Power Out E46 M3 manual build

[zenkizero]

After having an M2 for a while and deciding to sell it, i decided i hadn't finished with M car ownership yet (before these cars I only had Japanese cars).



picture of my m2 on the ring.

I picked up this clean manual 2003 E46 M3 coupe in black with 48k miles on it. I bought this car to hopefully keep for a while and make it into a decent road/track/nurburgring project.







on first inspection seemed to be free from rust, no vanos issues etc. After getting it home i noticed that the driver side window wasn't dipping when opening or closing and could see that it wasn't sensing that the door was opening. Needed a new door lock actuator as the sensor had broken, that sorted the problem out.




First thing i ordered for the car was new oil, filter, sparks, differential oil (with the friction modifier) and magnetic drain plug.



unfortunately when changing the oil myself i snapped the bolt in the filter housing so ended up getting the car towed to Tegiwa to get it sorted out.



They checked the car over for me thoroughly while it was there and noticed i needed a new cv boot so that got replaced. After the issue with the filter housing was sorted and the engine oil/diff oil changed i decided get the subframe/bootfloor reinforcement done by Tegiwa. On inspection there was no damage at all but wanted to have this done and out the way to prevent damage in the future.









Powerflex Bushes added





great service from the guys at Tegiwa, happy with their work and happy to have the car back. Gloss black grills arrived.





I had gloss black grills on my black m2 and loved how that looked, much prefer these the the chrome versions.



official BMW motorsport 'golf ball' gear knob i ordered from Germany. I needed to buy a regular e46 shift gaiter as my m3 illuminated gear knob was one piece with the leather. Love the way this looks and feels.



Spent a couple days detailing the car.

[zenkizero]

Godspeed AP kit with Ferodo DS1.11 pads









Rear Brake discs arrived from Tegiwa + JDM juice for the German whip.



painted rear callipers and had them rebuilt. Brakes all fitted now! JWS Developments did a great job fitting them and sorting a few other issues out with the car.





New wheels arrived from Japan. TE37SL wrapped in Direzza Zii Star spec tyres.



Mot Passed, No advisories !

[zenkizero]

Bdevo3 said:

Very tasty looking example.

Thank you

[zenkizero]

SebringMan said:

A lovely example indeed!

It's nice to see one that isn't cracked upon the subframe being dropped.

What camera have you used for your shots?

Fuji X100F. Great camera but i sold it. Need to get a DSLR again

[PowerOut]

Only just checked this. So much hate, most things I will do to the car will be reversible but to be honest just wanted a super nice blank canvas to create a solid and hopefully good looking track/fast road/nurburgring car.

[PowerOut]

binka1000 said:

Can i ask why you got rid of the M2? Am looking into these as possible purchase as for next car, be interesting to hear your views? Many thanks tom

The M2 is a great car. I took mine round the ring and loved every minute of it however I think i over paid a bit for mine and didn't want to track a car of that much value. Also I didn't like how in the early days it seemed like it would be quite a limited number of cars being made and now with them probably releasing one with the engine from the M4 its a bit annoying. All that aside, its an amazing chassis and i loved the M2.

[PowerOut]

joema said:

There are plenty out there and it's not like he's doing it to a rare Ferrari 250. It's his money to lose and unless he makes it a complete track slag it'll go back to standard easily.

Any other plans bar wheels/suspension etc?

Half cage, seats, exhaust, possibly change to a shifter like CAE.

[PowerOut]

ds666 said:

+3 - why take a low mileage car and change everything .

Stock cars are boring

[PowerOut]

Gooly said:

Will look ballistic on TE37s, good choice. Ambers on the front would set it off nicely as well. What sort of jap stuff did you have before?
Curious to see how you find the E46 in comparison in terms of driving feel / response and balance

Supercharged GT86, Evo X, S14 for drift, a suzuki alto works kei car lol

[PowerOut]

Todd Bonzalez said:

Christ go and buy a barn full of E46s and never drive them if you're so arsed you freakin' dorks.

