325TI - Project Mpact
Discussion
Hello all,
It's time i put a build thread up for my 325TI Sport, I bought this back in 2009 with 48,000 miles on it.
9 years later and the speedo reading 141,000 miles from being taken all over Europe, endless Nurburgring trips and as a daily driver. It's time for a bit of tlc and a bit more power.
I took it off the road in January 2017, where it sat uncovered in the driveway for a year while i was setting up my own Business as a Self-Employed Fabrication Engineer. Although i kept it washed and polished regularly the weather took it's toll and water and corrosion crept anywhere it could, lesson learnt.
In February 2017 i Bought the Donor car for the project. A 2001 E46 M3 SMG with 80,000 on the clock, full service history, endless receipts and an horrendous respray in Nardo grey. The M3 was fully road legal which i used for 6 months to make sure all was good with it until the m.o.t ran out, i do not like the SMG!.
Anyway, here is the 325TI in its Individual Estoril Blue.
It's time i put a build thread up for my 325TI Sport, I bought this back in 2009 with 48,000 miles on it.
9 years later and the speedo reading 141,000 miles from being taken all over Europe, endless Nurburgring trips and as a daily driver. It's time for a bit of tlc and a bit more power.
I took it off the road in January 2017, where it sat uncovered in the driveway for a year while i was setting up my own Business as a Self-Employed Fabrication Engineer. Although i kept it washed and polished regularly the weather took it's toll and water and corrosion crept anywhere it could, lesson learnt.
In February 2017 i Bought the Donor car for the project. A 2001 E46 M3 SMG with 80,000 on the clock, full service history, endless receipts and an horrendous respray in Nardo grey. The M3 was fully road legal which i used for 6 months to make sure all was good with it until the m.o.t ran out, i do not like the SMG!.
Anyway, here is the 325TI in its Individual Estoril Blue.
Edited by amc_adam on Friday 20th December 16:01
So in November 2017 i finally had room to get the M3 into my workshop, but being self-employed finding time to get started on it wouldn't be until the Christmas break.
In the past I've only really had engines out of classic Mini's and a MK1 Caddy, With the amount of wires, sensors and pipes on these cars it was a very time consuming job to dismantle the car taking care not to damage anything.
The M3 was left on it's wheels so i could move it around easily, and so i could move it out the way for customers cars to come in.
In the past I've only really had engines out of classic Mini's and a MK1 Caddy, With the amount of wires, sensors and pipes on these cars it was a very time consuming job to dismantle the car taking care not to damage anything.
The M3 was left on it's wheels so i could move it around easily, and so i could move it out the way for customers cars to come in.
Edited by amc_adam on Friday 20th December 16:05
pidsy said:
Agree with BF - should be good.
It’s been done a few times to wildly differing levels of finish.
I had a red m-sport 325ti which I chopped in for my e46 M3. They are great little cars.
Yes i have seen a few 'chucked' together builds, only one way to do it in my opinion.....as it would have left the factory!It’s been done a few times to wildly differing levels of finish.
I had a red m-sport 325ti which I chopped in for my e46 M3. They are great little cars.
There's not many Red 325ti's about, that colour really suits them. Is your M3 manual or SMG?
eezeh said:
Really looking forwards to this, a compact with an S54 must be an absolute riot.
Any plans for an LSD? The lower gear ratios of the compact differential and the S54 must make it seriously quick off the line!
yes, it's having the full running gear and what not, LSD from the M3. Basically anything thats under the m3 will be going in the compact! well, that's if everything fits Any plans for an LSD? The lower gear ratios of the compact differential and the S54 must make it seriously quick off the line!
With the engine out the M3, it was time to push it out the way and make room on the ramp for the compact.
After a year of the compact being sat in the driveway it had had started to get a bit tatty, both front arches had bubbled and more noticeably the front off the car was a lot lower.........
The Koni suspension i had fitted in 2010 had corroded to the point where the springs had snapped in two places, on both sides?!. It was sitting on it's bump stops.
