E36 belly? [Archive] - StanceWorks

nhojyauq

10-14-2011, 07:33 PM

I used to drive an MKV GTI. I'm set on getting an E36. I was wondering what the belly side of those cars are like, what do you E36 guys smack off the ground the most, pan/subframe/beams etc. I feel like subframes on MKV's hang down pretty far, you can get one on the ground but the body will still be about an inch or more off the ground.

http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/180353_10150124041875141_699495140_8002329_7591559 _n.jpg

SeanDub

10-14-2011, 07:35 PM

Frame rails.

hakhawk

10-14-2011, 07:38 PM

im not ridiculously low, but i scrape floor mostly, theres not a lot of chassis rail, but that scrapes too. pan sits fair high, dont recall any marks on it last time i was under the car.

edit:

couple pics of the bottom of an e36

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l38/MoparMuscl/DSCN1584.jpg

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l38/MoparMuscl/DSCN0889.jpg

nhojyauq

10-14-2011, 08:12 PM

Frame rails.

word. so I'm guessing being static low is less stressful...:eyebrows

SeanDub

10-15-2011, 12:22 AM

It's a piece of cake

nhojyauq

10-15-2011, 09:33 PM

awesome. stoked to get what i find mad low. im sure its not the same feeling as smacking subframe/oilpan.anyone ever "drop" or crack anything from hitting something too hard? im sure its not the same feeling as smacking subframe/oilpan.

Byron

10-16-2011, 03:19 PM

Front sway bar and frame rails are the first things to hit on an e36. Easiest to drive slammed car I've ever driven

nhojyauq

10-16-2011, 11:39 PM

Front sway bar and frame rails are the first things to hit on an e36. Easiest to drive slammed car I've ever driven

im so stoked to get one on the ground....i just need to find one to buy:(

Zic

10-17-2011, 06:24 AM

Front sway bar and frame rails are the first things to hit on an e36. Easiest to drive slammed car I've ever driven

this, my old e30 four banger scarped the oil pan with broken springs, those pans hang so damn low.
the e36 so freaking easy to drive lowered. its only the frame rails that scrap.

motocaddy

10-17-2011, 11:40 AM

yeah, dude, you're going to love it. my wife's mkv is pretty low (23" ftg), but my e36 is a lot lower with just over an inch frame rail to ground. i'd say (and she probably agrees) that the e36 is just as easy to drive even though it's lower. i have been scraping my frame rails a LOT though, but it doesn't affect driveability.

Dr.AK

10-17-2011, 11:49 AM

Most 6cyl E36s have the fuel filter sitting next to the frame rails (I think it's got to do with the year), so relocating it might be a good idea if you want to go really slammed.

But apart from that, easy going.

nhojyauq

10-17-2011, 01:41 PM

Bruno730

10-17-2011, 05:39 PM

it just kills me when i scrape the frame rails on my E36. it's just an invitation to corrosion.
anybody coat the rails with POR15 or similar?

SeanDub

10-17-2011, 05:47 PM

You realize that if you coat it, it will just scrape off...

Ollie

10-17-2011, 06:24 PM

If you have an xbrace it will sit really low. Also dont get an aa track pipe

nhojyauq

10-17-2011, 06:30 PM

haha spray some rhino lining truck bed liner under there.

Bruno730

10-17-2011, 07:53 PM

You realize that if you coat it, it will just scrape off...

reportedly POR15 is chip and scratch resistant. i'll believe it when i see it though.

plus i'd rather have to keep coating it than having the frame rails rust out in 5 years.

SeanDub

10-18-2011, 02:45 AM

reportedly POR15 is chip and scratch resistant. i'll believe it when i see it though.

plus i'd rather have to keep coating it than having the frame rails rust out in 5 years.

Have fun with that

Francois Dillinger

10-18-2011, 03:59 AM

you would be scraping any rust that may form off...

nhojyauq

10-18-2011, 09:59 AM

you would be scraping any rust that may form off...

troof

NegativeCamber

10-18-2011, 10:50 AM

reportedly POR15 is chip and scratch resistant. i'll believe it when i see it though.

plus i'd rather have to keep coating it than having the frame rails rust out in 5 years.

lol. huge difference between scratch resistant and the weight of the car dragging on the pavement at any given time. the forces aren't the same.

motocaddy

10-18-2011, 12:30 PM

while we're on the subject of low e36s, are you guys running fender liners? i'm rubbing mine quite a bit and considering removing them.

SeanDub

10-18-2011, 01:05 PM

No liners, though I wish I had kept them in to keep rocks and dirt out of my door jams

Bruno730

10-18-2011, 01:58 PM

lol. huge difference between scratch resistant and the weight of the car dragging on the pavement at any given time. the forces aren't the same.

I understand that, I am a mechanical engineer. i do not need a lecture in physics. The point is that the product could potentially be more useful than a rubberized spray on coating, which would definitely come off, if it were scraped (as evidenced by the factory undercoating...)

