Rekpoint

Here’s a quick startup clip of before/after the muffler. Both clips have the fabspeed headers installed, which honestly didn’t make a big difference in tone or volume in my opinion. Definitely feels loud, but didn’t test out revving yet since it’s in the garage. Will have to get some take off clips in the spring once the X pipe is added!
before: 
after: 
 
 

Scooped up a top speed muffler for the M3 for a great deal. I know it’s not in the upper echelon of mufflers, but it’s all part of a combo I want to try out. Installation was super easy, just have to pop off the diffuser to access all the hangers. Stock muffler is a UNIT! Has to weigh close to 60lbs. Top speed one is about 20lbs, so should be about 40lbs off the rear end. Pretty happy with how it lined up too, tips stick out an additional 2” or so, protrude the same on both sides and sit at the same height.

Hope everyone is having a good Christmas with the fam! Unfortunately due to covid I don't have any extended family left to spend time with.. Take that how you will..
I decided to drive down the street and work on the M3 for a bit today. Starting from the beginning.
When I put the car into storage, I pulled the steering wheel, shiftknob/boot and rear view mirror
I stripped and resprayed the steering wheel trim, Looking back I should have just left it as it was a bunch of work. But I am happy with the results. 
Steering wheel arrived on the 23rd from Tanik Wheel in Germany, I ended up going with a nappa leather re-wrap, tri color M stitch, no center stripe and I made sure he removed the old leather. (This is the only reason I didn't go with Coby wheel, He overlays alacantara/leather overtop of your existing leather) I also heard of quality of material concerns from Coby aswell. Tanik was nearly double the price with no core. But based on forum reviews it is as good as I am going to get before its just worth buying a new OEM Dakota M3 steering wheel.

Back in October I scored an F80 M3 shift knob off eBay for $60 shipped with 3k miles. It was very poorly labeled and was very excited to remove the ZHP knob for an illuminated version because I am butthurt. Well turns out the seller was an idiot.. He sent the knob in a bubble mailer with no bubble wrap in "Media Mail" For those of you who aren't familiar media mail is strictly for sending media like newspapers CDs etc. I pulled the knob out of the package and it caught a metal edge somewhere and there was a huge chunk of leather missing from the knob.. Disappointing as I wont be able to get another one for that price again.
My buddy Nick from Vermont @f80ghost on Instagram, heard what happened and bartered with me a knob for a fire extinguisher. Not as good of a deal as the original but I will take it.
I switched out the old Vinyl m color shift boot that was in the car since Jordan picked the car up in 2018 for a Race German OE style black boot. I am very impressed with the quality on this. Feels much better and looks much better then the old one.


The F80 shift knob retrofit is a bit more involved then the F10 M5 knob because you cant just switch boot frames and reuse the shift boot. As the F80 boot is smaller and not symmetrical like the F10 boot.
I needed to remove the F80 boot from the knob and chip off the 2 additional clips that were not needed. Instead of de-pinning the connector to slide though a hole I made in the shift boot, I decided to cut the wires and just re-solder the 2 wires.

I was able to do all this without cutting the wires, Not so successful for myself unfortunately. The last cut I made into the boot I got myself good with a fresh X-Acto knife. Would not stop bleeding. But you can see with picture proof. Start without a band-aid end with one. All n all very happy with how this turned out. Just need to add a zip tie to keep the boot from falling down. Ill do that probably tomorrow as I have one more project to finish up.

Last project I need to finish up is the rear view mirror. Talking to @pynaclhe convinced me to switch to an Oval mirror over keeping the SOS mirror. I was fortunate enough to have purchased an oval mirror a few years ago to retrofit into an E36 m3. It was cheaper to buy replacement glass for the oval mirror ($60) then buy a replacement SOS mirror or send it in to get refurbished $150 for both. So the other night I took on the project.
The main thing forum members complained about was blowing up their oval mirror when plugging it into an SOS wired car. The car has more power running to the mirror for the Roadside assistance and 911 buttons. To fix that problem all I had to do is de-pin pins 4 though 7.  While I could have just snipped them off I wanted to do it the "Right" way. I de-pinned them from the connector and slipped some heat shrink over them and electrical tapped them to the rest of the harness. The mirror isnt installed yet as I forgot my keys and couldn't test the auto-dim. 
To replace the mirror I had to de-solder / snap out the main board connected to the old mirror. After removing the board I removed the black plastic holder and removed the old double sided tape. After putting on some 3m double sided tape I centered it on the new mirror and soldered the 2 wires back on! Honestly so simple a monkey could do it. Based on what online advertisements say, This mirror should last longer then OEM. I bet not.. See you in 15 years. 

I will finish installation tomorrow and post up some before and after mirror photos.
Some cool things I am looking forward to in 2022. I am doing a full leatherique leather treatment on the seats, I have a full 2 year ceramic coating going on in the spring that I won from Imola Motorsports in Minneapolis. And last but not least, the Eisenmann race exhaust should go on eventually I just need time to get both cars on a lift and swap them over due to technical difficulties expressed in a previous post. For now I think I have everything done I wanted to do this winter. We will see if I come up with anything else.

 

steering wheel looks like money well spent

Hope everyone is having a good Christmas with the fam! Unfortunately due to covid I don't have any extended family left to spend time with.. Take that how you will..
I decided to drive down the street and work on the M3 for a bit today. Starting from the beginning.
When I put the car into storage, I pulled the steering wheel, shiftknob/boot and rear view mirror
I stripped and resprayed the steering wheel trim, Looking back I should have just left it as it was a bunch of work. But I am happy with the results. 
Steering wheel arrived on the 23rd from Tanik Wheel in Germany, I ended up going with a nappa leather re-wrap, tri color M stitch, no center stripe and I made sure he removed the old leather. (This is the only reason I didn't go with Coby wheel, He overlays alacantara/leather overtop of your existing leather) I also heard of quality of material concerns from Coby aswell. Tanik was nearly double the price with no core. But based on forum reviews it is as good as I am going to get before its just worth buying a new OEM Dakota M3 steering wheel.

Back in October I scored an F80 M3 shift knob off eBay for $60 shipped with 3k miles. It was very poorly labeled and was very excited to remove the ZHP knob for an illuminated version because I am butthurt. Well turns out the seller was an idiot.. He sent the knob in a bubble mailer with no bubble wrap in "Media Mail" For those of you who aren't familiar media mail is strictly for sending media like newspapers CDs etc. I pulled the knob out of the package and it caught a metal edge somewhere and there was a huge chunk of leather missing from the knob.. Disappointing as I wont be able to get another one for that price again.
My buddy Nick from Vermont @f80ghost on Instagram, heard what happened and bartered with me a knob for a fire extinguisher. Not as good of a deal as the original but I will take it.
I switched out the old Vinyl m color shift boot that was in the car since Jordan picked the car up in 2018 for a Race German OE style black boot. I am very impressed with the quality on this. Feels much better and looks much better then the old one.


The F80 shift knob retrofit is a bit more involved then the F10 M5 knob because you cant just switch boot frames and reuse the shift boot. As the F80 boot is smaller and not symmetrical like the F10 boot.
I needed to remove the F80 boot from the knob and chip off the 2 additional clips that were not needed. Instead of de-pinning the connector to slide though a hole I made in the shift boot, I decided to cut the wires and just re-solder the 2 wires.

I was able to do all this without cutting the wires, Not so successful for myself unfortunately. The last cut I made into the boot I got myself good with a fresh X-Acto knife. Would not stop bleeding. But you can see with picture proof. Start without a band-aid end with one. All n all very happy with how this turned out. Just need to add a zip tie to keep the boot from falling down. Ill do that probably tomorrow as I have one more project to finish up.

Last project I need to finish up is the rear view mirror. Talking to @pynaclhe convinced me to switch to an Oval mirror over keeping the SOS mirror. I was fortunate enough to have purchased an oval mirror a few years ago to retrofit into an E36 m3. It was cheaper to buy replacement glass for the oval mirror ($60) then buy a replacement SOS mirror or send it in to get refurbished $150 for both. So the other night I took on the project.
The main thing forum members complained about was blowing up their oval mirror when plugging it into an SOS wired car. The car has more power running to the mirror for the Roadside assistance and 911 buttons. To fix that problem all I had to do is de-pin pins 4 though 7.  While I could have just snipped them off I wanted to do it the "Right" way. I de-pinned them from the connector and slipped some heat shrink over them and electrical tapped them to the rest of the harness. The mirror isnt installed yet as I forgot my keys and couldn't test the auto-dim. 
To replace the mirror I had to de-solder / snap out the main board connected to the old mirror. After removing the board I removed the black plastic holder and removed the old double sided tape. After putting on some 3m double sided tape I centered it on the new mirror and soldered the 2 wires back on! Honestly so simple a monkey could do it. Based on what online advertisements say, This mirror should last longer then OEM. I bet not.. See you in 15 years. 

I will finish installation tomorrow and post up some before and after mirror photos.
Some cool things I am looking forward to in 2022. I am doing a full leatherique leather treatment on the seats, I have a full 2 year ceramic coating going on in the spring that I won from Imola Motorsports in Minneapolis. And last but not least, the Eisenmann race exhaust should go on eventually I just need time to get both cars on a lift and swap them over due to technical difficulties expressed in a previous post. For now I think I have everything done I wanted to do this winter. We will see if I come up with anything else.

 

Hope everyone is having a good Christmas with the fam! Unfortunately due to covid I don't have any extended family left to spend time with.. Take that how you will..
I decided to drive down the street and work on the M3 for a bit today. Starting from the beginning.
When I put the car into storage, I pulled the steering wheel, shiftknob/boot and rear view mirror
I stripped and resprayed the steering wheel trim, Looking back I should have just left it as it was a bunch of work. But I am happy with the results. 
Steering wheel arrived on the 23rd from Tanik Wheel in Germany, I ended up going with a nappa leather re-wrap, tri color M stitch, no center stripe and I made sure he removed the old leather. (This is the only reason I didn't go with Coby wheel, He overlays alacantara/leather overtop of your existing leather) I also heard of quality of material concerns from Coby aswell. Tanik was nearly double the price with no core. But based on forum reviews it is as good as I am going to get before its just worth buying a new OEM Dakota M3 steering wheel.

Back in October I scored an F80 M3 shift knob off eBay for $60 shipped with 3k miles. It was very poorly labeled and was very excited to remove the ZHP knob for an illuminated version because I am butthurt. Well turns out the seller was an idiot.. He sent the knob in a bubble mailer with no bubble wrap in "Media Mail" For those of you who aren't familiar media mail is strictly for sending media like newspapers CDs etc. I pulled the knob out of the package and it caught a metal edge somewhere and there was a huge chunk of leather missing from the knob.. Disappointing as I wont be able to get another one for that price again.
My buddy Nick from Vermont @f80ghost on Instagram, heard what happened and bartered with me a knob for a fire extinguisher. Not as good of a deal as the original but I will take it.
I switched out the old Vinyl m color shift boot that was in the car since Jordan picked the car up in 2018 for a Race German OE style black boot. I am very impressed with the quality on this. Feels much better and looks much better then the old one.


The F80 shift knob retrofit is a bit more involved then the F10 M5 knob because you cant just switch boot frames and reuse the shift boot. As the F80 boot is smaller and not symmetrical like the F10 boot.
I needed to remove the F80 boot from the knob and chip off the 2 additional clips that were not needed. Instead of de-pinning the connector to slide though a hole I made in the shift boot, I decided to cut the wires and just re-solder the 2 wires.

I was able to do all this without cutting the wires, Not so successful for myself unfortunately. The last cut I made into the boot I got myself good with a fresh X-Acto knife. Would not stop bleeding. But you can see with picture proof. Start without a band-aid end with one. All n all very happy with how this turned out. Just need to add a zip tie to keep the boot from falling down. Ill do that probably tomorrow as I have one more project to finish up.

Last project I need to finish up is the rear view mirror. Talking to @pynaclhe convinced me to switch to an Oval mirror over keeping the SOS mirror. I was fortunate enough to have purchased an oval mirror a few years ago to retrofit into an E36 m3. It was cheaper to buy replacement glass for the oval mirror ($60) then buy a replacement SOS mirror or send it in to get refurbished $150 for both. So the other night I took on the project.
The main thing forum members complained about was blowing up their oval mirror when plugging it into an SOS wired car. The car has more power running to the mirror for the Roadside assistance and 911 buttons. To fix that problem all I had to do is de-pin pins 4 though 7.  While I could have just snipped them off I wanted to do it the "Right" way. I de-pinned them from the connector and slipped some heat shrink over them and electrical tapped them to the rest of the harness. The mirror isnt installed yet as I forgot my keys and couldn't test the auto-dim. 
To replace the mirror I had to de-solder / snap out the main board connected to the old mirror. After removing the board I removed the black plastic holder and removed the old double sided tape. After putting on some 3m double sided tape I centered it on the new mirror and soldered the 2 wires back on! Honestly so simple a monkey could do it. Based on what online advertisements say, This mirror should last longer then OEM. I bet not.. See you in 15 years. 

I will finish installation tomorrow and post up some before and after mirror photos.
Some cool things I am looking forward to in 2022. I am doing a full leatherique leather treatment on the seats, I have a full 2 year ceramic coating going on in the spring that I won from Imola Motorsports in Minneapolis. And last but not least, the Eisenmann race exhaust should go on eventually I just need time to get both cars on a lift and swap them over due to technical difficulties expressed in a previous post. For now I think I have everything done I wanted to do this winter. We will see if I come up with anything else.

