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My 130i sold, so the fun begins... All driveline stuff removed, exhaust, driveshaft etc Fluids drained and front end removed Few extra ancillaries removed and it's just about ready to get yanked out. Still have to disconnect the ECU and wiring stuff but that should be easy. Love how easy the E46 comes apart

Rear subframe and trailing arms mostly sorted, bushes & bearings all pressed in. Solid aluminium subframe mounts from CMP Auto Engineering. Lemförder front diff bushes & Meyle HD rear diff bush. CMP trailing arm spherical ball joints. Lemförder ball joint top & bottoms. F.A.G. wheel bearings.

I have dreamed about building a 330Ti for years as a more daily alternative to my E46 M3. Ever since I bought my first E46 I have always loved the compact and have quietly planned a project like this but most NZ compacts are shopping trolly spec and aren't worth building into something special. I have almost bought a few different compacts over the past year or two with this project in mind but the timing was never right and I really wanted a unique spec... When this 318Ti came up for sale in this spec I bought it within hours of it being listed and picked it up the next day, perfect base to become my dream 330Ti. No, the front end is not going to get changed, I love the bug eyes. Rare in alpine white, alcantara laser cloth interior, black m cube trim, no sunroof, factory xenons (rare on NZ compacts), all the msport kit, I put the style 216Ms on it but they'll get new tyres. It will get all of the 330 bits, brakes, diff, axles, along with the engine and a ZF 5 speed gearbox. Not sure how much of the process I will document since I'm looking forward to enjoying the build and having something to tinker on in the evenings again but I'll try take some photos along the way and post them up. The day after I bought the compact I got a fortune cookie with some dumplings and this was the note inside. Seems to be a good omen from the universe.

I'd hit up a good commercial automotive paint supplier ... in Auckland I fully recommend Car Colours but that's not much use to you. Couple of things I learnt doing my rear end and under body: Use the most hard core commercial products you can get your hands on as a general rule (and the protective gear to go with it) Check expiry dates on things that have them (seal sealer for example) as some operators might try and move old stock via retail and save the good stuff for their commercial clients Careful if using 1k underseal and a 2k over the top. My 2k paint tried to eat the underseal and it did end up bleeding through a little I got a bunch of maybe 1" x 3" disposable rollers (and general thinners for cleanup) for painting the under body and wheel wells etc with 2k epoxy primer (bare metal areas) or 2k polyurethane paint. Worked a treat !! Can be fairly accurate if needed but covers an area great and no upside down brush running paint all over you etc. The underseal I used was average at best, would probably not even bother using again if all you're trying to do is get some texture. Around the RACP plates I'd probably just go large on the seam sealer and then maybe try and roll it a bit to texture it ? Some posts around this one from my build thread if of use:

Is there a mod or way to replace the breather/oil separator on LCI 130i's without having to replace the entire cover? Mine is blocked and causing oil leaks. Found it. For an N55 but the same process. https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1758775 What a stupid f'n design. A part that has failed on every model of BMW since its introduction. Suddenly they integrate it into the rocker cover... Edit: Seems like the mod never works. Stoked about chucking away $500 to fix what is a $30 problem on an E46.

There is a collectors car page designed for enthusiast type cars that might be a good start. Its called trademe.co.nz I randomly found it using bing and there are some great and unique cars on there. Like this classic one I found last last night: https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/cars/nissan/tiida/listing/4320525203 Other than that you could try Face Book if you are on it, my friend tells me its really good for buying and selling things, she gets dozens of messages everyday asking if the thing she has listed is still available so there must be a high volume of people using the site? GLWS!

It doesn't even make sense, and who cares?

Bump. Someone must want an excellent earning opportunity? I have to leave it unattended for family reasons for a couple weeks. P.s don't get divorced people. Marry the right one first time round