The BMW 3 series is one of if not the most prevalent cars on NASA grids across the country. Whether it’s in German Touring Series or the surging Spec3 series, the E36 is now living a healthy second life in the donor class for conversion for racing.
Anytime you convert a car for racing that the factory already had when they were new is a good sign that it makes for a good racecar. Of course, no matter how good a car is, that changes over time and Spec3 cars are now upward of 30 years old. Regardless of how well a car is cared for, the ravages of time take a toll. That means you need to account for things that might break during a weekend of NASA racing.
To get a better idea of what kinds of spares you might need for racing a Spec3 — or any E36 for that matter — we got in touch with people who have been racing Spec3 for years. These are the people that other people in the paddock can rely on when something breaks and they don’t have what they need in their trailer. Here’s how they keep things running.
Name: Sean O’Hara
Region: NASA Mid-Atlantic
Car: 1995 BMW 325i
Years Racing: 5
Spares List
Fluids (oil, brake, power steering)
Brake pads, front and rear
Brake rotors, front only
Brake caliper pins
Wheel bearings, front and rear
Wheel studs and nuts
Wheels and tires
Tie rods, inner and outer
Cam sensor
Crank sensor
Wheel speed sensor
Oxygen sensor
Misc. relays and fuses
Q: How do you determine what spares you need to bring with you?
A: Pay attention to what you and your competitors have needed over the years and keep that stuff handy. If a part is readily available from major auto parts chains, you may not need to lug that part around in your spares bin. Likewise, if you inspect a part before each weekend during the “nut-and-bolt” check, you may not need to keep a spare on hand. Of course, available room in the trailer and tow rig is a limiting factor. My spares list probably quadrupled when I upgraded from a BMW X5 to a retired ambulance.
Q: What is one spare part you have needed at the track, but didn’t have with you?
A: Tie rods. My steering wheel was shaking so violently that it’s visible and audible on my on-board video. One of my competitors had a spare set which made Sunday’s race decidedly less terrifying.
Q: What have you always had on hand, but never had a need for?
A: Wheel bearings. My rears are still original to the car ,but slated for replacement before the 2023 season. I replaced the fronts in 2022 but not in the paddock.
Q: How have you built up your supply of spare parts?
A: I crashed my first Spec3 build toward the end of my time in HPDE. I bought a non-running E36 shell for $500 and swapped over the Spec3 bits. Instantly, I had a spare of just about everything. I wouldn’t recommend this method.
Q: How many times have you provided a part to competitors so they can get their car back on track? Please explain.
A: Fewer times than I’d like. I spent a couple years being the plucky underprepared guy that needed help from competitors. They were always gracious with parts and a helping hand. Fast forward a few years and I’m happy to be in a position to give back to the new guys.
Name: Jon McAvoy
Region: NASA – Mid Atlantic
Car: 1994 BMW 325i
Years Racing: 19
Spares List
The list is a fair bit too long to list, so here are the general categories of items I carry: brake components (rotors, pads, fluid, lines, guide pins, calipers, etc.), suspension components (shocks, struts, control arms, bushings, etc.), tie rods, general fluids (driveline oils), nuts/bolts/fasteners, fuses, and radiator hoses.
Q: How do you determine what spares you need to bring with you?
A: Years of dealing with failures and watching competitors deal with the same. It was a pure trial and error process, no fancy science here.
Q: What is one spare part you have needed at the track, but didn’t have with you?
A: Body panels and ABS computer
Q: What have you always had on hand, but never had a need for?
A: Spec3 Engine Chip from Epic Motorsports and radiator hoses.
Q: How have you built up your supply of spare parts?
A: See answer above.
Q: How many times have you provided a part to competitors so they can get their car back on track?
A: Every weekend someone in the paddock needs something and the Spec3 field, like so many others, is always available to offer help.
Name: Charles Ford
Region: NASA Mid-Atlantic
Car: 1993 BMW 325is
Years Racing: 8
Spares List
Brake pads, rotors, brake caliper seals, caliper pins, brake fluid, oil/trans/diff fluid, front wheel hub, front control arms, tie-rods, shocks, (2) extra tires, wheel speed sensors, wheel studs, fuses/relays/sensors.
Q: How do you determine what spares you need to bring with you?
A: Through a combination of what we think might break, and what has a chance of breaking through contact. Also, a good rule for us is to carry items that have been replaced during a maintenance schedule that still have some life and can get you through a race/weekend if need be (shocks, wheel studs, sensors). We also buy (6) tires at a time and rotate them all throughout the weekend, which can get us through about a half of a season and allows us to have extras if needed.
Q: What is one spare part you have needed at the track, but didn’t have with you?
A: Flywheel. I’ve had a few of the dual-mass flywheels break on me while on-track, two of which were brand new! After my issues, as well as a few others’ experiences with the same thing, we’ve changed the rules to allow single-mass flywheels. We’ve also had a few of the cheap 6-pole kill switches die on us while on track.
Q: What have you always had on hand, but never had a need for?
A: Small things like fuses, relays, mass air flow sensors, and misc. engine sensors. We’ve got extra room in the parts tubs, and these items do not take up much space, so we keep them in there in case someone in the paddock has an emergency.
Q: How have you built up your supply of spare parts?
A: Things like brake pads and spare fluids. I can’t imagine going to the track and not having these items on hand. Items such as tie-rods, control arms, and wheels are typically the items that need replacing when close-quarters spec racing gets a little too close so we like to keep those handy.
Q: How many times have you provided a part to competitors so they can get their car back on track? Please explain.
A: We’ve loaned brake calipers, brake pads, hubs, and wheels to “frenemies” multiple times to get them back on track. A like-for-like replacement the next race weekend is sufficient payment for the spares, and a good rule of thumb to ensure you’ll always have those spares in your trailer. This also serves as additional motivation to get friends back to the track at the next event!
