The road-going racing car - Sam McKee's BMW E36 328i
Discussion
helix402 said:
Try POR15 instead of Waxoil. It works.
Cheers, will try and get hold of some! This seems to be quite a sound shell, so worth preserving.A long-overdue post on my day at Thruxton back in September..
What a circuit. I'd only ever spectated here before, and that was very long ago, I didn't appreciate just how fast it is. Commitment levels are off the charts - four corners are over 100mph even in this old girl, two of them flat! It has a lovely flow to it and it's really satisfying to get the long, long sweepers right but it's just so damn fast. Addictive in the extreme. The car stood up very well - I was actually a little worried, since she's never spent as much time wide open as required here, but she performed perfectly throughout.
I'm not certain what "quick" is around Thruxton, and we kept getting held up in the final chicane so there's no ultimate lap time to share, but we were down to 1'36s on clean laps early in the day. Having taken a look at a few race results on TSL, I'm quite happy with htat.
We had a spare GoPro on this day, which meant we could do a pedal cam as well
I really like the results and will try to always have one in the future. Here's the combined footage of an afternoon session: https://youtu.be/M34maHj7k_g?t=10m15sThat Church corner around the back of the circuit is pretty interesting once you build the pace up..
Yep, that's half a turn of opposite lock at 110mph. And I was in the passenger seat for this
Oh, and I got some stickers. I'm sure there'll be mixed feelings on this, but I rather like it, so there it is:
Next up, Mallory Park on the 19th. And then a winter of deep thought and contemplation, to decide what happens next with this car..
- Sell it and buy a ready-to-run E30 for Production BMW
- Turn it into a proper racing car for Kumho BMW or 750MC Roadsports
- Accept that I can't really afford to go racing and commit to making a specialised track toy of it
PS. And as a return favour for trying to drift my car at triple-digit speeds, I had a go in Synchromesh's Caterham at Pembrey. Nice little circuit, good little car! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4iXwxzd7oE
I just caught up with this thread, and really enjoyed reading about how your 'build' has progressed over time through trial and error. It's a refreshing change from the 'money no object' projects, which I always have the feeling are compensating for weaknesses in the organic bit between the seat and steering wheel.
Ref yr 1/36 @ Thrux, just watched a vid of myself & Whoosher off here there (before he went turbo nutcase in his golf) seems I ran similar, my track m3 was too noisey for Thrus so took my v budget track 328 which was a v cheap build indeed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9AvixJipr0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9AvixJipr0
C70R said:
I just caught up with this thread, and really enjoyed reading about how your 'build' has progressed over time through trial and error. It's a refreshing change from the 'money no object' projects, which I always have the feeling are compensating for weaknesses in the organic bit between the seat and steering wheel.
Cheers, nice to hear! There's still plenty of weaknesses in the organic bit here too, but they certainly aren't being covered by an abundance of cash I'm at the stage now where I do wish I could spend more and get some "nice to have"s on the car because it really does deserve them.. will keep on trying.Iguana - rev limit duly noted, and thanks for sharing that video! Interesting to watch, if that speedo is well calibrated your car doesn't look like it has quite as much grip or straightline speed as mine, but your commitment in the faster corners around the back is getting you some time back! For being standard power, mine seems fairly good down the straights - combination of 80kg out and the 3.15 diff have helped. What had you done to yours?
Just the normal cheap bits really, m3 3.0 3.15 LSD, strip, buckets, cheap cage, cheap collies- BC 6/8 (bit soft really, ok at 'ring bit soft elsewhere, going 10/10 was winter plan) stock size brakes cheap pads, m50, enda remap.
I do have a build thread elsewhere, I can drop you a link if you wanna have a look.
I do have a build thread elsewhere, I can drop you a link if you wanna have a look.
Ah, in that case yours should have been a fair bit quicker down the straights! Hard to tell from a chasing car. I think I might have seen your build thread before, but it's always interesting to re-read from current perspective!
Also, I keep forgetting to post this, possibly my favourite photo of this car so far
Also, I keep forgetting to post this, possibly my favourite photo of this car so far
Ah, very nice Sam - I did see that before the photo disappeared. Cams.. long way off for me yet, too much money to be spent over the winter already! What have you gone for, and how have they turned out? Come on, spill the beans 
the story has a lot of chapters left yet!
Last Saturday found us at Mallory Park, my home circuit but one I'd never driven. What an error - a lovely little track, "little" being the operative word, more in width than length actually! I had another novice with me, who's now yet another addict after we got 150 track miles clocked up. Great day.
Nice to see some racers with a sense of humour
And of course, where would we be without an onboard video.. It was a bit hard to get a totally clean lap without any traffic, but this one turned out as a 57.5. I'm very happy with that!
https://youtu.be/ips__W0q3Fs?t=4m15s
PistonShed will return...
moggy13 said:
Credit to you OP, great work going on here. Must be very pleased with what you've created!
Looking forward to updates after winter!
Thank you, much appreciated Looking forward to updates after winter!
the story has a lot of chapters left yet!Last Saturday found us at Mallory Park, my home circuit but one I'd never driven. What an error - a lovely little track, "little" being the operative word, more in width than length actually! I had another novice with me, who's now yet another addict after we got 150 track miles clocked up. Great day.
Nice to see some racers with a sense of humour
And of course, where would we be without an onboard video.. It was a bit hard to get a totally clean lap without any traffic, but this one turned out as a 57.5. I'm very happy with that!
https://youtu.be/ips__W0q3Fs?t=4m15s
PistonShed will return...
Merry Christmas and a happy new year to everyone! The festive season is as good a time as any to make an announcement, and perhaps we'll need a thread title change too, because PistonShed is going racing
If all goes to plan, this car will be entering Class D of 750MC Roadsports. These are 45-minute races with an enforced 1min pitstop (so you can share between two drivers if you choose), visiting major UK circuits. The first round is Donington Park GP on 18th March 2017, and usefully enough there's a track day there a week before on the 10th, so that's my target date. As you can imagine, there's a colossal job list to get the car compliant, but here's the brief highlights:
A bit of time off over Christmas let me get some more lightweighting done. The carpet came out, as did every bit of non-essential trim I could get my hands on, and all seats and belts except the driver's. Front door cards are staying until I can get a blanking panel made up for the driver's side at least. The count now stands at a whopping 136kg removed without a penny spent (in fact, £2.60 found ), and a further 18kg to go when the driver's seat is swapped for race one, possibly a Cobra Evolution. I still need to take out all the audio system, too.
If the weighbridge Synchromesh put the car on in a different life was accurate enough to give me a starting point, we're now at 1182kg without fuel or driver. By rough figures, there's another 38kg to come out and 56kg to go in (including the cage), which gives us 1201kg. Factory power is 190bhp, so if she makes that on the dyno, we get 158bhp/ton. The maximum for Class D is 160bhp/ton. There's a lot of "if"s there, but wouldn't that be handy! Certainly it should be close enough to start with.
If you're still reading by this point, you may be interested to know that an E36 front seat (sports leather manual) weighs 25.7kg, a saloon has 16kg (!?!) of carpet in the cabin, and the parcel shelf trim and insulation is 4.6kg. Anyway, here's the full list so far:
If this doesn't display properly, hit Quote and read it there instead.
No, I'm not kidding about the Chomp...
Watch this space
If all goes to plan, this car will be entering Class D of 750MC Roadsports. These are 45-minute races with an enforced 1min pitstop (so you can share between two drivers if you choose), visiting major UK circuits. The first round is Donington Park GP on 18th March 2017, and usefully enough there's a track day there a week before on the 10th, so that's my target date. As you can imagine, there's a colossal job list to get the car compliant, but here's the brief highlights:
- Rollcage. A Safety Devices six-point bolt-in cage is on order, to be fitted by Automac.
- Fire extinguisher to cabin and engine bay. Will pick this up at Autosport in a few weeks, and it'll go in with the cage.
- FIA-approved seat and harnesses. Ditto!
- Ignition cutoff. As above.
- Bonnet pins. Will likely get Aerocatches or similar to replace the cable release.
- FIA-approved rain light. Straightforward enough.
- Transponder. Might end up renting for a bit as they're bloody expensive!
A bit of time off over Christmas let me get some more lightweighting done. The carpet came out, as did every bit of non-essential trim I could get my hands on, and all seats and belts except the driver's. Front door cards are staying until I can get a blanking panel made up for the driver's side at least. The count now stands at a whopping 136kg removed without a penny spent (in fact, £2.60 found
), and a further 18kg to go when the driver's seat is swapped for race one, possibly a Cobra Evolution. I still need to take out all the audio system, too.If the weighbridge Synchromesh put the car on in a different life was accurate enough to give me a starting point, we're now at 1182kg without fuel or driver. By rough figures, there's another 38kg to come out and 56kg to go in (including the cage), which gives us 1201kg. Factory power is 190bhp, so if she makes that on the dyno, we get 158bhp/ton. The maximum for Class D is 160bhp/ton. There's a lot of "if"s there, but wouldn't that be handy! Certainly it should be close enough to start with.
If you're still reading by this point, you may be interested to know that an E36 front seat (sports leather manual) weighs 25.7kg, a saloon has 16kg (!?!) of carpet in the cabin, and the parcel shelf trim and insulation is 4.6kg. Anyway, here's the full list so far:
If this doesn't display properly, hit Quote and read it there instead.
Category Item Mass (g)
All Fixings various 50
Subtotal 50
Chassis Spare wheel (Style 30) 18700
Subtotal 18700
Electrical components Front fog lamp LH 462
Electrical components Front fog lamp RH 462
Electrical components C pillar lamp RH 59
Electrical components C pillar lamp LH 59
Electrical components Vanity lamp LH 25
Subtotal 1067
HVAC Underfloor ducting LH 348
HVAC Underfloor ducting RH 332
HVAC HVAC ducting footwell LH 148
Subtotal 828
Interior trim Carpet assy main 13900
Interior trim Boot floor 3556
Interior trim Door card assy rear LH 2500
Interior trim Door card assy rear RH 2400
Interior trim Carpet assy rear kickup 2214
Interior trim Glovebox assy 2166
Interior trim Armrest assy 2163
Interior trim Floor mats front 1813
Interior trim Parcel shelf 1712
Interior trim Headliner 1700
Interior trim Floor mats rear 1327
Interior trim Bootlid tool kit assy 1176
Interior trim Instrument panel lower RH 1089
Interior trim Console trim centre rear 978
Interior trim Boot tray 924
Interior trim Boot lip finisher 829
Interior trim Wheel well filler assy 829
Interior trim B pillar trim RH 710
Interior trim B pillar trim LH 706
Interior trim Battery tray 675
Interior trim C pillar trim LH 549
Interior trim C pillar trim RH 542
Interior trim Glovebox undercover 458
Interior trim Bootlid carpet 422
Interior trim Rear combilamp cover LH 313
Interior trim Rear combilamp cover RH 313
Interior trim Sunvisor assy LH 311
Interior trim Instrument panel side RH 283
Interior trim A pillar trim RH 211
Interior trim A pillar trim LH 210
Interior trim Instrument panel side LH 203
Interior trim Harness shield footwell rear RH 197
Interior trim Harness shield footwell rear LH 194
Interior trim Harness shield footwell front LH 157
Interior trim Sill trim inner front LH 155
Interior trim Sill trim inner front RH 153
Interior trim Sill trim rear LH 139
Interior trim Speaker grille panel front lower LH 137
Interior trim Sill trim rear RH 135
Interior trim Jesus handle assy rear LH 58
Interior trim Jesus handle assy rear RH 58
Interior trim Harness shield rear kickup LH 39
Interior trim Harness shield rear kickup RH 38
Interior trim Seat belt guide trim rear centre 22
Interior trim B pillar foam LH 21
Interior trim Jesus handle blanks front RH 8
Interior trim LH air register assy w/glovebox lock -468
Subtotal 48225
NVH Rear bulkhead heavy layer base 3710
NVH Foam parcel shelf 2487
NVH Rear bulkhead heavy layer upper 2289
NVH Boot side insul RH 1159
NVH Boot side insul LH 1043
NVH Bonnet insul 500
NVH Meltsheet parcel shelf 434
NVH Instrument panel insul LH 141
NVH Instrument panel insul RH 76
NVH Door skin closer foam rear LH 62
NVH Door skin closer foam rear RH 58
NVH Rear bulkhead heavy layer -248
Subtotal 11711
Powertrain AC compressor 6300
Powertrain Viscous fan with shroud 1600
Powertrain Airbox 1579
Powertrain AC pipes to compressor 1400
Powertrain AC drive belt tensioner and bracket 600
Powertrain New induction system -700
Powertrain AC drive belt not weighed
Subtotal 10779
Safety Seat belt assy front LH 1091
Safety Seat belt assy rear LH 884
Safety Seat belt assy rear RH 884
Safety Seat belt assy rear centre 378
Safety Seat belt slider plate front LH 336
Safety Seat belt guide bar front LH 30
Subtotal 3603
Seating Front seat assy LH 25700
Seating Front seat assy RH 25700
Seating Rear seats squab 10300
Seating Rear seats base 4900
Seating Headrest rear LH 390
Seating Headrest rear RH 390
Seating Front seat fixings LH 91
Seating Front seat fixings RH 91
Seating Front seat fixings RH refitted -91
Seating Front seat assy RH refitted -25700
Subtotal 41771
Spurious Chomp bar 23
Spurious £1 (2 off) 18
Spurious 50p 8
Spurious 10p 6
Subtotal 55
Track equipment Towing eye front -235
Track equipment Towing eye rear -235
Track equipment Camera bar assy -511
Subtotal -981
Total 135.808kg
No, I'm not kidding about the Chomp...
Watch this space
charltjr said:
Fair play, definitely something I fancy at some point
How much does a season cost in entry fees and the like?
I've been scheming and plotting for years, but never managed to make it happen - I've got the chance now and I'm going to take it! Most series aimed at smaller budgets have entry fees around £250-300, which is typically for 15-20mins qualifying practice and either two 20min sprint races or, in the case of Roadsports, one 45min race. This seems fairly high on the face of it, but when you think what you'd pay for a summer track day at Donington or Silverstone, I really don't think it's too bad.How much does a season cost in entry fees and the like?
The real cost comes in car prep and your own kit. Starting from a reasonable track day car, I'll be spending over £2k getting the E36 ready to sit on the grid, and you'd also spend a bare minimum of £1500 buying your race suit, boots, gloves, helmet and fireproofs and getting your race licence. It's also a bigger risk driving the car to events, so if you don't already tow it that's another consideration. With all that big front-end investment out of the way, though, costs needn't be too silly from your second season onwards.
mattnoss said:
You'll enjoy racing with 750 in Roadsports.
We are at Donny as well in a 328, prob class B though.
Ah, nice one, I'll have to come and have a look at your car.. A 328i getting on for 250bhp/ton is always of interest! Have you run in Roadsports before?We are at Donny as well in a 328, prob class B though.
Best of luck with the racing! Very exciting! I'm now dying to crack on with my own E36 project which I've neglected for too long while sorting out the Subarus. I'll do a season of hillclimbing this year with the Blobeye and then see where we are. I might race that the following year but I will race an E36 at some point, somewhere! It just won't be my Evo now as it deserves better. I can't do it.
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