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      03-25-2018, 12:06 PM   #1
Nad128
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Nad's 128i build thread

Hi guys, I'm new here and this thread is going to serve as a journal as I build a 128i into a dedicated track car.

The goal is to build a fun, cheap, reliable and relatively fast car. The car will need to remain street-legal as it will be driven to and back from the track.

I may be new to the 1-series world, but the BMW world is very familiar to me. Back around 2006-07, I signed up for my very first HPDE with the BMW Club of Quebec. I used to own an E46 323Ci at the time that was built for show & shine events. I quickly got rid of cosmetics mods (full bodykit, 19" chrome wheels) and upgraded the brakes, got sticky tires in 17", etc...



This went on for a couple of years. And then, I joined the dark side. I sold the E46 and bought a JDM Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 1. This was a real beast. Being 4WD, I had fun all year long (we have some harsh winters here).



This high turned into a badtrip when I took the car to the garage for a few minor upgrades and preventive maintenance and ended up with a bill larger than what I initially paid for the car... the car broke down a couple of weeks later and it's still sitting in my garage as of today, not completely sorted out. I know... DSM...



I then went back to bimmers and got an E92 328xi as a daily driver. I later added an E89 Z4 35i as a summer toy. Sold the E92, got a new X6 for the wife and I.

I haven't hit the track in about 4 years now and I got the itch. A couple of months ago I started browsing classifieds for a potential track car. I was looking at 350Z, GTI's, Mini Cooper S, E46's, E90's. It's very hard to find a clean used car in Quebec because of all the salt used on the roads in winter. Most cars end up rusting after a couple of years.

A couple of weeks ago, I stumbled upon an ad for a 128i at a local Mazda dealership. A unicorn: a base 128i, manual, no sunroof, black on black, low mileage (60k miles), looks clean in pictures. It's a 2008 and the asking price is 10k CAD (7,700 in USD). Problem is I'm overseas at that time and won't be back until a couple of weeks later. I arrange to reserve the car (and already got the price down to 9k CAD (7k in USD).

I went to inspect and test-drive the car last Friday and everything looked good. No rust at all (apparently it was never winter driven, which explains the low mileage), car feels solid, it's clean inside and out. I was pleasantly surprised by how nimble and fast it felt compared to the 328 I used to own. I guess 200kg makes quite a difference!

Because there is a defective window regulator and the sideview mirrors are starting to oxidize, I got the price down to $8,300 CAD (6,400 USD) and got them to include winter tires (which I'll just sell to get a couple of hundreds back).

Here are the pictures from the original ad:







I'll be picking up the car this coming week. And that's when the real fun will begin
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Last edited by Nad128; 05-21-2018 at 06:39 PM..
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      03-25-2018, 04:51 PM   #2
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I'd say that's a serious score in not having the sun roof. I'm tall in the upper body and I'd love to find something like that. After months of looking local, still can't find one...

Make sure you look over at the autox section for these cars. I've been told it's not the best platform, but I'd do the same thing you're doing, I like these cars for their size and power for the 128....
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      03-25-2018, 10:57 PM   #3
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Oh this is exciting
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      03-25-2018, 11:21 PM   #4
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That's a great find!

Congrats and welcome!

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      03-26-2018, 11:46 AM   #5
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Awesome find and VERY solid platform! I think you'll be very happy with your choice for the needs you mentioned
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      03-26-2018, 12:14 PM   #6
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Come visit my and Chris_Flies build threads for performance ideas! Chris is a bit more track oriented than I am so you know. I'm looking more towards the ultimate daily build.

Also don't be afraid to hang out on E90Post's N52 section. Just bring some hand sanitizer.
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      03-26-2018, 01:27 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by desertman123 View Post
Come visit my and Chris_Flies build threads for performance ideas! Chris is a bit more track oriented than I am so you know. I'm looking more towards the ultimate daily build.

Also don't be afraid to hang out on E90Post's N52 section. Just bring some hand sanitizer.
I'm lol-ing right now...

To the OP:
My thread is below in my sig, OP, more of a handling-oriented/b-road muncher build than Mr. desertman123 , but he's in Florida which is a very straight place to be, so he has all the power mods...

