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Thread: Bennys E36 M3 Sedan Track Build - Updated Regularly

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
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    16' STI DD, 97' M3 Track

    Bennys E36 M3 Sedan Track Build - Updated Regularly

    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.

  2. #2
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    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.

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by JOwen View Post
    Those should be the coolant lines running into the throttle body.
    Thanks.. That is what I thought. Going to tap into the one coming from the head and put my water temp sender for my ProSport gauge. which happened to arrive today along with some others!

    Last edited by GG Emerican; 06-18-2016 at 09:16 PM.

  4. #4
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    Looks like it can be a very nice car with some love. I'd be more concerned about what's under the car. Rust, rear subframe, front suspension bits, etc but good luck with the build.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by bmw328m52 View Post
    Looks like it can be a very nice car with some love. I'd be more concerned about what's under the car. Rust, rear subframe, front suspension bits, etc but good luck with the build.
    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.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by GG Emerican View Post

    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.
    Bimmerworld has awesome deals on front susp overhaul kits as well as the pf bushings. I run pf and have no complaints.

  7. #7
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    e30 325i, e36 m3 sedan
    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

  8. #8
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    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.

  9. #9
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    1997 BMW M3 NASA GTS2
    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
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  10. #10
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    E82 128i, E36 M3
    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).

  11. #11
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    Looking forward to the results from the first event. Great start

  12. #12
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    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.

  13. #13
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    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

  14. #14
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    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?

  15. #15
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    Where in VA are you?

  16. #16
    MINIz guy's Avatar
    MINIz guy is offline #buttstuff2k14 BMW CCA Member
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    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.

  17. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by pDubs View Post
    Where in VA are you?
    I'm in Fredericksburg, about 45 min South of DC.
    Quote Originally Posted by MINIz guy View Post
    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.
    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.

  18. #18
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    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
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  19. #19
    MINIz guy's Avatar
    MINIz guy is offline #buttstuff2k14 BMW CCA Member
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    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

  20. #20
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    You're not too far from Dominion Raceway.

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  21. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by VALSBM3 View Post
    You're not too far from Dominion Raceway.
    Yeah that's the good part and main reason for the purchase of the e36. About 15 mins from me and 10 is on back roads.

    Have to figure out the next event to register for and try and get some Wheels before then.

  22. #22
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    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.

  23. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by ZippinGold612 View Post
    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.

  24. #24
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    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

  25. #25
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    From experience. Racing seat roll bar and 6pt. Completely different driving experience. Plus much safer.
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