ressurecting an unloved m3

[nextlvel]

How difficult was it to replace the lenses on your headlights? That is something my car is really needing, and not sure its a job i want to tackle myself.....

It's probably one of the easiest things to do on these cars, you just lift up those clips with a flat head and they pop right out. They're not like LCI coupes and some other cars that need to be baked off.

[///Mthusiast]

Thanks for your feedback. The difference between them and the KW V2 is a few hundred bucks and the shock coating im guessing. Also the attraction for me is the easy availability fo spare parts like replacement shocks.

I have also been thinking of going for PSS10 which is probably my first choice and or Fortune Auto...... https://shop-fortune-auto.com/collec...ries-coilovers (Dont have a feeling that they are worth 2.5k)

I have had PSS10s as well as KW's on my previous track M3's. I'm interested to see the difference in performance if this set does ever make it to the track, which there is a high likelihood it does. Between the two, I loved the Bilstein's on track, but the KW"s were definitely the better suspension overall. I'm also in upstate South Carolina, where our inclement weather is known as rain, and any of my fun cars are garaged and don't really come out for anything but nice days as I typically have aggressive track tires.

I was going to do fortune auto or ground control at first. Both have a 4-8 week wait. In my experience with waiting on parts, 4-8 weeks typically means 10-12 lol. I didn't want to wait that long to get this car going and I didn't see that either of those companies was superior to what I ended up with. All three of these brands come with camber plates, where the KW's did not, so the KW's end up being about 1k more for V2's.

[0-60motorsports]

I have had PSS10s as well as KW's on my previous track M3's. I'm interested to see the difference in performance if this set does ever make it to the track, which there is a high likelihood it does. Between the two, I loved the Bilstein's on track, but the KW"s were definitely the better suspension overall. I'm also in upstate South Carolina, where our inclement weather is known as rain, and any of my fun cars are garaged and don't really come out for anything but nice days as I typically have aggressive track tires.

I was going to do fortune auto or ground control at first. Both have a 4-8 week wait. In my experience with waiting on parts, 4-8 weeks typically means 10-12 lol. I didn't want to wait that long to get this car going and I didn't see that either of those companies was superior to what I ended up with. All three of these brands come with camber plates, where the KW's did not, so the KW's end up being about 1k more for V2's.

Good points. I guess i'll have to wait till around summer time and see what your feedback is on the ST's.

How were the PSS10s on the street on full soft? I am 90% street for the last couple of years. Thanks.

[///Mthusiast]

Good points. I guess i'll have to wait till around summer time and see what your feedback is on the ST's.

How were the PSS10s on the street on full soft? I am 90% street for the last couple of years. Thanks.

I should have the ST's on by the end of the week and will let you know how they feel. I remember the PSS10's being a little harsh on the street, but very stiff on track which was a plus. KW's did both well, good on track, but on the street they were far superior for comfort and harshness. Hoping the ST's are in the same category.

[0-60motorsports]

I should have the ST's on by the end of the week and will let you know how they feel. I remember the PSS10's being a little harsh on the street, but very stiff on track which was a plus. KW's did both well, good on track, but on the street they were far superior for comfort and harshness. Hoping the ST's are in the same category.

Excellent, looking forward to it.

[jet_dogg]

Cool thread, shouldn't this be in the member builds subforum?

[Slideways]

I should have the ST's on by the end of the week and will let you know how they feel. I remember the PSS10's being a little harsh on the street, but very stiff on track which was a plus. KW's did both well, good on track, but on the street they were far superior for comfort and harshness. Hoping the ST's are in the same category.

From what I have read, KW/ST use twin tube dampers which are better for comfort and Bilstein PSS10s are monotube which are more performance oriented.

