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Hey Gang,
Things have been a bit insane over the past year. I hope you’ve all been well and are staying healthy.
I know, I’ve been slow to update this thread. I have been working on a ton of projects, small and large for the car in the past few months and haven’t had much time to post!
This is an update of what I’ve done through roughly November of 2020. Since November, I’ve made a ton of big updates to the car, but I’ll hold off on posting that update until it’s all wrapped up in the next month or so. For now, here’s what 2020 looked like with the Estoril E36M!
I picked up a very lightly used CAE Shifter from one of the guys at Bimmerworld. It had about a season’s worth of use, so after a nice cleaning and re-grease with some Wurth HHS, it was good as new.
When installing a chassis mounted shifter like this, (Especially with adjustable limiters) it’s essential to go with a solid (or near sold) engine and transmission mount to reduce any deflection that may interrupt shifting or put a strain on the input selector rod. I went with AKG 75d mounts, but nearly immediately regretted it. I plan to swap these out with a softer (90-95a) durometer mount in the near future.
I installed the mounts, shifter, and of course all new hardware. I utilized the standard selector rod and shimmed it accordingly to eliminate any play. IMO, a DSSR really isn’t necessary for this type of setup, but I’ll upgrade to one if this guy ever fails.
While I was at it, I designed an insert to replace the now unusable shift boot. Printed one out of PETG, and wrapped it in unisuede.
I then stitched up a replacement handbrake boot with a black top stitch to match the insert and swapped to a non-armrest center console.
Here’s where things get fun. On the first test drive (post shifter install), I noticed that there was an insane vibration on decel in 2-5th gears. I’m talking, needles shaking on the clusters insane. It was somewhat random too. Two out of three times, If I let off the throttle, it would occur. I never felt this prior to the solid mounts, so I figured this has been going on for a while. The mounts simply peeled back the Band-Aid on the issue.
After some research, I came to the conclusion that the factory dual mass flywheel may be on its way out; causing the issue.
I ordered a Gripforce 14.5lb chromoly flywheel, OEM Sachs clutch kit, and all the associated components to replace the clutch such as a new fork, guide tube, pivot pin, etc. (I also had the flywheel and pressure plate balanced together). I then spent the weekend at the shop doing the swap. While it was all out, I decided to replace the 5th gear detent spring. Not a fun job, but now was the time to do it.
(Sorry no photos of the new clutch and flywheel installed)
After the install, the car felt great! The S52 felt more punchy and free-revving than ever with the lighter flywheel and I drove the car around casually for about 400 miles to break in the new clutch.
On the FIRST pull above 4k RPM… It happened…
Second gear to redline - third gear to redline - coming up and over the hill, I shifted into 5th to coast…
The oil light came on. I immediately saw it, killed the engine, and dropped the gearbox into neutral. Thankfully I came to a stop on a reasonably quiet road on a weekend afternoon. Towed the car home and ordered more parts.
Lowered the front subframe, dropped the pan, and found the nut at the bottom. Along with a head stud washer from the previous owner’s head gasket job. Nice…
Installed a new nut with red Loctite and safety wired it for good measure. I also installed the reinforced Z3 pickup tube and cleaned the pan prior to re-installation.
Just to be sure, I pulled the valve cover to inspect some of the cams. IIRC, this is the first point to loose oil during a pressure drop. I was pleasantly surprised to find a nice film still on the lobes and bearings/races and the bearings in the same condition as they were when I did my head gasket last year! Luckily, my quick reaction saved the engine! I'll need to give the engine bay a proper steam clean, as it no longer has any leaks! (Previously the oil pan gasket had a small seep)
I’m happy to report that the car runs great now!
The car started leaking some coolant from the thermostat housing, so I Installed a new Stewart water pump, upper and lower radiator hoses, and a new composite thermostat housing. (I'll have more engine bay shots in the next update)
Rolled the front fenders flat to match the rears. I didn't really need to, but figured doing so now would prevent the possibility of buckling one under compression at full lock. Of course I spent way too many hours doing so, but it's nearly impossible to tell they've been rolled from the exterior!
First time at Laguna! Managed a 1:47 by the end of the day. The car is definitely capable of a 1:45 with some more seat time on this track. A bump in power would be nice too for the front straight from T6 up to the corkscrew…
Second photo by Alex Simonic and third by Matt Graves
PB lap: https://www.instagram.com/p/CDKOtBPnUiP/
Chasing some fast cars in my "not so fast" car: https://www.instagram.com/p/CDKRuxUnOvM/
A friend’s photographer friend, Chris Chu, shot some photos of our cars! It’s weird being on the receiving end, I’m usually the one taking photos on my car, ha! Chris was awesome and I’m stoked with how the photos came out.
Re-installed the OEM radiator ducting/tray. I’m actually a big fan of this piece, as it creates a nice seal against the radiator and bumper and utilizes a pliable poly material to seal the radiator. If I go off and destroy the bumper, at least the duct won’t poke a hole (or worse) in the radiator. It also fits with my splitter setup!
Updated the splitter with a bit more extension and thicker material. I was happy with everything but the weight, so I cut out a massive section. This was obviously temporary. I ultimately ended up relacing the whole back half of the splitter with a flush-mounted sheet of ACM. Increasing rigidity and keeping the weight down while retaining the ductile nature of ABS at the leading edge.
Installed a new, Large Ground Control rear sway bar I chase of some more rear slip angle. I chose this unit over others as it has blade style bar ends with 5. YES, 5! Adjustment holes which range from the equivalent of a 21 to 25mm stock shaped bar. The bar also comes with all the necessary hardware and a pair of spherical end links, all for only ~$300. I had to make a few small modifications to the provided mounting brackets to work with my reinforced rear subframe, as they expect you to weld in a pair of brackets provided with the bar (also a nice touch for those of you who have yet to reinforce it!).
Another Thunderhill event; 5 mile configuration. Such a fun track! I only was able to complete three sessions before popping my hood and finding a nasty coolant leak. Turns out overflow hose loosened up and was snagged by the mechanical rad fan. Thankfully, it happened at the end of the session and there was still a little bit of coolant in the expansion tank at the bottom. Topped it off and Jerry rigged a temporary fix to get us 7 miles down the road to the nearest parts store. Threw in a barb and some hose clamps, bled the system, and made it home safe. It was nearly 100 degrees during the last session, and I’m happy to report the car ran great otherwise! No PB’s that day, but here’s a fun video with some sideways action instead!
Replaced the worn-through hose and purchased the Bimmerworld SPAL fan kit. I have yet to install the fan, but am in the process of wiring it up at this time.
Brett @ MSportParts sent me a replacement “///M” cluster emblem. I pulled the cluster, installed the emblem, and fixed my airbag light! (removed the bulb and put some electrical tape over it… )
I then polished the lens and sealed it up. Good as new!
Also installed Brett's LTW trim emblems.
Thats all for now, I'm hoping to have the next update up by the end of next month. If I haven't posted by then, send me a message and bug me about it!
Last edited by Toodaloo; 02-16-2021, 09:16 PM.Leave a comment:
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That'd be very cool! An s54 swap is something, I'd like to do down the road as well.
Any tips/tricks for separating the inserts on the door panels? I've just bought some mrain fabric and I plan to wrap the fabric in the inserts.Last edited by ajcanadian; 04-13-2020, 07:18 AM.Leave a comment:
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Thanks, AJ! Just needs an S54 and some White, max concave spec 17 x 9.5 TE's, then it too will be my goal! haha -
Thanks, Joe! There are so many awesome cars out there. I do my best to stand out by doing things properly. -
What can I say? Better late than never! Everything except the white Recaros, right? Lol
This car wouldn't have come as far as it has without your support. Thank you! -
Thanks, Chris! I really appreciate it. All will be revealed in the next post, however I certainly gave some hints at the end of the 4th post! -
My brother from another mother, our journeys have been VERY similar. Love the work in here!Leave a comment:
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