Changes in Spec E36 final rules.

[EvanUrS4]

buy the parts package and put it on themselves with a little help on the major stuff. I would imagine a good starter car could be done for $10k if you dig hard.

That's my plan... do most of the work, pay for the big things I can't do myself.

I happened to have a pretty mint '93 325i HPDE car with 89k miles on it and I expect to spend about 10k more to get it SE36 ready.

Really though, we all need to wait and see what finals specs/rules/parts are before we spend any money.

[CKKrause]

If I could share my experience. I was building a '95 325is to use in J-Prepared (light-w/o cams) and was just about there... I was planning to be able to be midpack perhaps. I've switched over to do a SPEC E36 car.

The motor had great compression, I got the weight down within 75 lbs of the limit, didn't skimp on safety equipment, (TCDesign cage for example), installed a reasonably competitive suspension setup...good brakes, LSD diff, lots of new maintenance parts,(guibo, bushings, hoses,...), RA-1's, etc... With the cost of the car included and doing all work, except for the cage, I was under $10K. If you include the stuff I sold off the car, I was probably under $9K. I'm not going win...with my driving ability I wouldn't win with a Pro car!!!! But at 55 years old, I plan to have a hell of a lot of fun for not a lot of money...

my $0.02

-CKKrause

[Mrsideways]

****Whoops, realized after posting that this post is VERY old and hasn't been touched in years. Sorry****

Final rules: http://www.bmwccaclubracing.com/stat...nal_061001.pdf

Interesting changes from the last draft of the rules:

* Stock air box must be retained. The last draft had intakes as being free.

Well this is relatively inexpensive and would allow you to run a bit more competetively in SCCA ITR. But guess not.

* No piston overbore allowed - previous draft allowed 0.020.

Same issue I have with Showroom stock. So once the blocks a bit worn forget just doing a cheap bore job, you gotta start with a fresh block or have yours sleeved. I'll be ordering the $4000 block for my honda shortly.... and being vary annoyed that I can just bore it .010 over!

* Wheels are as before (16" x 7", min. weight 14 lbs.). No changes here, but anyone else think the 16" diameter creates choices that are too limited?

Why 16's? Why not 15's. Cheaper, tires are cheaper. A 225/45 is short to make up for having to run the taller rear end.

* Diff ratio now 3.91 instead of 3.15 or 2.93. Great idea.

Great so now rather then buying a used M3 rear end you gotta have a shop set up an LSD in your stock rear end (which after talking to some STX guys.... isn't cheap)

* Using E36 M3 3.15 diff no longer allowed by the rules (obviously).

I like the idea of Spec E36 but I'd only build one if it could win ITR as well. Doesn't look like it can.
I think part of the reason spec miata has taken off is that you can take one to a double weekend and run 4 different races. And I've seen plenty of spec miata's win ITA. But as they say... if the racers made the rules we'd really screw it up.

[B.Watts]

I like the idea of Spec E36 but I'd only build one if it could win ITR as well. Doesn't look like it can.
I think part of the reason spec miata has taken off is that you can take one to a double weekend and run 4 different races. And I've seen plenty of spec miata's win ITA. But as they say... if the racers made the rules we'd really screw it up.

Like you said, this is a really old thread...but I found your last two comments interesting.

If someone is winning ITA with a Spec Miata, that just means that ITA in that region is a crappy class. A Spec Miata shouldn't even podium against a class of cars with proper race dampers, spherical bushings, and a stronger motor. I've owned and raced an IT car and a Spec Miata...the difference between what you can develop on the two is immense.

No "spec" car that is built on controlling costs should ever be able to win an IT class where race dampers, spherical bearings and Motecs are within the rules. You could open up the SpecE36 class rules even more and the car should still be seconds behind a proper ITR car. A well built and driven ITR car places very competitively into the current JP scene in BMW CCA, but again, it's because the development of JP cars is just starting to take off much like a Spec Miata winning ITA is simply because no one has a well driven and well developed ITA car in that region.

That said, I know in some regions guys are finding their SE36 cars are running competitive ITS times...but that to me just means that the local ITS scene is slow. There's not a chance that you'd run at the front of ITS in a SE36 around here.

[Mrsideways]

Like you said, this is a really old thread...but I found your last two comments interesting.

If someone is winning ITA with a Spec Miata, that just means that ITA in that region is a crappy class. A Spec Miata shouldn't even podium against a class of cars with proper race dampers, spherical bushings, and a stronger motor. I've owned and raced an IT car and a Spec Miata...the difference between what you can develop on the two is immense.

No "spec" car that is built on controlling costs should ever be able to win an IT class where race dampers, spherical bearings and Motecs are within the rules. You could open up the SpecE36 class rules even more and the car should still be seconds behind a proper ITR car. A well built and driven ITR car places very competitively into the current JP scene in BMW CCA, but again, it's because the development of JP cars is just starting to take off much like a Spec Miata winning ITA is simply because no one has a well driven and well developed ITA car in that region.

That said, I know in some regions guys are finding their SE36 cars are running competitive ITS times...but that to me just means that the local ITS scene is slow. There's not a chance that you'd run at the front of ITS in a SE36 around here.

All very true. But a good spec miata isn't going to be DFL in ITA either. It's at least sorta close. Results like what I just witnessed at RA 2 weeks ago show a spec miata is competetive if the very top guys aren't there.
http://www.atl-scca.org/Atl%20SCCA/R...23/Gp1Race.pdf
Keep in mind you then get to run a Spec miata race later on that day where you WILL be competetive.
When I first heard spec E36 a few years ago I thought great make a spec car that run some real lap times. The way I read the rules they aren't "MUCH" quicker then a SE30.
I've got a friend pushing me to build one and that's how I came accross this thread. We'll see. I'd like to see the rules let them at least smack around ITS.

[B.Watts]

I would think you'd be in the same boat in ITR...you could run middle of the pack against less developed and poorer driven cars. Or stick on the SIR and run ITS where you'll probably run middle of the pack as well. To get the car to be competitive with the front in either of those classes would mean adding a lot more suspension and motor bits that would take away from the entire point of it being a spec class.

[Mrsideways]

I would think you'd be in the same boat in ITR...you could run middle of the pack against less developed and poorer driven cars. Or stick on the SIR and run ITS where you'll probably run middle of the pack as well. To get the car to be competitive with the front in either of those classes would mean adding a lot more suspension and motor bits that would take away from the entire point of it being a spec class.

The Si is SSC. I don't think it's got a shot in hell in ITS.... Plus the amount of money I'd need to sink into building it... yikes. No I'm undecided on what to build next year. Gotta make a decision soon. One this is forsure.... I miss my old M3. I'd love a spec 95 M3 class... hehe