E91 M3 Build

[E91M3]

Hello,

Thought that I would post some pictures of my E91 M3 Project that has been going on for a while.

My plan is to build a factory spec M3 touring using OEM parts throughout. I want the car to end up as if BMW themselves had built it as a rival to the RS4 Avant

The 1st phase of the project has focused on the modification to the bodywork. Both E90 M3 rear quarter panels and inner arches have been fitted together with a custom rear bumper created by splicing an E90 M3 version with the original touring part.

The car is currently with Townley Panel & Paint undergoing a front end conversion with E90 M3 wings and bonnet to match the rear of the car which was completed by Townley's earlier this year.

I will update further as the build progresses.

Edited by E91M3 on Monday 21st January 19:21

Edited by E91M3 on Sunday 3rd November 17:39

Edited by E91M3 on Tuesday 24th December 17:31

[E91M3]

More recent photo with the E92 M3 front end installed. Slight panel gap issue with standard bonnet and wings!!!

Car is currently fitted with standard E92 M3 260M wheels.

Edited by E91M3 on Monday 17th December 22:52

Edited by E91M3 on Monday 17th December 22:57

[E91M3]

I've come across the Silverstone Blue conversion before on other forums. It's finished to a very high standard.

Also some of the Manhart Racing builds are also exceptional - particularly the black M3T V10 which was one of the first E91 M3 styled cars a few years back.

Mine will look similar to this car when completed.

Edited by E91M3 on Tuesday 18th December 21:41

Edited by E91M3 on Monday 21st January 14:47

[E91M3]

Superhoop said:

I love the idea of this, especially seeing how good they can work out...

http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4924...

ETA - having seen the quality of Townley's paintwork, it's definitely one part of the conversion you don't need to worry about

Edited by Superhoop on Monday 17th December 23:04

Absolutely Townley's work is amazing, the rear bumper looks like a factory part and I'm sure the bodywork will be stunning when finished. I need to make sure the mechanicals are completed to the same standard!

Edited by E91M3 on Monday 17th December 23:33

[E91M3]

Gooly said:

Is that a 320d SE base car? Impressive transformation haha

No the base car is a 325i SE touring. The tailpipes were cut off and welded downwards to clear the rear bumper like on a VW Golf

Edited by E91M3 on Monday 21st January 14:51

[E91M3]

martin mrt said:

Pre LCI Darklines make a HUGE difference, i have had them on 2 of my 3 E91s

I agree re the pre LCI lights they are not the greatest design that BMW ever came up with. The Darklines are a big improvement and I was considering going with them, however I will be fitting the LCI tailgate and lights.

[E91M3]

ecain63 said:

E61 M5 Touring. Only made 222 for the UK market:

Mine (any excuse for a pic):

Nice car!

[E91M3]

matc said:

Looking forward to seeing how you get on.

I agree with the above poster though, in hoping you're not planning on taking apart a perfect coupe.

Don't worry I won't be taking my coupe apart for this. I'll probably use an accident damaged car for the parts I need.

[E91M3]

[quote=rossi1]Some seriously high standards of builds out there.
The work that went into the E36 M3 Touring was unreal.
The e46 lives deep underground in the "M" Garage



[/quote


There is another E91 M3 knocking around somewhere as I came across this photo a while ago...



Other than the BBS wheels (which I like) I would have fitted either 260M wheels or Competition/GTS factory alloys.

Edited by E91M3 on Thursday 20th December 09:40

Edited by E91M3 on Monday 21st January 14:44

Edited by E91M3 on Monday 21st January 14:55

[E91M3]

sagarich said:

Any update on this project?

Nothing much at the moment I'm afraid.

Hopefully things will kick off next week although work will initially focus on the removal of a number of E91 brackets (headlamps and front wing mounts) and replacement with their E90 M3 equivalent so that the M3 front wings can be fitted.

I'll post further photo's once work starts.

However I did manage to obtain some further parts during xmas period...

Edited by E91M3 on Wednesday 2nd January 23:36

Edited by E91M3 on Monday 21st January 14:54

[E91M3]

No real updates at the moment, but hopefully very soon.

However I thought that I would share some more photo's of the rear of the car showing what was completed last year.

At the time I was going to retain the original Monaco Blue colour scheme for the car. However when completed the colour was always something that niggled me. In certain conditions the Monaco looks great but in others it's quite a dull hue and in my eyes not really the right colour for my 'M' build.

