Project E36 - Track Day Car

[benny.c]

Got the logo and text off the net, and then took them on a disk to a local vinyl sign guy.

[bulletproofbob]

2 Wycked said:

bulletproofbob said:

i'm just starting an M50B28 build... my mate got advised by the local "expert" to put a new motor in his 328i... there was nothing wrong with it so i'm pulling the crank, rods, and pistons out to stick in the 325i block... i maybe able to keep up with you after all!!!

I need these items for my M50 you jammy sod.

lucky indeed, and so so glad i got to the engine before said expert threw it in the skip!!!

[Fireblade69]

Excellent thread, just the inspiration that me and a couple of mates needed to do just what you have. One thing is bugging me, why are all the lights still in there if it's track only? Is that some sort of requirement?

[benny.c]

Fireblade69 said:

Excellent thread, just the inspiration that me and a couple of mates needed to do just what you have. One thing is bugging me, why are all the lights still in there if it's track only? Is that some sort of requirement?

Do you mean headlights? I can get dark at the end of the day

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nr1TdLvX59E


You obviously need the rest; indicators, brakes etc

[Fireblade69]

Oh yeah :-)

How did you get around the inner seatbelt/harness mounting point being attached to the original seats? Do you happen to have a snap that shows what you did?

I keep refering back to this thread!

[benny.c]

Fireblade69 said:

Oh yeah :-)

How did you get around the inner seatbelt/harness mounting point being attached to the original seats? Do you happen to have a snap that shows what you did?

I keep refering back to this thread!

I haven't got a pic, but none of the harness mounting points are to original fixings. They are all new, bolted through the body and spreader plates. The inner one I think mounted through the trans tunnel.

Thinking about it, maybe the outer one is fixed to the old seatbelt mounting point, the inner was definitely bolted through the body though.

Edited by benny.c on Friday 7th May 23:10

[MrRoo89]

Amazing work and car you've done here, getting an E36 328 coupe to work on over the winter that I plan to still keep road legal - I've spent the last 2 weeks sourcing all the bits for it just need to wait until I have a garage to work on it! (gravel drive isn't very suitable at the moment ) Have you considered a Drenth 6-speed sequential box at all or do you find that the short-shifter is more than adequate?

[MrRoo89]

One other quickie, in your opinion (I have zero self-experience of track cars as this will be my first :s) would a roof scoop be a worthy addition for comfort as with the coupe i doubt i would be able to get all the piping through the tiny rear quarter windows?

[benny.c]

A sequential box would be nice, but there are plenty of other things we'd do with £6K, before blowing it on a gearbox. We looked at roof scoops, but in the end decided it really wasn't worth the effort. Don't know how much it would effect the aerodynamics too.

If you're keeping the car road legal, then I'd leave the heater in for the sake of a few kilos. Take a dump before you go out on track instead

[MrRoo89]

hahaha i'll keep that in mind!
I was thinking if I got a heated windscreen I could dodge needing to keep a heater...and wear a thick coat in winter (for the record I'm planning on getting something like an Isuzu trooper as a daily runner and for towing the car if the beemer throws a tantrum!)
With the scoop it was concerning me too about the aero effects as I'm pretty sure it's going to disturb the air too much for the rear spoiler - just had a possible brain wave actually, on the evo 8/9s they have a row of fins at the top of the rear window to improve straight line stability and clean the air up for the rear spoiler so maybe one of those would help if I had a scoop...

[GC8]

Even if youre deleting the water pipes and sealing the bulkhead, Id suggest retaining the blower assembly.

[sniff diesel]

Just booked Oulton for the 2nd of June - can't wait to have both our cars on track together at long last!

[benny.c]

Nice one Rich. See you up there

[joe_90]

Getting my e36 back from the lock up this week to start on it.. Not started it for 4 months.. guesses on any issues, or should it start (with a jump)?

[benny.c]

Ours gets left for 3 months at a time with the battery disconnected. It always starts on the first turn of the key, which never ceases to amaze me. They're well put together these old German cars

[T.K]

Cool project.

Skimmed the thread, but in case someone hasn't said it, the welding on the cage looks fking awful! Are you sure he even got full penetration on those welds? I worry for the state of this country's tactical nuclear deterrent.

[benny.c]

T.K said:

Are you sure he even got full penetration on those welds?

Yeah, the welds where substantial, but messy in places. And don't worry about the country's tactical nuclear deterrent; the Lib Dems will see it off before any scruffy welding

[T.K]

Cool. Personally I would grind back and tidy up the welds a little bit (and check a sample), and then maybe take the opportunity to whip up some more of the sound deadening before repainting inside. Quite a satisfying job.

Awesome car though. For the money spent it looks absolutely great. Alpina lump will make it.

[benny.c]

I think that's going to be the long term aim. To start with is was all about getting a "budget" car on track, but it's evolving nicely and we'll throw some more cash at it as time goes on. If the Alpina lump is a winner, then we'll probably take it to the next level.

We knew we should have done the sound deadening at the time, but it's such a ball ache and we desperate to get the car done. It will get done at some point, but it's going to be even more of a pain with the cage in place

At some point it would be nice to have the whole inside removed and painted.

[joe_90]

benny.c said:

Ours gets left for 3 months at a time with the battery disconnected. It always starts on the first turn of the key, which never ceases to amaze me. They're well put together these old German cars

5 months not touched, charged battery... started first turn of the key. It caught first turn of the starter !!! It was a bit tappity for a while, but a few prods of the throttle soon sorted that out

Never will I slag off BMW engineering again (just the drivers )

Edited by joe_90 on Friday 14th May 08:20