My E36 M3 Evo track project
Discussion
Haven't posted the details up on here before, so thought I'd put a quick journal together, in case it helps anyone.
So this is my second Evo, and it started life as a lightly modified road car, bought from the classifieds of this very website in Jan 08.
Here are the photos from the advert:
It was already a little modified, having Intrax RS coilovers, a x-brace, a front strut brace and a few other odds and sods.
It stayed as a road car for a while, including a trip to Le Mans, and then I took it on a trackday.
Didn't go quite to plan, as this happened after a couple of laps:
Hey ho, these things happen.
Anyway, the more time I spent with it, the more I realised that the bodywork annoyed me. It was the classic good from afar/far from good, and when you got up close there were lots of bits that needed attention:
Rust on the bootlid:
Stonechipped front end:
Wheels needed refurbing:
Window seals were perished:
The list when on. There was a also a little rust on the rear arches.
So, the decision was made to send it to my friendly bodyshop for some work. I have to say a big thanks to Owlsbury Coachworks at this point as they did a cracking job on it, and have on everything else subsequently.
WIP:
And the result:
Excellent, so now it was perfect.
And then I got bored. Too much time down at Bexley Motors meant that the track bug had definitely bitten. And so off we went in another direction...
First up, the strip:
Then some wheels (and the start of the new colour scheme):
Team Dynamics Pro Race 1.2 in 17x9 et23. Nice.
Next stop, the brakes:
AP 4-pot kit with RS29s, and the same pads at the rear. Obviously with braided lines too.
Then, a Dastek Uni-Q piggyback ECU and live map, verified at Surrey Rolling Road:
Next, we needed more green. Always more green. Aero addenda added:
In the meantime other work was done that's not so visible, like a rebuilt 3.91 LSD. Nice and punchy.
After a while I decided to swap the seat, from a Sparco Sprint 5 to this:
At this point I was doing more and more trackdays, and as they always say, safety first:
Well done Custom Cages.
At the same time, I changed the coilovers. The Intrax that were on there were OK, but couldn't really cope with the lightweight of the car now stripped. After looking at a variety of options including the Intrax 1K2, I decided to go for a Black Art Design kit, as used in the Kumho championship. They weren't cheap (nothing ever is) but I think they're stonking. Can be seen in the pic here:
So, that's the quick version of the last 2.5 years.
This is how it looks today:
And in its natural habitat:
A big thanks to Mark and Chris at Owlsbury Coachworks for their help on the bodywork, and Nigel, Jags and Rob at Bexley Motors for their spannering.
So, the full spec is:
Engine:
3.2 engine with FSH and more
Simota induction kit
Uni-Q piggyback ECU Live mapped to 320bhp with graphs
Decat Blueflame backbox
Drivetrain:
5 speed gearbox
New Sachs clutch
B&M short-shift
Rebuilt 3.91 LSD with mount reinforcement plates
New prop guibo
Chassis:
Black Art Design 3-way adjustable coilovers front/rear
X-brace
Intrax front top mounts
Custom rear top mounts
Z3 steering rack
Turner bush limiting kit
Brakes:
AP 330mm 4 pot fronts with RS29s
OEM rears with RS29s
Braided hoses/5.1 fluid
Safety:
Latest spec Custom Cages FIA cage with diff pickups and to front strut towers
Lifeline plumbed mechanical extinguisher
Electrical cut-off
Cobra Evolution S seat
Schroth HANS harness
Wheels/tyres:
4x 17x9 TD 1.2 with BTCC slicks
4x 17x8.5 Contour reps with Kumho road tyres
Bodywork:
Fibreglass bonnet/bootlid
GT front splitter and boot spoiler
ABS foglight ducts
Quick release front bumper
Aluminium doors
Interior painted flat white
So this is my second Evo, and it started life as a lightly modified road car, bought from the classifieds of this very website in Jan 08.
Here are the photos from the advert:
It was already a little modified, having Intrax RS coilovers, a x-brace, a front strut brace and a few other odds and sods.
It stayed as a road car for a while, including a trip to Le Mans, and then I took it on a trackday.
Didn't go quite to plan, as this happened after a couple of laps:
Hey ho, these things happen.
Anyway, the more time I spent with it, the more I realised that the bodywork annoyed me. It was the classic good from afar/far from good, and when you got up close there were lots of bits that needed attention:
Rust on the bootlid:
Stonechipped front end:
Wheels needed refurbing:
Window seals were perished:
The list when on. There was a also a little rust on the rear arches.
So, the decision was made to send it to my friendly bodyshop for some work. I have to say a big thanks to Owlsbury Coachworks at this point as they did a cracking job on it, and have on everything else subsequently.
WIP:
And the result:
Excellent, so now it was perfect.
And then I got bored. Too much time down at Bexley Motors meant that the track bug had definitely bitten. And so off we went in another direction...
First up, the strip:
Then some wheels (and the start of the new colour scheme):
Team Dynamics Pro Race 1.2 in 17x9 et23. Nice.
Next stop, the brakes:
AP 4-pot kit with RS29s, and the same pads at the rear. Obviously with braided lines too.
Then, a Dastek Uni-Q piggyback ECU and live map, verified at Surrey Rolling Road:
Next, we needed more green. Always more green. Aero addenda added:
In the meantime other work was done that's not so visible, like a rebuilt 3.91 LSD. Nice and punchy.
After a while I decided to swap the seat, from a Sparco Sprint 5 to this:
At this point I was doing more and more trackdays, and as they always say, safety first:
Well done Custom Cages.
At the same time, I changed the coilovers. The Intrax that were on there were OK, but couldn't really cope with the lightweight of the car now stripped. After looking at a variety of options including the Intrax 1K2, I decided to go for a Black Art Design kit, as used in the Kumho championship. They weren't cheap (nothing ever is) but I think they're stonking. Can be seen in the pic here:
So, that's the quick version of the last 2.5 years.
This is how it looks today:
And in its natural habitat:
A big thanks to Mark and Chris at Owlsbury Coachworks for their help on the bodywork, and Nigel, Jags and Rob at Bexley Motors for their spannering.
So, the full spec is:
Engine:
3.2 engine with FSH and more
Simota induction kit
Uni-Q piggyback ECU Live mapped to 320bhp with graphs
Decat Blueflame backbox
Drivetrain:
5 speed gearbox
New Sachs clutch
B&M short-shift
Rebuilt 3.91 LSD with mount reinforcement plates
New prop guibo
Chassis:
Black Art Design 3-way adjustable coilovers front/rear
X-brace
Intrax front top mounts
Custom rear top mounts
Z3 steering rack
Turner bush limiting kit
Brakes:
AP 330mm 4 pot fronts with RS29s
OEM rears with RS29s
Braided hoses/5.1 fluid
Safety:
Latest spec Custom Cages FIA cage with diff pickups and to front strut towers
Lifeline plumbed mechanical extinguisher
Electrical cut-off
Cobra Evolution S seat
Schroth HANS harness
Wheels/tyres:
4x 17x9 TD 1.2 with BTCC slicks
4x 17x8.5 Contour reps with Kumho road tyres
Bodywork:
Fibreglass bonnet/bootlid
GT front splitter and boot spoiler
ABS foglight ducts
Quick release front bumper
Aluminium doors
Interior painted flat white
Lefty 200 Drams said:
dan101smith said:
Yep. Just never get a chance to use it!
clicky?Not bad value I'd say, considering I've got receipts for £30k
ManOpener said:
Wasn't this featured in Performance BMW a while back? I think it was in an article on Bexley Motor Works.
Not that I know of!S3_Graham said:
Any quickie dan, what did you do about the window seals? mine have gone like yours.. looks shocking, tempted to mix up an extra bit of sealant next time we do an aircraft windscreen at work!
I got new rubber seals for mine - they're not all that expensive (£40ish a side from memory) and it's a pretty painless job.Rochester TVR said:
Is it any good at towing a marquee though? 
Of course! And it'll jump over ravines with ease.It's not as good at this though:
Aydogflipper said:
Im a massive fan of that. Love it !
Thanks! Me too!dan101smith said:
S3_Graham said:
Any quickie dan, what did you do about the window seals? mine have gone like yours.. looks shocking, tempted to mix up an extra bit of sealant next time we do an aircraft windscreen at work!
I got new rubber seals for mine - they're not all that expensive (£40ish a side from memory) and it's a pretty painless job.
Cheers pal.Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff