BMW E46 M3 - Touring Build
Discussion
Bit of an update, slightly delayed by a mishap involving a Stanley knife and a 3 hour trip to a&e. What annoyed me most was That I couldn't work on the car that weekend. 
. Anyways, it wasn't anything too serious and lessons were learnt for sure.
I've been tackling the wiring, so nothing too exciting. This involved either soldering terminal connectors onto the ends of wires I had previously cut OR removing the complete wiring for a particular module from the old loom and plumbing it in to the now m3 estate.
I had to look at lots of schematics to figure out where everything went, thankfully most of the additional bits are now fully functioning. I have a few but left which I will tackle this coming weekend bits the main bits such as rear door locks, windows, rear tailgate window, rear wiper etc are already sorted.
the next few pics pretty much sum up my approach to wiring:
This is just 1 set of wires needed for the passenger side rear door.
Each wire was paired with the relevant connector and place in the hands of my trusted soldier assistant.
The wires were then soldered together
And heat shrink was used to cover the exposed join.
This process was repeated MANY times.
I then used felt tape to tape up the wires into a tidy bundle,this not only looks a lot tidier but also prevents the wires from making any noises when sitting against the metal body.
Finally I plugged the pin terminals into their relevant holes in the blocks. The block is then directly plugged into the module to make the connection.
Next up is a small update in my plans.
I've had the car out on road several times now, driving it hard to ensure everything is in top mechanical condition. One thing I noticed is some clutch slur from the smg gearbox. I reset the adaptations in the gearbox and it still slurs, this means the clutch has just started to show signs of wear.
Given that I have to drop the gearbox for a clutch replacement I have decided to convert the car to a manual gearbox, I've lots of reading on the matter and it seems straight forward enough, thankfully the estate was manual previously so the clutch line and gear linkage mounting are already in place, this is normally the most difficult part. Doing the conversion will make the car far more reliable from a transmission perspective.
I'm just sourcing the bits i need for the conversion before a busy weekend actually changing it.
Ive got a brand new clutch ready to go in, I also have the manual clutch pedal, I'm going to be using an smg converted bell housing and use the actual gears from the smg box. This is a popular route as the gears from an Smg gearbox are usually better than manual ones as the computer performs perfect/crunch free shifts.
Whilst out shopping I also picked up a set of brand new H&R coilovers. This is a conscious effort to reduce any extra body roll that may have resulted from the slightly increased body height, I can honestly say I've not noticed it, but if nothing else the original dampers were on the car for over 5 years so could do with a refresh. I won't be lowering the car to the floor. I'm just hoping to enhance the handling a little.
That's all for now. Thanks to all those still reading
. Anyways, it wasn't anything too serious and lessons were learnt for sure.I've been tackling the wiring, so nothing too exciting. This involved either soldering terminal connectors onto the ends of wires I had previously cut OR removing the complete wiring for a particular module from the old loom and plumbing it in to the now m3 estate.
I had to look at lots of schematics to figure out where everything went, thankfully most of the additional bits are now fully functioning. I have a few but left which I will tackle this coming weekend bits the main bits such as rear door locks, windows, rear tailgate window, rear wiper etc are already sorted.
the next few pics pretty much sum up my approach to wiring:
This is just 1 set of wires needed for the passenger side rear door.
Each wire was paired with the relevant connector and place in the hands of my trusted soldier assistant.
The wires were then soldered together
And heat shrink was used to cover the exposed join.
This process was repeated MANY times.
I then used felt tape to tape up the wires into a tidy bundle,this not only looks a lot tidier but also prevents the wires from making any noises when sitting against the metal body.
Finally I plugged the pin terminals into their relevant holes in the blocks. The block is then directly plugged into the module to make the connection.
Next up is a small update in my plans.
I've had the car out on road several times now, driving it hard to ensure everything is in top mechanical condition. One thing I noticed is some clutch slur from the smg gearbox. I reset the adaptations in the gearbox and it still slurs, this means the clutch has just started to show signs of wear.
Given that I have to drop the gearbox for a clutch replacement I have decided to convert the car to a manual gearbox, I've lots of reading on the matter and it seems straight forward enough, thankfully the estate was manual previously so the clutch line and gear linkage mounting are already in place, this is normally the most difficult part. Doing the conversion will make the car far more reliable from a transmission perspective.
I'm just sourcing the bits i need for the conversion before a busy weekend actually changing it.
Ive got a brand new clutch ready to go in, I also have the manual clutch pedal, I'm going to be using an smg converted bell housing and use the actual gears from the smg box. This is a popular route as the gears from an Smg gearbox are usually better than manual ones as the computer performs perfect/crunch free shifts.
Whilst out shopping I also picked up a set of brand new H&R coilovers. This is a conscious effort to reduce any extra body roll that may have resulted from the slightly increased body height, I can honestly say I've not noticed it, but if nothing else the original dampers were on the car for over 5 years so could do with a refresh. I won't be lowering the car to the floor. I'm just hoping to enhance the handling a little.
That's all for now. Thanks to all those still reading
I love this and was seriously considering doing it with my 330 Touring. Like you, I have a family and can't really have more than three cars, so after the track car and my wife's Fiesta, I'm only left with one. In the past I've had a couple of E39 M5s and a B5 RS4 to fill this role. I've always thought an E46 M3 Touring would be just about perfect, especially now we also have two small dogs.
You've definitely gone about it the right way using a full donor car, which is exactly what I plan on doing, though preferably with a rusty/crashed convertible so I don't feel guilty about killing a coupe. You make a good point about using a known quantity as a starting car though. I figure I'll just service items as they're between the two cars. I also have the fun of converting the 330 to manual, as it is currently an auto. I believe the SMG introduces additional electrical challenges, which I'd rather avoid.
I hadn't realised the wiring was so involved, were you tempted to use a service that unlock the ECU? Would that have made it a bit easier?
You've definitely gone about it the right way using a full donor car, which is exactly what I plan on doing, though preferably with a rusty/crashed convertible so I don't feel guilty about killing a coupe.
You make a good point about using a known quantity as a starting car though. I figure I'll just service items as they're between the two cars. I also have the fun of converting the 330 to manual, as it is currently an auto. I believe the SMG introduces additional electrical challenges, which I'd rather avoid.I hadn't realised the wiring was so involved, were you tempted to use a service that unlock the ECU? Would that have made it a bit easier?
Edited by SuperVM on Friday 17th March 10:45
The ECU side wiring has remained untouched, i moved everything over and it started first time, it the body side loom which im modifying.
Ultimately you have 2 options with pro's and cons;
1) Change Engine side loom and keep body side loom
pros: Dont need to take the whole interior apart saves time
Cons: Still need to wire additional items in from the m3 depending on the base vihicle spec, e.g. sport button, xenons vs halogens, electric memory seats and mirrors etc
May not be a turn key solution as you have to fiddle some of the ECU connection to get it to work. Im sure someone could figure this bit out, but i didnt want to faff about with that.
2) Change Engine side loom and also body side loom
Pro; plug and play solution on the engine
No fault codes as evrything is connected as it was in the donor car
Cons: have to take apart interior to wire in rear doors, hatch, wiper etc
The reason i chose the latter was because i knew my base car had far less spec than my M3, so i would have had to take the interiors and looms apart anyway. I guess i would rather have everything that was working previously still working and worry about what i know is extra on the estate.
Both ways will work, just what level of fettling your interested in.
If you were to build it, would you be looking at doing the body conversion as well or just the engine?
Ultimately you have 2 options with pro's and cons;
1) Change Engine side loom and keep body side loom
pros: Dont need to take the whole interior apart saves time
Cons: Still need to wire additional items in from the m3 depending on the base vihicle spec, e.g. sport button, xenons vs halogens, electric memory seats and mirrors etc
May not be a turn key solution as you have to fiddle some of the ECU connection to get it to work. Im sure someone could figure this bit out, but i didnt want to faff about with that.
2) Change Engine side loom and also body side loom
Pro; plug and play solution on the engine
No fault codes as evrything is connected as it was in the donor car
Cons: have to take apart interior to wire in rear doors, hatch, wiper etc
The reason i chose the latter was because i knew my base car had far less spec than my M3, so i would have had to take the interiors and looms apart anyway. I guess i would rather have everything that was working previously still working and worry about what i know is extra on the estate.
Both ways will work, just what level of fettling your interested in.
If you were to build it, would you be looking at doing the body conversion as well or just the engine?
yavz said:
If you were to build it, would you be looking at doing the body conversion as well or just the engine?
Thanks for all the information, that's pretty useful.My plan was to get it running without the body conversion, but keep all the panels from the M3 and do that as a second phase. Like you, I was also planning on reinforcing the rear subframe mounting points when doing the rear end. I've done engine swaps in the past, though admittedly not in a long time, but never had the donor car. That must have been lovely.
yavz said:
Thank you.
The biggest underestimation on this project has been the need for space. By the time you have both cars in bits you need a fair bit of space to store everthing albeit temporarily. You would need a very large double garage at minimum.
My plan was side by side on the drive (covered when not being worked on) and storage in the single garage attached to my house and another that I rent nearby, though currently my track car lives in there. Hmmmm, you raise an interesting point. The biggest underestimation on this project has been the need for space. By the time you have both cars in bits you need a fair bit of space to store everthing albeit temporarily. You would need a very large double garage at minimum.
Anyway, well done and I'm looking forward to seeing it with the big arches. I do love a big arch.
A bit of a thread bump as this project is finally nearing completion. What's taken so long and what's been going on?
The short version of it is that work was pretty intense, I also had 2 kids in that time and after the arrival of the first one it became very apparent that the project was going to remain parked up for a bit. It actually got to the point where I had given up on it as it sat there with its gearbox removed. I sold off the coilovers, the exhaust, the csl wheels and a few other bits. I even had a sale agreed on the engine but when I come down to it just knew I would regret it if I didn't see it through to completion. So I put a cover over it and forgot about it for a while.
With things settling down a bit I gave the car some attention again. So since the last update here is what's been going on in the background:
1) Performed and SMG to manual conversion. Installing the following:
New clutch kit
New flywheel
New oem gear linkages
Manual clutch pedal
Gearbox oil refresh and clean up
New clutch lines etc
2) Rebuild stock braking system: Shotblasted and powdercoated,
new pistons and seals,
braided hose lines,
new brake pads (discs had no lips)
3) Differential service:
New Input shafted bearing seal
Genuine bmw fluids
New casing seal
New oem bushings with updated diff bolts.
4) Underside refresh:
Remove the rear axle.
Clean underside and apply epoxy mastic.
5) Rear axle refresh:
Remove, shot blast and powdercoat the subframe carrier, rear trailing arms, rear ARB and spring perches.
Fit new wheel bearings
New oem rear disc shields,
New powerflex subframe and rear trailing arm bushes,
New lemfjorder rose bushes near the hubs, New ARB bushes,
New handbrake shoes.
Repaint driveshafts.
6) Fit new OEM sachs dampers all round and oem springs.
7) Sourced and fitted OEM roof rail delete kit, Would you believe these cost around £550 from bmw for the 2 strips.
8) General servicing to the engine. New plugs, oil, filters etc etc.
With all that done it was time for the bodywork. Finding someone to actually do this part was nervewracking as there is a lot involved. Thankfully the youtuber Calvin was also building an M3 touring and was using a man by the name of Tony. After I saw his work on Calvin's car u knew I could trust him with the conversion. So off the car went for the following:
1) Custom front wings built of OEM wings- it was important to retain as much or the M3 wings as possible
2) Custom rear quarters using oem m3 rear quarters - again you have to use the genuine panels for the correct proportions
3) Custom rear doors - I wanted these to be actually bent into shape so that there wasn't a thick edge when you open the door.
4) Custom rear bumper: the dip in the touring bumper was plastic welded into the OEM m3 bumper to allow the tailgate to close.
This pretty much brings me up to date with where I am.
The car is currently sitting in the bodyshop having a full spray job and I should have it back in a couple of weeks, at which point I will pack this thread with the latest pictures.
With photobucket taking the mick I didn't host the images anywhere. I did however create an Instagram account and uploaded most of the above work in a few succinct multiple picture type updates.
Please feel free to check it out on Instagram account @touringm3e46
That's all for now.
A few random pics to keep it interesting
The short version of it is that work was pretty intense, I also had 2 kids in that time and after the arrival of the first one it became very apparent that the project was going to remain parked up for a bit. It actually got to the point where I had given up on it as it sat there with its gearbox removed. I sold off the coilovers, the exhaust, the csl wheels and a few other bits. I even had a sale agreed on the engine but when I come down to it just knew I would regret it if I didn't see it through to completion. So I put a cover over it and forgot about it for a while.
With things settling down a bit I gave the car some attention again. So since the last update here is what's been going on in the background:
1) Performed and SMG to manual conversion. Installing the following:
New clutch kit
New flywheel
New oem gear linkages
Manual clutch pedal
Gearbox oil refresh and clean up
New clutch lines etc
2) Rebuild stock braking system: Shotblasted and powdercoated,
new pistons and seals,
braided hose lines,
new brake pads (discs had no lips)
3) Differential service:
New Input shafted bearing seal
Genuine bmw fluids
New casing seal
New oem bushings with updated diff bolts.
4) Underside refresh:
Remove the rear axle.
Clean underside and apply epoxy mastic.
5) Rear axle refresh:
Remove, shot blast and powdercoat the subframe carrier, rear trailing arms, rear ARB and spring perches.
Fit new wheel bearings
New oem rear disc shields,
New powerflex subframe and rear trailing arm bushes,
New lemfjorder rose bushes near the hubs, New ARB bushes,
New handbrake shoes.
Repaint driveshafts.
6) Fit new OEM sachs dampers all round and oem springs.
7) Sourced and fitted OEM roof rail delete kit, Would you believe these cost around £550 from bmw for the 2 strips.
8) General servicing to the engine. New plugs, oil, filters etc etc.
With all that done it was time for the bodywork. Finding someone to actually do this part was nervewracking as there is a lot involved. Thankfully the youtuber Calvin was also building an M3 touring and was using a man by the name of Tony. After I saw his work on Calvin's car u knew I could trust him with the conversion. So off the car went for the following:
1) Custom front wings built of OEM wings- it was important to retain as much or the M3 wings as possible
2) Custom rear quarters using oem m3 rear quarters - again you have to use the genuine panels for the correct proportions
3) Custom rear doors - I wanted these to be actually bent into shape so that there wasn't a thick edge when you open the door.
4) Custom rear bumper: the dip in the touring bumper was plastic welded into the OEM m3 bumper to allow the tailgate to close.
This pretty much brings me up to date with where I am.
The car is currently sitting in the bodyshop having a full spray job and I should have it back in a couple of weeks, at which point I will pack this thread with the latest pictures.
With photobucket taking the mick I didn't host the images anywhere. I did however create an Instagram account and uploaded most of the above work in a few succinct multiple picture type updates.
Please feel free to check it out on Instagram account @touringm3e46
That's all for now.
A few random pics to keep it interesting
Brilliant!
I am really amazed at the dedication and skills of some of the people on here.
I can use a spanner and I'm quite happy doing a few small bits of electrical work but looking at this and the M5 Touring on here is something else.
Please keep this thread updated, I can't wait to see the finished car.
I am really amazed at the dedication and skills of some of the people on here.
I can use a spanner and I'm quite happy doing a few small bits of electrical work but looking at this and the M5 Touring on here is something else.
Please keep this thread updated, I can't wait to see the finished car.
DanG355 said:
Great progress.
Really hope it is staying on the 18's as well as to me they look far more purposeful and less "bling" that the 19's on most E46 M3's.
It will be staying on the 18's for now. I'm toying with the idea of a square setup to negate some of the understeer that these cars have but that's still undecided. Really hope it is staying on the 18's as well as to me they look far more purposeful and less "bling" that the 19's on most E46 M3's.
I am potentially looking to run a 380mm big brake kit which may force me to switch to 19's. But it will be another set of CSL wheels If I go that route.
Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff