E36 328i - Drag racing, underglow and more...

[M3AN 4016]

4 minutes ago, M M said:

I thought so too but both certifiers I spoke to said no.

Interesting, I have two friends with that setup in E36's with certs. But rules change and I don't keep track, one was done 2 years ago, the other about 4. Sorry if I've provided no-longer-accurate advice! 

[M M 250]

1 minute ago, M3AN said:

Interesting, I have two friends with that setup in E36's with certs. But rules change and I don't keep track, one was done 2 years ago, the other about 4. Sorry if I've provided no-longer-accurate advice! 

Probably just down to the classic open to interpretation/no universal standard approach that is so common here.

[thorburn 121]

Where did you get the new buckles? I don't mind buying new for a seat belt. There's probably nothing wrong with e30 ones, but good piece of mind if you go new

[M M 250]

1 hour ago, thorburn said:

Where did you get the new buckles? I don't mind buying new for a seat belt. There's probably nothing wrong with e30 ones, but good piece of mind if you go new

Seatbelt Solutions on Industry Rd in Penrose. Roger who runs it is a good guy, will tell you everything you need and has all the brackets, doubler plates etc. Otherwise I also have a pair of e30 buckles I can sell you for $30 (what I paid) if you want to go that way.

Edited November 24, 2020 by M M

[M M 250]

A couple from round 2:

 

[M M 250]

Since I live my life a quarter mile at a time I decided to upgrade my neons.

This new setup uses led strips with 60 leds per meter, as opposed to my old setup which used 30 leds per meter (now twice as bright so twice the street cred). The led strips are addressable meaning you make make then do all kinds of stuff not even seen in the new Need for Speed.

I put together the whole thing custom including the wiring harness (and no,  I won't sell you one because I don't want anyone stealing my thunder (or should I say lightening) at a car meet).

The end result is this:

Also a final shot showing off the interior lights as well which are hooked up to turn on when the doors open.

 

 

Edited November 30, 2020 by M M

[M3AN 4016]

I'm not one for all the stuff you're doing but I like your style and the fact you own it.

[M M 250]

23 hours ago, M3AN said:

I'm not one for all the stuff you're doing but I like your style and the fact you own it.

Thanks Dave, I can appreciate that.

[M M 250]

Installed my coilovers today. Decided to go with the Solo Werks S1 coilovers. They had many good reviews, basically labeled the best of the cheap "entry-level" coilovers so decided to give them a shot.

I was quite happy when I received them, they included lubricant for the threads and an instruction manual was that specifically for the e36. For $500usd coilovers I though that was a nice touch.

While there I also installed new top mounts and installed the reinforcement plates front and rear.

Here is how it sits after a quick 10 minute drive.

I've got a track day next weekend at Pukekohe so going to be driving it a bit until then to make sure everything is good. Will report back on how the coilovers feel.

[M M 250]

Went to the Pukekohe Test Day on Saturday and had an absolute blast. This was my first time at Puke and first time on a circuit in the e36. I was expecting it to be a bit slow, especially after my 1.8t Mk2 Golf felt like a snail at Hampton, but it really surprised me. I was sharing the pit garage with a couple of guys who were driving a stripped out, caged 330i e46 with semi slicks, and I was outpacing them. Had quite a good time tangoing with them on the track.

I was quite pleased with how the coilovers performed, held the car pretty solid round the corners and weren't bumpy or uncomfortable at all.

I was running consistent 1.26-27s, verified by the in car go pro and someone who was timing me. Unfortunately the batteries died at midday so I don't know what I was running later but I am sure I must have cut that down a little.

The car made it through the day like a champ, I faced no issues at all, no overheating, nothing. I did wear down my rear brake pads to the point where they both were no longer held in place by the carrier, so they dislodged a little and started melting against the center of the brake disc. So I didn't do the last round as I'd rather not end up in a wall.

Some photos and videos from the day:

 

Bloody tyre kickers

 

 

I was getting a bit of rub on the front left wheel, must have been quite a bit because paint on the top of the fender actually got burned.

 

Also the exhaust tips melted a bit of the difuser, must be from going so hard round turn 1.

All signs that I was going hard enough I reckon.

