pynacl Posted January 6, 2021 Report Share Posted January 6, 2021 Official start to my E46 M3 build thread! This is joining my garage along with my 2015 335i M Sport and my 2008 328i daily. Progress may be slow over the winter months, but progress is better than none at all! Car is completely bone stock minus a brake rotor upgrade and some Bilstein shocks. It also came with a mountain of maintenance receipts to sift through, but the most important are vanos and rod bearing replacements. Sadly didn't come with subframe reinforcement so that will likely be the first order of business come spring. It was inspected and in great shape, but we all know how important it is to do preventatively on these cars. Here's a quick spec list and a nice roller photo I got on the drive home! WBSBL93492JR17883 2002 BMW M3 Steel Gray on Black Nappa 6 Speed Manual Coupe 134,210 miles 01/2022 (@135k) Updates Engine Fabspeed catless headers WPC treated rod bearings + ARP rod bolts OE coolant expansion tank OE expansion tank line OE BMW coolant OE BMW motor mounts Achilles Motorsports SAP block off plate SAP + valve delete Valve adjustment OE valve cover gasket kit OE Meyle fan clutch + fan blades NGK spark plugs Transmission Rogue Engineering transmission mounts UUC Evo 3 short throw shifter + DSSR Trans fluid change - Redline DT4 ATF (auto/manual) Delrin shift carrier bushings Chassis TMS RACP reinforcement weld in plates Revshift 80A differential bushings Revshift 80A subframe bushings Differential output flange + input shaft seals Differential fluid change - OE BMW SAF-XJ + FM booster TMS Zinc-Nickel plated stainless steel brake lines Motul RBF600 brake fluid Suspension Turner sealed monoball RTABs TCK S/A Coilovers (F - 500lb R - 600lb) Ground Control race camber plates OE BMW front strut reinforcement plates OE Lemforder end links Rogue engineering RSM + perch reinforcement plates TCK RSM + buna bushings Exterior Paint matched front reflectors OE BMW LED tail lights + OE BMW wiring adapters Interior OE BMW Cinnamon interior swap OE BMW Aluminum trim swap OE BMW M3 floor mats OE Illuminated 6 speed ZHP knob Jdesign, B C, P_Roloff and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rekpoint Posted January 6, 2021 Report Share Posted January 6, 2021 Beautiful Same color as your car! @wasnt m3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B C Posted January 6, 2021 Report Share Posted January 6, 2021 Absolutely gorgeous car. One of the best colors, factory 19’s and from here it looks to be in great shape! How are you enjoying it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pynacl Posted January 6, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 6, 2021 59 minutes ago, B C said: Absolutely gorgeous car. One of the best colors, factory 19’s and from here it looks to be in great shape! How are you enjoying it? Coming from the turbo N55, it's so much different. Throttle response is WAY better than I imagined, induction noise is beautiful, exhaust is meh (not a huge fan of the tingy sound stock), steering is incredible and my favorite part of the car. Coming from electronic steering where it sometimes gets floaty and feels like you're not in control, this is a HUGE upgrade. Overall I love it, and it'll likely replace my 335i come spring Rekpoint 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasnt m3 Posted January 6, 2021 Report Share Posted January 6, 2021 2 hours ago, Rekpoint said: Beautiful Same color as your car! @wasnt m3 ?? I don't have a steel gray anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rekpoint Posted January 6, 2021 Report Share Posted January 6, 2021 20 minutes ago, wasnt m3 said: ?? I don't have a steel gray anything. You're right. I just had a major Brain fart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pynacl Posted January 13, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2021 Replaced the tired original knob. Since I already had factory illumination I figured I can't remove that, so I went with an OEM ZHP illuminated 6 speed knob. Also, these things seem to be getting crazy hard to find, thanks @Rekpoint!! Rekpoint, jc43089, patsbimmer1 and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pynacl Posted January 14, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2021 Really wanted to salvage the original steering wheel since the leather is in decent shape. Tried my best to "refresh" the stitching with some felt fabric markers. Probably didn't match color exactly but I think it came out alright, here's a before/after Edit: I did wipe off the excess dye from the leather with alcohol afterwards Rekpoint and Jdesign 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rekpoint Posted January 14, 2021 Report Share Posted January 14, 2021 Like I've always said. Its ALWAYS in the small details like this. pynacl 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoungCR Posted January 14, 2021 Report Share Posted January 14, 2021 Turned out great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B C Posted January 15, 2021 Report Share Posted January 15, 2021 First time ive seen an idea like that. Not bad! Any planS to track it/stance it/drift it/install a CF airbox? Rekpoint 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rekpoint Posted January 15, 2021 Report Share Posted January 15, 2021 1 hour ago, B C said: First time ive seen an idea like that. Not bad! Any planS to track it/stance it/drift it/install a CF airbox? He plans on slamming it to the ground. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B C Posted January 15, 2021 Report Share Posted January 15, 2021 3 minutes ago, Rekpoint said: He plans on slamming it to the ground. You out of anyone should know its gonna look sick slammed on Apex ARC8’s Rekpoint 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pynacl Posted January 15, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2021 15 hours ago, YoungCR said: Turned out great! Thank you! Happy with it for the low cost anyways Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pynacl Posted January 15, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2021 12 hours ago, B C said: You out of anyone should know its gonna look sick slammed on Apex ARC8’s 13 hours ago, B C said: First time ive seen an idea like that. Not bad! Any planS to track it/stance it/drift it/install a CF airbox? Appreciate it. I think just going OEM+/restoration for this car. I'd love to see it on CSL style wheels but @Rekpoint says Apex or nothin. CF airbox is definitely in this cars future, unsure if I can afford the CSL one but we'll see 😁 Rekpoint and Jdesign 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rekpoint Posted January 17, 2021 Report Share Posted January 17, 2021 On 1/15/2021 at 9:51 AM, pynacl said: but @Rekpoint says Apex or nothin I actually vote HREs. But apexs are better then CSL wheels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pynacl Posted January 18, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2021 Another small update, small details matter though right? Noticed the rear badge was pretty sun faded/cracking on the M stripe section. Rather than replacing the entire badge, if you just apply a bit of heat (enough to make it warm to the touch but not compromise the badge adhesive) the M stripes can peel right off and be replaced. I got the replacement vinyl from here if anyone is curious. Badge looks brand new and cost $8 and 2 min of time! patsbimmer1, jc43089, P_Roloff and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoungCR Posted January 19, 2021 Report Share Posted January 19, 2021 Didn’t know those were a sticker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pynacl Posted January 19, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2021 3 hours ago, YoungCR said: Didn’t know those were a sticker Honestly me neither, another solid tip from @Rekpoint! Rekpoint 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pynacl Posted January 27, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2021 friend thought I was playing a prank saying I have to replace my mirror fluid. Cursed with the infamous dimming mirror delaminating and evaporating/leaking. Decided to take the DIY approach rather than send it off to save a few bucks. Ended up being a super easy 30 min project and looks brand new. Mirror link B C and Rekpoint 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B C Posted January 27, 2021 Report Share Posted January 27, 2021 Gotta love the oval mirror! I’d like to retrofit one in my car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rekpoint Posted January 27, 2021 Report Share Posted January 27, 2021 3 hours ago, B C said: Gotta love the oval mirror! I’d like to retrofit one in my car. I have one if you want one. Needs the same mirror fluid repair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pynacl Posted April 13, 2021 Author Report Share Posted April 13, 2021 Found my first moist surprise. Went to go disconnect the battery to start installing my headers, and my flashlight caught a little reflection. Turns out the passenger tail light lens was slightly detached, allowing water in Thank god it didn't rust through the metal and I was able to wire wheel, clean, naval jelly rust dissolve and rust converter it. Finally I tried adding some etching primer to try to match the factory finish best I could. Probably not perfect but helps me sleep at night. Jdesign and Rekpoint 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pynacl Posted April 13, 2021 Author Report Share Posted April 13, 2021 Found a set of used OEM LED tails. Luckily my LCM was v3.0.1, so I'm able to just code them to the car as-is. Just needed some OEM wiring adapters to make them work. Rekpoint and patsbimmer1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pynacl Posted April 13, 2021 Author Report Share Posted April 13, 2021 Paint matched reflectors wooooo Rekpoint 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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