Robs E46M Rosso Corsa Street Build

[robgill]

Knocked out some engine bay and bumper items this weekend. First got the airbox off for hopefully the last time. Double checked all of the electrical connections and sensors that are hard to get to when its on. Also gave the idle control valve a quick clean and tidied up some wiring. With it ready to go back on I installed the M Power decal and gave it a ceramic coat:


Reinstalled it using new OE hose clams and then got to work on the snorkel. I will not be running a flapper so I'm going to blank off the secondary inlet under the snorkel with a black vinyl cap. For the primary inlet from the bumper I trimmed the OE pipe then connected it to the snorkel with a piece of piping:


Some addition items I had to take care of before final bumper mounting included the windshield washer reservoir. I have deleted the headlight washers so to disable that pump and keep from getting a dash light I shorted that wire and coded them out:


For the bumper I gave it a final polish off the car and installed a new lower grill. I've decided to clear bra the bumper, headlight, and lower headlight trim and will do that on car.


Re-attached the bumper foam that always falls off... Stuck them on with 3M tape this time and hopefully that will hold better:


For the side mount I decided to give some 3D printed E46 BMW Upgraded Front Bumper Mounts from Trinity Graphics a try. They are beefier and have more adjustability. They also have a set screw that locks the bumper location in place:



Unfortunately I couldn't find the new front bumper seal I'm pretty sure I ordered so have to wait for another on to come in to complete the bumper. Should be this week. Then on to the interior!

[RoyalFlushness]

Very nice Project. The Ferrari color code mixed with the light interior gives this such a unique Italian / German inspired look.

[robgill]

Very nice Project. The Ferrari color code mixed with the light interior gives this such a unique Italian / German inspired look.

Thanks thats the goal!

[robgill]

Nice long weekend so was hoping to make some serious progress. Unfortunately it's slow going as most if the stuff left is fiddly and tedious. Also spend a lot of time hunting around in my garage for parts I purchased a year ago! First goal for the weekend was to get the car far enough along for an alignment. Step one was getting the rear bumper on for the last time. Also used Trinity Graphics mounts in the back. Spent a lot of time getting it lined up perfectly:



I also got all of the fender liners cleaned up and reinstalled. Last item before the alignment was to take a guess at the ride height. I decided to go with 13.5" from fender to center of wheel cap. I know this is going to need adjusting after I get the new tires on. The current tires are 265/30/19 and I want a taller tire for a better road ride and wheel protection. I have broken two wheels on pot holes with the 30 size. I debated going 255/35 or 265/35. Went with 265/35/19 PS4S from Tirerack. They arrived on Friday so headed over to my local Bronx installers National Discount Tire. On the rack with new rubber!



We got 1.8 camber in the rear and 2.3 in the front. With a 10mm spacer in the rear it is almost a perfect fit. There is a little bit of rub so I'm going to try a 7.5mm spacer. Unfortunately the tire front is just too big... It rubs on the fender liner. I like running s square setup but to make this perfect I'm going to need a different size tire in the front. Either a 255/35 or a 245/40. Need to do some measuring... The good news is that the car finally feels good on the road with the toe correct.

[ClevoCapri]

Looks so good Rob!

[BMWahba]

I'm jelly

[enjoy_m3]

Awesome build! Did the front bumper brackets work out well? I'd like to align my bumpers properly and I think these might help.

[robgill]

Looks so good Rob!

I'm jelly

Thanks!

Awesome build! Did the front bumper brackets work out well? I'd like to align my bumpers properly and I think these might help.

Yeah also used the fronts. They are a beefier than the stock ones for a more precise fit. They also have a set screw you can use to lock the bumper position in. I ended up not using the screw as mine lined up really well; but its a nice feature.

I really struggled with bumper alignment issues on my other E46 M3 and it ended up being the interference between the lower grill opening and the bumper carrier. There are some tabs that need to go below the bumper cover but they tend to naturally slide on above.

[robgill]

Made some progress on the interior yesterday. Started by getting the new OE headliner installed. First some new insulation and some wiring clean up. I also decided not to install the alarm dome in the center of the headliner.



Headliner and pillars installed. Such a hassle!



Next was the door cards. Also a huge hassle. Hopefully never have to take these off again 😐. That said soooo satisfying to see these in place.





Next up is a final vacuum and shampoo of the carpet and getting the seats installed!

[robgill]

Took a break from the interior and swapped the TE37s on and damn they look good. Might have to make these the primary wheels for this car.



Also got the CSL roof trim installed for the final time. Love the contrast between the red paint and carbon fiber:

[r4dr]

Those TE37s look incredible. What are their specs?

[robgill]

Those TE37s look incredible. What are their specs?

They are 18x9.5 et 22 with 265/35 PS4S. I have a 7.5mm spacer on the rear. 18s are the way to go. I love the look of the 19 CSLs but with a 265/30 tire they ride very harsh and a 35 tire is too big.

[Exclusivs]

TEs are it! Great progress! What did you find best way to get the headliner out of the car? And back in? Can it slide out with the rear seats down?


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[robgill]

TEs are it! Great progress! What did you find best way to get the headliner out of the car? And back in? Can it slide out with the rear seats down?

Best to just take the seats out. The headliner squeezes through the door frame and it would be a lot harder with the seats in. Really not much that actually holds the liner in, just a couple of accessories and a plug in the back!

[ZHPizza]

+ it's pretty easy to maneuver with both front seats removed. They're so easy to pop out it's really not worth trying with them in and risking damage.

Car is looking fantastic btw. Two questions:

- what did you use to insulate the roof? I've been looking into melamine foam to keep the weight at a minimum. Couldn't tell if that's what I was seeing there.

- are the side mirrors staying black?