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#1. RE: Brake Cooling - from Bob Stommel
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Date: Thu, 04 Apr 2002 08:49:03 -0500 From: Bob Stommel <rstommel@iquest.net> Subject: RE: Brake Cooling Don't know anything about the HMS or Turner brake cooling kits, but I've used the Bimmerworld kits (before they were officially known as Bimmerworld) on several E36 M3s and an E30 M3 race car. They work very well and I've never had a fitment problem. They also install without removing the wheel bearings. No affiliation with those guys - I just like their backing plates. Here are some other tips on brake ducting: 1. On tracks with long segments between heavy braking zones (like Road America), make sure you don't have TOO much brake cooling. I found that in cool weather at Road America, the brakes get hot in the heavy braking zones and then cool down too much on the straights with the ducts fully open. For spring and fall driving events, you may want to tape over part of the intake duct. If you're doing an event at the beginning or tail end of winter, you may want to completely remove the brake duct tubing and let the air from the intake duct just blow into the wheel well. 2. Install some metal screening material between the front air dam and the intake duct to keep rocks and debris out of your brakes. 3. Most of the silicone brake hose sold by race parts vendors will eventually get cut or worn through by the tire edges. I found a good substitute: heavy rubber exhaust hose -- the kind you slide over the car's tail pipe to temporarily force engine exhaust to the outside of a garage. It comes in 3-inch diameter and you can get it from McMaster-Carr. McMaster-Carr also sells 3-inch stainless steel hose clamps cheaper than most race parts vendors. HTH, Bob Stommel >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Date: Wed, 3 Apr 2002 20:56:10 EST From: Raginglennie@aol.com Subject: Brake Cooling I'm thinking about adding some brake ducting to my recently purchased '95 M3, as I plan on sticking with the stock brakes. I'm an "intermediate" group student in driving schools, but I'm starting to carry decent speeds into "brake intensive" corners (such as the aforementioned turn 5 at Road America). My brake fluid will be fresh, my pads will be Performance Friction & my rotors will be floating, but I'd like to make sure all of that stays as cool as possible. Does any one have any good/bad experience with the HMS Motorsports Cool-It Brake Cooling Kit? Looks like their backing plates are easier to install (no wheel bearing removal like the Turner Motorsports backing plates), but I don't know of any one who has used it. Any feedback on other brake cooling kits would also be appreciated. 4-1/2 weeks & counting 'til Road America. I hope this #%$^&$@ snow melts. Thanks, Mike
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#2. FS: New Motorsport front rotors - from Bob Stommel
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Date: Thu, 04 Apr 2002 09:07:57 -0500 From: Bob Stommel <rstommel@iquest.net> Subject: FS: New Motorsport front rotors Well, you just never know what you'll find when you start cleaning out your garage. I thought I'd sold all my spare E36 M3 parts, but I found a set of 2-piece Motorsport front rotors on a shelf. Brand new -- still in the original, unopened, factory plastic. First $200 takes them. Buyer pays shipping from Indianapolis. Bob Stommel
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#3. Trailing Arm bushing install procedure - from Michael Schaublin
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Date: Thu, 04 Apr 2002 09:00:28 -0500 From: "Michael Schaublin" <mike_schaublin@hotmail.com> Subject: Trailing Arm bushing install procedure <For Mike and James wondering how to replace their TA bushings> The procedure can be found at: http://www.apexcone.com/RearBushings/RearBushing.html http://www.tunnellracing.com/techtips/trailbush.html I would recommend renting the extract/install tools from Chester or from Brett Anderson. Turns it into a relatively simple job. Just be sure to check and mark the orientation of the bushing carrier relative to the arm before you remove it - you will need to install it in the same position, and once it's removed, you can't tell how it was oriented. Mike _________________________________________________________________ MSN Photos is the easiest way to share and print your photos: http://photos.msn.com/support/worldwide.aspx
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#4. Front Control Arms - from shane.a.kleinpeter@accenture.com
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Date: Thu, 4 Apr 2002 09:26:31 -0500 From: shane.a.kleinpeter@accenture.com Subject: Front Control Arms So I will swapping out the shocks this weekend (finally) for some new Konis and was thinking about other stuff I could do while I've got the car up on stands. At Oktoberfest last year I was sitting at a table with some folks, one of whom was Ben Thongsai (Sp?). Anyway, he was asking me about the M3 ('96) and when I commented that I had over 20 schools (probably close to 80 track days) on the car he seemed adamant that I should replace the control arms/ball joints before they failed and I died in a fiery crash. The car has 63k miles on it, and has been retired from track duty. Inspection (by a professional, BMW only, mechanic in December) revealed no problems with the ball joints. Should I replace them anyway just to be safe? The car does have a slight shimmy in the steering wheel at 65 mph, I think as a result of an OTE at Sebring in January. Opinions? Advice on how to check them myself? Thanks! Shane This message is for the designated recipient only and may contain privileged, proprietary, or otherwise private information. If you have received it in error, please notify the sender immediately and delete the original. Any other use of the email by you is prohibited.
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#5. Re: [E36M3] Rear trailing arm bushing install - from Ned Coonen
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Date: Thu, 4 Apr 2002 09:31:33 -0600 From: "Ned Coonen" <ncoonen@hotmail.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Rear trailing arm bushing install Here is a good if slightly barbaric procedure. It worked for me. http://www.apexcone.com/RearBushings/RearBushing.html ....ned. '98 M3 HP '88 M5 for sale > -------------------- 3 -------------------- > Date: Thu, 04 Apr 2002 01:36:45 -0500 > From: Mike Frank <mfrank28@comcast.net> > Subject: Rear trailing arm bushing install > > I remember a few people sending procedures/tips for doing this to the > list but I can't seem to find them. If anyone could send these to me or > point me in the right direction I would appreciate it. > > Thanks, > > Mike Frank > 97 M3
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#6. Misc. Parts # needed - from David Morad
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Date: Thu, 4 Apr 2002 10:21:23 -0600 From: "David Morad" <Dogdave@msn.com> Subject: Misc. Parts # needed Does any one have an extra coin holder and cup holder in black that they = are willing to part with?=20 Or the parts number?=20 BTW: Never leave an unattended Westie in a car while running into a = store. Springs, plastic and coins all over the place in around 2 = minutes.=20 Thanks David
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#7. ramblings/dumb questions - from Mike Kanaly
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Date: Thu, 4 Apr 2002 08:39:17 -0800 From: "Mike Kanaly" <mike@worklife.com> Subject: ramblings/dumb questions Ok, after having my 1997 M3 for a little over a week, I have a few ramblings/dumb questions for you guys. The cupholders are HORRIBLE. I have yet to find a mug/drink that will fit properly in them. What are they supposed to hold? Has anyone successfully found a larger plastic coffee mug/drink that will actually fit properly? I was in starbucks the other night, and was thinking of buying one of the larger coffee mugs, but was turned off after I remembered the terrible cupholders in our cars. Also, where does everyone keep their garage door remotes? I don't have the clip on it so that's not an option, and I'm used to having somewhere to put it. Lastly, does anyone have any pictures of any e36 m3's in Europe? I wanted to see the differences, specifically the lights, wheels, options, interior, etc. Is there any enthusiasts pages which document this? Or any links to euro m3 enthusiast pages, etc? So I can see these differences? Thanks! -mike
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#8. Re: [E36M3] HELP! busted sway bar mount - from twisty M3
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Date: Thu, 04 Apr 2002 08:46:57 -0800 From: "twisty M3" <twistym3@hotmail.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] HELP! busted sway bar mount Jeff, Worry not! If your tear is like mine, you should be okay as long as you get it welded up today or tomorrow before you leave. Mine was the passenger side rear, and it was a fairly easy to access spot. I simply went into a local muffler shop (only place with a welding torch that I could find open on a Saturday) and had them weld that sucker back together. It hasn't been a problem since then, and that was almost a year ago. Mind you, I've since replaced my shocks/struts & springs which have taken a LOT of stress off of the sway bars. I'm fairly certain that's why mine broke in the first place, as I was running RD Sport sways with an otherwise stock suspsension. When I had the other components replaced, Jeff at ProParts noticed that it wasn't the cleanest weld he'd ever seen, so he cleaned it up for me. I bought Turner's reinforcment plates right after the initial break, but haven't put them on and Jeff suggested that I probably wouldn't need them now with the stiffer suspension. So far so good (including track days), but I'd still like to get them welded on, just in case. If anyone will happen to have a welding torch at the track, I'll have the plates with me if you need them, but I find that to be highly unlikely. ;) If it looks like it's on the tab just below (above, technically, I guess) the mounting point itself, I'd just get it welded up ASAP and keep an eye on it over the weekend. BTW, the initial welding job took about 10-15 minutes and the clean-up job took about 5-10 minutes. You should be able to find someone that has a few spare minutes to lift that sucker up and glue it back together for you. ;) See you at Buttonwillow! We can compare welding jobs. ;) ;) Jonathan L. >From: Jeff Stowe <jrstowe@pacbell.net >Subject: HELP! busted sway bar mount > >While giving the 98 M3/4 a thorough inspection tonight I discovered a >broken rear sway bar mount. Not at the end link but where the sway bar >passes through the bushing. This looks pretty bad to me as that doesn't >appear to be a bolt on part. It appears to be a welded/integral of the >rear frame assembly. The metal seems to have fatigued and sheared. I >seem to recal much discussion of this recently which I ignored because >it did not seem to apply to me. Am I F'd? Is this a major repair or >could I reasonable expect a decent shop (A&E performance?) to turn this >around in a day with lot's of pleading and begging. Is there a stronger >aftermarket solution which I should go ahead and implement while I'm at >it? I am desperate to make it to buttonwillow this weekend, please, any >help is greatly appreciated. > >jeff > _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp.
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#9. Race seats/SRS light - from bmwm3nut@att.net
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Date: Thu, 04 Apr 2002 18:03:58 +0000 From: bmwm3nut@att.net Subject: Race seats/SRS light This is for the owners with aftermarket seats and street M3s. I am going to be installing a pair of Momo Street Racer seats in my 95 M3. I am using Momo brackets and sliders. If I use the stock seat belt buckles and I connect the wire connector for the seat belt pre- tensioner. Will I have the SRS light on?? I am assuming that I can use the stock seat belt buckle. ANyone with Momo/Recaros/Sparcos..... want to give me some feedback. Thanks -- Tim Ng 95 YELA/BUZZN/M3 92 325ic M-Tech "ULTIMATE TANNING MACHINE" 91///M3 "SUNNY DAY CAR" 88///M3 "TRACK CAR" AWESOME 2.5 ENGINE ------------------------------------------------ Get the award winning ISP, AT&T WorldNet Service http://download.att.net/webtag
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#10. Re: [E36M3] ramblings/dumb questions - from Jim Bassett
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Date: Thu, 04 Apr 2002 10:40:39 -0800 From: Jim Bassett <jimbassett@attbi.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] ramblings/dumb questions At 08:45 AM 4/4/02, Mike Kanaly wrote: >The cupholders are HORRIBLE. I have yet to find a mug/drink that will >fit properly in them. What are they supposed to hold? Has anyone >successfully found a larger plastic coffee mug/drink that will actually >fit properly? I was in starbucks the other night, and was thinking of >buying one of the larger coffee mugs, but was turned off after I >remembered the terrible cupholders in our cars. I bought a cup from a local coffee house that fits pretty well - they let me test-fit it before buying. I've found that 12oz soda can fit & stay in only when they are more than half full. Less than that and the cup"holders" become cup"ejectors" :-) And the paper cups supplied by my local coffee house & the "tall" cups from Starbucks seem to fit OK. (I must be having a bad week, if I'm discussing *cupholders* <bg>.) > Also, where does everyone keep their garage door remotes? I don't have >the clip on it so that's not an option, and I'm used to having somewhere >to put it. Couple of ideas: - I replaced the ash tray in the center console with the cassette holder. Makes a good general purpose storage bin. - Check out Ron Stygar's site: http://www.unofficialbmw.com/e36/interior/e36_garage_door_opener.html I opted for that approach. Took a bit of work to snake the wiring through the firewall, and I placed my opener on the passenger side of the engine compartment (I don't have the factory airbox installed anymore :-)). Cheers, Jim Bassett 1998 M3/4 1993 325is #44 KP
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#11. Re: [E36M3] HELP! busted sway bar mount - from Jim Bassett
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Date: Thu, 04 Apr 2002 10:44:03 -0800 From: Jim Bassett <jimbassett@attbi.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] HELP! busted sway bar mount At 08:55 AM 4/4/02, twisty M3 wrote: >If anyone will happen to have a welding torch at the track, I'll have the >plates with me if you need them, but I find that to be highly unlikely. ;) Don't be so sure <g>. I bet you can find a race team with a portable welder in their trailer, especially at a NASA event. One of the participants at the Sears Point event last weekend had a welder, and that was just a driving event. Jim Bassett