What did you do to your car today?

[savageman]

Originally Posted by BlackBMWs

Welcome! Pics when you get a chance! For the new knob, when you installed it, did you give is a solid press down? Depending on the knob, it may take firm force to get seated properly. Also, check to confirm the notch on the top of the shifter is aligned with the corresponding slot inside the knob. I have used a rubber mallet for some of the tougher fit ones. Just be sure you dont damage the cap on top of the knob.

Cheers mate, good to be here.

I've got a few ****ty photos I can put up here (literally here in this thread or in another?).

As for the knob, I was dripping with sweat by the time I had gotten it as far as it would go (about a cm down haha). I was worried that hitting it down with force would break something in the shaft. I might need to either do a dodgy lazy job and use some rubber bands as a fastener or perhaps go to Bunnings and try find some rubber piping thin enough to fit underneath.

Just got her roadworthy today. I'm loving that this great car will only cost me $6,000 AUD in total to get running in top shape.

In a couple weeks/months I'm planning to start adding some mods to it. I was thinking new suspension/struts/intake/exhaust/wheels. Any advice (especially specific to Melbourne Australia - parts, mechanics, etc) on what and how to go about things?

Thanks fellas and fellettes.

EDIT: Just re-read that first line of the third paragraph. I should write erotic novels.

[BlackBMWs]

I taught my son how to drive a stick on my 95 ti. He learned quickly and mentioned how fun it is over his auto E36 325i. He mentioned something about hooking corners faster.

My 95 ti keys are missing this morning....

[jca]

Installed an x-brace I found in a salvage yard in Fort Worth. Putting it on I discovered that there are six holes, not four, in which you install blind rivet nuts. If your ti is like mine you will have to enlarge those holes to 7/16" to allow the rivet nut to fit. Haven't driven the car yet pending the installation of the two extra rivet nuts.

[zoner]

Originally Posted by jca

Installed an x-brace I found in a salvage yard in Fort Worth. Putting it on I discovered that there are six holes, not four, in which you install blind rivet nuts. If your ti is like mine you will have to enlarge those holes to 7/16" to allow the rivet nut to fit. Haven't driven the car yet pending the installation of the two extra rivet nuts.

On mine, there were only four holes that needed rivet nuts, not six. I remember there being an extra hole in the brace plate on each side but it didn't correspond to anything on the frame rail. My frame rail only had two pre-drilled holes on each side and I would probably advise against creating a third hole in the frame rail if one doesn't already exist. I do, however, remember having to slightly drill out the factory holes to get the rivet nuts to fit correctly. Don't forget the loctite, either!

[BlackBMWs]

Originally Posted by zoner

On mine, there were only four holes that needed rivet nuts, not six. I remember there being an extra hole in the brace plate on each side but it didn't correspond to anything on the frame rail. My frame rail only had two pre-drilled holes on each side and I would probably advise against creating a third hole in the frame rail if one doesn't already exist. I do, however, remember having to slightly drill out the factory holes to get the rivet nuts to fit correctly. Don't forget the loctite, either!

For my 97 I used all six, drilling two and enlarging four. I will do the same for my 95. I didnt see anything behind the new holes to damage or weaken. I haven't broke the 97 yet. I believe four will work just fine...

Originally Posted by jca

Installed an x-brace I found in a salvage yard in Fort Worth. Putting it on I discovered that there are six holes, not four, in which you install blind rivet nuts. If your ti is like mine you will have to enlarge those holes to 7/16" to allow the rivet nut to fit. Haven't driven the car yet pending the installation of the two extra rivet nuts.

If you found it attached to a car, how many bolts held it in?

[familytruckster]

Rolled over 213K, replaced rear bumper shock, some bodywork on the trunk damage from the rear ending...

[Porschef]

I replaced every coolant hose, the two plastic water pipes, the water pump, thermostat,...pretty much everything but the radiator. What fun, took most of the day Saturday, and the better part of the afternoon yesterday.

That job is a PITA. The connector on the back of the head is best attacked with the valve cover removed. I also removed the cabin filter cover, but in retrospect really didn't gain much there. Also removed the battery and box, and snuck my left hand around the side of the head to access the lower bolt. Much patience is required here.

I have to add that having the radiator out enabled me to stand in the engine compartment. This was a huge help.

Next was the block connector. I was able to accomplish this without removing the lower intake, just the upper. I was able to sneak the hoses underneath to the heater core and the two others by removing the alternator. Sac le Bleu, that thing's made in France...wonder how long that's gonna last...at that point I quit for the evening.

Then came the piece de resistance, literally. That damn water pump did not want to come out. Tried increasingly longer levers to try coercing it out. Finally, after dropping copious f-bombs that caused the dog to leave the garage, I got it to budge with a strip of oak flooring as a block protecting pad/spacer and a 5' piece of alumimum L wedged behind the pulley. Very spectacular pop followed by coolant all over the place, but it came out. I was ready for a beer at this point, the wife showed up almost on cue with a frosty Flying Dog double pale IPA. I was able to reciprocate her kindness by letting her go down to the hardware store for two more bolts which I'd broken off while trying to wedge the pump out...

Everything else was straightforward after that. Cleaned up the pump mount, put everything back together, added some coolant, and she sparked right up. Feel much better knowing all 8 hoses are new, and that I should be good as long as I own the car... This morning, all was dry under the car.

Yay!

[zoner]

Originally Posted by BlackBMWs

For my 97 I used all six, drilling two and enlarging four. I will do the same for my 95. I didnt see anything behind the new holes to damage or weaken. I haven't broke the 97 yet. I believe four will work just fine...



If you found it attached to a car, how many bolts held it in?

All of the x-brace installs that I've seen, including my own, are installed like this:



with the middle hole on the brace plate left open. Search 'E36 x-brace' on google and virtually every picture you see will have it installed like the picture above. My reason for not wanting to drill out and install the third hole was because I didn't want to put another hole in the cross member, potentially weakening it. I'm not sure if that's a particular stress point on the cross member, but I don't want to find out first hand.

** I'm assuming that when you say you "used all six holes", you mean the three holes on each side of the front plate, not the two on each front plate (as pictured) and the single hole on each side of the rear (for a total of six holes/bolts).

[whitecord]

Originally Posted by zoner

All of the x-brace installs that I've seen, including my own, are installed like this:



with the middle hole on the brace plate left open. Search 'E36 x-brace' on google and virtually every picture you see will have it installed like the picture above. My reason for not wanting to drill out and install the third hole was because I didn't want to put another hole in the cross member, potentially weakening it. I'm not sure if that's a particular stress point on the cross member, but I don't want to find out first hand.

** I'm assuming that when you say you "used all six holes", you mean the three holes on each side of the front plate, not the two on each front plate (as pictured) and the single hole on each side of the rear (for a total of six holes/bolts).

what control arms are those?

[teetime4one]

I had a drip from my oil filter housing when I purchased my car back in June of 2007. It never bothered me...I just kept an eye on the oil level and put a board under my car to keep the drips from staining our driveway.
Sunday morning my car had a stutter in RPM's during a cold start. I opened the hood to inspect hoses and look for the cause. Just about to close the hood and see the oil flowing out of the side of my oil filter housing. I looked under the car and saw a puddle forming to the tune of a salad plate in size on my board. Drastic. untimely.
I went to the local Denver BMW dealership (Murray BMW) after work and picked up the two (2) O-rings and gasket. Came home to find I couldn't open the pdf file in the DYI about the repair. GRRRRRR So, I went at it blind. Not a bad result for 3 hour under the hood. That includes the time it took to clean up the unsightly mess that years of oil and road grime created on the front/side of my motor. it's all fixed now. STOKED!!!

Before


During


After

[jca]

Originally Posted by BlackBMWs

For my 97 I used all six, drilling two and enlarging four. I will do the same for my 95. I didnt see anything behind the new holes to damage or weaken. I haven't broke the 97 yet. I believe four will work just fine...



If you found it attached to a car, how many bolts held it in?

There were just four bolts attaching the brace to the donor car, but the brace itself has six holes...and the frame rail of my 98 base model has six pre-drilled holes. So I went with six rivet nuts. I agree that four would do the job.

[BlackBMWs]

Originally Posted by jca

There were just four bolts attaching the brace to the donor car, but the brace itself has six holes...and the frame rail of my 98 base model has six pre-drilled holes. So I went with six rivet nuts. I agree that four would do the job.

Great score! Was this a pull it yourself yard? Can I ask what you picked it up for? I usually look for them, but haven't spotted one yet.

[BlackBMWs]

Originally Posted by teetime4one

I had a drip from my oil filter housing when I purchased my car back in June of 2007. It never bothered me...I just kept an eye on the oil level and put a board under my car to keep the drips from staining our driveway.
Sunday morning my car had a stutter in RPM's during a cold start. I opened the hood to inspect hoses and look for the cause. Just about to close the hood and see the oil flowing out of the side of my oil filter housing. I looked under the car and saw a puddle forming to the tune of a salad plate in size on my board. Drastic. untimely.
I went to the local Denver BMW dealership (Murray BMW) after work and picked up the two (2) O-rings and gasket. Came home to find I couldn't open the pdf file in the DYI about the repair. GRRRRRR So, I went at it blind. Not a bad result for 3 hour under the hood. That includes the time it took to clean up the unsightly mess that years of oil and road grime created on the front/side of my motor. it's all fixed now. STOKED!!!

Nice! Any issues wrestling the alternator back in place? When I did mine, I had the donor motor out and lucky for me as getting the alternator back in-place was a bear. I resorted to a rubber dead blow hammer in the end.

[BlackBMWs]

Originally Posted by zoner

** I'm assuming that when you say you "used all six holes", you mean the three holes on each side of the front plate, not the two on each front plate (as pictured) and the single hole on each side of the rear (for a total of six holes/bolts).

Correct! I installed six blind rivets and also reused the two bolts that held the original single crossbar. When I received my used x-brace,the PO did the same, (looking at the paint removal) so, I simply copied the markings on the x-brace.

[teetime4one]

Originally Posted by BlackBMWs

Nice! Any issues wrestling the alternator back in place? When I did mine, I had the donor motor out and lucky for me as getting the alternator back in-place was a bear. I resorted to a rubber dead blow hammer in the end.

I had to coerce it out...then hit the mounting tabs with a file before re-installing it. The fit was still very snug, but it was in place and bolted down in less than 5 minutes.