Just starting out with an E46 330ci budget track car build
Discussion
Yeah Paul S4 I'm lucky because me and the Mrs can manage with one car between us so we have a lovely and comfy 118d M sport for daily business so the e36 will only be used for track days and not much else so comfort can be compromised.
The rear beam bushes are all the same on e36 models.
I've got a little bit of an update but I've managed to source some extremely cheap Nanking NS2R's which I'm going collecting tomorrow which is exciting.
Also got offered an extremely cheap Z3 1.9 M44 today, done some reading on these as a track tool and the reviews aren't great, anyone any experience to share?
The rear beam bushes are all the same on e36 models.
I've got a little bit of an update but I've managed to source some extremely cheap Nanking NS2R's which I'm going collecting tomorrow which is exciting.
Also got offered an extremely cheap Z3 1.9 M44 today, done some reading on these as a track tool and the reviews aren't great, anyone any experience to share?
Andrew-b90y3 said:
Also got offered an extremely cheap Z3 1.9 M44 today, done some reading on these as a track tool and the reviews aren't great, anyone any experience to share?
I had an E36 328 touring and borrowed a Z3 328 for a day, stick with the E36 unless you specifically want a convertible. The E36 has better rear suspension and is stiffer.I love the idea of an estate track car and would stick to the E36. Practical as well you can carry spare wheels/tyres, tools etc to the track.
Andrew-b90y3 said:
Yeah Paul S4 I'm lucky because me and the Mrs can manage with one car between us so we have a lovely and comfy 118d M sport for daily business so the e36 will only be used for track days and not much else so comfort can be compromised.
The rear beam bushes are all the same on e36 models.
I've got a little bit of an update but I've managed to source some extremely cheap Nanking NS2R's which I'm going collecting tomorrow which is exciting.
Also got offered an extremely cheap Z3 1.9 M44 today, done some reading on these as a track tool and the reviews aren't great, anyone any experience to share?
I have a couple of Z3s and you can have fun with them as a track car but it's a little bit harder because there's less stuff available in the aftermarket and also because of the E30 style rear end setup, if you lower it more than about 30mm you end up with excess camber and toe at the rear and no way to adjust it that doesn't require getting the car on a jig, welding in special tabs or using eccentric bushes that allow for an extra degree or two of adjustment but then have a tendency to not hold their position. A decent front and rear strut brace and they can be made very rigid indeed. If the price is as good as you say it is, I'd buy it, see if you like it and take it from there. If you decide you don't, and it's clean, has a nice interior and there's bits I need for min, I'll probably take it off your hands assuming it really is cheap, of course! The rear beam bushes are all the same on e36 models.
I've got a little bit of an update but I've managed to source some extremely cheap Nanking NS2R's which I'm going collecting tomorrow which is exciting.
Also got offered an extremely cheap Z3 1.9 M44 today, done some reading on these as a track tool and the reviews aren't great, anyone any experience to share?
So a little bit of an update on the car because I managed to get a bit of time away from home yesterday and managed to get into work for a few hours and sort a few things out on the E36.
So I've done so much research and going backwards and forwards in relation what tyres I was going to run on the car. I'd been reading a lot about semi slicks and then looked at going down the route of Michelin Pilot Sport Cup tyres, I was looking at these as when I went to Anglesey with my pal in his supercharged MINI the performance of these tyres wet and dry was great. However when I looked at the price of these in the size that I need they were nearly four times the purchase price of the car and I really couldn't justify this amount of money. So i began my search for a set of Nankang NS2R, these are used as the control tyre for the Compact Cup championship and have a B wet rating, compared to most other semi slicks which are available which have a lower rating than this so I'm going to give them a try and found these,
CF9652AE-682C-4677-A03E-472BF4681EE0 by andrew conroy, on Flickr
57A046BF-E951-486B-9CD4-5903B6A3E2C5 by andrew conroy, on Flickr
DF4666D7-BBD0-4259-A4A4-11C89E228A4A by andrew conroy, on Flickr
B0238CDF-F1D5-4D7F-919A-9CCD8B2504C2 by andrew conroy, on Flickr
Picked these up for a very reasonable price indeed, they are Nankang NS2R 215/45/17 XL W, theyve got loads pf meat left on them too. Now the only issue that I thought I might have had was in relation to the size of these tyres versus the size of the wheels I was fitting them to. The Team Dynamics wheels that I have measure 8.5 inches across the width of the wheel. Due to this I thought that 215/45/17 may be a little narrow but I measured across the tread of the tyre and they measure 8.75 inches across so fingers crossed I should have no worries. Anyway I fitted them and they fit perfectly....
