[M00M]

Finally an exciting thread after a while on TBHP. All the very best for the restoration, will be following this thread closely, definitely inspired a lot of people to do try to do this sort of work. i too have tried to source an old 3 series convertible however they are quite rare and hard to come by.

[HAFI]

hii.nice thread and cool looking car.where in kochi are you located?

[digital4u]

Heh M power!

Sups dupa!!!! You have done this already, waaaw. Apart from the drive by wire stuff the E36 & E46 mechanicals are virtually the same and of course the extra 10 hp. So you having done this before is absolutely wonderful.

You are spot on about the electrical work, this where I am also very, very worried. Imagine after all this work, I get a nasty fire under the hood. Downright scary.

I understand every little bit of the mechanical conversion but the real challenge is going to be the 'confusion' that has to be apparently created for the DME to accept that the car is no longer an smg but a manual. There are umpteen threads on this conversion on bimmer forums but not one bloke gives a detailed perspective on the electronics that need to be sorted. Many guys write about removing relays, switches and then also bypassing certain wires. Nothing definitive, I suppose that is cause most people have one this conversion by trial & error route. Even after offering dough to a renowned garage dude over in the uk, he refused to part with the exact steps to do this perfectly.

Anyways let the gearbox come and I am gonna crack this....Lord wiling.

[sivsk_E36M3]

Note from the Team-BHP Support : Please avoid typing with excessive dots.........like................this. Thanks

A friend of mine told me about this thread......

Firstly best of Luck with your conversion..... It can be done, but it's a long slog, and as you've rightly said the electrics are the most tricky..... Again as many have mentioned a Good Electrician is vital.

As for me i love the SMG, especially with the convertible perfect combo..... Relaxed motoring, with a punch!!!!

Ok i realise that it has creep issues and is slower to change.... but with the torque that the Evo has and character of the convertible, is a great drive!!!

Having said that it's because i'm getting older i guess and i'm starting to shy away from driving mine.... which is a manual btw...... but the traffic here i find using the torque more in a higher gear is perfect so it's virtually like an auto once on the move!!!!

Just from experience..... as regard to the Strut Brace choice... could i just say look at Hartge as well...... I'm well versed in the Schnitzer items brilliant as they are, their brace has a nasty habit of hitting the bonnet and over time leaves 2 dimples on the top surface as they come into contact with each other over time..... Even with the foam insulation in place... you still get marks... it's happened to every E36 i've known fitted with it....

As for the brakes...... i'd say leave alone...LOL simple thing is i have AP Racing 4 pots on mine..... uprated brakes are absolutely brilliant...BUT..... you get used to driving them, and end up changing your driving style to get the best out of them smoothly.... what happens though is the guys behind you... NOT HAVING the same kind of brakes and locking up behind as they realise you're stopping alot faster than they can......

What ever you do it'll be a storming car, which i'd like to see one day, once you've finished it.

Its the last Analogue M3 before the Digital era started and i love the E36.....

All the best!!!!

[digital4u]

I cannot believe my eyes yo! There is another m3 bloke in Kerala...e36. ooooohhhhh lallala. Super man, would also love to see your honey. Anyways lemme get mine sorted and then we will meet up for sure.

Will be in touch soon!!!

[digital4u]

Hi All

Few more pics, going to be starting the polishing and getting out the very very very very very very small imperfections that are not obvious to the man on the street. Getting this car to better than factory finish, yeah, you read right. I know I can get the quality and lustre of the paint better than the showroom - patience is the key!!

Soon as the polishing is done, I will post more pics........then you be the judge.

In btw, the hardtop is sorted, that was a major worry for me and I am getting tons








In btw, the hardtop is sorted, that was a major worry for me and I am getting tons of offers for this car. The Good Lord should keep me away from these temptations - I cannot even contemplate the thought of me parting with this honeypot in India. Overseas perhaps or if the Indian government allows imports of cars older than three years. happy motoring from "the Alpha of Joy"

[Mirage]

Nice car! Can we get few pictures of the interior and engine bay.

[digital4u]

There is a massive load of work to do......I need to sort the following before any pics of interior and engine are taken,

- restore entire seat upholstery, car has been standing for ages and the colour coating on the seats hae peeled off, giving the car a really ugly look.

- Engine bay, same problem as above but this is also a personal choice as I want to deliver the heart of the beast last!!!

So for the purists,connoisseurs and the ultimate track pugilists, I can assure you the engine bay will be worth the wait. Cosmetically it is going to be the best engine bay you have ever laid your eyes on, as for the tuning, it is going to be done by a living legend in the tuning circles, Bangalore!!

[JayD]

A very interesting thread D4U! Looking forward to more updates. Just one question, will it be possible to source a DME from a scrapped manual car from the UK or somewhere?

Also, where is the work being done? from the pix, it looks like RRP to me. Is it?

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by digital4u

So for the purists,connoisseurs and the ultimate track pugilists, I can assure you the engine bay will be worth the wait. Cosmetically it is going to be the best engine bay you have ever laid your eyes on, as for the tuning, it is going to be done by a living legend in the tuning circles, Bangalore!!

These are claims I'm seriously hoping you live up to. Unfortunately, many a project has seen several hurdles and obstacles on Team BHP. And often, they are stalled and left incomplete.

You've got a wonderful car. The E36 is arguably one of my favourite BMWs. Nothing like a retro Bimmer. These days, the BMWs are boring to look at and seem to have no character. But the older ones have that distinct flair that's brilliant and unique.

All the best with your drive and hope to see it gleaming and ready to hit the open road.

[digital4u]

Yo all!

I am looking for a decent, magic engine bay mechanic as I truly want give this babe of mine the very best there is in the market. I doubt that I will achieve the perfection this bloke has on the link below but for the lover in me wants to soooooooooooo much!!!

This link is for the REAL e36 lover, THE REAL DEAL. If only one could achieve this, I would rest for a week just to ogle at my creation...

From The Ground Up: GarageWorks E36 | Canibeat


Any help with a serious custom shop with special emphasis on the engine bay will be highly appreciated.

[digital4u]

Originally Posted by JayD

A very interesting thread D4U! Looking forward to more updates. Just one question, will it be possible to source a DME from a scrapped manual car from the UK or somewhere?

Possible?? For sure but most probably not the best route to seek. Apparently with the SMG conversion, you just need to make a certain connector wire detached and then bridge this particular wire elsewhere. Lemme get the parts here first an I will certainly need lots and lots of help...take care and thanks for the good wishes.

[spawnofsatan]

Digital4u - This is a very interesting thread, congratulations on the vehicle and good call on keeping them AC wheels, always loved their designs. Looking forward to seeing how she turns out to be.

[digital4u]

Yo ALL

Here is a lousy resolution pic of my first E30 325i 1991. Bought it with 65k on the odo. Absolute magic engine sound, but just did not have the grunt to run with the GTi crowd. Super cruiser though, at 180, you never really felt any strain on the engine. Will try and post better pics as soon as I can fish them out of one the many pen drives lying around.

[rekhiv]

Hey Franco

Whats the status on this restore? Also, took the liberty of sourcing your factory option list - thought it'd be of some help..

VIN WBSBK92080EX66512 Type code BK92 Type M3 (EUR) E series E36 (C) Series 3 Type CABRIO Steering RL Doors 2 Engine S50 Displacement 3.20 Power 236 Drive HECK Transmission MECH Colour TECHNO-VIOLETT METALLIC (299) Upholstery TEILLEDER W.N./GRAU (N5TT) Prod.date 1998-07-01

Options

Code

Description (interface)
Description (EPC)

S302A ALARM SYSTEM Alarm systemS320A MODEL DESIGNATION, DELETION Deleted, model letteringS380A HARDTOP PREPARATION Hardtop-preparationS391A SOFTTOP DARK BLUE Softtop, dark blueS395A ROLL-BAR PROTECTION SYSTEM Rollover protection systemS423A FLOOR MATS, VELOUR Floor mats veloursS431A INTERIOR RR VW MIRROR W AUT ANTI-D Interior mirror with automatic-dipS458A SEAT ADJUSTMENT, ELECTRIC. F DRIVER/PASS Electr. front seat adjustmentS473A ARMREST, FRONT Armrest frontS498A HEADRESTS IN REAR, MECHANIC. ADJUSTABLE Headrests mechanically adjustable, rearS502A HEADLIGHT WASHER SYSTEM Headlight cleaning systemS508A PARK DISTANCE CONTROL (PDC) Park Distance Control (PDC)S528A AUTOMATIC AIR RECIRCULATION CONTROL(AUC) AUTOMATIC AIR FLOW CONTROLS534A AUTOMATIC AIR CONDITIONING Automatic air conditioningS554A ON-BOARD COMPUTER On-board computer V with remote control

Code

Description (interface)
Description (EPC)

S629A CAR TELEPHONE (GSM) W CARD READER FRONT Car telephone (GSM) w card reader, frontS669A RADIO BMW BUSINESS RDS Radio BMW Business RDSS672A CD CHANGER BMW FOR 6 CDS CD changer for 6 CDsS676A HIFI LOUDSPEAKER SYSTEM HiFi speaker systemS690A CASSETTE HOLDER Cassette holderS793* SEQUENTIELLES M-GETRIEBE S818A MAIN BATTERY SWITCH Battery master switchS850A ADD FUEL TANK FILLING FOR EXPORT Additional Export tank fillingS864A OVERSEAS/DEALER DIRECTORY Dealer List OverseasS880A ENGLISH/OWNERS HANDBOOK/SERVICE BOOKLET Operating instructions, EnglishS925A SHIPPING PROTECTION PACKAGE Dispatch protection packS982A HARDTOP IN BODY COLOR Hardtop Standard equipment

Code

Description (interface)
Description (EPC)

S209A LIMITED SLIP DIFFERENTIAL (25%) Differential lock 25%S246A STEERING COLUMN ADJUSTMENT MECHANICAL Manually adjust. steering columnS314A HEATED WINDSCREEN WASHER NOZZLES Door mirror, driver lock, heatedS411A WINDOW LIFTS, ELECTRIC Window lifts,electric,front/rearS440A NON-SMOKER PACKAGE non-smoker packageS481A SPORT SEATS F DRIVER/FRONT PASSENGER Sports seatS510A HEADLIGHT BEAM-THROW CONTR. F LOW BEAM Headlight vertical aim controlS520A FOGLIGHTS Fog lightsS542A CHECK CONTROL Check ControlS710A M LEATHER STEERING WHEEL M sports steering wheel, multifunctionS783A M FORGED WHEELS DOUBLE SPOKE M DOUBLE-SPOKE,FORGEDS853A LANGUAGE VERSION ENGLISH Language version, English

Originally Posted by digital4u

Yo ALL

Here is a lousy resolution pic of my first E30 325i 1991. Bought it with 65k on the odo. Absolute magic engine sound, but just did not have the grunt to run with the GTi crowd. Super cruiser though, at 180, you never really felt any strain on the engine. Will try and post better pics as soon as I can fish them out of one the many pen drives lying around.