rumatt's E46
 

Matt dropped off his E46 on Saturday with the goal of fixing everything that's wrong with it. This thread will serve to document that process.

This is a pretty special car for a few reasons. He's owned it since new, he took European delivery of it, it doesn't have a sunroof, and it's won an SCCA autocross national championship. Many of us have memories of this car back when it was younger. And when we were younger. I was surprised to see that it still had the double-adjustable Koni shocks, big front sway bar and Borla exhaust from back in the day.

The patient. Next to the usual patient. Aside from needing a front bumper, it is actually in excellent cosmetic condition on the outside. The paint is really quite nice.

http://i368.photobucket.com/albums/o...psyzfbcu2t.jpg

It may be in need of a little maintenance, though.

http://i368.photobucket.com/albums/o...ps0e2ihzcw.jpg

Oil leaks abound

http://i368.photobucket.com/albums/o...pshr4djyds.jpg

Leaking oil filter housings are common. I'm happy that the oil pan doesn't leak, nor does the front main seal!

http://i368.photobucket.com/albums/o...psuu262gth.jpg

Underneath the valve cover looks very clean.

http://i368.photobucket.com/albums/o...pstks46cnk.jpg

It could probably use new control arms and bushings.

http://i368.photobucket.com/albums/o...psbkxe4xed.jpg

I'll try to do a better job of photographing things as I go along.

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

Context: the car has 170k miles over 13.5 years.

Exterior: I obsessively applied Klass AIO and SG to the car every 6 months for about the first 3 years of ownership. I haven't washed it or waxed it since then. :speechle: I don't know how the paint is in good shape.

Maintenance: I did just about nothing other than oil changes. I attempted to change it every 6-7k miles using Mobile-1, but sometimes forgot and it was more like 8-9k. That cylinder head sure look cleaner than I was expecting. :music:



.

Wow. Neat! :)

Does anyone know where I can buy a leather e46 M3 steering wheel at a reasonable price? I recall buying one for $300 back in the day, and selling it to Bren's father once I discovered it was illegal for autox. Now I'm looking and they're $890 new. :shock:

I'm not seeing anything on ebay. I put a WTB on E46 fanatics.


EDIT: Bren does he still use it or can I buy it back? :bustingup

Nice!

BTW, I think you're the only other one here who raced this car.

If I tell him it's worth $900 he might sell it back to you. :lol:

When are you coming back to get the car? I might have to try and find some time to run out there....

I bought one in a bimmerfest group buy for around that. Loved it.

When I traded my E46, the one condition I had was to remove the M3 wheel and reinstall the stock one. I went back to the dealership the next day and they had the M3 wheel waiting for me, and I gave them the stock one :lol:

I think I sold it to someone here... anyone still have it and want to get it to another Matt?

:lol:

The return date might be a ways out given that I missed the winter when JV actually had free time. But I'll let you guys know, maybe we can do beers or something.

That could be fun. As I shamelessly invite myself.

I miss that wheel from my M3C. The M240 wheel is nicely shaped but very strange feeling alleged leather.

:thumbup:

I'll show up. I'm sure there are some bolts that I could neglect to tighten on that car. :)

And miserably designed radio control buttons, right? How is that progress?

I thought the buttons were weird at first when I got my F30, but now on the 5-series I think they are fine. I actually like the wheel and how I can scroll through presets, song tracks, address book, etc.

A reunion could be fun... I'm pretty free most of April and the early part of may...

I haven't really used the steering wheel buttons enough to form a thorough opinion yet. But I also like the little wheel/roller.

That's my job! I can also install control arm bushings incorrectly.

I was going to say.

Clearly, you will need to come to town for this TeamWTF?! reunion.

Clearly.

If restoring this car inspires a long overdue gathering of mudgeons, that makes it even more worth it (he says as he watches the parts bill grow larger and looks for ways to rationalize it :lol:)

PS we're totally crapping up JV's documentation thread. At some point we might have to bribe Clyde to split these posts out into a TeamWTF reunion thread.

That would be so un-Team WTF?!

So are you going to fix the bumper?

And JV, why didn't you powerwash the engine bay?!

Nice! When you're done with his e46, maybe my e46 could be next!

Me too.

Alex

This made me go back and look at some old pictures.

Alex

Whose were the 4 M3s? I don't even remember anymore

Me, Nick, Bren and Terry.

Alex

My father was at JV's house yesterday - he might have detailed it if the garage door had been open. :lol:

:wink2:

Love the M3 x 4 shot.

A) holy cow, blast from the past.

B) I love how Bren is supervising while we're all working. :lol:

C) Getting together to rip someone's car apart was fun. We should figure out how to do that more often.

Who says I haven't? :eeps:

The bumper will be fixed (by fixed, I mean replaced)

Nothing fell off after we were done though did it? ;)

:D

Clearly. That would be fun!

Heck, I was even there that day. I think. It's been a long time.

I remember Nick fighting those bushings.

And I will, of course, bring the official TeamWTF?! E30.

Edit: And the M3s were Alex / Terry / Bren / Terry's friend.

The rear trailing arm bushings were pretty much welded to the trailing arms. But the rubber isn't actually in terrible shape. It's definitely dried out.

http://i368.photobucket.com/albums/o...psahqdeazr.jpg

http://i368.photobucket.com/albums/o...psbvpqtsse.jpg

Wow. You got them out with that tool? That looks like it requires hazard pay!

That's pretty much why I stopped working on cars.

When it goes as planned it's fun. Then I end up staring at two parts that are fused together and not know what the fcuk to do.

I mean, I torched the trailing arm to warm it up first. But yes, they came out with the tool pretty easily.