411101D7-93E5-457A-BC07-B033673EF791 by andrew conroy, on Flickr
2A755FD3-D3DD-4FD6-A8E2-ED6A2C53A3C1 by andrew conroy, on Flickr
I also gave the wheels a bit of a clean up as I don't think they had been on a car for some time when I bought them and they came up great.
08479556-4D07-4417-ACF4-61BAB62BD4E8 by andrew conroy, on Flickr
6CB2F623-8D9E-4CA3-81D7-94C9213E11BD by andrew conroy, on Flickr
05EF2EA9-A58F-4EA1-AF07-B9DE4B4650D3 by andrew conroy, on Flickr
You've probably noticed on the pictures that I haven't refitted the centre caps, this is purely functional as when on track days frequent wheel bolt torque checks are required and I don't want to be popping the centre caps on and off as they'll end up getting lost.
So I've done so much research and going backwards and forwards in relation what tyres I was going to run on the car. I'd been reading a lot about semi slicks and then looked at going down the route of Michelin Pilot Sport Cup tyres, I was looking at these as when I went to Anglesey with my pal in his supercharged MINI the performance of these tyres wet and dry was great. However when I looked at the price of these in the size that I need they were nearly four times the purchase price of the car and I really couldn't justify this amount of money. So i began my search for a set of Nankang NS2R, these are used as the control tyre for the Compact Cup championship and have a B wet rating, compared to most other semi slicks which are available which have a lower rating than this so I'm going to give them a try and found these,
CF9652AE-682C-4677-A03E-472BF4681EE0 by andrew conroy, on Flickr57A046BF-E951-486B-9CD4-5903B6A3E2C5 by andrew conroy, on FlickrDF4666D7-BBD0-4259-A4A4-11C89E228A4A by andrew conroy, on FlickrB0238CDF-F1D5-4D7F-919A-9CCD8B2504C2 by andrew conroy, on FlickrPicked these up for a very reasonable price indeed, they are Nankang NS2R 215/45/17 XL W, theyve got loads pf meat left on them too. Now the only issue that I thought I might have had was in relation to the size of these tyres versus the size of the wheels I was fitting them to. The Team Dynamics wheels that I have measure 8.5 inches across the width of the wheel. Due to this I thought that 215/45/17 may be a little narrow but I measured across the tread of the tyre and they measure 8.75 inches across so fingers crossed I should have no worries. Anyway I fitted them and they fit perfectly....
411101D7-93E5-457A-BC07-B033673EF791 by andrew conroy, on Flickr2A755FD3-D3DD-4FD6-A8E2-ED6A2C53A3C1 by andrew conroy, on FlickrI also gave the wheels a bit of a clean up as I don't think they had been on a car for some time when I bought them and they came up great.
08479556-4D07-4417-ACF4-61BAB62BD4E8 by andrew conroy, on Flickr6CB2F623-8D9E-4CA3-81D7-94C9213E11BD by andrew conroy, on Flickr05EF2EA9-A58F-4EA1-AF07-B9DE4B4650D3 by andrew conroy, on FlickrYou've probably noticed on the pictures that I haven't refitted the centre caps, this is purely functional as when on track days frequent wheel bolt torque checks are required and I don't want to be popping the centre caps on and off as they'll end up getting lost.
Edited by Andrew-b90y3 on Tuesday 6th April 07:54
So the next thing that I wanted to do was to get them fitted on the car and get an idea of how they fit, if I'm going to need to run spacers etc. The wheels which are already fitted onto the car are some universal fit wheels with 205/40/17 tyres which are fitted with 5mm spacers and tuner bolts.I didn't really want to run these, also the tyres are way too small for track use. So I removed the old wheels and got the spacers off the hubs and got the new wheels fitted and I'm mega impressed with the fitment, so much better than what had come off the car.
314D8FE4-CF55-47D8-A351-4EF43195913A by andrew conroy, on Flickr
4B178CEB-C9D5-4E75-B4BA-1FEE93D0CF2B by andrew conroy, on Flickr
CF49ECF2-3B8F-4EBB-8088-6879E6CCC574 by andrew conroy, on Flickr
2E6922BE-812F-4056-8D2D-120E3AC97EF3 by andrew conroy, on Flickr
F1B15B58-CA7A-4628-BB3C-BA56578D5C0D by andrew conroy, on Flickr
2D66BBF0-2C04-4C5F-80FF-B38762D00405 by andrew conroy, on Flickr
The fitment is spot on. I had a look over the car on the ramp and the fronts clear the coilovers, they are a little close on the wheel arch liner (the plastic lip) but I might just remove these so that sorts that problem. On the rear they are also just fine, once I have fitted the rear camber arms and the front camber plates i'll be running more camber in the front and rear anyway so this could help with my clearance issues. All in all though I'm really impressed with them, one thing which I have noticed about these tyres i that they fit a lot wider than standard road tyres and the sidewalls are extremely hard. I cant wait to try them out on track!!
314D8FE4-CF55-47D8-A351-4EF43195913A by andrew conroy, on Flickr4B178CEB-C9D5-4E75-B4BA-1FEE93D0CF2B by andrew conroy, on FlickrCF49ECF2-3B8F-4EBB-8088-6879E6CCC574 by andrew conroy, on Flickr2E6922BE-812F-4056-8D2D-120E3AC97EF3 by andrew conroy, on FlickrF1B15B58-CA7A-4628-BB3C-BA56578D5C0D by andrew conroy, on Flickr2D66BBF0-2C04-4C5F-80FF-B38762D00405 by andrew conroy, on FlickrThe fitment is spot on. I had a look over the car on the ramp and the fronts clear the coilovers, they are a little close on the wheel arch liner (the plastic lip) but I might just remove these so that sorts that problem. On the rear they are also just fine, once I have fitted the rear camber arms and the front camber plates i'll be running more camber in the front and rear anyway so this could help with my clearance issues. All in all though I'm really impressed with them, one thing which I have noticed about these tyres i that they fit a lot wider than standard road tyres and the sidewalls are extremely hard. I cant wait to try them out on track!!
I'll try and summarise purchases and prices so far but I dont think that I'll be near the £1500 mark just yet.
Purchase price of the car £147.00
Brakes: £250
Wheels: £150
Tyres: £160
Weight saving modifications: Free
E46 front seats: £40.00
Bumpers and skirts: £250
CAI: £20.00
Coilovers: £200.00
So that gives me a total upto now of £1217.00, not too shabby really. I've sold various bits and pieces I've collected throughout car ownership so I've tried to not outlay money where possible and used the cash from selling these other bits and pieces.
Purchases to come in the immediate future are:
Buckets and harnesses
Braided Hoses
Service kit
Front Control arm bushes (lollipops)
Front and rear strut braces
Lower cross brace
Adjustable rear camber arms
Adjustable top mounts
So I would imagine with that little lot purchased i'll probably be approaching the 2k mark, still not bad I dont think. The idea is then to enjoy it to its full and possibly upgrade the engine or strip it of its parts and transfer them onto a coupe/saloon, E46/E36.
Purchase price of the car £147.00
Brakes: £250
Wheels: £150
Tyres: £160
Weight saving modifications: Free
E46 front seats: £40.00
Bumpers and skirts: £250
CAI: £20.00
Coilovers: £200.00
So that gives me a total upto now of £1217.00, not too shabby really. I've sold various bits and pieces I've collected throughout car ownership so I've tried to not outlay money where possible and used the cash from selling these other bits and pieces.
Purchases to come in the immediate future are:
Buckets and harnesses
Braided Hoses
Service kit
Front Control arm bushes (lollipops)
Front and rear strut braces
Lower cross brace
Adjustable rear camber arms
Adjustable top mounts
So I would imagine with that little lot purchased i'll probably be approaching the 2k mark, still not bad I dont think. The idea is then to enjoy it to its full and possibly upgrade the engine or strip it of its parts and transfer them onto a coupe/saloon, E46/E36.
Yeah MX6 the touring shell isn’t ideal but for the amount of money that I paid for it I might as well make do and see what it’s like. The extremely low cost offsets it not quite being the right body style etc.
If I can get it light enough then I’m sure it should hold its own!
It’s got an MOT too!!
If I can get it light enough then I’m sure it should hold its own!
It’s got an MOT too!!
A well trodden path the e36 route, but I would advise caution as budget it is usually not!
You seem to be plodding ahead with your own choices despite asking ppl's opinions on here, Im unable to figure out if you are just looking for validation of your choices or genuinely asking for help.
Either way, and for what its worth, hete are my views (I own and run a dedicated e36 toy);
1. Overhaul the cooling system. It is the one weak point in most 20+yr old BMW's. Rad + reservoiur, thermostat + housing, waterpump.
2. Might seem obvious but, Change all fluids, engine, box, diff (note diff info below).
3. Refresh as many bushes as you can. Going high grip tyres will see off anything old, sharpish!
4. I would advise not to start with NS2R tyres. You will learn much more about car control with the Linlongs. Besides your 200 quid coilovers will feel bouncy and overall s
t in a hurry with high grip tyres, as all you will be doing is exposing other deficiencies in the package.
5. The 46 330i front brake upgrade is overkill for your setup and all you are doing is ruining the nice brake balance from factory, in addition to adding more unsprung weight for those 200 quid coilovers to deal with lol. Granted that you will have more ability to absorb heat, but you can achieve the same result with coolong ducts to the fronts without the penalties.
6. Look to swap the diff to a lower ratio one, subject to the type the estate is using the convertibles usually run a higher ratio. Will make a significant boost to the ability of the car on track, second to the weight loss. If you can stretch to an LSD and a 3.2-3.6 ratio, it will be noticed.
You seem to be plodding ahead with your own choices despite asking ppl's opinions on here, Im unable to figure out if you are just looking for validation of your choices or genuinely asking for help.
Either way, and for what its worth, hete are my views (I own and run a dedicated e36 toy);
1. Overhaul the cooling system. It is the one weak point in most 20+yr old BMW's. Rad + reservoiur, thermostat + housing, waterpump.
2. Might seem obvious but, Change all fluids, engine, box, diff (note diff info below).
3. Refresh as many bushes as you can. Going high grip tyres will see off anything old, sharpish!
4. I would advise not to start with NS2R tyres. You will learn much more about car control with the Linlongs. Besides your 200 quid coilovers will feel bouncy and overall s
t in a hurry with high grip tyres, as all you will be doing is exposing other deficiencies in the package.5. The 46 330i front brake upgrade is overkill for your setup and all you are doing is ruining the nice brake balance from factory, in addition to adding more unsprung weight for those 200 quid coilovers to deal with lol. Granted that you will have more ability to absorb heat, but you can achieve the same result with coolong ducts to the fronts without the penalties.
6. Look to swap the diff to a lower ratio one, subject to the type the estate is using the convertibles usually run a higher ratio. Will make a significant boost to the ability of the car on track, second to the weight loss. If you can stretch to an LSD and a 3.2-3.6 ratio, it will be noticed.
Thanks for the lengthy reply and It’s probably a little bit of both Humour to be honest. I am plodding on and making my own decisions but it’s always nice to know what other people think and have their opinion on what I’m doing because they might highlight something to me which I hadn’t considered or I may be able to learn something from them etc. I’ve never done this before so it’s a learning process for me anyway.
Interesting the point that you made about the diff change, am I correct in thinking that if I changed the diff to a lower ratio then top speed will be decreased but acceleration increased?
I do have a little bit of an update as well, not much of one but I’ve collected some bucket seats over the past few days:
[url
|https://thumbsnap.com/puYjuBss[/url]
The blue one is already fitted with a sliding e36 subframe and so is bolt straight in for a drivers seat and the passenger one needs a mount fabricating but I’m going to purchase some box section and make up a mount myself.
They are mega dirty and need a good clean but they’ll serve a purpose and do the job. I’m also not going to b running harnesses with them for a number of reasons. My research has shown me that harnesses without a roll cage can be quite dangerous due to no movement of a roof collapse was to happen etc. Also with no harness bar the angle at which the back straps would be can cause spinal injuries/compressions so I’m going to be running seatbelts.
Interesting the point that you made about the diff change, am I correct in thinking that if I changed the diff to a lower ratio then top speed will be decreased but acceleration increased?
I do have a little bit of an update as well, not much of one but I’ve collected some bucket seats over the past few days:
[url
|https://thumbsnap.com/puYjuBss[/url]The blue one is already fitted with a sliding e36 subframe and so is bolt straight in for a drivers seat and the passenger one needs a mount fabricating but I’m going to purchase some box section and make up a mount myself.
They are mega dirty and need a good clean but they’ll serve a purpose and do the job. I’m also not going to b running harnesses with them for a number of reasons. My research has shown me that harnesses without a roll cage can be quite dangerous due to no movement of a roof collapse was to happen etc. Also with no harness bar the angle at which the back straps would be can cause spinal injuries/compressions so I’m going to be running seatbelts.
I’ve not had much time to update this recently as I’ve been busy with our new arrival to the family but I’ve got a few things done over the last few days:
When I bought the 330 brake setup the calipers have already been fully refurbished but they hadn’t been painted so when I had a few minutes at work I gave them a nice coat of bright yellow paint.
My braided hoses have also arrived so I’m going to do a late night at work on Friday and an early morning on Saturday to get the brakes fitted and bled up (the deadline for having the car ready for Oulton on the 10th is looming)
Gave the buckets a clean up the other day too and they haven’t come up half bad:
I did win a steering wheel and boss on eBay too which unfortunately hasn’t arrived, I paid for the item immediately and the seller told me he has posted it and since it hasn’t arrived he’s now ignoring my messages etc which is the annoying side of eBay I suppose.
My sunroof delete panel has also arrived so hopefully Saturday afternoon I’ll be able to get the sunroof assembly out and get that fitted.
Thanks for looking and more updates to follow this weekend.
When I bought the 330 brake setup the calipers have already been fully refurbished but they hadn’t been painted so when I had a few minutes at work I gave them a nice coat of bright yellow paint.
My braided hoses have also arrived so I’m going to do a late night at work on Friday and an early morning on Saturday to get the brakes fitted and bled up (the deadline for having the car ready for Oulton on the 10th is looming)
Gave the buckets a clean up the other day too and they haven’t come up half bad:
I did win a steering wheel and boss on eBay too which unfortunately hasn’t arrived, I paid for the item immediately and the seller told me he has posted it and since it hasn’t arrived he’s now ignoring my messages etc which is the annoying side of eBay I suppose.
My sunroof delete panel has also arrived so hopefully Saturday afternoon I’ll be able to get the sunroof assembly out and get that fitted.
Thanks for looking and more updates to follow this weekend.
Jay_87 said:
Great thread, and the fact its a touring makes it even cooler, hopefully I'l see it on track at some point next year.
Will be following this one with interest!
Thanks mate. Yeah il be doing as many track days as I can next year.Will be following this one with interest!
I’ve seen this as inspiration but can’t find out anymore information about it, spec etc
Great project, loving it. Reminds of my very first track car project (e36 325 coupe). By putting 330 brakes on the front only you are upsetting the brake bias and the front wheels will be locking up way too easy. You have two options - either go 330 brakes in the back as well but then you have to change the master cylinder to a 330. Or get e46 325 or 328 rear discs and calipers - they match the 330 front ones perfectly and the brake bias is spot on (also zero issues with the abs).
Be sure to leave the headliner in place; a couple of friends have stripped out a bit more ruthlessly than you, removed the headlining, and now it rains inside thanks to condensation!
Personally I don't think you can beat polybushing everything.
After that, transplant the M54B30 engine in there from a 330i. I used to track my old E46 330i Touring (my daily driver), and it surprised a few people out there. Your E36 would be even lighter, quicker and more fun.
Personally I don't think you can beat polybushing everything.
After that, transplant the M54B30 engine in there from a 330i. I used to track my old E46 330i Touring (my daily driver), and it surprised a few people out there. Your E36 would be even lighter, quicker and more fun.
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