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Thread: 99 E36 M3 STU/ GTS2-3 build #thesilvercar

  1. #1
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    99 E36 M3 STU/ GTS2-3 build #thesilvercar

    Hey wanted to start a build thread to try and chronicle everything I've been doing to the car. Been lurking on here for years and have raced Honda's Miatas and what not as well as tracked about every car I own. This hobby started for me when I was a kid as my dad raced CRX's then Integras back in the day. When I graduated college I bought an MKIV Supra and instead of using it on the drag strip and on the highway, I built and modified it for track use. My vision for that car was a GT3 version of the Supra. Car was great, it would run mid 20's at Sebring. Lo an behold about 8 years later I sell it and bought the real deal, a 997.2 GT3RS which is the baby. I tracked it for several years and then it started appreciating. A Lot. So now it sits in the garage. Meanwhile I raced a Honda Prelude and a Miata Cup car whenever I could.

    Supra:


    Blue Car:




    Fast forward, I wanted to buy an E30 M3, realized I had no where to put it, so I didnt buy it. Convinced my wife that we should move to a house with a 3 car garage, we did. Then I had no money left over. So instead of the E30, I thought man, I can sell the Honda and build an E36 in the garage with the kids. The E36 was my childhood dream car, always loved the look of them, I had instructed in may of them, my brother in law has had several of them, So that replacement parts were not astronomical, and said F it.

    So here we are. I tried to find a car that was not too beat up. Thought about buying a track car that was built already, but I have been down that path and it's a mess. Trying to fix people's short cuts and the like. Plus, some of the funnest parts of this hobby is making the car better. SO I searched for about a month and pulled the trigger on this car:

    No that's not me in the background!


    Car had a clean carfax, had not been wrecked, plus it had a great service history and a couple of mods that I would want anyways, like cams, manifold, HFM and a tune. The serrvice history on the car is insane. Literally. Turns out it was Billy Johnson's old car. He had a maintenance log like I have never seen. THis is the car:
    http://www.motoiq.com/Projects/BMW/E36M3(Silver).aspx



    Car was really clean.



    Here she is in front of the F80:


    Picked it up in march and have been slowly building it. I wanted to try and document the progression. The first two times out in the car, it broke. Thankfully I had a nice students who let me drive their cars. First time it broke because of wheel rub in the back and I blew a tire. Second time the radiator neck fitting decided it was going to break right while I was going through bishop's bend at Sebring. That is here: http://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/sh...ting-fail-live

    On KW's and the Direzza I did a 2:41 on my second lap ever on the car before the radiator neck blew up so that's all I had to work with. Car had at least a couple of more seconds in it. I wasn't going to the track for about a month or two and had ordered a bunch of crap for the car, so I abandoned the baseline time and changed suspension and did a mild interior strip of the car. All I did was remove the back sets, and all the crap in the trunk:


    Left with this:


    I'll put a picture of the suspension setup:


    My plan for modifications is to buy things once. So if I have to go slowly because I can't pull the trigger on what I want, then I will until I can pull the trigger. That's why I got the MCS Doubles. I got the car corner balanced and it weighed just under 3300 with my fat ass in it and I almost nailed the ride height. Some small tweaks and we got it right. Left the car on the high side for ride height because I wanted to make sure the Hoosiers fit without rubbing.

    I went back out the next event and ran a 2:38 on Direzza's just to set a base line in the first session. Nothing broke, brakes felt great, so I threw on the Hoosiers after going through three different spacers to make them work.

    Two wheeling on the DIrezza's:


    For STU, I have to run on an 17x8 wheel. Maximum tire size is 245. So I am trying to set the car up for those sizes. So I got a set of Kosei's in 17X8 and threw on the Hoho's in 245/40R17.

    Went back out, and car felt better. Didn't mess with the suspension settings much, but car ran 2:33.1 which is getting respectable. That's with no aero and at 3250 lbs when I got off the track. This is about STU weight. I need to target sub 2:28 for STU here at Sebring. So we are getting closer, but still some serious room to go. When I looked at the data, 2:32.3 was theoretical best time.

    Our setup with NASA at Sebring:


    car as it sits right now:



    WIll add more pics and continure to update.

    - - - Updated - - -

    This is how I remind myself what I have to do the car. It feels so good when you peel the tape off after you finish something:



    - - - Updated - - -

    I thought long and hard on how to do the oil cooler set up. I didn't want to do a full euro cooler, so I did a winding road cap with a cooler mounted temporarily in front of the radiator until I figure out what I am going to do with the splitter.

    I kept the vent for the alternator and was able to route the it around the radiator without much trouble.




    - - - Updated - - -

    Also set up brake cooler ducts going to the Massive brake kit. Chose the front and rears and love that it is the same pad front to back.

    I am typically pretty hard on brakes, so it was a necessity. The other thing is that STU rules restrict front rotors to 330mm. Not easy to find discs in that size.





    Last edited by NotoriousJJE; 11-07-2016 at 12:16 PM.

  2. #2
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    So cool you got Billy's previous car, I always remember reading the articles up on Motoiq of the car and the other E36 articles they have.

    Great work

  3. #3
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    mslevin is offline Have you checked RealOEM? BMW CCA Member
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    I'm thinking about doing some brake ducts for my car, do you have/think you'll have any issues with the tires rubbing the hoses? I drive my car to the track so I don't want to have to deal with having to take it off/put it back on when coming and going.

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by usedunderwear View Post
    So cool you got Billy's previous car, I always remember reading the articles up on Motoiq of the car and the other E36 articles they have.

    Great work
    Thanks. Thing is clean. He took great care of it

    - - - Updated - - -

    Quote Originally Posted by mslevin View Post
    I'm thinking about doing some brake ducts for my car, do you have/think you'll have any issues with the tires rubbing the hoses? I drive my car to the track so I don't want to have to deal with having to take it off/put it back on when coming and going.
    The trick to this kit is mounting it so that the aluminum tubes face down. If you do that and give it a little slack, you don't rub.

    Part of the reason it has taken me so long to build it besides funds is that I enjoy driving it on the street a lot. No rubbing whatsoever.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by NotoriousJJE View Post
    Thanks. Thing is clean. He took great care of it




    Is that the Hard Motorsports brake duct kit? I'm thinking about getting a brake duct kit for my car as well sometime in the future.

    Did you have to take off the front bumper to install the kit? It looks like you aren't running an underpanel as well?

    I have the SSI Bimmerworld underpanel on my car, hopefully it doesn't have clearance issues

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by usedunderwear View Post




    Is that the Hard Motorsports brake duct kit? I'm thinking about getting a brake duct kit for my car as well sometime in the future.

    Did you have to take off the front bumper to install the kit? It looks like you aren't running an underpanel as well?

    I have the SSI Bimmerworld underpanel on my car, hopefully it doesn't have clearance issues
    It is. It was real easy to install, though I took off the bumper. Not sure why you wouldn't as it is 4 nuts and 4 screws holding it up. Easier to do than it looks.

    I don't have an underpannel yet. I figure when I got a wing and splitter, it would accomplish the same thing.

    I don't know how far back your panel goes so I am not sure if it will fit. You have to cut inner fender liner holding the bumper up.
    Last edited by NotoriousJJE; 11-10-2016 at 08:23 AM.

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    Trying to figure out which way to go with the gauges. Really torn as I know eventually I want to go with An AIM dash setup/ datalogger, but that's going to take me a while. I was thinking I could do a 3 gauge setup meanwhile on a dash panel.

    Torn between the autometr ultralite with the peak and warning light or the stack Pro Control. I am torn because I don't know which one looks cheesier. Not a huge fan of how "defi" looking the pro controls are. Also not a fan of the ultralites being silver when the rest of the dash is black? A side of me says the silver will look fine, they a just gauges anyways and it might actually help me see. But the other side of me knows I want the interior to look clean.

    prerequiste is a long sweep electrical gauge.

    thoughts? They are Similar money. I like how the pro comps could control a relay if I wanted them to. Don't know if I will ever actually use that.


    Last edited by NotoriousJJE; 11-14-2016 at 07:00 AM.

  8. #8
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    Sick INput. Thanks fellas. I think I am going to go with the autometer gauges. If nothing else, they will be easier to sell long term.


    Keep finding pics of things I have done to the car. These are more pics of maintenance stuff that I have done. My old guibo was shot so replaced that and while I was in there I replaced the motor and transmission mounts with units from AKG. I went with the 75 D motor mounts and e21 tranny mounts with cups. I didn't want to be snapping brackets, so I left a little play in there.





    Look at the compaction of the stock mount:



    The mod I was getting ready for:


    Feels amazing.




    Also, a little before and after of tar removal. This Zylene stuff is the bomb.



  9. #9
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    Thanks for the previous reply.

    Yea, I would go with Autometer. Very simple and clean design. The white background also makes things easier to read compared to those other black gauges you showed imo.

    Great work/updates on the car

  10. #10
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    awesome! Its moving along nicely
    1996 328i (m52B28US) OBD1 euro ZF 5spd. 3.23LSD conversion / Chem. PnP Head/ DINAN stg.2 CHIP/ VAC race valves/ S52 cams/ A/C delete/ fan delete/ Washer Fluid resv delete/ ARP head studs/ Cometic 140MLS / VAC Solid Engine/trans Mounts/ CAI / 2.5"Borla race exahaust/ NGK R spark plugs, M50 Mani, S50 Oil Res, Riot Racing HFTB, SAMCO Hoses, JBR FW, X-Brace, Mtech Front Bumper, RE RSMs, stoptech SS lines, Bilstein sports, H&R Race Springs, S52 Reinforcement plates, Kosei K1 w/ bridgestone RE960as, Brembo/stoptech slotted rotors, M3 Trailing arms, M3 Calipers, M3 Axles, ACS strut brace, weight reduction.

    http://mbuild.blogspot.com/

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by usedunderwear View Post
    Thanks for the previous reply.

    Yea, I would go with Autometer. Very simple and clean design. The white background also makes things easier to read compared to those other black gauges you showed imo.

    Great work/updates on the car
    Thanks. I think so too. The silver will match the interior too.

    Took out the headliner last night. Need to wait to take out the sunroof cartridge for when it is ready to go to the cage builder.

    - - - Updated - - -

    Quote Originally Posted by stealthbeam View Post
    awesome! Its moving along nicely

    THanks

  12. #12
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    Nice build.

    FYI - regarding Gauges. I just picked this up. 4 in 1 Gauge that I will be mounting on the Steering Column of my Track E36. Great space saver. Personally, I hate A-Pillar mounts and gauges down by the radio.

    http://www.elise-shop.com/high-preci...-p-502176.html

  13. #13
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    Thanks. Only thing I would worry about there is being able to read the temps in a race environment. One of the things I like about those autometer or stack gauges is the warning light.

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    This is what I did for gauges

    .

    Gauges are "VDO" from eBay, holder is from here: http://www.s2rtuning.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=1828


  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by darbyfam View Post
    This is what I did for gauges

    .

    Gauges are "VDO" from eBay, holder is from here: http://www.s2rtuning.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=1828
    Where'd you get the left side vent carbon block off plate from?

  16. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by darbyfam View Post
    This is what I did for gauges

    .

    Gauges are "VDO" from eBay, holder is from here: http://www.s2rtuning.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=1828
    that looks clean dude. Good work

    i think I am going to keep the headlight switch on the left. Not sure about wiring to a new toggle switch though I probably should.
    Last edited by NotoriousJJE; 11-17-2016 at 10:21 PM.

  17. #17
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    Worked on the car some this weekend. Not nearly as much as I would have liked.

    I have an event with CHin at Sebring in Dec 10 and 11 and have a ton of stuff to do to the car. The plan is to run that event and then take the car straight to the welder so he can start on the cage. Hope to get it back by the first NASA event in January but I doubt it.

    Meanwhile I need to:
    1. Install dual fuel pump setup
    2. Finish stripping interior
    3. Get sunroof welded shut.
    4. Lower car 1/4"all the way around and hopefully not mess with my corner balance too much.

    I stopped here for the night before I took a sawzall and cut it out. THis heater core is kicking my ass:




  18. #18
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    See you later Mr. Heater.




    Took out the intake manifold to deal with the heater hoses. Wow. What a jumbled mess of crap down there. I figure I am going to remove the coolant hoses going to the throttle body. Need to figure out how to plug the hard pipe. The head side is going to get my water temp sensor.

    Then for the big heater hoses, it looks like I need to go from the back of the head to the pipe going back to the water pump. Is that right?


  19. #19
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    Looks like a great car is coming together! Who is building your cage?
    Chris Leone
    chrisleonemotorsports.com
    roll cages, repairs and racecar fabrication
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    1994 325is STU racecar
    1988 325is donor

  20. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by XXLBIMMER View Post
    Looks like a great car is coming together! Who is building your cage?
    Dont have it locked down yet, but probably a guy here in Winer Garden. You're in Daytona/ deltona right?

  21. #21
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    Did some more work yesterday. Installed the coolant block off plate:






    Then got to work on the passenger side sound deadening. This stuff never ends. The one on the floor was bad.




    Finished looks so much better.



  22. #22
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    Cool build! I am thinking of building an E36 for STU as well and had a couple questions. I hope you don't mind me asking them here:

    1. Is cutting holes in the hood for venting allowed?
    2. How about the headlight blank that has an intake hole (like this http://www.s2rtuning.com/ProductDeta...e=E36FGHDI2D)? Looking through the GCR, the blank seems ok, but I wasn't sure about the driver's side with the intake hole.
    3. What brake setup are you running? Looks like Wilwood front calipers, but which rotors? Where did you source them?
    4. Any idea where to source a low cost wing? The APR SCCA Spec one looks like it would work: http://949racing.com/apr-gtc200-48-wing.aspx Just wondering if there are others.
    5. How about wheels? The TRMotorsports FF10 look like a good cost/weight option: http://www.tirerack.com/upgrade_gara...t+Grey+Painted

    Thanks!

  23. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by jonlonny View Post
    Cool build! I am thinking of building an E36 for STU as well and had a couple questions. I hope you don't mind me asking them here:

    1. Is cutting holes in the hood for venting allowed?
    2. How about the headlight blank that has an intake hole (like this http://www.s2rtuning.com/ProductDeta...e=E36FGHDI2D)? Looking through the GCR, the blank seems ok, but I wasn't sure about the driver's side with the intake hole.
    3. What brake setup are you running? Looks like Wilwood front calipers, but which rotors? Where did you source them?
    4. Any idea where to source a low cost wing? The APR SCCA Spec one looks like it would work: http://949racing.com/apr-gtc200-48-wing.aspx Just wondering if there are others.
    5. How about wheels? The TRMotorsports FF10 look like a good cost/weight option: http://www.tirerack.com/upgrade_gara...t+Grey+Painted

    Thanks!
    1. I believe Hood Vents are allowed but would need to double check the GCR
    2. The blanks are allowed but not the intake duct on the driver's side
    3. Massive brakes brake set up Of importance is the front calipers have to be the 4 piston setup.
    4. No idea and still searching. I spoke with the guys at Brooks Motorsport and they have an STU legal wing profile, but it is not cheap. I looked at the APR, dont know how good it is.
    5. That's the wheel I am leaning towards too. Though it is freaking hideous. There are not a lot of options in 17x8 5x120 with the right offset 35-42...

    Not sure how competitive the car will end up being, but judging by the times the class is putting down, I think it can be a solid mid pack car off the bat and then with a fully built engine and a standalone who knows... 2:28 is my target lap time.

    If nothing else, it is a fun platform and with the modifications I am making, I should be able to run it with several different organizations.

  24. #24
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    Oh man, I feel you on the sound deadening stuff. In addition to factory, the previous owner paid a lot of money to coat the entire body in Dynamat. I used a combo of dry ice as well as a heat gun and scraper. Heat gun worked the best for the factory stuff.

    As for the spider hose removal, check these links:
    http://www.m3forum.net/m3forum/showt...=354949&page=4

    http://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/sh...-Hose-Question

    http://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/sh...r-Core-Removal!

    http://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/sh...ot-95-quot-E36

    Long story short, use a coolant block off plate at the back of the head.

  25. #25
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    My solution for the heater core / spider pipe delete is here with a parts list

    http://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/sh...1#post29113971

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