Vass

Rattling off what I've bashed out in the meantime. New shift shaft seal - thanks @Eagle, definitely needed it. Had cleaned all the leaks up so never noticed the thing being completely shot until looking at it closely. Just a $3 part too so definitely worth doing. New foam washer thingy for the selector rod joint. Very tight going on, which is no doubt a good thing. Cut that steering lock cable off right at the base at the steering column. Still locks the key in place with it turned but doesn't get stuck anymore so works as it should I guess. This happened. Again. Couldn't for the life of me figure out how to fit the clutch hard line through. Probably OTT but wanted to do it properly. Got the carpet out and pulled the remaining bit under the heater as far back as I could to create a bit of an opening behind/under the heater core. Even still, it's hella tight, was an absolute bastard to fish through but got there in the end. Not at all surprised that people opt for custom made flexible lines instead. Also realised I missed the other grommet for the hard line. I thought it was just the bit dangling on it already but there's another one that attaches to the body, part number 21521163894. I'd looked at this stupid diagram a hundred times and never noticed it mentioned in the bottom right corner... Have chucked an order in. Removed the brake booster and DSC module to properly get the other clutch line through. Not sure if it's even possible to seat the grommet properly without doing it. Again, OTT and will have to re-bleed the brakes afterwards but wanted to do it right. I'd also stupidly pushed out the other big grommet under the brake booster, thinking that's where the hard line was meant to go originally so wanted to rectify that too. Don't be like me. Took the pedal box apart, cleaned and re-greased the plastic bushes, installed new master cylinder. I'd gotten new pedal covers as the ones that came with the conversion were falling apart, but blindly got the ones listed on FCP without checking. Turns out, the RHD pedals are a different shape to LHD ones, for some bewildering reason. The RHD ones are smaller and pointier at the bottom so the LHD ones I got don't sit tight and slide around all over the place. Stupid. Dissected the throttle pedal to get rid of the kick-down clicker. Had to get a 5-point security torx bit set to get it open but was cheap enough from SCA. As was mentioned on e46fanatics, it's just a mechanical clicker on automatics and not an actual switch. Took apart the cluster to change over the fascia to switch it from km/L to L/100km. Also installed the front cover off a 330 with the silver rings to make it more legit. At some point might get that other small fascia in the bottom right corner that blocks out the window with the auto gears completely, as it does on manuals. Some more stupid OCD stuff but with the carpet out, replaced a couple of air vents with ones I'd pulled off the donor car way back when. One was cracked all the way through and taped up, the other had a patch of glue that would not come off. Will finish up the clutch switch and reverse light wiring during the week, then box on with the engine. Picked up another shitty parts car a few weeks back, will try and rip the dash out of that before putting the interior back together on this thing. Will finally get rid of that stupid footprint if that dash is in as good a shape as it looked on first glance.

Yeah, not sure what's going on there. My mate that used to be in the trade also mentioned he'd heard a few negative grumbles about them of late. I know Paul's been going through some health troubles of late so that might have played a part. In my case, I suspect they heavily prioritise corporate fleets and small stuff like mine gets thrown to apprentices to have a bash at, and bash they do. It is what it is. Over it. Manged to get in a good few shifts in the garage after having been away a few weekends in a row. Got the oil pump put back together, fully cleaned, lubed up and with a new O-ring on the pressure regulator. Bit of a mission getting it back in. Had to enlist the missus' help, me forcing the spring together while she slotted in the circlip. Definitely helps having an extra set of hands. Sprocket will go on with a slotted nut and safety wire eventually. Got the VANOS unit assembled with new Beisan seals and rattle kit, a clean and new O-rings for the solenoids. Pretty straightforward job, just a long time spent cleaning everything up. Next got onto the block. Tidied up the high spots from the chipped edges with a little nail file, went over the oil pan surface with a 400-grit white sandpaper in a couple of rough places, and brake cleaner with a plastic scraper and a rag throughout. Went over all the passages I could get to with nylon brushes, cleaned up the rusty coolant drain opening with a wire brush bit with the vacuum going at the same time, then thoroughly blew everything through with compressed air. All the journals on the crankshaft also got the nylon brush and compressed air treatment. Was hoping to get as far as checking the main bearing clearances today but wasn't to be. Installed the cleaned up oil sprayers with blue thread sealer on the bolts. The new main bearings started going on but ran into trouble with the thrust bearings. The fitment is very, very tight, if not too tight and I didn't want to resort to excessive force before making sure. The bearings I got are part number 11211706847 from Glyco, which is seemingly the OE set. Comparing them side by side with the originals, the design is very different though. The Glyco ones are one piece whereas the originals are a 3-piece design with the side walls/skirts having a bit of wiggle room. They're still very tight going on but nowhere near as tight as the new ones. I'm starting to think I got a wrong/faulty set. Doesn't come across as well on the pictures but the far edges of the side walls look like they're bent inwards, and even still, it almost looks like the caps and the seat in the block might actually be wider than the inner width of the bearings. Just wondering if this is normal? I know they're meant to be as tight as possible but it just looks like there's no way of forcing them on there without risking damage. The machine shop actually suggested way back when that the main bearings were good enough to reuse but I figured I might as well get new ones as they weren't terribly expensive. Could just reuse the thrust bearings and use the new ones on the rest of them if I can't get these to fit? Granted the clearances working out of course.

