pynacl 32 Report post Posted January 6 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 135,210 miles 5 Jdesign, P_Roloff, KaiserRolls and 2 others reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rekpoint 538 Report post Posted January 6 Beautiful Same color as your car! @wasnt m3 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
B C 5233 Report post Posted January 6 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 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pynacl 32 Report post Posted January 6 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 1 Rekpoint reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wasnt m3 1286 Report post Posted January 6 2 hours ago, Rekpoint said: Beautiful Same color as your car! @wasnt m3 ?? I don't have a steel gray anything. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rekpoint 538 Report post Posted January 6 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 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pynacl 32 Report post Posted January 13 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!! 5 P_Roloff, patsbimmer1, jc43089 and 2 others reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pynacl 32 Report post Posted January 14 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 2 Jdesign and Rekpoint reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rekpoint 538 Report post Posted January 14 Like I've always said. Its ALWAYS in the small details like this. 1 pynacl reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
YoungCR 1169 Report post Posted January 14 Turned out great! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
B C 5233 Report post Posted January 15 First time ive seen an idea like that. Not bad! Any planS to track it/stance it/drift it/install a CF airbox? 1 Rekpoint reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rekpoint 538 Report post Posted January 15 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 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
B C 5233 Report post Posted January 15 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 1 Rekpoint reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pynacl 32 Report post Posted January 15 15 hours ago, YoungCR said: Turned out great! Thank you! Happy with it for the low cost anyways Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pynacl 32 Report post Posted January 15 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 😁 2 Jdesign and Rekpoint reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rekpoint 538 Report post Posted January 17 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 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pynacl 32 Report post Posted January 18 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! 4 jc43089, patsbimmer1, P_Roloff and 1 other reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
YoungCR 1169 Report post Posted January 19 Didn’t know those were a sticker Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pynacl 32 Report post Posted January 19 3 hours ago, YoungCR said: Didn’t know those were a sticker Honestly me neither, another solid tip from @Rekpoint! 1 Rekpoint reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pynacl 32 Report post Posted January 27 Girlfriend 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 2 B C and Rekpoint reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
B C 5233 Report post Posted January 27 Gotta love the oval mirror! I’d like to retrofit one in my car. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rekpoint 538 Report post Posted January 27 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 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
