E36 M3 Targa Car Build

[Beeker2 69]

mmmm I'm interest then why this knuckle rubbed ?

Outside of a rough casting of the suspension arm, there is a small suspicion around wheel bearing been worn, and that these only get movement when hot.

We'll test this once the car is back from Kayne Barrie.

Will report back!

[Beeker2 69]

Good call IMHO.

He's gonna work with suspension tech (Chris Alexander) on the spring rate tuning too, as kayne has some specific e36 Tarmac setup knowledge here.

Edited April 16, 2014 by Beeker2

[Beeker2 69]

You need an oversized washer (one larger than the bottom shock lollipop) between the bottom shock mounting bolt and the bottom shock mount bush (google if you don't believe me) ... otherwise that bush will pull out of the shock. Amateur mistake on that install!!! I'd be concerned.

That shock should also be spun 180 degrees or swapped left to right ... one side of that bushing has that lip on the inner bolt guide, but flush on the other side .. the flush side faces the outside.

Rear shocks:

Have looked into this a bit more.

Upon a visual inspection (non removed, so not 100%), and also after checking with autolign who checked their records, the E36 PSS9 rear shocks have an even offset for the bush centre pipe for both sides. ie they have the same lip on both sides. I believe this is different to the E46.

see: http://home.comcast.net/~matthew.c.smith/images/PSS9/large/PSS9_18_big.jpg as an example.

I've tried to figure out if the E36 PSS9 kit came with a washer or not from the factory, and thats 50:50 depending on who you speak too. Remember, because it has a raised lip on both side, for the bolt side, a typical oversize washer will sit above the surface of the lollipop as opposed to the normal flush fitting.

Long story short, we will add a washer as a precaution shortly.

Also, while the car was at Kayne Barries we talked about:

Spring Rates.

He also considered 300/300 light. A prior targa car he helped setup ran 550 front, 700 rear, no rear sway (helps with traction, and as unchartered tarmac corners speeds are lower than track you don't feel it pushing with no sway). This does depend on the shock valving rates. Once we get the cage in, we'll revisit this.

Suspension arm running on rotor:

Its his believe that its a malformed casting, and it needs sanding back (caution on grinder plate, as that might overheat joint),

I tend to agree, and we'll progress down this track for the interim.

Edited April 28, 2014 by Beeker2

[Beeker2 69]

Car is back from Kayne Barry. Have done:

> Single mass flywheel

> Dual plate clutch

> Inspection, seals and retainer strengthen on gearbox

> Diff ramp up and bearings

> 3.91 install

There was good news that overall the car is in a good maintained stated and no signs of abuse (yet!)

Its certainly picks up well. I see some nice power slides coming up.

I'm seriously considering a tighter Z3 steering rack to help me keep it moving in the desired direction.

We also discussed some future todo's:

> Cooling systems refresh (pipes, temp thermostat, NOT water pump as thats generally ok on the M3 but inspect)

> replace engine mounts (as if they sage the run on effects are material)

> Replace a tired looking fuel line connecting to the bottom of the fuel filter before it cracks and bursts into flames!

Some pics:

Edited April 17, 2014 by Beeker2

[nastnas 9]

Hi beeker, I had my yellow E36 done at torque, after my first VANOS seal replacement kit. car made around 178.2 kws... I will try and find the thread with the details

found the old thread. 178.2 was the reading.

Edited April 18, 2014 by nastnas

[Beeker2 69]

Hi beeker, I had my yellow E36 done at torque, after my first VANOS seal replacement kit. car made around 178.2 kws... I will try and find the thread with the details

found the old thread. 178.2 was the reading.

It would be great to see that. What mods was on the car? Exhaust etc

[nastnas 9]

No mods Noel. Car was completely stock.

I had 168 before I did the vanos repair and then after the power increase was superb. 10kws, but the best increase was the driveability through the rev range. Vanos engaged earlier lots of pull in most gears.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Beeker2 69]

No mods Noel. Car was completely stock.

I had 168 before I did the vanos repair and then after the power increase was superb. 10kws, but the best increase was the driveability through the rev range. Vanos engaged earlier lots of pull in most gears.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Interesting

So who's the best vanos repair shop in Auckland?

Might as well refurb it proactively.

[nastnas 9]

Ross at BMWorkshop in Botany

Oh, and just realised the car had a KN replacement air filter? not sure if thats a "mod" to you guys. Certainly not to me tho. (given my history)

Edited April 20, 2014 by nastnas

[Beeker2 69]

thanks. I assume you recommend him?

[nastnas 9]

thanks. I assume you recommend him?

Yea Noel. He's pretty good. Also the BMWorkshop in grey Lynn is pretty good.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Edited April 20, 2014 by nastnas

[Beeker2 69]

Stripped the interior insulation (tar like stick on pads).

Weighed in at 10.9kg

[328bema 18]

Nice stuff love this build man

[2052NV 43]

did you take the loom wrap off or is that how they are factory??

[thorburn 121]

If you find a nice way to get the fluffy roof stuff off I'd love to know

[Beeker2 69]

did you take the loom wrap off or is that how they are factory??

How is was.

[Beeker2 69]

errr, thanks to my children a call to Dent Magician is required.

[yng_750 247]

Translation you did it yourself?

[Beeker2 69]

Translation you did it yourself?

haha

No no, distracted kids getting in and out of wife's car.

Luckily it was not my daily, now that would have made me very ....!

[atlantiskiwi 73]

Awesome to see this went to someone who really appreciates them.

I put an offer on this in Jan that was turned down.

Looking forward to seeing it come together.

As the title says I'm building a E36 M3 3.0 into a Targa Tarmac Rally car.

My history has been targa on and off for over 10 years, starting with a 4AGZE power AE86 and currently a stopgap DC2 Integra (R bits).

I really wanted to get back into RWD, or even 4WD, but the reliability of the BMW RWD sold me on that path.

Decided on the Pre EVO 3.0 M3 so I can compete in the 2000>3000 class, and avoid the grunters such as GT3's in the 3000>4000 class.

The current plan is:

> Car, purchased. NZ new 1993 with 133kms on it. A clean and tidy starting point.

> Diff and LSD, Kaine Barry to tighten and install a 3.91

> Gearbox, Kaine Barry to inspect and install a ~retainer strengthen (or something that sounded like that)

> Clutch, Kaine Barry to install new competition clutch

> Suspension. Chris from Suspension tech to install Bilsteins and new springs all around. Might do something better later.

> Cage. Currently talking to Dan Slater. Although I originally wanted steel, we're considering moly due to the volume of bars we're installing.

> Seats. Racetech 4009WHR

> Front brakes. Competition AP 4 pots on floating AP rotors (325x32 j hook) from Essex racing.

> Wheels. TBA.

> Engine. Just a good tune and service.

> Exhaust. TBA

> Fire Systems. TBA.

> Intercom. Stilo.

> Camera system. TBA

The key date driver here is targa south island. They have never done it before, and maybe never again. Ideally the car would be ~finished for targa rotten-rua so we can shake it down.

Here is the donor. The wallet is shaking with fear.....

[Beeker2 69]

Update. A few things have occured.

1. My mate pulled the bonnet liner off, didn't reallign the bonnet pins correctly, dropped the bonnet down and ... yes, jammed and would not open. 4 hours of effort later....

2. After pulling the headliner down to remove the sunroof cassette, a small surprise, the sunroof appears to 'Not' be a factory install, yet it had an OEM look to it so i assume it was a dealer install. The result is more work to reinforce the roof and enable the sunroof panel to be welded in.

3. I thought removing the sound insulation tar was a big effort... nup, the residue from the tar and headliner glue was twice that job.

4. While I had the front of the car off freeing the bonnet, i fitted the de-fog light covers (OEM) and GT chins (replica's).

Some photos:

Before tar and glue residue removal:

After:

Tar residue and glue removal tip:

We used WD40 as the primary tar removal chemical, along with a broad stiff scrapper to remove the lumps. If the bodywork is not flat, you'll need to revert to an old blunt screw driver and allot of patience. For the glue and general cleanup when use paint thinners.

Sunroof. Here you can see how the middle bracing as been cut out to allow space for the sunroof cassette. Now the cassette is gone, the roof is very weak. The plan is to get a new or 2nd had brace and get it welded in, OEM style. Although this is not needed for safety as we have a strong cage, the roof needs strength to avoid dents from general use.

Here is my disassembled front end so that i can get to the underside of the bonnet pins.

Found half a dead mice in there, and took the oppertunity to clean it all out.

I researched the web on how to open my stuck bonnet. The quick fixes didn't work, thus i had to open the front up. When i tried the trick to unscrew the bonnet pins, mine were siezed in place. It was looking ugly... Then i tried using a screw driver and soft hammer and tapping the screw driver gradually around the circumference of the pin. This was my own idea and it worked, and the bonnet released. Some people might need to have someone hold release pressure on the bonnet cable at the same time, depending on where is jamming.

Now that its open, i adjusted the bonnet pins and also unsiezed the bonnet pins so that they could be unscrewed in the future if needed.

Here in the underside of the pin where i tapped around the circumference.

Here is the back of the de-fog light mod. Note the tie wire to retain the covers which often fall out.

Pic of the car with its de-fog and GT Chins

Also pulled the stereo loom out, 1.6KG

Edited May 4, 2014 by Beeker2

[KwS 2429]

Those splitters look good, also interested to know which you went with.

A quick check of your VIN confirms it was not factory specced with a sunroof. Yours is a couple of months older than mine, but other than the non-smoker package option it is identical.

http://www.bmwarchive.org/vin/ea66308.pdf

[Beeker2 69]

Which front splitters did you go with?

Interested in flicking on that stereo loom?

Re splitters. Just something I ordered of ebay. It'll get a hammering and couldn't justify $350 for BMW genuine. They are abs plastic thou, so should be sonewhat resistent to bending.

Re loom. Will dispose of it once project is complete. Also have speakers, head unit, amp.

[Beeker2 69]

Those splitters look good, also interested to know which you went with.

A quick check of your VIN confirms it was not factory specced with a sunroof. Yours is a couple of months older than mine, but other than the non-smoker package option it is identical.

http://www.bmwarchive.org/vin/ea66308.pdf

[Beeker2 69]

What I'm missing is the coffee cup holder! Need to get one, and yes I'm serious.