After a year of the compact being sat in the driveway it had had started to get a bit tatty, both front arches had bubbled and more noticeably the front off the car was a lot lower.........
The Koni suspension i had fitted in 2010 had corroded to the point where the springs had snapped in two places, on both sides?!. It was sitting on it's bump stops.
Edited by amc_adam on Friday 20th December 16:07
After a lot of faffing the compact was in the workshop, this felt like a huge step after a year of waiting!
The strip down had begun, this was a slow going job.....trying to be extra careful not to damage anything and find where all the hidden clips a screws where. You can't knock the German build quality!
With the front end dismantled i thought it was best to lift the car onto axle stands and get all four wheels in the air, as the car was going to be on axle stands for the foreseeable future i wanted it to be secure and have no chance of slipping off them.
So i knocked these up, they sit over the top of the axle stands and then fit up inside the standard jacking points.
The strip down had begun, this was a slow going job.....trying to be extra careful not to damage anything and find where all the hidden clips a screws where. You can't knock the German build quality!
With the front end dismantled i thought it was best to lift the car onto axle stands and get all four wheels in the air, as the car was going to be on axle stands for the foreseeable future i wanted it to be secure and have no chance of slipping off them.
So i knocked these up, they sit over the top of the axle stands and then fit up inside the standard jacking points.
Edited by amc_adam on Friday 20th December 16:23
It was time to completely strip the engine and running gear out the Compact, after dismantling the M3 this seemed quite easy and not a single bolt or screw snapped.... Although taking my pride and joy to bits was the difficult part.
When it came to dropping the rear subframe etc i was in for a bit of a shock. Previously up until 100,000 miles it had a full BMW service history, after that i serviced it myself. For it's last M.O.T i took it to a local 'BMW specialist', it failed on rear brake lines. As it was a 'Specialist' i was happy for them to do the work, i didn't think anything of it and carried on using it for a year until the M.O.T ran out. After that it was sat on the driveway for another year.
When i began to strip down of the rear end all the under trays where missing! There was mud a dirt build up on everything, it was a struggle to see what needed to be taken off first. With the subframe dropped revealing the state of the brake lines (above picture) that were just layed on top of the subframe.
Not only that but for what ever reason they didn't use the rear left jacking point, they used the floor !!!....... pushing it up and splitting the seams allowing corrosion to get inside!.
When it came to dropping the rear subframe etc i was in for a bit of a shock. Previously up until 100,000 miles it had a full BMW service history, after that i serviced it myself. For it's last M.O.T i took it to a local 'BMW specialist', it failed on rear brake lines. As it was a 'Specialist' i was happy for them to do the work, i didn't think anything of it and carried on using it for a year until the M.O.T ran out. After that it was sat on the driveway for another year.
When i began to strip down of the rear end all the under trays where missing! There was mud a dirt build up on everything, it was a struggle to see what needed to be taken off first. With the subframe dropped revealing the state of the brake lines (above picture) that were just layed on top of the subframe.
Not only that but for what ever reason they didn't use the rear left jacking point, they used the floor !!!....... pushing it up and splitting the seams allowing corrosion to get inside!.
Edited by amc_adam on Friday 20th December 16:28
5harp3y said:
Bookmarked, looks like a fun project!
lovely looking welds too! fancy making a Z3 2.8 exhaust???
I can, when the compact is back on it's wheels and clear of the ramp. I'm trying to find a supplier of quality silencers at the moment, I've used magnaflow ones in the past but the welds on them aren't the prettiest. lovely looking welds too! fancy making a Z3 2.8 exhaust???
F1GTRUeno said:
Bookmarked also.
I love M3 transplants into the compacts. BMW made one E36 M3 Compact and it looked fantastic, haven't seen any E46 ones but it'll look fantastic with the M3 front end on it and probably be a ton of fun.
Just please don't put CSL reps on it or dark headlights, both are overdone and s
t.
Too late, back in 2010 with the purchase of VMR VB3's I love M3 transplants into the compacts. BMW made one E36 M3 Compact and it looked fantastic, haven't seen any E46 ones but it'll look fantastic with the M3 front end on it and probably be a ton of fun.
