Just joined with a 332ti

[slowoldpoop]

Hey gang! I just joined. I have a 1996 332Ti with all-E36 M3 mechanicals, including the engine, trans, LSD, front suspension and brakes. It's a great little track car, which is what I use it for. It'll blow off most E36 M3s and run with the newer M3s through the twisty bits.

I'm trying to sell it, so--as soon as I figure out how to post photos and a video, I'll put it up on the site.

Rich--Slow old poop.

[slow_ti]

Lol @ this thread


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[slowoldpoop]

Based on what i could find by searching the forum

(a) there are not a lot of recent 332ti threads--they seemed to die out in 2008

(b) I saw only one car that is roughly equivalent to mine for sale; that is, professionally built with no limit on the budget (mine has a $10,000 build sheet, not counting the donor M3 parts).

Haven't figured out the photos yet, but here's a video of it in action:
https://www.facebook.com/video/video...32770&comments

(I'm trying to use up my 5 test posts so I can post things)

Rich

[slowoldpoop]

It's not letting me access the photo gallery, so I am guessing I haven't hit five approved posts yet. This is number 3.

[1996 328ti]

Originally Posted by slowoldpoop

It's not letting me access the photo gallery, so I am guessing I haven't hit five approved posts yet. This is number 3.

You should be able to post now.
I know you are looking to sell the car and not here to get a critique on driving, but it looks like you or whoever is driving are connecting the dots by focusing on cone to cone.
Did you have an instructor or was it an open lapping day?

[slowoldpoop]

I'm driving, thank you very much, and I wasn't looking for a critique. I do seek advice from anyone who knows the track and is faster than me--do you fit either category? What you see there is the line on a cold, dusty track day without a lot of traction. Heavy rains had washed off any rubber from the track, and high winds covered the track with dust. If it looks like connecting the dots, it's because the pylons just happened to be in the right place that day.

[JJCm3]

I'm in Iowa City and have a white 318ti that I was planning on putting an M3 engine into. Who did your engine swap or did you do it yourself? I've done Fast Fridays and it's really fun too. It's great to have that much track time usually I find the car to be the limiting factor since there is still a 200 mile drive home.

[slowoldpoop]

Hey, JJ. Good to hear from you.

My swap was done by a BMW shop in Jacksonville, Florida. It is not easy. For example, you cannot use your 318's LSD, because the M3 motor will tear it up. So you will need the LSD from your donor M3. You'll also need the M3's brakes, because those little 318 brakes can't stop the extra weight.

Some advise buying a carbon fiber hood and moving the battery to the rear to help with weight distribution. My battery is moved, but I have a steel hood and haven't had any problems. As you can see in the video, it doesn't push and corners flat.

You'll also need a new radiator--or the M3 radiator--to handle the extra cooling load.

The build sheet on my car lists $10,000 worth of parts and labor--and that does not include any of the M3 donor parts.

You are welcome to come up to Cedar Rapids and check out the car if you like. I can give you a copy of the build sheet so you can see what you are up against.

Yes, Fast Friday are fun--all the laps you can stand for a mere $120. Did you know MAM got flooded by the Missouri River, is closed for the season, and may never reopen?

[slowoldpoop]

By the bye, if you put in a M3 transmission and LSD, you'll need a custom driveshaft. I'm not sure what that involves, but it costs $568.

[ZEK]

Sounds and looks like a fun car.

Originally Posted by slowoldpoop

Hey, JJ. Good to hear from you.

You'll also need the M3's brakes, because those little 318 brakes can't stop the extra weight.

I was under the impression that with a swap was not that much more weight, and you can even maintain the almost perfect 50/50 weight distribution by moving the battery to rear or getting a lightweight battery. I thought as for brakes larger rotors and calipers are preferred since the car will be traveling at faster speeds and thus the stock 4cylinder brakes were not designed to stop the car from going much over it's top speed. (maybe 120?)

[bullmand]

Based on the weights listed on bmwfans.info, the S52 is about 80 pounds heavier than the M42. Some portion of that is aft of the front axle as there seems to be a little less room between the firewall and the 6 cylinder block. Swapping in a diff from a Z3 or E30 is probably good for a few pounds more in the rear and moving the battery helps as well. My swapped ti is set up this way and I don't find it to be unbalanced or feel particularly heavy in the front.

[1996 328ti]

Originally Posted by slowoldpoop

I'm driving, thank you very much, and I wasn't looking for a critique. I do seek advice from anyone who knows the track and is faster than me--do you fit either category? What you see there is the line on a cold, dusty track day without a lot of traction. Heavy rains had washed off any rubber from the track, and high winds covered the track with dust. If it looks like connecting the dots, it's because the pylons just happened to be in the right place that day.

Whatever.
Good luck with the sale.

[slowoldpoop]

ZEK: Yes, it is a very fun car. I used to road race a 355 hp AWD Eclipse (NASA TTA and TTR classes), and it broke all the time. It was very fast, but never made it through a race weekend without breaking something. With this car, I can just park it and walk away after a 20-minute session, and not even raise the hood.

I picked up that weight distribution stuff from a post somewhere on here. Like I said, all I have is the battery moved to the rear, and my car handles just fine. So maybe you are right.

My car has the M3 big brake kit, and it stops very nicely. On the video, you can see me braking into turn 1 from about 120 mph. It will do that all day without fade. I guess the stock 318 brakes would work OK for autocrossing, but not for hot lapping.

[dahamler]

The stock small case diff most certainly can handle the power of the S52/S50 swap, the axles however are another story. Also you don't need a "custom" driveshaft to use the M3 transmission and I have yet to see a Ti with a M3 rear differential installed.

This forum has a good amount of members that has conducted this swap and I'm sure more will continue to chime in clarify any misconceptions.

OP, post some pics of the car that you're considering selling.

[slowoldpoop]

I didn't build the car--I bought it already converted.

I'm just relating what I've heard from BMW wizards who have examined the car, what I read on the forums, and what I see on the build sheet. I don't know if it has an M3 rear diff, but the previous owner spent a ton of money installing SOMETHING back there. The build sheet accounts for the installation of an LSD and a custom driveshaft. Since the donor car was a wrecked 1997 M3, I just assumed they took that car's LSD. Maybe not.

I am learning more about the car in the past week--what with taking it to a BMW car show last weekend, having those BMW addicts pick it apart, and then posting here, where you folks provide a whole new level of expertise--than I did in the three years I've owned it. I even got a free driving critique.

I tried to find the previous owner three years ago when I bought the car, but no luck. I may seek him out again, because now I have a bunch of new questions to ask.

I'll shoot some photos this weekend and post them. Anything in particular you'd like to see?