2 minus 1= M3 clone track car

[kingston]

It's been awhile since I posted anything about an E36 on BfC, but I thought I would start documenting the progress on my new project car.

A little background is in order. My 1st BMW was a 1994 325is in Hellrot (although someone had painted the outside of the car in metallic grey). I loved that car, but it was written off in an accident

With its demise I bought an E3o, and spent the next 6 years developing the car from a nice, stock sedan to an S52-swapped track beastie. I loved that car, too but a friend of mine was towing it back from the track after a motor problem (more on that later), and unfortunately lost control of the trailer. It ended up whipping him off the road and the truck, trailer and my E3o rolled twice down a hill before coming to rest on their roofs, writing them both off completely. Thankfully, my friend was OK!

With the E3o gone, I thought briefly about rebuilding one, but decided that it was time to move back into an E36 chassis. I posted on a local FB forum looking for an E36 shell that I could build, and it took all of 1 hour to find one!

Plans for the car:
This will be an HPDE toy, at least for now, which is what my E3o was. The car will, however, get a full safety cage.
Rebuilt S52
Poly bushings everywhere
TC Kline Dual Adjustable suspension (picking this up on October 22nd!)
Recaro Pole Position seats in driver and passenger side (seats pulled from my E30)
G-Force 6 point harnesses (also from my E30)
Ground control Medium front sway bar/stock E36 M3 rear bar
3.15LSD for now. I will be on the hunt for a 3.23 down the line
Lightened a bit. The car will have carpet, at least for now, as current closest track to me is nearly 3 hours away, and I drive to/from events!
D-Force wheels in 17x9, running Hankook RS-3, Version 2's
MOMO steering wheel


The new project, Cinaed, AKA 'The Phoenix'

The car is a 1994 Hellrot 325is...just like my first car, although with the stock paint still! It is a bare shell, with only the fuel tank, rear subframe, rear 'windshield' and rear control arms attached. It is a rust-free car that I purchased with 1996-1999 M3 front suspension, and what was supposed to be M3 rear suspension (but turned out not to be).

This car would have been impossible for me to do, had it not been for the help of two important things: The first is my good friend/mechanic Bob Buxbaum, who offered to help me build a new car. The second is that I knew where there was a 1995 M3 parts car, also in Hellrot, for sale! The M3 had no drivetrain, much of the body was covered in the worst hail damage I have ever seen, and the title was jacked on it. It would never be a car again, but made the ultimate sacrifice to be a donor car for my E36 track project!


Bob strapping down the M3 donor car to his trailer.

Both cars are now down in Bob's very well-equipped garage.


M3 donor in the front, The Phoenix lurks in back...

- - - Updated - - -

Once both cars were at Bob's, we started to get a game plan together. There were several issues that had to be addressed The first was that one of the previous owners had decided to 'shave' the engine bay, but had not really done it properly. They left holes in the bay, but covered them up with a ton of Bondo.


That is a surprising amount of Bondo, and it was like this on both sides of the car.


Cleaning up the damage. New metal has been welded in now.

The second was that the same PO was going to fit an LS and T56, and cut a chunk out of the transmission tunnel. Good thing we had a donor car!




The original carnage, the patch piece from the donor car, and the fitment in the new car. The new panel has now been welded in and covered in seam sealer. I will be running a center console on the car, so the repair won't even be visible.

I took home the front subframe that came with the car, cleaned it up, and gave it a quick coat of red paint to help keep corrosion at bay.



And we installed it, along with a pair of new Lemforder control arms, and poly M3 offset front CABs.


And while I was at it, I cleaned up the fuel tank, inside an out.


- - - Updated - - -

So, we began to strip everything off of, and out of, the donor car...


Carpet is out...


...Wiring is out...


...Side skirts are off...


...rear bumper cover is off.


And now the rear bumper cover is on the 325!



The old suspension and subframe is off the car...


Subrame was cleaned up, and AKG Poly subframe bushings were installed (AKG front diff bushing is also installed in the subframe now).


New AKG Poly RTABs are in, too. I hadn't gotten to clean the trailing arms yet!!


- - - Updated - - -

Yanked the diff up onto the work bench and resealed it


And added AKG poly bushings to the diff ears


Hung the passenger door



Put the M3 trunk on (the 325is didn't come with a hood or a trunk), and de-badged it.


Got the horrible bubbling tint off of all the windows



And picked up some M3 Contours from UnloadedAK!


These are the street wheels, for getting to-and-from the track.


- - - Updated - - -

Started to clean up the tar residue that was left in the car.



Installed new seals on the HVAC box (the car won't run AC but it will keep the HVAC for defrosting the windscreen and keeping my feet warm on cold track mornings!



Bob has been hard at work laying out the wiring. We worked on it more yesterday.


Fuse box is in.


The wiring inside the cabin is coming along, too. It is already wired up and routed in the trunk and trunklid.


And the HVAC unit is in the car.

The next issue I have is that the 325is did not come with a key. I have titled the car in my name, but I cannot license it until I get a safety inspection. And I am not sure that BMW will let me get a key with just the title. We will see. I may have to wire up a 'start/stop' switch for now :/


- - - Updated - - -

And now the 'shell' has graduated to being a 'roller!'

[kingston]

Well, work on The Phoenix continues...

We were able to get a key code for the car from the dealer, since it is going on a non-EWS car, so that problem is sorted!

I pulled a pedal set from another donor M3


And got them installed that day. PITA!


Yesterday I headed to St. Louis and picked up a TC Kline Dual Adjustable suspension setup with GC tall RSMs, and a second set of springs. I cannot wait to drive the car with these!


I also picked up a Supersport catback exhaust for her for a sweet price.


We hung the driver side door, and I popped in the driver side rear quarter glass, just for kicks.


Bob welded in the first of the sunroof panel mounting tabs



We popped a spare hood on the car (I will get it painted, along with the trunk lid and mirror covers, which have peeling clear coat


And we laid down the carpet. I know, I know...but the closest track to me that is currently open is nearly 3 hours away. Driving to and from the track in a stripped out racer is nowhere near as fun as driving it ON the track!


The tilt steering is finally done and installed. Pics of that soon!

More soon!

[Patched]

The e36 looks gorgeous in red. Of course the e30 does too!

[kingston]

Well, my buddies who track their cars all have white E36 M3s...I needed something to stand out, LOL! I cannot wait to get the car all done and on the track...they are prettiest when they are in motion!

[kingston]

We knocked out a bit more work this evening.

The new suspension is on the car now...

The setup came with tall RSMs from Ground Control



She is sitting pretty now

The tilt steering column is in now!



I got a great price on the Mason Engineering Strut Tower Brace

[lbennyboobool]

very nice build so far

[kingston]

very nice build so far

Thanks man!

Just a little more work for now...

Levent at Guten parts came across some motor mounts for an E36 in his parts stash. They turned out to be a set of Vorshlag motor mounts, and he sold them to me for a great price! Thanks Levent!


The car will be going to a frame shop to make sure that everything is true before we do anything else. So we needed to be able to steer the car. I popped one of my MOMO wheels onto an E36 MOMO hub and installed it. I am considering staying with that wheel for the car, and maybe having it wrapped in Alcantara.



And The Phoenix sees sunlight for the first time in months! We were getting ready to push her up onto the trailer...


Tomorrow she gets strapped to a frame jig to see how everything looks. Fingers crossed!

I have also purchased a couple of other little parts for her, like front bumper shocks, and I have a line on a set of glass headlights. More soon!

[kingston]

Car is back from the frame shop. They did a litle pulling on the front horn on the driver side, but that was it. Everything is now perfectly in spec!

[kingston]

Here's another small update...
After the car came back from the frame shop, we realized that the front subframe we had was twisted. So, another reinforcement kit was ordered, and we took the front subframe from the donor M3. Everything is lined up perfectly now!

Sadly, a friend of mine got t-boned in his super-clean E36 M3/4/5. He was nice enough to sell me his headlights for a very nice price. Thanks Tyler!


I started installing some interior parts. I know it is a track toy, but given that the closest racetrack to me is 3 hours away, I will enjoy a little more creature comforts heading to-and-from the track. I will probably go with the MKAH version 2 door cards. Getting closer!



Next up: ordering S52 motor parts for the rebuild!

[Driiven]

subscribed, bob is a good guy! Knows these cars inside and out. You are lucky to have him local

[paynemw]

Sweet! Looking forward to seeing this getting tracked.

[pDubs]

How did you get the bubbling tint off? I removed all the other tint with a heat gun and it came off smooth. The rear vent windows were separating so I used a razor blade.

I cant get it off the rear window without the razor blade but didn't want to mess up the defroster wires

[kingston]

I used a heat gun and then sprayed windex right at the edge, which seemed to help break the glue up. Took quite a bit of time!

[kingston]

A little more progress...

The new motor is coming together. New oil pump, timing chain and guides, piston rings, bearings, bolts, gaskets, refreshed head...now I just need to find a set of S52 cams.


I scored a JB Racing flywheel for the motor for a great price. I will likely replace the friction surface -a nice feature of their flywheels without having to replace the entire unit!


I friend of mine has a Gripforce clutch kit for the flywheel, and I swapped him the steering rack from the donor M3 and $50 for the clutch kit.

I picked up an S54 oil filter housing for her as well, and will probably just go with a stock S54 oil cooler and lines for now. I will be monitoring oil temps to see of that is adequate, or if I need to upgrade to a larger cooler.

More soon!

[kingston]

Merry Christmas!

The S54 oil filter housing arrived last week, and I ordered the VANOS adapter bolt for it from VAC. At this point, I intend to use a stock S54 oil cooler and lines, and I will have gauges for Oil Temp and Oil Pressure.


The Sunroof Delete panel and a few other little pieces have been ordered. Still looking for a set of good condition S52 cams...

[kingston]

Work has resumed on the Mock3!

A set of S52 cams in decent condition were finally located, and the motor is basically complete now.


I have to swap out the stock oil filter housing for the S54 one still. The S54 oil cooler and lines were sourced and arrived last week.

I spotted a driver side set of used VAC floor mounts in Panjo and picked those up. I also bought the VAC side mounts. Fitment on both is perfect, and next weekend the sunroof panel should go in, then the car will get a new windshield, and we will install the driver side Recaro Pole Position seat


I bought an adjustable Turner 27mm front sway for the car, and picked up some Racing Dynamics poly swaybar bushings. Those will go in soon, as well.

More soon! Time to get this car ready for track season!

[jakermac]

Hope you're planning on spending some time with a vacuum before bolting a seat in there!!

[kingston]

Hope you're planning on spending some time with a vacuum before bolting a seat in there!!

LOL! Yes, the car was sitting outside and when I took the car cover off, leaves got in. I still have a little more wiring work before the seat goes in, and I will likely get the 1/2 cage in there first, as well.

[kingston]

Work continues on the Mock3..

The new Sachs clutch kit is in, and the motor and transmission are together!


With AKG motor mounts


And last night I found a Unicorn part. A Carbon Fiber wing with an adjustable CF Gurney Flap. I am very excited to have this part!




I just ordered a ton of new parts for the car, including sway bar drop links for the 27mm Turner front sway bar, a new M3 front bumper cover, ZHP shift knob, and some other miscellaneous parts.

WOOT!

[kingston]

Today I drove up to Omaha (in a snowstorm) to pick up a set of 17x9 Apex ARC-8s from my friend Adam (unloadedAK on this forum), as well as some brake calipers and carriers that he had rebuilt and powder-coated.

Brand new - only 1 of the 4 boxes had even been opened. Adam is moving his car down an even more hard-core path now, so these parts were superfluous to his build. Thanks Adam!!!!

I got home and had a nice box from ECS waiting for me


I also picked up a complete black interior for my E39 Touring while I was in Nebraska..not a bad day!

[kingston]

The motor and transmission are in the car! And moar parts are ordered...

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[kingston]

The front Turner 27mm swaybar is on, with new Poly bushings from Racing Dynamics and new OEM swaybar droplinks. Popped the radio delete plate on, and got the shifter sorted with an AKG DSSR and new derin bushings. Feels nice & tight, but I have decided to buy a Z3 shift lever for a shorter throw.

New windshield will be on the car soon, and the sunroof delete plate finally gets mounted on Saturday.

The BimmerWorld fuel starvation kit should be here Friday, and hopefully we can get that installed on Saturday as well! I will snap some pics then

[kingston]

Just minor updates.
We removed the S52 oil filter housing and installed the S54 one.


The Turner Motorsports underdrive pulley set (that was supposedly on backorder until April 14th) showed up today!


More soon!

[kingston]

It's like Christmas here today! The Bimmerworld stealth undertray arrived today...as did the Rogue heavy duty Race wheel studs an aluminum nuts...and the Z3 shift lever...and a vacuum line (not as sexy, but necessary!)

Unfortunately I still have not received my front wheel spacers from ESE Tuning, that I ordered on March 1st. Grrrr!

[kingston]

Front wheels spacers from 42 Draft Designs arrived today (ordered through ESE Tuning). Now I can finally fit my track wheels!

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