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Thread: E36 M3 RallyCross build!

  1. #76
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    Quote Originally Posted by Pyropete82 View Post
    X brace was only standard on m3 and vert e36 m/s52 chassis, you'll have to buy one of those front subframes or drill and weld the appropriate nutserts on
    The subframe that is in his current car will bolt into "any" of the E36 coupe/sedan chassis. It may even bolt into the Ti one as well. That I'm not sure about.

  2. #77
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    True. I couldn't see pictures in tapatalk so I figured "frame" damage, meant front end since the rear is in good shape?

  3. #78
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  4. #79
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    That's interesting since I just got an alignment myself and also have something tweaked/not matching up. Our cars have a 106" wheelbase, which should mean your passenger side (106.1") is correct and driver's side is messed up (106.6" is too long). I'm confused what end is tweaked though, since there's a .5" delta but the printout says the rear has a .3" delta. I am probably stupid and just reading it wrong though.

    My numbers for reference:

    Last edited by MINIz guy; 06-03-2016 at 05:59 PM.

  5. #80
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    I'm confused, you bought an m3 with frame damage, or did you total that in a recent crash too? The image shows evidence of passenger side impact is my guess from alignment? Which means the subframe from the m is probably tweaked

  6. #81
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    Quote Originally Posted by Pyropete82 View Post
    I'm confused, you bought an m3 with frame damage, or did you total that in a recent crash too? The image shows evidence of passenger side impact is my guess from alignment? Which means the subframe from the m is probably tweaked
    Ha, no, I apparently bought it like this. I haven't gotten into another accident.

  7. #82
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    Private sale or dealer? No recourse to sue I assume...?

  8. #83
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    Quote Originally Posted by Pyropete82 View Post
    Private sale or dealer? No recourse to sue I assume...?
    Private seller who has since died, so yeah, no recourse.

    So I've tried dealing with another frame shop to no avail. The shop said their machine isn't accurate enough to fix the problem, even before really inspecting it, so that was a waste of time.

    In the mean time, I've been talking with one of the guys I race with (Jeremy) who also races an E36, and he had an interesting idea I wanted to run by everyone. His idea was to weld one larger plates over the existing ones that go over the pocket. Shown below (plates are towards bottom of picture and have the four adjustment slots.

    IMG_0350.jpg

    After we weld new plates in, we would make the slots longer to allow them more room to adjust the toe back to spec. My only concern about that is how much room the bushings have inside the pocket. If I can adjust the tailing arms out of their "normal" range and back into spec, will that extra adjustment cause the bushings to bind? Does anyone know how much clearance there is on either side of the bushing inside the pocket? Can the pocket be forcefully spread apart to make room for the extra adjustment? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

  9. #84
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    the stance crowd often modify the rtab brackets to allow extra movement to dial out toe-in with massive camber and massive drops.
    i'd advise looking into that kind of mod first and go from there.
    always trying to make it lighter and faster

    ^^former build: http://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/sh...-neglected-M3/
    current build: http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsc...car-build.html
    instant grams: doktor_b

  10. #85
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    Quote Originally Posted by doktor b View Post
    the stance crowd often modify the rtab brackets to allow extra movement to dial out toe-in with massive camber and massive drops.
    i'd advise looking into that kind of mod first and go from there.
    As reluctant as I am to try anything the stance crowd does, I might need to. Happen to know of a good link?

  11. #86
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    Quote Originally Posted by 95maxrider View Post
    As reluctant as I am to try anything the stance crowd does, I might need to. Happen to know of a good link?
    Contact @makemerich_bitch on IG. Yea I know it doesn't sound credible but he's done a ton of trailing arm brackets with no complaints from anyone. He also welcomes text. seven57 seven71 one547.

  12. #87
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    Quote Originally Posted by bmw328m52 View Post
    Contact @makemerich_bitch on IG. Yea I know it doesn't sound credible but he's done a ton of trailing arm brackets with no complaints from anyone. He also welcomes text. seven57 seven71 one547.
    Cool, thanks for the heads up, I sent him a text.

    Here are some screen grabs of his work since you can't copy the image address...







    $150 shipped and they come powder coated black. Apparently they're mainly for stance guys with up to -9.5* camber, who need to get rid of excessive toe in, which is more or less my problem. I'm thinking of picking them up, what do you guys think?
    Last edited by 95maxrider; 06-29-2016 at 03:08 PM.

