dbworld4k
02-27-2009, 07:29 PM
Well it's late on a Thursday night and I am bored, so I decided to search through some of my oldest threads on here to recall my experiences with E36 ownership through the past several years. It's funny how much things changed, and the vast knowledge I gained from these boards is incredible. I started out as a typical car guy: not knowing much (if any) technical knowledge about how these machines work; looking up mods on eBay only to later realize how "uncool" they actually are; asking questions when I should have searched, etc etc. It's been an interesting journey - if it wasn't for BF.C/MaX I don't think I would have had such a respectably modded E36. I probably would have been part of the rice crowd to be honest!
So anyways, enough rambling and here is my tribute to "Zee German," my Schwarz Black E36 328i. 13 years old and still running strong! On with the flashbacks!
It all began many years ago in February, when I decided to start modding my E36: http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=318152
eBay M3 mirrors and one-piece headlights were the goal!
http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/5755/1086080121590lpbe362bcr.jpg
Thankfully, some hard-nosed posters quickly put an end to that idea...
the chrome mirrors are rice-a-roni...
Get a set of LED windshield washers too.
Fast forward 2 years. I proceeded with OE style clears, Depo + HIDs from Ouri before he became BavToys and the massive price drops on E36 mods. I paid over $550 CAD back in the day for these! It hurts to see how the same items are now just over $100. I also had my windows tinted.
http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/3102/25zo4.jpg
Then I picked up a set of authentic Hamann HM2s during the Summer of 2007. Man these rims are so OG, I miss them.
http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/43/picture024by9.jpg
This sparked my love affair and addiction to rims. I quickly sold the HM2s and bought a set of 18" CSLs. I was torn between Hypersilver and Hyperblack, I ended up with the latter.
A month later, I finally abandoned my ideas of getting a front lip for the stock non-M bumper and took the plunge. I also picked up a MaxVelocity RS lip - probably the best looking lip for the E36 M3 bumper out there.
http://supercarfreak.net/gallery/albums/Dbworld4k5upercharged/pic_c.sized.jpg
I also added some OEM M3 mirrors and side moldings.
I quickly realized how badly my car needed a drop. I ended up going with a used set of Eibach Sportline springs and Bilstein Sport shocks.
http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/1043/postersr1.jpg
Bored during the winter of '07, I decided to spice up the interior a bit with some silver gauge rings and painted the needles red.
http://img128.imageshack.us/img128/7903/dsc00815lj2.jpg
Also added an OEM M3 tri-spoke Steering wheel.
Then came the biggest and arguably the best mod I have ever done!
During the winter of 2008, I had saved up some funds to do a 5spd conversion! HUGE thanks to Charlie and Bimmersport for showing me the light!
http://img187.imageshack.us/img187/5862/31520738ox5.jpg
I won't get into it in this thread, but this single mod made me appreciate the joys of a proper car. Every single drive became a joyous wonder. It truly changed me as a driver - I started driving my car extremely hard after the swap! I still do it to this day - the urge to rev that motor high and row through the gears will surely get my into trouble one day, but not yet! [Knock on wood]
So in the summer of 2008, I got sick of my fog lights breaking and I didn't want to spend money on a HID kit, so I put some delete panels in their stead. I loved the look, and it was a bit different from every other car on here.
http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/7924/27552148pn7.jpg
Keeping tradition with my wheel addiction, I sold the Hyperblack CSLs in favor of my dream wheels. I splurged hard and bought some 19" staggered BBS CH.
And after hours of fender rolling + coilover installation to stiffen the rear to help with rubbing issues, I was good to go! My mechanic joked that this was the first time he had heard of someone installing coilovers (PSS9s) to RAISE a car!
http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/2567/dsc010021lc2.jpg
One month later, I added a trunk lip and retrofitted E46 projectors into my DEPOs. I finally completed the look by adding some OEM M3 side skirts.
