E36 or E30 for ITS

[rbreed]

Not to rain on James' parade but you can rent the e36 from James and then rent an e30 from JMT Track Cars and make up your own mind....see:
http://www.jmttrackcars.com/index.htm

[James Clay]

We have had a couple of customers call with the tearing trailing arm problem. I think there is a good chance that it is a symptom of another problem, such as a failing rear trailing arm bushing that gives the arm enough momentum to really get a good yank. The trailing arm bushing is definitely a design flaw, should have been spherical from the factory.

Don't worry Bob, you aren't raining on my parade. There are a couple of E30 rentals in the SE, JTM and Eurosport(?) in Florida come to mind. I think the E30 makes a great rental car but we bring full spares and I can't justify stocking the trailer for two different models.



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James Clay
<A HREF="http://www.bimmerworld.com
" TARGET=_blank>http://www.bimmerworld.com
</A> Engineered BMW Performance
BMWCCA/SCCA Racecar Rental
Genuine OEM and Used BMW Parts
(540) 639-9648
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[rbreed]

James, one of these days I'd like to take a ride in your car. However being an old guy, I'm having too much fun in vintage.....
Bob

[James Clay]

Any time Bob. Will have two at the Tarheel school in July. The Stage I has a passenger seat if you want to ride, the 28 car will be in WC Touring trim but you can take it out for a couple of laps if you would like. I just got my SVRA license for One Lap - obviously they didn't check any driving references before issuing it...

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James Clay
http://www.bimmerworld.com
Engineered BMW Performance
BMWCCA/SCCA Racecar Rental
Genuine OEM and Used BMW Parts
(540) 639-9648
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[chuck baader]

mark, (zracer) your e-mail is rejecting--have you changed isps? chuck

[Bruce Shafer]

I believe BMW issued technical service bulletins regarding the rear sub-frame mount problem.

[chuck baader]

bruce, according to several letters i have seen in roundel, this problem is widerspread that bmw admits. they have a fix, the m3 has an upgraded mounting, and one should assume this should be a safety item, much like the aluminum m3 lower control arm ball joints. (yea, i know, flame away)

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Chuck Baader
SEDIV ITS #36
E30 BMW

[M3Lawdawg]

James, You going to be around the shop this weekend or going over to see the Ferraris run at VIR.
Also on a street car what do most run for rear trailing arm bushings. I was going to replace mine just for safety sake.

[James Clay]

Hopefully I will be relaxing in Wilmington. Barry is going to be at the shop, dropping an S50 into an E30 for a buddy and waiting for a customer to pick up a BM car we just finished - will probably be there all weekend.
Mounts - I am putting sphericals on my car (299), we also have urethane(99), but it is not a permanent solution.

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James Clay
http://www.bimmerworld.com
Engineered BMW Performance
BMWCCA/SCCA Racecar Rental
Genuine OEM and Used BMW Parts
(540) 639-9648
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[m3ltw]

Originally posted by CrunchyFrog:
I have been a BMWCCA member for about 10 years, I have never seen one e36 with this problem, though I keep hearing about it... I suspect someone started a rumor, or reported a single instance on the internet and it spread like wild-fire because of the nature of the internet.

Kieran
LA, San Diego, Chicago BMW Clubs

I've seen several cars that have had this problem, and pictures of others. My original solution was bushings and reinforcing the welds, but recently went to spherical bushings.

On the topic of E36 vs E30, you can save some money on an E30, but you get what you pay for.

Dan

[E30 Ray]

I've been building an E30 ('89 325is) race car for the past year. I started with a stock car and in the first year added the cage and other safety equipment. Over the winter, a new suspension was added (James Clay recommended the set up). I'm still working on the handling, but its a blast to be on the track. It still has a stock drive train and a stock engine with 135K miles on it.

The car went to its first race a couple of weeks ago and it heads for the Double at Pocono this weekend.

If you want to build your first car on a budget, the E30 is great. If you build one into a top finisher, I'd be surprised. The E36's are awesome and will be hard to beat with an E30.

If you want to discuss some of the thinking I went through to settle on an E30 or discuss the costs in getting it pulled together, drop me e-mail at [email protected].