The Hateley Motorsports E46
BUILT FROM EXPERIENCE
The E46 was always a plan once the E30 had run its course. I finally picked up a good chassis to start with and began the build in February 1st, 2021. The car was on track to be ready for battle in the 2021 season but my engine builder couldn’t get the engine done in time so I rented a car for the first two rounds of Formula Drift Prospec. While we were on track to have the car ready for the final two rounds we had an unforeseen issue cost us the rest of the season. My dog, Gonzo who comes with me to all the Formula Drift rounds had a tumor on his liver burst and needed emergency surgery to save his life. The surgery was very expensive and Gonzo needed recovery time. I wasn’t about to leave him at home or stress him out by taking him on the road with me. Pleased to say he has made full recovery and is one happy wolf dog! The whole situation gave me a lot of time to finish the E46 the way I wanted to. I am very pleased with how it came out and it drives like a dream. Really looking forward to seeing where this car takes me.
ENGINE
We started with a raw RHS 427ci Aluminum block. Then added a BC crankshaft, Comp Cams camshaft and CP pistons and rods. Next we bolted up the RHS heads with Comp Cams valve springs, inconel exhaust valves, titanium intake valves, chromoly pushrods, shaft rocker arms and link bar lifters. The icing on the cake is our Magnuson 2300 Heartbeat Supercharger. Everything is kept safe with a Dailey dry sump system. The engine is managed by a Link ECU G4+X Extreme with full data logging capabilities.
CHASSIS
The E46 chassis is a proven winner and we started with a good one. The car is minimal to save weight and keep cost down. The chassis was seam welded and painted with Steel-it. After years of working on the E30 and realizing its short comings, I designed the E46 to be much easier to work on. The whole car is a breeze to work on compared to the E30. I designed as many bolt on parts as possible so I can transfer parts to a new chassis with ease. The plan is to drive this car hard and leave it behind for a new E46 chassis in 2023 if need be.
SUSPENSION
Up front we have an SLR angle kit that provides all the steering angle we need. Feal Suspension coilovers on all four corners and PBM rear upper and lower control arms. PBM strut bar in the back and a custom strut bar up front. The suspension on the E46 is the same as the E30 up front so I am very familiar with working on it. The E46 rear suspension is extremely easy to work on compared to the E30. I was very cautious with driving the E30 because I knew repairs to the rear suspension were time consuming and expensive.
DRIVETRAIN
I basically took the drivetrain out of the E30 and used it for the E46. Still using the Tex Racing SR-1 and the Winters Quick change differential. This package has been very reliable over the years and never skips a beat.
The Hateley Motorsports E30
BUILT FROM THE GROUND UP
In the beginning the Hateley Motorsports E30 was just a dream. That dream turned into a strong passion for fabrication and building race cars. When the project was started Andy had no fabrication skills. He learned everything along the way and produced a truly unique drift car in terms of style and execution.
ENGINE
The car was originally built with an LS3 crate engine and a Magnuson Supercharger. That engine setup made 625 HP to the wheels. Our new RHS 427ci block with various Comp Cams goodies will be installed in the car for the 2018 season. The new engine made over 650 HP to the crank, naturally aspirated. Once the Magnuson Supercharger is installed we expect power numbers to be over 800 HP.
CHASSIS
The chassis is very complicated in many ways. Andy designed it to withstand a major crash and still be lightweight and easy to work on. Both the tube frame front end and rear end can be easily removed for quick crash repairs to get us back on track as soon as possible. The radiator, oil cooler and numerous other components were moved to the trunk for crash protection and to free up space in the engine bay. The cooling system has an ECU activated water sprayer to keep temps cool during back to back runs. Every part of the chassis was analyzed, and if needed, reinforced or redesigned.
SUSPENSION
We started with a set of JRZ coilovers. They are top notch and really nothing on the market compares to them in terms of quality and range of adjustment. We them added an SLR speed angle kit to get the big steering angle drifting requires. The rear trailing arms were modified for less camber and more toe in. After several years of driving the car we believe we have a very good setup at this point, but there is always room for more. For the 2018 season we will be designing a set of tubular trailing arms with adjusted pickup points for optimal geometry of the rear suspension.
DRIVETRAIN
Our transmission is a Tex Racing SR-1 4-speed. It shifts incredibly fast and is also incredibly durable at high HP levels. We run a Clutchmasters twin disc clutch that has held up to constant abuse. The power then goes through custom once piece driveshaft to a Winters Quick Change differential. The Winters Quick Change allows us to swap the final drive in under 10 minutes. This allows us to get the perfect gear ratio for any track even with limited practice time. After the differential, a pair of Driveshaft Shop axles to get all that power to the ground.