Since Photobucket now charges a ridiculous price for photo sharing via external sites, please click the following for the album.
http://s271.photobucket.com/user/Emerican07/BMW%20M3%20Track/story
Updated - Parts List (as of 01/02/2020):
Suspension:
Feal 441 Coilovers with swift Springs (500f/500r - thinking about changing the rears out to 600?)
ST Suspension 30 mm front sway bar w/ bushings
[Removed & SOLD] UUC 24 mm rear sway bar w/ bushings
[Removed & SOLD] Turner rear sway bar end links
OEM X-Brace
Active Auto rear strut tower brace
Ebay front strut tower brace (looks only)
Powerflex Black front LCA bushings (95A, black)
E30 Lemforder Inner/Outer LCA ball joints
Powerflex Black RTAB (95A, black)
Revshift rear subframe bushings (95A, green)
Revshift rear diff mounts (95A, green)
New Lemforder rear inner control arm bushings (4)
New Lemforder rear outer control arm ball joints (4)
Turner rear swaybar reinforcements (weld)
Turner rear OE camber arm reinforcements (weld)
Wheels:
17x9 +41 D-force LTW in silver
255/40/17 tires Federal 595 RS-R tires
Motorsports Hardware 78 mm stud conversion kit w/ standard black nuts
Motorsports Hardware 15 mm traklite spacer (front only)
Interior:
Corbeau FX1 wide for driver side- I'm a bigger guy
Corbeau Forza for passenger
Corbeau seat bracket (both)
Red G-force harness (both)
Motion Motorsports infinitely variable side mounts D/s only (was able to mount the FX1 wide without cutting or anything custom)
BW Jaffster tall delrin shift knob
Custom OBC/sunglass holder aluminum plate
Prosport Gauges - Mounted in place of radio
-Water temp, Oil temp, Oil pressure
Sunroof tray delete with panel welded in
Custom 4-point roll-bar w/ x-brace
Gutted from front seats back including all speaker/wiring, seats, trunk, headliner, etc.
Brakes:
EBC Yellowstuff pads (F/R)
Blank rotors (F/R)
ECS Tuning SS Brake Lines
ATE Type 200 Fluid
UUC CDV delete fitting
UUC SS clutch line
Exterior:
Euro style Glass Headlights
Clear/smoked corners
Fog light delete panels
Black kidneys (plasti-dipped)
Euro style taillights - Red with clear turn signals
LTW Replica wing
Cooling:
Mishimoto Radiator
Mishimoto electric fan kit w/ fan controller
Mishimoto aluminum expansion tank
MIshimoto Silicone rad hoses
Stewart Performance Water Pump
88C Thermostat
Aluminum t-stat housing
DIY radiator ducting
Mishimoto 19 row Oil Cooler
S54 Oil Filter housing
VAC Oil Line adapter kit (AN Fittings for S54 OFH)
VAC Vanos conversion bolt (14 mm to 12, for S54 OFH)
Bimmerworld Oil Distribution block (for gauges & OE oil pressure)
Engine:
Vorshlag 70D Nylon motor mounts
Vorshlag 95A transmission mounts
Bimmerworld catback (Magnaflow)
Bimmerworld front Y Pipe - Race (Magnaflow)
Bimmerworld resonator adapter pipe (Magnaflow)
DIY intake Green Filters air filter
Bimmerworld silicone intake elbow with ASC delete
M50 manifold
Bimmerworld M50 manifold kit
Rebuilt Driveshaft w/ new Guibo & CSB
UUC Evo3 shifter w/ DSSR
Condor delrin carrier shifter bushing
New OEM shifter rod joint
New Plugs, ICV, CCV, OFH gasket, IM gasket, and other misc. maintenance
Injectors tested and ultrasonic cleaned
Good compression on all 6 cylinders
Fluids:
ATE Typ 200 brake/clutch fluid
Redline D4 trans fluid
Redline 75W-140 diff fluid
Rotella T6 Synthetic 5W-40 Engine Oil
Zerex G48 coolant 50/50 mix with distilled water
My Build Thread
Hello everyone. Been on the forums a while but haven’t owned a BWM… until recently. A little while ago I purchased an E36 M3 sedan with the intentions of turning it into a track car. It is a 97 with around 180k on it. The motor has been swapped with another S52 with lesser miles. But that is all I know as there is no records. The engine bay was painted black which is strange but in places where no normal spray can or brush could get. So it appears the engine was out of the car to do this. Again no proof and leaves me with no information on the mileage or maintenance history. Owner said a lot of general maintenance has been done such as alternator, water pump, radiator, fan clutch, clutch/flywheel, fluids, rear brakes, and tires. That is all I know. So not ideal but I got the car for $3,000 in NC and drove it around 4 hours home to VA with no problems (with the AC on). Not perfect or ideal start but the car looks to be in good condition and drives well. Certainly the track will put more stress on it and highlight areas of concern.