Name: Jake Thiewes
Region: NASA Mid-Atlantic
Car: 1995 BMW 325is
Years Racing: 7
Spares List
Brake pads
Brake rotors
Brake lines
Camshaft and crankshaft position sensors
Kill switch
Wheel studs
Air filter
Fuse
Relays
Taillights and front corner lights
Body molding trim
Spark plugs
Coil packs and boots
Oil
Water
Brake fluid
Transmission fluid
Q: How do you determine what spares you need to bring with you?
A: I moved from GTS2 in an E36 M3 to Spec3 in late 2021, and the car’s previous owner gave me a massive Rubbermaid tote of spares. He was pretty methodical in assembling a kit that would cover most failure points, and I’d likely bring the same sort of gear had I assembled it on my own.
Q: What is one spare part you have needed at the track, but didn’t have with you?
A: My failures have been bigger stuff: blown head gasket, failed flywheel, that sort of thing. I didn’t have those parts on hand, but I’m also not the “thrash at the track to keep going” type when it’s that big of a failure. It was definitely a bummer when the flywheel blew up on Friday afternoon of a three-day event, though.
Q: What have you always had on hand, but never had a need for?
A: I truly will never need six spare tail lights, but they’re stuffed in the nose of my trailer for some reason.
Q: How have you built up your supply of spare parts?
A: I’ve owned six or seven E36s over the years, as street and track/race cars, and they have a decent amount of crossover between M3 and Spec3 parts. So, I’ve just kept things that were in good condition and removed from a parts car, or replaced but still functional in a pinch. I also try – now that I’m older, wiser, and (barely) richer – to proactively buy more consumables so I have a new set of brake pads ready as needed instead of swapping on old emergency pads.
Q: How many times have you provided a part to competitors so they can get their car back on track? Please explain.
A: Only a few times. I think I provided a cam position sensor to a competitor when his M3 died. I’ve given away old-yet-usable brake pads when people came into the paddock on backing plates after a few sessions. One Spec3 competitor blew a brake line and used one of my spares and some of my tools to fix it.
Name: Taylor Johnson
Region: NASA Northeast
Car: 1995 BMW 325i
Years Racing: 2
Spares List
It should be noted that I bring way more spares than anyone else because I loan them out to others. I’ve also attached a photo of everything I keep in my trailer
Side Mirrors
Rearview mirror
Radiator hoses
Brake light switch — Important! These are very cheap and they break sometimes and will take you out for the weekend.
White-top fuel pump
Tie rods
Spark plugs
Brake Master cylinder
Clutch Slave cylinder
Front brake line
Rear brake line
Crank sensor — Almost any time I see someone have engine troubles, it’s a bad crank sensor
Cam position sensor
Oil
Brake fluid
Gear oil
Distilled water
Water Wetter
Spare brake slide pins
Brake pin bushings
Exhaust hanger
Dip stick O ring
Throttle pedal — I’ve seen this more times than I can count. If you heel-toe too hard at a bad angle, you can snap your throttle pedal off. Good to keep a spare
Front diff bolt
Spare brake pads
Spare rotors
Fuses and relays
Spare DME — Always good for troubleshooting engine issues
Spare kill switch — I’ve seen this many times as well. Kill switch fails and the car won’t start
Box of various nuts, bolts, washers
Backup fire resistant socks, balaclava, shirt, pants, gloves
Three ignition coils — Another quick troubleshooting item for engine troubles
OBDI BMW Code Reader
Turn signals — I keep two of each since they fly out all the time
Nonessential, but I bring them anyway in case anyone needs them:
Front wheel bearing/hubs
Power steering hoses
A spare fuel injector
Front control arms
Front control arm bushing
Guibo
Front wheel speed sensor
Rear wheel speed sensor
Brake pad rattle clips
Fuel filter
MAF sensor
Axles
Spare transmission
Brake calipers
One front shock
One rear shock
Water pump
VANOS
Oil filter housing gasket
Q: How do you determine what spares you need to bring with you?
A: Anything I’ve ever had to borrow from someone else or needed to replace at the track that I didn’t have previously. Anything that I know is cheap and has the possibility of keeping me from racing.
Q: What is one spare part you have needed at the track, but didn’t have with you?
A: A power steering line that I thought I had in the trailer, was in fact, not there. I had to cobble together hoses to keep it together for the weekend. I also had to borrow a brake light switch one time when mine failed and my brake lights weren’t working.
Q: What have you always had on hand, but never had a need for?
A: I’ve never needed a brake caliper, brake line, transmission, axle, diff bolt, fuel pump, control arm, wheel speed sensor, guibo, water pump, vanos, or really anything in my “I bring them anyway” list.
Q: How have you built up your supply of spare parts?
A: I parted out an E36 to get a lot of the small random things, and I’ve acquired the rest of the items either as they pop up used, or on a late night FCP Euro shopping spree.
Q: How many times have you provided a part to competitors so they can get their car back on track? Please explain.
A: I’m known as the Spec3 parts trailer. I have loaned out the following to help fellow racers:
The entire radiator from my car after a race to let a Thunder racer in GTS use it for theirs
An entire front strut assembly to another Spec3 racer
Brake master cylinder
Brake lines
DME
Crank sensor
Dipstick O ring
Vanos
Fuel Pump
Ignition Coils
Spark Plugs
Brake pads
Rotors
Gear Oil when a competitor and I replaced their transmission overnight
A side mirror after a competitor rolled their car and continued to race
Throttle pedal from my own car to let a thunder racer in GTS borrow it
ABS Relays
