The Red Drift ///Machine - 2026 NASA TT4 adventures

[bigjae46]

Finished the splitter up. Riveted some aluminum T bars as a reinforcement and UHMW blocks on the bottom as skid plates.



Installed Turner monoball RTAB and FCABs.



Performed a corner balance and alignment. Perfect 50/50 cross weights and a 52.5/47.5 F-R weight distribution. Then I dialed out some toe on the rear tires (.11 each side which is about .03 from min spec.


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[bigjae46]

One last video from COTA. Its an interesting power vs handling battle.

MSR Cresson 3.1 in Nov. Best lap of the weekend was a 2:22.9 which I'm really happy with. I hope with some weight loss, aero improvement and a little more midrange power coupled with better driving I can be in the 2:20's.

[bigjae46]

Looking good! Sucks about the engine problems, hopefully that won't be an issue now.

It does suck but its not THAT bad. At least I know what to do now. The engine has been running pretty well.

UPDATE:

The bad news...not going to be ready for the first event of the year. Seat, brake rotors, and harnesses did not arrive in time to get a tech inspection for the NASA event. The upside is I'm going to be playing lots of ice hockey this weekend

The goal - get to 2550 lbs dry so I can install a 1.5' dia x .095 wall roll cage which meets NASA and BMWCCA rules (SCCA too...I think) and a carbon roof with some margin of safety. Both should cut out another 70lbs.

I got my scales back...lots of people like borrowing them. Helped out a team get 5th overall in a WRL race!

Here are the corner weights with me in the car, no pass seat, AGM battery and 38L of fuel.



First off...I'm fat right now. I'm adding 220lbs incl helmet and hybrid device. Should be closer to 180-190. Got some work to do there. Happy about the 50.3 cross weight. Still 51.2/48.8 front to rear. The goal is to get to 50/50 which is going to be tough.



2761lbs
65lbs of fuel (38l * 1.71lb/L)

2696 dry - that is more than I expected. 46 lbs is the battery, I can install a lithium battery which saves 42 lbs. If I run Hoosiers instead of NT01s - saves another 16 lbs

2638 lbs post battery w/ hoosiers. So 88 lbs to go, have to lose almost all of it over the front axle. I've spent very little money in weight loss parts but now its time to open the wallet

Carbon fiber hood, headlight blanks, seat floor mount adaptors, and front reinforcement plate - 27 lbs
CSL/carbon air box - 9lbs
Hotchkis Sway to replace the OE bar - 4 lbs
Containment seat - 4 lbs
Muffler delete - 8 lbs
Tilton clutch/flywheel - 5lbs

That's 57 lbs, still have 31lbs to go.

Probably should have did this in the first place but it going to make the most sense to use the BMW C&R oil cooler which saves me about 6 lbs.

Now 25 lbs to go and the options are getting less and less...

Carbon fenders - 6 lbs
Rear coilover/convert upper control arm to link - 5 lbs
Carbon trunk lid - 5 lbs
Carbon rear floor brace - 3 lbs
Carbon muffler hanger mount/cross brace - 1 lbs
ECU relocate/Dash Trim - 3 lbs

Its not going to easy. I figure that I'll have to find another 10-15lbs in the end to account for little things that get added back (paint, hardware, etc) and adds weight. This should make it the lightest E46 M3 in existence!

I had Paul Claude update my tune to account for the headers. The AFRs were high and I had a 30hp dip between 4k to 5.5k rpm during my last dyno in 2018 which I think hurts me quite a bit. The engine is in this range when I start to turn into most turns. It feels like the engine is lugging through the corner and then the VTEC kicks in. It gets worse as the IATs climb. I hope that I get a more linear power delivery as I roll back onto the throttle to exit. I need a little more power...I keep getting run down on the straights.

[liam821]

Looking good! Sucks about the engine problems, hopefully that won't be an issue now.

[M3dragon]

nice build

[bigjae46]

This damned front splitter...think I have it figured out. I was trying to stay away from using steel to mount the splitter but aluminum is too soft.

I welded some threaded inserts onto a steel plate. The mounts are height adjustable.



I attached the brake ducts to the front reinforcement bar. I used some L brackets from home depot and bolted them on using riveted nut-serts.



First two attempts at the carbon splitter...let's say I learned a lot. Biggest issue was the top had a lot of air trapped in the finish so the carbon didn't get completely wet out. I punched holes in the foam core and got much better results...







Better mounting. Using some binding posts and a urethane 2 part adhesive to mount the hardware to the splitter. Here it is! Comes on and off much easier.

[bigjae46]

The front lip looks great! Im planning on doing the same thing over the winter but just with a wet layup. Do you have a oven big enough for that splitter?

I was going to try a vacuum infusion but wasn't sure if my vacuum pump could handle it. I did a wet lay up and then pulled a vacuum through a bleeder cloth.

The epoxy resin I use cures at room temp. You get some more impact resistance and strength with an oven but it is not necessary.

[SandeepM3]

The front lip looks great! Im planning on doing the same thing over the winter but just with a wet layup. Do you have a oven big enough for that splitter?

[bigjae46]

Wow, lots of great work with this build! Also liking the composites work.

For the splitter are you going to be implementing steel or aluminum inserts into the layup for fasteners? It would make the mounting points a lot stronger, and a lot less prone to tearout.

For now I’m still going to run a bolt through the panel.

I’d like to attach a stud to the splitter so I can just spin a couple of nuts off to remove the splitter. I think I know what adhesive to use and it should be plenty strong. Just don’t have enough time to mess around with it right now.


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[timmo]

Wow, lots of great work with this build! Also liking the composites work.

For the splitter are you going to be implementing steel or aluminum inserts into the layup for fasteners? It would make the mounting points a lot stronger, and a lot less prone to tearout.

[bigjae46]

Its time to start on my carbon fiber splitter. First off...took awhile to get used to having a splitter on the car. I've been through 5 plywood splitters. Also takes some time to figure out how to mount the splitter. I've experimented, tested and think I have a good solution.

First...make the splitter. Using a 3/8" foam core with 1 layer of 12k spread tow carbon on each side.

Foam core cut to shape



Making a spare



Beveling the bottom edge with a angle grinder and sanding sponge

[bigjae46]

Making the front bumper removable. You can find long stud push button quick releases on eBay for $10 a set. You need something about 4" or 100mm long

[bigjae46]

Lately...the car has been having stuff break. I had noticed my water temps have been getting higher and higher the last couple of events also had a squealing sound at start up. I looked at the coolant (distilled water + water wetter) and noticed it was gray. I decided to check the water pump...the pulley had some play so I pulled the pump to find this.




Then my red battery light started flickering. Here is my alternator regulator. That rectangular piece is the brush that should be inside of the regulator.




Next up...COTA with Chin. Damn its LOUD!!!

Best lap was a 2:34.69 on NT01s, theoretical best is a 2:30.9. I am very happy with that. I have an easy 2 seconds in driver improvement. I could not go over 140mph because the front would start porpoising (sp?) because my plywood splitter isn't stiff enough. Coolant temps even in hot weather (not the HOTTEST though) never got above 195 all weekend. Oil temps...still climb to 275-280. I need to admit defeat on my secondary oil cooler idea.

Post COTA list

1. Ditch my "unique" secondary oil cooler setup for a more normal setup.
2. Need to make a stiffer splitter and better mounting
3. Found leak from the input shaft seal on my steering rack

Oil cooling. I'm going with a common mounting location. I was concerned with the cooler affecting coolant temps but based on recent data I should be Ok. I also deleted the radiator fan.

[bigjae46]

Awhile back, I scored a 3.73 LSD diff from a 635CSi. I installed a 4 clutch conversion from racing diffs and had the bearings, races and R&P REM polished. Building it wasn't too difficult. The hardest part was the crush washer. I used an impact and a holder that I bolted to the input flange. I would give it a hit with the impact and check the preload. It takes a while to get any preload and then once you get some preload it goes from 0 to 30 in/lbs in about 3-4 uga-duga's. Patience is the key.

I reused the shims that came with the case. Came out spot on.

[bigjae46]

Video from June. Testing out my plywood splitter v2 and a new 4 clutch LSD. Tried not to beat on the diff and slide the rear too much. I've added some compression and rebound on the front. The front end wouldn't respond as well as I'd like in the slower turns. We'll see how it turns out for my next event either Aug 29 or Sep 12.