Furthermore, while surface rust could potentially be "scraped" off, it doesn't negate the fact the bare metal is subject to moisture and dirt, which will accelerate corrosion.

I don't get how nobody has this concern.

Dr.AK

10-18-2011, 02:52 PM

I run the fender liners, but I'm not as low as some (about 4cm / 1.5inch at the frame rails). I don't have any rubbing, so no issues there... if I were to go lower and would encounter rubbing, I'd still keep them, I'd just trim the top most portion so the wheel's got enough space to move. But the rear and front parts would stay on for sure. It just looks ugly when you can look THROUGH the wheel well to the bumper for example, imho.

SeanDub

10-18-2011, 02:54 PM

Bruno730

10-18-2011, 03:16 PM

Then don't lower your car.

LOL obviously you're not getting my point Sean.

For me, it's about doing things right. some people are OK with rubbing or baseball bat rolled fenders or fucked up frame rails. I'm not one of them though and it seems peculiar that in a community like this, nobody has been concerned with bare metal on frame rails.

SeanDub

10-18-2011, 03:18 PM

You're grinding metal off, you really think a coating will withstand what the metal can't?

If its that big of a problem, don't drop it.

NegativeCamber

10-18-2011, 03:23 PM

I understand that, I am a mechanical engineer. i do not need a lecture in physics. The point is that the product could potentially be more useful than a rubberized spray on coating, which would definitely come off, if it were scraped (as evidenced by the factory undercoating...)

Furthermore, while surface rust could potentially be "scraped" off, it doesn't negate the fact the bare metal is subject to moisture and dirt, which will accelerate corrosion.

I don't get how nobody has this concern.

i guess we aren't on the same page. read the posts by the OP. he wants to get "mad low." the picture that comes to mind is skrapez aka Josh's e36. that car was "mad low." any coating that you sprayed on, would be scraped off and would expose the metal regardless. you dont need a ME degree to understand you are sanding the product right off when that low.

if you are rarely scraping any of the chassis, then you would be looking in the right direction.

Kielan

10-18-2011, 03:23 PM

"I'm a mechanical engineer"

Clearly not a very good one.

Dr.AK

10-18-2011, 03:27 PM

If you're that concerned with your undercarriage, fab up a skid plate or something.

Bruno730

10-18-2011, 06:04 PM

"I'm a mechanical engineer"

Clearly not a very good one.

yeah sucks i got a 4.0 gpa for my masters and designed and built an SAE baja car. If you want to get into a pissing contest, message me dude.

i merely expressed a concern and was curious if anybody had any experience with a product since we're all "car guys" and I didn't think i was the only one that would cringe at the thought of rusted frame rails.

back to OP yes, if it's "mad low" i agree, no coating will stay on any frame rails. Regardless of that, corrosion is still going to occur (which is my point). my question was in reference to moderately low and utilizing a coating.

Robby

NegativeCamber

10-18-2011, 06:18 PM

yeah sucks i got a 4.0 gpa for my masters and designed and built an SAE baja car. If you want to get into a pissing contest, message me dude.

i merely expressed a concern and was curious if anybody had any experience with a product since we're all "car guys" and I didn't think i was the only one that would cringe at the thought of rusted frame rails.

back to OP yes, if it's "mad low" i agree, no coating will stay on any frame rails. Regardless of that, corrosion is still going to occur (which is my point). my question was in reference to moderately low and utilizing a coating.

Robby

yep, POR15 should do the trick.

Bruno730

10-18-2011, 06:36 PM

yep, POR15 should do the trick.

thanks, that's all i was looking for haha.

SeanDub

10-18-2011, 06:41 PM

But if its low enough to need to be recoated, its not going to help. It's just going to happen again.

NegativeCamber

10-18-2011, 06:44 PM

But if its low enough to need to be recoated, its not going to help. It's just going to happen again.

agreed. when i hear moderately low, i think bf.com low

oHSo EuRo

10-18-2011, 08:22 PM

agreed. when i hear moderately low, i think bf.com low

:rofl

nhojyauq

10-18-2011, 11:25 PM

damn, i was just looking for pictures of scraped/beat e36 bottoms so i knew if it was as bad as driving an mkv. but now on the topic of rust...

thanks for all the input anyway:rofl

Bruno730

10-19-2011, 06:52 AM

But if its low enough to need to be recoated, its not going to help. It's just going to happen again.

IDK my E36 is what i would call moderately low, i would call Mike's E36 moderately low too. Josh's car is very low. IMO it's like lowered (BF.c); Moderately low (Mike's E36); Very low (Josh).

in driving my car i can avoid anything that would potentially scrape the rails EXCEPT getting into my work driveway. granted the car isn't my daily but i was just really concerned about having bare metal. That's all LOL.

Zic

10-19-2011, 07:55 AM

if you are that concerned about rust, build some sort of skid plate that will sit against the frame rails. so only that part will scrape / rust, then replace it when its worn down.
there really is no other option, except if you cut them out. but that will leave the fuel / break lines unprotected and would easily be damaged.

Dr.AK

10-19-2011, 08:06 AM

damn, i was just looking for pictures of scraped/beat e36 bottoms so i knew if it was as bad as driving an mkv. but now on the topic of rust...

thanks for all the input anyway:rofl

Here's mine. One of the frame rail's got a nice dent in it:rofl

http://www.abload.de/img/tieferlegungsnarbejjg4.jpg

iwannabeam3

10-23-2011, 11:34 PM

oil pan on my e36

http://i53.tinypic.com/ja86dx.png

nhojyauq

10-24-2011, 02:12 AM

what did you manage to hit?^

Bimmerblood

11-02-2011, 10:16 PM

you pan sits high enough for the m3 xbrace to be installed right under it.... it came stock on my 95 cabrio, gives me some piece of mind that i would have to replace that instead of an oil pan lol

vollosso

11-03-2011, 12:49 PM

It seems to make sense to add a $20 skid plate and keep your frame rails perfect....

motocaddy

11-03-2011, 12:57 PM

It seems to make sense to add a $20 skid plate and keep your frame rails perfect....i've only been driving a low e36 for a few weeks, but in my experience, if you're low enough to need such a skid plate, you don't have room for it. i'm really not too concerned with keeping the frame rails "perfect" on my 13 year old, $5k BMW.

Jesus Christ

11-03-2011, 01:10 PM

if you dont wanna scrape your car on the floor dont slam it.

oh you wanna slam it? get an x brace it will protect your pan even though its no where near danger

what about my frame rails? dealwithit.gif there no way to avoid it if you are low.

skid plates only will reduce clearance not worth it, so either get 18's or dont slam it because your rails hitting the ground is inevitable

i also want to point out that you have to notably really low to constantly hit them andscraping them once in a while is ok, they will look like dr ak's above which is fixable if you care that much.

you would die if you saw mine or other really low e36 rails. ill post a pic when i can

iwannabeam3

11-03-2011, 01:32 PM

what did you manage to hit?^

bridge to sum it up.

you pan sits high enough for the m3 xbrace to be installed right under it.... it came stock on my 95 cabrio, gives me some piece of mind that i would have to replace that instead of an oil pan lol

uhm not always true, my xbrace= fine oilpan=cracked

if you dont wanna scrape your car on the floor dont slam it.

oh you wanna slam it? get an x brace it will protect your pan even though its no where near danger

what about my frame rails? dealwithit.gif there no way to avoid it if you are low.

skid plates only will reduce clearance not worth it, so either get 18's or dont slam it because your rails hitting the ground is inevitable

i also want to point out that you have to notably really low to constantly hit them andscraping them once in a while is ok, they will look like dr ak's above which is fixable if you care that much.

you would die if you saw mine or other really low e36 rails. ill post a pic when i can

my pan had danger :( but i do agree get a brace or a plate for there. and god my rails are the same. ill post a pic of mine to when i get it on the lift.

Jesus Christ

11-03-2011, 06:03 PM

bridge to sum it up.

uhm not always true, my xbrace= fine oilpan=cracked

my pan had danger :( but i do agree get a brace or a plate for there. and god my rails are the same. ill post a pic of mine to when i get it on the lift.

something else was a factor, the pan sits over the rails and subframe.

there had to be something out of the ordinary as in not just a bump or dip

Kielan

11-03-2011, 06:18 PM

Bruno730

11-03-2011, 07:23 PM

Lol haven't checked this thread since my last post, you got so offended. It just seemed that you couldn't grasp the concept of covering get scraped off, which I would have thought would have been simple.

i'm not sure if this is in reference to me, but regardless: i was asking if anyone had experience with a product that was different than conventional spray-on rubberized coatings, which only one person actually answered. you're dynamite drop-in had nothing to do with my question, was out-of-scope, and shit yeah i got offended.

i can't grasp the idea that people who "love" cars so much don't see rust on the frame rails as a concern. let alone the fact that we're talking about "frame rails" that really aren't frame rails since the car is unibody. whether it's a 5k BMW or a 50K BMW i'd still treat it the same way. i'm just a pussy with cars.

and like the numerous other posts; if you're that low that you're scraping, either be anal and keep protecting the steel or just man up and go ballin'

Robby

Jesus Christ

11-04-2011, 03:20 AM

i can't grasp the idea that people who "love" cars so much don't see rust on the frame rails as a concern. let alone the fact that we're talking about "frame rails" that really aren't frame rails since the car is unibody. whether it's a 5k BMW or a 50K BMW i'd still treat it the same way. i'm just a pussy with cars.

and like the numerous other posts; if you're that low that you're scraping, either be anal and keep protecting the steel or just man up and go ballin'

Robby

I suggest the you man up option.

It's not like the floor is gonna fall out like in fast and the furious, all you'll get is a little surface rust which is easily repaired should you want to restore it or just decide you don't wanna bang it anymore.

For what it's worth I wouldnt do it to a e46m or e39m but fuck it it's the most produced BMW and probably one of the most produced European cars. So have fun, banger up and fix her or throw her out.....or just don't slam it.