Guides for a project car

[stevenbrandist]

I'm looking to buy a car to work on just as a hobby. I don't have have much training as a mechanic but have done minimal things on cars and have some friends who are mechanics and more then willing to help out. I was just wondering if there were any books/websites/ even videos that could help me with minor tips and procedures on how to handle it? I would really like a BMW, preferably an E36 coupe. I have a budget of €6/700, give or take.

[Gar]

6-700 should pick you up a 318is mtech with no nct needing a few small bits lovely car to work on most jobs are simple enough on it parts are cheap as theres e36's for breaking everywere even new parts are not too expensive its well documented online too with thousands of diy guides you can even download the bentley manual free a very usefull tool for the home mechanic

Main things to look for ,make sure the car is good mechanical condition pulls well through all gears doesnt overheat leave it running throughout the viewing check for any major rust around the sills were the jack goes pop the circular plastic cover off and look inside

Check around the rear archs for rust also if youbcan get one thats mechanically sound with a good strong body thats all you need a good base to work from

Interiors can be changed easily ,suspension will need a refresh as even the youngest is 15 year old now but thats all part of the fun with a project car

[Owen E46]

As Gar said, the bentley manual is a good guide. After that just look at a few of the project threads (Super4 and EndaC come to mind when looking for something detailed)

[Venom]

Ah Gar it's no fun for the rest of us when you nail it in one reply!:P:P:P

[Gar]

Im sure I left plenty out that was just a quick guide :-D

[stevenbrandist]

Cheers for the replies chaps.

Aside from the usual things, being engine and gearbox, I should look for rust and overheating (head gasket?) on the E36.

[Owen E46]

Will be minimum of 14yrs old so good bet there will be rust, its just a matter of how much (arches/boot handle/sills/jacking points) alsocheck the window seals particularly the rear ones

[stevenbrandist]

Excellent advice. I'll remember this when viewing. Also, I don't think I will get a 318is, I looked on Donedeal and there were none in my budget.

[EndaC]

Much of what I could think of would be along the lines of what the other lads said with rust being one of the major points. Rust on the body and also on the steel brake lines can be expensive fixes, the brake lines will be an NCT fail.
On the coupe it's worth checking that the windows pop down when the door is opened and go back up when the door is closed. If they don't the problem is the micro switch in the door strike and solved by a trip to the dealer for a €50 part.
With the M44 engine a lot of poor running can be traced back to vacuum leaks and can be simple enough fixes. Also the coolant system on these cars can be due for a refresh so worth adding into the budget

[FunkySeeFunkyDoo]

+1 on the cooling system, make that project 1 and get it out of the way. To be honest they are easy enough cars to work and the good thing about them is 99.9% of the problems you might encounter with any task or any faults have been documented online somewhere weather it's in DIY guide or has been asked on a forum somewhere which can be found with a bit of googling.