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Thread: 1996 328 HPDE Build on the Cheap

  1. #1
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    E36 Track Rat, E46 M3 DD

    1996 328 HPDE Build on the Cheap

    I've had the car for a while but figured I'd do a log of what's been done to date, and the on-going work.

    About Me: I have always wrenched as a hobby / stress relief, and usually owned a toy / classic car on top of my DD. My track experience is limited to a couple of years racing club Formula Fords (an '82 Reynard) with the FRCCA. Great club, but the instruction was limited to, here are the flags, there is the track, don't hit anything. I wouldn't recommend that anyone start out in a formula car, in car instruction isn't exactly possible. After a couple of years, a job change and yet another corporate relo, I sold the FF.

    Last fall, I took my E46 M3 up to VIR to run the fall charity laps. That was a huge mistake. I got the itch again.

    The Car: In January 2016, I purchased a 1996 328 for $2,000. It had been in the same family for at least 10 years. The owner was an active autocrosser, so this car had seen a fair bit of autocross duty over the years. As purchased:


    • 220k miles
    • Straight and Rust Free
    • Cheap warm air intake
    • Long long maintenance spreadsheet (coolant system, third clutch, etc)
    • Interior is very nice, only rear issue is the typical seem seperation at the back of the seats
    • Re-paint wasn't very high quality, and the clear is peeling at the front and back of the roof
    • Bilstein Sports
    • Decent aftermarket wheels with cheap but new tires
    • SS Brake hoses, brass caliper guides
    • Spares (Hotchkis Front Sway, H&R race springs, studs)
    • Trailer Hitch
    • Poly RTABs, and LCABs
    • Leaky oil pan (gasket in spares pile)


    The goal is for a fun "realtively" cheap, HPDE car.

    As-found Condition Photos:

    20160215_180847985_i_OS_2.jpg

    20160215_180904863_i_OS.jpg

    20160213_213905561_i_OS.jpg

    20160213_213841854_i_OS.jpg
    Attached Images Attached Images

  2. #2
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    Prep for First Track Day

    My first track day was in June with the local BMWCCA at VIR. So I started to prep the car:

    Replaced:
    • All steering hoses, and reservoir
    • Purchased a second set of BMW rims (16") - $150
    • Purchased a very gently used (hard to tell if used or new) set of RA1s - $100
    • Replaced all the fluids
    • Replaced engine & tranny mounts
    • Replaced shifter bushings
    • Install Hawk HPS+ pads


    Over-all the track weekend was a success for it's first shake-down run. I requested D Group, but got bumped up into C Group, presumably due to my previous track experience. Ended up being a good fit. Having an instructor in the car was extremely helpful. I learned more in a weekend than in 2 years of trying to learn on my own in a single seater.

    The good:
    • Engine is very strong pulled hard all weekend
    • The RA1s were a lot of fun
    • I passed about as many cars as passed me after the first learn the track session. In my group, there were lots of E46 M3s, some new M3s, a Porsche GT3. Obviously, anyone with similar driving experience in GT3 passed me like I was standing still. There isn't a substitute for $100 grand, ,and 200 HP :-)
    • My instructor seemed to enjoy thrashing around in a track rat, verses just another new M3 in the group


    The bad (Day 1):
    • Started to over-heat on the third session of day one
    • Pulled into the paddock, and spitting coolant. Let it cool, topped back up, and bled
    • Went back out, over-heated again, so pulled back in
    • After much struggle to locate where it was spitting coolant, found that the 1/4" over-flow hose on the top of the radiator had come undone and had hit the fan. Tiny hole, big mess.
    • Took the wife's SUV to the nearest auto-parts store, less than $5 later, problem was fixed


    Day 2:
    • Took a few easy laps, with instructor watching the coolant gauge. No power issues, no head gasket failure, lots of power. VERY RELIEVED


    Day 2 Issues:
    • As I got faster, the brakes got softer. The brakes were smoking after the first session
    • Rebled the brakes, but still had the same heating issue on the second session.
    • Car Ran great, other than the brakes getting a bit spongy.


    20160619_114239660_i_OS.jpg

    - - - Updated - - -

    Here is a clean lap in my cheap track rat. A LOT of fun for the money. Not looking for driving critique, but posting to show that you can have lots of fun without buying the latest / greatest. Shot with my Replay XD mounted to the dash, not quite level. Haven't found a great place to mount the XD. Easier in the FF, I just mounted it to the hoop.




    - - - Updated - - -

    The second (and last for the year) BMW CCA event is the last weekend of September. Not many changes required, but I needed to addressed the brake cooling issue.

    I did brake cooling ducts, on the fairly cheap.