Edited by E91M3 on Monday 21st January 20:20

Edited by E91M3 on Monday 21st January 21:02

[E91M3]

Car is going to be Jerez Black and will look similar to this E90 in terms of wheels etc...

[E91M3]

rik1 said:

Fantastic project, been looking into this myself the last couple of days. Apart from the rear quarter panels, will the rest of the m3 parts just bolt up? E.g running gear exhaust etc?

Watching with interest

Cheers, Rick

In terms of running gear the answer is yes (other than the rear exhaust mounts - we had to weld M3 specific brackets for the rear hangers on the M3 back box) everything bolts on.

Some of the front end parts can be swapped over fairly easily. The bonnet and front panel fit as expected. However we are having to swap/remove quite a few individual brackets just to get the headlamps to bolt up correctly to the body. Also the front E90 M3 wings have a different fitment at the bottom of the wing section and below the A-Pillar.

You've then got other bit's like the EDC brackets and a mount for the brake booster that's hidden behind the nearside front wing as well as other M3 specific bits such as the water bottle for the headlamp system that's different and the other detail differences such as the plastic pan in the boot, fuel tank etc..

As my touring also has a triangular re-inforcement around the rear axle (similar to an E93 convertible) we will swap this with the E93 M3 equivalent so that
we retain some rigidity. We will have to do this as the current arrangement will foul the fins on the bottom of the M3 diff.

Hope this helps!

[E91M3]

mpm1987 said:

Love this build thread.
However Jerez black? I think it would look stunning in silverstone

Like this....



But I still prefer darker colours like this...

Edited by E91M3 on Saturday 26th January 20:32

[E91M3]

Small update for you

E90 M3 Side Skirts arrived at Townley today - Final part of the M3 bodykit to be fitted.

Edited by E91M3 on Tuesday 24th December 17:35

[E91M3]

Have been continuing to collect parts for the build...



As my E92 M3 is a manual I've decided to go down the DCT route for transmission choice so that I have some variety.

I've never driven the DCT version of the M3 so can only go by the various reviews that have taken place over the years which have been positive.

Hopefully I won't regret it.

[E91M3]

RacerMike said:

As a word of warning, you'll probably need the ABS ECU off a DCT equipped M3 or a reflash of the existing one. It only needs to be the ECU which is held on by 4xM4 bolts, but without it, you'll probably find you get a 'DSC unavailable etc.' on the dash and no traction or DSC function.

There will be two separate calibrations for the DCT and manual 'boxes respectively with, at the very least, the different gear ratios in. With the calibration for a manual car in, you'll find that it will flag a plausability fault after driving a short distance as the wheel speed won't match what it's expecting from the powertrain.

If you've got a friendly dealer, they may be able to squirt the correct variant code software in to your existing ECU. Once that's done, it *should* retain all normal DSC function and, as is often the case with touring/estate cars, there won't be enough of a difference in dynamics for the calibration to require any different parameters over the saloon.

Thanks for the advice. My plan is to use a ABS/DSC unit from a DCT car so that everything is compatible and fingers crossed everything should in theory work as both the front and rear M3 axles will be swapped over with corresponding wheel sensors etc..

I will be using the complete body harness from an M3 DCT and will splice in the rear doors and tailgate function after I get things up and running first.

Hopefully this will keep the coding impact to a minimum although I don't think its going to be that simple.

Edited by E91M3 on Wednesday 13th February 19:34

[E91M3]

martin mrt said:

You could use a loom from a DCT saloon, therefore only requiring the tailgate functions such as rear wash wipe/ window hatch to be enabled/spliced in? I'd think that would be easier than faffing with a coupe loom

I completely agree with you, however it's been hard enough trying to find E90 M3 parts let alone a complete loom!

I've been studying the wiring diagrams for a while and the saloon and coupe are not a million miles apart. The obvious differences are the rear doors and the fact that the coupe has functions such as the seat belt assist which will need stripping away. The actual modules in the car (JBE and FRM etc..) are the same and the use of the BUS system reduces the amount of wiring involved.

[E91M3]

Some teaser photos for you....







More to follow soon

Edited by E91M3 on Wednesday 13th February 21:46

[E91M3]

Edited by E91M3 on Monday 25th February 18:27