Just please don't put CSL reps on it or dark headlights, both are overdone and s
t.
J4CKO said:
Love the idea, but it seems a bit mad (unless I have missed something) hacking up an E46 M3 that is worth a few quid, dodgy respray or not to use the running gear in a Compact which isnt worth much ?
I was waiting for someone to say this! I can see what you're saying, and to be honest you are not the only one who has that opinion.I had been looking into the conversion for a few years, the price of the S54 engines alone are £2000-3000+, plus looms, gearbox, prop, subframe, diff, clocks etc. I then went on to Copart Auctions and bidding on written off cars, these were selling in excess of £7000 for a heavy side impact car with around 80,000 miles on them (most of the cars were then collected and taken to poland).
Which got me thinking, If i could find an undamaged road legal car and use it for 6 months to make sure everything worked i could then take off what i needed, break the car for parts and sell the body shell.
Then the perfect opportunity came up on Ebay for the Grey M3, it was on a long auction and i nearly forgot about it. Last minute i put a bid in and the M3 was mine for less than the price of a written off M3 on Copart Auctions.
Yes, i could of kept the M3 on the road and spent £5000-6000+ on making a nice example of it, but after all that it would be exactly the same as every other M3 on the road. The M3 would be worth more money to someone else if it was a nice example, but i'm not willing to spend an extra £5000-6000 on top of the price i payed for the car to make it worth more to someone else.
I'm the second owner of the 325TI. If i can buy a cheap M3, break it to make money back and build a Compact to a high standard with M3 performance for half the cost of a tidy M3 and it be the only BMW Compact like it, i'd choose to do that.
Next on the 'things to do list' was to fully cover the car and protect it for the up coming work. With grinding, wire wheels and anything abrasive the dust and metal filings get everywhere and there a nightmare to get out. With the 'Prevention is better than cure' attitude i spent the next 3 hours covering the car and taping up every loose edge.
On to cleaning and de-greasing the underside of the car, removing 13 years of muck and grime was a messy job....best part of two days work using water based de-greasers as there nicer to work with.
And........this is what happens when the under trays are not reinstalled after the brake lines were fitted by a 'Specialist' two years previous.
Corrosion, everywhere. At this point i stopped and thought, 'should i really carry on with this'.
And........this is what happens when the under trays are not reinstalled after the brake lines were fitted by a 'Specialist' two years previous.
Corrosion, everywhere. At this point i stopped and thought, 'should i really carry on with this'.
After a few days of thinking i decided to get stuck in. With the rest of the workshop covered in dust sheets and a curtain pulled across i made a mess.... lots of mess.
Each mount that was corroded i carefully drilled all the factory spot welds and removed, this included the front and rear Fuel Tank mounts on both sides, Brake Line mounts and one of the brackets that the Fuel Tank sits up against . Carefully, with a grinder and wire wheel attachment any loose paint and rust was removed front the underside of the car.
When all the dust and crap had settled i went back, had a clean and tidy and then inspected it. All in all it wasn't that bad, there was some slight pitting but nothing to the extent where it had to be cut out and and new panels welding in (which is what i expected).
All the mounts went into the Blast Cabinet and were thoroughly cleaned up. Using POR15, the three Part process of De-grease, Metal Prep and then Rust Proventive paint was applied. Each part that would be puddle welded back on was sprayed in a weld through primer.
The front Fuel Tank mounts were too far gone, easiest way was to make some new ones.
Each mount that was corroded i carefully drilled all the factory spot welds and removed, this included the front and rear Fuel Tank mounts on both sides, Brake Line mounts and one of the brackets that the Fuel Tank sits up against . Carefully, with a grinder and wire wheel attachment any loose paint and rust was removed front the underside of the car.
When all the dust and crap had settled i went back, had a clean and tidy and then inspected it. All in all it wasn't that bad, there was some slight pitting but nothing to the extent where it had to be cut out and and new panels welding in (which is what i expected).
