JEPPE: E46 M3 SMG sedan prosjekt

[Jeppe]

Got a lot done the last two days. Started with removing the brake lines in the engine compartment.

Removed all the heat insulation.

Out goes the fuel tank.

All the fuel and brake lines on a e46:

Nothing left..

Cleaning the boot.

[Jeppe]

Removed the interior:

Parts lined up..

Removing the dash.

Parts filling up..

Only the cables left.

[Jeppe]

Yesterday was a big day for me. After disassembling two cars, and over a year of waiting and work to get to this point, it was a really good feeling to finally start the assembly! Mounting the first part in that freshly painted chassis was something special..!

But first I had to empty the M3. Wiring harness is almost out.

Finally got all the wires out, what a mess...****..

Got everything sorted and now it looked a little better, wire heaven..

Only the body left on the M3.

[Jeppe]

318 completely stripped..

I wanted to use the M3 sunroof because it was in much better shape than what was on the 318, and it had the black inner roof. Like all the parts on the M3 the sunroof was also like new. After disassembling the M3 I have really seen what a good car I bought, all the parts are in top condition. I didn't know if it was going to fit, but after placing them side by side the only difference was the front panel and the glas. (318 to the left, M3 right)

M3 sunroof in the sedan. This was not a easy job on your own....

First part in the car!!!

Wires on it's way into the car...hmm.. where to start..

After a while,.. mounted!

[Jeppe]

Parts going into the trunk.

Done.

All parts are washed before getting mounted.

Had to drill two holes to get the M3 brakes to fit. The holes are the other way around on the 318.

Hmmm.. what is this??

It's the new wheels for the M3 This way I can easily move it around the garage by myself.

[Jeppe]

Got some work done today as well. Started with the carpets. The front M3 carpets did fit, but I need to order new carpets in the rear.

Got the heater mounted.

Steel frame for the dash.

Steering column mounted. After driving the E90 where you can adjust the steering further down/lower than in the E46, I used some time to see if there was a possibility to add some spacers on the steering column. This is possible and will not cause any problems. I will probably add that later to get a better driving position.

Then the dash, finally!

Now its starting to look like a car again...

[Jeppe]

Since the top of the car came out so nice I had to do something with the underside. So I have been using a couple of days to get it up to a acceptable level. Here is the result...

Had to try on the wheels one more time..

Got some interior parts today. Most of the interior is going to be new.

[Jeppe]

Got the fuel and brake lines under the car mounted. Took a lot of time cleaning the pipes but they came out looking like new. It almost feels like Im working on the factory assembling a new car, cause all the parts are like new and so is the car. Thats a good feeling.

The undercoat is a special rust protection paint that leaves a thick and hard coat. It feels like powder coating. It's very nice

Had to make some new mounting points for the lines here cause it was a slight difference from the coupe.

Heat protection panels mounted.

More brake lines...

[Jeppe]

Cleaning the front suspension.

Finished..

[Jeppe]

Then it was the engine. Used balloons to keep water out of connectors and pipes..hehe..it worked really good!

So clean..

Ready for the heart transplant.

[Jeppe]

So today was the big day. Something I have been dreaming of for a long time, finally the engine was going to be mounted.

We mounted the front suspension to the engine first.

On its way..

Finally in!! At this point we celebrated with a couple of beers..:woot:

Got all the connectors sorted.

This is how far I got today. Its been a great day and things have gone smooth.

[Jeppe]

Im waiting for some parts before I can complete the front. So I have been working on other parts of the car.

Washing the rear suspension.

And a lot of other parts...

More parts..

Two layers of paint did wonders for the trunk.

[Jeppe]

Front damper KW V3 with Turner camber plate.

Damper mounted.

Front brakes 6 pot 355mm.

Test fitting brakes.

[Jeppe]

Test fitting with wheel. The ET45 wheel does touch the damper and brake caliper, but a 12mm spacer is on the way. I hope a ET33 will clear. At this point I was really satisfied. The big red brakes goes really well with the blue and the CSL wheels, slicks, KW damper and the black wheel arch. It do look sick..

I got the windows today, all the windows in the car will be new. Im delivering them for tinting tomorrow, 50% tint all around.

[Jeppe]

I clued the Turner reinforcement plates with special epoxy clue(stronger than welding). I will make a DIY on this later together with the foam reinforcement of the subframe.

Before..

After. Cleaned the hub before mounting the brakes.

Brakes mounted on the left side.

Changing the fan and ac belt. This was really easy without the front on.

Changing a leaking rubber sealing.