FuturisticConcept Art BMW E36 with a V8 on a bottom dollar budget

[Jdesign]

So time for an update.

I last drove this car on the cruise to Road America through the kettles, and Im sure some of you are aware I had trouble getting the car to turn over after shutting it down. (thanks for the push X2 everyone)

After I got home, I checked my battery, and alternator to make sure that it wasn't the issue. Sure enough, 12.9 when the car was off, 14.2 when the car was on. So I assumed it was the starter, and parked the car back in its spot and didn't touch it until this past Friday night. 

I had plans to drive to Road America again this past weekend as I had free tickets and a VIP spot in the tower for the Vintage races. Twisting my arm, a friend of mine convinced me that I should fix this car and drive it there. In typical fashion, I waited until 7 pm to get it on the lift and look at it.

The stater was fairly easy to get to and only has two bolts holding it in. That was the easy part. I soon learned that a 1990 starter was VERY different from the upgraded version released in 1993 that I needed. I made it back to the store within 15 mins of them closing to exchange it. Once I unbolted the power cable I noticed that corrosion had occurred at both the terminals and the power wire was only attached by a few strands of wire. I had to chop the wire shorter, replace and seal the ends to prevent it from happening again.

Once the starter was off, I also discovered a bonus item in the bell housing resting against the starter. A socket head bolt for ??????

Starter comparison:

Corroded terminal:

Bonus bolt:

With the new starter installed it fired right up without issue and as some of you may have witnessed, I made it to RA and back without a hiccup.

I also acquired some new wheels from a guy I met at the Picnic. They are Borbet Procast 16x7.5. They seem to be really rare and I am having trouble even finding another set in this size. They seem very fitting for the car and I am looking for paint and style suggestions before I mount them!

[Jdesign]

[SteelBlue]

My buddies reaction when they saw this at RA for vintage weekend was absolutely priceless.

[Jdesign]

SteelBlue said:

My buddies reaction when they saw this at RA for vintage weekend was absolutely priceless.

I can't begin to tell you how many people stopped to ask about it. It was pretty funny watching people whip their phone out to snap a pic of my car as I drove past. I guess in a sea of Ferrari's, Maserati's, and Porsche's its was pretty hard to not notice it. 

[YoungCR]

Is the brightness on the light bar adjustable?

[Jdesign]

YoungCR said:

Is the brightness on the light bar adjustable?

Kind of? It depends on the amount of voltage sent to it. in this case the halos are backfeeding it so it glows a bit when they are on.

[Jdesign]

Sadly I havent driven this car very much as I hoped in the past few months. Time, weather, life, and other projects have been standing in the way.

Because of this, I have been considering a new approach for this car the next few months. Since my winter/daily is starting to rust, and a civic hybrid isn't the most entertaining thing to drive in the snow, thoughts of lifting this car and adding some knobby tires keeps popping into my head. 

Thoughts on this idea? Am I going down a wormhole? Anyone have experience lifting an E36?

[GunMetalGrey]

Jdesign said:

Sadly I havent driven this car very much as I hoped in the past few months. Time, weather, life, and other projects have been standing in the way.

Because of this, I have been considering a new approach for this car the next few months. Since my winter/daily is starting to rust, and a civic hybrid isn't the most entertaining thing to drive in the snow, thoughts of lifting this car and adding some knobby tires keeps popping into my head. 

Thoughts on this idea? Am I going down a wormhole? Anyone have experience lifting an E36? 

Don't do it, I don't know who in their right mind would lift a BMW.

[P_Roloff]

I say go for it, that'd be pretty cool. It already has a truck motor and a roof rack, is basically a truck already, right? And with the welded rear end, it'll be a hoot in the snow!

[YoungCR]

I foresee more rust in your phuture

[Jdesign]

YoungCR said:

I foresee more rust in your phuture

[Jdesign]

@GunMetalGrey , @HipMF, and I got together this weekend and I had a friend of mine at Noggle Photography shoot some pictures of our cars. Need less to say it was a blast and we hit a couple local spots in Madison. I have just a taste of images to share, but we visited an airport, cement factory, abandon house, and some unpaved roads. @GunMetalGrey Was able to concur a massive water feature , and I found a complete E36 M3 bumper in the middle of the woods.

http://noggsphotography.com/ did exceptional work, I cant wait to see the rest of the images.

video-1540085052.mp4

[GunMetalGrey]

Twas fun hooning around with you! 
If you do decide to lift it I will lend a hand!

[Jdesign]

GunMetalGrey said:

Twas fun hooning around with you! 
If you do decide to lift it I will lend a hand! 

Hell yeah!. I need to fix the heat and finds tires first, but I will let you know!

[SteelBlue]

You found a bumper in the woods? lol

The fact that it was an E36 M3 bumper too...

[Rekpoint]

No way..... Are you fucking with us or did you actually find that?

OEM?

I have a plate holder trim if you feel the need of buying one.

[GunMetalGrey]

SteelBlue said:

You found a bumper in the woods? lol

Rekpoint said:

No way..... Are you fucking with us or did you actually find that?

I can confirm that it was just laying in the field that we drove in to take pictures... Super odd

[Rekpoint]

GunMetalGrey said:

I can confirm that it was just laying in the field that we drove in to take pictures... Super odd

Here I was.... 6 months ago. "I want an M3 Bumper I wish I could find one for free. "

Damn you  Lucky Find..

[Boris3]

Great find!

Strange things can happen in parts finds. The hard top in my old 93 Miata was being used as a sled by some kids when the PO found it. He was driving by, did a double take, stopped and picked it up.  A bit of fiberglass to repair some small cracks on the edges, new paint to match his Miata and good to go. I bought it from him and a few years ago sold it with the car.

[Jdesign]

SteelBlue said:

You found a bumper in the woods? lol

The fact that it was an E36 M3 bumper too...

Field*

Rekpoint said:

No way..... Are you fucking with us or did you actually find that?

OEM?

I have a plate holder trim if you feel the need of buying one.

I will gladly take you up on that. 

Rekpoint said:

Here I was.... 6 months ago. "I want an M3 Bumper I wish I could find one for free. "

Damn you  Lucky Find..

Funny thing is its in better shape than the bumper on my car.

Yeah it was the most super completely random thing. Andy jokingly was like, hey there's an extra bumper for your car (as he points to a white object in the middle of some tall grass and mud. I look over and see a bumper face down in the dirt. I could see the black molding on the side and replied with "Actually, that is a BMW bumper of some sort, I can tell by the trim." So I walked over and picked it up.  Well no shit, its actually a perfect fit for my car.