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The E46 330ci Track Car Build Thread

32K views 381 replies 65 participants last post by  Mr. Bigglesworth 
#1 ·
So, This post made my @westopher had me thinking. Am I doing the right thing?

I was bequeefed (sic) this car from my departed brother, Kenny (also known as Chip) in 2012. At the time it wasn't my first choice of car, but it was a clean example that was reasonably well cared for. That was until he got a little too sick to be able to drive. Then it just sat. For a while. I moved to NYC, and then ended up moving around every year. It became less than sensible to street park an aging BMW with no tools, nowhere to work on it, and needing to switch parking spots twice a week. Then it sat some more.

I've been through a lot with this car. It's scared me when it randomly shut off on the Deegan in the Bronx, it's made me smile with how smooth the engine effortlessly builds revs. I've thought about selling it a million times, thought about its potential, scooted it up to Connecticut to store for a year, accidentally backed into it, worked on it, broken things on it, moved myself to and from several apartments with it, and its gotten me to and from job interviews, work, weddings, etc.

Now living in Baltimore, it's the kind of car that gets respectful nods from the squeegee kids sitting out on Pratt street, but also doesn't look out of place rolling through fancy parts of DC and Annapolis. Without turning this into a sappy love story, I f**kin love this car. It's so good. IMO it's the sweet spot between refined analog machine and enough tech to make it comfortable and feel modern. Even if it's an automatic...it's just such a good thing.

But all good things must come to an end, right? I love the car, this is obvious, but I'm an enthusiast. Like you, I need more.

For a few years now I've just thought to myself "hey...LS swap the thing and be done with it" which all sounds good and is easy to say. But after giving it a lot of thought and knowing that I now have a reliable and fair specialized BMW mechanic less than a mile away...I'm wondering if maybe I should stick with the M54 motor.

This means I would be able to do more with the money, and most of it would need to be done anyway (strip the chassis and address any and all corrosion, POR-15 the **** out of everything, recoat, etc.) Basically without even touching the drivetrain, interior, or exterior I'd be tackling pretty much everything in this video:




Before you ask "what do you want the car to do?" I want it to go fast and I wanna have fun. It'll be a street legal car that I take to the track that retains most if not all factory creature comforts. I want it to be balanced but also make people laugh and maybe scared a little bit. I want the car to last forever.

Spec E46 suspension kits are $5k. Manual transmissions are abounds. I keep thinking about how nice it would be to have a built NA straight 6 that IMO sounds better than the S54, and kinda keeps the spirit of the car alive. But then I get swayed by thinking about doing huge burnouts and having something absurd to play around with.

What say you TCL? Big honkin Chebby V8? Or buttery smooth straight 6 with cams, full exhaust, head work etc.? Let's argue.

Car Wheel Vehicle Tire Grille



TL;DR - LS Swap or no?
 
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#5 · (Edited)
Sooo I've spent a lot of time reading about how to squeeze power out of the M54. The winning combo seems to be an M50 intake manifold with port matching, catless headers, and cams. But you're still not looking at that much power. Sub 300. That being said, how much power do you really need? I have no problem keeping pace on a mountain road in my even slower 325, it lacks a little on the track but you're already ~35hp up from where I'm at. The chassis is the shining point for this car, and the M54 is actually quite reliable, and does sound quite nice IMO.

What I would do is whatever suspension mods you already have plans for, a limited slip diff (I'm very happy with my diffsonline unit), a ZHP steering rack (the yellow tag 712 rack. one of my favorite things I've done to my car, if not my favorite), and then the basic motor bolt ons listed above. Also maybe a BBK for the front, I've read that 330 rears are generally adequate for track use but you'd likely want a little more stopping power. At least it's not the pathetic discs I have on my 325.
 
