BMW E36 "M3 LTW"

[Track_M3]

Old builds:
E46 M3 track car - https://forums.m3cutters.co.uk/threads/sams-estori...

1DX21636 by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

F87 M2 clubsport - https://forums.m3cutters.co.uk/threads/clubsport-l...

Untitled by M2 ClubSport, on Flickr

New build:
E36 M3 LTW inspired

GTA SA by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Base car -
1994 BMW E36 coupe 320i Alpine White
40k on the clock/shell
Not had any welding and doesn't need for any
Wasn't on the road between 2005 & 2017
S50B30 rebuilt and installed in 2017 along with every last bit of the running gear... I'm guessing someone used this to re-shell a rusty or crashed 3.0 M3
Full respray in 2021
Alcantara trimmed headliner, A & C pillars

It's been a half caged track car before then converted back into more of a "fast road" car with a full interior


Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr


Would've loved to have started with a true 3.0 M3 but to find one with solid bones like this would've cost a heap more and I'd have felt guilty taking it away from its originality.

[Track_M3]

Down to the nitty gritty - other than the 6 year old Chinese tyres, basically straight through back box, shy gear knob, dreadful driving position, slow steering rack, long final drive, 20 year old coilovers and standard bushes *it drove mint*

Things that were a must to go ASAP
.Black kidney grills
.Pressed number plates
.Fake M3 back box
.Fake M3 wing mirrors
.K&N open air filter
.Centre console buttons, switches, incorrect cigarette lighter and head-unit
.Fake leather steering wheel
.Arm rest
.Carbon front splitter (which turn out to be a genuine ACS item)
.Purple parcel shelf... standard


Things that I loved about it
.Slick top (no sun roof)
.Apline White
.S50B30
.Evo sump - dual oil pick
.Twin fuel pumps
.LSD
.Twisty heater knobs
.No OBC (onboard computer)

I wanted to make sure the car was all good before started to dive into modifying it so every single service part and fluid has been changed

Found some hidden gems... would've left them on but I hate stickers

Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr


Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr



I kept my Recaro SPA from my M2 so these went in

Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Engine bay definitely needs attention

Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

OEM radio blank and starting to dig in to the switches/wiring

Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Lead to carpet out and sound deadening while at it, plus could tidy up the loom and fit some harness eye bolts.

Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Sheer bolts removed from the steering column to lower it

Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Discreet tow strap for track days

Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Recaro SPA bucket seats
MOMO steering wheel adapter as the other had play
Go-Race GT steering wheel release
OMP Superlerggero 320mm steering wheel, aluminium frame with figure of 8 grip
OEM radio blank
Correct top heater vent
Remove audio
CAE ultra shifter with the reverse lock cut off to fit under the dash without cutting
CAE adjustable selector rod to bring it back closer to me
STACK oil pressure gauge was already fitted so added a battery volt metre and clock to make the 3 using a ST track parts mount
OEM cig lighter
Front fog delete button
Non arm rest centre console
Non smoking cubby holders
Lowered steering column
Horn relocated to the column trim
Twin fuel pump switch removed and wired in properly
Electric fan switched removed and wired into an OEM 80 degrees switch

Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Fog blanks and wing mirrors temporally in black

Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

[Track_M3]

Now I started to parts hoard but first some bits needed beefing up

Car came with M3/convertible X-brace fitted but it was riv-nutted which I’m not a massive fan of as they stand proud. I wanted to reinforce and powdercoat a front subframe anyway so bought a spare from a convertible with the threads built in.

Then got a front subframe plate kit that I cut up as wanted to plate the engine mount area from the underside to not raise the heavy pig iron block engine by 3mm

My good friend Toby done all the welding for me

Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr



Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Good job I did too as this was the state of the old

Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr


Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr


Engine mounts were probably new in 2017 as they were actually mint

Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr


Front struts 3mm plated

Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr


Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Rear struts 3mm plated plus weld in and removable strut brace using FIA lap joints and 40mm T45 bar

Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

0.5mm carbon gasket as Intrax coilovers have a void in them that would let in road grim water ect

Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

[Track_M3]

Deadweight Industries battery with custom bracket



Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr



Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr



Wanted a AP kit that cleared stock M3 wheels so landed on a Reyland 330mm kit



Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr



Un-sprung pads sounded like had a rod bearing gone so hopefully these chopped up Porsche/Brembo springs do the trick



Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr



IMG_8737 by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr



For the rear I went with a 996 rear caliper, radial bracket, RPB 328x20mm disc (e46 m3 size) & RS29 pads



Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr



Think this will be a good balance with the fronts and it’s visually pleasing/close enough match too



No words are needed for this



Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr



New coolant tank

Coolant level sender deleted

New silicone radiator hoses

Cleaned screen wash bottle

Aftermarket alarm holes on inner wing welded up

OEM air box

Fan wiring tidied up

Ultra racing strut brace

3mm plated strut then painted white

Correct oil cap



Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr



Valve cover still needs to be refurbished and ideally a carbon air box down the line… always regretted not putting one on my S54



My car still had an outstanding recall on it from about 20 years ago probably because it wasn’t on the road



Scabby old steering shaft



Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr



Brand new one



IMG_8723 by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr



Chopped up straight away to change the rubber bush for aluminium



IMG_8734 by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr



This added with a purple tag rack is a great combo



Summary of front axle refresh has been :



Reinforced & powdered coated convertible cross member

Powder coated X-brace

E30 front wishbones

Millway Motorsport caster bushes in new lolly pops

Vibra-Technics road engine mounts

AP Racing CP9440 brakes

New wheel bearings

Intrax 1K2 coilovers

New shorter drop links

3mm plates on front struts

Purple tag steering rack

New E46 inner track rods & boots - E36 outer track rods

New lower steering arm with solid bush

Power steering bottle catch tank

Eibach anti-roll-bar powdercoated

Powerflex black 26mm ARB bushes

Powerflex purple transmission mounts

Ultra racing strut brace





I’ve Millway Motorsport camber arms to go on the rear and all new hub ball joints but that will be as far as I go on rear for the minute as want to drive the thing. These should allow me to get a good geo and put some miles down.



Plus want to build a spicy diff with a 3.64 crown & pinion and more aggressive LSD

[Track_M3]

233D5E2E-4904-4D01-AB4D-6D7B359893EE by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr



M3 Wing mirrors, fog light blanks and fake LTW boot spoiler filled with expanding foam got painted with a perfect match definitely needs the GT adjustable front lip to finish off the exterior



FD5DC25C-A1AC-43AB-BFF1-E24CB1944F7A by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr



Bought another set of M3 Evo alloys and had all the rears refurbished in silver to give me a 8.5” square setup… finished off with some new 245/40/17 Michelin Pilot Sport 5’s



Gives a great OEM+ look and will be a good set of wheels for road and wet track days - have ordered another set of wheels to run some semi slicks



743BEE79-4855-460C-88E9-B59A70776DC8 by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr



Still need to fine tune the coilover ride height, cambers and wheel spacers



Was only put on the floor and driven out the garage to motivate me to get all the little jobs finished.



Will be waiting for the road salt to go then stick some road miles on it ready for a track day

[Track_M3]

Thank you guys

Jhonno said:

Great build.. Love the old S50's

Those Deadweight batteries are mint, love mine.

Great piece of kit, had the bigger one in my M2 for couple years nd was faultless.

Networkgeek said:

Incredible E36, they really do look fantastic with this style of rear wing.

Out of interest, what mods did you do to your M2? I have an 18-plate OG in LBB that is completely stock, I intended to keep it this way, but the modifying bug is starting to creep in

The list would be pretty long is a link to my M2 build thread at the top... I'll apologise in advance to your wallet.

bumskins said:

Love that Sam, thanks for sharing looking forward to seeing how you get on with it. Funny as a youth one of my dream 'builds' was an E30 with an S54 swap, however with age i've begun to prefer the S50-series of engines - don't sound quite as raspy as an S54 and sound more mechanical/raw

Love the S50! I just wish they weren't so heavy.

SturdyHSV said:

That looks so right, great job so far!

May I ask a simple question though given the amount of quality work done so far...

The OEM radio blank, would that not be an ideal spot to drill 3 holes in and mount the oil pressure etc. gauges up there nearer your eye line?

I know what you mean, having the oil pressure gauge closer would be good but its only a small glance away.
If they were at the top I'd have to try fashion a non-oem blank for the lower section and the radio blank I will be attaching my phone to for "apple car play" sat-nav ect.

ashisgrumpy said:

Great progress Sam
Loved both the previous builds, attention to detail and focusing on the chassis work and setup rather than just upping power gets massive approval in my book.

Love the rawness of the E36 compared to the newer stuff.

Was this a factor in swapping out the M2? Didn't seem to keep it for too long.

Always what I've done, power is nothing without a good chassis.

Totally! M2 just got a little boring, it was a great car but definitely lacked feel, don't regret going DCT as that's the right box for that car but its so nice to be back in something lighter with a manual box, hydraulic power steering and no traction control that you've got to hold down a button for 5 seconds to disarm properly... just get in and go!

Actually had the M2 for 3 years but those were covid years so didn't feel it.

shalmaneser said:

Lovely car, I had an e36 m3 Evo coupe in black and i still look back on it fondly. The s50b32 is better than the s54 imo, and the chassis was lovely.

Have you fitted sway bars? Might have been tempted to go with 996 brakes all round for the matching look!

You mean anti-roll-bars unless you're American... Yes car came with Eibach adjustable ARB front and rear.

My friend has 996 one the front of his E36 328i and I just don't think they cut the mustard, done a few track days in it and I feel it definitely needs for more... plus mine will always be basically a person heavier than his as iron vs alloy engine. So I was always going to go AP after previous experience with them on past cars.

[Track_M3]

Court_S said:

This is going to be ace given how good the previous builds were.

When is the first track day?

Thank you

Hopefully April time, still fair amount of jobs to complete and want to get a few road miles under my belt first.

i_am_ash said:

Love this and all of your other builds too. Will this be at players classic this year?

I’ve applied for track time so fingers crossed.

Its Just Adz said:

Did the M2 get sold? I loved that car.

That said, I do love an E36!

Excited to see what you do with this.

Got put back to basically stock and shot into WBAC then took over 6 months and 2 different dealers to sell.

TheOctaneAddict said:

Love your threads, this one i'm sure will be just as epic as ever!

Thank you

bnbrndn said:

Followed your e46 and M2 for a while now, big fan of this!

It’s got a lot to live up to haha

SturdyHSV said:

Ahhh yeah that makes sense, and that will be more useful more of the time up there. Good call

Aaaand a perfect place for Harry’s lap timer

[Track_M3]

Not a busting amount progress has been made lately

Made a power steering overflow/catch can using a motorbike brake fluid pot

These always spill over and make it look like you've a power steering leak so hopefully this should do the trick

IMG_8991 by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

IMG_8994 by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

[Track_M3]

Picture of the whole front end is back together, like the OE look of the Eibach ARB in black with Powerflex black bushes

Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Next up is rear hub 4x bushes and Millway Motorsport camber arms

36's rear lower outer bushes are a solid rubber so swapped them out for a Lemforder ball joint

Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Great design of the arm as all of the adjustment can be done hub end so no worries of the exhaust being in the way for a geo

I want to try make a little gasket for the front Intrax top mount to not let any of the road grime in.

Few more little jobs to button up and it will finally be time to get some road miles on it ahead of a track day.

Also have some track wheels on order

[Track_M3]

Dylan318Ti said:

Nice car, so clean. People are really starting to look after their E36s! The front calipers look a proper bit of kit too. I've got the recall for the steering joint, can you call up and get the part only? I'm not sure BMW would do the job on my car given how modified it is.

No you'd more than likely have to book the car in, they'll do it regardless of mods on the car. I know a tech at my local so some fudging was done.

MDMA . said:

Great build. Many years ago, I had the chance to buy an immaculate E36 M3 GT in British Racing Green. I thought it was a little bit expensive at the time at £15k. Bad move

I'd have loved one of them... BRG is so nice along with the GT details. But only issue I wouldn't want to take it away from original equipment.

Joehow said:

Looks unreal Mr Ratcliffe

Edited by Joehow on Monday 20th March 21:38

Thank you Joe track day soon

cerb4.5lee said:

I followed a really nice E36 328i yesterday, and it was great to see one out on the road I thought.

Any 36 I see on the road gets a good eye balling - you see ones driven by old folk that have probably had since new and garaged and think that will make a perfect project base haha.

[Track_M3]

IMG_9127 by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Another afternoon/evening spent on the spanners

One thing that was going to really annoy me was the void in the Intrax top mounts that will just let in all kinds of road grime - so before I get a geo I took them off the car and top mounts apart to slip in a 0.5mm sheet of carbon I got from Caterham F1 when they went pop. Caster is set level side-to-side where I want it and can afford a adjustment while still covering the hole, then camber is set on the main 3 bolts so won't affect the gasket at all.

The gap

IMG_9140 by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

IMG_9137 by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Also makes it a lot easier to reinstall as the carbon holds up the fixing that usually just drop straight out the bottom

IMG_9139 by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

IMG_9138 by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

All done and for a test drive

IMG_9148 by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Stuck 25/30 miles on it and all seems well - didn't go mad as needs a geo after everything has been changed and just eye balled back together, brimmed the tank and just waiting on track wheels to show up as want to make sure they clear the arches to what its been set to.

If all goes well this week I'll be driving up to Snetterton to see a friend on a track day and if all feels well with the car I will try sign on for the afternoon

[Track_M3]

After 6 long months I finally got a track day - well just an afternoon as signed on at lunch

Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Managed 4 average length sessions as the circuit kept on getting red flagged over and over, believe was 10+ throughout the course of the day.

Was raining/wet/damp most of the afternoon then when did start to dry out between red flag stoppages someone blew up and dragged an entire engines worth of oil all the way around Coram & Murray’s… far from ideal.

(Pre warning - brakes squeak a little)
Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Problems highlighted from the shakedown :
.Brake pedal felt rubbish - going to try an M3 master cylinder and figure out how to bleed ABS
.Once dried started to understeer - will knock front ARB to soft and go again
.3.15 final drive is painfully long - planning to go 3.64
.Stock LSD needs spicing up as is starting to let go/peel a wheel
.Cooled off a session early as oil gauge is Fahrenheit and I don’t know how to read in black & white
.Stock M3 oil cooler maybe started to weep & looks tired so will replace with a 325tds unit
.Brake squeak was mad once hot - hoping just a mating/bedding process

Pros :
.Intrax felt amazing even in road clicks - was mixed conditions so left at a happy medium
.Michelin PS5 are an amazing tyre in the wet and still surprising in the dry
.Even with a 100kg+ passenger it still felt nimble
.Nothing broke well other than the near side front indicator ejecting out over a curb

Driver errors :
.I’m rusty!
.Need to work on my foot work - loose fitting Vans might not have been the most suitable option
.I’m not use to a car that you can line up for a bend then nail without it biting back
.I need to learn how to drive a slow car fast

Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Track wheels will be here tomorrow so be getting tyres on and want to have a ride height tweak over Easter now the Intrax have had time to settle

Need to ceramic coat both wheels

Front adjustable GT lip is on order - apparently bit of a douch to fit

Heading to Caffeine | Machine Easter Friday to get some more road miles under my belt.

[Track_M3]

Dr.Hellno said:

You build the best beemers, and this is no different. Going from an M2 to a e36 is admirable!

Thank you - first BM was a E36 328i sport, going full circle feels good to be back

Track wheels got tyres mounted today and ceramic coated them this evening, will go on over Easter and a ride height tweak if need be.

[Track_M3]

So it probably wasn't a hard guess that my track wheels would be another set of Apex ARC8 - this is my 3rd black set in a row and 5th set overall - well 6th if you include some EC7 I ran slicks on the 46

Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

17x9.0 ET30 with 235/45/17 Dunlop Direzza

Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Next up was the faff of fitting a GT adjustable front lip... always wanted one of these

Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

(yes there's a puddle under the front - the purple tag rack I fitted is peeing into the steering boots, have a refurbished unit ready to go in)

Added a tinted sun strip too

Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Can you stand on it - well, kind of

Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

[Track_M3]

Court_S said:

Those wheels look ace on it.

How does it feel from a performance point of view after the M3? Watching the Car Wow M3 drag race, there were some quite stark differences between the models (in groups of two).

It does feel slow, but I have to remind myself it always will compared to my clubsport M2 and track car e46 M3. Changing my diff ratio and a little tune up with exhaust and intake should help with that though.

I watched that after reading this - think all the cars actually need to be dyno to have a fair battle there as have a feeling that E92 be knackered as shouldn't of been that slow. Also whoever the presenter is has the advantage drag racing cars all day long.

DukeofBork said:

Its amazing how well time has held up the design of the E36, still looks amazing and nice to see one thats not been trashed in being used. IMO its aged better than the E46.

Thank you, definitely being built to be used though this one.

Am43 said:

Good idea with the anti rattle clips, I have the AP 9660 on my M4, lots of people run them as you know, people do say they have a little pad rattle, but no one quite mentions how bad it really is, they sound like nuts and bolts in a washing machine ! , I used the AP spring clips but for what they are they aren’t cheap

The tension was so high against the pad they were making them bind on the disc slightly, ended up having to bend them quite a bit to make them work properly. Was all a bit of a faff, but no rattles now. I could not have lived with that rattle it was that bad.


Did you go intrax again after running them on the M2 ?

Oh the rattle is insane without! Even the discs are noisy. But yes I had those same clips on my M2 and hated them, easiest way to change pads was leave the springs in place and remove the caliper and swap them from the inside... just a pain - had some very DIY springs on the same kit on my M3 before those were available.

Yes was super impressed with the Intrax on my M2 (even though only done 1 Goodwood track day) so were a must for the E36.

buy_cheap_pay_later said:

That sits really nicely. Love those wheels. It’s always nice to see another E36 about.

Thank you

darreni said:

Great read. I love threads like this. Nice welding too.

Thank you - have a mate to thank for all the welding.

[Track_M3]

Had a hungover spanner yesterday

Stuck the recon purple tag steering rack in, old one had filled both steering boots with fluid

Put some little clip in plates in each piston on the rear Porsche calipers - it seems to have quiet them down completely but time will tell once get some heat in them.

After Snetterton said I would knock the front ARB to soft to try help with some understeer - on reflection I've moved the rear ARB to hard so now on hard all round and see how that feels.

Little test drive and all seems well - just another geo and a wash then ready for Bicester Heritage this coming Sunday

Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

[Track_M3]

Haven't keep this up to date - people still interested in forum build threads ?

JAVRBBEDEVE3005231539 by Javelin Trackdays, on Flickr

[Track_M3]

Been a while - big update, will try keep it short and sweet

May - Went to Bedford Autodrome South-West circuit
Understeered badly
Brake pedal travel & feel was terrible (kept over revving on heal & toe attempts)
Engine oil got hot
Tyres rubbed the arches
LSD lets go under heavy load
Steering wheel felt too far away

Fixes below

Switched up the geo, ARB setting, damper clicks & tyre pressures to try find a better balance
Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

M3 EVO brake master cylinder and servo to cure the long pedal brought on by 4 piston calipers all round
Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Brand new genuine 325TDS oil cooler (has an extra row over M3)
Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Go race 19mm formula wheel spacer & lowered the column more again
Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr
Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

June - Off to Goodwood

But first into Swift performance for valve clearance & fit refurbished cam cover while at it
Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr
Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr


Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr
Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Lap of that ....


Brakes felt better - not amazing but best I'll get on factory master cylinder
Balance was a little better - gave me insight on what direction to change that
Oil still got hot - turns out the oil thermostat had given up.. fancy new cooler was just for show

Pulled it out in about 4 bits
Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Quest to keep it cool fitted a Hack Engineering bypass - this with the motorsport water stat track temps should keep stable
Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

90 degree barb on the power steering catch tank made for a neater job
Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

July - Back to Bedford SW
0X2A4156 by Javelin Trackdays, on Flickr
0X2A4478 by Javelin Trackdays, on Flickr

Lap of the day 2:06 ....



Got to grips with the car a bit more and the circuit - Traffic and weak LSD were the only real let down

Aug - RollHard Bicester Heritage show

Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr
Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

SW Motorsport T45 half cage bolt in - Ticked all the boxes for me, clears rear door cards & factory seat belts, light, one cross and harness bar
Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr
Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Going to remove all the rear seat brackets and carpet the back then strap up a cargo net - never been a mad seat delete fan

Sept - Snetterton evening... still yet to do a full day in this car

Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Lap of the day 2:12


Again LSD letting going and a few heal and toe fumbles

Oct - enough moaning about a weak LSD

Donor case to have some spice added

Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Heasman built Drexler LSD with 3.64 final drive (going from stock 3.0 M3 3.15)

Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Car is currently up in the air getting getting the whole back end done - will update shortly

Edited by Track_M3 on Thursday 9th November 10:42

Edited by Track_M3 on Wednesday 1st May 11:55

[Track_M3]

I've been stock piling to do the whole back end in one swoop

Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

What we had - A crusty stock 3.0 M3 back end with 29 year old bushes

Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ACS Eibach rear Anti-roll-bar had already been removed to be powder coated ahead of time
Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Stripped - tank yet to be dropped. I know it doesn't look pretty but there was no rot and no cracks

Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

3mm plates on all subframe mounts and trailing arm pockets, seam sealed and Raptor painted

Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

New rear brake lines - the old ones were in fine condition but had been routed badly, so new ones with all new clips

Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr


With the tank down I could redo the fuel system, it had been upgraded to a twin pump system but clearly done with the tank in place

What it looked like before - I'll be honest I couldn't even tell what was what

Drivers before
Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Passenger before
Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr


Drivers after
Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Passenger after
Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

I got rid of a factory external return line as it went right to left, into the pump then back right again. New lines & clips and a new pumps (reused the drivers side housing)

Much neater
Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Tank back up - still yet to finish cleaning it - why only 2 out of the 3 straps.

Untitled by Sam Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Hopefully get the subframe ect back from the powder coater then can start the big refit this weekend.

Edited by Track_M3 on Tuesday 14th November 16:02

[Track_M3]

Am43 said:

Nice update Sam, shame you never got off up a great first few track days but I’m sure it will be worth it. As always you certainly have some nice parts !

I followed the m2 build and it inspired me to build my m4

Clubsport is king - hope that's the theme