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BGExpress’s LSB E46 M3

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    BGExpress’s LSB E46 M3

    Hello all,
    This is my second E46 m3, my first was a 2005 mystic blue smg that I daily drove for around 2 years. I’ve also owned a few other M3s - 1995, 2008 (6 speed), 2011 (DCT). I started a new job last year that required a truck (1999 land cruiser) and my e90 m3 just sat a lot more than I liked, it was just too “daily driver” to keep as a 3rd car and I sold it around June of 2020.

    Of course the itch for something fast struck soon after and I had been keeping an eye out ever since. I found this 6 speed LSB e46 a few weeks ago, it was traded in at a Ford dealer across the country and I bought it as-is, sight unseen (minus a few pictures). It arrived this evening covered in dust and grime from its journey across the country. Drove nicely back to the house. Will be documenting it’s rejuvenation here, look forward to seeing everyone else’s cars and learning from you all!

    #2
    Nice car. Traded in a Ford dealership? Wow. Of all places.

    Comment


      #3
      Originally posted by James31 View Post
      Nice car. Traded in a Ford dealership? Wow. Of all places.
      Barely believed it when I saw it.


      Was able to get to a few things today:

      The car had 141k miles, 3 owners with no accidents reported to carfax.

      I had the car cleaned this morning after it’s cross country journey on an open truck, it needs a paint correction, I scheduled that for next week. I also replaced some parts that I ordered prior to its arrival. To my surprise it has an active Autowerkes rear section and a KN intake. The car was also already wired for a radar detector so I was able to mount my uniden right away. More to come!

      Done today:
      Quick wash and vacuum
      OEM windshield wipers
      OEM A-Pillar Trim
      Trunk emblems
      ZHP shift knob (waiting on shift boot)
      Removed all exterior stickers/decals from the previous owner
      Removed the zip tied on front plate
      Ordered new steering wheel emblem and window switch
      Ordered new steering wheel









      Comment


        #4
        Nice pickup. Looks like its going to be a fun project!

        Comment


          #5
          Made some more progress today

          New headlight lenses installed



          Removed the crappy angel eyes



          Added a cca badge, new headlight lenses looking good! Also installed new fogs



          Swapped the broken window buttons out



          Cleaned and conditioned all of the leather





          Swapped the weird blue interior lights for fresh 5000k bulbs



          Dash trim was loose... I wonder why. Fresh clips installed.



          Swapped the hood vent and windshield cowl, cleaned everything up while it was out.




          All the high quality parts I removed this week




          Comment


            #6
            Changed the oil today at a friends shop and was able to look over the underside of the car, CPV is leaking and the diff needs to be resealed but everything else looks clean. No subframe cracks, no weird vanos noises. My buddy who owns the shop and builds spec e46s thinks it has an aftermarket flywheel in it after driving it - feels good! Going to start with the CPV, diff and full cooling system before moving to vanos and rod bearings but was happy there was nothing catastrophic needing immediate attention. Will probably do a front strut bar and sway bar to start with for mods and then move to the rest of the suspension rubber/shocks.

            Got behind the wheel for an hour or so afterward and enjoyed the car. The s54 sings! Can’t wait to get it fully dialed.

            Comment


              #7
              Trying to decide on wheels .. all opinions welcome! Instagram is lsb.m3 if you prefer to vote there

              Last edited by Bgexpress; 02-10-2021, 02:46 PM.

              Comment


                #8
                Dropped the car off for a major detail.. paint correction, ceramic coating, rubber trim restoration, wheel refinishing, rock chip repair. Will post updates when it returns! Made one minor change before it left.