So, like mentioned, the car will be slowly turned into a track car. I am building the car by myself with some minor help from a few friends. I do not have an ultimate goal class wises but will be participating in HPDE for the time being and until I can get the car up-to-par. Thoughts now are Time Trial or GTS. Unfortunately I’m not rich so there is no “unlimited” budget for this car. The E36 M3 is a good starter car so getting it up to track condition (general maintenance) is first, then any “additional” upgrades will be added.
The mentality with the car is to upgrade things that are an issue or weak point and not throw parts at it. Money can easily make a great/fast race car. I will be adding a select few, quality parts as needed and as fit in hopes to make a good and competitive track car. The car will be primarily drive to and from (and on) the track. It will be 100% street legal but with a high focus on track mods. I plan to keep the AC (maybe take the belt off), power steering, and most of the interior. The two front seats will be replaced and back seats will likely be removed. I will post an initial “wish list” or “planned mods” on post #2.
Enough of my rambling… onto the pictures. Car sits mostly stock and in the process of parts being taken off/replaced. Lights, hood latch cable, windshield trim, spark plugs, fuel filter, motor/trans mounts, front pads/rotors, Mishimoto fan/shroud, and Mishimoto expansion tank are on the way. Other parts I want before my first event are coilovers, and LCA/swaybar/RTA bushings.
Can anyone confirm if this is an M52 manifold?
As you may be able to see from the post above.. he painted the IM a weird blue. In the picture it looks black but is an odd blue.
Fan shroud exploded and took the expansion tank mounting.. so this was his solution. Cheap but come one!
Had to make sure it was an S52 and not swapped with something else
Interior
P/O Hood release mod.. guess I got a free pair of mini vice grips
Hood insulation.. from previous fan clutch
Headlights.. one of the "not good" parts of the car. vision was horrible. I had to drive about 30 minutes on back roads and couldn't see more than 5 ft in front of me. One piece though...
My daily - another time I will explain why I did what I did
Roommates E30.. vert with a hardtop. Will also post his E38 DD.
Lastly... are these vacuum lines or coolant lines going into the TB?
Feel free to ask any questions about what, how, why I am doing what I am. Open to questions, comments, or concerns. Criticism is welcome however keep the negative attitude out please!
- - - Updated - - -
Some of the components bought as of now:
ProSport water temp gauge
VDO single din, 3 gauge panel (replace radio or put in the sunglass spot)
EBC YellowStuff front pads
Brembo Blank front rotos
ATE Typ 200 brake fluid
Mishimoto fan and shroud kit
Mishimoto expansion tank
New Depo Euro headlights
Lightly smoked clear corners
NGK BKR6E Spark Plugs
New fuel filter
Oil changed with Mobil 1 l
Diff fluid with Mobil 1 75W-90
Transmission fluid with Mobil 1 ATF
- - - Updated - - -
Reserved 2
Last edited by GG Emerican; 01-02-2020 at 08:58 AM.
Those should be the coolant lines running into the throttle body.
Expenses in F1 have gone down since the 1960s because teams don't need an extra pit crew to help the driver carry around his balls when he is not in the car.
Thanks and I will definately look into that. Want to replace most of the control arm/trailing arm bushing with some PowerFlex ones. Will do the rear subframe and rear diff mounts as well.
I'm registered for a 2 day event in July and want to get a good baseline before then. Suspension, brakes, cooling, and some general maintenance done. And of course some seat time to see how she does.
A lot of parts should be here by this weekend and will post another update.
Sub'd. I also gradually built up an m3 sedan with the same theme... Street legal HPDE car. Very jealous of your color though.
e30 1989 325i coupe, Alpine White
Well small update.. Got my water temp gauge in. Not to bad but unfortunately had to run them under the glove box to the fuse box with "add a circuit" connectors.. not a problem just more wire. The Prosport gauges piggy back power off of the other gauge so won't have to run the wires again for my oil pressure/temp gauges. Will have to run the sender wires though but now I'm an expert.
Suspension and a few more things come in this week.
Looks like a good start! That sedan will be stripped and caged before you know it
What event are you doing in July? I see you're in Virginia and a bunch of us are NASA people.
2011 F-150 FX4 | 1997 BMW M3 #404 GTS2 | 2006 BMW M3 Convertible
Out Motorsports
Good luck with the build! There are lots of TT/GTS2 guys in the DC area that can offer advice if needed. Introduce yourself to the E36 M3 TTD crew at the next NASA MA event (like Jake above, he's a fellow sedan driver).
Looking forward to the results from the first event. Great start
Well been a little while. Was on vacation and had a vacuum leak I was dealing with.
Replaced the spark plugs, coil pack boots, VC gasket, deleted ASC and the TB, bimmerworld silicone boot, cleaned ICV, MAF, and TB, new front rotors/pads, and now have an oil leak near the pan. Thinking the OP gasket but haven't checked it yet.
Got the motor mounts and trans mounts installed as well as the new headlights. And more parts waiting to be installed!
Need to do the following:
Install Coilovers, x-brace, and rear strut bar
Install rad fan shroud, fan, and expansion tank - wire up
Install short shifter, new shifter bushings, and new guibo.
