Mid-life crisis aka "Drift Missle E36"

[Nudnik]

Hi folks,

Let me just start by saying that I'm a 37 year old husband & father of 2 year old identical twin boys with a full-time job so my drifting/wrenching progress will probably be slower than you're average snail. I would also like to state that I am a certified "gear head." I have only been wrenching on cars for 5 or 6 years but I've been a car enthusiast my whole life. At the moment I have a few too many projects so picking up an additional "drift missile" project probably isn't the smartest thing I've ever done but, oh well.

A real quick background check on me will reveal that I got my wrenching start on an 02 Subaru "bugeye" WRX. The engine blew up on me so I rebuilt it... twice. Needless to say, lots of lessons were learned thanks to "Frankenstein." My next project was a 69 F-100 which I did a 5.0L EFI & AOD swap into. It's a running/driving truck but still a work in progress b/c I'm waiting until we move to our next house so I'll have a shop big enough to do the Crown Vic IFS swap on my LWB truck "Petunia" (my wife named it). My next project was a 90 Miata that I have built for autoX. I've been autoXing it for a little over a year now & I truly love it. I think it was some of the "out of control" skidding moments on the track that really sparked my interest in trying my hand at drifting. The drawback to a Miata is that it is underpowered so my current project is a budget Miata turbo build that I'm turning into a "track day" car (i.e. stripped interior, full roll cage, etc.) That project is still in the early stages but it's being partially put on hold so I can start on my latest project.... the E36 drift missile. Did I mention that I also have an 82 Volvo 242 w/a SBC 350 in it & that my daily driver is an 01 F-250 7.3L Powerstroke that runs on used motor oil instead of diesel? Like I said, gear head. My wife (& many others) say I have a problem but I disagree, because acknowledging that it's a problem means I have to fix it. I found this 92 325is on Craigslist when a dealer was trying to sell it after taking it as a trade-in.


Can you say "clapped out?" He was asking $1,100 & after taking it for a test spin (& playing hardball by walking away) I picked it up for $500. The interior is shot (gonna gut it anyways), the front rotors are warped like pretzels, the radiator leaks, battery is shot, sunroof is jacked up, & the paint is.... shall we say rough. All that being said, it pulls strong, the clutch feels acceptable (for now) & a compression test shows me it's at 180psi across the board. It already has an aluminum thermostat housing & I'm hoping metal impeller water pump. I feel like I've got a pretty good foundation for building my first attempt at a drift vehicle.

So here's my plans:

Coilovers (picked up some used Tein coilovers from eBay for $440)
Spacers on the steering (free angle)
Maintenance stuff (spark plugs, oil change, brake rotors & pads)
Valve cover gasket (since it's leaking)
Radiator & electric fan (OE fan delete, aka free HP to the wheels)
Gut the interior (weight reduction bro)
Bucket racing seats (picked up 2 new Speed Daddy's for $100)
A few odds & ends (door handles, hood struts, etc.)
Weld the diff
Throw on some 18" wheels (picked up a used set for $165)
Get an alignment

And then....MAAAADDDDD SKIDS!!!!!!

The 1st event I'll be able to attend (thanks to a buddy's bachelor party) is 2 months away so I've got enough time to make it happen, maybe... I do have 2 year old twins after all. Anyways, that's my plan. So far I've got $1,500 in the project & I expect to get to my 1st event w/less than $2k total. I've done a lot of reading over the last few weeks & I've got some other ideas in the works but I figure this will get me started & should help me decide if I want to keep doing it or focus more on my "track day" & autoX cars. Below are some of the other cars in my stable if anyone cares & I'm thinking about making some videos of my project for posterity so that my boys can watch it later in life & see that their old man was a dork & a gearhead thru & thru.

[protomor]

37 is mid life crisis territory? Jesus

[Nudnik]

37 is mid life crisis territory? Jesus

I used that title in tongue & cheek. I don't really believe in mid-life crisis.

[MikeE36]

Awesome project! Can't wait to see you out there!

Mike

[Nudnik]

My plan was to get my turbo Miata project running this weekend so I could move it out of the garage & swap in the bimmer but that didn't happen. I got the "new" motor in but it was 104 degrees yesterday so I ran out of steam before finishing. I still have to do a few more things before the Miata is running under it's own power so it may be another week or so before I can start on the bimmer. I'm getting pretty excited about working on the bimmer & getting it drift ready though. Anybody got a used radiator that they're looking to get rid of for cheap?

[Nudnik]

Anybody know where to buy steering rack spacers in the US? I've found a few on eBay from the UK but I don't want to worry about customs non-sense. If not then I guess I'll just run some washer but figured I'd ask 1st.

[JesterMX6]

http://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/sh...g-rack-spacers

[Nudnik]

http://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/sh...g-rack-spacers

I've read that thread but I was hoping to find single spacers instead of stacking 1mm shims.

[JesterMX6]

ah. yeah i've never seen any.

[Rustyfriend]

Shoot me a PM. I can get you setup with any size you would like.

[Nudnik]

Shoot me a PM. I can get you setup with any size you would like.

Rusty; I have no idea why I can't send you a PM anymore. Please shoot me a PM w/your email address so I can email you directly.

[jjjjjjj]

Mid life crisis, eh? Im right there with you. 34 and 2 kids... lol!! Welcome from Austin and maybe I'll see you out next season! Nice pickup (e36) and sick Volvo too.

[Nudnik]

I guess it's time to finally update this thread. So far I've replaced the radiator w/an aluminum radiator. That was probably not necessary b/c I discovered that the leak I thought was from the radiator was actually from the expansion tank but either way, an aluminum radiator will probably work better & now I have an OEM backup. I also pulled the mechanical fan & replaced it w/2 electric fans (wired thru the fuse box via a wire the previous owner ran for a ghetto replacement auxiliary fan... don't ask).


I've installed a set of used Tein coilovers & new rotors on the front along w/new brake pads.




I've also installed 4mm steering rack spacers as well as gutted the interior. I plan on installing the bucket seats in the next week or 2 plus a few other parts I ordered; some lower rear camber arms (thanks to bending the OE ones while unloading it from the trailer), front strut tower reenforcement braces, power steering reservoir, wheel studs spacers to allow for more room at full lock.

Finally, I can now officially say my BMW has a name. While pulling the dash out (decided to put it back in for now) I found a name tag that told me the name of my car. May I present to you Felicia!



I've got a bachelor party weekend to attend this weekend so I won't get to work on her again for a couple of weeks but I plan on getting her back down on the ground by the end of Sept. so I can get a drift alignment done to prepare for my 1st drift event on Oct. 4th.By the way, I'm surprised by how much the interior actually weighs. I didn't weigh it but I'm sure it dropped closed to 200 lbs. including those heavy ass seats.

I can't wait to get a roll bar installed so I can put in harnesses & to work one of my magic rattle can paint jobs on the body to make it look a little less ghetto.

[TheDonVon]

Got any picks of the seats you are installing? Where did you get them?

[Nudnik]

I will post pics of the seats when I install them & I bought them used but I'm pretty sure these are them.

http://speed-daddy.com/universal-ful...through-insert

[Nudnik]

Progress has been made. So over the weekend I got a few things knocked off my list. I set the ride height of my coilovers (might raise the front just a little more). Installed the 90mm wheel studs & 25mm spacers to give me a little more room at full lock (probably going to have to pull the fenders some ) I installed the front strut tower braces, replaced the power steering reservoir, flushed the power steering fluid & installed the lower rear camber arms.



Looks a little snug... might need to come up just a smidge.


On my to do list still:
Install the seats
Install door handles
Change the oil
Get an alignment
Install the steering wheel
Pull the fenders (or flare them)
Apply some RTV sealant to the sensor on the expansion tank (slight leak)
AND
Weld the diff

All this has to happen in the next 9 days (should be doable) in order to make my 1st drift event on Oct. 4th. I'm starting to get excited.

[Nudnik]

Wouldn't you know it, the closer I get to my 1st event, the faster progress is being made on my budget drift missile. This weekend I was able to get the last major obstacles (not to mention changing the oil) out of the way in preparation for next weekend. I still need to get an alignment & put on a couple of small pieces for the coolant system (i.e. expansion tank bleeder screw & a radiator clip) but other than that I'm almost done.

First thing I accomplished was getting my seats installed. It's a little ghetto for now & probably not the most secure setup but it'll get the job done until I can fabricate some better brackets (if I feel so inclined). The driver seat is about 3/4" off center to the left of the steering wheel & the brackets only slide forward & back about 2" but it fits pretty good for me & doesn't look too shabby.


I also got the diff pulled & welded (both sides of the gear have a pretty thick metal plate welded into place), which was surprisingly simple to pull. I'm hoping it'll be just as simple going back in.


Finally, I got door handles installed both inside & out on both doors. This certainly wasn't a requirement but I'm stoked to have gotten it done.



The only things left on my list are:
Put the diff back in
Get an alignment
Vacuum out the interior
Weld in foot plate under the pedals
Button up the lose wiring around the dash
Look at the wiring issues w/the brake lights & blinkers (not critical)

I'm really starting to get excited about this first event. Now I just have to hope my buddy can get my truck back up & running after I lost a wheel going 70mph down the highway (don't ask how b/c I still don't understand what happened) by the end of this week so I have some way of towing the car to the actual event.

[autowa]

Looks like you lost a wheel bearing and took the hub with the wheel?

Sent from my SGH-I337M POS

[Nudnik]

Looks like you lost a wheel bearing and took the hub with the wheel?

Sent from my SGH-I337M POS

Sad thing is I replaced that hub 6 months ago.

[Nudnik]

Well, I had my 1st drift event last Sunday & things went pretty well. I did have to do some trackside modifications to the fenders (aka rolled/stretched them using the jack handle) but everything else worked exactly like I expected it to.

I am expecting to do a few things to stiffen the chassis before the next event like; install an X-brace & strut tower braces as well as take a look at the front left coilover b/c I think the shock inside might have spun loose. I also ran into some power steering problems (leaked an ass ton of fluid all over the place).

Here are a few pics from the event & I plan on making a video from that day soon. I definitely learned a few things & must admit that I picked up on a few things a lot quicker than I expected to for my 1st time.

[JesterMX6]

looking good. even got some smoke getting kicked up what speeds were you drifting at? I'm still having a tough time with transitions after two events.

[Nudnik]

My speedometer doesn't work so I'm not positive but I was hitting rev limiter in 2nd gear if that tell you anything. Transitions is definitely tricky & mine are anything but consistent.

[JesterMX6]

haha sounds about right. which diff are you running? with my 3.91 top of second gear is about 50. if you're on the factory diff top of 2nd is 60mph. I was only curious because the track we run, i'm in 3rd gear initiating at 60 - 70 and it feels bloody insane trying to keep control at that speed since i'm a complete noob.

this is the page i used when selecting a diff to run. I know it says e46, but the ratios are accurate for the e36 as well.

http://www.bokchoys.com/differential...calculator.htm

[Nudnik]

I'm running the stock diff for a 325is so I'm not sure but it definitely feels faster than 40. When we were welding the diff, we estimated it to be approximately 3.10 gearing but not positive. This was a little different course then normal so we had a very short run in which means the 1st drift was pretty slow. The next event I think they're going back to the high speed entry which I'm told means you'll initiate at about 80mph. Sounds scary & uncontrollable.

[JesterMX6]

it is. but it's such a rush.