All the mounts went into the Blast Cabinet and were thoroughly cleaned up. Using POR15, the three Part process of De-grease, Metal Prep and then Rust Proventive paint was applied. Each part that would be puddle welded back on was sprayed in a weld through primer.
The front Fuel Tank mounts were too far gone, easiest way was to make some new ones.
Future Proofing.
With E46's (mainly M3's) the boot floor is a well known weak spot. Where the Subframe bolts locate into the boot floor/carrier panel this can flex over time causing stress fractures. If it is left and ignored over time the spot welds can fail separating panels, this will gradually get worse and spread across the boot floor panel and can then separate the boot floor from the chassis legs and wheel arch tubs. This can result in either the entire boot floor becoming detached or the stress fractures around where the Subframe mounts ripping out the floor.
A well known way of slowing this down is to Stop Drill a Fracture at each end, grind out the crack and Re-weld. Any spot welds that have failed can be carefully drilled out and Re-welded. After that, 'Reinforcement plates' can be welded on. THESE WILL NOT STOP IT HAPPENING AGAIN on there own, these plates simply spread the load over a larger area. BMW structural foam can then be pumped into the internal cavities .
With the 325TI i could not find a single crack anywhere, although there was a couple of spot welds that looked a bit iffy which were drilled and re-welded.
I Decided to make my own 'Reinforcement Plates', these were out of 2mm mild steel. I formed them over a Anvil and various formers rather than hammering them into the car to get the shape.
Each hole in the plate locates on top of an existing spot weld on the car, this allows not only the plate to be puddle welded onto one layer/skin of the floor but also picks up on the internal layer/mount too.
With E46's (mainly M3's) the boot floor is a well known weak spot. Where the Subframe bolts locate into the boot floor/carrier panel this can flex over time causing stress fractures. If it is left and ignored over time the spot welds can fail separating panels, this will gradually get worse and spread across the boot floor panel and can then separate the boot floor from the chassis legs and wheel arch tubs. This can result in either the entire boot floor becoming detached or the stress fractures around where the Subframe mounts ripping out the floor.
A well known way of slowing this down is to Stop Drill a Fracture at each end, grind out the crack and Re-weld. Any spot welds that have failed can be carefully drilled out and Re-welded. After that, 'Reinforcement plates' can be welded on. THESE WILL NOT STOP IT HAPPENING AGAIN on there own, these plates simply spread the load over a larger area. BMW structural foam can then be pumped into the internal cavities .
With the 325TI i could not find a single crack anywhere, although there was a couple of spot welds that looked a bit iffy which were drilled and re-welded.
I Decided to make my own 'Reinforcement Plates', these were out of 2mm mild steel. I formed them over a Anvil and various formers rather than hammering them into the car to get the shape.
Each hole in the plate locates on top of an existing spot weld on the car, this allows not only the plate to be puddle welded onto one layer/skin of the floor but also picks up on the internal layer/mount too.
Each 'Reinforcement Plate' was then fully TIG welded, this takes a lot longer than MIG welding but you don't get covered in horrible weld splatter, the fitment of the plates needs to be as tight as possible with no gaps. A very neat and small weld can be achieved, and if all goes well no grinding will be needed either (no sparks and mess).
Edited by amc_adam on Friday 20th December 16:32
Nanook said:
Beautiful work.
Wish our guys could weld like that. Then, we're asking them to TIG 5mm Aluminium, overhead.
Very cool project, looking forward to seeing how it goes.
Thank you, yes i can imagine welding 5mm aluminium upside down is difficult, especially when you can't lean on it to support yourself due to the heat displacement across the material.Wish our guys could weld like that. Then, we're asking them to TIG 5mm Aluminium, overhead.
Very cool project, looking forward to seeing how it goes.
Nunga said:
Excellent fabrication and welding skills. Following with keen interest, and also now filled with some trepidation about what lies under the plastic under panels of my M3...
Thank you, i know how you feel! I've looked over a few M3's now. It's quite hard to see the extent of what damage has been caused until the under side has been cleaned. Usually there is a couple of little fractures you can spot before hand, maybe worth putting it on some ramps and having a look.
Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff