BMW e36 Sedan | Project by Speedminded

[speedminded]

I picked up this '97 328i for DIRT cheap with a destroyed wheel bearing and questionable water pump. The previous owner was a complete slob and hoarder - pulled out 3 large kitchen garbage bags of trash and spent 30 hours disassembling, cleaning, and reassembling before I could even stand to look at the car lol!


http://www.jasontbarker.com/images/automotive/project_e36_sedan/e36_wolf_pen_gap_02.png


Spent about $500 on mechanical & maintenance parts to get it going: water pump, thermostat, wheel bearing & hub, rotors & pads, shifter bushing, intake filter, cabin filter, and changed to synthetic oil. The front ball joints are shot so bought two brand new front LCA's and poly bushings then replaced the RTAB's with AKG race poly bushings (http://www.akgmotorsport.com/) making it a totally different car! Bought a used set of M3 sway bars but haven't installed them yet, that will be done when I install the LSD that's wasting space in storage.

http://www.jasontbarker.com/images/automotive/project_e36_sedan/Project_e36_02.png


I picked the car up with ridiculous clear corners, a chrome e-brake handle, and white face gauges so the first cosmetic changes were to put them back to stock. I then replaced the decaying or broken trim with all brand new parts: windshield cowl, exterior door handle trim, front license plate delete moulding, one fog light, and a bumper grill. The grills only come in grey so while painting it black I sprayed the kidneys as well to hide the chrome!

http://www.jasontbarker.com/images/automotive/project_e36_sedan/Interior_01_800x533.png


Still tons of work to be done and despite how it looks in the pics it desperately needs a fresh coat of paint! It needs window tint bad too - thinking 35% on the sides and rear and using a 70% ceramic on the windshield. Will probably replace the door trim with the sleeker M-moulding and debating on going with the M-bumper or not...there aren't really any good options for a lip kit on the non-m bumpers. I have an idea but it will cost more than just buying a new M-bumper so we'll see!

http://jasontbarker.com/images/automotive/project_e36_sedan/e36_wolf_pen_gap_04.png

http://jasontbarker.com/images/automotive/project_e36_sedan/e36_wolf_pen_gap_03.png



Here's what it looked like 100% stock before replacing the broken front grill and mounting the BBS Style 29 5-series wheels...and after about 10 hours of paint care!

http://www.jasontbarker.com/images/automotive/topspeed/e36_328i_01_800x500.png


Performance wise, I have a 8.5lb aluminum flywheel to go in it to replace the stock 29lb...yeah 29 lbs!! Just need to find a good deal on an M5 clutch kit first. Also have a 6-piston Brembo brake setup with 14.6" rotor I want to mount but have to wait for the right set of 18" wheels to magically appear! Then it will need coil-overs....and a GT35R to validate the bigger brakes lol!

[[3000gt20s]]

i like it. last shot is def ftw!!!

[Logan]

Nice E36, I dig the style 29's! Good job cleaning her up.

What made you want to swap to synthetic oil?

-Logan

[quickdodge®]

Hey, Jason. How are you doing, dude? Later, QD.

[sim0nvr6]

great pick up. looks so nice after the deep cleanse.

[firby911]

Car looks great man,looks like you did a great job cleaning it up.

[Franco Tirador]

that first pic is sick, and good job on the restore

[deondre]

nice pick up, sounds like you know what you're doing, so keep up the good work :goodjob:

[speedminded]

Got a short vid of me shuffle steering it up on the mtn...stock sways and old shocks and springs make for interesting slides!

http://www.jasontbarker.com/images/automotive/project_e36_sedan/e36_mtn_slide.MOV

The GPS was all confused which way I was going: you can watch the car rotate on the screen then it shows me going down the mountain the other way like I made a u-turn lolol!



Nice E36, I dig the style 29's! Good job cleaning her up.

What made you want to swap to synthetic oil?

-LoganJust Rotella T, nothing pricey! It's probably not even a true Group IV PAO oil but seen it run on dozens and dozen of performance cars...plus got a good deal on it!

I picked the wheels up on Craigslist for $100!! The owner even knew what he had and said he was selling them for the value of the center caps - I just happened to be the first person to make the trip out to Bum#$%@ Egypt in the snow and ice to get them lol!


Hey, Jason. How are you doing, dude? Later, QD.Great man! You? I saw a couple of your Civic threads today but didn't have time to reply - the car is looking awesome with the new paint! The wheels are growing on me but I'd still like to see how an old style mesh would look on it...I'll reply over there in a sec!

[Drummerboy]

I like the way you think; "I have big brakes, so I need something that will put them to use."

Did you have the car or the brake kit first? lol.

[speedminded]

I like the way you think; "I have big brakes, so I need something that will put them to use."

Did you have the car or the brake kit first? lol.The car. I'm working on putting together a handful of the kits. It's not that I need more power to put them to use...they're so big I would need more power to push them and bigger wheels around bwaha!

[roscoe]

nice clean up! makes me miss my e36 sedan

[OnURleft]

Nice Jason, can't wait to see it progress. Jealous of the brakes

[speedminded]

Nice Jason, can't wait to see it progress. Jealous of the brakesThey'll look good behind your wheels... ;-)

[RutRoe]

I always love your builds man. You've always done them right and really gone the extra mile. Can't wait to see how this one progresses. Good luck !

[DinanM3atl]

This is relevant to my interest.

[DustnU]

Great job putting in WORK!!! It's a nice sedan for sure.

[speedminded]

I always love your builds man. You've always done them right and really gone the extra mile. Can't wait to see how this one progresses. Good luck !Thanks Rutledge! I know where I want to go with it and it's only a matter of time before it gets there! The main priority is getting all the neglected repairs and preventive maintenance done then built it up. If you only knew how much I have into it so far - literally pennies on the dollar!!

[Mr Egg Rollllll]

Looking good man. I can appreciate someone who puts actual work into their cars. Reps for sure.

[5speed]

Looking good man. Ive been watching your updates on FB. Makes me want a E36 more...even though this was a pain.

[allmotorEJ8]

Nice looking car. What's your overall goal for the car?

[cactusEG]

Makes me want a BMW

[speedminded]

Nice looking car. What's your overall goal for the car?Street car with a little bite. I need a clean platform to test a few custom parts I'm working on.

Overall Longterm:
18" ARC-8's
6-piston Brembo
8.5lb aluminum flywheel
Mild track suspension
Top mount GT35r @ 1.2 - 1.4 bar setup

Synthetic suede ceiling & pillars
Recaro SRD's or e46 M3 front seats.
Euro e36 M3 steering wheel
M3 moulding
M3 front bumper
M5 decklid lip
Fresh schwarz paint
3M 1080-series CF roof (for upkeep more than looks, no polish or wax required)
35% side & rear tint
70% ceramic windshield tint

When all said and done I'll have under $10k total invested, including the car, with a conservative 400-450 whp: black on black on black - it won't be the best looking car out there and certainly won't be the fastest but it'll still put a smile on anyones face that gets near it!

[allmotorEJ8]

Those are some killer plans. Hope it all works out for you, and I can't wait to see it done. It already looks so much better than when you first picked it up. I'm hoping to be boosted myself by the end of summer.

[alpine_aw11]

For under 10k invested that sounds pretty damn perfect for a nice street car. GL with it!