Wh1te370z - BMW 328is Track Car Build
 

Thought id share my new project after selling my Z.

So i fell over to the dark side and bought a 1998 BMW 328is :shakes head: It is only a temp dd until i find a truck. Over the winter it will slowly change from a daily driver to a "race car." I plan to build the car to run in NASA NE in the TTD class for 2013. This upcoming year will be more of a test and tune year at some HPDE's and might run a couple of time attacks.

The car.. Its a quite clean, fully loaded 3 series with heated leather seats, dual climate control, sunroof, sport package, and basically every option you could get in the car. It has 194k on it and still runs like a champ. It will gutted to just over around 2800lbs w me in it, coilover, exhaust, headers, wheels and tires, seats, possibly a roll cage, and all the other basic fluids and odds and ends to stay in the TTD class. no crazy turbo builds just yet.

Questions and comments are welcome. Dont be too hard on me about buying a bmw :bowrofl:

Heres a pic of the car as it sits right now. Ill get some more pics a little later if anyones interested. prob not but u never know lol

http://i606.photobucket.com/albums/t...risbnl/BMW.jpg

That's a clean 328. Good luck with your build. :tup:

Looks to be very clean, congrats

thanks fellas :tiphat:

2 of the 3 owners happen to be 2 of my best friends who are big car guys. so i know exactly where the car has been so i dont have to worry about how it was maintained. which was a plus :tup:

Looks to be well maintained and clean.

The weakest point of the BMW cars is the cooling system. The water pumps fail pretty regularly so I would make sure you've got a fresh one in there before heading to the track. Also replace all the radiator hoses and consider replacing the radiator core if it is the original.

For what it is worth the 328is holds several class track records with our time trial club. They can be very competitive vehicles with a little bit of work. We'll be at WGI on Sept 10th and 11th next year, hope to see you there!

Yea the water pumps has plastic propellers and they would just explode after a while. I have to make sure its metal my buddy wasnt sure if it was or not.

Ill tell you one thing.. it aint no z haha. my buddy came for a ride and he goes get on it and i was embarrased to do it :shakes head: car feels like a boat right now but i think the front shocks are blown or something. doesnt bounce around but it has sooooo much body roll. needs a lot of work to get it track ready.

I HAVE to go to the Glen next year, it was such a fun track. Chris are you going to the Glen through NASA or someone else?

I will be there with COMSCC.

I have my eye on beating the class track record. 1.5 seconds to go.
SPB | Greg Loupis | 2:10.365 | Sep-10 | BMW 328is

i cant believe how fast you and your car are. I posted that thread a while back with my two buddies w the GTR and GT3 RS and thats the times they were posting. My times were crap :mad:

Does COMSCC require a racing licence?

No license required. They will put an instructor in the car with you for most of a day and then sign you off to solo for the remainder of that event and to time trial the next day. Licensed drivers don't get instructors.

Got little bits of the BMW. Replaced bother front lower control arms.

Had to get rid of the nitrous. Finally got it out. Had to plug up some holes and the tee in the fuel line. Now that I have the tee I'll run a fuel pressure gauge.

Then went onto the sweet system that was in the car. Here's some pics of my nightmare

http://i606.photobucket.com/albums/t...l/1a019dd8.jpg

http://i606.photobucket.com/albums/t...l/6f26004d.jpg

http://i606.photobucket.com/albums/t...l/1ae014f5.jpg

He was so kind to great stuff all the boards in.....
http://i606.photobucket.com/albums/t...l/eeec7491.jpg

http://i606.photobucket.com/albums/t...l/f9dc448c.jpg

http://i606.photobucket.com/albums/t...l/ca6be1fb.jpg

http://i606.photobucket.com/albums/t...l/958f6124.jpg

How it's sits right now
http://i606.photobucket.com/albums/t...l/63983a7f.jpg

Tow hook on
http://i606.photobucket.com/albums/t...l/cd1190ee.jpg


Picked up some Aero Catch hood pins. Looks SICK!!
http://i606.photobucket.com/albums/t...l/56ba2dc6.jpg

http://i606.photobucket.com/albums/t...l/bca985ab.jpg

http://i606.photobucket.com/albums/t...l/bec77b2f.jpg



Let me know what u think. just a draft. Might change it

http://i606.photobucket.com/albums/t...l/2418cf03.jpg

Nice job cleaning up the mess in the trunk.

I think your paint job will look good, maybe a matching hood stripe to match? Here's an example.
The Cartorialist Blog Archive More Track Day Pictures

I like that. I'm still up in the air about it. Part of me wants to do something crazier than the Z. Then part of me wants to do it simple. Well see, I'm usually not happy with simple lol

BMW is amazing. Had a 2007 328i before my z. Needed something faster :)

No doubt it's not the "fastest" thing, but with 11 points on my license it's fast enough lol. I got my power addiction done with when i had my ~350whp firebird and the Z. Now I brought it to the track so i don't always have to be looking over my shoulder for cops. Been there, done that. Theirs to many other important things to stress out about in life.

I plan on building another firebird eventually. That time it will be more like a 500whp NA build or a 700 turbo build. But that's far in the future. Got bit by the road racing bug and it's like I've been poisoned with a want to go to the track haha. I've been excited for this season since last August lol.

Sounds like unless you are seriously skilled it pays NOT to have a license.