this, just a handle on the outside.
Looks super clean but definitely took some work to install
re-plastered hallway with square set cornice
Cut up some leftover blackbutt from the king bed build to make a new entry hall table
Made some trim changes to our cupboard doors in the hallway
some pine, quad and shaker style complete
E36 is getting close to being fully primed hopefully painted and back before
The next 3 months are going to be a bit hectic but i'll try and keep up the updates.
on the To-do list; Outdoor kitchen with kamado classic, concrete benchtop, bathroom demo, kitchen. RIP bank account.
Last edited:
TwoBytes
Well-known member
Great update Matty!
And great progress on your various projects.
I'm especially looking forward to seeing paint on the E36.
And great progress on your various projects.
I'm especially looking forward to seeing paint on the E36.
Front door and lock is great! Do you have a second door with a key as a backup, or is there some kind of failsafe?
Good to see that the E36 is going forward even if you have a lot on your plate That's a lot to do in 3 months, good luck!
Good to see that the E36 is going forward even if you have a lot on your plate
That's a lot to do in 3 months, good luck!
OP
octane_matty
Well-known member
Front door and lock is great! Do you have a second door with a key as a backup, or is there some kind of failsafe?
Good to see that the E36 is going forward even if you have a lot on your plate
Yeah so the lock runs on 4x AA’s and has integrated Bluetooth. It should warn you when battery level is low so in theory minimal risk of being locked out. The lock has a wifi bridge also which runs off mains power currently (I might put this on UPS later)
But yes I’ve also got a backup keys to the back door locks.
As another alternative I’ve ordered parts to setup wifi remote for my garage too
That sounds quite well covered. In my electronic lock, it's also powered by the 4xAA. I don't know if it should tell when they get low, but I notice it when the locks gets kind of slow. I try to change the batteries every year as I do with fire alarms, 4x AA batteries don't cost that much. I do have door to the patio with a key, but we never use it.
OP
octane_matty
Well-known member
Post Christmas update!
Welcome to 2021 all!
I've been hella busy so here goes!
Work has started on removing our old bath, yep inbuilt rectangle....concrete with rebar and terracotta tiles
Round 1 - Wall saw
Round 2,3,4 - 4 days of jack hammering
Eventually it was all removed in time for asbestos remover to come and remove all the asbestos behind the wall tiles
Hall table is now complete
Excuse the third leg, it's temporary support until flooring is sorted.
New smoker addition to the family
This is a ceramic Kamado Joe Classic 1
Picked up for just under 500 locally in good condition. 1 minor crack in the firebox.
Let's just say it works very well
Pre Christmas prep
Our old stairs balustrade was looking very dated. Cut, thicknessed, sanded back and returned in place.
Original pieces
Cut/laminated top rail
New black painted 12.7mm steel rods
Fully installed
Just before christmas this little guy arrived after 3+ months shipping
Decided i needed to clean up all this leftover wood i'm hoarding.
Cut up most for firewood, kept a few pieces to make an XXL cutting board
Leftovers from balustrade, media console, wall timber
Routed channel to capture juices
Sanded and few coats of osmo top oil
It's roughly 700x430mm, big enough for a full brisket and just fits through doorways
Time to get started on setting up this dust extractor cyclone finally!
If you're considering doing this, just do it already! i wish i had done it sooner
Quick welded up frame, dyna bolted to wall, slap together plywood frame
Another frame bracket to hold the filter + bag assembly
Temporary plastic pot between the cyclone and bucket but carbatec was closed at this stage
No noticable loss of suction and the plastic bag is empty
Some minor garage improvement!
30m 3/8 hose reel, $170 roughly from ST, not exactly quality but for the price i can't complain
New clamp rack below too
Post christmas projects!
Time to cleanup and sort out the back of the amarok.
The tub liner has some holes and the tie down situation didn't work as well as i'd hoped so time for a revision.
before
That's alot of dirt under there!!
Sand + etch primer after some bare metal rust removal
Second coat of a 4L raptor kit, i ended up using all 4L (mostly extra on the bottom)
After a good 4 days drying, aluminium angle on the edges + black L-track all around.
Behind the tub lip is a 10mm piece of aluminium to spread the load of the track also.
I'll probably be mounting a tub rack to the track in the future and fold out tent.
While the amarok tub was drying we took a trip down the coast to wilsons prom for a few days. Here's the top of Mt Oberon summit
Given it rained hard for the first 2 days, i do wish i brought the amarok.
My partners little mazda 3 was a little sketchy crossing flooded roads
Finally after much deliberation
Engine bay done, inner doors, inner boot
Welcome to 2021 all!
I've been hella busy so here goes!
Work has started on removing our old bath, yep inbuilt rectangle....concrete with rebar and terracotta tiles
Round 1 - Wall saw
Round 2,3,4 - 4 days of jack hammering
Eventually it was all removed in time for asbestos remover to come and remove all the asbestos behind the wall tiles
Hall table is now complete
Excuse the third leg, it's temporary support until flooring is sorted.
New smoker addition to the family
This is a ceramic Kamado Joe Classic 1
Picked up for just under 500 locally in good condition. 1 minor crack in the firebox.
Let's just say it works very well
Pre Christmas prep
Our old stairs balustrade was looking very dated. Cut, thicknessed, sanded back and returned in place.
Original pieces
Cut/laminated top rail
New black painted 12.7mm steel rods
Fully installed
Just before christmas this little guy arrived after 3+ months shipping
Decided i needed to clean up all this leftover wood i'm hoarding.