                Edit: I also placed a deposit on new wheels, will be waiting 4-6 months for their arrival though

                Comment


                  #9
                  As an absolute Rays wheels fan, my vote is Volk TE37 Saga's! My car had a similar amount of "high quality parts" on it when I got it as well. It's amazing how much better the car looks with fresh badges, trim pieces, a good wash and leather treatment. Your car is beautiful, crazy you found it at a Ford dealer - my old e60m5 6MT in a rare color combo I also found at a Ford dealer. I flew out and drove it home.
                  E46 324i k24/dct/turbo Build Thread
                  Phoenix Yellow e46m3 Build Thread
                  Melbourne Red e93m3

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by liam821 View Post
                    As an absolute Rays wheels fan, my vote is Volk TE37 Saga's! My car had a similar amount of "high quality parts" on it when I got it as well. It's amazing how much better the car looks with fresh badges, trim pieces, a good wash and leather treatment. Your car is beautiful, crazy you found it at a Ford dealer - my old e60m5 6MT in a rare color combo I also found at a Ford dealer. I flew out and drove it home.
                    I ended up going for te37sl in formula silver but the 4-6 month wait is going to kill me! Hopefully I can breathe even more life back into her, I see a lot of potential in this one and might be a long term car for me. Love the Phoenix yellow, awesome color too!

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Originally posted by Bgexpress View Post

                      I ended up going for te37sl in formula silver but the 4-6 month wait is going to kill me! Hopefully I can breathe even more life back into her, I see a lot of potential in this one and might be a long term car for me. Love the Phoenix yellow, awesome color too!
                      Amazing! That's going to look really good. Yeah, the wait sucks. System Motorsports seems to have a fairly good collection of wheels in-stock at anytime, but if you want something specific you just gotta wait. I ordered a set of Rays Gram Lights awhile ago which finnaallyyy shipped to me yesterday, I get them on Saturday.

                      Here is System Motorsports in-stock link. Big props to Honda for making the Civic Type-R have the same bolt pattern as the e46, really opens up the jdm wheel options!
                      https://www.systemmotorsports.com/co...in-stock-5x120
                      E46 324i k24/dct/turbo Build Thread
                      Phoenix Yellow e46m3 Build Thread
                      Melbourne Red e93m3

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Originally posted by liam821 View Post

                        Amazing! That's going to look really good. Yeah, the wait sucks. System Motorsports seems to have a fairly good collection of wheels in-stock at anytime, but if you want something specific you just gotta wait. I ordered a set of Rays Gram Lights awhile ago which finnaallyyy shipped to me yesterday, I get them on Saturday.

                        Here is System Motorsports in-stock link. Big props to Honda for making the Civic Type-R have the same bolt pattern as the e46, really opens up the jdm wheel options!
                        https://www.systemmotorsports.com/co...in-stock-5x120
                        Funny enough, that’s where I ordered from! Do the CTR wheels bolt right up? I order a really aggressive set at 18x9.5+22 but the concave 18x9.5+38 they have might work really nicely.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Originally posted by Bgexpress View Post

                          Funny enough, that’s where I ordered from! Do the CTR wheels bolt right up? I order a really aggressive set at 18x9.5+22 but the concave 18x9.5+38 they have might work really nicely.
                          CTR wheels bolt up, same bolt pattern. Most 18" CTR wheels are 18x9.5 +38, which bolt up perfectly with a 10-15mm spacer in the back, and a 5-8mm spacer in the front - use a bigger or smaller spacer depending on how much poke you want, tire size, ride height etc.

                          The Rays I ordered are CTR spec 18x.9.5 +38s because I didn't want to wait the 6 months. Your +22s will be excellent and you won't have to run a spacer, plus that concave!
                          E46 324i k24/dct/turbo Build Thread
                          Phoenix Yellow e46m3 Build Thread
                          Melbourne Red e93m3

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Paint correction coming along nicely... check LSB.M3 on Instagram for the video
                            Last edited by Bgexpress; 02-10-2021, 02:44 PM.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Paint correction looks proper on the gram. Pictures don't do an aggressive square BBS RIA setup justice in photos. Look nuts in person. Thats my vote for to be a bit different. Get Slicer to hook you up

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