Install SS brake lines and bleed brakes
Upgrade rear subframe and diff bushings/mounts
Buy new wheels and tires -> leaning towards 17x9+42 Apex ARC8 or 17x8.5 Kosei K1
Remove rear seats, headliner, carpet, speakers, OBC, radio
Few pics.
few toys and fan clutch removal tool
Weekend task is to get the coils installed and rad fan shroud/tank.
Last edited by GG Emerican; 07-29-2016 at 11:02 PM.
Not enough of my subscribed threads are being updated, you don't know how satisfying this update was man! All the best towards your build!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Well got my coils in. Like I mentioned I went with a different brand than most. No real reason other than to try it out. They are similar to the Fortune Auto coilovers which I have heard nothing but good things about. So I figured why not. I got a decent deal on them so pulled the trigger.
Here are a few pics. More to come and I will be making a separate thread just about them.
A few random pics.. new headlights with a before and after
Friends E38 on 19" work meisters
On the search for some wheels myself. Looking for 17x8.5 or 17x9 non-staggered. Thinking either Koseis or Apex which seem to be the norm. Wish they made a 17x9 5x120 RPF1 or NTO3 though. Maybe some 1552 tarmacs?
Where in VA are you?
Did you ditch the rear coilover setup in favor of a divorced spring/shock?
Can't go wrong with Kosei's or Apex's for a lightweight track wheel. Cheap too! I have 17x9 Kosei's that weigh 17lbs, they're not the prettiest but they function well.
I'm in Fredericksburg, about 45 min South of DC.
Yes. As tempting as it was to run them I didn't want to have any unexpected things happen.
And while a full cage with rear strut bracing and extra supports sounds awesome, I don't have the money for it at this time. Plus there are plenty of other things the car needs before that.
So I'm going with the traditional set-up and getting a bolt in cage. If things get serious and I get a full cage then I will have the rear strut mounts reinforced and look further into it.
But yea. Wheels and tires are next along with front and rear sway bars.
Looks great with the new headlights and smoked corners! I need to do that on my 'vert.
2011 F-150 FX4 | 1997 BMW M3 #404 GTS2 | 2006 BMW M3 Convertible
Out Motorsports
It isn't too hard to convert it to a coil over set up. Some perches and a new strut mount. But the divorced set up is tried and true with plenty of support and help.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using Tapatalk
You're not too far from Dominion Raceway.
2002 M3 | ESS VT1-455 | BW Race Exhaust | Hawk Pads | Ground Control Suspension | Whiteline Swaybars
Custom Roll Bar | Stripped Interior | Bride | G-Force | SneedSpeed Adjustable Rear Wing | Front Splitter
SneedSpeed Brake Cooling Ducts | D-Force LTW5 Wheels/Hoosier R6
Automotive Performance Technology, APTech - Follow us on Google+ or Facebook!
How do you like the Feal Coilovers? I am looking into getting coilovers for my M3 and those look like they might be a good one to check out.
Just finished up putting them in last night.. Fit perfect and no issues installing. I will be posting a thread on them with pictures and videos. Haven't driven on them yet so can't say for certain but they are definitely stiffer than stock!
A little more updated..
Like mentioned got the Feal Coilovers installed as well as UUC rear sway bar with Turner endlinks. Ordering the UUC front sway bar here soon. Also got some ECS f/r brake lines with ATE Typ 200 fluid. From what I've read it may not be the best for the track and should be changed every 2-3 events. We'll see, but it's 100x better than the old junk that's in there now. Also got the Mishimoto fan/shroud + expansion tank installed. Fit decent on the OEM rad, but I will likely be upgrading that soon.
Now my delima and maybe you guys with track cars can help. To spend ~$1500 on 17x8.5 Kosei K1s w/ 245 (or 255) RS3, 10 mm Spacers, and Apex extended stud conversion... Or around the same on a Kirk 4 point roll bar, Corbeau FX1 seats, Harness, and steering wheel+hub set-up. Which will also likely turn into gutting the whole interior.
Now onto some pics
And for the hell of it.. and because I miss it dearly. Never got around to tracking it but that was my next goal. My 07 Civic Si, with a Jackson Racing Supercharger, JDM conversion, Wedsport TC105N (not in the pic)
Last edited by GG Emerican; 08-20-2016 at 11:36 AM.
Not mine, and about 3-3 1/2 hours from you, but seems like really good price if you want to go to 18"s. I've bought a couple of other parts of the guy and easy to deal with. He has some left over parts from his E36 racer in storage. He has a really nice LSD if you want to drop some more money.
https://raleigh.craigslist.org/wto/5734513000.html
From experience. Racing seat roll bar and 6pt. Completely different driving experience. Plus much safer.
2003 330i ZHP (Sold)
2013 EBII 328i M-Sport 6MT (Sold)
1999 EB1 M3
2017 Tesla Model S
2005 996 Turbo
Bookmarks