  13. #88
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    Quote Originally Posted by 95maxrider View Post
    $150 shipped and they come powder coated black. Apparently they're mainly for stance guys with up to -9.5* camber, who need to get rid of excessive toe in, which is more or less my problem. I'm thinking of picking them up, what do you guys think?
    i think it's a way better plan than trying to spread the RTAB pocket.
    it's designed specifically to remedy your issue. the cause is less important than the solution at this point.
    always trying to make it lighter and faster

    ^^former build: http://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/sh...-neglected-M3/
    current build: http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsc...car-build.html
    instant grams: doktor_b

  14. #89
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    Quote Originally Posted by doktor b View Post
    i think it's a way better plan than trying to spread the RTAB pocket.
    it's designed specifically to remedy your issue. the cause is less important than the solution at this point.
    I agree with this guy. If toe in is your main problem, then get these. The less you do to the physical chassis of the car as well as the factory adjustability to the suspension the better.

  15. #90
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    Ok, alignment question time. I ordered the adjustable brackets last night and they will arrive next week. I'm going to try and get the car ready for a race next weekend, and I'm going to be very limited on time to get an alignment before I leave. I'm wondering if I can just set the toe myself after installing these, or if I'll need to re-do everything after setting toe. I'm fine with the rest of my alignment specs as they currently are, but I'm not sure how much they're going to change when I get back to factory toe in the rear. Can anyone guide me on what's I'm going to be dealing with?

  16. #91
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    Quote Originally Posted by bmw328m52 View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by doktor b View Post
    i think it's a way better plan than trying to spread the RTAB pocket.
    it's designed specifically to remedy your issue. the cause is less important than the solution at this point.
    I agree with this guy. If toe in is your main problem, then get these. The less you do to the physical chassis of the car as well as the factory adjustability to the suspension the better.
    I agree with their agreement. You have an issue and these are specifically designed to alleviate that issue. Should get you back to green.

  17. #92
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    So I'm really curious how these work out for you. I've had 2 shops tell me my passenger RTA toe was "less" adjustable than the driver side. My car has no history of impacts recorded before my ownership. I thought my issue was just a BMW design maybe based on having an open dif and weighted alignment?...strangely enough the caster in front on the passenger side is slightly different from the drivers side also. Are the stock alignments on all 4 corners equal? Aren't our geometries based on weighted alignments, or do I in fact have the same scenario as Rider here?

  18. #93
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    I'm assuming front end alignment has been squared away. Therefore, install brackets on both sides in the rear. But since your adjustability is limited on one side, you will have to use that side as your reference point. And then set the other side accordingly. However, I wouldn't think setting toe on the opposite side in the exact same position would yield similar results compared to the side you're having problems with. You will also be affecting camber when changing the toe. So yea alignment is pretty important in your situation.

    - - - Updated - - -

    Quote Originally Posted by Pyropete82 View Post
    So I'm really curious how these work out for you. I've had 2 shops tell me my passenger RTA toe was "less" adjustable than the driver side. My car has no history of impacts recorded before my ownership. I thought my issue was just a BMW design maybe based on having an open dif and weighted alignment?...strangely enough the caster in front on the passenger side is slightly different from the drivers side also. Are the stock alignments on all 4 corners equal? Aren't our geometries based on weighted alignments, or do I in fact have the same scenario as Rider here?
    Jack up the car and look for signs of impact first. Alignment is tricky on BMWs because shops think they require "special tooling." I've had numerous shops tell me that they can't and won't due alignment on my e36. I don't usually like taking my car to the dealership, but this is one task that is worth doing with certified BMW mechanics if all else fails.

  19. #94
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    Wow, this is an amazing thread! I'm right in the middle of a somewhat comprehensive (but MASSIVELY low dollar) rebuild of a really POS 328i I picked up about 6 weeks ago, and reading through this thread was all pretty familiar to me now even though this is my first e36. FWIW, e36es are soooooooo cool to work on and buy parts for compared to e39s. Lol

    At any rate, I will hopefully have all of the stuff completed on my rear subframe within the next couple of days, and now I can't wait to get that sucker back in the car so I can start working on my alignment. I do all of my own alignment work in my own garage with old fashioned tools and trigonometry, but it has never failed me so far.

