M3_Tristan's Imola Red E46 M3 Build Journal

[m3_tristan]

This is a continuation of https://nam3forum.com/forums/forum/m...ola-red-e46-m3

IG: M3_Tristan

I sold my E90 M3 to get my dream spec E46 M3. RoyalFlushness's past M3 came up for sale and I had to jump on it. The car has pretty much stayed the same for the last couple of years with minor differences. I already have big plans for this car and will be uploading my progress here.

[RoyalFlushness]

Looking forward to see how you continue this thing along... I miss it

[m3_tristan]

Looking forward to see how you continue this thing along... I miss it

Big plans! We can definitely meet up this season.

[D-O]

It looks right at home in your spiffy garage!

[bigjae46]

I have an IR car...just amazed at how nice the paint on your car looks and how crappy mine is. lol

[m3_tristan]

As soon as I picked up the car from winter storage I got to work. Upon buying the car I noticed the clutch stop was missing. Grabbed one off ECS and no longer have an unnecessary long clutch travel. Found at the oem one snapped inside the threads.






Both the hood struts and trunk struts were shot, ask me how I know lol.

[m3_tristan]

To further clean up the interior, I bought some new interior parts to freshen up the already almost perfect interior.






New carpets are a must when buying a used car, gives it that new car feel.




My wife for Christmas bought me the oem alcantara shift boot. I paired it with a new m5 shift knob as the old one was shiny and worn.



Lastly, I designed and 3D printed a custom USB adapter that plugs into the flashlight port (based off a previous design someone posted). This paired with the rennline magsafe phone mount makes for a clean look. Had to replace all the trim clips as most were broken.

[0-60motorsports]

I think i need to give up and get the rennline mount too even though its expensive. Next sale i'll order one.

[m3_tristan]

I think i need to give up and get the rennline mount too even though it’s an expensive. Next sale i'll order one.

Definitely a must! Let me know if you need the usb adapter .

[0-60motorsports]

Definitely a must! Let me know if you need the usb adapter .

Thank brother! Any pics of how it fits and how did you wire it up?

[m3_tristan]

Thank brother! Any pics of how it fits and how did you wire it up?

You need two usb boards and the flashlight to use the two pins from it. It should look like this in the end.

[m3_tristan]

For my first exterior mod, I bought some bi xenon headlights to replace my xenon ones. I did this to upgrade the projector lens to zkwr since it only comes in 3". While doing that I upgraded the bulb to Osram Xenarc CBI Next Gen. This bulb paired with the zkwr lens is a big upgrade in light output. I also think these cars suit some period correct angel eyes. I decided to grab some Angel Eye Guy Standard Halos, super happy with how they came out. The harness wasn't to my standard so I wrapped the whole thing in tesa tape. Looks very oem and you can't even see it in the bay. While these headlights were in good condition, I replaced the gaskets, lenses, upper seal and paired with new clear corners. Everything oem of course. Couldn't forget to ppf them since my whole front end has ppf. I would say it makes the car look much cleaner with all those fresh parts. Since my car did not come with bi xenon from the factory, I did not have the plug for it. I 3D printed a block off plate for each one to ensure no water sits inside the empty plug.