sleeper 84 318i with E36 m3 engine(long)

["John Pease" <jpease@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Ron Browne wrote:

Good lawd, if that ain't potentially one of the ultimate sleepers!  Can you
imagine pulling up to ..up to...well, up to just about anything, in your
discreet, originally badged E30 318i.  Then blasting away from a standstill.
Imagine the looks on the suckers faces. :-)  Give us some info John...how
was the install?  Hows the car drive and handle?

A couple of months ago I bought an 84 318i with the following modifications:
95 m3 motor and transmission
full Zender e30 m3 body kit
3:45 limited slip differential
Mae wheels with Toyo 245/50 15 tires
E30 m3 suspension and brakes
E36 m3 exhaust modified to fit
custom leather interior with electric seats from a Lexus (LS400 ?)

The car is a blast to drive. My 74 Tii is gathering dust because I enjoy having
real  low end torque, air conditioning, and butt supporting seats. I'm having a
little trouble shifting correctly because, unlike the Tii, things happen so
quickly, I don't have time to watch the tach.

The 3:45 final drive ratio is about 10% higher than the stock e36 m3. At 70 mph
I calculate about 3370 rpm in 5th gear. I believe that the stock 95 M3 does
about 2900 rpm at 70 mph. The rear-end ratio combined with the lower vehicle
weight (300 lbs?) make the car quicker off the line than the stock E36 m3.

Handling is not as refined as the E36 m3. Although the suspension nicely
compensates for the added weight of the modified drive train, I can really
appreciate the real thing! I have no experience with the E30 m3 so I don't know
if my car is better or worse in handling.



North Bay Bavarian in Santa Rosa Ca did the work for the previous owner. They
spliced the wiring and fitted several pieces from different BMW's to make it all
work. I bought the car mainly because of their excellent workmanship and the
pleasing experience I had in working with them. I will go to North Bay Bavarian
for further work on the car.

I did a few things to the car and would also like to make further
improvements:

1) added dual temperature switch to the radiator. The original radiator had
provision for the temperature switches on the drivers side. The radiator
installed in the car (from a 528?) needed a temperature switch installed on the
passenger side. I bought the switch,  connector body and pins form the local
dealer. It was a real challenge for them to locate these parts in their system.
They were further challenged by the fact that I could not tell them what car the
parts originally went into.

2) I bought the electrical trouble shooting manuals for the E30 m3, e30 318 and
e36 95 m3 to help sort out the temperature switch wiring and a check engine
light problem I have. I love the electrical documentation BMW supplies for the
E30 cars. The E36 electrical documentation is terrible! It is inaccurate and
cryptic. 

My check engine light always stays on. I traced the wiring as best I could to
determine that the check engine signal from the DME is always pulled low (to
turn on the check engine light). I 've heard from others that have e36
transplanted engines with the same problem. I don't know what I can do to get a
functioning check engine light. Perhaps I should drive to Salt Lake City and ask
Jim Conforti to look at the car.

3 The radiator does not cool the engine well  on very hot days. When it is over
100 F outside, the temperature gauge is just over half way. Oil temperature is
also a bit high at 230 F. the engine installer put in a 70 C thermostat to
replace the stock (92 C) thermostat. I am really amazed that BMW runs their new
engines this hot. I wish I could get a higher capacity radiator in the small
space in front of the engine.

4 A euro over-drive 6 speed would lower the revs for highway cruising without
degrading the performance of lower gears. I am exploring the feasibility of this
modification. 6 speed conversion kits are expensive ($6K). In a recent posting,
I asked for more information from anyone who knows of a supplier or has
performed this modification to their car.

5 A K&N filter was mounted to the air intake in place of the stock air box. I
believe there was not enough room in the engine bay for the stock box. The K&N
set-up draws hot air from the engine compartment. I have heard that  the best
modificatin is to install a 540i air flow sensor and fabricate some plumbing to
get cold air into the engine intake. A new DME chip would also be needed ( all
the more reason to drive to Salt Lake City).

The Feburary, March , and April Roundels show a picture of the car. I you would
like to see it, just look under 1984 318i  in the cars for sale section.

John Pease
84 318 with  95 E36 m3 engine
74 tii
92 toyota pu with 22R engine 

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