Cut up most for firewood, kept a few pieces to make an XXL cutting board
Leftovers from balustrade, media console, wall timber
Routed channel to capture juices
Sanded and few coats of osmo top oil
It's roughly 700x430mm, big enough for a full brisket and just fits through doorways
Time to get started on setting up this dust extractor cyclone finally!
If you're considering doing this, just do it already! i wish i had done it sooner
Quick welded up frame, dyna bolted to wall, slap together plywood frame
Another frame bracket to hold the filter + bag assembly
Temporary plastic pot between the cyclone and bucket but carbatec was closed at this stage
No noticable loss of suction and the plastic bag is empty
Some minor garage improvement!
30m 3/8 hose reel, $170 roughly from ST, not exactly quality but for the price i can't complain
New clamp rack below too
Post christmas projects!
Time to cleanup and sort out the back of the amarok.
The tub liner has some holes and the tie down situation didn't work as well as i'd hoped so time for a revision.
before
That's alot of dirt under there!!
Sand + etch primer after some bare metal rust removal
Second coat of a 4L raptor kit, i ended up using all 4L (mostly extra on the bottom)
After a good 4 days drying, aluminium angle on the edges + black L-track all around.
Behind the tub lip is a 10mm piece of aluminium to spread the load of the track also.
I'll probably be mounting a tub rack to the track in the future and fold out tent.
While the amarok tub was drying we took a trip down the coast to wilsons prom for a few days. Here's the top of Mt Oberon summit
Given it rained hard for the first 2 days, i do wish i brought the amarok.
My partners little mazda 3 was a little sketchy crossing flooded roads
Finally after much deliberation
Engine bay done, inner doors, inner boot
Theodulf
Well-known member
Hey mate.
This is a thread that I really quite enjoy following. Good work on the latest updates.
"Excuse the third leg." Do you say that often?
I'm particularly a fan of the mods to the tray of the Amarok. Well done.
This is a thread that I really quite enjoy following. Good work on the latest updates.
"Excuse the third leg." Do you say that often?
I'm particularly a fan of the mods to the tray of the Amarok. Well done.
TwoBytes
Well-known member
E36 is looking awesome! And so is the Amarok.
I don't envy that bathtub demolition, what a massive pain that must have been!
Stairs and smoker looking great too.
I don't envy that bathtub demolition, what a massive pain that must have been!
Stairs and smoker looking great too.
OP
octane_matty
Well-known member
"Excuse the third leg." Do you say that often?
I'm particularly a fan of the mods to the tray of the Amarok.
Thanks mate
Here’s to hoping I get to use the Amarok this year
I think it did maybe 3000km in 2020
OP
octane_matty
Well-known member
Yeah the bathtub will always haunt me. Shovelling what must be 300-600kg of concrete into the skip on a hot day wasn’t fun either.
Glad you like the e36. I’ve had mixed reviews so far :/
Painter has spent a lot of time hating me for changing my mind about how the fenders are blended. This is version 3 or 4
I’m still not 100% on how it will look in the end and could end up going for over-fenders if the “look” still doesn’t seem right.
Definitely keen to get the trim back on and have a good look at it.
hewey
Well-known member
That's a heck of an update, good to see you keeping busy!
OP
octane_matty
Well-known member
3 week update
Started organising/unboxing and sorting all the new E36 parts
Stripped and preparing 330 trailing arms for all new hardware
Ended up buying a universal puller set that waas amazing help to remove the stubborn bushings
Bottom is a standard E36 hub, top is E46 330/M3 size hub
E36 is back home now, Painter still needs to give it a final buff and touch up but might wait a few weeks for that.
Now i've been messy lately so time to cleanup and organise
I've cut up the corner bench which was near the dust extractor to make room with the cyclone.
Originally the bench was going to be for small parts storage but with the green tool chests i see no need now.
I've started accumulating alot of steel offcuts from various projects and think it's time to sort out some steel storage.
Had no MIG welding gas and couldn't be bothered with TIG or driving to the store to get a new bottle. We'll make do.
Old large bench drawer frame
Few dyna bolts, bolts and feet.
plywood offcuts and cut up pallet underneath to prevent any water from rusting things.
Still plenty of junk around the place but it'll be easier to manage once alot of the trim is back on the car.
After plenty of procrastinating and just staring at the pretty paint...
Subframe out!
Preparing RTAB pockets for reinforcement plates
The welded nuts on the chassis are common to rip out on E36's
One side ready for welding
Also started the process of trying to squeeze this Ford 8.8 into a BMW diff carrier
I bought a spare subframe quite some time ago in preperation for this.
Diff carrier is looking very tight so far. Might wait until my driveshafts arrive to be sure the left/right location will be correct.
Next weekend work will continue on the subframe chassis reinforcement and rear suspension re-assembly.
Started organising/unboxing and sorting all the new E36 parts
Stripped and preparing 330 trailing arms for all new hardware
Ended up buying a universal puller set that waas amazing help to remove the stubborn bushings
Bottom is a standard E36 hub, top is E46 330/M3 size hub
E36 is back home now, Painter still needs to give it a final buff and touch up but might wait a few weeks for that.
Now i've been messy lately so time to cleanup and organise
I've cut up the corner bench which was near the dust extractor to make room with the cyclone.
Originally the bench was going to be for small parts storage but with the green tool chests i see no need now.
I've started accumulating alot of steel offcuts from various projects and think it's time to sort out some steel storage.
Had no MIG welding gas and couldn't be bothered with TIG or driving to the store to get a new bottle. We'll make do.
Old large bench drawer frame
Few dyna bolts, bolts and feet.
plywood offcuts and cut up pallet underneath to prevent any water from rusting things.
