Project: '98 BMW 328is

[Andrew]

So I guess it's about time for me to post something about the new car I got about two months ago.

I figured it was about time to replace my tired old Porsche 924 with something a little more modern (A/C, power steering, etc) and with a little more power. I looked for a few months for an E36 M3. With no luck finding anything in my price range, I came across this car in Maryland for a great deal and just couldn't pass it up. It has the sport package, M3 nose, new cooling system, and several other things done by the previous owner. I got it with the intention of autocrossing it, it probably won't ever see the track.



It's very clean, runs great, so I can't complain.





So far, I've replaced:
-new clutch and flywheel (ouch)
-front tie rod ends, control arms, and bushings
-valve cover gasket (definitely was time to replace this one, it just broke apart while I was taking it out)



And of course I had to get new rims.



Still a lot of work to do, but I won't really be able to do any more until after this semester is over.

[Jake]

Wow, that VCG... good thing you replaced it.

Rims are BALLIN. Are they real BMW or replicas? Look like the E46 330 M-Sport wheels, which I dig. What are you doing with the stock ones?

[Andrew]

Thanks. The rims are replicas, but for $220 on Craigslist they were a steal. I'm thinking about buying some used racing tires to autocross on with the other wheels since I don't want to destroy the brand new tires. I have a little time to find something before the next season starts up.

[Tyler.M]

dat sexy. Are your headlights angel eyes? If so, I saw you driving around today

[Andrew]

They aren't angel eyes, just HID's...but I'd like to get my hands on some angel eyes that are already put together in the housing (it seems that they're way too easy to break when you're installing them).

[kcook]

car looks very familiar. I think ive seen it posted on bimmerforums a few times. nice pick up btw, very clean!

[JustinG]

seriously....another one.....

[Andrew]

Somehow all of my old posts about my car from over the summer got deleted. Anyway, that classic BMW *tick* turned out to be bad lifters. I replaced all 24 lifters and put in a set of near perfect S52 M3 cams :lol: . Wow do they make a difference! There is a noticeable change in the low-end torque but it also feels like there was a slight loss in horsepower at the top end. I would like to dyno it soon to know for sure.

Another thing that I would like to share with my fellow MMers is a little app called Torque Pro for Android. It runs off of an OBDII Bluetooth reader right to the phone. This thing will do more than I could imagine and it is a blast to play with. It can also calculate rough estimates of torque and power. Here are some shots of it:







I'm still figuring out how to use it but we might be able to incorporate it for our Top Gear challenges.

[Jake]

This is where I have a sad, because the only OBD-II car I've ever owned had rust holes everywhere and thus, was sold again.

When my OBD-II whip arrives off the boat from Michigan, I'll be sure to check this out.

[D_Eclipse9916]

This is where I have a sad, because the only OBD-II car I've ever owned had rust holes everywhere and thus, was sold again.

When my OBD-II whip arrives off the boat from Michigan, I'll be sure to check this out.

If you bought it contact PAS.