    Sneed4Speed backing plates ($75)
    Generic ducts to replace the fog lights (2 x $13 Summit)
    Mid-price brake duct, 10 LF ($55)
    3" hose clamps x 4 ($5)

    Pretty straight forward install. I had already replaced the front wheel bearings, so I just popped these off, and removed the stock dust covers, including the cover over the ABS. The inlet took a lot of test fitting to get it roughly the same size as the fog light opening. It was held in temporarily with a couple of screws, but I filled in around the back with windshield adhesive I had on hand. That stuff is super strong.

    Like most everyone else, I get about 1-1/2 turns each direction before rubbing. Plenty for the track. I will remove the hose for the winter months. When I redo the hose next time, I think I can get a bit more, by using a longer length of hose.

    I also replaced the Hawk HPS+ pads with HP10 pads, hoping to get a bit more life out of them.

    I swapped an M50 manifold onto the car. Purchased at the LKQ 40% off day, I think I paid $25.

    Sunroof was pulled and a carbon fiber panel was inserted. Bought used off Craigslist for $100.

    I also put the wheel studs in that came with the car, and get a set of nuts for $20 (new, guy bought them and never used them, also included a set of new long studs). Changing wheels at the track with bolts in a pain.

    20160902_150730304_i_OS.jpg

    20160904_000305950_i_OS.jpg

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    20160904_000630401_i_OS.jpg
    Last edited by wake74; 09-03-2016 at 10:31 PM.

  3. #3
    Join Date
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    This also followed me home one day

    This little cutie also followed me home one day. I thought it was a steal at $150. Included the two aluminum tool boxes, and the cooler all mounted up with an LED light kit. The pics are me testing fitting the tires, and the pop-up.

    20160820_170523763_i_OS.jpg

    20160820_170540191_i_OS.jpg

    - - - Updated - - -

    And here's one of the Summit Racing inlet ducts from the front. Sorry for the bad photo, but you can see where I cut it to fit, and recessed slightly into the bumper.

    Attachment 581332

  4. #4
    Join Date
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    Rock it! Good build.

  5. #5
    Join Date
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    the instructor in your track video was pretty good.

    coming to NCM at the end of sept? i tried but I'm am only a 1 seater. they said i don't qualify for BMW CCA solo.

    NCM is not a brake destroyer.

  6. #6
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    Aeronaut - Thanks!

    G60 - My instructor was great. He made my return to the track (first time ever in a street car) a relaxing, stress free weekend. Here is a funny audio clip of one corner at VIR. This was from the second session on Saturday I think. Turn 3. You'll need to turn the audio up to hear him.

    I'm running the full course at VIR the last weekend in September.


  7. #7
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    "so much track" haha.
    will have a second seat by next season for some instructor sessions.
    VIR... one day!
    Last edited by poweredbyg60; 09-07-2016 at 10:34 PM.

  8. #8
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    Also check out Tarheel Sports Car Club. They run a great event and have really good instructors and a particularly great classroom program.

  9. #9
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    VIR - End of Year Wrap Up

    The last Tarheel BMWCCA HPDE came and went over the weekend. Great weekend, wonderful weather. My last instructor was not at the event, so I had a different one, a much different approach to the previous instructor. Not sure if it was better or worse definitely different.

    The good:

    • XP10s - Absolutely fantastic. So much better than the HPS pads. Really struggled on Saturday with the increased braking capacity. Kept braking early, which led to either early turn-in, or a bit of coasting to turn in. No complaints at all. They were a bit loud on the way home. The HPS will go back in for the winter.
    • Brake Cooling Ducts - My low budget brake ducts solved the brake fading issue I was having at the previous weekend. I now have more brakes than braking ability
    • Track Exercises - I really liked the session where we did the leap frog passing with a partner, and the off-line driving. I managed to go four wheels off while trying to hang close to the gaters in Oak Tree. A good lesson in what happens when you carry too much speed on an early Apex. It was a slow speed exercise, no harm done, and a good learning experience :-)
    • Classroom Sessions - The club brought in a instructor from the NJ reason, Ingrid Steffensen. She wrote the book Fast Girl, and apparently works with Ross Bentley. She's a professor for her day job so was very comfortable teaching. I don't think her style was for everyone in the room but I found her both informative and entertaining.
    • 245k and counting - She turned 245k miles while at the track, and seems to be still chugging along. No problem with 6k shifts
    • Trailer - My little tire trailer worked well. No issues towing her with the E36.
    • Parts Purchase - Someone was selling parts cheap (end of season?), so I picked up a UUC SSK / DSR, camshaft tools, detent tools, a heat shield I needed for the cheap CAI that came on the car, and numerous OBDII engine sensors still in their sealed dealer boxes :-)


    The Bad:

    • Heel-Toe: My lack of heel-toe is really starting to become a problem, very noticeable going into 1, and Oak Tree. The combination of the much better brakes, no harnesses, and crappy slick E36 seats is not helping. I'm having to pin my left foot to stay in place. By not blipping the throttle, I'm getting some engine braking which is causing a weight shift, and rears are getting lite, and chirping, or getting a bit squirely. I need to drive my E36 more and practice this winter. My TTFS tune in my E46 M3, results in perfect heel-toe like rev-matching on every downshift. I've gotten lazy :-)
    • My seats suck: While the seats are in very good shape for 245k miles, they have no support whatsoever. I'm wasting too much energy staying in place
    • 3 Point Belts Suck: I need to do something different with the seats in belts
    • Need more HP: I know everyone says that. Okay, so I'm never going to keep up with E46 M3s or the GT3s or Vettes in the group, the girl isn't a HP beast. I'm not out for the lap times but it makes for difficult passing. I'm catching up with the slower cars in say the Snake, getting a point by, but struggling to pass before the Esses, without the other car having to lift. If I time my catching up so that I'm rapidly approaching the slower car at the end of the curves, I'm okay. If I'm behind a car at the end of the curves, passing is a struggle. I need a "Push to Pass" Button.


    Winter Projects:
    • Figure out what to do with seats and belts. I want to go back to wearing the HANS that is sitting in my closet. I can go half cage with belts and fixed back seats. I can go stock cloth seats, preferably cloth and Schroth Quick Fit Pros. I can go after-market adjustable seats with the Schroths. I sat in someone's relatively inexpensive cloth after-market seats, and they fit me well.
    • Learn to properly drive a stick :-)
    • Determine what to do with the engine. At 245k miles, I'm leary of dumping money into it, such as putting in M3 cams. I can put drop in an S52 for probably $1,500 before I start all the while the engine is out projects. It's occasionally street driven, and subject to inspections including emissions here in NC
    • LSD?
    • Discover way to hide car part funding from wife


    Sorry for the verbose post. I'll post some pics in the thread from the weekend, and a couple of videos when I finish processing them.

    - - - Updated - - -

    DSC_0690.jpg

    DSC_0716.jpg

    DSC_0759.jpg

    - - - Updated - - -

    And a lap around VIR from Sunday morning. Yup, I'm still slow, but getting more consistent :-)

    Attached Images Attached Images

  10. #10
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    Some unsolicited advice, get some plates welded in to reinforce the rear subframe mounts. This is a pricey en devour but 100% necessary sooner rather than later, especially on the tire compound you are running now.

    When you go to a LSD, the shorter gearing change will give you the feeling of having added power without doing so. I would recommend getting the rest of the car sorted so that you can comfortably push 10/10 without needing to brace yourself in your seat (& carry more speed, rev match downshift, etc). A bucket is always the first thing I do with the OEM 3 point, then a rollbar & harness when funds allow. It is difficult to know exactly what the vehicle is doing when you have to brace yourself in the seat during cornering. Once you have those simple things done, you will find passing those higher HP cars much easier, just like the Miata guys do. Their secret is removing problems which inhibit carrying maximum momentum/power at all times.

  11. #11
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    Was out there the other weekend at VIR observing from the sidelines and a ride-along with an instructor for giggles. Thanks for posting the update on your adjustments for us fellow e36ers. I'll be out there in mine come the spring event.

    +1 for your last winter project. I still haven't figured out how to do that yet either.

  12. #12
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    Going to look at a set of Corbeau A4s tonight, previous version but never been mounted in a car. I am going to do this and Schroth Quick Fit Pros for next year. I have a lead on a set of the Quick Fits, just waiting for them to be pulled.

    Gearhead919 - are you going to run with the THSCC or the Tarheel BMWCCA next year?




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  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by wake74 View Post
    Going to look at a set of Corbeau A4s tonight, previous version but never been mounted in a car. I am going to do this and Schroth Quick Fit Pros for next year. I have a lead on a set of the Quick Fits, just waiting for them to be pulled.

    Gearhead919 - are you going to run with the THSCC or the Tarheel BMWCCA next year?



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    My unsolicited advice would be to use a fixed side-mountable seat and proper harnesses. There's no need to recline in a properly installed race seat and side mounting is SO much stiffer than bottom mounting. You can also get the seat lower if that's a concern. Corbeau FX1s are good and priced well.

    I've had A4s in an E36 before because I wanted a nice dual purpose car, but it wasn't long before I wanted more out of seats and got rid of them. They're no more comfortable than a nice race seat, except they probably breath better not being a shell. I've done 12 hours in my Cobra Suzukas before.

  14. #14
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    The Tarheel BMWCCA. Also, sent you a PM.

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by TXBDan View Post
    My unsolicited advice would be to use a fixed side-mountable seat and proper harnesses. There's no need to recline in a properly installed race seat and side mounting is SO much stiffer than bottom mounting. You can also get the seat lower if that's a concern. Corbeau FX1s are good and priced well.

    I've had A4s in an E36 before because I wanted a nice dual purpose car, but it wasn't long before I wanted more out of seats and got rid of them. They're no more comfortable than a nice race seat, except they probably breath better not being a shell. I've done 12 hours in my Cobra Suzukas before.
    The problem with going down the road of fixed back and six points is that I would also need a cage. I like the ability to drive the E36 if I am in the middle of a project with my E46 M3 Vert or if the weather is crappy and not convertible weather. Not ready to haul the kid to school in a race seat in the front seat :-)

    If a few years down the road, I want to go full race mode; I will part out the E36 and just buy an already down race car.






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  16. #16
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    Not much going on as of late, while I ponder the typical decision of going 1/2 cage and fixed backs vs reclining seats and Schroths. And obviously my budget build is nothing like those other full of eye candy builds currently posting here :-)

    I am cleaning up the engine bay a bit by getting rid of the ASC throttle body and the cruise to make more room near the CAI.

    I did run a cold compression test on the old girl today. Quite impressive for 250k miles.

    1-205
    2-210
    3-212
    4-215
    5-215
    6-210

    The POs maintenance doesn't list last plug replacement but I say they look pretty good.

    German Engineering







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  17. #17
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    The "budget" part of the build took a pretty big hit today with the purchase of two proper race seats. I think I did okay at $700 for the pair with VAC side mounts. They are still in date for a couple of more years, but that won't matter with HPDE anyway. One of them is a Cobra Imola Pro, and one is a Cobra Suzuka Pro.

    I'm just going to bite the bullet and go roll bar, fixed back seats, and six points.



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  18. #18
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    Very nice, I look forward to your impressions once you get it back out onto the track. Are you going to keep the budget low and go with a bolt in rollbar over a weld in custom? Kirk seems to make a nice product that fits in best with us budget conscious folk, but a gentleman on this forum has made his own for the last couple of years with great reviews for slightly more that seems to be more well made for its intention. I am at this exact crossroads with my track toy.

  19. #19
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    I'm not going to go full cage. I currently don't have a proper tow vehicle, so it needs to remain street legal. Not to mention, I'd like to be able to daily drive it a bit, when the E46 M3 is under the knife for whatever reason.

    I've been corresponding with Ben a bit (the guy on the forum making them). Reviews so far are very good. My parents are driving down from Maine over the holidays, so I'm pondering just having them make a quick stop in CT to save on shipping.

  20. #20
    MINIz guy's Avatar
    MINIz guy is offline #buttstuff2k14 BMW CCA Member
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    rolls coal
    Looks like you got a deal with those seats.

    Could you do me a favor and measure the thickness of your bottom and thigh cushion? I'm making custom cushions for my seats to give me extra height, and trying to ball park what other cushion thicknesses are. Your cushions look pretty thick.

  21. #21
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    I'll try to measure them over the weekend. The seats are just setting loose in the car for now. According to the PO, he ordered the Suzaka seat with a thicker than normal knee cushion. He was a fairly tall, skinny guy, and found that to be more comfortable.

  22. #22
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    Got the drivers side mounted up today. A bit more work than I thought but had to make an extra hardware run that didn't help. This is mounted using Corbeau base and sliders and VAC side mounts on their lowest setting. It's fairly well lined up behind the wheel and the side bolster just clears the B pillar trim. I need to pop my helmet on, seems to sit a bit taller than the stock seat.

    I am 34/35" waist and about 175 lbs, I wouldn't want to be any bigger in the Cobra seat. I will have to request skinny instructors moving forward :-)

    Decided to hit up the local pick-n-pull for a pair of E30 seat belt receptacles vs reusing the pretensioner ones. Next time the seat is out I will reroute the outside belt attachment through the seat. It sits across my waist above the bolsters but could be a bit tighter.




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  23. #23
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    Great work, always nice to see tracked out sedans

  24. #24
    mslevin's Avatar
    mslevin is offline Have you checked RealOEM? BMW CCA Member
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    FYI- you can use the rear center buckle from the E36 instead of the E30 buckle. Only problem is that it doesn't have the still cable that the E30 one does, so putting on the seatbelt is kind of a two hand operation. Ask me how I know

  25. #25
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    The thing that most improved my heel-toe shifting was race seats and 6-point harnesses. You'll notice a world of difference when your left leg is no longer responsible for holding your whole body in place.

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