Couple weeks later, I also put red/gold BBS centercaps to make the wheels pop a bit more.
http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/8067/redcap1pf4.jpg
So, there you have it! I hope you enjoyed the chronological history of my beloved E36. It was a fantastic experience modding it from stock to what it was before I sold it in September 2008. It was truly one of the saddest days of my life; seeing another person take the keys and drive her out of my home. But the price that was offered to me was took good to pass up so I moved onto my next project, one of my favourite cars: an E46 coupe!
So anyways, enough rambling and here is my tribute to "Zee German," my Schwarz Black E36 328i. 13 years old and still running strong! On with the flashbacks!
It all began many years ago in February, when I decided to start modding my E36: http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=318152
eBay M3 mirrors and one-piece headlights were the goal!
http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/5755/1086080121590lpbe362bcr.jpg
Thankfully, some hard-nosed posters quickly put an end to that idea...
the chrome mirrors are rice-a-roni...
Get a set of LED windshield washers too.
Fast forward 2 years. I proceeded with OE style clears, Depo + HIDs from Ouri before he became BavToys and the massive price drops on E36 mods. I paid over $550 CAD back in the day for these! It hurts to see how the same items are now just over $100. I also had my windows tinted.
http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/3102/25zo4.jpg
Then I picked up a set of authentic Hamann HM2s during the Summer of 2007. Man these rims are so OG, I miss them.
http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/43/picture024by9.jpg
This sparked my love affair and addiction to rims. I quickly sold the HM2s and bought a set of 18" CSLs. I was torn between Hypersilver and Hyperblack, I ended up with the latter.
A month later, I finally abandoned my ideas of getting a front lip for the stock non-M bumper and took the plunge. I also picked up a MaxVelocity RS lip - probably the best looking lip for the E36 M3 bumper out there.
http://supercarfreak.net/gallery/albums/Dbworld4k5upercharged/pic_c.sized.jpg
I also added some OEM M3 mirrors and side moldings.
I quickly realized how badly my car needed a drop. I ended up going with a used set of Eibach Sportline springs and Bilstein Sport shocks.
http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/1043/postersr1.jpg
Bored during the winter of '07, I decided to spice up the interior a bit with some silver gauge rings and painted the needles red.
http://img128.imageshack.us/img128/7903/dsc00815lj2.jpg
Also added an OEM M3 tri-spoke Steering wheel.
Then came the biggest and arguably the best mod I have ever done!
During the winter of 2008, I had saved up some funds to do a 5spd conversion! HUGE thanks to Charlie and Bimmersport for showing me the light!
http://img187.imageshack.us/img187/5862/31520738ox5.jpg
I won't get into it in this thread, but this single mod made me appreciate the joys of a proper car. Every single drive became a joyous wonder. It truly changed me as a driver - I started driving my car extremely hard after the swap! I still do it to this day - the urge to rev that motor high and row through the gears will surely get my into trouble one day, but not yet! [Knock on wood]
So in the summer of 2008, I got sick of my fog lights breaking and I didn't want to spend money on a HID kit, so I put some delete panels in their stead. I loved the look, and it was a bit different from every other car on here.
http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/7924/27552148pn7.jpg
Keeping tradition with my wheel addiction, I sold the Hyperblack CSLs in favor of my dream wheels. I splurged hard and bought some 19" staggered BBS CH.
And after hours of fender rolling + coilover installation to stiffen the rear to help with rubbing issues, I was good to go! My mechanic joked that this was the first time he had heard of someone installing coilovers (PSS9s) to RAISE a car!
http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/2567/dsc010021lc2.jpg
One month later, I added a trunk lip and retrofitted E46 projectors into my DEPOs. I finally completed the look by adding some OEM M3 side skirts.
Couple weeks later, I also put red/gold BBS centercaps to make the wheels pop a bit more.
http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/8067/redcap1pf4.jpg
So, there you have it! I hope you enjoyed the chronological history of my beloved E36. It was a fantastic experience modding it from stock to what it was before I sold it in September 2008. It was truly one of the saddest days of my life; seeing another person take the keys and drive her out of my home. But the price that was offered to me was took good to pass up so I moved onto my next project, one of my favourite cars: an E46 coupe!