Hi Jonathan this car is cool as heck and the wheels rule!

J4CKO said:

Indeed there are thousands of them out there, and this is his one to do with as he wishes, and very nice it looks !

Thanks!

[PowerOut]

car is an incredible example. Don't see the thrill of it sitting in a garage when it can be enjoyed. Its not like its got budget mods on it. Can you imagine owning a 34GTR a car thats value has rocketed and keeping it stock. It would be so boring.

Also now all can think about is how sick a modified Z3M would be

[PowerOut]

Paracetamol said:

34 GTR and most Japanese turbos were designed from the outset to be modified. M sport cars are generally brilliantly engineered in the first place and benefit little from being modified as they are in a high state of tune.

I am not saying let it sit in the garage and not be enjoyed. I am saying that an M3 e46 manual in good original condition is in fact a rare car and one that BMW fans are looking for. So let this one be and take one of the ones that is not in such good original condition and modify that and let this one go to a good home..

anyway it seems to late now and its your car- but promise me you will never buy a grade 2 listed home and add UPVC windows to make it warmer :-)

Just kidding..enjoy it..be safe on the track.

If you're so hurt by me modifying an e46 m3 then make me a very strong offer for it before i mod it. Feel free to PM me. Id rather crash it on a track than it sit in a garage gathering dust in the hope of one day making a couple grand on it.

[PowerOut]

Tommie38 said:

OP what are your plans for suspension and interior?

I do think good suspension and a nice set of Recaros would really do wonders.

good suspension and seats should be on it February!

[PowerOut]

UPDATES



Geoff Steel Racing single exhaust fitted today, massive weight saving. amazing service from Geoff Steel.

Recaro Pole positions with Lightweight aluminium side mounts. Using VAC brackets and PS designs harness/seatbelt bracket.





PS Designs Titanium Studs + Nuts



Geoff Steel carbon wings. Te37s now on awaiting suspension to be fitted(ignore the ride height)



Friend from Japan sent me some bits including a MoonFace Superlap Tow hook. Really good quality.







Car is currently at Spires having Spires tuned Nitrons fitted and the Eibach camber arms + full setup.





New steering wheel and titanium details.

[PowerOut]

ChocolateFrog said:

Very nice. You can't beat quality components.

I bet the Rays alloys were pretty eye watering cost wise, I've seen 10 year old curbed sets sell for £1000.

thanks! yeah not cheap, these are SLs as well

Edited by PowerOut on Friday 2nd March 22:39

[PowerOut]

bassett said:

Cool build, would be interesting to see a few pics of the whole car now you've added those tasty mods.

I'll take some pics when I get the car back with coilovers on/setup. Also when this horrible weather goes away.

Edited by PowerOut on Friday 2nd March 23:48

[PowerOut]

TheAngryDog said:

Car looks good, not so keen on the exhaust mind!

I disagree with the not modifying a good example. You always try and start with a good base in the first place. Chasing issues just costs time and money, so starting with a good sound car makes sense to me.

Re the steering wheel, will you be putting the standard one back on for the MOT?

i doubt it

[PowerOut]

Tommie38 said:

Powerout

Are you using a coil over at the rear? If so, are you doing anything to strengthen the rear turrets?

It has been pointed out in the past that the rear turrets were not designed to take the force of a spring (only the damper). That said, I have never seen rears fail.

I believe the perfect answer is to do it with a full weld in cage.

Car is looking good.

Ive got BMW reinforcement plates added, should be enough

[PowerOut]

Gooly said:

Dream build gets better, are you gonna be modifying the bumper for the GSR exhaust? I think the Assist Kyoto 46 M3 ran a similar setup and had a really tidy rear bumper which made it look great

Not currently. Bimmerworld made one for single exhaust but i don't think its in production any more. Not really sure what to do about it but it doesn't bother me massively. Got more important things I need to get first. Assist is sick.

[PowerOut]

Matt from Spires Tuning just sent me some pics of the car. Cant wait to pick it up and drive it now