E46 M3 Touring Project
Discussion
Not sure at the moment. I'm probably going to use this one for a while.
Also I'm going to have a look at a salvage car tomorrow with a view to purchasing if I can get it for the right price. Have done some man maths tonight and should be able to purchase and break the parts not required to make it fairly cost neutral.
Also I'm going to have a look at a salvage car tomorrow with a view to purchasing if I can get it for the right price. Have done some man maths tonight and should be able to purchase and break the parts not required to make it fairly cost neutral.
Edited by E91M3 on Wednesday 5th October 22:09
One of the things that dawned on me as I gave the one we built back to the customer was that it was almost a perfect car! I mean, it could be used daily. It was comfortable, quick (despite what the nobbers in GG say - an E46 M3 is a quick car), practical, looked handsome without being flashy....I really liked it.
Almost perfect. Only almost because I realised that if anyone tapped it up the rear end in traffic, or clipped an arch, it was going to be a bloody nightmare, and the anxiety would prevent me from wanting to use it much!
Almost perfect. Only almost because I realised that if anyone tapped it up the rear end in traffic, or clipped an arch, it was going to be a bloody nightmare, and the anxiety would prevent me from wanting to use it much!
The CSL BBS spin-cast alloys arrived today. I could not resist fitting!
The fronts are E46 M3 CS spec (as they are 8x19 rather than 8.5 x 19 of the CSL) and are fitted with 235/35/19 tyres. The fit is reasonable and a set of 4 in this size would be a nice option for anyone who fancies this style wheel on a non M E46.
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I will post some more photos tomorrow showing the fit of the rear wheels (with the 265/30/19 tyres) against the standard touring arch.
The fronts are E46 M3 CS spec (as they are 8x19 rather than 8.5 x 19 of the CSL) and are fitted with 235/35/19 tyres. The fit is reasonable and a set of 4 in this size would be a nice option for anyone who fancies this style wheel on a non M E46.
[url]
I will post some more photos tomorrow showing the fit of the rear wheels (with the 265/30/19 tyres) against the standard touring arch.
Edited by E91M3 on Friday 7th October 11:15
As mentioned in an earlier post I acquired an E46 M3 bonnet a couple of weeks ago.
Out of curiosity I decided to have a go at fitting it to the touring this afternoon knowing that it would not be a straight swap with the original item.
The bonnet bolted up to the original hinges without any issue however when I attempted to close it the rear edges near the a-pillar interfered with the wings. After removing a couple of fixings from each wing I was able to adjust the wings to allow the bonnet to close on the latch.
I was expecting to remove the facelift headlamps to get the bonnet on due to their shape however this was not necessary.
Out of curiosity I decided to have a go at fitting it to the touring this afternoon knowing that it would not be a straight swap with the original item.
The bonnet bolted up to the original hinges without any issue however when I attempted to close it the rear edges near the a-pillar interfered with the wings. After removing a couple of fixings from each wing I was able to adjust the wings to allow the bonnet to close on the latch.
I was expecting to remove the facelift headlamps to get the bonnet on due to their shape however this was not necessary.
Edited by E91M3 on Wednesday 12th October 21:19
Edited by E91M3 on Wednesday 12th October 22:17
|http://thumbsnap.com/Locating a decent E46 M3 front bumper for this project has proven to be a challenge. I have now managed to obtain a complete bumper assembly from a supplier in Germany. Hopefully this will be appearing this week and once it arrives I will fit to the car.
I have also managed to acquire some used front wings over the last few weeks but not sure if they will actually be used as they are suffering from the usual corrosion that eventually afflicts the lip of the arch (due to the design of the wheel arch liner). I will consult with the body shop to see if they are still usable if not I'm going to have to bite the bullet and purchase new items from BMW.
I have also managed to acquire some used front wings over the last few weeks but not sure if they will actually be used as they are suffering from the usual corrosion that eventually afflicts the lip of the arch (due to the design of the wheel arch liner). I will consult with the body shop to see if they are still usable if not I'm going to have to bite the bullet and purchase new items from BMW.
Edited by E91M3 on Sunday 30th October 09:13
Edited by E91M3 on Sunday 30th October 09:17
The front bumper has now arrived and I managed to pick up the required carbon bumper reinforcement so that it can be fitted. Hopefully I will have a chance to fit it this weekend if it stops raining...
To help with the bodywork phase of this project I have picked up some E46 M3 wing mirrors in the required Silbergrau. The mirrors were removed from an 05 car and are in good condition bar the n/s mirror base which has some corrosion. After doing a quick search on the inter web it would appear that this is a common issue with these cars (like the front wings). It's not the end of the world and I'll address when the car is in for the bodywork.
I have also purchased the E46 M3 side skirts from the same car and will fit these when the bumper goes on.
To help with the bodywork phase of this project I have picked up some E46 M3 wing mirrors in the required Silbergrau. The mirrors were removed from an 05 car and are in good condition bar the n/s mirror base which has some corrosion. After doing a quick search on the inter web it would appear that this is a common issue with these cars (like the front wings). It's not the end of the world and I'll address when the car is in for the bodywork.
I have also purchased the E46 M3 side skirts from the same car and will fit these when the bumper goes on.
Edited by E91M3 on Friday 4th November 16:57
I have now obtained the remaining panels for the bodywork stage of this project.
My initial choice was to purchase new quarter panels and a boot floor from BMW however after getting some prices (circa £2k) and recovering from the shock my only option was the 2nd hand route.
So I will shortly be taking delivery of the rear 1/2 of a 2005 M3 convertible that was a Cat C write off due to some front n/s damage.
Here is a picture of the car (before it was stripped). It was an immaculate low mileage car that has donated a few parts to this build.
I'll update again later this week when it appears.
My initial choice was to purchase new quarter panels and a boot floor from BMW however after getting some prices (circa £2k) and recovering from the shock my only option was the 2nd hand route.
So I will shortly be taking delivery of the rear 1/2 of a 2005 M3 convertible that was a Cat C write off due to some front n/s damage.
Here is a picture of the car (before it was stripped). It was an immaculate low mileage car that has donated a few parts to this build.
I'll update again later this week when it appears.
The M3 rear end arrived today and now resides in my garage - pics will follow shortly.
Needless to say I have quite a bit of cutting to do over the next week to extract the sections of panel I need for the bodywork mods.
Thankfully there are quite a few conversions that have been done so I have a reference.
Also I have been think about the interior and whether I want to fit E46 M3 seats or go down the route of installing something like Recaro Pole Positions similar to these ones fitted in this B5 RS4.
Needless to say I have quite a bit of cutting to do over the next week to extract the sections of panel I need for the bodywork mods.
Thankfully there are quite a few conversions that have been done so I have a reference.
Also I have been think about the interior and whether I want to fit E46 M3 seats or go down the route of installing something like Recaro Pole Positions similar to these ones fitted in this B5 RS4.
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