Well after all this time I figured I should start a build thread for my car and a place to keep most of my info since that seems to be the cool thing to do these days.
Here is the basic breakdown on the car.
94 E36 325i.
This is how it all started back in 2008.
Over the time the car was used for AutoX in STX class and in the 2010 I took the plunge, welded the diff and went along for a ride. First time drifting around the track and I was hooked.
Fast forward a few years later and the car is, for the lack of a better word.... "different".
I figured this season should be a good season to take thins seriously so I slowly put together the new build (with some advice from Mike on the motor build) and here is what I came up with. The build is a slow progress but I will try and keep this as updated as possible.
Powertrain:
- M50B25TU Stroker - with S50 cams, S50 Rods, S50 crank, Wiseco 10.5:1 forged pistons 1mm overbore.(85mm)
- Cometic .080 MLS, ARP studs, ARP mains (all ARP hardware)
- T304 Turbo with custom top mount manifold.
- Tuned with Miller WAR Chip.
- Custom High Compression & Boost E85 Tune w/ 60lb injecotrs by Precision Violence
- F1 Stage 4 6 puck clutch unsprung, F1 Stage 4 Pressure Plate, UUC Double Shear Selector Rod , B&M Short Shifter, TRM Carbon fiber shift knob.
- Hand/custom built/pie cut 3" exhaust with Magnaflow 50 series ultra-quiet muffler.
- Tial 38mm wastegate with open dump.
Suspension:
- BC Racing BR type Coilovers with 10k springs all around.
- Adjustable rear control arms and .5 degrees camber in the back.
- Solid subframe bushings, and every other bushing replaced with AKG Poly bushings
Interior:
- Gutted
- Bride VIOS Low Max III FPR Seats -Graduation
- Cage (coming soon)
- Innovate MTX-L Wideband, Equus Gages
- CROW 5 point Harness
- Ksport Hydro, extedned handle and single caliper rear (for now)
Exterior:
- Aerocatch Locking Hood Pins
- 75mm Fender flares (Rear only for now but I have 8 flares coming in 2 weeks for the front and extras for the back. Also 75mm)
- M3 bumpers, sideskirts
- 62 inch, CF Seibon 3d Spoiler
- Custom crash bar
Wheels:
- ACS Type 1 (3101A) 17x8.5 ET13 and17x8.5 ET0 (2 full sets, aka 8 wheels)
- Breyton Inspiration 17x8.5 ET13
- Kosei K1 17x8.5 ET38
The car will soon be getting retuned for more boost and possibly new injectors (goal is about 500-550RWHP), caged and I will be ripping out about 80% of the cars wiring since it's all still there. New fender flares will be going on the front, hopefully dual calipers and the new steering rack (Remanufactured Z3 2.7 L2L linear rack) will be going on.
After I swap the racks out next wednesday I need to get my new alignment dialed in so suggestions on the alignment numbers would be fantastic. I currently have some rack spacers for added angle but that's it as far as steering mods go. I want to the SLR route but it's just too expensive at the moment.
What do you guys suggest for alignment specs?
Also I keep my Instagram most up to date with photos and build info so give me a follow: www.instagram.com/insepsis. (@insepsis) I am a designer and a Photographer but hate taking photos of my cars so I just do it with my phone when I have nothing better to do...
- Mirko
Last edited by InSepsis; 05-24-2013 at 01:58 PM.
lol I have the exact same shifter setup...does your trm knob have only the letters TRM?
actually lots of similarities haha
Always liked seeing pics of your car and nice to know the details. Sounds and looks like a really solid setup. Are those the ebay s13 flares?
Yes sir. I ordered another set but the finish was a joke so I just ordered 8 different ones. I sometimes get too excited mid bank and decide to blow up my tires which destroys my flares so I figured having extras on hand would be a good idea.
Also...
What suggestion do you guys make for my alignment spec? I have been all over the place lately and can't find what I am happy with. I have an appointment setup for next friday once the new rack goes in.
Last edited by InSepsis; 05-24-2013 at 04:56 PM.
great pictures!
Do you have a link for those flares?
Thank you
They are all sold out. The guy every now and then makes some and puts them on ebay as he makes them. I hit him up after his last auction ended and he is just making me some on the side outside of ebay.
- - - Updated - - -
A few recent updates to the car:
UUC Double Sheer Selector Rod
Changed up a couple of things on the exhaust manifold for a better flow.
Finished my crash bar:
With bumper on. This is mostly just to bump stacks of tires away at our local track while I build a better/sturdier one.
Converted to studs and installed the flares (this is pre-paint)
And finally this beauty goes on tonight/tomorrow. A new Z3 linear rack.
Last edited by InSepsis; 05-29-2013 at 04:48 PM.
Car looks awesome. IC is small!
Mike
IG: @mikevanshellenbeck
It's not too bad:27" x 8" x 4" - Holds plenty of air for what I am doing. And the fact I am not running very much boost helps too.
What advantage would I have with going with a larger IC? I have always considered it but never had issues with the current setup when it comes to air.
Last edited by InSepsis; 05-29-2013 at 06:24 PM.
car looks great... im planning similar turbo setup on my coupe... how did the tuning process go with the Miller War Chip??
Advantage - colder IAT, safer power, better when you shoot for that 500-550.
Are you sure the core itself is that large? Mine is a 24x12x4 and it literally looks twice as tall as that one and wider too. Maybe the size is just deceptive due to the gnarly bash bar
Found a pic for reference, not to thread jack but comparison to my 24x12x4
I'd upgrade it if you can fit more in there. You want the most frontal surface area possible, especially for drifting. Nice and safe power
Mike
Last edited by MikeE36; 05-30-2013 at 03:01 AM.
IG: @mikevanshellenbeck
Tuning was easy. Some of the things like changing a constant on your injectors is impossible but Brody is usually nice enough to make those changes for you. We just had him add 35% to injector constant for E85 and then made some more fine tuning from there. Otherwise it's a pretty similar map to regular 91 octane.
- - - Updated - - -
Noted for sure. I will keep an eye out. I had this guy sitting around in my garage and my buddy ran it on his 450RWHP car for a while before it made it's way to me. I should be able to stuff something closer to what you have, I will just probably wait till I upgrade turbos so I can change all my piping too. Right now my piping is extremely short with my setup.
The measurements are a little bigger. That is full width. I think it's 20 x 8 x 4 for the core size.
I got the rack out tonight. I need to take my old spacers off to use on the new rack.
How in the world do I get the inner tie rods off again without having to get a gigantic wrench. How did everyone else go about it? I don't want to damage my brand new rack so I am looking for the best angle of approach here. I put treadlock on it last time but I used blue instead of red. I had a ghetty thing tool I made last time but it's been thrown out since so I need to figure out the wrench size or whatever I need to do.
Last edited by InSepsis; 05-30-2013 at 03:38 AM.
Go to a bike shop and get a 32mm head wrench. $15. It's just a slim wrench. You can use it on e36 clutch fans too.
ya bmw w/p tool kit has a 32mm in it. i got mine for cheaps off amazon .
+1 on the 32mm bike wrench. I called like 5 bike shops around me and no one actually had one in stock for sale... Got tired of calling and went in to a shop and they were awesome enough to let me borrow one of theirs! Good luck.
Awesome sedan, I hope to go turbo and probably miller one day after I've perfected some driving skills and collected more cash. What kind of power are you making? More details on the miller process would be awesome too.
Edit: just saw you got it done, awesome. Wtf, is that the ball joint or whatever that goes into the subframe??
Last edited by jjjjjjj; 05-31-2013 at 01:12 AM.
1995 325i | OBD1 S52 | S50 cams | AA Turbo TD06 20g / 42lb / Porsche maf | .140 MLS | F1 s3 clutch | Ultimate SSK | AKG 75D subframe/diff bushings | 3.23 LSD | Powerflex LCAB/RTAB | e46 fca | Raceland coils | BMP rear arms | DEPO HID | AEM Failsafe | Aeromotive FPR | Walbo 255 | 3" Magnaflow muffler/cat/res | 17x8.5/9.5" 225/45 & 255/40
Yeah, got it all done and swapped my old spacers onto the new rack too.
The setup was pretty simple. You pay and they ship you the chip, software, cables, MAF (you have to weld it into the intercooler piping) and 60lb injectors. They send you base maps that are fairly conservative for your car and that's it. It will run great from the box and if you are ballsy you can tune more in yourself. I switched to E85 last month so I had to have the injector constants turned up since my fuel tables were going out of boundaries (values above 254) to keep adjusting so I just had Brody add 35% fuel across the board. Everything is load based so as long as you have an 02 sensor it will tune it'self out and adjust for altitude, weather conditions etc.
It's pretty simple and great out of the box. If you have a knowledgable tuner he can get some more power out of the motor. For me it's all about being safe.
Right now I am running about 6-7psi and all my friend's but dynos (haven't done a dyno run since the switch yet) say that I am somewhere around 360-380 range. I raced a 3 rotor turbo from the dig (about 400RWHP) and beat him by about a car so not really sure yet. I am running higher than stock compression so I am trying to keep boost low and is why I went the E85 route. I will be running between 12-15psi for competitive events and hoping for anywhere from 450-550rwhp but am waiting to upgrade my piping, turbo and intercooler before doing all that crazy powere stuff.
And yeah, the ball joint that is pressed in (it requires a 10 ton press) came out which explains why my steering rack blew out a seal and my steering was kicking back at full lock on snap transitions. I guess I should get the E46 arms before the next drift event on the 16th.
Yeah that looks like it would have toasted your old rack just because of the funny angle I'm sure it was causing.. Oh well, it's always good when the car steers us towards justified upgrades!! SLR kit..?
Thanks for the info on the Miller package. I already have a 540 maf and a set of 42# injectors so I was hoping to do it even cheaper, and I've heard nothing but good things about Brody. I just started spend money on suspension so turbo is on hold indefinitely.
1995 325i | OBD1 S52 | S50 cams | AA Turbo TD06 20g / 42lb / Porsche maf | .140 MLS | F1 s3 clutch | Ultimate SSK | AKG 75D subframe/diff bushings | 3.23 LSD | Powerflex LCAB/RTAB | e46 fca | Raceland coils | BMP rear arms | DEPO HID | AEM Failsafe | Aeromotive FPR | Walbo 255 | 3" Magnaflow muffler/cat/res | 17x8.5/9.5" 225/45 & 255/40
Update and need some much needed input/help here.
Over the weekend I replaced my steering rack along with the container and a used power steering pump. Things seem to work ok at first but now I am having a major problem. Power steering is mostly present when I start the car. When I bring the revs up the power steering is still there. When the revs come back down the power steering is completely gone...
I have no idea what to do. I have tried turning l2l for half an hour with the car on and off, lubricated the column and made sure all of the u-joints were clean and free. I am at a loss...
Backstory on the issue.
Last month (while in Portland at a drift event) I noticed a problem half way through the day. I could go full lock to the right, but when I went full lock to the left the steering wheel would stop early and kick back in the opposite direction very violently usually knocking it and slipping the wheel through my hands. It was happening at about 75-80% lock. The car was making an odd whine and I pulled into the pits. When I pulled in the power steering pump has dumped all of the fluid out of itself (through the seals and the fluid was leaking from the side of the pump where the 2 halves come together. Note that I had Power steering the entire time while it was leaking. I took the belt off, tightened the pump and the leak was still there but vas fairly minimal. I drove for a few laps before my PS was completely gone and steering wheel was seising. I pulled into the pits and decided to end my day there. When I got back home I hopped and inspected everything for bends/breaks and decided that I needed a new pump. I was suspecting that one of my tie rods was bent (therefore the steering kickback) but didn't find anything. I swapped a power steering pump from my Parts 95 M3 and everything was good. I bled the system and drove the car for a few days with 0 issues. The following weekend at a drift event I still had the same issues on hard transitions where the steering wheel wouldn't go to full lock to the left. The power steering worked fine however.
When I was leaving the pits later in the day, my car lost power steering for a moment and after a few yanks left and right it seem to come back. I drifted for a few lats and the wheel was feeling stiffer and stiffer. The steering felt awful and I pulled into the pits. The new pump was leaking from the same spot as before but this time things were even worse. I squeezed the tie rod boot and they were both full of fluid. The seals had broken on the rack and the fluid was dumping out of all the possible places and my last run was without any power steering at all.
Also I noticed this: http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/05/31/u7eru3ez.jpg The control arm was damaged so I replaced that as well. I figured that had to do with my steering issues and not allowing me as much angle to the left and violent stopping of the wheel.
I went home, ordered a z3 non M rack, went to a junkyard and pulled a PS pump off of a low mile 95 325i and as soon as the rack showed up swapped everything. Now I am having the issue that I have described in the first sentence/paragraph. The wheel is seising, the power steering is all over the place. The fluid is clean...
Do i possibly need to replace my power steering cooler? or maybe the lines? I am kind of at a loss as I suspected that my issues were from a failed/failing rack which caused my pump to die.
Any help is welcome. I have an alignment tomorrow at 4PM so I have to sort this out tonight as I dob't want to drive the car to the shop with broken steering. The z3 rack is a remanufactured rack so it should be in a perfect condition.
Thanks in advance.
Checked all the lines for clogs and everything was good. Put a compressor onto the power steering cooler line and felt a good amount of resistance. Blew on it (yes I put my mouth on the oil line) and felt like something was stuck inside of it. Put a different cooler and it has felt much better. I didn't take much to bleed to system but it felt decent and seized after I drove down the street. I drove around for about 10 minutes and the steering wheel feel came back. I will test it tonight and see if everything is back to normal or if it's going to go back to its sporadic ways.
Man I wish I had an answer for you but it sounds like you've tried pretty much everything. Is anything else funky with your steering up front or alignment that would cause the PS to work extra hard? Do you have a weird belt setup on the pump or anything? Stock steering column and joint, etc.?
Hopefully it was just the clogged cooler line and it wasn't flowing much fluid, so it just started blowing out seals of pumps, boiling over, etc. Good luck!
Mike
Last edited by MikeE36; 06-04-2013 at 10:06 PM.
IG: @mikevanshellenbeck
Looks awesome!
Mike
IG: @mikevanshellenbeck
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