Sticking my toe in the waters

#1

Greetings!

I started tracking my car a couple of years ago and became addicted. I’ve always been interested in the racing scene and after doing some research I’m leaning towards the E30 scene. I live up in the Northwest and the PRO3 scene is very active up here and it appears to be very competitive with large grids at every race. I’m also a BMWCCA member former BMW owner as well.

What I would like to do is pick up an E30 and begin using it as an HPDE car so I can get familiar with it (particulary since I’ll be moving from a front-driver to a rear-driver). I was hoping I could get some input from some of you regarding what to look for as I search for an E30 and what to avoid. I plan on building up the car myself as I have pretty good knoweledge and mechanical ability. I’ve built up my '06 MINI and done all of the work myself and enjoy getting my hands dirty.

Thanks in advance,

Cheers,

Martin

#2

Look for a rust free car with a quality cage. Everything else can be changed to your liking.

#3

I agree that it is all about getting a solid chassis - you’ll be stripping or replacing most everything else. If it is mechanically unsound or the interior is trashed you can use those as bargaining points (don’t let on that you’re buying it to be a racecar, make like you’ll have to spend money to fix those things so you should get a lower price). If it has a nice interior you can usually sell off parts to offset the cost.
bruce

#4

It is normally cheaper to buy a car that is already built, but if your like me, building is half the fun. There are plenty of spece30s for sale lately.

Just really watch out for rust and look for any signs of a previous accident that might have damaged the frame alignment.

Keep in mind that these cars are 20+ years old so your going to be replacing a few things on it before you take to to the track anyway.

Getting an “IS” model is normally the simplest route.

#5

From what I’ve heard, the M20 motors are pretty bullet proof. Anything in particular I should be concerned with. Of course most of them are going to be well north of 100-150K mileage by now. If buying out of state would you agree a compression test and/or leakdown test would be wise to have done prior to plunking down the money?

As some of you have stated, my main concern is getting a solid motor/drivetrain and a non-rust/straight-framed car. The cosemetics don’t matter since there will be some serious gutting of the interior and replacing of worn parts and bits.

Any thoughts on the E30 kit that TCMotorsports is offering? The price looks right especially considering it includes a prefabricated weld-in cage w/NASCAR door guards? I would think that package would give me everything I need out of the box other than the saftey gear for myself that I don’t already have. Anybody have any experience with this cage? http://www.tcmotorsports-store.net/bmw-racer-basic-kit.html

#6

As evidenced by numerous threads by Ranger, there is plenty of opportunity to ‘get your hands dirty’ with an already-built race car. :laugh:

I’ll echo the suggestion to find a car that is already built with a good cage and proven on-track results. The discount to build cost these days is insane. If I didn’t have to remind myself daily that I have one too many race cars, I’d be looking at some of the cars that are in the market (and soon to be :wink: ).

Bear in mind that Spec E30 and Pro3 are pretty different animals though, so buying a built SE30 to convert to Pro3 isn’t any better than starting from scratch, IMHO.

#7

Good point regarding the Pro3 SE30 differences Steve. Definitely one of the considerations I’ve been thinking about when looking at prepped cars on the market.

#8

Pick the class you want to race in and focus in that direction. The kit cost 5 grand. If you can double that you can find a pretty nice done car and save yourself a few hundred hrs of work. Then spend your time refining the car and making it competitive vs building and shaking the bugs out to making it reliable.

I bought a built car and there is still plenty to do to get it where I feel it should be. But I could race it out of the box in the meantime.

#9

http://mongrelmotorsports.homestead.com/SpecE30.html
The link takes you to my car, which aside from welding the cage in I built myself. I have around $8-9k in it. Building a car can be fun, but you’ll definately save by buying one pre-built as much as possible. A solid chassis and good running driveline are all you really need. The interior all goes, so you can buy a ugly car vs. paying too much for something halfway nice you’re going to gut. Mine has almost 170,000 miles on it, is thrashed mercilessly, and hasn’t caused any problems other than an annoying engine oil leak.

#10

ddavidv,

Thanks for sharing your link on your build. I’m still pretty certain I will go that route and build my own unless a screamin’ deal comes up on a pre-built car. I love working on cars and I think it really helps you get to know what your car is all about. I look at all of the money I’ve poured into making my '06 Mini a great track car and now wish I had put that into a E30 or other car from the start. No matter though. It’s a great ride and has been a lot of fun building it up. Looking forward to doing it again with an E30. The biggest transition for me will be going from the driving dynamics of a FWD to a RWD car. I’ll definitely be spending a lot of time getting some good BMWCCA instructors with lots of BMW seat time to get me up to speed. I am a little surprised how few E30s are available out there though. Once you weed out the automatics and the convertibles it really limits the opportunities. I have seen some pretty good prospects though for $2-$3K. Have you started trailering your car yet? I’ll probably go that route. One less car to license and keep insurance on that way.

#11

Well I bought the basis for my E30 racer. It’s a 1990 325i (4-door) with the optional LSD. All in all I think it will be a pretty good platform to work with. The car idles eratically (appears to a vaccum leak at the intake bellows (between air sensor and throttle body). Once you get on the gas though it pulls really strong and seems to have good power. The car is all original but did have another motor installed about 75K miles ago. There is absolutely no rust and all paint is original…not hits. The only other immediate issue I need to fix is the leaking heater core in the dash. Not bad for an $800 car.

I do have a question. Should I replace the heater core or just ditch it and go without heat? Do most of you run with the heater installed or not? If not do you duct heat from the engine bay to the windscreen if necessary? Just curious if it’s worth replacing or not.

Thanks.

#12

Congrats. I hope it’s a 325, not a 525.

I ditched my heater core, but you’ll find differing opinions.

Matt

#13

uh yes, it’s a 325 LOL…fat fingered that post. :ohmy:

#14

if it’s leaking i’d ditch it.

#15

A good, used heater core isn’t expensive. And they aren’t difficult to change. My personal opinion is that a working defroster is infinitely better than a rag on a stick.

#16

I agree about the defroster route. Have you ever turned a corner flat out in the first session only to find that sunlight hitting condensation equals complete blindness? I got one a heater core in the shop if interested. Send me a email.

#17

While you are further along than most, find a mentor in your geographic area and learn first-hand from their experiences.Where do you live?

RP

#18

RP, yes I agree with you. I’ve also been chatting with some of the guys that race Pro3 up here in the Northwest where I live. Lots of good info. They confirmed for me that in Pro3 the heater core must remain (although you can de-plumb it so no lines come through the firewall). I think I go ahead and keep it hooked up though since up here in the NW we use the heat/defrost more than some areas. Heck…last March they had snow for the 6-hour enduro! LOL

#19

If you were in the SE, I’d say lose it but since you live in an uninhabital climate, I’d keep it. :wink:

#20

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