Ahmedsinc

I was expecting the crank bolt to have been a little loose - the M50+ engines have a single use stretch bolt so I figured it wouldn't be impossible for the M20 to be the same - but thats just nuts! Wonder if there was a bit of crud in the bolthole when it was reassembled, bolt bottomed out and the head twisted when torqued. A sufficient number of revolutions later and the head spins itself off, and the only thing stopping the crank pulley from running away is the water pump housing. At the very least you'll need a new crank - probably rebuild the bottom end too. Or make a 2.7 stroker with a B25 depending on how cancerous the body is - if this is how the PO 'rebuilds' engines, I'd be considering parting this out and getting another car!

Long shot, but if the engines been rebuilt it could be an idea to check the crank pulley bolt. Is the main belt pulley / AC pulley a bolt on item? Check the bolts holding it on are the correct length too. Drain the oil and chop the filter open and have a good look for any trace of metal in the oil - if theres some there, your bearings are about to grenade themselves. Probably the first place I'd look tbh, noise does sound a little like rod knock but hard to say from the video

The 4 cylinders have a different part number for the clutch package - I kinda recall hearing they have a smaller friction disc and lower clamping force on the pressure plate? The 328i had the 240mm clutch matched to the ZF box, I think the 228mm won't stand up to the extra torque for long. It's a real bitch of a job swapping clutches in these, I'd go for a new clutch kit and single mass flywheel, replace the throwout bearing with a new one at the same time. There are kits on trademe, try Milland too. Replace the pivot pin while the box is out of the car too, the stock ones are made of nylon and wear out - I got a brass one through Pelican parts when I did my conversion a couple years back. Might also pay to do the gearbox oil seals at the same time, add the rear main seal to the list too. Oh, and the M4x engines used a ring gear with a different tooth count on the flywheel so if you do choose to stick with the current clutch (take the flywheel to a clutch shop first and have them check it out for excessive play & surface condition) you'll need the matching starter motor - the M5x ones don't fit. Replace the shifter pivot linkage, shifter arm bushings, shift rod cup bushing and double check that the 4 cylinder shift linkage is long enough for the 6 cyl. There is great disagreement if the two are interchangeable, if the shift lever is offset in the cabin once its all hooked up you'll need the right rod otherwise you'll have trouble getting into 2nd & 4th. Easiest thing is to look at Pelican parts/ECC etc and see their shifter kits - makes more sense when you can see all the diagrams. I got lucky when I did my swap, the kit I bought came from another M50B25 car so I skipped all this mucking about. The other big thing is what ratio is your diff? If you're any shorter than 3.46:1 you'll effectively turn your 5 speed into a 4 speed box, first gear becomes hopelessly short and your cruising revs at 100km/hr are just ridiculous. The 328s got either the 2.93, 3.07 and 3.15 from the factory, remember that the ZF & Getrag boxes have a 1:1 5th unlike the earlier ones that had an overdrive. So if you're unlucky and got a 3.64 or shorter you'll need the right diff too - not too hard to find or expensive, but it adds another job to the list. All in, its the best bang for buck mod you can do to a 3er with a B25/28 imo. Next on the list will be S50 headers, decat the exhaust and throw a nice muffler at it

Are the mounting points still sound? I'm after something that looks a bit rough

I got all excited after reading the title, thought a 410hp 330i would be quite something to behold. Read through the thread, noticed the numberplate and realised I'm merely an idiot instead. Nice looking car though, what differences are there between the CS and a normal M-sport? (Needs a third pedal )

I'll grab the spring pads, shift linkage bits & pivot ball please! Lol at bitch clip

Given that selling parts is how he makes a living I highly doubt he'd be willing to share that information!

How bad is the front bumper and whats the final drive ratio mate?

One tends to assume that if big numbers are being chased the builder would probably opt for aftermarket intakes, remote oil coolers / dry sump setups, beefier gaskets, ARP head studs etc etc etc... One thing that I'd like to know is would the dual Vanos have any positive / measurable effect with an S54 once a turbo gets added to the equation?

Lol, my bad - could've sworn it was black when I looked at it last night. Good luck!

He probably doesn't want to hear that!

The black M-sport with beige leather? Bit high priced given the km but looks nice in the photos. I have two Diono seats in the back of mine currently, one forward and the other rear facing, both secured with the ordinary 3 point harness and they're rock-solid. Will pay to find out if the radio tuner is world spec or japan. They're a real pain in the ass to find an oceania tuner and retrofitting the newer type tuner is a ballbuster as well. Went through the same hassle with mine when I bought it. Take it to Glenn for a proper PPI too, the airbags in the rear of these cars can be expensive when they fail, he'll be able to give you a good idea as to their condition

If you have a 32mm wrench its like a 5 minute job tops

What year is the one you're looking at? The E39 estates are a nice car to live with on a daily basis, the quicker steering rack makes up for the extra body length and they go quite well with the 3 litre!

Anyone know where to find a style 159 bare rim? Have only seen one other full set on trademe and that was a while back. Will look at other OEM wheels, must be 17x8 with ET34 or very close. Thanks

Probably easier to get higher numbers from the Tooter engine though - have seen 1600+hp and planetary levels of torque on other websites.

When I looked into it I think the isofix was factory fitted from 2001 (?) models onward, earlier models had a retrofit kit available through the dealers. I never took it any further as the costs didn't outweigh the benefits in my eyes. Isofix seems to take the margin of error out of the equation when installing the seats, didn't offer a higher level of restraint than a correctly fitted 3 point harness from what I read. Will happily be corrected if I'm wrong

Assuming you're going to redo the suspension to something that can be altered to suit different tracks / conditions would it be easier to start with another E46 and install your desired parts into that? My thinking is that if you're swapping the driveline, suspension and powerplant for aftermarket stuff then it basically stops being an M3 in all but badging & interior spec - which you could remove / alter to accommodate a rollcage. Ok, so some panels are unique but I doubt they make any difference to performance levels Having said that, onselling the M3 engine and drivetrain would offset the costs of conversion quite considerably. Steve Murch would be able to give you guidance on costs and options if you chose to stick with the S54 and strap a snail to it. Supercharging seems to be a good option for a modest increase in output for street cars, not so much for big hp. I would want to see the full costs of a 2jz engine, drivetrain and ECU conversion against turbocharging the S54 before I made to many assumptions. And if you plan on tracking the car regularly there is such a thing as too much power - how many tracks & events around NZ could you really use 600-1000hp at? Not trying to rain on your parade, just genuinely intrigued

Well aware of the differences in the friction disc but was unsure if the pressure plates were different. Looks like they are - will order a full new clutch kit for the M20 flywheel conversion then

Anyone know if there is a difference between the M20 single mass flywheel type pressure plate and the M50 dual mass flywheel type? And I asume Milland will be the easiest place to source an E21 throwout bearing locally?

Looking really tidy now! Good work

Interested in selling the t. stars separately?

Other than spotting this one in an underground carpark a few years ago I have nothing to add. Looks good in the photos though!

Maybe install with the 4 cyl linkages and see what happens? Its not that hard to swap them out if you haven't reinstalled the propshaft. The kit I used came from another 6 cyl coupe so I never had this particular problem

Sounds like the dealer is a fu**wit, to be blunt. The one you've linked to sounds like a dog. PM M3AN, he has an S50B32 coupe so he'll be able to fill you in on more detail than I can The Technoviolet Jap car has gone from TM, dunno if it sold or the dealer just got tired of listing it - last I saw I think it was under 10k. Personally I'd stay away from the SMG one too. KIller colour combo, but the early SMGs are crap, to be honest, and the adjustable suspension sets off alarm bells too. I'm sure you've come across the hours stories of E36s tearing rear upper shock mounts courtesy of rear coilovers. The Dakar Yellow sedan in Dunedin is a treat, get some decent springs back on the car and it would be pretty hard to beat! http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/bmw/auction-973192201.htm Surprising how few E36s are on the market now, I guess since the E46 has dropped to the 25k mark people just aren't selling them. Good luck with your search, wish I was the one in your predicament!