Connor’s E36: Standing on Solid Ground

Connor Lydon believed that he could spare himself a lot of headache if he bought a largely prepped car instead of starting from scratch. Even if it had been raced, we wagered he’d be better off with a used race car than beginning the build with a basic road car. Years of cone carving had given him some idea of what modifying a stock car entails, and how much work is really required to get one in fighting shape.

“In autocross, you can push ten-tenths and the worst thing that can happen is you hit some cones. Pushing this hard without fear helped me get really comfortable with oversteer in a short time span.”

After three years of autocrossing a well-prepped Z3 M Coupe which he built with his dad, he decided to make the transition into track days under the guidance of his mentor, Ryan Rich. Not only did Ryan help Connor understand his AiM data so he could make remarkable progress in under a year, he encouraged him to take the next step into time trials with a fully prepared car.

Thanks in part to Ryan’s guidance, Connor knew what to look for, and this BMW CCA IP-winning E36 M3 ticked most of all the boxes. The combination of mild aero, reduced weight, and a proven mechanical setup would provide a level of performance that would, on occasion, cause him consternation.

During his first shake down with the car, Connor was mostly satisfied. “It drove fine. Honestly, the biggest hurdle then (and now) was just how well it stuck. I was scaring myself pretty regularly; whatever I did, it took it. I had to try and quiet that part of my brain that anticipates a big accident.”

While the basic package worked well enough, he felt it wasn’t quite as responsive as he would’ve liked, so he opted for a set of stiffer springs. This proved a mistake, as the car became so bouncy that he skipped off the track in one of Willow Springs’ scariest corners at 120 miles per hour.

With Tony Colicchio’s Spec bump steer and roll center correction kit, camber plates, and a set of new MCS two-ways with remotes, revised damping, and a milder set of 750-pound springs, the machine was totally transformed. The icing on the cake was a Diffsonline race differential with a TC Designs extra-capacity housing to avoid overheating.

Some complain the E36 understeers too much, but the aero, the differential, and the mechanical setup has made it really neutral with an inclination to oversteer. Slight lifts would bring the car around just enough to place the car accurately.

“You hear about how E36s can understeer, but this car is always neutral and willing to rotate. With the aero and the mechanical setup, it’s very stable and confidence-inspiring, especially at higher speeds.”

Then came the second order of business: weight. At 2,900 pounds, the car was not quite as light as is easily achievable with a car as svelte as a stripped E36. To trim another 150 pounds, he installed Mashaw’s fiberglass doors, hood, and trunk.

Such a light car with a 3.73 final drive can accelerate rapidly with a moderate amount of power. Sunbelt high-lift cams, custom longtube headers, and M50 intake manifold help this refreshed S52 engine produce a respectable and somewhat peaky 270 at the wheels. “The gearing is just short enough to where you get a great drive off the corner, but you can still hit 144 mph coming around Roval at Auto Club.”

Due to the combination of respectable acceleration, reliability, and remarkable grip, the main issue on Connor’s mind at all times is if he can commit to the grit-your-teeth corners. “ The biggest struggle now is trusting the car’s gonna be there for me. I mean, I don’t have to lift entering Turn 8 at Thunderhill East, but I have had it rotate on me there when I didn’t get it just right. Trusting the car into T10 at Sonoma takes some faith as that is a terrifying place to have an off.”

While the car was well built, its stellar running record has a lot to do with Connor’s meticulous maintenance habits. Because the high-lift cam stresses the motor some, he changes the oil every ten hours and usually changes the rest of the fluids around that interval. “I’ve tried to be as conservative as I can with this car – I don’t like to run glittery fluid through the diff longer than is necessary.”

And that approach has paid off; not one weekend-ending failure over five years of ownership. Its low weight has made it relatively kind to consumables, so all in all, it’s been about as cost-effective as anything quicker than a momentum car can be.

PFC race calipers up front and PFC 11 pads provide ample stopping power.

If he were to hang onto the car and chase lap times, he believes that it could benefit from a little less weight and a little more torque. “Currently, it breathes well up high at a cost of low-end torque. I’d opt for a stock-cammed S52 with M52 intake for more grunt below 5,000 revs. For NorCal tracks, I think this combo is faster — even if it means losing 40 horsepower.”