#44 ·
Sooo I've spent a lot of time reading about how to squeeze power out of the M54. The winning combo seems to be an M50 intake manifold with port matching, catless headers, and cams. But you're still not looking at that much power. Sub 300. That being said, how much power do you really need? I have no problem keeping pace on a mountain road in my even slower 325, it lacks a little on the track but you're already ~35hp up from where I'm at. The chassis is the shining point for this car, and the M54 is actually quite reliable, and does sound quite nice IMO.

What I would do is whatever suspension mods you already have plans for, a limited slip diff (I'm very happy with my diffsonline unit), a ZHP steering rack (the yellow tag 712 rack. one of my favorite things I've done to my car, if not my favorite), and then the basic motor bolt ons listed above. Also maybe a BBK for the front, I've read that 330 rears are generally adequate for track use but you'd likely want a little more stopping power. At least it's not the pathetic discs I have on my 325.
Thanks for this. I've looked up some 712 racks and they're still affordable, and I'm all about upgrading brakes too.


Anyways, as far as power goes if you want any appreciable power increase, an S/C is really the only answer. But, i don't think this car needs that type of power. The stock M54 never left me wishing I had more power quite frankly. I did have dreams of doing a full N/A build to make a beautiful screamer though. Maybe get it somewhere in the realm of 250-300WHP N/A; that to me is perfect. That said, I'm not a fan of swaps, and i think if you want to go LS you're better off just buying a car with one in it already.

Sounds like you have some attachment to the vehicle as well, this makes it all the more worth it to make it a revived e46, not into some Frankenstein, and hold on to it. In the long term, a clean example with a warmed over I6 is going to get the looks, not an LS.

My vote is thus warm over the I6, and keep for a long time. I think eventually the E46 will be sought after similarly to the E30, whereas I think for the E36 and E92 gens, it will only be the M cars that keep peoples interest. And if it isnt, you still have a wonderful driver's car that was built in an era where tech had creeped into improve cars and add safety, but not yet taken over and isolated the driver.
Lots and lots of attachment to this car. As I said my brother owned it for a few years and he basically gave it to me because it knew I would take care of it. And here we are. The car is currently in the shop getting a bunch of small stuff (and a couple of big things) that I can't do myself done.

I've already addressed the cooling system, suspension was refreshed with stock Bilsteins a couple years back, and I'm currently replacing the window seals (3/4 windows done) and windshield cowl (done).

The dash cams require having the headliner dropped, and there are already new B and C pillar covers waiting in the car. I'm having them toss the old ones and replace with new ones. I have black M3 sport seats, steering wheel, and aluminum dash trim and door handles inside.


@TheDarkEnergist
I’m big on emotional connections to cars, so I say if you can justify it, keep it. You seem to care about it.
I think the quest for monster power is a great way to win a dick swinging contest on FB, but there is something to be said for cars with usable power. My personal opinion is over 350hp for the street gets a bit pointless. I’d rather wring out my weak ass 4 banger on a back road any day. Manuel and some suspension work with the right tires is going to do wonders for your car. If you do that, and it’s still not scratching the itch you can move onto the power or maybe another car, and I’d bet most of the money you spent, if you wrench yourself anyways, will be gotten out of your selling price and desirability of the car on the current market.
I'll absolutely be keeping it, 100%. Forever. That's the point in making this project something reasonable and maintainable. My reasoning behind the LS swap was mostly the aftermarket support and ease of adding power.

But you do make good points. Growing up I could only think of having a 500hp car for the street, but now that I'm on the street all the time, I just want something with enough power to get out of its own way and then some.


If this is your only car and you live in downtown Baltimore, I'm not sure I'd want anything particularly nice or anything that brings attention to what I'm driving. Also, if this is a daily driver, I'm not sure I'd want a suspension setup from any spec racing series--unless you're planning to race/track it. I'd probably go with some type of low boost FI kit and catback setup for basic street driving.

The use case for the car is really big consideration of the best direction to go, IMO.
Probably should've mentioned this but this is my only car for now. My fiance and I are planning on getting either a Bronco in a year, or something else depending on availability. THAT car will pull daily duty, freeing this car up for work that needs to be done.

And the use case is basically a street legal car that I track whenever I can. My fiance is pretty good with letting me have my hobbies that get me out of the house, so I do think I'd actually be able to make good on the promise of wringing it out in the right (safest) place.




I would LS it. I had a 330Ci, mine was an 01. It was fun, but... I have a buddy that has an E46 wagon with a turbo'd LS. It's ****ing absurd, in all the best ways. It is an absolute blast to drive. Wanna putt it around, no worries at all, thing is super driveable. Want to do a burnout the length of a football field, yes... Even a non turbo version would be a hoot.

LS it. Who cares if it's been done to death, you tryin to win a unique guy car show or are you trying to have a blast with your car?

Definitely the latter. I don't do anything to please anyone else, so I don't think I'd be disappointed either way. The real question is which road would lead to the least amount of headaches and down time when things break.


Another vote for just keeping it well maintained, an ageing E46 should have plently of things to keep you busy, like peeling a-pillars and rotting bushings. I even like the stock exhaust on the E46 330i's, its got a nice growl to it so I probably wouldn't swap it out. If I were to mod anything, I would put some Ohlins R&T coilovers on, they're daily-friendly coilovers that are pretty well reviewed. I wouldn't go too low though, I'm from that part of the world and Baltimore streets are not exactly smooth.

Also, I may be mistaken, but doesn't the LS swap in the E46s have some weird stuff that's needed, like a hydroboost brake conversion because the master cylinder doesn't fit?
Haha, yeah man. There is no lack of things to fix on this car. I honestly really like the way the motor sounds too. The AFE intake I have gives it some awesome induction sound and it's got a really clean rev.

I definitely plan on building and refreshing 'the car' as a whole before I start really messing with the engine stuff, but once I do, there are some pretty impressive LS swap kits available with some really well-made looking parts.

Please don't take this the wrong way, but if being near a good mechanic might influence your decision, and you want the car to last forever, I don't think you want this to be an LS swapped BMW. It obviously can be done but it's not the kind of thing that's going to yield an, erm, OEM+ result.
I don't think anything you said is out of line. This guy near me truly is the real deal and he's commented several times on how nice the car is and how he appreciates customers that take care of their stuff. That does come into play when I don't have a lift or a garage.

That's really what's been keeping me from going all-out on this thing. It's not a 325, or a beater E36. Even the mods I have done have been thoughtfully researched and almost all the parts are OEM. It's yielded some solid results so far.

The problem is that that's not street/track, it's full on racecar. Something like 800lb springs and damping that's set up for a car weighing hundreds of pounds less. On the street the car would neither ride nor drive right. You'd likely be much happier with something like KWs, or ideally, Ohlins. Camber plates I also would not mess with unless you're getting weird tire wear at the track.

Another point, the rear subframe/chassis is liable to crack on these with hard use, it may already have. It can be welded and various companies make reinforcement kits.
Really appreciate your posts here. Subframe bushings are actually part of what the car is in the shop for now. I'm having them diagnosed to make sure they're ok. If they're not, I'll be addressing that before anything else, honestly. Bushings, reinforcement plates, and of course arrest any corrosion before any of that's done.

Also checked out the R&T Ohlins setup and it's much cheaper than the spec setup so, that's a win.

Not to mention there's companies like Wiring Specialties that make plug and play wiring harnesses. Here's one for an LS3 but they have other options. I'm still team M54, keep it simple, but if OP wants to go LS it's good to know about these types of kits
Yep, I've been in casual contact with Vorschlag Tuning who, according to who I spoke to are still making LS Swap kits, and mentioned it's one of their strongest lines of business currently.

Something super important that's not engine related and hasn't been brought up. The way the rear trailing arms are designed, there is slight change in toe when the suspension compresses. This means your alignment will be changing mid corner. This can be fixed with a spherical bearing in place of the rear trailing arm bushing. Poly bushings tend to bind and don't really fix the problem. Since you mentioned tracking the car, this is a must do upgrade. It's likely a part of the spec E46 package but others have suggested good reasons not to go that route, so if you end up piecing together your own suspension package include this.
Great point, and thank you. This kind of stuff has definitely been on my mind as I'm a little paranoid about the subframe bushings. The last thing I wanna do is be one of those guys that throws power at a chassis that isn't ready for it. I've also had too much toe start to eat diffs in previous cars and this is one of those random tidbits you don't learn with some casual digging.
 
#23 ·
I would LS it. I had a 330Ci, mine was an 01. It was fun, but... I have a buddy that has an E46 wagon with a turbo'd LS. It's ****ing absurd, in all the best ways. It is an absolute blast to drive. Wanna putt it around, no worries at all, thing is super driveable. Want to do a burnout the length of a football field, yes... Even a non turbo version would be a hoot.

LS it. Who cares if it's been done to death, you tryin to win a unique guy car show or are you trying to have a blast with your car?
 
#27 · (Edited)
Eh... I just did an LS swap on one of my dad's cars and he didn't spend near that much. Changed, trans, motor, management and a bunch of odds and ends to make it fit right. I think all in we did it for about 5500. Trick is, just do the 5.3 put a good set of heads and a cam in it and it will make over 400 at the wheels. You can find 5.3's all day long for $1000 - $1200. Look for an LM7. We got my dad's for about $600 out of a bone yard.
 
#38 ·
Something super important that's not engine related and hasn't been brought up. The way the rear trailing arms are designed, there is slight change in toe when the suspension compresses. This means your alignment will be changing mid corner. This can be fixed with a spherical bearing in place of the rear trailing arm bushing. Poly bushings tend to bind and don't really fix the problem. Since you mentioned tracking the car, this is a must do upgrade. It's likely a part of the spec E46 package but others have suggested good reasons not to go that route, so if you end up piecing together your own suspension package include this.
 
#111 ·
UPDATE:

Scraping my tongue of the taste left in my mouth by this bad experience and moving on - I found a promising shop about 30 mins East of me. I took the car to Primecare Auto in Dundalk. Siwan is the owner and met with me and went on a test drive. He asked "on clear day without any cops or traffic, what's about the fastest you'll go comfortably?" and I responded 105-110.

He proceeded to go 120 (we were on 95 and it was empty) and bring it back down to legal speed quickly just to test everything. He gave me a medium length list of mostly minor things and thank goodness was impressed with the condition of the car. Good news headline is the last guy told me I needed a new oil pan and this guy told me no, I just need the gasket.

As I suspected, there's just so many bushings that need to be replaced. The list is basically:

Rear trailing arm bushings
Diff bushings
All 4 shocks and associated bushings and hardware. They're not blown, but they're oldish and it'll transform the feel of the car for sure (I'm looking into coilovers and to just do one and done) bump stops out back need to be replaced too.
Guibo
Brake lines (I'll grab an upgraded set from ECS)
Fuel filter and lines
Swaybar end links all around
Pinion and half-shaft seals
New jack pad
Brake calipers need to be removed and cleaned up

I also have:

A pinhole exhaust leak near the muffler, and badly corroded front exhaust studs and nuts. The studs are somewhat of a priority as the exhaust needs to be dropped for a good amount of the work I want done. I have a small collapsed vacuum line near the starter that seemed impossible to find but he spotted it. I misdiagnosed this as an electrical problem because the car would randomly just shut off in traffic. I'm really relieved this is just a line that can be R&R'd.

All in all, I'm pretty relieved that he gave the car a pretty good list but none of it is major or urgent. Time to save up, because a lot of the stuff that needs to be replaced will be upgraded.

