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Thread: '95 E36 325is Track Build

  1. #26
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Location
    Austin, TExas
    Posts
    71
    My Cars
    1983 BMW E21 320i
    An exciting day for me. The Hankooks arrived in all their glory. Ever since I was a kid I related racecars with slick tires and now I'm running them! I'm stoked for this weekend's event and I really hope it doesn't rain.

    Tires are Hankook Z214s C71 245/40/17

    13754634_10208130049742084_3926046188891379852_n.jpg

  2. #27
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Location
    Austin, TExas
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    71
    My Cars
    1983 BMW E21 320i
    A few updates today. I had an Autox event this past Saturday. First race with the slicks and holy sh** the car sticks like I never thought it would. I have a little issue with understeer and slop in the steering, but that will be changed with bushings and stuff.

    After my previous attempts in novice class getting 5th, 6th, 9th, etc I finally came first! First by quite a landslide really. The tires helped tremendously. The day after on Sunday I headed up to the Circuit of the Americas to do a bit of test and tuning at an autocross they were holding for free. The layout of their course leaned a little to the higher horsepower cars so after a few runs my brakes were a little smokey.

    Today I was browsing LKQ and found a 3.23 diff out of an M3 that I immediately picked up. Pretty excited to be driving with my first LSD.

    Here's a photo and a video of my runs taken at the event on Saturday!

    13909050_10209762837809019_5791769943157465683_o.jpg

    Last edited by Sterk; 08-01-2016 at 04:05 PM.

  3. #28
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
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    Austin, TExas
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    1983 BMW E21 320i
    Well the 3.23 didn't quite work out. It didn't pass pre shipping inspection from LKQ so that's a no go. I did however find a 3.91 LSD from a 328i from LKQ and ordered that. I know it's really short and will probably be to my detriment in longer autox courses, but getting off the line and out of corners might make up for it.

  4. #29
    Join Date
    Jun 2011
    Location
    Vancouver, BC Ca
    Posts
    3,255
    My Cars
    1993 325is
    If you're serious about autocross at all, cancel that 3.91 order. You'll hate your life. My car had a 3.91 in it when I bought it. The car was built for DSP autocross when I bought it, and this was the only "issue" with the car. If you like shifting into 3rd all the time, fill your boots. Otherwise DON'T! 52mph on the rev limiter in 2nd, and that's a 7,000 rpm limiter which is higher than OEM. I changed that shit ASAP.

    If you know someone that's good with setting pinion pre-load, bearing pre-load and gear lash I have a set of M3 3.23 (might be 3.38) gears here that you can have for the cost of shipping. You'll need to put them in a diff yourself, but it'll be light years better than a 3.91. If you're getting the 3.91 cheap enough you could use these gear sin it with a set of ring gear bolt spacers.

    Trust me, you will hate the 3.91s for autocross. I really really like it on the street but it totally sucked for autocross.
    Last edited by jakermac; 08-05-2016 at 02:25 AM.

  5. #30
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
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    Slidell, LA
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    ^^ This.
    Last edited by darbyfam; 08-05-2016 at 09:13 PM.

  6. #31
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Location
    Austin, TExas
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    71
    My Cars
    1983 BMW E21 320i
    Thanks for the info! I actually found a local craiglist posting for a 3.15 lsd and picked it up today! I'm super excited!

  7. #32
    Join Date
    Jun 2011
    Location
    Vancouver, BC Ca
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    3,255
    My Cars
    1993 325is
    If the new 3.15 is an M3 unit, you'll need to swap the axle flanges from your current diff onto the new one. It's super easy, literally a 3 minute job - pop them out, one side at a time and pop the replacement in.

  8. #33
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    West Point, Virginia
    Posts
    959
    My Cars
    2002, 320is, 328is, M3
    Nice thread. Love the build. From my research you could get a bit more out of your splitter if you closed off some of the front grill. I run an M3 bumper cover and block off the kidneys and the openings for the brakes. The air that does not go over, is either going through the grill or down but is does have to go some where. Not a great pic but here is what my nose looks like. Not pretty but it sticks like glue.Check out the smoke at the 2:40 of this clip. It shows you how the air works on your splitter and how some of the additional force is created:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iCQ6kPe9EY
    Last edited by Cobra1956; 08-05-2016 at 11:19 PM.

  9. #34
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Location
    Austin, TExas
    Posts
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    My Cars
    1983 BMW E21 320i
    So it turns out that 3.15 LSD wasn't what the seller told me it was. Thanks to my lack of knowledge of diffs I bought a small case 3.45 LSD. Either the seller was lying to me or he didn't know the difference either. It's okay though because I ended up selling it for more than I got it for. Just goes to show the amount of research I've done means nothing if I don't know what to look for.

    Anyways! Today I went to pick up a 3.38 LSD from an Auto M3. It's in great condition and I know for sure this one's the right one!




    It's only leaking because I didn't tighten the cover bolts
    Attached Images Attached Images

  10. #35
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    Apr 2014
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    Slidell, LA
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    That's better gearing for you anyway. Good find.


  11. #36
    Join Date
    Nov 2013
    Location
    VA
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    My Cars
    E36
    For not knowing much it worked out for you haha. 3.38s are hard to come by since everyone wants them!

  12. #37
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Location
    Austin, TExas
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    My Cars
    1983 BMW E21 320i
    Last week I was finally able to install the new diff and....it's awesome! It was super simple to install, just like jakermac said the output flanges pop right off and pop right back in. The next day I want to an autocross at the Circuit of the Americas and even though I'm having some issues dialing in the suspension, the diff performed perfectly. My car has so much rear grip I can floor it around a corner and not have to worry about the back end stepping out, although understeer is a big issue right now. Now I just need more power....















    On the way to Austin one of the trailer tires just disintegrated! Luckily we had a spare.

    - - - Updated - - -

    And here's my runs from Autox with the new diff!

    Last edited by Sterk; 09-02-2016 at 08:08 PM.

  13. #38
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Location
    Austin, TExas
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    My Cars
    1983 BMW E21 320i
    So it's been a while since my last update. Not much has changed about the car. The LSD I installed stiill works flawlessly, my 150k mile engine still doesn't burn or leak a spit of oil, and we're getting closer and closer to the perfect alignment and tire pressure setup. I've been to 3 Autox events since the last post and had an instructor ride along which helped a ton.

    At the moment we are getting front and rear strut braces custom made.

    Here are a few photos from a previous Autox!






  14. #39
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Kansas City, MO
    Posts
    650
    My Cars
    '88 BMW 325, S52-swapped
    What spring rates are on your coilovers?
    ‘Tis by the grace of God that my cars run!


  15. #40
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
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    Slidell, LA
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    You are leaving allot on the table with that rear spoiler because of the gap between the spoiler and your trunk lid. Put some tape there to help.


  16. #41
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Location
    Austin, TExas
    Posts
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    1983 BMW E21 320i
    So it's been a while since my last update. There are some huge things planned with the E36 so I'm going to try and go through everything that's being planned. Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of pictures as I myself have been busy finishing up school.

    What's been done so far:
    Push button start
    Interior and exterior kill switch
    Stainless steel brake lines
    Poly control arm bushings, engine mounts, tranny mounts
    New driveshaft coupler (guibo): the last one was totally shot
    Front and rear strut brace
    Ordered Enkei NTO3 18x10s along with fender flares to fit (Once we know what kind of spacers we need we'll order them too, the ones with studs on them. We are planning to run 275 width square tires)

    Coming soon:
    Modify the clutch pedal for shorter travel
    Short shifter
    sway bars
    S54 motor and 6 speed tranny
    and probably more.

    If you're ever in San Antonio, TX and need stuff done, hit up MTechnik. They've been a HUGE help to me and my build.

    Kingston: I believe the fronts are 5 or 600 and the rears are progressive up to 600 if I'm not mistaken.

    Darbyfam: I do need to plug that gap, I just haven't really gotten around to it since I've never been struggling for grip in the rear. Spoiler setup will probably change also in the coming months.

  17. #42
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Location
    Austin, TExas
    Posts
    71
    My Cars
    1983 BMW E21 320i
    Enkeis are in and they're beautiful! Ended up getting them from Discount tire for an absolute steal. They're light, not the lightest wheels we could have gone with, but for the price I'm ecstatic.


    15665644_10209371158249021_1082309535623455272_n
    15622320_10209371158129018_485442777796329452_n
    15590631_10209371158929038_4138118146339653318_n

  18. #43
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Location
    Miami, Fl
    Posts
    111
    My Cars
    '02 C5 Z06, '09 LS3 C6
    Love those wheels!
    I bought an E28 535i sight unseen, drove down the entire west coast along the shoreline, then across the souther border of the US. I buy cars as far from home as possible, and turn them into vacations with a bonus at the end...a car to keep! Check out my most recent journey here.. http://damiannunimaker.com/the-u-s-p...-year-old-bmw/

  19. #44
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Location
    Austin, TExas
    Posts
    71
    My Cars
    1983 BMW E21 320i
    Tires mounted with a little touch of flair


  20. #45
    Join Date
    Nov 2013
    Location
    VA
    Posts
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    My Cars
    E36
    Quote Originally Posted by Sterk View Post
    So it's been a while since my last update. There are some huge things planned with the E36 so I'm going to try and go through everything that's being planned. Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of pictures as I myself have been busy finishing up school.

    What's been done so far:
    Push button start
    Interior and exterior kill switch
    Stainless steel brake lines
    Poly control arm bushings, engine mounts, tranny mounts
    New driveshaft coupler (guibo): the last one was totally shot
    Front and rear strut brace
    Ordered Enkei NTO3 18x10s along with fender flares to fit (Once we know what kind of spacers we need we'll order them too, the ones with studs on them. We are planning to run 275 width square tires)

    Coming soon:
    Modify the clutch pedal for shorter travel
    Short shifter
    sway bars
    S54 motor and 6 speed tranny
    and probably more.

    If you're ever in San Antonio, TX and need stuff done, hit up MTechnik. They've been a HUGE help to me and my build.

    Kingston: I believe the fronts are 5 or 600 and the rears are progressive up to 600 if I'm not mistaken.

    Darbyfam: I do need to plug that gap, I just haven't really gotten around to it since I've never been struggling for grip in the rear. Spoiler setup will probably change also in the coming months.
    That escalated quickly.

  21. #46
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    Apr 2016
    Location
    Austin, TExas
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    1983 BMW E21 320i
    Quote Originally Posted by bmw328m52 View Post
    That escalated quickly.
    Hell yeah! Those guys at M Technik sorta catapulted my build.

    Also the engine we're going for is an S50 not an S54. But that's going to be a bit into the year.

  22. #47
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    Nov 2013
    Location
    VA
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    E36
    Should still be fun with the euro 6 speed.

  23. #48
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Location
    Austin, TExas
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    1983 BMW E21 320i
    Headed over to MTechnik today to test fit the new wheels and tires. I figured it'd be a bit of work to cut the fenders in preparation for the flares, but there was way more that needed to be done than I thought. The wheel actually rubs in the inside of the front wheel well near the back. I'm not sure how we are going to remedy this. Maybe hammer the well in a bit? Or just raise the coilovers, which I really don't want to do.

    The short shifter was also installed, and it feels pretty awesome. Really takes no effort at all to shift. I've never driven a car with a short shifter before so it's pretty exciting. Tomorrow the sway bars are going to be installed...or at least arrive. We also did a bolt to stud conversion as per the race body rules and the fact we have to run such large spacers.

    I'm still holding out hope that our fender flares will arrive by this weekend so we can get them on before the next event.

    Plans for this week is to paint the side skirts black, paint the damn above the splitter black, and paint the hardware on the spoiler black. I also want to plug the gap between the spoiler and the trunk. We also need to figure out a way to keep our cold air filter down at the bottom of the bumper. We had to take the bottom elbow that points the filter forward off because the wheel rubs it. When all is said and done, the car should be good to go for the year except for roll cage, new S50, and maybe some weight reduction in the engine bay and interior.










  24. #49
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    Apr 2016
    Location
    Austin, TExas
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    My Cars
    1983 BMW E21 320i
    Got the fender flares in finally and on the car! The fender flares are super cheap ebay universals made from fiberglass. It was pretty tough to cut them to fit and each flare is a different size so the fitment on each wheel is slightly different. But for 70 bucks, I can't complain.




  25. #50
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    Apr 2016
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    Austin, TExas
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    1983 BMW E21 320i
    Last weekend I went to two different events. One at a big church parking lot and one at an airfield. The parking lot was wet and cold and I couldn't make much time, but I got to do a few drifts! Racing on the airfield was awesome! The type of concrete there was a little more slippery than I was used to, but the car still gripped fantastic. This was also the first time I've had to shift into 3rd at an autocross and I was having heaps of trouble trying to figure out where/how I should be shifting. But I ended up with a relatively competitive time. Here's a couple shots and video from each event!






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