» Site Navigation | | » Recent Threads | 1999 M3 Swap 09-07-2023 10:10 PM 05-02-2024 08:18 PM 6 Replies, 331,011 Views | | | | | | | 04-13-2012, 03:54 PM | #1 | Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Chandler, Okla Posts: 52 | reinforcement plates Well its time to get all the reinforcement plates for the ti and i wanna make sure i get any possible weak point taken care of. I know the rear subframe, shock mounts and sways. Is there a complete kit with everything i need or do i just have to buy it in pieces. If pieces, what all parts could use the reinforcement welded in. I've already had a shock rip out of the body so this why i want everything so i have no more issues like this. | | | 04-13-2012, 04:08 PM | #2 | Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Elizabeth City, NC Posts: 3,877 | Rear subframe is only weak on the E36 coupe/sedan. The ti uses the E30 rear suspension. Unless you mean the rear diff mount that can tear when too much power is put through the diff using worn stock bushings. There are reinforcements for the front subframe motor mount points, front strut tower reinforcements from the '96+ M3. Rear shock tower reinforcements from the Z3, and rear sway bar tabs can tear off the trailing arms. AKG motorsport offers pretty much all of those reinforcement pieces. __________________ ~Dave~ 98 328ti Morea Grun slicktop 11 128i space gray slicktop 13 JGC WK2 Deep Cherry Search | RealOEM | | | 04-13-2012, 04:13 PM | #3 | Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: iowa Posts: 90 | I just have an x brace under the front of the car. I'm not sure it even needs it but it's there. I'm not sure how or why a shock would rip out of the body, would seem to me something else would of gave long before a shock coming out of the body. Shocks should only be damping for recoil from the springs. They never should hit the end of there travel to cause pull or push on the body. The braces between the shock towers front and rear help with body flex. I can't say I've ever noticed a real need for them in the ti. Now I've had fox body mustangs and can say the strut braces do wonders. On my 1965 mustang corners wouldn't happen without a strut brace. On the ti, they make them, I think they bolt in, not sure if they are going to change the brakage you have. Maybe someone more knoledgeable will chime in. | | | 04-13-2012, 04:18 PM | #4 | Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Fl Posts: 1,353 | I sell the complete front and rear factory reinforcements for the shock towers and strut towers for 59.99 plus shipping. I will post a link later today. __________________ SUPPORT 318ti.org! CLICK THE LINK ABOVE! Hosting a forum like this is not free. 318ti.org is one of the best BMW forums on the web because it is member supported, not vendor supported. The cost to become a Supporter is a nominal $10.00... A YEAR! DO IT! NOW! www.BimmerBum.com ALL NEW! 318ti Specific Parts For Sale www.facebook.com/BimmerBum BMWCCA #132203 95 318ti Club Sport 98 318ti Active S50 Swap | | | 04-13-2012, 04:19 PM | #5 | Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Chandler, Okla Posts: 52 | Ok thanks and yes i am talking about the diff ripping out some other local Ti owners had that problem and they told me to get mine fixed asap. So i guess i can just buy any e36 front stuff and z3/e30 rear pieces? and that should cover any possible weak points? I just got to give this one more double check so sorry if its annoying but it seems like if i don't i order something wrong or do something wrong lol done it alot | | | 04-13-2012, 04:21 PM | #6 | Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Chandler, Okla Posts: 52 | Quote: Originally Posted by BimmerBum I sell the complete front and rear factory reinforcements for the shock towers and strut towers for 59.99 plus shipping. I will post a link later today. | Ok cool thanks that will be great. Do they just weld in? And is a piece that goes on the bottom and the top of the shock tower? | | | 04-13-2012, 04:37 PM | #7 | Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 1,464 | I was looking at those AKG rear sway bar tab reinforcements- those seem like a must if you're going to put anything larger than a stock bar back there. I couldn't believe how seemingly flimsy those tabs are the first time I saw them. | | | 04-13-2012, 04:39 PM | #8 | Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: iowa Posts: 90 | I considered you might be talking about diff. issues and not souly shocks. I've worked in a body shop for years and the few I've seen that had rear end rippage issues also had badly wore bushings. This isn't saying I've seen everything and on here I've heard of some people making monsters hp with there ti's so anythings possible. But yeah stock e36 parts fit the front, most z3/e30 parts fit there rear. | | | 04-13-2012, 04:54 PM | #9 | Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Chandler, Okla Posts: 52 | Awesome this is what i need to hear now ill have this ordered next month and hopefully installed soon after. | | | 04-13-2012, 05:07 PM | #10 | Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Fl Posts: 1,353 | Quote: Originally Posted by POCti Ok cool thanks that will be great. Do they just weld in? And is a piece that goes on the bottom and the top of the shock tower? | http://www.bimmerbum.com/e3fashreplki.html No welding on these pieces, they just bolt in. The front plates go on the underside of the strut tower and the rears go above. __________________ SUPPORT 318ti.org! CLICK THE LINK ABOVE! Hosting a forum like this is not free. 318ti.org is one of the best BMW forums on the web because it is member supported, not vendor supported. The cost to become a Supporter is a nominal $10.00... A YEAR! DO IT! NOW! www.BimmerBum.com ALL NEW! 318ti Specific Parts For Sale www.facebook.com/BimmerBum BMWCCA #132203 95 318ti Club Sport 98 318ti Active S50 Swap | | | 04-13-2012, 07:30 PM | #11 | Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Chandler, Okla Posts: 52 | thank you ill be ordering next month most likely but i think saw some pieces that go on the bottom of the shock tower would these be useful especially since i had one shock rip out of the body and the second is cracking about ready to go. BTW bimmerbum checked out your site and facebook love the club sport and wagon..... i have a love for wagons not BMW either lol Last edited by POCti; 04-13-2012 at 07:33 PM. | | | 04-13-2012, 09:29 PM | #12 | Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Fl Posts: 1,353 | Quote: Originally Posted by POCti thank you ill be ordering next month most likely but i think saw some pieces that go on the bottom of the shock tower would these be useful especially since i had one shock rip out of the body and the second is cracking about ready to go. BTW bimmerbum checked out your site and facebook love the club sport and wagon..... i have a love for wagons not BMW either lol | The mount makes up the plate on the underside of the shock tower. The reinforcement plate sandwiches the body where the mount bolts on. An additional plate for the underside would be redundant. Thanks for taking the time to check out the site! __________________ SUPPORT 318ti.org! CLICK THE LINK ABOVE! Hosting a forum like this is not free. 318ti.org is one of the best BMW forums on the web because it is member supported, not vendor supported. The cost to become a Supporter is a nominal $10.00... A YEAR! DO IT! NOW! www.BimmerBum.com ALL NEW! 318ti Specific Parts For Sale www.facebook.com/BimmerBum BMWCCA #132203 95 318ti Club Sport 98 318ti Active S50 Swap | | | 04-13-2012, 10:45 PM | #13 | Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Chandler, Okla Posts: 52 | Ok thanks for all the info. I didn't know if the extra strength would be needed since it's been ripped out and whole area is cracked and chunks missing but this will be alot easier and faster so I can start driving again | | | 04-14-2012, 10:36 PM | #14 | Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Chandler, Okla Posts: 52 | Ok about ready to order all the reinforcement pieces but one more thing im still wondering about is the rear diff. I talked to someone else today that said to take care of that before i lose it ... is there anything for that? Only i cant find. And ti cali ed my shock and shock mount pulled out from the bottom somehow and was told that the rear shock mounts being worn could be partly at fault and the fact of having the stiffer suspension on a unibody car puts alot of stress on it with out the reinforcement plates. I should have know when i did suspension but never thought it. Im not to worried about this now since ive read more into it and the people that told me to do this asap had high hp swaps done like the s52 but still would like to know for future reference just in case something comes up Last edited by POCti; 04-14-2012 at 11:14 PM. | | | 04-14-2012, 11:58 PM | #15 | Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Fl Posts: 1,353 | Quote: Originally Posted by POCti Ok about ready to order all the reinforcement pieces but one more thing im still wondering about is the rear diff. I talked to someone else today that said to take care of that before i lose it ... is there anything for that? Only i cant find.
| Every diff ear failure I have seen has been a tare about half way through it. My plan for my own car was to buy 2 diff ears and sandwich and seam weld them together, then seam weld that to the body. I have not yet tried this however. Another path would be to do a dual ear diff mount from a standard E36. Randy Forbes has a kit like this for the Z3 but I honestly feel like it would be overkill on a ti. __________________ SUPPORT 318ti.org! CLICK THE LINK ABOVE! Hosting a forum like this is not free. 318ti.org is one of the best BMW forums on the web because it is member supported, not vendor supported. The cost to become a Supporter is a nominal $10.00... A YEAR! DO IT! NOW! www.BimmerBum.com ALL NEW! 318ti Specific Parts For Sale www.facebook.com/BimmerBum BMWCCA #132203 95 318ti Club Sport 98 318ti Active S50 Swap | | | | | Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests) | | Posting Rules | You may not post new threads You may not post replies You may not post attachments You may not edit your posts HTML code is Off | | | |