E46 M3 Project
Discussion
Carma said:
Awesome work I've booked marked your posts and hope you get back to the Fiesta soon as well. Do you have to run cable back to the sat nav unit or is there factory wiring in place?
Steve
Thanks. The camera kit interfaces with the OEM TV Tuner which is mounted in the N/S/R of the boot.Steve
johnfm said:
You are a little bit bonkers!
Lovely work - but where do you find the time to work and do this to a car??
Amazing dedication.
Thank you. I would go mad without a car project to work on. It also helps having a very understanding girlfriend/garage widow Lovely work - but where do you find the time to work and do this to a car??
Amazing dedication.
W4X LG said:
Like the csl bits you have added. I think you should have a badge that says //M3 mws!
richtea78 said:
Why CS?
shalmaneser said:
It's more a CS that a CSL really... no carbon roof, manual box...
Exactly as above: once complete the car will have the performance characteristics just not the light weight. I'm still umming and ahing about fitting a carbon roof, readon being that even the OEM UV protection isn't infallible, hence as a result a lot of the original OEM CSL carbon fibre has now yellowed. Carbon looks great when new, but looks crap (IMO) once the epoxy has dulled and yellowed. It's not such an issue for mine given it's rarely used, but I'm still not convinced I want to rip out the factory - already non-sunroof - roof panel.
Podie said:
Great thread, and great work. I'm a bit of a latecomer to these threads (sat and read the Fiesta one on the train last night).
Out of curiosity, where do you buy all your car wiring bits and bobs?
Cheers.Out of curiosity, where do you buy all your car wiring bits and bobs?
Components are from either http://www.polevolt.co.uk/ or http://www.vehicle-wiring-products.eu/VWP-onlinest... - I often have to split an order between both suppliers to get an exact match for all of the OEM thinwall cable colours I need at any one time.
Thanks both 
Very small touch. I noticed a build decal behind the numberplate on my old boot lid, so I swapped that across to the CSL lid.
I spend a long time getting the CSL boot lid alignment just so, and because the factory boot lid is primed attached to body, there were rings of exposed primer where I had moved the hinges to adjust the CSL boot lid. I wasn't happy with that, so once aligned and lengthened I masked off the car and blew around the edge of the boot lid and mountings, so it appeared factory built.
The CSL uses a different design of rear number plate light - it's the same type as the E92. I made up a loom to convert the M3 loom to the CSL lights.
Next was the tool kit, or rather to address the lack of provision for one on the CSL boot lid. The following photo shows my original bootlid and the various apertures required to mount the tool kit.
Contrast this to the CSL boot lid.
My Dad helped me this evening and made a cracking template that I used to Dremel out the required holes. I blew over some Titainium Silver to cover the edges, which are visible slightly when the tool kit is opened.
Completed.
Shark Fin antenna
The final part of my Bluetooth retrofit; the 'Shark Fin' contains a GSM antenna which connects to the phone cradle in the centre console. I fitted the fin with a new sealing gasket.
Very small touch. I noticed a build decal behind the numberplate on my old boot lid, so I swapped that across to the CSL lid.
I spend a long time getting the CSL boot lid alignment just so, and because the factory boot lid is primed attached to body, there were rings of exposed primer where I had moved the hinges to adjust the CSL boot lid. I wasn't happy with that, so once aligned and lengthened I masked off the car and blew around the edge of the boot lid and mountings, so it appeared factory built.
The CSL uses a different design of rear number plate light - it's the same type as the E92. I made up a loom to convert the M3 loom to the CSL lights.
Next was the tool kit, or rather to address the lack of provision for one on the CSL boot lid. The following photo shows my original bootlid and the various apertures required to mount the tool kit.
Contrast this to the CSL boot lid.
My Dad helped me this evening and made a cracking template that I used to Dremel out the required holes. I blew over some Titainium Silver to cover the edges, which are visible slightly when the tool kit is opened.
Completed.
Shark Fin antenna
The final part of my Bluetooth retrofit; the 'Shark Fin' contains a GSM antenna which connects to the phone cradle in the centre console. I fitted the fin with a new sealing gasket.
dom9 said:
Stunning attention to detail, as always!
Can't be far from being back on the road now, huh?
I'm another one not sure about the 'CS' badging... I like the M3 MWS idea!
I can start on the performance upgrades next: airbox, cams, exhaust, ECU converted to CSL hardware and software spec (MAP not MAF based fuelling), the final drive ratio raised from 3.61:1 to 3.91:1, and finally uprated brakes front and rear.Can't be far from being back on the road now, huh?
I'm another one not sure about the 'CS' badging... I like the M3 MWS idea!
The above engine mods should result in an additional 40bhp.
darreni said:
Mark, given the cash you've spent & detail, would you not have been better off buying a CSL?
For me, absolutely not. It's not about the money or the actual 'doing' in this case. As an achievement I think the CSL is simply awesome; the achievement being the metamorphosis of a mass produced saloon based car into something with great performance characteristics, but as a car, I don't get it. The M3 to me is an everyday car that should be - in relative terms - the epitome of specification in the range with a good blend of comfort and performance. The CSL has the basic spec of a 318 and none of the features or comfort of an M3. Don't get me wrong: I think it's an awesome car, it's just not totally right for me. What I want from my car is the performance enhancing features of the CSL with the specification and comfort of an M3 i.e. the ideal road car.I am in the market for a purpose built sports car at the moment, and that's a category I wouldn't ever put the M3/3 series in.
Different strokes and all that I guess...
aspirated said:
What are you considering?
F430 Spider, ideally manual but F1 is OK too. Rosso red with tan interior. Crema (very light/near white) and Nero (black) interiors are quite common, but a red exterior and tan interior are most desirable and don't frequently appear on the market.aspirated said:
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/f...
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/f...
Is one tan darker than the other or is it just me?
The first one is Crema or similar, which I don't like, though it has the optional carbon-backed sports seats which are nice. Maybe not so good for the long distance continental trips I have planned however.http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/f...
Is one tan darker than the other or is it just me?
Edited by aspirated on Friday 11th April 14:32
The last one is beautiful, 12k miles! I'm looking around the 20-25k mile mark and between £65k - £70k
Max M4X WW said:
Not doing the Europe trips in a Mk3.5 Fiesta now then? 
Ferarri will have to do!
Will you put an F430 thread on FT.com? I wonder if it will go down as well as the Fiesta thread on here?
The Fiesta is definitely going too once finished and I'm really looking forward to that. I want to visit the ring this year in the M3, and next year is probably realistic for the Fiesta. Ferarri will have to do!Will you put an F430 thread on FT.com? I wonder if it will go down as well as the Fiesta thread on here?
Holidays in 2014 are hopefully all driving based
I shall stick to the Fiesta on FT
leglessAlex said:
You seem to be quite keen on modifying all your cars to your tastes, would that be true for the Ferrari too?
I would love to think it would, but I gather Ferraris in particular crash in value with high miles and modifications.
Yes, you are quite right: the value is incredibly mileage sensitive and sound provenance is also essential to minimise depreciation. I made the decision before starting to look that the car will be used and enjoyed rather than limited sub-1000 miles per year; I'm also just too 'in' to cars/driving to leave it and forget about for most of the year.I would love to think it would, but I gather Ferraris in particular crash in value with high miles and modifications.
I will work on the car myself and already have some modifications planned, for example:
A fellow enthusiast in the states makes upgraded subwoofer boxes and has them trimmed in leather from the Ferrari tannery. The standard sound system - even the 'upgraded one - in the Spider is reputably awful. I can believe it.
The F430 also suffers from degradation of the exhaust manifolds and pre-cats, and because the manifolds sweep upwards any debris can enter the engine via the exhaust valves, and potentially wreck it (it has happened!). I shall fit a set of Fabspeed manifolds and have the car remapped which, believe it or not, takes the car from 480ish to 520ish BHP.
There may be more changes using mainly Scuderia parts, but I really don't expect to do a lot.
The 'Shadow Line' trim around the windows of the M3 is matt black as standard whereas the CSL and all M Sport variants of the standard 3 series have gloss black, which does look a lot better.
The trim on each side comprises three services: the single large section above the windows, one at the base of the each rear window, and one at the base of the front door windows. The lower sections are affixed with tape but the upper sections have no less than 15 screws each - completely over engineered!
Here's the top section mounted.
I only have the N/S/F lower trim from BMW at present and the following photo shows the comparison between matt and gloss trims.
I should have the remaining trim in a week or so.
The trim on each side comprises three services: the single large section above the windows, one at the base of the each rear window, and one at the base of the front door windows. The lower sections are affixed with tape but the upper sections have no less than 15 screws each - completely over engineered!
Here's the top section mounted.
I only have the N/S/F lower trim from BMW at present and the following photo shows the comparison between matt and gloss trims.
I should have the remaining trim in a week or so.
martin mrt said:
Did you buy the Shadowline trim from the dealers?
I priced it up for mine, as my last M3 had it, I near collapsed in a heap at the price of the large part of trim.
I believe the rear windows need to come out to replace those parts
I did, Martin. I considered used parts but in the end decided I didn't want to take the risk with any scratches or marks. I get all my bits from Toby at www.bminiparts.com - the prices are usually ~30% off of retail.I priced it up for mine, as my last M3 had it, I near collapsed in a heap at the price of the large part of trim.
I believe the rear windows need to come out to replace those parts
I left the rear windows in as I didn't want to risk marking anything. There's one screw in the rear section on each side that is close to the window, but it's still accessible enough.
I'll have the exhaust for you in the coming months
Well, what a beautiful day. I gave the M3 a polish and took it out for a run, and stopped to take a few snaps on the way:
The car continues to impress. My only criticism at the moment (aside from a lack of power) is that it can feel ever so slightly ordinary at legal speeds, but I appreciate this is usually a trade off for high grip levels. I have hope that new tyres and slight front end geometry changes will address the low speed responsiveness, but, that said, the car remains deeply impressive: triple figures, a switchback bend, and beautiful progressive oversteer. What a car for the money!
Funnily enough there was an F430 parked up at the pub so I took the change to have a bit of a nose. Lovely car, but I the E46 M3 holds its own as a design - it really has some great lines.
The car continues to impress. My only criticism at the moment (aside from a lack of power) is that it can feel ever so slightly ordinary at legal speeds, but I appreciate this is usually a trade off for high grip levels. I have hope that new tyres and slight front end geometry changes will address the low speed responsiveness, but, that said, the car remains deeply impressive: triple figures, a switchback bend, and beautiful progressive oversteer. What a car for the money!
Funnily enough there was an F430 parked up at the pub so I took the change to have a bit of a nose. Lovely car, but I the E46 M3 holds its own as a design - it really has some great lines.
The splitters on my CSl bumper had suffered the usual fate i.e. crazing from small impacts and fading & yellowing of the Epoxy clear coat.
The was the worst of the splitters. It's hard to see from this photo but the Epozy had crazed and was flaking off following an impact.
Before ordering a new set from BMW I thought I'd see what could be done with my set. My Dad kindly helped here and sanded them with coarse 80 grit, paper, followed by 120, then 1500 etc. The 80 grit was used to remove most of the existing Epoxy and expose the Carbon in damage areas.
I then lacquered the splitters using standard car paint.
I will use a compond to achieve the final finish, but they are already transformed.
The was the worst of the splitters. It's hard to see from this photo but the Epozy had crazed and was flaking off following an impact.
Before ordering a new set from BMW I thought I'd see what could be done with my set. My Dad kindly helped here and sanded them with coarse 80 grit, paper, followed by 120, then 1500 etc. The 80 grit was used to remove most of the existing Epoxy and expose the Carbon in damage areas.
I then lacquered the splitters using standard car paint.
I will use a compond to achieve the final finish, but they are already transformed.
darreni said:
I've refurbed a couple of sets of splitters & I will say don't go too fine on the sanding grades as the lacquer will look fine & then peel in sheets within months.
800 would be the finest I'd use now, but have had great results using 400 grit.
Thanks Darren, seems like I may be doing them again in a few months then 800 would be the finest I'd use now, but have had great results using 400 grit.
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