Chuck Caiola lives in Emerson, New Jersey, with his
wife. He owns and drives a 1995 BMW M3 which he has owned for three years. His
secondary vehicle, a Land Rover, doubles as his tow vehicle for track events.
Chuck had Bodymotion help the vehicle breathe by removing the
restriction in the intake and exhaust. This was done by installing a Dinan cold air
intake ($600.00 installed). The exhaust manifolds were removed and replaced with a
tuned length stainless steel supersprint header ($1,500.00 installed). The
exhaust was modified further by replacing the system from the catalytic converter back
with a Remus performance system terminating in twin, straight, large diameter 90mm tips
($850.00 installed). Bodymotion then upgraded the chip in the engine computer to
allow the engine to fully use its new breathing potential ($395.00 installed). To
get power to the rear wheels as quickly and reliably as possible, the clutch was replaced
with a heavier duty Saschs unit in conjunction with a lightweight aluminum flywheel
($1,900.00 installed).
To give the vehicle a hands down advantage in traction and
acceleration, the rear differential was re-geared by Bodymotion with a 338 final drive and
given a 50% lock to put "the power to the pavement". When it came time to
address the suspension, Chuck's aim was simple - he wanted a "slot car".
The factory suspension setup was removed front and rear. H & R coil over
units were utilized to squat and improve the vehicles handling characteristics.
Being able to adjust the ride height is definitely a plus for track setup! To dial
more camber into the vehicle, fully adjustable camber plate mounts were used up front and
solid camber mounts were used in the rear ($3,500.00 installed and aligned, including all
ride height adjustments and corner balancing). Euro spec adjustable sway bars were
installed for further stability, eliminating any remaining body roll on aggressive
cornering ($580.00 installed). With speed and stability "addressed",
stopping was next!
The brake rotors were replaced with Brembo cross drilled
units, front and rear, for more aggressive stopping power. Factory calipers were
retained, lines were replaced with stainless steel braided units to eliminate pedal
fade. Pads were replaced with carbon metallic pads and the entire system was flushed
and bled through with race fluid ($1,600.00 installed). An autopower roll bar, with
cross brace, was installed both for safety and further increasing the vehicles overall
rigidity ($895.00 installed). To keep the driver firmly planted inside the vehicle,
factory front seats gave way to full racing Sparco EVO2 buckets ($1,800.00 installed,
includes custom fabrication brackets to fit the EVO2's to the E-36 car. Simpson 5
point cam lock belts were also installed to fully accomplish the driver/vehicle unison
($480.00 installed).