Still plenty of junk around the place but it'll be easier to manage once alot of the trim is back on the car.
After plenty of procrastinating and just staring at the pretty paint...
Subframe out!
Preparing RTAB pockets for reinforcement plates
The welded nuts on the chassis are common to rip out on E36's
One side ready for welding
Also started the process of trying to squeeze this Ford 8.8 into a BMW diff carrier
I bought a spare subframe quite some time ago in preperation for this.
Diff carrier is looking very tight so far. Might wait until my driveshafts arrive to be sure the left/right location will be correct.
Next weekend work will continue on the subframe chassis reinforcement and rear suspension re-assembly.
TwoBytes
Well-known member
Not sure if it's just me, but I can't the photos.
EDIT: I don't think it's just me, looks like Microsoft might be having problems with their storage...
https://downforeveryoneorjustme.com/sn3302files.storage.live.com
It's not just you! sn3302files.storage.live.com is down.
EDIT: I don't think it's just me, looks like Microsoft might be having problems with their storage...
https://downforeveryoneorjustme.com/sn3302files.storage.live.com
It's not just you! sn3302files.storage.live.com is down.
Last edited:
OP
octane_matty
Well-known member
Weird are they working now? Not sure if that site status page will be accurate
Cheers
TwoBytes
Well-known member
Yeah, you're right, that site isn't accurate, it's working fine for me now and that site still says it's down.
Sorry for the confusion, just some weird anomaly at my end I guess!
OP
octane_matty
Well-known member
Another weekend and some QST!
Work continues on subframe mounts, strippped rubber back and weld-thru primed ready for plates
suprising no existing cracks so i'm taking the less is more approach to the subframe reinforcement. More welding = more heat stress and could possibly make things worse. Rosette weld the holes, few beads around the outside and call it done.
all subframe reinforcements are now welded and etch primered. Will come back soon to seam seal before moving on!
So gardening is a bit of a pain currently at my place and i decided it might be time to invest in a bigger mulcher. Seems the average is about 300-700 for a half decent unit. Missed out on a few steals then came across this;
It was a good 150km away but i thought it was worth the gamble
Paid $80 for this "non working" chipper with 13-20hp motor? 420cc
Battery is well and truly dead, spark plug quite rusted.
Threw a new $6 spark plug in and jump started it back to life
Before i start beating on it like it owes me money i'll give it a birthday
Filter was relatively clean, drained the oil. Just need to find a small motorbike battery to replace the existing which was below 1V
Work continues on subframe mounts, strippped rubber back and weld-thru primed ready for plates
suprising no existing cracks so i'm taking the less is more approach to the subframe reinforcement. More welding = more heat stress and could possibly make things worse. Rosette weld the holes, few beads around the outside and call it done.
all subframe reinforcements are now welded and etch primered. Will come back soon to seam seal before moving on!
So gardening is a bit of a pain currently at my place and i decided it might be time to invest in a bigger mulcher. Seems the average is about 300-700 for a half decent unit. Missed out on a few steals then came across this;
It was a good 150km away but i thought it was worth the gamble
Paid $80 for this "non working" chipper with 13-20hp motor? 420cc
Battery is well and truly dead, spark plug quite rusted.
Threw a new $6 spark plug in and jump started it back to life
Before i start beating on it like it owes me money i'll give it a birthday
Filter was relatively clean, drained the oil. Just need to find a small motorbike battery to replace the existing which was below 1V
OP
octane_matty
Well-known member
After a somewhat lengthy wait on these i received some SCF rock sliders, these are fat boys so a little larger than usual tubing
https://sn3302files.storage.live.com/y4ml[ATTACH=full]1991053[/ATTACH]
original trash
[ATTACH=full]1991052[/ATTACH]
removing the old steps was easier than expected
[IMG]https://sn3302files.storage.live.com/y4mxG1HR_X_Yf10us_m5jJQY1Eo6sF3CLtYJCB2de36ngCvdT6ojMkYYaP5hhf9txyBZqrbZm-ehABzFgwtHrq_a3v70nOQO7zpR5LCFToQUo9lEP0SK66fqhLFTJ_DKQi8_nkOCHo1YMyg_NcbJxdUZE0O-j7M9Vv7o4cTI9y1ID0g-wxsV3jpgyZ6ieTjRWCE?width=768&height=1024&cropmode=none
2hrs later and all done
I'm considering more lift or larger tyres at some stage, maybe cut/re-weld the sliders even higher
Started on some suspension bushing refresh for the E36
E46 rear aluminium control arms
New oem bushings in + coil adjusters
Repainted my 330 trailing arms and started pushing new bushings in
These are Turner motorsports monoball bushings
they put up an absolute fight, the only way in is hydraulic
Upper bushing are monoballs
Lower bushing is oem rubber
I'm running aluminium lower control arms so rubber bottom to give the arm a little 'give' so i don't snap the control arm.
https://sn3302files.storage.live.com/y4ml[ATTACH=full]1991053[/ATTACH]
original trash
[ATTACH=full]1991052[/ATTACH]
removing the old steps was easier than expected
[IMG]https://sn3302files.storage.live.com/y4mxG1HR_X_Yf10us_m5jJQY1Eo6sF3CLtYJCB2de36ngCvdT6ojMkYYaP5hhf9txyBZqrbZm-ehABzFgwtHrq_a3v70nOQO7zpR5LCFToQUo9lEP0SK66fqhLFTJ_DKQi8_nkOCHo1YMyg_NcbJxdUZE0O-j7M9Vv7o4cTI9y1ID0g-wxsV3jpgyZ6ieTjRWCE?width=768&height=1024&cropmode=none
2hrs later and all done
I'm considering more lift or larger tyres at some stage, maybe cut/re-weld the sliders even higher
Started on some suspension bushing refresh for the E36
E46 rear aluminium control arms
New oem bushings in + coil adjusters
Repainted my 330 trailing arms and started pushing new bushings in
These are Turner motorsports monoball bushings
they put up an absolute fight, the only way in is hydraulic
Upper bushing are monoballs
Lower bushing is oem rubber
I'm running aluminium lower control arms so rubber bottom to give the arm a little 'give' so i don't snap the control arm.
Motoman1100
Well-known member
Bahaha... this cracks me up! Nice find with the chipper. Cheers
OP
octane_matty
Well-known member
Another month passes but plenty of work on the LS E36
Started work on the steering shaft
Top is a standard RHD E36 steering shaft
Bottom is an E46 shaft from a LHD car
The E46 shaft is slightly longer but easy fix.
File a new groove, cut the end off and shorten to the correct size new OEM joint on the end
In the meantime spent 2 weekends helping brother in law rebuild a trailer he bought off marketplace for cheap
1.6t braked axles with everything fresh repainted, new leaf bushings, cut some dead weight off it and new rear
Gave it the full paint it black, put it back treatment
Time to start on the E36 engine bay
Carbuilders heatshield being applied to the engine bay
The OEM BMW heat shielding is horrible, once you get some fall in your eye after working on a 90s BMW you'll understand
Had some fun shortening/extending the brake lines to the relocated ABS pump
for anyone playing at home these are M10x1.0 fittings with DIN/ISO bubble flares
3/16 brake line
Had trouble getting tight bends with my bender so hopefully this isn't too close to the headers.
Waiting on new hose and clamps for the ABS feed line
Easter weekend!
This picture is accurate for the start of my weekend
I've got a quite a few new parts on the way to freshen up these 135i calipers so may aswell make them look clean
my new favourite paint; dupli-colour caliper paint. It lays down nice and wet.
Next up was a trip to the wreckers to find a BMW power steering pump
Although you can run LS power steering pumps their pressure/flow is higher than BMW resulting in lighter steering feel.
Recently alot more swaps are using BMW pumps which almost bolt up directly to LS power steering brackets.
1 x power steering pump including "factory bmw corrosion inhibitor" aka schmutz
After a good amount of scrubbing and degreaser i may have purchased a diamond in the rough. Appears to have a manafacturing date of 2018 on this LUK unit.
Plenty of parts in the mail for upcomming progress
Started work on the steering shaft
Top is a standard RHD E36 steering shaft
Bottom is an E46 shaft from a LHD car
The E46 shaft is slightly longer but easy fix.
File a new groove, cut the end off and shorten to the correct size new OEM joint on the end
In the meantime spent 2 weekends helping brother in law rebuild a trailer he bought off marketplace for cheap
1.6t braked axles with everything fresh repainted, new leaf bushings, cut some dead weight off it and new rear
Gave it the full paint it black, put it back treatment
Time to start on the E36 engine bay
Carbuilders heatshield being applied to the engine bay
The OEM BMW heat shielding is horrible, once you get some fall in your eye after working on a 90s BMW you'll understand
Had some fun shortening/extending the brake lines to the relocated ABS pump
for anyone playing at home these are M10x1.0 fittings with DIN/ISO bubble flares
3/16 brake line
Had trouble getting tight bends with my bender so hopefully this isn't too close to the headers.
Waiting on new hose and clamps for the ABS feed line
Easter weekend!
This picture is accurate for the start of my weekend
I've got a quite a few new parts on the way to freshen up these 135i calipers so may aswell make them look clean
my new favourite paint; dupli-colour caliper paint. It lays down nice and wet.
Next up was a trip to the wreckers to find a BMW power steering pump
Although you can run LS power steering pumps their pressure/flow is higher than BMW resulting in lighter steering feel.
Recently alot more swaps are using BMW pumps which almost bolt up directly to LS power steering brackets.
1 x power steering pump including "factory bmw corrosion inhibitor" aka schmutz
After a good amount of scrubbing and degreaser i may have purchased a diamond in the rough. Appears to have a manafacturing date of 2018 on this LUK unit.
Plenty of parts in the mail for upcomming progress
TwoBytes
Well-known member
Great update Matty!
Beemer is coming together nicely.
Any pics of the finished trailer?
M.
Beemer is coming together nicely.
Any pics of the finished trailer?
M.
OP
octane_matty
Well-known member
Yeah sorry none yet, totally forgot to. We’re just getting the running gear sorted and ready for rego at this stage. It’ll be a firewood collector for the winter before probably some more mods into a camper/toy hauler.
Cheers
OP
octane_matty
Well-known member
Another few weekends and some semi-solid progress on the E36 
I'm not sure why blue carpet was was so popular in the 90s?
Removed carpet from the E36, suprisingly very minimal rust spots (usual surface rust around the seat mounting bolts and that's it)
I first hit it with black Rit dye, inexpensive powder that you mix with hot water and rub into the fibres.
It darkened the colour and retained softness but wasn't dark enough
I ended up using a can of Dupli colour vinyl/fabric paint
The fibers are stiffer but it definately darkened the carpet enough
aaand back in
I've decided to try get the interior stuff sorted early because once this car is running i probably won't have the patience or determination to pull it apart again.
The previous owners of this car had strange taste in guage dials and lighting.
How do you even get glue there?!
