Building a Spec E30 - Here's what it costs

#1

AS I made the shift from P-Cars over to the Spec E30 series I was astonished at how inexpensive it was going to be to build a race car from sratch. I kept track of every expenditure. For anyone who’s interested in getting involved ususally one of the first questions they ask is how much is this going to cost. To help answer that, here’s my build sheet with all the prices associated not including labor for parts install and taxes.

1989 BMW 325i Race Car build budget:

Car $2200.00
Roll bar install $1750.00
Window Net $75.00
Battery Kill switch $25.00
Limited Slip Diff $300.00
AMB Xponder $300.00
Rotors (Zimmerman X drilled) $207.00
Hawk racing pads $170.00
Sacks Clutch Kit $213.00
Sparco Corsa Seat in blue $463
Sparco Steel Seat Side Mount $45
Sparco 6pt Racing Belts $227
Sparco “Pro� Steering wheel $142
Sparco hub adaptor for BMW $52
Brey Krause Seat Brace $250
Roll bar padding $25

Suspension Components
H&R Springs (per rules) part # 50404-88F/R $400
Bilstein Shocks and Struts part # P36-0335 or P30-0334
Front, part # B36-2027 Rear $400
Fixed Camber Plates $125
Sparco Strut tower brace $230
Rear Shock Mounts $90
Delrin bushing font control arm $90
rear sub frame bushing $120
Adjustable trailer arm bushing $200

22 mm front (non adjustable) 19 mm rear sway bar (adjustable) Suspension Techniques Sway bar Kit $320

Custom Exhaust (remove Cat) $300
Wheels $460.00
Toyo RA-1 Tires $480.00

Paint $1000.00

Total $10760.00

Obiously there are places that you could reduce costs if needbe…I spared no expense when building the car so this should be the upper end of what someone might spend.

Hope this helps any perspective races interested in getting started.

#2

Well that’s a pretty good list for parts cost. I assume that everything other than rool cage was DIY labor? Is that correct?

Keith

#3

I have an arrangement with Dave Pallister here in Va Bch. He just opened a new BMW service/race prep shop (DP Motorwerks) and we agreed to run a two car team in support of his business. Long story short, I did what my skills allowed me to do and the rest I left up to Dave. He’a a BMW master tech w/ over 20 years experience. It took him alittle over 30 hours to put in the suspension pieces and reseal the motor, swap the differential along with a few other odds and ends to make the car mechanically reliable.

Costs at any reputable service center would probably add an additional $2000 to the overall costs if none of the work was performed by the racer.

I know I’m biased but If you need a good shop to help build the car DP Motorwerks would be a good place to go for inexpensive service or race prep.

#4

Thanks for this list…

My name is Tom and I am planning to prepare my 1991 325i for SpecE30 SO. I was at VIR in the HPDE driving the Silver C230 Sport Coupe in Group 1. My plan is to work to get to comp school this year while preparing the e30, and debut the car next year. Hope to have it on track to sort it this year as I work towards the comp lic. Looking forward to building the car and hopefully meeting some of you all who were at VIR soon.

I’d post another thread but the forums are still small. A couple questions I have are about LSD and transmission. My car is currently an auto but I am going to convert it to a manual. Which transmission am I allowed to use for SO? Is there a legal LSD, is my stock diff LSD?

Regards and thanks,
Tom

#5

Tom,

For spec E30 racing manuals are the only transmission allowed.

Switching the car over from and automatic to a stick can be done, the might be alittle pricey since you’ll need alot of parts to make the conversion. I supose if you find a manual donor car that would make it easier.

As for the LSD, If you car is an IS then it came from the factory with one. If not, the best way to tell if the car has one is to jack up the entire rear end and spin one of the rear wheels. If the other wheel turns in the same direction then it’s a LSD.

If you need to buy a LSD then keep an eye on Ebay or salvage yards. The high end for a low mileage LSD is about $300, but they usually go for less than that. The ratio that we have to run is 3.73.

hope this helps and Good luck!!

#6

merleperry wrote:

[quote]Tom,

For spec E30 racing manuals are the only transmission allowed.

Switching the car over from and automatic to a stick can be done, the might be alittle pricey since you’ll need alot of parts to make the conversion. I supose if you find a manual donor car that would make it easier.

As for the LSD, If you car is an IS then it came from the factory with one. If not, the best way to tell if the car has one is to jack up the entire rear end and spin one of the rear wheels. If the other wheel turns in the same direction then it’s a LSD.

If you need to buy a LSD then keep an eye on Ebay or salvage yards. The high end for a low mileage LSD is about $300, but they usually go for less than that. The ratio that we have to run is 3.73.

hope this helps and Good luck!![/quote] Hi Merel, thank you. I will start a new thread with my questions for my build up. I don’t want to thread jack this one too badly :slight_smile:

#7

hello George,

Ed here. Getting closer to joining the e30 group. A couple of questions:

  1. What wheels are you using and where did you get them? I would like to have offset specs for 15 x7. I am looking at Kosei K1s.

  2. I undestand that at least for 2006 toyo proxes ra1 is the spec tire so I’m guessing 205/60/15 is the spec.

Thanks for the advice.

Ed Davidson
Norfork, VA
625-6040

#8

Ed,

Not sure about the Kosei’s since I don’t use them. I do know that the kosei’s are not "hubcentric" and require a centering ring to make them work. This is why I don’t like them, although some guys use them.

I use the Team dynamic wheels from bimmerworld. They are hubcentric and built to our spec’s. Very light, very strong very inexpensive. I have two sets, one of the RD 1’s and another of the RD 2’s. No complaints.

The wheel and tire sizes are discussed speciffically in the Spec E30 rules. Please make sure you reference the rule book before buying anything. The spec tire size we must use with 15 in wheels are 205/50/50’s in the Toyo RA-1’s. I recommend you have a shaved set for dry track and a full tread set for rains.

hope this helps
brain

Post edited by: brain, at: 2005/12/21 05:33