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I’d been working my way through the project list to get the M3 ready for the first track day of the season. My goal was to get it out there and see how it ran in order to help me prioritize mods and maintenance.

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, other than massive brake fade from the stock pads and lots of tire squeal from the General UHPs. I was worried that I might lose steering fluid under hard load, burn oil, blow a shock…you name it, I was worried about it going in.

Fortunately though, it turned out great. Other than the fade and rubbish tires, the car ran like clockwork through the 4 sessions. Even the dodgy sway bar setup that’s on the car at the moment (stiff in rear, soft upfront) didn’t cause any problems - in part due to the massive “push” (understeer) courtesy of the tires and stock suspension.

Bottom of the Chute at Summit Point Main Circuit

Through the Carousel - Plenty of Body Roll

Hauling through Turn 3

Images borrowed from www.trackdayphoto.com

So all in all, it was a successful day and I am much more confident in moving onto mods, knowing that the car can handle it out there. Stay tuned for some new stuff coming this week!

Adam e36 M3 Track Car

After a week of owning the car, I uncovered and/or created a few problems. Here’s a sample:

• Gear knob came off in my hand while downshifting
• Got stuck in a snow storm and almost shunted the whole thing into a wall, then drove sideways for a mile at 30mph with the door open so I could see where I was going
• Overfilled the coolant and had to suck some of it out with turkey baster
• Tried to take the headlights out and broke a bunch of clips. Old plastic isn’t flexible when it’s 30 degrees outside, apparently.
• Hood fell on my head thanks to 14 year old struts and nice winter breeze
• While replacing hood struts, took the fuse-box cover off and placed it on the motor…but forgot about it and slammed the hood. Then couldn’t get hood open.

Add this to the list of maintenance work that has already been done/needs to be done, and it’s looking like a busy Spring:

• Oil change to move from 5w30 to Mobil 1 15w50 [Done]
• Replace tranny fluid with Royal Purple Synchomax [Done]
• Brake inspection, bleed and flush with Motul 600 [Done]
• Replace coolant level sensor (throwing code on dash)
• Replace airbag occupancy sensor mat under passenger seat
• Replace differential seals and fluid
• Replace power steering hoses and reservoir, and bleed system
• Replace clutch pedal bushings

I’m sure there’s more stuff, and this is before we even start thinking about modifications.

Adam e36 M3 Track Car

So this is how the story began. A story that is already making my hair thinner, my weekends shorter, my wallet lighter, but everything else much more exciting.

I was toying with the idea of another Miata (would have been my 4th) and then supercharging. Weeks of searching local classifieds wasn’t bringing up much, and while it was comforting knowing the cars inside and out, I realized that I’d be spending a ton of money to basically do the same as I’d done before.

I spread my search out and started looking at E36s M3s. I’ve had an E46 M3 for almost 3 years now and had been assuming that an E36 would be out of my price range. I looked at a couple that were affordable but beaten to death, or “modded” by children who like shiny carbon fiber and lots of armor-all. Then I came across this one.

The bad:

167,000 miles (that’s around the world 6 1/2 times)

…and that was it for the bad.

The good:

Maintenance record folder and inch thick - Everything that was supposed to have been done had been done. Cooling system replaced, control arms, shock tower reinforcements, fluid changes. You name it.

Paint in great condition except for a couple of dings; overall decent interior including Vaders; modest mods including chip, intake, sways, shock-tower brace, underbody brace.

It’s a 1995 - To most this is a “bad”. However, I’ll take OBDI over OBDII anyday. It’s also plenty quick for me and since it’s not going to be a daily driver (DD), I just don’t care about some of the other differences. Harder leather? Who cares.

The purchase was made a week or so later after getting stuck in Atlanta with work, and catching the stomach flu. Nice.  And so the process began. Update coming soon, including what I found (and didn’t find) when it went up on a lift, and the discovery of some interesting problems.

Adam e36 M3 Track Car