Some of the cars around the shop:

Wheel Tire Car Land vehicle Vehicle

Wheel Car Tire Land vehicle Vehicle

Car Tire Wheel Cloud Vehicle

Car Automotive parking light Land vehicle Tire Wheel

Hood Motor vehicle Automotive design Mode of transport Automotive exterior
 
#160 ·
Small update/wins:

Flipped a pair of OEM LED tails last weekend for a nice little profit, and I have a pending sale on the driveshaft that won't fit my car. I think I may have found a new side hustle. I have a fairly good eye for parts that are still usable.

Tracking number for the new driveshaft that WILL fit my car should be arriving today. I'm also trying to secure an electric fan for the raahdiatah. The mechanical/clutch fan is unreliable, loud, bulky, and requires special tools (that I don't have and refuse to buy) to remove. I'll be making the conversion during my next oil change.

Small wins:
I'll update with pics tomorrow, but the interior has all but fully recovered from the dashcam debacle. I managed to get the new A-pillar cover on the passenger side installed, and I replaced the 3rd brake light cover and alarm sensor cover as well. She's looking all right inside.

Don't smoke cigarettes in cars. Also, sunroofs are magnets for crap:
White Light Automotive exterior Bumper Gas


This is the alarm sensor cover.



One step closer to shadow line:
Car Wheel Vehicle Tire Window

Car Wheel Tire Land vehicle Vehicle


I photoshopped the goal. I think I still like it:
Car Automotive parking light Wheel Land vehicle Tire


Next up: my trunk lid handle has been barely hanging on for years. I found an Orient Blue coupe at the pick & pull and grabbed a nice new one off that. Little did I know that the structure of the handle is the same width, but the actual painted body panel on the 2004 coupes is like 6 inches wider than the 2001 coupes.

Automotive lighting Hood Grille Motor vehicle Vehicle



Since I try to save every penny I didn't get the warranty, so no returns. The OEM paint matched version of this is about $200. This was $6.

I love a project, so, presto separato (because clips):
Table Wood Rectangle Floor Flooring


New structure fits nice and tight:
Vehicle registration plate Automotive tail & brake light Car Grille Vehicle


Old piece was...wow. I patted myself on the back for undoing this without completely shattering it:

Wood Hardwood Electric blue Varnish Insect


BMW used glue. Lots of it. Thick globs of it. This car has nuclear grade adhesives wherever adhesives are used. Because of that...I will not feel bad about gluing the old piece over the new structure. There are tabs, but they weren't really doing anything and amazingly did not shatter either. This should hold up. Economical, OEM, and kept me busy.
 
#161 ·
Small update/wins:

Flipped a pair of OEM LED tails last weekend for a nice little profit, and I have a pending sale on the driveshaft that won't fit my car. I think I may have found a new side hustle. I have a fairly good eye for parts that are still usable.

Tracking number for the new driveshaft that WILL fit my car should be arriving today. I'm also trying to secure an electric fan for the raahdiatah. The mechanical/clutch fan is unreliable, loud, bulky, and requires special tools (that I don't have and refuse to buy) to remove. I'll be making the conversion during my next oil change.

Small wins:
I'll update with pics tomorrow, but the interior has all but fully recovered from the dashcam debacle. I managed to get the new A-pillar cover on the passenger side installed, and I replaced the 3rd brake light cover and alarm sensor cover as well. She's looking all right inside.

Don't smoke cigarettes in cars. Also, sunroofs are magnets for crap:
View attachment 158182

This is the alarm sensor cover.



One step closer to shadow line:
View attachment 158175
View attachment 158176

I photoshopped the goal. I think I still like it:
View attachment 158177

Next up: my trunk lid handle has been barely hanging on for years. I found an Orient Blue coupe at the pick & pull and grabbed a nice new one off that. Little did I know that the structure of the handle is the same width, but the actual painted body panel on the 2004 coupes is like 6 inches wider than the 2001 coupes.

View attachment 158178


Since I try to save every penny I didn't get the warranty, so no returns. The OEM paint matched version of this is about $200. This was $6.

