E36 cheap track day toy

E36 cheap track day toy

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Discussion

BullyB

2,344 posts

246 months

Friday 11th July 2014
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are the stickers from ebay? I was thinking of getting some

Hamster69

Original Poster:

747 posts

145 months

Friday 11th July 2014
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Hey Bully. Yeah the stickers are ebay bought. Made by Casiki. I'm very pleased with all of them, they also made a couple of them custom for me.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/casikisignsuk/m.html?_nk...

BullyB

2,344 posts

246 months

Saturday 12th July 2014
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cheers, was going to get some for the back of my garage door

Hamster69

Original Poster:

747 posts

145 months

Thursday 17th July 2014
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Ok some actual good news. Brands is booked and paid for. Four friends coming, should be good fun. After my measuring up the other night I have been doing some research on ARB bushes. Powerflex were the obvious way to go, but a bit pricey. I looked into flo-flex, but saw a couple of horror stories so gave them a wide birth. Then I chanced upon strongflex. Some people claiming they were as good as powerflex, others actually saying better. So I hit ebay. They do a fast road version (red) and a track version (yellow). I had already put some front bushes, rear bushes and front drop link bushes in my basket when I had a brainwave. Searching out the company's own website I saved over 15 quid.
I ran a quick check last week as well to find out why the abs light has come on. One of the rear wheel speed sensors has given up. New one on order.
More and pics to follow when work commences, shortly followed by track fun. Can't wait.

Had a little laugh last week when my girlfriend looked out the bedroom window and said, "your BMW isn't very good at hiding"!



_Batty_

12,268 posts

249 months

Friday 18th July 2014
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Hamster69 said:
Ok some actual good news. Brands is booked and paid for. Four friends coming, should be good fun. After my measuring up the other night I have been doing some research on ARB bushes. Powerflex were the obvious way to go, but a bit pricey. I looked into flo-flex, but saw a couple of horror stories so gave them a wide birth. Then I chanced upon strongflex. Some people claiming they were as good as powerflex, others actually saying better. So I hit ebay. They do a fast road version (red) and a track version (yellow). I had already put some front bushes, rear bushes and front drop link bushes in my basket when I had a brainwave. Searching out the company's own website I saved over 15 quid.
I ran a quick check last week as well to find out why the abs light has come on. One of the rear wheel speed sensors has given up. New one on order.
More and pics to follow when work commences, shortly followed by track fun. Can't wait.

Had a little laugh last week when my girlfriend looked out the bedroom window and said, "your BMW isn't very good at hiding"!


I really enjoy my iS. Yes its slow on the straights, but it turns soo much better than a straight six due to the lighter nose.
Mine needs some new suspension and buckets, but @ £600 i can thrash it and not worry!

nickboazracing

130 posts

236 months

Friday 18th July 2014
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Great read! I love cars like this. No snobbery, just cheap fun in a good car! Good on you.

The fact you were passing "supercar" stuff at the ring proves it's a sensible car, and that you've got the balls to actually use it hard! I don't know if I could take a £100k car on track in fear of smashing it up.

LLandow circuit near cardiff do trackdays for less than £100... It's a short circuit but might suit your car as it's not got a lot of power.

rm163603

656 posts

247 months

Monday 21st July 2014
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Loving this thread.

I was given an S plate 328i sport coupe inn Techno Violet by a mate a couple of years and have spent all my spare time since tinkering and fettling it.

It still looks identical externally apart from the wheels but I like that. The way I look at it it would be a lot harder to reproduce the patina on it than to make it perfect!!

The engine (now on 161K) already had the BBTB and 325i manifold but it needed a head gasket which I had Phil at CPC do.

Stuff I've done to mine:

Mild interior strip out and some cobra seats from ebay
Mtech 2 steering wheel
6 Point schroth harnesses
Air con removal
Lighweight odessy battery
Z4 quickrack
Early 328 LSD
Gaz gold coilovers
M3 evo chassis strengthening (subframe and gearbox mounts, rear top mounts, front top mount plates.
M3 evo front uprights
Front and rear strut braces
Front X brace
Loads of new general maintenance bits, radiator, balljoints and bushes galore, etc etc X 100!
Removed rear arb (recommended by gaz and makes the rear a lot more stable)
Porsche 996 front calipers and performance friction E46 M3 disks
Rogue gearbox mounts
Rogue short shift
Castrol 10W60 (stops the hydraulic tappets from being so vocal)

Stuff sat waiting for me to find time to fit them:

M3 evo rear suspension and diff, 3.0L M3 prop
Strengthened front cross member and uprated engine mounts
Ali doors
Big sheet of carbon foam panel to make a front splitter

Did a day at castle Coombe on Friday and the car was brilliant and didn't miss a beat despite some serious heat. The new brakes are simply superb which you couldn't say about the originals. Driving home from Snetterton to Swindon last year with no pads left was interesting to say the least.

I'd done 50+ trackdays in a Westfield I used to own... The hardcore nature of it lost its appeal after a while though.... Tyre changing, trailering etc... The 328 is loads of fun, handles really well and you do have to drive it well to get the most from it. It's very easy though, I still have a stereo and such luxuries as wipers and a roof!

The car turned up like this:



and now looks like this:






Anyhow hope to see OP soon at a trackday. My next one is Donnington on the 1st of August...

aka_kerrly

12,415 posts

209 months

Monday 21st July 2014
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^ Spotted you last Friday (I was out with my mate in a Civic type R) and were you there this Saturday as well?
There were a group of guys with dark blue/black 328i E36s , plus a 540i e39 and a E46 330 that all arrived together.

This thread and the other "cheap" BMW track car topics are not helping me right now when I have three other projects on the go that need finishing first before I can sort another track toy.




rm163603

656 posts

247 months

Tuesday 22nd July 2014
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aka_kerrly said:
^ Spotted you last Friday (I was out with my mate in a Civic type R) and were you there this Saturday as well?
There were a group of guys with dark blue/black 328i E36s , plus a 540i e39 and a E46 330 that all arrived together.

This thread and the other "cheap" BMW track car topics are not helping me right now when I have three other projects on the go that need finishing first before I can sort another track toy.
Nope just the Friday unfortunately...

I think for me the project part of it has been as much fun as the trackdays. I like to have something to tinker with and with the e36 there are so many bits available whether it's new or used OEM or aftermarket stuff and so much info available about what other people have done.

Hamster69

Original Poster:

747 posts

145 months

Tuesday 22nd July 2014
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Yes the project is almost as much fun as the track time. When I'm at the track I'm quite happy for friends to drive etc, but no one works on my car but me.
Speaking of which, new parts arriving. Maybe back on the ramp tonight.


carpetsoiler

1,958 posts

164 months

Tuesday 22nd July 2014
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Hamster69 said:
Yes the project is almost as much fun as the track time. When I'm at the track I'm quite happy for friends to drive etc, but no one works on my car but me.
Speaking of which, new parts arriving. Maybe back on the ramp tonight.

Oooo... what have we there... front ARB bushes, rear ARB bushes, diff bushes and a new ABS/pad wear sensor..?

rm163603

656 posts

247 months

Tuesday 22nd July 2014
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Hamster69 said:
Yes the project is almost as much fun as the track time. When I'm at the track I'm quite happy for friends to drive etc, but no one works on my car but me.
Speaking of which, new parts arriving. Maybe back on the ramp tonight.

Try removing the rear anti roll bar completely.....

I did this on advice from Gaz, apparently a lot of the racers run without a rear bar as it gives a more progressive rear end breakaway.

I tried it and I prefer it without... Also saves a bit of weight....

Also I presume that bush is the lower rear upright bush. You can swap this for a balljoint, the M3 uses a balljoint top and bottom whereas the other e36s use a bush at the bottom.

Edited by rm163603 on Tuesday 22 July 13:20

Hamster69

Original Poster:

747 posts

145 months

Tuesday 22nd July 2014
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Sorry but you are both wrong. The bush is for the front ARB drop link.

rm163603

656 posts

247 months

Tuesday 22nd July 2014
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Hamster69 said:
Sorry but you are both wrong. The bush is for the front ARB drop link.
Ah OK. Epic E36 knowledge fail!



Hamster69

Original Poster:

747 posts

145 months

Tuesday 22nd July 2014
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Car back on the ramp tonight. The old bushes looked a bit sorry for themselves.



When I stripped the drop links you could see the bushes were splitting but the ball joints have no play.



The ARB bushes themselves where easy, you could really feel how much easier the bar moves in them.



The drop links where a bit more time consuming, requiring the old bushes to be pressed out.



See there is always another use for sockets when it comes to fitting bushes.
All fitted. I did think about what you said about removing the rear ARB but as I have just paid for these I may as well give them a go first.



Gave her a run home. Really couldn't tell any difference on the road. Hopefully I will at Brands.

nickboazracing

130 posts

236 months

Wednesday 23rd July 2014
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Really intereting to hear advice to remove rear arb. Common practice on a race car in the wet only, I'd be interested so hear feedback on how this works out. Do you run standard camber angles?

I would predict massive understeer on exit of corners under power, I'd be interested in how it would be with a very soft front bar (to balance the disco rarb).

Nick.

carpetsoiler

1,958 posts

164 months

Wednesday 23rd July 2014
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nickboazracing said:
Really intereting to hear advice to remove rear arb. Common practice on a race car in the wet only, I'd be interested so hear feedback on how this works out. Do you run standard camber angles?

I would predict massive understeer on exit of corners under power, I'd be interested in how it would be with a very soft front bar (to balance the disco rarb).

Nick.
The 328i comes with a 25mm front ARB, the M3 comes with a 23mm one. This is counteracted by the back one being 15mm standard on a 328i, and 19mm on an M3... so it appears that it's a better balance on the M3, they're much closer in size.

AC Schnitzer went a bit nuts with theirs- 30mm for the front one, and 26mm for the rear one!! nuts

Hamster69

Original Poster:

747 posts

145 months

Thursday 24th July 2014
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That being said this is the same company that fitted a 27mm front bar to my 318? Are they just pulling these figures out of the sky I wonder.

TheEnd

15,370 posts

187 months

Thursday 24th July 2014
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The M3 front roll bar has a different style, it has shorter "arms" and a lot longer droplinks that go to the body of the shock, which changes the leverage on them.

rm163603

656 posts

247 months

Thursday 24th July 2014
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nickboazracing said:
Really intereting to hear advice to remove rear arb. Common practice on a race car in the wet only, I'd be interested so hear feedback on how this works out. Do you run standard camber angles?

I would predict massive understeer on exit of corners under power, I'd be interested in how it would be with a very soft front bar (to balance the disco rarb).

Nick.
There is lots of static negative camber at the front but I'm running close to the stock settings on the rear.

The car's been cornerweighted and ride heights were some suggested ones I found somewhere on the net...

I'm running the standard 25mm 328 bar at the front and no rear bar. I have the full coilovers on the rear and the springs are pretty hard, they were from a racer... This might explain why I have enough rear roll stiffness without the rear bar.

I'm also running 225's all round, the last day was on pirelli P zero road tyres although I've tried R888s as well. I prefer the pirellis as I'm not chasing lap times and the car is more fun with a bit less grip.

The balance is really good now in the dry, I haven't tried it in the wet. With the rear bar fitted it was fine but the transition to oversteer was quite sudden. With the rear bar removed it's a bit more progresssive. Understeer definately isn't an issue.

I think it's helped a bit with traction as well.