BMW E46 M3 - Touring Build
Discussion
pidsy said:
ARe you doing it to keep?
Or is it just the technical challenge?
I've always loved the e46 m3, I've had a few of them. Even after purchasing newer cars I find myself getting bored of the new car but not the e46 m3.Or is it just the technical challenge?
Cars have always been a hobby for me and a big project has always been on my bucket list. I'm now married and own 3 vehicles and the only way I could justify this was to do some man maths and logic. I had to create a car that would be 'sensible' and still keep me interested. This seems to tick all the above boxes
The plan is to keep it, but my problem is I get bored when the tinkering stops and I get cars just the way I want them, I then read a silly thread which then gives me my next idea. I hope this is not the case here as it's a lot of work.
It's been a lot of fun working on this as I think I've got to know the every bit of the car and it's just added confidence to my spanner skills.
So the next task was to get the underside finished up so the car was ready to be put on the ground. This meant adding the rear axle and exhaust system.
I swapped over the m3 fuel tank as the pumps are different from normal e46's.
The rear axle including the differential was just a bolt on jobbie.
Next was the exhaust. I wanted to keep everything oem but gave into the urge for aftermarket exhaust system. The OEM system weighs a ton.
I settled for a supersprint resonated centre section and an eisenmann back box. This combination does not drone like many others and maintains the characteristics of the oem sound, just a tad bit louder. Plus the weight saving benifits sweeten the deal
The m3 has an additional exhaust bracket mounted on the drivers side to carry the exhaust. This was cut of the m3 and welded on. The underside heatshield and tray were all added and the exhaust offered up.
The car was then ready to be put on the ground. Here are a few shots of how it stands. I picked up an original front bumper to replace the csl replica. I hacked the m sport diffuser to allow the quad pipes to protrude.
Even without the m3 arches yet in place, the car looks good IMO.
Here is a pic of the engine bay. I hadn't put a few bit on at this point such as the pollen filter housing and crank pipes. But it looks like it belongs in there
And finally a picture of the fallen soldier. This pic was before I cut the rear arches out fully but there is nothing left of the m3 that once was.
That is pretty much where I am up to at the moment. The car is on the driveway and is in need of electrical work now.
Most of the additional wiring for the estate (rear doors etc) all feed into the GM5 module. I have ordered a load of OEM electrical pins so the theory is just to solder the cut wire from the estate onto a pin, the pin can then be push into the OEM plug and connected to GM5 module the same way it would have been done from the factory.
No doubt it would be a fiddly job just will be a great moment when every button is functioning correctly and all errors are cleared from the computers log system.
I swapped over the m3 fuel tank as the pumps are different from normal e46's.
The rear axle including the differential was just a bolt on jobbie.
Next was the exhaust. I wanted to keep everything oem but gave into the urge for aftermarket exhaust system. The OEM system weighs a ton.
I settled for a supersprint resonated centre section and an eisenmann back box. This combination does not drone like many others and maintains the characteristics of the oem sound, just a tad bit louder. Plus the weight saving benifits sweeten the deal
The m3 has an additional exhaust bracket mounted on the drivers side to carry the exhaust. This was cut of the m3 and welded on. The underside heatshield and tray were all added and the exhaust offered up.
The car was then ready to be put on the ground. Here are a few shots of how it stands. I picked up an original front bumper to replace the csl replica. I hacked the m sport diffuser to allow the quad pipes to protrude.
Even without the m3 arches yet in place, the car looks good IMO.
Here is a pic of the engine bay. I hadn't put a few bit on at this point such as the pollen filter housing and crank pipes. But it looks like it belongs in there
And finally a picture of the fallen soldier. This pic was before I cut the rear arches out fully but there is nothing left of the m3 that once was.
That is pretty much where I am up to at the moment. The car is on the driveway and is in need of electrical work now.
Most of the additional wiring for the estate (rear doors etc) all feed into the GM5 module. I have ordered a load of OEM electrical pins so the theory is just to solder the cut wire from the estate onto a pin, the pin can then be push into the OEM plug and connected to GM5 module the same way it would have been done from the factory.
No doubt it would be a fiddly job just will be a great moment when every button is functioning correctly and all errors are cleared from the computers log system.
Edited by yavz on Sunday 26th February 16:54
Love it. Will be an amazing car. I have one - converted in 2008 and counted up £14k in receipts for the conversion so pretty big job. Feels factory. SMG which wouldn't have been my preference at the time of purchase but actually suits the 'estate' aspect of the car. Fraction quicker than my step-son's saloon too. Might have to go this year - too many toys - although could well be one of those 'cars you regret selling'.
Best of luck with the project. There needs to be more of these around!
Best of luck with the project. There needs to be more of these around!
Thanks for all the comments guys, im hoping the end product delivers.
Ive got wiring work to do over the weekend, something i normally dread but i've done all my research and im actually looking forward to it.
TheLordJohn said:
Looks a great project. And will be, without doubt, epic when completed.
Good effort in starting it and hope you see it through!
I know what you mean about seeing it though, ive wanted to do this for a while now so hopefully the motivation will stay through till the end.Good effort in starting it and hope you see it through!
Ive got wiring work to do over the weekend, something i normally dread but i've done all my research and im actually looking forward to it.
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