I love a project, so, presto separato (because clips):
View attachment 158179

New structure fits nice and tight:
View attachment 158180

Old piece was...wow. I patted myself on the back for undoing this without completely shattering it:

View attachment 158181

BMW used glue. Lots of it. Thick globs of it. This car has nuclear grade adhesives wherever adhesives are used. Because of that...I will not feel bad about gluing the old piece over the new structure. There are tabs, but they weren't really doing anything and amazingly did not shatter either. This should hold up. Economical, OEM, and kept me busy.
Wait until you want to try to fix some rust bubbles on a fender, cut out the metal, and then realize the car catches on fire if you try to weld because of all the **** they used between unibody and panels.

"Glue"

Thank you BMW. Though it does make the thing feel like a tank,

Awesome update man, look forward to all this stuff, happy to see you into the car again.
 
#223 · (Edited)
Ok so, we are nearing completion of parts-gathering for the intake side of the engine.

So far I have a new:

DISA valve
Intake/exhaust cam position sensors
Crank position sensor
Intake manifold gasket
lower intake boot (upper already replaced)
Fuel filter and lines
Turner 8oz baffled oil catch can
A whole mess of o-rings for injectors and the aforementioned sensors
A whole mess of new vacuum lines

I'm going to order a new starter soon, and then do all of this stuff at once.






Then...phew boy. It's time to laser focus on the manual swap. I still need a clutch and flywheel kit, a slave cylinder and hard line, and a buuuuuuuuuunch of random parts like rear main seal, gaskets, hardware, etc.

As everyone reading knows I'm trying to look as far ahead as possible, so I'm forgoing an OEM power steering refresh in favor of the Chase Bays kit.

Chase Bays Power Steering Kit - BMW E46 w/ M52TU and M54

For some reason these fittings seem to instill a bit more confidence than crush washers and rubber hoses that are apparently prone to internal delamination. No thanks.




It's expensive as hell, but nothing on this car is proving to be cheap, which is fine. I actually take a lot of pleasure in having people look over my car and the mods that I've done and say "wow that looks nice." Also since both of these kits (the catch can and PS system) are black anodized aluminum which should really clean up the engine bay.


Also, **** it! I bought front and rear StopTech SS brake lines.



 
#230 ·
I'm pretty tired today.

Friday:
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Saturday. Photos are a bit out of order but the giant hole in the firewall is where the air for the HVAC box comes in (the giant black plastic thing is the HVAC box)
Hood Automotive tire Motor vehicle Vehicle Automotive lighting

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The IHKA (HVAC) unit:
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Wood Font Art Tree Electric blue


My workspace. 1/4 mile from my apartment.
Automotive parking light Tire Wheel Car Vehicle


Hood Automotive lighting Motor vehicle Automotive design Vehicle
 

Attachments

#231 ·
With the IHKA box out, I took it back to my apartment to clean, disassemble and investigate.
Typewriter Office equipment Office supplies Gas Machine



This is the reason my AC wasn't working. Was such a relief to see this mess instead of everything looking clean

Wood Mesh Rectangle Gas Font

Floor Automotive design Urban design Flooring Wall


Heater and AC cores replaced, final stage resistor, and expansion valve. Carpets were last to come out, so they're the first to go in:
Motor vehicle Hood Automotive tire Automotive design Vehicle

Hood Motor vehicle Automotive design Automotive tire Automotive exterior


Hood Automotive tire Motor vehicle Bumper Automotive design


IHKA box back in, cabin filter housing cleaned and reinstalled, passenger airbag, curtain airbags, cluster, and fuse box reinstalled, black dashboard in.

Vehicle Car Motor vehicle Hood Steering wheel

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Me every couple of hours:

Glasses Chin Hairstyle Vision care Goggles
 
#256 ·
I forgot to mention something kinda funny.

The last time I went over to this guy (his name is Siwan) we were talking and he showed me some logo designs he had someone do for him. I could tell the artist was just starting out because a lot of the stuff looked like what I did when I first started. I told him I could help him out since that's what I do. No charge.