Be careful out there, E90Post is a dangerous place to find yourself...
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      03-26-2018, 07:29 PM   #8
Nad128
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Oh, I went through both your threads already (and a bunch of others too)! This is what inspired me to start my own 😉

I was overly excited when I found out the car didnt have the sunroof. In all the cars I tracked, I was always hitting the headliner when I had my helmet on. I either had to compromise on driving position, or I had to accept that my head would hit the roof. So annoying!

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome, I'm liking this community already

What's wrong with E90Post? Lol i used to hang out at E46fanatics back in the days, when I had an e46. But I never wandered to E90post when I got my e92 😬
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      03-27-2018, 07:42 AM   #9
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1'ers do not.....

1'ers do not simply walk into e90post.
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      03-27-2018, 07:59 AM   #10
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I've found this thread to be a very comprehensive guide to setting up the 128i for track driving. I've gotten a few ideas from it so far, but my car is still more or less stock. Over the next few years I plan to get it track prepped.
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      03-27-2018, 08:53 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rowsdower View Post
I've found this thread to be a very comprehensive guide to setting up the 128i for track driving. I've gotten a few ideas from it so far, but my car is still more or less stock. Over the next few years I plan to get it track prepped.
Mic drop. That's an awesome thread right there!
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      03-28-2018, 06:11 PM   #12
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      05-19-2018, 08:31 PM   #13
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I've been procrastinating updating this thread for the simple fact that I'm having a hard time uploading pictures from my phone. What's the easiest way to post pics on the forums from the mobile interface?
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      05-19-2018, 09:37 PM   #14
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The way i upload mine is upload them to imgur.com’s mobile app, then go online and get the direct link (easier if on a computer)
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      05-19-2018, 11:09 PM   #15
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I just hit the paperclip icon, and it asks me to pick from gallery or take one from camera.

Using iOS, FYI
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      05-20-2018, 07:51 AM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chris_flies View Post
I just hit the paperclip icon, and it asks me to pick from gallery or take one from camera.

Using iOS, FYI
Smh i have been doing it the hard way the entire time..
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      05-21-2018, 06:31 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chris_flies View Post
I just hit the paperclip icon, and it asks me to pick from gallery or take one from camera.

Using iOS, FYI
I'm on iOS too but it's not working for me. All the other icons do something except this one

I'll try imgur!
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      05-23-2018, 11:38 AM   #18
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that evo tho... sooooooo fuckin bad ass..
hope ur not getting rid of it!!
did it ever cross your mind to just do a full engine swap on it..
giving u have a bunch of cars u should of just done a full swap on that lil fucker and melted all 4 tires!!
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      07-14-2018, 12:02 PM   #19
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Ok,so let's try this Imgur thing...

The day I took delivery of the car:



Clean interior... too bad this will all get stripped at some point



Only 102k km, a little over 60k miles. Not bad for a 2008 car.

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      07-14-2018, 12:15 PM   #20
Nad128
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The next day I move the car and notice an oil stain on the driveway.

I get under the car, remove the under tray and see this:





Not good...

The oil pan is completely bust. Rusted through!

How bad of a job can it be? I mean, since it rusted it's a steel pan. It should be pretty cheap, unlike the aluminum pans found on other models.

Wrong! A new pan is $800 and it's a huge job since you have to drop the front subframe, at least partly.

I call the dealership where I bought the car and get them to do the job for free since the PPI they provided indicated no oil leaks.

They take their sweet time to do it though. So, meanwhile, I start ordering parts
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      07-14-2018, 01:54 PM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nad128 View Post
The next day I move the car and notice an oil stain on the driveway.

I get under the car, remove the under tray and see this:





Not good...

The oil pan is completely bust. Rusted through!

How bad of a job can it be? I mean, since it rusted it's a steel pan. It should be pretty cheap, unlike the aluminum pans found on other models.

Wrong! A new pan is $800 and it's a huge job since you have to drop the front subframe, at least partly.

I call the dealership where I bought the car and get them to do the job for free since the PPI they provided indicated no oil leaks.

They take their sweet time to do it though. So, meanwhile, I start ordering parts
Holy shit, they PPId that and didn't notice this? I would be asking for a full refund of the PPI fee plus a new oil pan. Had they done their job initially you could have negotiated down the cost of the car to compensate for this.

Did you contact the person who sold you the car to see what they said about it? Chances are they are well aware and this is why it was up for sale...
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      07-14-2018, 02:42 PM   #22
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Since you're going race car-ish, I think they make a larger capacity, better baffled aluminum oil pan...
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