Quote:
Originally Posted by peterux
Welcome to the forum and you've come to the right place for plenty of helpful and friendly advice!!
The Marlin Sportster is a great car to build and the finished car is in a class of it's own in terms of looks, handling and performance.
You can see my build pictures here...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/peters-...7631773598897/
Some advice....
1. Make sure you will have plenty of time as it's not a quick build. I built mine over a 5 year period so don't expect to build it for next summer!!
2. Talk to Terry at Marlin about future supply.
3. If your not sure about buying direct, look out for an unfinished kit. They are as rare as 'hens teeth' but do come up from time to time. Many kits do not get finished so do come up for sale, but don't pay over the odds. (speak to Danny Nelson at the MOC and keep a search running on ebay)
Do lots of research on which engine you want. There are many BMW forums that are a good source of info plus Wikipedia and Realoem.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_M3
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/select.do
4. Buy a whole car that is running and make sure everything is working OK before you dismantle it.That way you know the engine is good and you can remove very last bit of loom and connectors that you need. (which is almost impossible when you just buy an engine and this can be a nightmare)
5. If you do buy an engine off ebay be prepared to find its a 'dud'. I've bought two engines off ebay and one was excellent and one was junk so it's very risky. You can go to a specialist breaker like FAB but you'll pay almost as much as a whole car.
6. Avoid e46 cars as they are the ones with fiendish electronics that beat me!! An E36 M3 would be the one for you with either a 3.0 or 3.2 lire engine.
7. Check out the IVA emission rules to make sure you buy the right year unless you want to install cats which can be expensive.
8. I'm not trying to put you off a Marlin but have a look at GKD Sportscars as they also use BMW engines and they are a good source of info, but the Marlin Sportster is a much nicer car to look at, polish and drive :-)
Good luck, it's a great car to build and you will never regret it when your finished!!
(I'm sure Patrick will be along with some pearls of wisdom, as he is our BMW expert!!)
...peter
P.S. also check out Ian's and Nigel's Flicker sites
http://www.flickr.com/photos/58068042@N07/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/marlinbuild |
Hi and welcome to the forum! My Dad and I have just finished our 1994 E36 M3 S50 engine based Sportster, it passed IVA a month ago, but unfortunately still waiting for the DVLA to process our application and send reg documents and tax disc!
I would echo all the points that Peter and the other guys have outlined above.
We decided on an S50 engine, after being advised by the guys on here to avoid the M52 and onwards due to the electrics being a lot more difficult to deal with. Although I'm sure Marlin are now saying that you can use the 5 series as a donor, using M52 and M54 engines and the entire back end assembly bolts straight on apparently! So a good chat with Mark and assurances that he knows a wizard who can sort out the EWS issues may open up a whole new avenue of donors.
Good E36 M3s are slowly starting to become 'modern classics', and the prices of a complete running car are pretty strong, but then there is a strong eBay market for the unwanted parts/body panels etc you will have left if you choose to break a complete car. We actually broke our car in Marlin's yard with forklift help from Mark, which also meant a good chance to have a sneaky look at a half build Sportster in their unit. If breaking the car goes well you can get the parts you need for a very small outlay if you're prepared to get your knuckles bruised, and become an eBay junkie! I reckon we ended up with the bits we needed post ebay selling frenzy for well under £1K, and I still have some oily bits left which will be sold this winter.
There were quite a few 'mods' we had to do the accommodate the rather large lump in the front. amongst the many were turning the air intake boot round and putting the air filter through the bulkhead and behind the dash on the passenger side. We also got a large capacity radiator made to our dimensions, and re-positioned the battery to behind the passenger seat to give us enough space for an expansion tank, washer bottle, brake/clutch fluid reservoir etc.. We also got a body repair mate of mine to craft a 'bulge' on the passenger engine bay side panel to accommodate the alternator, which protrudes beyond the side panel line. Other builders have repositioned their alternators to the driver's side when necessary, but on ours this looked like it would be so low that it would be liable to be damaged. There were lots of other mods along the way which I have probably chosen to wipe from my memory temporarily, but we may be able to help you with if and when you come across an issue based on the same S50 engine set up.
Make sure you get written clarification from BMW regarding the date of your engine's manufacture. Having this meant we were tested against the 1994 emmissions criteria. If you don't have documentary evidence the car would need cats as Peter mentioned.
We were 1 decibel under the limit for the noise test too. More luck than judgement believe me!! So that's another consideration.
On the very limited outings the car has had, I have had nothing but fantastic feedback, and the car is a great drive (so far!) and has such a different look to any other kit I've seen out there.
All the guys on here are great, and their build diaries were indispensable during the build, so there is plenty of support out there if you need it.
And yes Mike, I do keep threatening photos, and one day soon I hope to get my act together and post some!! Apologies for the delay!
Cheers
Rob