[Safari e90]

Hi there! New e90post Member Here. I have recently acquired a cheap 2006 330xi manual and I am planning on doing a Safari build with it. :-) The car has 180000 miles, some less than tasteful mods, a horrible racing stripe, and leaks a ton of oil... so it is absolutely prefect!!! :-) lol

Some back story...
I take part in an event called the Gambler 500. If you don't know what that is, you should google it. It is good for a laugh. :-) For the last few years I have been running a old lifted crown-vic ex-cop car. While it is a great car for the event, I am a big BMW fan and want to do the Gambler in a BMW. So... I finally got one. :-) The car will also probably be used as a winter beater / ski-snowboard transportation / and maybe even rally cross.

I am planning on doing all the normal safari build stuff. A lift, bigger off road tires, roof rack, light bar, skid plate, ect. ect. ect.

I am going to start by lifting the car. Right now I am researching how to lift the car a, but of course there is almost NO information out there. Surprise Surprise. lol I have a found an ebay 40mm lift kit and ordered it all ready. There is also a post on here where someone put x1 suspension on back of their e91. If anyone has any more information on this or know if this works, I would love to hear it. I would like to get the car at least a couple more inches up in the air... and even more if possible. :-)

Anyways, If anyone has ANY thoughts, input, ideas, or information they think would be helpful please let me know. If you would like to tell me how dumb I am, I would like to have that feedback as well. :-) Cheers!

P.S. Yes, I know that this is dumb. Yes, I know I will ruin the car. Yes, I know I am going to brake it. Yes, I know I should have just got a x5. lol This being a bad idea is kind of the point. :-)
Thanks!

[drymite]

Originally Posted by Safari e90

Hi there! New e90post Member Here. I have recently acquired a cheap 2006 330xi manual and I am planning on doing a Safari build with it. :-) The car has 180000 miles, some less than tasteful mods, a horrible racing stripe, and leaks a ton of oil... so it is absolutely prefect!!! :-) lol

Some back story...
I take part in an event called the Gambler 500. If you don't know what that is, you should google it. It is good for a laugh. :-) For the last few years I have been running a old lifted crown-vic ex-cop car. While it is a great car for the event, I am a big BMW fan and want to do the Gambler in a BMW. So... I finally got one. :-) The car will also probably be used as a winter beater / ski-snowboard transportation / and maybe even rally cross.

I am planning on doing all the normal safari build stuff. A lift, bigger off road tires, roof rack, light bar, skid plate, ect. ect. ect.

I am going to start by lifting the car. Right now I am researching how to lift the car a, but of course there is almost NO information out there. Surprise Surprise. lol I have a found an ebay 40mm lift kit and ordered it all ready. There is also a post on here where someone put x1 suspension on back of their e91. If anyone has any more information on this or know if this works, I would love to hear it. I would like to get the car at least a couple more inches up in the air... and even more if possible. :-)

Anyways, If anyone has ANY thoughts, input, ideas, or information they think would be helpful please let me know. If you would like to tell me how dumb I am, I would like to have that feedback as well. :-) Cheers!

P.S. Yes, I know that this is dumb. Yes, I know I will ruin the car. Yes, I know I am going to brake it. Yes, I know I should have just got a x5. lol This being a bad idea is kind of the point. :-)
Thanks!

Im actually interested in seeing how the 330xi would do.
Its a n52 engine so its pretty reliable.
I seen a e60 that was made into a off-road vehicle so you might want to search that up could give you useful information.

[macloren]

Interesting. I haven't seen an off-road e90 rig.

[TyroneShoelaces]

I've wanted to do a gambler for years but busy family life has kept me away. Sounds epic. Donut on youtube has been turning an E36 into a rally car, maybe worth checking out? The rear control arms are pretty thin on these cars, hopefully they hold up. I'm following along, sounds fun.

[alpinec1984]

tires are everything, find a way to mount a set that suits your event.

[E93Dude]

I won't comment on all the off-road "upgrades" you are about to do, but I would suggest that you check the motor mounts for wear. After 180K they are probably due for replacement, moreso on a car with a "terrible racing stripe" which may have been driven hard by previous owner(s). Going offroad you don't want the motor flexing against the rest of the drivetrain.


While you are down there with the sub-frame off, oil pan gasket....

[Serf27]

Put x1 or x3 suspension on it.

[BWK]

I was just thinking of lifting my E91. Keep us updated on your build!

[Runnin'Rich]

Try to get as much lift as possible with tires.
I've heard front axles are the weak point if you raise the suspension too high.
RWD front strut top mounts are taller than the xdrive ones to get front lift I think. Or use 'rough road package' spacer.
For the rear you can use X1 parts like you saw in that thread

[Safari e90]

Originally Posted by drymite

Im actually interested in seeing how the 330xi would do.
Its a n52 engine so its pretty reliable.
I seen a e60 that was made into a off-road vehicle so you might want to search that up could give you useful information.

Yes, I am happy I got a n52. I had been looking for a e46 xi m54 but then this e90 sort of fell in my lap. Kind of impressed with the n52 so far!

I went on the hunt for the e60 off-road rig... I didn't find anything yet. If you see it again, drop me a link. :-)

[Safari e90]

Originally Posted by TyroneShoelaces

I've wanted to do a gambler for years but busy family life has kept me away. Sounds epic. Donut on youtube has been turning an E36 into a rally car, maybe worth checking out? The rear control arms are pretty thin on these cars, hopefully they hold up. I'm following along, sounds fun.

Do the Gambler!!! I have gone on 5 or 6 so far. Always a blast! Bring the family along and just go to bed a little early when the party starts. :-)

I have watched the Donut e36 build on youtube. Hoonigan did a similar e36 build on "S#!t car". Both have some good info.

The rear control arms are thin! I was kind of surprised when I stuck my head under there. I will probably break them. lol. Although It could be a good thing for fitting bigger tires. The rear trailing arms on the e46 are really in the way for bigger rubber. I met a guy that did a safari e46 and he had to cut right up to the rear trailing arm bushings to get his tires on. Here is a pic of his car. :-) I should have got more pics of the mods he did.

[Safari e90]

Originally Posted by E93Dude

I won't comment on all the off-road "upgrades" you are about to do, but I would suggest that you check the motor mounts for wear. After 180K they are probably due for replacement, moreso on a car with a "terrible racing stripe" which may have been driven hard by previous owner(s). Going offroad you don't want the motor flexing against the rest of the drivetrain.


While you are down there with the sub-frame off, oil pan gasket....

Good call on the motor mounts. I will put that on the maintenance check list. I don't know if the n52 can flex and hit the power steering pully off the subframe and shred the belt like a n54 car can with bad mounts... but I don't want to find out. :-)

Yes, I don't think the previous owner was a little old lady that only drove the car to church on Sundays. LOL In fact There is a absolute TON of suspect items on this car. Bad Spoiler, Bad splitter, Bad shift knob, Bad short shift kit, Bad aftermarket headlights, Bad air fresheners to cover up the smell of burning oil coming through the vents, ect, ect. LOL Only a bonafide moron would buy a car like this... so the seller was real lucky they found me. LOL :-) But it was cheap! That is the first rule for a Gambler 500 car... and it also makes it painless to put all the downgrades... um.. wait... upgrades, I meant Upgrades on the car. :-)

[Safari e90]

Originally Posted by Serf27

Put x1 or x3 suspension on it.

I would love to!.. I hope there is a enthusiast or tech out there somewhere that will see this thread and could tell me if it would fit before I start buying parts to guinea pig it my self. If anyone has pics or can get pics of the parts side by side it would really help! :-)

Originally Posted by BWK

I was just thinking of lifting my E91. Keep us updated on your build!

Will do! A e91 safari would be so cool!

Originally Posted by Runnin'Rich

Try to get as much lift as possible with tires.
I've heard front axles are the weak point if you raise the suspension too high.
RWD front strut top mounts are taller than the xdrive ones to get front lift I think. Or use 'rough road package' spacer.
For the rear you can use X1 parts like you saw in that thread

Yes, tires are always the best way to get some lift without screwing the suspension geometry up or stressing other components out too much. Plus with bigger tires the speedo might finally read correct. LOL I have been looking at it and think I could get about 3 inch bigger tires on it (1.5 inch lift) with a bit of a suspension lift as well. Any bigger and I think that the Sawzall would have to come out. :-)

Interesting! I have not seen anything about the RWD vs AWD strut mounts being different. I will look into this. Thank You!

[Safari e90]

Here is the car as it sits now... Or rather how I got it. LOL Behold this magnificent machine in all its glory!

Parts started showing up in the mail today. Rear window regulator, front drive shaft, valve cover gasket, accessory drive belt. A air powered "engine washing gun" also arrived today. I can finally take the old belt off and start digging through all the oil leak sludge and see if I can find an engine block behind it. :-)

Got a BMW factory roof rack ordered last night as well. Let the money pit begin! LOL

[TyroneShoelaces]

Well that thing looks WAY better than I anticipated! I've seen some absolute shitboxes that should be crushed listed for sale with foodstamp autozone mods. If you figure out some spacers for the strut tops post em up as I might have a use for some too

[Safari e90]

Originally Posted by TyroneShoelaces

Well that thing looks WAY better than I anticipated! I've seen some absolute shitboxes that should be crushed listed for sale with foodstamp autozone mods. If you figure out some spacers for the strut tops post em up as I might have a use for some too

Yah, its not too bad. The car WAS given some misguided love in its previous life. At least its mods were ebay mods not autozone. :-) Speaking of ebay mods... I ordered this lift kit from ebay. It is on its way from Ukraine right now. I am sure it is of the highest quality. lol I will let you know what I think of it when I have it in my hand.
The lift is only 40mm. Not enough for me... So I may just use this kit as a template to help design a taller one.

[TyroneShoelaces]

Originally Posted by Safari e90

Yah, its not too bad. The car WAS given some misguided love in its previous life. At least its mods were ebay mods not autozone. :-) Speaking of ebay mods... I ordered this lift kit from ebay. It is on its way from Ukraine right now. I am sure it is of the highest quality. lol I will let you know what I think of it when I have it in my hand.
The lift is only 40mm. Not enough for me... So I may just use this kit as a template to help design a taller one.

Huh interesting on the spacers. I have a thread in the suspension section trying to figure out how to make xdrive struts work on a rwd subframe. These might be the ticket, or maybe it's a $60 gamble on wrecking front suspension geometry? Or maybe I'll sell the ones I have and buy the correct coilovers. If I could just sell the dam extra pre lci bixenons for some spending $ I'd get something legit.

[en_bloc45]

I used to offrod a bit and had a buddy who had an offroad miata

Some tip:
Bring extra control arms, sway bar end links, and if you can a cheap replacement ball joint on each side (all these should be the cheapest option from rockauto, these are just meant to get you back home where you can do the actual replacement)
For lifting, see if you can find a kit, if not opt for a suspension based lift (spacers if youre brave)
For the bimmers, I'd bring a couple packs of JB weld, for some reason hairline cracks like to appear on the rad and around cooling connections on the slightest of terrain
See if you can fab up a cheap aluminum underbelly pan that you can unbolt when you need to, its not meant to deflect hoopties but it should protect all the lines from getting too bruised

[Safari e90]

Originally Posted by TyroneShoelaces

Huh interesting on the spacers. I have a thread in the suspension section trying to figure out how to make xdrive struts work on a rwd subframe. These might be the ticket, or maybe it's a $60 gamble on wrecking front suspension geometry? Or maybe I'll sell the ones I have and buy the correct coilovers. If I could just sell the dam extra pre lci bixenons for some spending $ I'd get something legit.

Yes, these could work for you. They sell a couple different thicknesses... and I think you can order just the front spacers if that all you need.

What are the headlights you have for sale? I have some aftermarket bs lights right now and get an adaptive headlight warning every time I turn on the car. Was planning on just trying to code it out... but...

[Safari e90]

Originally Posted by en_bloc45

I used to offrod a bit and had a buddy who had an offroad miata

Some tip:
Bring extra control arms, sway bar end links, and if you can a cheap replacement ball joint on each side (all these should be the cheapest option from rockauto, these are just meant to get you back home where you can do the actual replacement)
For lifting, see if you can find a kit, if not opt for a suspension based lift (spacers if youre brave)
For the bimmers, I'd bring a couple packs of JB weld, for some reason hairline cracks like to appear on the rad and around cooling connections on the slightest of terrain
See if you can fab up a cheap aluminum underbelly pan that you can unbolt when you need to, its not meant to deflect hoopties but it should protect all the lines from getting too bruised

Hi there. Thank you! These are all really great suggestions. I will start to put together a emergency parts kit. I have learned this lesson first hand. I ripped a ball joint out on my Crown Vic way back in the woods one time. Sure wish I had an extra one that day. We attempted ratchet strapping it back together but that only got us about a mile. lol. We ended up taking a bolt form the front bumper, washers from the roof rack, using a 18mm socket as a spacer, drilling out the control arm and bolting everything back together. Drove it all the way back to camp. :-) It was a miracle we made it off the trail that day.

Skid plate is on my to do list. Hope to put something together that could protect the radiator from a little bit of a hit. We will see if that is a pipe dream or not.

[Serf27]

For the skid plate,
I’d use some square tubing laying across the front of the plate and attach some more square tubung going upright and attached to the bottom side of the bumper bar.

There’s also a hard plastic line that runs across the front bottom section of the subframe. I guarantee that will bust first if the skids plate fails.
Replace that with some rubber hose and a T fitting.

[en_bloc45]

Originally Posted by Serf27

For the skid plate,
I’d use some square tubing laying across the front of the plate and attach some more square tubung going upright and attached to the bottom side of the bumper bar.

There’s also a hard plastic line that runs across the front bottom section of the subframe. I guarantee that will bust first if the skids plate fails.
Replace that with some rubber hose and a T fitting.

Originally Posted by Serf27

For the skid plate,
I'd use some square tubing laying across the front of the plate and attach some more square tubung going upright and attached to the bottom side of the bumper bar.

There's also a hard plastic line that runs across the front bottom section of the subframe. I guarantee that will bust first if the skids plate fails.
Replace that with some rubber hose and a T fitting.

If you wanna go extra gambler aesthetic, I find DO NOT TRESPASS signs typically match the exact front end of most commuter sedans. I had one mounted as a skid plate to my bull bar bent at a 45 degree angle to protect the actual underbelly tray from harp hazards. Granted my sign was from a friend who had one on their property they didn't want anymore. I'm talking about the huge metal signs posted on fences, if you mount them parallel they are exactly the perfect fit on a miata so I'd hazard they'd fit the same on your bimmer. I used a set of harbor freight nuts and bolts with loctite to secure it and it lasted the entire life of the car. Saved me the price and time of cutting a metal sheet to size and didn't weight down the front end like most ready made bolt ons.