A couple weeks pass and I get the chance to throw together some options based on what he wanted. I told him I could piece together the rest of the BMW badge font alphabet so if he wanted his shop's name set in that he could. I sent him options saying "these are super rough, just to show direction. Let me know what your preference is from here and we can iterate."

I send him this:

Automotive parking light Land vehicle Vehicle Automotive lighting Motor vehicle



And 2 days later I'm on Instagram and he posts a story of the top version in a white decal on someone's car.

I guess that means he liked it.
 
#257 ·
With how easy digital media is to transfer, unless you yourself design or have a close friend/family member in that arena, most people have no appreciation. I myself didn't really get it until I caught back up with a childhood friend who is in the digital marketing/media space and we started swapping stories. he's now designing a memorial piece of my dad for me, which I'll have printed and framed, and then utilize as a basis for a tattoo.
 
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#368 ·
That is a name I have not seen in some time! Have not talked to Fraser in a few years, looks like a nicely sorted E36 he has there.
That car is badass. I have some more pics I can post of it once I'm back home.

That's a lot of work! Sucks about the fitment issues...why can't OEM stuff sound as good?!

I'm digging the door panels...were you going for "minimalism"? :LOL: But seriously, it's a clean look and appropriate for your mission.
If I was a rich girl, I'd buy all the Karbonius 2x2 weave door panels in the world, but these'll do. Mostly I like how they're super minimal but also functional. The window controls are in the center, so having a barebones door panel that also houses a handle and a tweeter seemed really cool. I'm gonna devise a strap mechanism similar to what's pictured since their stuff is NLA

Thanks for the info on Schmiedmann- I've seen those and thought "that's a great deal," but was wondering about fitment issues. You've confirmed my concerns.
Yup. It's not good. Sucks, but live and learn.

Wow. That looks great. This build really morphed into something nuts. Looking forward to the finished product. And I definitely want some vids to hear this thing sing.
I'm happy it looks so good too. I legitimately can't wait to hear how it sounds.

Wow I’m sorry to hear about the header fitment. The Active Autowerke headers I installed on the E46 were a perfect fit and bolted right up to the OEM exhaust, sucks to hear there are different experiences. Car is coming along beautifully, super excited for you to drive it when they’re done with it.
In hindsight, it likely would've been more efficient to splurge on the AA headers and do a Turner valved exhaust, but I guess if I were to look at things from a glass half full perspective (which is entirely out of my character) I'm glad that the exhaust hardware is all new. So...even if I end up going with something else in the future, I won't be wrestling corroded hardware.

OP, cool car build!

Do you have a class you race in, and if so, is there a minimum weight?
Thanks! No class just yet. This car hasn't ever seen the track but hopefully that'll change this year. I'm going to start with some skidpad time with my mechanic to get myself warmed up, and then eventually do HPDE stuff. From there...who knows. I truly don't think I can afford any wheel-to-wheel stuff, so I may just try to make this thing a barely street legal fun/track/weekend car. You all will be some of the first to know when there's progress in that area.
 
#11 ·
@TheDarkEnergist
I’m big on emotional connections to cars, so I say if you can justify it, keep it. You seem to care about it.
I think the quest for monster power is a great way to win a dick swinging contest on FB, but there is something to be said for cars with usable power. My personal opinion is over 350hp for the street gets a bit pointless. I’d rather wring out my weak ass 4 banger on a back road any day. Manuel and some suspension work with the right tires is going to do wonders for your car. If you do that, and it’s still not scratching the itch you can move onto the power or maybe another car, and I’d bet most of the money you spent, if you wrench yourself anyways, will be gotten out of your selling price and desirability of the car on the current market.
 
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#19 ·
I'm a big fan of well done swaps and have been a part of doing many over the years. The LS in this car would be as light, and have great balance due to being shorter than the I6 and thus sitting farther back. It would be at least as reliable as a BMW engine.

