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Thread: Technical Violet’s E36 M3 Track Car

  1. #1
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    Technical Violet’s E36 M3 Track Car

    Introduction

    This might get long, there is a TLDR at the bottom if you want to skip my rambling.

    Back in February, a 97 Techno Violet M3 came up for sale on Facebook. The timing of course was not perfect because we were in the middle of shopping for a house. My wife and I recently moved back to the city we met in (Grand Rapids, MI) and are currently renting (no garage). We move in to our new place in Mid may. That’s when the real work can begin. Till then I’m stuck with a gravel driveway that will not support jack stands safely.

    Fortunately the used car market is hot and I could make an easy swap for my MK6 Golf R. After my sale I had some extra money to put into the M3 with the exception of my DD X3 has also needing some parts.

    The purchase:

    This car was an abandoned project, but was finished enough to run and drive. The car is certainly not perfect but the chassis was in good condition which is what I was primarily concerned with. The seller was just bored with it and wanted money for her wedding. I was happy to support that cause.

    She and her fiancé did the entire cooling system including a new heater core, hoses, and a Mishimoto radiator/fan and controller. Still not sure how it’s controlled but that’s on my list too figure out.

    What impressed me most was how clean the engine bay and the underside was. Rust was a big concern for me until I looked at the car in person. I fully expected a rust bucket and would make that my excuse to walk away. Instead, I found myself a unicorn and picked her up the next day.

    A little about me

    I’ve been into cars since I could see out the passenger window. That passion stayed with me as I graduated with an automotive engineering degree in 2016. During school I worked at a technician in the summers and I now work as a mechanical engineer doing prototype build and test on diesel engines for government ground vehicles.

    I am also in the middle of taking a Racecar Aerodynamics course taught by a former engineer from the Williams Formula One team. I fully plan on using my knowledge gained from my aero course to build an aero package for the M3. The course has been very interesting and eye opening, even with prior fluid dynamics training!

    On a completely unrelated note I do a ton of iRacing. It’s been years since my last HPDE so I’ll be curious to know if the sim practice translates at all. Worst case it’s a fun thing to do during these Michigan winters.

    El plan:

    My plan for this car is to support me as I drive in HPDEs and and progress as a driver. I also want to apply my vehicle dynamics studies to the practical world, finally.

    I’ve laid out an outline of my multi year plan for the car The idea is to stretch out the plan to and direct/organize finances and mirror them with my progression as a driver.

    I also plan to document my alignment and setups so they hopefully can be used as a tool for others.

    I eventually want to take part in something completive. I imagine time trials are a good first step after gain some more experience. Eventually I want to get my club racing license, but we are at least a couple years out in my estimation.

    TLDR->

    The build will be in stages listed below, the plan is to use this car to learn the practical side of vehicle dynamics and eventually design an aero package for the car.

    I’m also posting this to get feedback from the community as this is my first E36 and I am overwhelmed with the amount of knowledge and experience that exists here.

    With my limited experience, (3 track days + skip barber 2 day) driving with a mostly stock configuration will be fine for a while as I get comfortable learning the behaviors of the car to stay on the racing line.


    *As with any plans for a car, they are tentative and uncertain, but this should hopefully serve as a guideline for development. There will be tons of revisions to this plan but this is the most organized I can make it for the time being. *

    Phase 1-
    Summary:
    Year 1
    HPDE 1-2

    Goal: Restore and repair car to a reliable condition and upgrade broken/worn parts that are necessary or high risk.

    Must Do:
    Safety Wire Oil Pump Nut
    Mishimoto Radiator and Fan- (complete)
    Cooling system update (complete)

    Supporting Upgrades:
    Wheels- Apex ARC-8 17x9 ET42
    Tires- no purchase yet, likely RS4s
    Brakes- Hawk HP+, talon rotors front/blank rears (also have DTC-60s)
    Bushings- no purchase yet, still researching
    Strut mount swap for camber
    Exhaust- no purchase yet

    Notes:

    Also searching for a string alignment kit, might just make myself if I can’t find what I want.


    Phase 2-
    HPDE 2-3


    Goal:
    Upgrade track capability on most components, street driveability is not prioritized. Begin researching for competitive racing/time trials. Do not modify things disallowed in those classes if it can be avoided. Leave AC and heater core for now.

    Scan car for CFD analysis. Begin running simulations for an aero package.

    Must Do:
    Oil Pump Pickup
    Fuel Starvation
    Strut tower reinforcements

    Modifications:
    Coil-overs / camber plates
    Start Roll Cage 4 point (maybe 6)
    Race Seats and harness
    Weight reduction mild to moderate

    Notes:


    Phase 3
    HPDE 3-4

    Goal:
    Begin implementation of aero devices. All preparations should be focused into being competitive in Time Trials but not at the cost of breaking class rules of a W2W class that may have potential.

    Phase 4 - TBD

    Go more faster

  2. #2
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    Photos from the pick up serving as a great “Before” picture




    Spent some time cleaning her up between winter 2 and winter 3.


    More pictures to come!

  3. #3
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    No garage still, move in date is set for the 11th of May. Till then I’m taking care of what I can. Such as this window regulator.



    Car developed a nice clunk sound in rear left. Originally thought it was a rear swaybar end link, as it was going bad. However the sound is much too loud now, so I went to check the shocks again and found out I’m the owner of some rear adjustable BC shocks, and no the fronts are stil stock lol.





    Also noticed an excessive parasitic draw on the battery so I’ll have to look into that. Till then she’s on a battery tender.

  4. #4
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    "Scan car for CFD analysis. Begin running simulations for an aero package."

    This caught my eye. Aero for these cars is pretty well understood for any particular class.
    There is of course a ton of little things, which CFD can be difficult to model.

    But, interested in what "running simulations" means for you.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by aeronaut View Post
    "Scan car for CFD analysis. Begin running simulations for an aero package."

    This caught my eye. Aero for these cars is pretty well understood for any particular class.
    There is of course a ton of little things, which CFD can be difficult to model.

    But, interested in what "running simulations" means for you.
    Being that aero is understood is a good thing so I can validate my results. My plan is to use OpenFoam. This would primarily be a learning exercise for myself and something to add to my work portfolio.

    Aero package is a broad term and doesn’t necessarily mean designing my own wing/splitter. I am very curious about flow disruptions and flow paths on the sides and underneath the car.

  6. #6
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    subscribed for the CFD journey.

  7. #7
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    What are you looking to use as the scanner?
    1998 M3 Sedan - LS3 M12T56 - A bad addiction.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by OKsweetrides View Post
    What are you looking to use as the scanner?
    I’m still shopping around. Do you have any suggestions?

    I’ve considered starting with something cheaper like a Structure Core or Structure Sensor Pro. Very few will scan the entire car in one go so I’ll have to stitch scans together.

    If it seems practical I could see myself justifying the purchase of a better scanner to do other people cars.

  9. #9
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    Artec makes a great scanner, it seems that it takes some training to get around the cleanup software but I was able to do the trunk of my daily driver in some 30min (just for fun). Depends how much money you want to spend for what's still a hobby. Then there are tools to do automated scan(mesh) -> CAD(solid/nurbs) conversion which also cost money but makes life a lot more pleasant than remodeling a scan into surfaces yourself.

    The most annoying part of this process is going to be how you tackle airflow through the wheel wells and engine bay. All of it matters​, too... If you ignore the spinning wheels and tires it'll still be informative, just inaccurate, but if you ignore the engine bay flow (whether you approximate or model it) you can come up with some very misleading results.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by circuit.heart View Post
    Artec makes a great scanner, it seems that it takes some training to get around the cleanup software but I was able to do the trunk of my daily driver in some 30min (just for fun). Depends how much money you want to spend for what's still a hobby. Then there are tools to do automated scan(mesh) -> CAD(solid/nurbs) conversion which also cost money but makes life a lot more pleasant than remodeling a scan into surfaces yourself.

    The most annoying part of this process is going to be how you tackle airflow through the wheel wells and engine bay. All of it matters​, too... If you ignore the spinning wheels and tires it'll still be informative, just inaccurate, but if you ignore the engine bay flow (whether you approximate or model it) you can come up with some very misleading results.
    I did check those scanners out, and yes as this is a hobby I won’t be able to justify a big purchase. An alterative would be to hire someone to scan it.

    I do have a professional version of fusion Autodesk 360 where I can mock-up my own models in addition to the scans.

    I’m glad you mentioned the wheels, wheel wells, engine bay. Those are areas I’m parity interested in looking at. I think there are improvements that could be made behind the wheels and managing flow though the engine bay.

  11. #11
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    You can also rip scanned models from games as a decent approximation of the outside shape - sometimes you have to validate certain features (for example, factory wing elements - I got a scan of an FK8 Type R that literally didn't do a single detail correctly) but on a simple brick like an E36, being accurate doesn't matter too much besides where airflow detaches. I've extracted models from Forza 4 that are within 1/4-1/2" or so of the real thing, not awful. Free, compared to scanning time.

    Improvements in the engine bay are straightforward and you'll see it in CFD - the act of ducting radiator air through the hood rather than to the floor makes a huge difference (hence the comment in my first reply). If you did thermal sim as well there's no reason you couldn't also figure out how small of a radiator you can get away with, which helps take weight off the nose.

    I frankly wouldn't dwell too long on wheel well CFD - the wheels move too much when you drive so unless you want to run a million simulations and edge case checks, all you'll get is a basic idea of how air interacts with the tire.

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by circuit.heart View Post
    You can also rip scanned models from games as a decent approximation of the outside shape - sometimes you have to validate certain features (for example, factory wing elements - I got a scan of an FK8 Type R that literally didn't do a single detail correctly) but on a simple brick like an E36, being accurate doesn't matter too much besides where airflow detaches. I've extracted models from Forza 4 that are within 1/4-1/2" or so of the real thing, not awful. Free, compared to scanning time.

    Improvements in the engine bay are straightforward and you'll see it in CFD - the act of ducting radiator air through the hood rather than to the floor makes a huge difference (hence the comment in my first reply). If you did thermal sim as well there's no reason you couldn't also figure out how small of a radiator you can get away with, which helps take weight off the nose.

    I frankly wouldn't dwell too long on wheel well CFD - the wheels move too much when you drive so unless you want to run a million simulations and edge case checks, all you'll get is a basic idea of how air interacts with the tire.
    That actually gave me a great idea. I checked on GrabCad and actually found a sedan modeled up. Could be a good starting point. I love the internet.

    https://grabcad.com/library/e36-4-doors-1

    In regards to wheel wells. I just want to make sure air cannot escape out of the engine bay. I also think there could be some beneficial changes that could be made behind the front wheels.

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by TechnicalViolet View Post
    I am also in the middle of taking a Racecar Aerodynamics course taught by a former engineer from the Williams Formula One team.
    Which course? I would have guessed Kyle's but he was a Merc engineer.

    Regardless, Sub'd. Look forward to updates.

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by BlackHawkRacing View Post
    Which course? I would have guessed Kyle's but he was a Merc engineer.

    Regardless, Sub'd. Look forward to updates.
    The course is from Scott Beeton of https://www.aerodesign.com.au/.

    Which course are you referring to?

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by TechnicalViolet View Post
    The course is from Scott Beeton of https://www.aerodesign.com.au/.

    Which course are you referring to?
    https://courses.jkfaero.com/courses/...initive-course

    KyleEngineers is his YT page. Former Merc aero engineer for 18/19/20 seasons.

    Course is pricey and outside my abilities but sounded very comprehensive.

  16. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by TechnicalViolet View Post
    In regards to wheel wells. I just want to make sure air cannot escape out of the engine bay. I also think there could be some beneficial changes that could be made behind the front wheels.
    Air must escape the engine bay, otherwise I guarantee you a lot of pain lol.

    80/20 rule on wheel wells. You can vent the fenders (top and aft), add spats to extract air from the wheel well, all of this will help, and you can do a stupid-check in CFD, but you can almost not possibly optimize it in CFD without way more man-power and machine-hours to do the simulations.

    Unsolicited advice: the classic BMW fender shape (half-moon on a slab) is not great for aero. If you watch the evolution of Super GT race cars the front fenders gradually because more and more slab-sided to reduce the effects on the air from the front wheels.

  17. #17
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    I'm gonna go with skanect with a kinect from a 360 to do some handheld version for low cost 3d scanning.
    1998 M3 Sedan - LS3 M12T56 - A bad addiction.

  18. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by circuit.heart View Post

    Unsolicited advice: the classic BMW fender shape (half-moon on a slab) is not great for aero. If you watch the evolution of Super GT race cars the front fenders gradually because more and more slab-sided to reduce the effects on the air from the front wheels.
    In my course, this area actually had a whole module dedicated to it. I found it to be one of the most fascinating parts of the whole class.

  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by OKsweetrides View Post
    I'm gonna go with skanect with a kinect from a 360 to do some handheld version for low cost 3d scanning.
    Thanks for telling me about scanect, looks like they also have an option to use one of the cheaper scanners I was looking at.

    I’d love to know how it turns out

  20. #20
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    just bought a revopoint pop2 and am looking into the creality lizzard scanner, before i take the jump to a real expensive setup. i do see the serious time savings in the really high end hand held scanners like artec and einscan. but ive gotten some amazing scans with my revopoint so far. its the 3d modeling i need to sort out, im going the open source route, so far no roadblocks just confusion.


    scanect is kinda a relic now, you might be better off with photogrametry. or smartphone apps, new smartphones have very usefull lidar/TOF cameras that ive used very effectively for area scanning, i havent tried object scanning. youll need an old version of scannect to use a n xbox sensor the new version only supports something i think might be utilizing the discontinued intel real sense hardware...

  21. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by scoobiedoo2029 View Post
    just bought a revopoint pop2 and am looking into the creality lizzard scanner, before i take the jump to a real expensive setup. i do see the serious time savings in the really high end hand held scanners like artec and einscan. but ive gotten some amazing scans with my revopoint so far. its the 3d modeling i need to sort out, im going the open source route, so far no roadblocks just confusion.


    scanect is kinda a relic now, you might be better off with photogrametry. or smartphone apps, new smartphones have very usefull lidar/TOF cameras that ive used very effectively for area scanning, i havent tried object scanning. youll need an old version of scannect to use a n xbox sensor the new version only supports something i think might be utilizing the discontinued intel real sense hardware...
    Thank you, I’ll look into that. As far as your CAD search.

    Autodesk fusion is 400 per year and comes with some basic simulations, additionally you can purchase higher end simulations a la carte style. If you request information you can usually get them down to 350 per year.

    They also have a free version but you are highly limited.

    Back when I was searching I didn’t have much luck with free software.

    Also looked into Creo (2500/year min) and Solidworks (5000/year). That was also in 2020 so who knows how much it is now.

  22. #22
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    Quote Originally Posted by TechnicalViolet View Post
    Thank you, I’ll look into that. As far as your CAD search.

    Autodesk fusion is 400 per year and comes with some basic simulations, additionally you can purchase higher end simulations a la carte style. If you request information you can usually get them down to 350 per year.

    They also have a free version but you are highly limited.


    Back when I was searching I didn’t have much luck with free software.

    Also looked into Creo (2500/year min) and Solidworks (5000/year). That was also in 2020 so who knows how much it is now.

    as a commercial user i have some baggage, i pay people to use solid works but i personally do not have a license in house, so i can always make use of a solid works feature if i knew wtf.... looked into fusion 360, the terms and service of the free version seemed to basically upload everything you do to the cloud is what i gathered, and autodesk is somewhat shady when it comes to killing software/features. so im investing time into freecad right now, at least it wont auto update every 3 days to "optimize the user experience"


    ive been using meshmixer and meshlab in attempts to start dealing with 3d sculpting to deal with errors and artifacts in scans. seems Zbrush is what people recommend using, im trying blender, but i havnt figured out how to do anything in blender yet, this is my first venture outside of 2d drafting.. the whole pointcloud/mesh/solid thing is a bit ridiculous. i feel like im trying to pirate a dvd over a 56k modem and put it on floppy disks

  23. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by scoobiedoo2029 View Post
    as a commercial user i have some baggage, i pay people to use solid works but i personally do not have a license in house, so i can always make use of a solid works feature if i knew wtf.... looked into fusion 360, the terms and service of the free version seemed to basically upload everything you do to the cloud is what i gathered, and autodesk is somewhat shady when it comes to killing software/features. so im investing time into freecad right now, at least it wont auto update every 3 days to "optimize the user experience"

    ive been using meshmixer and meshlab in attempts to start dealing with 3d sculpting to deal with errors and artifacts in scans. seems Zbrush is what people recommend using, im trying blender, but i havnt figured out how to do anything in blender yet, this is my first venture outside of 2d drafting.. the whole pointcloud/mesh/solid thing is a bit ridiculous. i feel like im trying to pirate a dvd over a 56k modem and put it on floppy disks

    Lol, mesh and complex geometry gets real complicated. Especially if you've never used extrude and revolve tools. Quite a leap.

    They really neutered the free version of Fusion a few years ago, but I have always been skeptical of cloud uploading. With the commercial version I can use my local hard drive which is nice. Updates have not been too disruptive, but yes that is a valid concern. Personally I've had more gripes with NX/unigraphics updates, every year it seems like all the gestures and ribbon buttons I used were changed. If you can utilize Solidworks, do it. That's the gold standard in my opinion. However, to get a floating license, I would imagine that's even more expensive than a single seat. Oh well, expenses!

  24. #24
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    The time has finally come! I’ve moved into my new place and got the car up on jack stands.

    Kind of weird to be excited about putting a car on jack stands, but hey, milestones.

    Only surprise so far was some leaking coolant from the radiator, which is new. So I am planning on doing a pressure test as soon as I can decide on a tool.

  25. #25
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    Few more updates after having the car in the air.

    Found out my radiator was leaking so a replacement was installed. Wanted to do the Z3 upgrade but there was nothing in stock at FCP so I went with the stock size.

    Freshened up the sway bars on front and rear. Pulled the bars off and cleaned them up and put new links on. The rears kinda suck to slide on!

    Track rotors and brakes are installed, but then during bleeding the calipers would move quite a bit. After looking for replacement bushings I realized that brass ones exist. I think this will really help prevent pad taper.

    Since I’m going to be in there I also got fresh braided lines and will pop the pistons out for a freshening up as well.

    Mostly just cleaning up any issues I see.

    Also put the wheels on the car briefly before, just for a look see. Bought some ZIIIs for this season!

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