JEPPE: E46 M3 SMG sedan prosjekt

[Jeppe]

I have used this week to sand the car down for paint. This is much work! The welding job turned out to be a LOT more work than we thought as well, but it is coming along nicely.

Welding the front fender.

There was a lot of tension in the fender after it was welded, so had to split it up and weld it together to remove the tension in the metal.

Welding the rear.

Filling in the gaps.

Front bumper sanded down. There was a lot of stone chips damage so had to sand it down to the plastic.

The door openings sanded down. A lot of work..

A lot of stone chips on the hood as well that had to be sanded down.

There is a lot of work to be done on the trunk. This is the part that we have to change the most to get everything to fit as it schould. The back plate on the trunk have been moved further back to get the angle againts the fender right, and we are working on getting the rear lights to fit.

This is how the car looks like at this stage.

[Jeppe]

Removed the M3 mirrors cause im going to use them on the sedan.

I also noticed that these two brackets for the water tank is missing on the sedan. So have to get them welded.

Been really busy with other things in the past weeks. Used every night last week to get the BMW 2002 race ready for the race this weekend. It paid off in the end, got two 1. place!

Here is a little update from the welder. He has welded the spare wheel well M3 style:

Here with the M3 foam insert:

And a little picture from my race this weekend, I think it was a really nice picture, just wanted to share with you guys. On two wheels!

There is no progress on the car. But I got some new parts.

Reinforced rear shock mounts:

Matte black grill and gills:

Parts are arriving, I just need the car now...

[Jeppe]

Now after a way to long break we are finally working on the car again.

Working on the inside of the rear fender:

Putting on some zink spray before the undercoat:

Sanding down the M3 style "spare tire well":

Sanded down the M3 mirrors:

And some other stuff:

Sanding down the welds:

[Jeppe]

Did some work on the car today. Started with sanding down the wheel well. Also made cuts in preparation for the subframe reinforcements.

Then spaying it with zinkspray.

One of the most important things to use some time on at this stage is rust prevention. So im using different products where its needed ecpesially around the welds.

First coat under the fenders. I will take another coat here to hide and protect.

Its slowly getting there

We worked on the car today. Started the day with cutting the inside edge on the fender to make room for some wide tires. Taped the inside of the edge so it was easier to see where to cut.

Fender cut and edge smoothed by hand with sandpaper.

Removed all the windows.

First we used a couple of layers of carbonfiber to build the edge on the fender higher so it would meet the trunk cover. Sanded that down. Then a small layer of body filler on top of that to finish the shape off. Its not finished yet but wery close. This takes a lot of time to get the shape exactly as you want and at the same time it have to fit together with the trunk. On this picture you can se the carbonfiber layers underneath some of the body filler.

[Jeppe]

Today I started mounting the lock on the trunk. The lock didn't fit because the carbon used is thicker than the steel on the OEM trunk. So I had to grind it down to get the lock to fit. Also had to make a hole for the arm that connects the two locks.

Then it was time to get the M3 mirrors to fit. Had the instructions from Rogue, but had to make som more modifications to the mirror base to get it to fit perfect. This takes a lot of time... Got one side almost finished.

Taped and ready to cut.

Have to get some new rubber seals because the OEM mirrors have left some marks.

[Jeppe]

Today I got both mirrors adjusted and they now fit wery good on the sedan.

Also got them completely dissasembled.

New holes for the M3 mirrors.

Sanded down the parts around the windows. These will be painted glossy black.

New parts for the doors.

Here you can se how much the door has been widened.

Testing with some e90 wheels. Need some spacers..

[Jeppe]

I also got a good deal with a racingteam. I get to buy used slick tires from them. They use them just for one short race, so there is plenty left in them. I think this will stick to the track... I just need som track wheels now. Im thinking of some CSL rep in 9.5 18" all around.

The car is now ready for primer! And it schould be primed this weekend.

Car is primed Now we have to sand it down to get everything perfect.

[Jeppe]

Got my track wheels today. They are CSL rep 9.5x18 et45. Im going to use a 12mm spacer on the front and 20mm at the back. Tires are Michelin slicks.

Most of the car is sanded down after the primer. Paint is next week if nothing goes wrong.

[Jeppe]

Since I wasn't 100% sure I wanted Le Mans blue, we painted the front fenders in Le mans blue and my second choice Space Grey. And now im 100% le Mans blue. The color is fantastic on the curvy shapes of the M3. All the lines and curves are highlighted, and the paint is so glossy it looks like the paint is wet... Pictures don't do it justice. Space grey is also really nice with lots of metallic in it. If I wanted a grey car I would for sure paint it in that color.

[Jeppe]

Got the slick tires mounted:

More parts sanded down:

Parts being packed.

Tonight on the way to the painter. It's getting painted tomorrow!!

[Jeppe]

Picked it up at the painter today. And what a nice surprise I got there. The paint is absolutely perfect!! The painter has done a really impressive job. And now you can also see what an insane job my friend Per who did the bodywork have done. It looks like wet paint... To get it this good he painted the car then sanded it down again, then finished off with a second layer of clear coat. The result is amazing but also costly, so now I'm broke but it's worth it.. It would be stupid to get a bad paint job after all the work we have put into this car...

Then some pictures!:

[Jeppe]

It will be a scary job fitting the engine into this shiny engine compartment, without scratching the paint..

[Jeppe]

Had to try it with the CSL 18" wheels to get a better impression of how it would look, and it does look good... Had to but my friend into the trunk to get it lowered...hehe

The more parts you install the better it looks.

Im getting the other parts next week. Im really happy with how it came out, and now I'm really looking forward to start building. I have summer vacation for two weeks now, and I'm going to work on the car almost every day. So more updates soon...

[Jeppe]

I have used a couple of days just cleaning and organizing the new garage. It was a real mess and you don't want that when your working on project like this. So yesterday I started working on the M3, and the goal for the day was to get the engine and gearbox out.

More painted parts.

Car ready for disassembly.

There are a lot of connectors that have to be disconnected. This is the right side.

Got the exhaust and driveshaft out. The standard M3 exhaust is really heavy, there is a lot of weight that can be saved there.

Front suspension.

Starting to remove the engine.

Almost out.

Finally..

[Jeppe]

Worked on the car today and got the rear suspension down:

Almost there.

Front and rear suspension: