Other Suspension Parts
Project: Upgrading Rear Trailing Arm Bushings
Project: Upgrading Rear Lower Camber Arms
Wheels and Tires
Chapter 6: Improving Braking
Stock E36 Brake System
Upgrading the Brakes
Project: Installing a Rear Brake Kit with Upgraded Calipers
Project: Installing a Wilwood Big Brake Kit
Chapter 7: Upgrading Transmission and Driveline
E36 Transmissions
Project: Installing a Short Shifter
E36 Clutch Basics
Final Drive and Differential
Project: Installing a Limited-Slip Differential
Chapter 8: Improving Driver Comfort, Safety and Aerodynamics
Sport or Racing Seats
Safety Belts and Harness Bars
Roll Cages
Gauges and Indicators
Aftermarket Steering Wheels
Sound-Deadening Materials
Chassis Braces and Reinforcements
Project: Installing a Front Strut Tower Brace
Aerodynamic Devices
Appendix: Project 328i Final Build Sheet
Source Guide
This book would not be possible without the advice and assistance of many people, starting with the crew at AR Auto Service in Lake Oswego, Oregon. Ian Clinkinbeard did the lion’s share of the wrenching on the project 328i, and its success is primarily due to his expertise. Nick Bender and Martin Sarukhanyan also took part in the project with characteristic good humor.
Steve Heino of Modern Classics did the chassis dyno work, and provided much-needed advice, and Dragan Agatonovic offered fantastic information about the turbo build process on his car. Valerie Bradley also helped me out with information about her M3 track build. Greg Meythaler of the BMW Club was also a great help. Finally, Andy Banta was a great resource of information on BMW racing and track preparation and spare parts.
I also need to thank Shari Arfons at McCullough Public Relations, Matt McCarron and Jay Baier at Turner Motorsports, Roland Graef at H&R Springs, Rajaie Qubain at Beisan Systems, Nick Fousekis at Falken Tire, Stephen Montano at Auto Tech Interiors, Joel Butzlaff at Red Ranger, and Michael Scully at Wilwood Engineering.
BMW advertises itself as “the ultimate driving machine,” which is all well and good for a TV commercial, but the fact is that no car from a dealership showroom is particularly ultimate. All production cars, by necessity, are built on compromise. If an automaker built an all-out performance car for the street, most people would hate it. It would be rough, noisy, and probably uncomfortable. So every automaker strikes a balance between performance and livability. BMW excels at this compromise, but there is still a lot of performance to be found and easily achieved in any model.
BMW started producing performance-oriented cars in the 1960s with models such as the 2002, followed in the 1970s by the first of the 3-series, the 320 and 320i on the E21 chassis. But it was in the 1980s with the E30 chassis that BMW really took off in the United States. The performance potential of the E30 was impressive by the standards of the day, and the number of BMW enthusiasts grew rapidly. But it was the E36 platform of 1992–1999 that really made the brand in America. For every year the E36 was sold, it made Car and Driver magazine’s “10Best” list of top cars available in the United States.
The E36 3-series chassis was followed by the similarly successful E46 from 1999 to 2006. But flash forward to today and you can find that most of the E30 BMWs are now in the hands of aficionados and racers. E46 models are still in daily service, although some of them are migrating toward track use. The E36-based cars are now affordable enough that just about anyone can find a good example and build it up for street or track performance use. Parts are still readily available and the aftermarket for this model is mature. Right now is the golden era for finding and customizing the E36 BMW.
I believe a variety of opinions and experiences make a better guide. In the course of my work on this book I’ve talked with folks who know E36s down to the last nut and bolt. This book is the result of extensive consultation with a great many of these subject matter experts. The experts I interviewed are quoted in this book, and the project would have been impossible without them. Most of them sell, install, and maintain the products they talk about, and their contact information is collected in an appendix at the back of the book.
This book is designed to give you necessary information as you consider various performance modifications and products available for your car. I have included step-by-step projects for common performance enhancements that can be performed in a standard garage, but this is not a comprehensive repair or maintenance manual. If that’s what you need, I recommend you get an official E36 factory shop manual for your car. In fact, I recommend that you get one of those no matter what. Also, most aftermarket parts come with installation instructions, and you should always follow those instructions.
This book contains snapshot overviews of a couple of successful custom high-performance E36 BMWs, built for different purposes. These profiles show how all aspects of the car come together to enhance performance for a particular purpose, and to provide a model for you to consider as you plan and build your own ride.
When completely modified, you can coax more than 500 hp out of the E36 platform, but you will want to upgrade suspension, brakes, and driveline to handle that amount of power.
Most E36 buyers simply want more performance out of their street car without making a major investment. This is easy to achieve with a few well-chosen modifications around the car.
This E36 was a 1996 328i sedan. The car came with 112,000 miles showing, and one owner for most of its life. The most important thing is that the car was completely stock and had never been seriously damaged.
This book would not have been possible without the cheerful assistance of many people, including Andy Banta, Ian Clinkinbeard, Nick Bender, Martin Sarukhanyan, Dragan Agatonovic, Valerie Bradley, and Greg Meythaler. Additionally, I would like to thank Ajae Wallace and Laura McShane for their patience with me as I worked on this and many other projects.
Introducing