[///Mthusiast]

It's been a short hiatus and delay from when I expected, but I should be able to drive it home tonight. I was lucky to source an alpine white door to take care of that bit of damage, and finally have all the other pieces of the puzzle to finish the suspension and brakes. I went ahead and upgraded the shock mounts on the rear, the brake lines, rebuilt the OE calipers, and put in new emergency brake cables as well. The wheels I had on the car (Apex EC7's) were off my e90 m3 I sold, and were 18x10+25 sqr with 275's. The front's were a bit wide for a street car, so I grabbed some 9.5's and 255's for a better fit. Hoping to get it home tonight to do a bit of detailing and enjoying before it goes back under the knife.

[///Mthusiast]

I finally drove the car home Saturday night and enjoyed it yesterday. Motor and trans feel incredibly solid and strong, and I am shocked at how good the ST suspension is. I put it in the softest setting, and it is incredibly comfortable even over train tracks and other poor driving surfaces. I've got a bit of a weird clicking sound coming from the right rear which I've got to figure out, and I'm not 100% pleased with my front tire fitment. I hoped to get to cut and buff and clean up the paint, but the car was so dirty and grimy that I spent over 2.5 hrs just doing the initial wash. The engine bay, fuel door, trunk, roof rails, sunroof, etc. were so caked with dirt that I had to degrease, scrub, and pressure wash each quite a bit. It looks a lot better now, but once it was cleaned, it was a lot easier to see the imperfections. One of the fenders was damaged underneath and there's a bit of rust, and it looks like a part of the car was repainted at some point and the clear has yellowed a bit. Looks like I've got my work cut out for me to make the paint look up to my expectations, or an opportunity to repaint the whole car in Techno.

[0-60motorsports]

I vote techno!!!

[inlinesix123]

///Mthusiast thanks for the progress pictures, the progress is astonishing.
I have 2 questions
1. What floor lift is that? I want to get one, but i don't want to commit to a full sized one due to me moving in the next 13-14 months.
2. Are you located in GA by any chance?
PS: Technoviolet is amazing, but a pain to paint
Good luck further!

[///Mthusiast]

Alright...tell me your thoughts on something for the interior. I don't think I've ever seen someone make a grey interior look good, so i'm thinking I might want to give it a shot.

-reupholster grey door panel centers with "grey hurricane cloth"
-reupholster rear grey seat centers with the matching cloth
- black cloth recaro pole positions and reupholster centers with matching cloth
-black carpet
- red seat belts
-wrap trim in black alcantara
-parcel shelf, pillars, headliner in black alcantara
-csl console
-black alcantara steering wheel with red 12 o'clock stripe, red and grey stitching.

https://relicate.com/products/m-hurricane-fabric-gray?variant=37392253059251

[inlinesix123]

Let me know how this goes, I also want to convert my black interior to M-Texture. I've heard good things about ascfabrics, what made you consider relicate?
Also, CSL console looks really good, but IMHO it's very impractical.
I've heard great things about https://cobywheel.com/e46-m-sport-6-...ing-wheel.html. Some guys locally here in GA have used it for their e36's.
https://www.instagram.com/myairbags/ I believe they still do seatbelts and I've heard nothing but great things about them. https://www.instagram.com/myairbags/
Good luck

EDIT: Black carpet is a must, gray looks bad even in gray interiors.

[///Mthusiast]

inlinesix123 completely agree with the black carpets. I used Relicate for some projects in the past, such as their M-cross reproduction in my last build. It was quality material that looked OEM, so I'm going to use them again. I just ordered a few samples to play around with and will hopefully be heading in one direction soon. I've already spoken to the guy at Coby, but it seems that some of the options are a bit limited with what I want. If he can do what I am wanting, his prices are good and I'll happily send it his way but we will see. I love the CSL console, and always wanted to do one. There's no talking me out of that mod. However, a CSL cup holder will be a must.... I like my coffee.

[inlinesix123]

Do you have any excellent people that reupholster seats/panels to make them OEM?
I actually did not know there is a cup holder for the CSL console. This makes it a very sweet upgrade