    One thing I need to do when I get time is take your degree readings for your rear toe and convert them into inches of total toe in. When you first said 1" of toe in on the right rear, and then they matched the left side to that, I about fell out of my chair. VERY glad to know it was just a typo! Haha. Once I do the trig to convert the 1 degree toe in per side into inches, I will have a better idea, but I don't know that I buy the notion that your rear alignment was causing your car trying to kill you problem..... Is it possible anything in the suspension was just left loose? Probably not, since that would most likely have been noticed by the alignment shop or the frame shop. Hmmmmm.....

    - - - Updated - - -

    Well, it's been a while since I've done my most recent alignment, and that is what it usually takes to get me brushed back up on trig, so I'm very rusty. Can anyone confirm that assuming a ~24" tire, measuring total toe with toe plates where you measure across the car at the front and rear of the tire treads (down low on the tires, so the front and rear measuring points are actually only about 21" apart front to rear, would be about .71" toe in?

    In other words, the average toe in of .965 degrees per side, on a measuring distance/adjacent side of 21" would give an opposite side length of .354" per side. Doubling that opposite side length to .71" toe in the way I would measure it, it is quite a bit more toe in than I have ever driven a car with. However, I don't really think that would cause the problem that you reported. It will be interesting to see how your car handles after you get the rear toe corrected with the RTAB brackets!!

    What is your current ride height like compared to stock?
    Last edited by tptrsn; 06-30-2016 at 12:45 PM.

  20. #95
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    Quote Originally Posted by tptrsn View Post

    In other words, the average toe in of .965 degrees per side, on a measuring distance/adjacent side of 21" would give an opposite side length of .354" per side. Doubling that opposite side length to .71" toe in the way I would measure it, it is quite a bit more toe in than I have ever driven a car with. However, I don't really think that would cause the problem that you reported. It will be interesting to see how your car handles after you get the rear toe corrected with the RTAB brackets!!
    This is the reason you go to a shop with a proper alignment rack...You can do all the calcs you want and DIY, but you'll only get close. Once I took it to the dealership it was perfect. Noticeable difference too.

  21. #96
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    Quote Originally Posted by bmw328m52 View Post
    This is the reason you go to a shop with a proper alignment rack...You can do all the calcs you want and DIY, but you'll only get close. Once I took it to the dealership it was perfect. Noticeable difference too.
    Yeah, I just made an appointment at a good local shop to get the alignment done. I'm not going to try to teach myself trig and all that jazz just to wind up with a half-ass alignment. Besides, I need that fancy printout to verify that the problem is indeed resolved!

  22. #97
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    Keep us posted.

  23. #98
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    Quote Originally Posted by bmw328m52 View Post
    This is the reason you go to a shop with a proper alignment rack...You can do all the calcs you want and DIY, but you'll only get close. Once I took it to the dealership it was perfect. Noticeable difference too.
    To each his own, but for my purposes I ALWAYS come out much better by doing my own stuff than I do by going to any alignment shop I have available. If you're not into it, so be it. Sounds like you are comparing a crappy alignment like my local alignment shops do against a decent alignment.

    One year I dabbled with a bit of autocross and won the extremely competitive STS class in four regions nearest to me with suspension components I made in my garage, and home alignments. Home alignments don't have to be halfassed, and you can adjust your setup to your heart's content. But yeah, it's a hassle to get all of the gear around and get all brushed back up on trig that most of us haven't used in years...

  24. #99
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    Ok guys, I've got another question. The entire time I've owned the car I've noticed that the power steering feels a little "uneven". It doesn't matter if the car is moving or parked, but the response just doesn't seem normal. It seems like the assist comes and goes. The fluid level is fine and the tie rods are new, so I'm pretty sure it's something inside the PS system.

    But then I did a little digging and I came across a thread that had some good info:
    http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=159559

    That guy's problem sounds worse than mine, but one potential solution given was to lubricate the u-joint on the steering column just in front of the firewall, and it looks like a bunch of people reported that solved their problems, so I think I'm going to give it a try. Probably PB Blaster first, then white lithium grease instead of WD40. Or maybe graphite spray? What do you guys think, am I overlooking anything? There are no weird noises coming from the pump or rack.
    Last edited by 95maxrider; 06-30-2016 at 01:20 PM.

  25. #100
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    Go offset lollipop from bimmerworld, increase front sway bar size to 28mm+, adjustable links, and new rag joint. All of your nightmares will go away, and you'll have on the fly response in steering. Unless you are experienced binding, not sure what lubricating a u-joint does

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