I'm kind of surprised no one has said anything about kids learning to drive in track cars. Look, I don't know you or your kids, so please don't take this personally: Giving kids a performance oriented sports car to learn to drive in, and to use while they're teenagers, is usually not a very smart decision. I'm all for turning a beater into a track machine, and for letting kids drive a safe, nice looking car, but not both of those things together in the same vehicle, lol. You should probably be honest with yourself (and your wife) that you got this car for you.

Also, buy a torque wrench if you don't already have one, and use it to tighten nuts and bolts to spec. And making sure you clean the threads of the hardware you reuse will help a ton with your cross-threading issues.

 

I had a ton of friends that took their 12+ kids as passengers in autocross, and 16+ driving autocross. But that's far more controlled and forgiving than a road track. IIRC most road courses require you to be 18 to sign the waiver even.

Not judging here, btw. Just saying.

 

Oh for sure, if you're making a track car that your kids will be able to use at the track, that's super cool. Good bonding experiences and whatnot. My comment was more along the lines of "teens who learn to drive in everyday traffic in a track car". Like, sure, upgrade the brakes, put good tires on, fix any leaks or mechanical issues, etc. But for daily driving, teens don't really need extra HP, super stiff lowered race suspensions, or extra vents and aero.

It's good to have a plan, but don't get lost in the sauce.

 

Yeah I went totally overboard with parts for this car. And now their dad won’t let them get their license for another year. It’s sad none of my kids have any interest in cars and especially mine. And also the BMW 430i and Durango R/T in our driveway accelerate faster than the G37, well from a dead stop anyway. The girls are afraid of the gas pedal cuz it’s so loud in their opinion. One of them drove it, i think she’ll get her license fine. The other one, I’m scared ****less to get in a car with her.

 

I think the OP's original idea was a beater that could, once his kids learned to drive, THEN be used by him as a track car. IE, beater for them to toss around when learning, and instead of selling it on turning it into a track toy for after.

I DO think @Bradze you might have gone a little overboard on mods. These cars go from a little too sloppy to a little too sharp with only a few parts (like springs).

 

Rotarymike is 1 trillion percent right. This was supposed to be a track car AFTER I teach kids to drive. And yes I went so far overboard. Test pipes and 3” exhaust were already on when I bought. Cold air intake, coilovers, and akebonos cuz hey, I’m in a wheelchair half the time and don’t wanna get under this thing very often. Why new stock shocks then go back and put on coilovers? But now they’re dad won’t let em get a license for another 11 months so who knows anymore.

It’s legal now at least

 

While I don't have the blended families issue, I am looking at this for the future, assuming by the time my 12 year old is starting to learn we're not on full self driving everything lol.

Having gone hardcore with my G37 and am now in the process of dialing it back to make the car actually pleasant to drive... suspension is the biggest difference IMHO from a road car to a track car. You want to track the snot out of it? Nismo Red springs from a 370Z and Koni yellows. But... for driving down the street, you'll need a mouth guard to avoid chipping teeth.

I think the sweet spot might be stock shocks/springs (in good shape of course) with beefier swaybars.

Engine, trans, aero - they're already good on this car, and messing with them within the bounds of bolt-ons (IE, not putting in a turbo kit) doesn't really affect driveability.

Akebonos/big brakes should be on all of them IMHO. Adjust pads to driving style. Track = Hawk blue or black. Road... Akebono OEM or other streetable pads. I've got Hawk HP 5.0 and they're not quite grabby enough for me.

 

So new steering rack is in with solid aluminum bushings. It feel great but needs a new power steering pump as well. Any recommendations on a good remanufactured replacement. And more bad news, the main crank seal is leaking. It looks like I can get a mechanic service come to my house for about $300. So that $3700 I paid for the car was a wash. And exhaust plus clapped out interior isn’t good enough for the spoiled rich kids

 

Ready to sell this thing. As it sits I couldn’t expect more than like $2500. It needs power steering pump, main crank seal, seats are torn, headliner needs recovery. If I finish I bet I could get like 7500 but it’s gonna cost even more to get there.

 

You could go full <track> and strip interior and other track-optional stuff, sell the good parts, and focus more on making it a beast. Sunk cost fallacy and all that.

 

Get rid of it and get your life back. This thread just makes me sad for you... throwing good money after bad, built on a very loose rationale. I'm sorry, OP, but whatever momentary entertainment value this project has for you, or whatever the big plans, the reality of it all is just overwhelming. You know what to do.

A few years ago, my neighbor brought home a 530i Wagon. There's no denying a 530i Wagon is cool, it just is. But the car was an immediate money hole, and bringing it back to life was way, way beyond his means. Anybody with eyes could have told him this project was doomed, but all he saw was how cool it would be to drive, if it could just be road worthy. Damn thing continued to rot away for half a year before it was sent to the junkyard.

You want to teach your kids how to drive in a car you don't mind beating up... get a 15 year old Honda.

 

Just liking the Honda comment, not the rest of it. OP has to decide whether to stick with it, pivot, or cut and run.

 

Tried to sell but most i could’ve gotten was like $4k. I’ve since done LOTS of repairs I didn’t wanna do. Maybe I’d get like $5k now that everything is sorted out. Just need to put interior back together but I might as well keep it.
I love it again, road racing expense are just astronomical. Building the car especially. The most fun I’ve ever had behind the wheel is rally. Stage rally is same scenario, too much money. But rally cross is cheap.
Lots of people build rwd rally cars, an e36 BMW is basically my goal. Still comfy on the road though.