 

Hopefully you never have to use it
Or it’s one of those situations where it’s the only thing you save from a car fire because of how rare it is 

Very cool! Didn't know "newer" cars had the fire extinguisher option too. You could get them on E28's as well along with the spare mounted gas can too.

Got the front suspension installed with the reinforcement plates, replacing the OE Bilstein kit. Definitely a lot of stuff to balance together while you line them up by yourself. Set them as close to factory height as I could for a good starting point and -2.5 camber. Totally overkill for the factory wheels right now, but plan to get something else before I actually pull it out in the spring. Full setup is:
Front TC Kline Single Adjustable coilover (uses a Koni shock) Ground Control Race Camber/Caster Plate 500lb Hyperco Springs OEM BMW Reinforcement Plates Rear TC Kline External Adjustable Rear Shock TC Kline Buna Rubber rear shock mounts 600lb Hyperco Springs Rogue Engineering Spring Perch Reinforcement Plates Rogue Engineering RSM Reinforcement Plates  

Saw Turner came out with a revised brake line kit that was stainless steel + zinc plated AND it was on sale over cyber Monday. Couldn't help myself. Finally got around to installing them tonight, and so glad I did because my factory line had a was pretty crusty and had a nasty gash in it that was probably pretty close to exploding! Bled the system with some fresh RBF600 after install


Oooo shiny

Got an awesome christmas gift from @Rekpoint, a genuine BMW fire extinguisher and seat mount kit. These are pretty dang hard to get into the states because they're considered a dangerous good with the pressurized canisters.
The brackets and seat are only drilled from the factory and require a M6x1.25 thread to be tapped. Luckily the included hardware is self tapping, just requires some pretty small tools to properly install everything.

Winter maintenance time!!!
With supply chain issues, product delays, and other blah blah blah, I thought it is best to send the coilovers out for a refresh early to be sure they are ready by spring.
Huge shout-out to Fortune Auto for a quick and thorough refresh!  I sent the coilovers out on November 17 for new seals, oil, and an overall evaluation.
I already got them back and not only did the clean them up and overhaul them, the upgraded the springs to Swift springs, added the newer style  locking adjustment collars, new radial bearings, and replaced all the hardware! 😳😳
At first I wondered if they sent the wrong ones back, but the paint transfer from my red calipers was there, lol

Anyone looking at suspension, I don’t think I can say enough about Fortune auto… I even got a phone call today to make sure they were delivered in good condition and talk about any concerns they found during the overhaul.
Have a great Christmas all!
 
-Tim

Test fitting the new shift knob for next year. Joined the motorsport golf ball shifter club!

Bump

Since I went with catless headers, I decided to delete the whole secondary air injection system since I don't think it serves any purpose besides helping in the cat heating sequence (saves 4lbs too). Got this nifty little aluminum block off plate from Achilles Motorsports that looks pretty sweet, even though it will never be seen.

Got the ports all cleaned, fresh gaskets, fresh hardware and the headers bolted up. Now just have to sort through the O2 sensor wiring because I’m an idiot and didn’t mark them. I'll have to fire up Ecuworx too and code out the downstream O2 sensor and secondary air pump so we don't get a CEL.

Wrap the exposed harness in some Tesa tape 

Dont let the GF know how much you have spent in the last few months.

Replaced the CPV o-ring with a viton one while I was waiting on parts to finish the headers. It wasn’t leaking, but seems like a PITA to replace later. While in there I noticed the cam position sensor is leaking a bit. Death by 1000 gaskets…

Turner Motorsports finished their stroker S65 e46 build!
 

Waiting on some suspension parts yet so I started the header install. Have to say that this is MUCH harder than the downpipe install on my F30. Since there's such limited room to work I had to remove the coolant reservoir tank, turkey basting out all the coolant so I didn't make an absolute disaster. Still probably spilled 1/2 gallon on the floor that came out the other end though lol. Even with this and the heat shielding out of the way, access to the 18 nuts is still pretty grueling. Just kept swapping out swivel, wobble and regular extensions, as it seems like each nut requires a different approach. After a few hours I finally got the old set out, woohoo! Still waiting on new gaskets and nuts, but should be here in about a week or so and I can get the new headers installed.

He won’t hear it over the Ed Sheeran he listens to

I'd suggest going with a shortened or adjustable sway bar link.  The stock ones are made for the stock height.  You're going to change the pre-load on the sway bar and could impact your handling if you stick with the stock sway bar links and lowered height.

So uh, do you have a spare ZF now? And are you planning on selling it to me lol