I think what would improve the car most would be a brake upgrade and semi slicks for next round.

More photos to come.

 

[Sammo 2544]

Awesome man, love how purpose driven this beast is - I would too terrified of breaking something on mine haha

[qube 3570]

awesome man! 

[M M 250]

This week I've been dealing with the aftermath of the trackday on the brakes.

I actually wore the rears completely down to the backing plate on one side which also wore down half of the brake pad sensor, and on the other side the pad separated from the backing. Lucky I decided not to do the last round.

I also put some new brake hoses on the front since the old ones had some small cracks, so while I was at it I replaced pads all round and decided to paint the calipers.

Initially I bought red but at the last minute decided to do blue, and I'm glad I did. I think it suits it quite well. Matches the coilovers too.

 

[M M 250]

Bunch of cool photos from the track day:

 

[M M 250]

Decided to finally tackle the rust on the roof today. There was sizable bubbling on the rear right above the windscreen, and under both sides right above the side window trim in that little channel.

Removed the window seal and here's what I was up against:

So masked the car up

And sanded it down as best I could.

Hit the rust with Brunox

Then painted the lot and cleared

It's not my best work, but seeing as I was working with spray cans, outside, and had to get it done all in one day, I'd say it came out alright enough to get the job done.

I am planning on wet sanding it in a couple of days and then cut and polishing to hopefully blend the paint into the rest of the roof. Will update on how that goes.

[M M 250]

Did a bit of wetsanding and polishing on the roof, but unfortunately the blending didn't come out anywhere near as good as I would have liked. I think I sanded through the clear in some parts and you can clearly see the part where it blends, especially in the sun.

 

Hard to see in the photos, but take my word for it, it's crap. So I decided I will just do it properly and paint the whole roof with a spray gun, along with finally doing the fender and the door. Will begin sanding and preparing next week and hopefully do the painting end of the week or the week after.

[M3AN 4016]

I actually think, given the tools at your disposal, it's a pretty good job!

[M M 250]

The silver and the photos hide a lot. But the section where I painted it properly actually looks fine, it's just the bit I tried to fade out the clear didn't work well. Nevermind, it will look much better done properly with a gun.

[M M 250]

Some of you will be happy to see that I have started fixing the paint on the fender. Thought to start sand it down to get it ready for painting but by the time I had feathered it out a lot of it was going right down to the metal. The sun was going down so I didn't get to finish, quickly had to musk up the car and primer the parts I started.

I am happy however with how the section I started looks, I snapped a few shots while the primer was still glossy and you can see it's actually pretty flat, you can't see any of the old paint impressions anywhere so I'd say it's a great start.

I'm going to be finishing off the rest of it along with preparing the door and roof over the next few days, with the goal of painting it on Friday if the weather is good.

[M3AN 4016]

Wut?!? No drive-by shrapnel signs? I'm disappointed!

 

[M M 250]

18 minutes ago, M3AN said:

Wut?!? No drive-by shrapnel signs? I'm disappointed!

 

I must say I am kinda sorry to see it go. I was part of the car in a way.

[M M 250]

Fully committed now.

Spent the last few days sanding and primering. Door is now sanded and ready with the edges primered, fender is fully primered and just finished sanding the whole roof and primering a few spots.

Tomorrow/over the weekend I'm going to do a final fine sand to smooth out everything and then painting on Monday.

Couple of random pictures from the progress:

 

[M M 250]

After the weather ruined my chances of painting last week, I managed to get it done on Monday.

Some photos during the procedure:

 

The end result:

 

 

Overall I think it came out pretty good. Color match is not 100%, the roof has some slight streaking and it's got a bit of orange peel (nothing some sand paper won't fix) but it's miles better than what was there and miles better than the spray can job. Overall I am happy.

Last weekend I also bought this:

It's a mint NA manual 2+2 and I got it for an absolute bargain considering the condition. I've been wanting one for a while so I was very happy to find this one. But as a result, my enthusiasm for the e36 has plummeted. I really like this ZX and am pretty keen to get stuff done on that so I am considering putting the e36 up for sale. Will see how I feel in a couple of weeks once the high settles but I think I'd rather put the money into the ZX. If you guys are interested I can start a thread on that.