Yeah, sure is. My inner grandpa got a bit excited seeing it none the less though.

$4k seems very cheap to me but will surely go up another couple k, even if it is a Getrag conversion. Pretty tidy overall too, dash mat and all, haven't happened to see one on an E46 before.

I heard they're going for Wata Kotastrophy

3 days? Of course. That's the whole point of buying from a dealer and not for half the price from a private seller.

Haven't fitted them yet but will be running Style 193's on mine, staggered set, ET34 front, ET37 rear. Should work just fine, they're exactly the same offset as my current 17" Style 194's that sit quite well. Can pick up a decent enough set for well under $1k. Quite like the wheels you're running. I was tossing up going for Style 135's but the 193's happened to become available first.

Thanks Pretty chuffed with how a few of the shots came out. The flying Ford you mean? I think that's Breen. Bertelli had less of a... pronounceable slogan on the back of his car.

Absolutely epic stuff. The bloody rain was the main protagonist throughout the whole event but made the experience all the more memorable. The top guys are just absolute weapons, unreal the speed they carry through, especially in those conditions. Epic effort from the team that built the Jack's Ridge track, what an arena! Hopefully the weather is a bit more lenient next time. If there is a next time... Whilst being a great turnout by NZ standards, I don't think it's anywhere near enough to guarantee this magnitude of events coming here on a consistent basis. The cost of logistics is probably the highest out of all the events on the calendar and when you compare it to other venues in Europe that consistently pull 300k+ spectators across a race weekend, we sadly don't even come close to making it worth the effort. We caught up with the main organiser of Rally Estonia at one of the stages, dude's been to every event on the WRC calendar this year and out the blue remarked that he was shocked by how few spectators there were. We were taken aback a bit, looked around and were rather impressed by how many had trekked through knee-high mud to sit through downpour after downpour to watch a few cars whizz by, but he's obviously got a wider perspective. So whilst there's definitely a market there, on a global scale it looks to be magnitudes behind the main players. I just hope it's not another 10 years before we see them back here.

Ahh gotcha. So it goes through the cabin behind/under the heater core and out the firewall on the passenger side? I got confused by the grommet right next to the steering column so figured it might go out through there and then sneak across in the engine bay, next to the brake lines somehow. That makes more sense. Cheers

The car had been sitting untouched in the driveway for a good few months so I felt like tinkering around for a change, also opened all the doors to air it out. Removed the automatic shifter and brake pedal. Tried my hand at fishing the clutch lines through the firewall but am struggling. It seems the RHD cars are a bit more cramped for space when it comes to the brake booster and ABS module compartments. Was made more complicated by the fact that the clutch hard line was bent out of shape for shipping purposes so I can't go off of that to figure out how it's meant to be routed. All the guides out there seem to be for LHD cars so don't have much to go off of. Think I'm going to end up removing the brake booster to gain more access and fish things through properly. If anyone happens to have a photo or schematic of the untouched hardline, would be of great help bending it back into its proper shape. Another wee thing I can't figure out is what to do with the ignition interlock cable that used to go from the automatic shifter to the steering column. Figured it's not needed anymore so I removed it altogether but then the key gets stuck in the ignition. Hooked it back up just to get the key out but it's an annoying dangly thing that I'd rather get rid of. Haven't seen this addressed at all in any of the manual swap threads or videos either. I guess people just leave it in place unconnected on one end, which is fine I guess. I'm just left wondering how it works on factory manual cars? Is there a plug rod thing that goes into the steering column instead? Can the cable just be cut off at the steering column or will that collapse the pin and leave the key stranded in there? Have put the final few parts orders in so that should be all the critical items ticked off the list, and more. Most annoying thing was the intake cam sensor that for whatever reason is not available from anywhere anymore in OE VNE brand form. Plenty of other aftermarket options out there from Hella, Meyle, NGK etc but wanting to obediently toe the line I got a genuine one instead, which was $200 on its own... Has been great fun living like a broke ass student again, throwing a good half of almost every pay check into parts orders and machine shop bills these past few months. Luckily that's most of the expenses out the way now. Now just need to throw it all together. Lez goooo

Got some shiny parts to cheer me up a bit. Took the oil pump and vanos housing apart yesterday and dropped it off to another shop for cleaning. Went with KC Engine Reconditioners as I didn't want to go back to the other mob. Quick and easy, overnight turnaround. Will give them a go if I ever need other work done.

Yeah, just utterly disappointed. Did my best to try and avoid this by asking around and going with a reputable shop but there you go... Luckily doesn't look to be too catastrophic but absolutely appalled by the lack of care. An engine builder mate of mine is gonna swing by over the weekend and have a look, will hopefully help me tidy up the rough edges. Was gonna start throwing everything together today, drop the crank in, check bearing clearances etc but will hold off now. Will see how we go.

Could try your luck with the Find a Load FB group. Plenty of folks lugging stuff up and down the country, often with room to chuck some more stuff on board. Didn't end up going through with it at the time but found a fella willing to bring a pair of front seats from Auckland to Christchurch for $200 a while ago, as an example.

Haven't managed to make much progress in the meantime but gearing up for a wrenchfest over the long weekend, I finally unwrapped the block and chucked it up on the stand. First time I had a proper look at it since getting it back from the shop a good two months ago now and... boy oh boy. What the actual f**k man. Just lost for words at this point. Especially pissed at the chipped and mangled edges where the block meets the timing cover and oil pan, which is prone to leaking even when perfectly straight. Will have to carefully file away and straighten those out. Pure and utter negligence. Not even touching upon the "cleaning job" they did. Loose dirt all over the outside still, thread locker in the threads and metal shavings throughout. Didn't expect it to come out clean enough to eat off of but f**k me... Would expect better from a backyard cashie job, let alone a supposedly reputable shop recommended by several local indie mechanics. If you're looking for a machine shop down in Christchurch, you'd do well to steer well clear of Car Aid. What an utter shitshow. On a lighter note, stopped by Seal Inniovations today who helped pick out a nice new viton O-ring for the cylinder head oil non-return valve (size 015 - 14mm ID x 1.78mm c/s if anyone's wondering). Beats paying US$80 for a whole new valve.

Still a good few of them out there being used properly. Was a good wee fleet of 3 or 4 at the Ashley Forest Rally Sprint last weekend too. Gave a few 4WD's a run for their money. Way more fun to watch too.

Ari Pettigrew absolutely hauling ass at the Ashley Forest Rally Sprint.

Love the glue coming loose from the door seals

Yeah this whole thing stopped making any sort of financial sense a long long time ago. I'm afraid of keeping a tally of how much has gone into it so far, already beyond what I originally paid for the car I'm pretty sure. Will probably add it all up when / if I get her up and running. Will make for some grim reading I'm sure. Did a bit of googling out of interest. There do seem to be some differences between Phantom Grip and RacingDiffs, mainly the added friction shims that seem to reduce risk of metal shavings from the plates. The latter does seem to have a whole bunch of positive reviews although under abuse some people have managed to wear them out, seemingly without any catastrophic consequences though. That said, don't think I'll bother with it in the end, might just save up and go for a "proper" LSD, eventually, as Jared suggested. Way way down on the priority list though. What needs doing on the DSC front? Just coding it out completely? Speaking of seats, I got a lead on some X5 heated leather seats from a guy up in Nelson that's got a yard full of about 50 bimmers. Heading up that way for a rally event at the end of October so will grab them then. Should be largely plug & play, apart from wiring in the heating function and switching over the seat belt buckles. The button panels seems fairly abundant on eBay as well so should be doable. Don't expect them to do much better at cornering but should be heaps more plush and comfortable otherwise. Last missing piece from my interior leather conversion. Not sure I get the reference. Is it to do with that tunnel or something? Pulled the brake calipers apart the other evening to check whether I need new pistons added to the next parts order. Rears look fairly good so thinking they're fine to reuse. The fronts have a bit of scoring and some plating finish starting to flake off on one of them. Otherwise the internal surfaces look pretty good. Wondering if that bit of scoring on the fronts is enough to warrant getting new pistons or should do fine? Not awfully expensive those but don't want to be throwing money at something that doesn't need it either.

Yeah might skip on those, they're like US$35 each. Did a bit of snooping on the topic and apparently BMW also classifies the clutch pivot fork and throwout bearing guide tube as wear items that should be replaced with every clutch job... Of course they would I guess. Seems a bit excessive.

Yeah good shout! Still have a few more bits to order so will throw that in. Might do the other seals too. Cheers

Asked around for some more opinions and advice regarding the state of the head. Responses ranged from "completely unacceptable" to "not ideal/would have expected better but shouldn't cause sealing issues". Had a couple machinist - engine builder mates have a look too. Said the gaskets tend to seal better if the surface is a bit roughened up but this seemed way too coarse. Ended up taking it back to the shop on Friday. Said they'd clean it up, and that this is how they send all of their work out. Apparently I'm the first to complain. Nice one. Got it back today. Seems a wee bit better I guess. Still looks all sorts of mangled but at least nothing catches on the nail anymore. Impossible to get it back to what it was of course. Didn't want to take any more material off so this will have to do. Will have to trust them that this is good enough... Did a quick check with a flat edge and looks nice and straight at least. Did take a shop vac to it which blew out quite a few bits of metal shavings so didn't even do a particularly good job of cleaning it out. Will do another thorough clean prior to reassembly. Unfortunate wee episode but... onwards and upwards.

With the engine still a bit of a shambles, was nice to finally get some wins on the board over the weekend. Got the gearbox very much ready to drop in. Now just the small task of sorting the engine... Spent an absolutely stupid amount of hours cleaning it all up with all sorts of drill bit brushes. Impossible to get it perfect but at least isn't as caked up and crusty as it arrived. Then refreshed all the shifter pins, reverse & 5th gear detents, new shift lever and all the shift linkage bushes, new metal clutch fork pivot as well as new oil. Also threw on a new reverse light switch. Probably didn't need to but at $7 figured I might as well. Did a bunch of digging online, people seem to go with either 75W80 MTF, pure ATF or a 50-50 mix of the two. Read a few accounts of shifting being a bit notchy until the gearbox warms up if using 75W80. Seems to be climate dependant to some degree too. Went around BMWorkshop and B&T who both recommended ATF so I went with that. Good enough for them - good enough for me. Will see how it goes. The set of special punches form Street Driven Industries came through who also threw in a set of plugs for the shifter pins that I'd been struggling to source. Did charge me a rather silly US$10/each but was the only place I could find them so figured what the hell. Happy to lend the punches out or sell them on if anyone wants to do their detents as I probably/hopefully won't be needing them anymore. As is typical for these, she was clearly suffering from 5th gear lean. Reverse and 5th especially needed some effort to jam into. Pulling the 5th gear detent out, was pretty clear it had seized up and chunks of the inner sleeve it was sitting in were flaking off. Bit of a mission getting those out, literally have to destroy them before they let go but very much doable. Got myself an E60 shift lever and ZHP gear knob from Schmiedmann, as per @Eagle's recommendation. Seems only a few mm's difference but probably does change the geometry enough so it doesn't feel as much of a row boat. Threw the shifter linkage on to play around a bit. Rowed through all the gears, of course whilst making manly engine noises. Shifts seem much smoother and more effortless now so was definitely worth doing. Onto more serious sh*t now.

Glad you're okay, hope the car is too. A silver sedan door shouldn't be too hard to find. There's one at the Christchurch Pick-A-Part that I know of.

FOR SALE signs in front of houses. House gets sold, some f**ker drives all the way out to slap a big red SOLD sign on it and leaves the bloody thing sitting there for another 3 months. Yes well done, you've sold a house. It served its purpose. Take your shitty sign and f**k straight off. Tempted to start setting them on fire.