However, he’s chosen to race another car better suited to wheel-to-wheel. Anyone interested in picking up a sorted time trials machine that can lap Thunderhill Five-Mile in 3:04 can now do so for a reasonable price and carry on building upon a sturdy foundation.

Michael’s 350Z: Take A Chance, Prove a Point

Twelve years with an unloved chassis has given Michael “Stubz” Hillo a unique perspective on taking the underdog route. There are other established, well-paved paths with minimal maintenance and certain outcomes, but they don’t offer a maverick a chance to prove a point.

Stubz took it upon himself to take the unloved 350Z and make it into a NASA ST4 race-winner because, well, he hated the idea of conforming. However, before he started his mission, he was after an affordable way to begin drifting. Nowadays, the 350Z is one of the few Japanese sports coupes that offers the sort of value the budget drifters offered back in drifting’s heyday. Even then, it was pretty cheap.

It was more than just an option for the cost-conscious drifter, as Stubz realized. Beyond low overhead, a torquey motor, and a rear-drive layout, the Z has a lot going for it. It’s reasonably stiff, the aerodynamics aren’t terrible, and the aftermarket is decently sized. It might not be as well supported as the E46 M3, but it offers similar power-to-weight figures and the potential to run respectable lap times at a fraction of the price.

The zeal and the commitment to proving the platform came later — at first, it was cheap fun. Beating up on pricier cars was only part of the pleasure; the steering was full of feel and responsive, the motor responded well to modifications, and the rear end put the power down decently.

Some of that luster began to fade when he tried to turn the Z into something more than a midfield car. The budget modifications no longer seemed to be enough, and so he tried experimenting with the high-end brands which only offered limited support for the Z.

After testing Penske and Godspeed coilovers, he settled on MCS two-ways with 18K springs up front and 9K in the rear. The car still lacks some of the compliance he’d like in slower corners, but it works well enough in the fast sections, thanks in part to Epsilon+ aero, that the compromise is acceptable.

The most irritation has stemmed from the car’s flawed braking system. Persistent knockback issues and lousy OEM ABS pushed Stubz into spending hundreds of hours diagnosing and attempting to find a package that would work.

Plenty of thrown wrenches and a thousand curse words later, he found a set of Stoptech Trophy big brakes that did a reasonable job. Because they moved the brake calipers closer to three o’clock, they mitigated some of the knockback resulting from the steering knuckle flexing. The remaining bugbear was the ABS system, which needed to be retrofitted with the Bosch Mk60 kit from Race Harness Technologies.

Though the braking system works decently these days, Stubz isn’t completely satisfied. Trailbraking has improved, but the outright braking performance hasn’t gotten much better. However, some of that has to do with the weight of the vehicle, which has been hard to lose with conventional stripping methods. “You’ve gotta get pretty creative when it comes to putting the car on a diet. I didn’t want to, but I had to buy carbon. Hatch, hood, front bumper, and headlight blanks from Spinnaker Composites have helped, but the car is still heavy.” he explains.

It’s transformed into a reasonably swift car in recent years, even with the diminishing returns from spending big bucks on primo parts. The 3,200-pound Z has an average of 257 horsepower which is pretty well administered thanks to 275-section Toyo RRs and the aforementioned aero. A broad powerband helps make the car less track-sensitive than some, and, anyways, Stubz no longer agonizes over finding the perfect setup. After several years of head scratching, he sees the Z as a dependable, safe, and sturdy car which is easy to run and satisfying to drive. Going for the gold isn’t his aim any longer — he’s happy with what the 350Z’s speed. Any car that can lap Buttonwillow W13CW in 1:54 is more than just fun — it’s seriously fast.

Striving to perfect the car sapped some of his ambition, but it’s also given him a few notable wins, wisdom, and a pragmatic approach that provides him with peace of mind. His lack of zeal might not motivate newcomers to try and beat the odds, but if they read between the lines, they should realize that there’s nothing with the Z as an entry/mid-level car. It might not carry an ambitious driver to the top of the podium, but its golden era-pricing lowers the barrier to entry. It’ll help them get involved faster — and in Stubz’s view, that’s better than sitting on the sidelines and dreaming of victory.