Found a complete early cluster locally and swapped the entire face and dial setup onto the back-end
Plastic still needs a polish but that's the easy part
After a long wait also my axles from Seems legit garage arrived
These have large outer stubs for M3 or e46 330 hubs and inner 108 CV to suit the Ford 8.8
After spilling 2 Litres of diff fluid over my bench i installed the new seal + spacers in the ford 8.8
The ford explorer seals are much larger, i assume this spacer is to install a smaller seal from a Cobra and the stubs are Cobra specific
Time to put together my mismatch rear end setup
E46 330 trailing arms
E46 330 bearings
E46 M3 dust shields
E46 M3 rear rotors
135i Calipers
First problem: e46 m3 dust shields aren't direct fit on the 330 arms, little dremel work
I've read that 330 parking brake shoes may not fit m3 rotors
Looks good to me!
Turned down the OD of my press tool to press the bearing all the way in
Slightly different parking brake designs
Cut the end off this pressed fitting and it worked perfectly
Fresh parking brake parts
Pressed the hub in then checked rotor ontop
oh ow
"It was at this point he knew he f*d up..."
Unfortunately the E46 M3 dust shields have the parking brake area recessed into the backing plates.
The 330 trailing arm is slightly different and requires a flat backing plate.
the only way to fix this unfortunately involves destroying a brand new bearing
Unsure if i'll beat the area flat or re-weld it flat at this stage.
With a little time left in the weekend i pressed out the oem E36 front control arm bushings
Installed new Hard race bushings which have 100% rubber
I may move to offset M3 bushings at some stage but rather change suspension geometry incrementally (camber + sway bar first)
Cheers
I'm not sure why blue carpet was was so popular in the 90s?
Removed carpet from the E36, suprisingly very minimal rust spots (usual surface rust around the seat mounting bolts and that's it)
I first hit it with black Rit dye, inexpensive powder that you mix with hot water and rub into the fibres.
It darkened the colour and retained softness but wasn't dark enough
I ended up using a can of Dupli colour vinyl/fabric paint
The fibers are stiffer but it definately darkened the carpet enough
aaand back in
I've decided to try get the interior stuff sorted early because once this car is running i probably won't have the patience or determination to pull it apart again.
The previous owners of this car had strange taste in guage dials and lighting.
How do you even get glue there?!
Found a complete early cluster locally and swapped the entire face and dial setup onto the back-end
Plastic still needs a polish but that's the easy part
After a long wait also my axles from Seems legit garage arrived
These have large outer stubs for M3 or e46 330 hubs and inner 108 CV to suit the Ford 8.8
After spilling 2 Litres of diff fluid over my bench i installed the new seal + spacers in the ford 8.8
The ford explorer seals are much larger, i assume this spacer is to install a smaller seal from a Cobra and the stubs are Cobra specific
Time to put together my mismatch rear end setup
E46 330 trailing arms
E46 330 bearings
E46 M3 dust shields
E46 M3 rear rotors
135i Calipers
First problem: e46 m3 dust shields aren't direct fit on the 330 arms, little dremel work
I've read that 330 parking brake shoes may not fit m3 rotors
Looks good to me!
Turned down the OD of my press tool to press the bearing all the way in
Slightly different parking brake designs
Cut the end off this pressed fitting and it worked perfectly
Fresh parking brake parts
Pressed the hub in then checked rotor ontop
oh ow
"It was at this point he knew he f*d up..."
Unfortunately the E46 M3 dust shields have the parking brake area recessed into the backing plates.
The 330 trailing arm is slightly different and requires a flat backing plate.
the only way to fix this unfortunately involves destroying a brand new bearing
Unsure if i'll beat the area flat or re-weld it flat at this stage.
With a little time left in the weekend i pressed out the oem E36 front control arm bushings
Installed new Hard race bushings which have 100% rubber
I may move to offset M3 bushings at some stage but rather change suspension geometry incrementally (camber + sway bar first)
Cheers
OP
octane_matty
Well-known member
*slaps door* you can fit so much mess and junk in this bad boy!
I can’t wait to get all the goddam parts in the E36, don’t even have space to park my Ute inside at the moment
OP
octane_matty
Well-known member
uhhh ok GJ changed alot lately haha
Hope all my fellow Melbournians are enjoying their lockdown
It's been a slightly unmotivated month due to lockdowns, whenever a lockdown hits i keep putting off heading out for supplies and click and collect is a pain in the ***.
Started rebuilding these brembo calipers. Turns out i've been sent the wrong size pistons so still waiting on a new batch.
I've been struggling working on mounting the ford 8.8 diff in the E36 subframe. It's TIGHT
Last weekend started on reinforcing the E36 subframe
They commonly crack around where the motor mount bolts through
not the best TIG welding day (It's been a while) but sufficient
I think i need to up my consumables a little - This was with a small tungsten + cup and needed to work the torch around to get the heat spread.
Originally i was planning on getting the subframes all powder coated but with businesses shutdown etc in melbourne it's not worth the trouble at the moment.
I've bought some more of the caliper paint since it goes on like butter looks 98% as good as powdercoat
Cheers
ps anyone else having issues with tapatalk since the update?
Hope all my fellow Melbournians are enjoying their lockdown
It's been a slightly unmotivated month due to lockdowns, whenever a lockdown hits i keep putting off heading out for supplies and click and collect is a pain in the ***.
Started rebuilding these brembo calipers. Turns out i've been sent the wrong size pistons so still waiting on a new batch.
I've been struggling working on mounting the ford 8.8 diff in the E36 subframe. It's TIGHT
Last weekend started on reinforcing the E36 subframe
They commonly crack around where the motor mount bolts through
not the best TIG welding day (It's been a while) but sufficient
I think i need to up my consumables a little - This was with a small tungsten + cup and needed to work the torch around to get the heat spread.
Originally i was planning on getting the subframes all powder coated but with businesses shutdown etc in melbourne it's not worth the trouble at the moment.
I've bought some more of the caliper paint since it goes on like butter
looks 98% as good as powdercoatCheers
ps anyone else having issues with tapatalk since the update?
Last edited:
TwoBytes
Well-known member
Mate! Those welds and paint look great to me!
Hopefully the restrictions ease up tomorrow - I've got family down there and they're not having a great lockdown time!
Hopefully the restrictions ease up tomorrow - I've got family down there and they're not having a great lockdown time!
Ralf99
Well-known member
Tapatalk and the GJ app support has been canned off by Ryan for about 10 days now, and is very unlikely to return. There are a number of ‘stickies’ at the top of the forums about it.
Crossmember has come up a treat.
Crossmember has come up a treat.
OP
octane_matty
Well-known member
Thanks mate, yeah seems a little slow on release from lockdown but hopefully it gives us another month or two case free
Thanks for the info! some good info in there about the privacy concerns. Good to see GJ looking out for the members
New UI is definitely an improvement!
Thanks mate, don't worry i just had 5 days off with the long weekend and only spent 1 full day worth on the car
Speaking of the long weekend!
Mrs Octane recently went to bunnings and came back with this.
I'm not sure if it's a subtle comment on my welding skills but better now than never to mount it on my welding cart
Subframe installed back in the shell
Out with the old, in with the new
Old H&R Sportline coilovers with height adjust and progressive springs
New MCA Pro Sport 8kg front 14kg rear
Without driving on them i can you confirm the quality of the MCA's is absolutely excellent
Due to common E36 strut tower deformation, BMW has an OEM steel part to help spread load on the shock towers
Previously i was seeing considerable poke (4-7mm) with the 18x9.5's
With the camber plates maxed out things look much better
I'll probably run with relatively agressive alignment of 2.8-3.2 neg camber on the street
After reinstalling the first control arm i found a split ball joint boot on the other arm.
Halted works and i've ordered a full set of balljoints.
The control arms +ball joints were the one suspension part i haven't replaced and hoped i wouldn't have to
Moving onto fuel system
Pulled out the old fuel tank and gave it a cleanup
Old fuel pump assembly looks well looked after based on the filter bag
Today we're installing a DW 300 (340LPH)
Note DW rate their fuel pumps differently than other manafacturers
Estimated good for ~620 HP on E85
If you're looking for a fuel pump i highly recomend reading the Real Street performance In-Tank fuel pump comparison test.
The install was an absolute b*tch
Added a second clamp, cut the fuel pump holder, getting the clamps on was a PITA
The walbro kits are much better, i'll probably consider a walbro or AEM next if this DW fails purely based on the install parts
Some juicy arrivals yesterday
Cheers
OP
octane_matty
Well-known member
Another 2 weekends of work on the LS E36
After assermbling the LS i remembered i forgot to change the oil pressure spring on the oil pump. I have a melling high volume + pressure pump. The high volume is neccesary to prevent cavitation at high rpm but i don't have the correct clearances for the high pressure.
Oh it's deep in there
many many hours later i had bought a new tool to extract the balancer and remove the front cover to replace the spring.
Had to heat the oil pump housing to soften the locktight on the spring retainer.
Whilst i had the engine cracked open i noticed some debris in the assembly lube
Ended up pouring about 7L of random oil i had around, rotating the engine and draining until the oil came clean again.
I'm not sure if the debris was from my gloves or dirt or cam grease but either way i want to be 100% sure i give this engine the best chance of surviving.
This tool shop has some interesting tools..
I've always wanted an assortment of....russians?
It's finally come time for proper engine marriage
Flywheel installed, starter teeth look correct for the flywheel
Header clearance looks...awful
Had some trouble stabbing the gearbox in, decided it'd be best to make an alignment tool
Supposably when i bought this gearbox/clutch some 8 years ago? it had only 20k on it and the clutch had a few dyno runs. Fingers crossed
Work smarter not harder right?
Time to move onto another side project; brake ducts
It seems vendors want 200AUD+ for a set of backing plates these days
I can't justify spending almost 400AUD on a complete kit which comes with 3" ducting.
Due to my wide wheel situation off the shelf kits probably won't fit my car.
$46 worth of 3mm sheet + 60mm tube
The tube has been pressed into an oval to increase opening size
Many off the shelf kits use a 3" duct but only 2/3 of the opening is used
Just casually chucking up my 76mm holesaw and the ol makita let the smoke out
7 years of abuse i can't really complain.
As much as i've been considering a move to milwaukee, the bank account has been taking a hammering from BMW parts and my TV broke last week i've ordered a armature and brush kit from the UK that will hopefully make it whole again
Test fitup it's tight
Not 100% centered as i'd like but nobody except me will see them
I should probably make it clear that i've never welded aluminium. I attempted once about 10 years ago when i first bought the welder but it was a hot mess.
Spin a few dials and we're getting somewhere
This is where i ended, any experts please chime in and tell me if i can improve the settings
Beginners luck i'll call it
It's not exactly stacked dimes but it won't fall off
Cheers
Latest purchases on the way; new lathe tooling
Estimated 203 hours of work left on the car and there's 26 weeks left of this year
After assermbling the LS i remembered i forgot to change the oil pressure spring on the oil pump. I have a melling high volume + pressure pump. The high volume is neccesary to prevent cavitation at high rpm but i don't have the correct clearances for the high pressure.
Oh it's deep in there
many many hours later i had bought a new tool to extract the balancer and remove the front cover to replace the spring.
Had to heat the oil pump housing to soften the locktight on the spring retainer.
Whilst i had the engine cracked open i noticed some debris in the assembly lube
Ended up pouring about 7L of random oil i had around, rotating the engine and draining until the oil came clean again.
I'm not sure if the debris was from my gloves or dirt or cam grease but either way i want to be 100% sure i give this engine the best chance of surviving.
This tool shop has some interesting tools..
I've always wanted an assortment of....russians?
It's finally come time for proper engine marriage
Flywheel installed, starter teeth look correct for the flywheel
Header clearance looks...awful
Had some trouble stabbing the gearbox in, decided it'd be best to make an alignment tool
Supposably when i bought this gearbox/clutch some 8 years ago? it had only 20k on it and the clutch had a few dyno runs. Fingers crossed
Work smarter not harder right?
Time to move onto another side project; brake ducts
It seems vendors want 200AUD+ for a set of backing plates these days
I can't justify spending almost 400AUD on a complete kit which comes with 3" ducting.
Due to my wide wheel situation off the shelf kits probably won't fit my car.
$46 worth of 3mm sheet + 60mm tube
The tube has been pressed into an oval to increase opening size
Many off the shelf kits use a 3" duct but only 2/3 of the opening is used
Just casually chucking up my 76mm holesaw and the ol makita let the smoke out
7 years of abuse i can't really complain.
As much as i've been considering a move to milwaukee, the bank account has been taking a hammering from BMW parts and my TV broke last week
i've ordered a armature and brush kit from the UK that will hopefully make it whole againTest fitup it's tight
Not 100% centered as i'd like but nobody except me will see them
I should probably make it clear that i've never welded aluminium. I attempted once about 10 years ago when i first bought the welder but it was a hot mess.
Spin a few dials and we're getting somewhere
This is where i ended, any experts please chime in and tell me if i can improve the settings
Beginners luck i'll call it
It's not exactly stacked dimes but it won't fall off
Cheers
Latest purchases on the way; new lathe tooling
Estimated 203 hours of work left on the car and there's 26 weeks left of this year
Last edited:
OP
octane_matty
Well-known member
Start off last weekend with a new tool purchase!
Cordless makita die grinder, it absolutely rips!
much nicer to use than air die grinders, the tool senses when your bit's smashing it's way around and stops to stop you hurting yourself
Started making a cover for the brake bias valve. Supposably most engineers want bias valves covered so they can't be tampered with at a car show etc
Brake ducts painted and installed
Very close to the coilover mounts but should be ok, appears to still have enough room to access the top bolt which is good.
Funny how the smallest things can delay you. This little piece of plastic tube for the clutch master held me up for quite some time.
After much swearing the clutch/brake pedal assembly is installed with new master. Booster attached also.
Sorry for the vague pics this week, nobody wanted to see me being a cortorsionist under the dash
Estimated 194hrs remaining to completion
Cordless makita die grinder, it absolutely rips!
much nicer to use than air die grinders, the tool senses when your bit's smashing it's way around and stops to stop you hurting yourself
Started making a cover for the brake bias valve. Supposably most engineers want bias valves covered so they can't be tampered with at a car show etc
Brake ducts painted and installed
Very close to the coilover mounts but should be ok, appears to still have enough room to access the top bolt which is good.
Funny how the smallest things can delay you. This little piece of plastic tube for the clutch master held me up for quite some time.
After much swearing the clutch/brake pedal assembly is installed with new master. Booster attached also.
Sorry for the vague pics this week, nobody wanted to see me being a cortorsionist under the dash
Estimated 194hrs remaining to completion
OP
octane_matty
Well-known member
Three weeks in a row!
Finally received 3 of 4 28mm pistons to assembly one of my front calipers
Time to swing this engine in for extra mock ups
Few more problems to tackle
I've absolutely screwed up my steering shaft situation.
Turns out the E46's have much less misalignment. This U-joint + rubber joint situation won't work. Sourcing another shaft with double u-joints
Engine mount: need to re-make another. I donated my previous mock ups to my mechanic to build himself an E36 sedan with LS
I'm not sure what to expect with parts off the internet these days?
My first rodeo in buying merge collectors
The mushroom + fitment is....average at best
Given how the merge is shaped i don't think they'll fit with enough clearance
Little dissapointing when the example picture is this:
Fresh offset engine mount welded up
Really trying to maximize steering shaft clearance to make working onthis car as easy as possible
Better but not perfect yet. I'm bringing the engine forward and higher slightly for better clearance.
Drill parts have arrived from the UK
Fresh brushes, armature and she rips again
Bit of an unproductive weekend unfortunately:
Exhaust header fitment is terrible - I really don't want to split the headers either side of the steering shaft.
Exhaust head flanges bent - Fixed now with some heat and sledge
Exhaust merge collector - Much more time or money needed now to build or buy better 2-1 merge collectors.
Lathe tools - New quick change toolpost doesn't fit on my lathe, appears the through bolt is the wrong size.
Steering shaft - Existing one in the bin, eta 3-5 weeks for a better version
Cat Converters - 2.5" Holden cats i purchased a while ago won't clear the control arm bushings. Purchased aftermarket cats
Cutting exhaust tubing is also about to become a challenge. Securing donuts/bends in my cold cut saw may not be easy without some jig or fixture making (please post if you've made one?). I'm considering buying a cheap bandsaw to make cuts on.