BUT... in this case the 3 liter 6 is a gem of an engine and with a few minor tweaks is about the best choice for the money. It would cost quite a bit to do the LS swap correctly and well. And would be apart far longer. My vote is to stay with the stock engine with a few tweaks. The engine in our ZHP was about the perfect balance of power in that car. 250 hp would be a really nice goal with the manual trans in there.
 
#28 ·
Another vote for just keeping it well maintained, an ageing E46 should have plently of things to keep you busy, like peeling a-pillars and rotting bushings. I even like the stock exhaust on the E46 330i's, its got a nice growl to it so I probably wouldn't swap it out. If I were to mod anything, I would put some Ohlins R&T coilovers on, they're daily-friendly coilovers that are pretty well reviewed. I wouldn't go too low though, I'm from that part of the world and Baltimore streets are not exactly smooth.

Also, I may be mistaken, but doesn't the LS swap in the E46s have some weird stuff that's needed, like a hydroboost brake conversion because the master cylinder doesn't fit?
 
#29 ·
For a few years now I've just thought to myself "hey...LS swap the thing and be done with it" which all sounds good and is easy to say. But after giving it a lot of thought and knowing that I now have a reliable and fair specialized BMW mechanic less than a mile away...I'm wondering if maybe I should stick with the M54 motor.
Please don't take this the wrong way, but if being near a good mechanic might influence your decision, and you want the car to last forever, I don't think you want this to be an LS swapped BMW. It obviously can be done but it's not the kind of thing that's going to yield an, erm, OEM+ result.

Before you ask "what do you want the car to do?" I want it to go fast and I wanna have fun. It'll be a street legal car that I take to the track that retains most if not all factory creature comforts. I want it to be balanced but also make people laugh and maybe scared a little bit. I want the car to last forever.
Thanks for this. So many people leave it open ended and then the replies just describe cars they would want. This is a reasonable build we can shoot for. Some thoughts:

Spec E46 suspension kits are $5k.
The problem is that that's not street/track, it's full on racecar. Something like 800lb springs and damping that's set up for a car weighing hundreds of pounds less. On the street the car would neither ride nor drive right. You'd likely be much happier with something like KWs, or ideally, Ohlins. Camber plates I also would not mess with unless you're getting weird tire wear at the track.

Manual transmissions are abounds.
Do it. There's plenty of guides for E46 M3 SMG conversions, it won't be exactly the same obviously but stuff like clutch pedal and mounting points and stuff will be a good reference for you.

I keep thinking about how nice it would be to have a built NA straight 6 that IMO sounds better than the S54, and kinda keeps the spirit of the car alive. But then I get swayed by thinking about doing huge burnouts and having something absurd to play around with.
If you want to LS swap something for all those smoky burnouts let it be a dedicated project car you don't have an emotional attachment too. Maybe a hooptie E36 you find cheap somewhere. S54 is the only logical swap I can think of here for street/track/longevity as the chassis and such were designed to accommodate it so it's mostly finding parts as opposed to making them.

Another point, the rear subframe/chassis is liable to crack on these with hard use, it may already have. It can be welded and various companies make reinforcement kits.
 
#30 ·
Please don't take this the wrong way, but if being near a good mechanic might influence your decision, and you want the car to last forever, I don't think you want this to be an LS swapped BMW. It obviously can be done but it's not the kind of thing that's going to yield an, erm, OEM+ result.
Disagree completely. Both on the reliability and the driver friendliness.
 
#31 ·
I'm in the Baltimore 'burbs (I can see the city skyline from my kitchen window) and take my car to the track, so let me know if you want to hit up any events next season.

I did an LS swap on my MkIV 1.8t GTI last year. Well, actually I sold the GTI and bought a C5 Z06, but whatever. That said, the I6 is the soul of a 3 series. I like the suggestions to refresh the car and improve it where you can.
 
#35 ·
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