BMW's galore!

[Mark]

Well today I took a drive over to Pristine Bodyworks to check how MIB was progressing. I know I'm biased, but as I pulled in and saw MIB sat there, it looked the absolute nuts! It has a really aggressive stance and looks really squat. I know my wheel choice isn't for everyone, but I'm really happy with the way they look.





The remote servo has been mounted beneath the inlet manifold and should easily be hidden from view. The whole braking system is far better than it was with the OE servo and linkage. I'm really chuffed with the way it's gone together and now much tidier the engine bay is now.



It's taken a while but nearly all of the e36 loom we didn't need, has been removed. The ECU and fuse box are going to be mounted where the glove box usually sits. The lid will remain as a cover for them though.





The paint booth and oven will be up and running in about 2 weeks from now, so hopefully we will see MIB being painted soon.

I dropped in on E21 Revival on the way over. I'm looking forward to seeing it at Brands next spring.

[GT4ME]

Looking great Mark.

[stevietuck]

Mib is looking super cool mate

[Mark]

Thanks guys.

It's a shame but the pics don't convey just how squat the car looks. It has an almost 911 quality, (if that makes any sense at all?) with the slight nose down stance and staggered rims. There is a little more tyre stretch than I'm comfortable with, so I'm going to go a little wider with the rubber. I want about the same level as you see on Singer 911's, which is kind of an influence/inspiration on the whole build. (except way, way cheaper! )

I want to start working out the interior next. I'd like to include a touch of body colour somehow, but there's no bare metal. Suggestions on a post card please.

[🇿🇼Kingludba🇬🇧]

That beige/cream colour suits it down to the ground, are you keeping it the same colour? Please do

[Mark]

Dec 7, 2013 20:48:35 GMT 🇿🇼Kingludba🇬🇧 said:

That beige/cream colour suits it down to the ground, are you keeping it the same colour? Please do

No. There are a few safari beige e21 out there already! I want something different so am going with laguna seca blue. (the colour of the engine bay) I think it's a great colour that changes according to the light you see it in. I've yet to see another e21 in that colour too!

[Mark]

Sent the centre grill for MIB away to be black chromed.





I'm really pleased with the colour and finish. It looks better in the metal but should be a nice contrast with the blue. There's enough of a shine that you'll still see the kidney grill.

[Paul Barrett]

looking tasty, really like the retro rims.
black chrome? where and how is this done?

[Paul Barrett]

looking tasty, really like the retro rims.
black chrome? where and how is this done?

[Mark]

It's a process that most metal finishers used to offer alongside regular chroming. Unfortunately it seems to be harder to find nowadays and this is actually black Nickel coating. The guys I used were www.chromeplaters.co.uk and it cost about £65. I know some people just paint the grill satin black but I wanted to be able to see the grill is still there. I know it probably seems like a lot of effort but it's these small, subtle changes I like the most.

[stevietuck]

Really liking the black chrome mark.Cant wait to see her finished

[Finlay]

hi there, awsome build thread, love it !! plz tell me where i can get one of those jacks, there are one handy bit o kit !!

Jun 6, 2011 20:35:05 GMT nas80 said:

seeing as I have done an m50 swap on my car (which MIB's gave a thrashing to at the PPC shoot) he asked me to do a swap on his car - this time instead of the 2.5 we are fitting a 2.8 24v all alloy.


So while he is away I thought id do an update on progress so far seeing as I have hit a couple of milestones.

first job was getting the e36 328i stripped. BIG thanks to Jacko. :thumbsup



I got to this stage in an hour despite theres lots of hidden little screws / bolts holding that front end on


a
I got my new toy out - mobile ramp - awesome thing - no more kissing underseal while working under axle stands!





heres Jacko hard at work trying to suss out how to take the aircon pump off the engine (its a right pain to remove)



it tipped it down just before we got the engine out - we had to drive for cover in my garage - here it is



I don't know what we was doing here



Tidy up ensued and engine placed on the dolly



heres the car waiting for my local "scrap artist" to come and take it to the crusher. - shame it had to die really, it was really nice to drive.



I took the auto off and to get the torque converter I had to resort to tried and tested ghetto methods to lock the flywheel as I don't have a flywheel locking thing.



I torqued the bolts holding the flywheel and clutch on to manufacturer recommendations (cos thats the kind of guy I am) and put the 323i gearbox on



Took the old oil pan and pickup tube off - and cut off the braket halfway down the windage tray to clear the new e34 sump.



Old pan



with all that done - I realised that I had no late m20 starter - Jacko couldnt make it round but luckily I remembered my bro in law won an early e34 525i thats been converted into a pickup truck and a rotting e34 535i with a manual box (going to swap to 535i big six into the pickup) he didnt mind me taking the starter off it. All this faffin around meant I started fitting the engine about 5pm on sunday

so I took off the front anti roll bar / subframe / dropped the prop center bearing / took off the old six branch and gave the engine bay and all these parts a damn bloody good clean after all that oil the previous engine had left behind.

this time I decided to be cunning and not fit the engine by going over the top of the bay but to put the engine in from underneath!

I fitted the subframe to the bottom of the engine and put it back on the dolly and wheeled it over to the car.



heres a side view of the amount of rake - you can actually go even higher then this lol





halfway in



all bolted in



loads left to do -

new manifold studs and nuts / rear heater hoses / fan belt / engine service / Jasons motorsport steering link (thanks e30dan!) / all the wiring for engine and immobiliser / double check every nut and bolt is tight / cooling system then its off to the exhaust place to get the manifolds modified and then finally an engineers safety report!

[ramirez]

As always when I look in on one of your threads I'm in awe of what you've done.
Seca blue is my favorite BMW colour and on an e21 is a masterstroke. Looking forward to this cars future!

[Mark]

Nas is the man to ask about his jack. I'll ask him to post the info here.

Thanks Ramirez. I really looking forward to the paint being shot too! All being well the oven at Pristine is a week away from being up and running, so we shouldn't be too far away now.

[nas80]

Bought it on eBay.

Check out this item I found on eBay: pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=330868616828

[Mark]

Well I went to Bristol in the 2002 a couple of days ago, to see an e30 318is. I was thinking of robbing the leather interior for my M3 but ended up passing it on instead. I also snagged a cheap Lada Niva 4x4, which I then used as a deposit on this 2000 touring.



I have some lowered springs, a set of minilites with 185/60's and a set of Weber 40's all ready and waiting to go on. I just need a decent drivers seat and would like something period and race looking. If anyone knows of, or has something suitable, please shout?

[GT4ME]

That looks nice Mark, it's 3 years ago this week that I bought my blue 2002 from you

[Mark]

Dec 22, 2013 14:32:49 GMT GT4ME said:

That looks nice Mark, it's 3 years ago this week that I bought my blue 2002 from you

Bloody hell, time flies!

Yes, I quite like the touring. It should look great lowered on the minilites and the Webers always sound great. If it snows I may need to fit an LSD though!

[nas80]

Talking about time flying, hasn't your car nearly taken a year now and it's still not finished?

[stevietuck]

Yet another nice car bud. whats happening with the new 7 series?