Only positive this week is the Holden Cats due to the price of platinum are worth over twice what i payed for them now. This will offset the cost of new cats
ETA on completion estimate @ 189hrs
Finally received 3 of 4 28mm pistons to assembly one of my front calipers
Time to swing this engine in for extra mock ups
Few more problems to tackle
I've absolutely screwed up my steering shaft situation.
Turns out the E46's have much less misalignment. This U-joint + rubber joint situation won't work. Sourcing another shaft with double u-joints
Engine mount: need to re-make another. I donated my previous mock ups to my mechanic to build himself an E36 sedan with LS
I'm not sure what to expect with parts off the internet these days?
My first rodeo in buying merge collectors
The mushroom + fitment is....average at best
Given how the merge is shaped i don't think they'll fit with enough clearance
Little dissapointing when the example picture is this:
Fresh offset engine mount welded up
Really trying to maximize steering shaft clearance to make working onthis car as easy as possible
Better but not perfect yet. I'm bringing the engine forward and higher slightly for better clearance.
Drill parts have arrived from the UK
Fresh brushes, armature and she rips again
Bit of an unproductive weekend unfortunately:
Exhaust header fitment is terrible - I really don't want to split the headers either side of the steering shaft.
Exhaust head flanges bent - Fixed now with some heat and sledge
Exhaust merge collector - Much more time or money needed now to build or buy better 2-1 merge collectors.
Lathe tools - New quick change toolpost doesn't fit on my lathe, appears the through bolt is the wrong size.
Steering shaft - Existing one in the bin, eta 3-5 weeks for a better version
Cat Converters - 2.5" Holden cats i purchased a while ago won't clear the control arm bushings. Purchased aftermarket cats
Cutting exhaust tubing is also about to become a challenge. Securing donuts/bends in my cold cut saw may not be easy without some jig or fixture making (please post if you've made one?). I'm considering buying a cheap bandsaw to make cuts on.
Only positive this week is the Holden Cats due to the price of platinum are worth over twice what i payed for them now. This will offset the cost of new cats
ETA on completion estimate @ 189hrs
Attachments
hardtop5000
Well-known member
It may feel like an unproductive weekend Matty, but I reckon you learned a lot. The really bad weekends are the ones where you end up further behind and with no visible way forward.
OP
octane_matty
Well-known member
Thanks Hardtop! 100% right
Old cats sold for $600 , new cats being delivered today
Time to order some more parts to prepare for the next Melbourne lockdown
OP
octane_matty
Well-known member
New tool purchase
Bandsaw
Not a stellar deal but only one on marketplace within distance and didn't want to wait for new models to be in stock (hindsight says wait)
Advertised as good running condition, home use, 1 owner
Ran on pickup when i handed over the cash
Saturday morning i start looking a bit deeper
uhh cracked motor mount...great
Despite it's obvious defects the thing would barely start now. Sometimes it would, sometimes wouldnt.
Once i got it going it couldn't cut a stick of butter without stalling
I'm comitted at this stage...
new motor mount building begins
5mm plate, welded the old threaded sections to it
After it switches the breaker on my 15A powerpoint things aren't looking good.
Open up the electrical panel and a wire nut falls out
yeah...****
Earth wire no longer wired....switch completely disconnected
Wire it back up....it works!
After some adjustments still can't even muster some 3mm steel
Well i have a spare 500w motor lying around from the cheap drill press....
Time to put some steel in the lathe to adapt the replacement motor to the pulley
Ready and tapped to go on the shaft
Made it way too long then broke the pulley pressing the pulley onto the shaft, yeah not enough tolerance mate
We're in lockdown, its about 20 hours labour to a working bandsaw and it's dark outside
I guess we've come this far and done a motor mount, new motor....and now a new pulley?
Despite not getting around to mounting my AXA toolpost, cheap new carbide insert tools are still amazing
I hope you enjoy reading my misfortune and terrible life decisions
Cheers
ETA on a working bandsaw...unknown
ETA on car completion @189 Hrs
Bandsaw
Not a stellar deal but only one on marketplace within distance and didn't want to wait for new models to be in stock (hindsight says wait)
Advertised as good running condition, home use, 1 owner
Ran on pickup when i handed over the cash
Saturday morning i start looking a bit deeper
uhh cracked motor mount...great
Despite it's obvious defects the thing would barely start now. Sometimes it would, sometimes wouldnt.
Once i got it going it couldn't cut a stick of butter without stalling
I'm comitted at this stage...
new motor mount building begins
5mm plate, welded the old threaded sections to it
After it switches the breaker on my 15A powerpoint things aren't looking good.
Open up the electrical panel and a wire nut falls out
yeah...****
Earth wire no longer wired....switch completely disconnected
Wire it back up....it works!
After some adjustments still can't even muster some 3mm steel
Well i have a spare 500w motor lying around from the cheap drill press....
Time to put some steel in the lathe to adapt the replacement motor to the pulley
Ready and tapped to go on the shaft
Made it way too long then broke the pulley pressing the pulley onto the shaft, yeah not enough tolerance mate
We're in lockdown, its about 20 hours labour to a working bandsaw and it's dark outside
I guess we've come this far and done a motor mount, new motor....and now a new pulley?
Despite not getting around to mounting my AXA toolpost, cheap new carbide insert tools are still amazing
I hope you enjoy reading my misfortune and terrible life decisions
Cheers
ETA on a working bandsaw...unknown
ETA on car completion @189 Hrs