Sammo

6 minutes ago, M3AN said:

Wow, that is sweet. ?

Loving the commitment Sam, welcome! Hoping to see it at a coffee meet soon... ☺️

Cheers Dave, starting to get there for sure!

Sounds good!

32 minutes ago, BreakMyWindow said:

Slick e46! Really well sorted

Be interested to hear how the leather colour holds up. Matt clear coat should definitely help and prevent dye xfer from jeans.

I recently did the vanos piston seals on my m54. Was definitely noticeable despite the engine feeling pretty healthy. 

Cheers! Want to get it right and enjoy it.

Yeah, hopefully a while - it is supposed to last years if done right, but we will see. Its really only the drivers seat that gets used however and now I have the perfect touch up colour if needed in future ?

Will keep Vanos seals on the to do list for sure.

46 minutes ago, qube said:

very nice work indeed.

like the blue/caramel contrast

Thanks mate!

Yes, I'm stoked with the interior colour - was going to either spray it in this or in Cinnamon but happy how it turned out - just hope the durability is there - I prepped thoroughly and it has a matte topcoat.

15XXXX km, Orient Blue (LOVE the colour), Msport, ZF manual converted with 3.38 diff,  Full M3 interior (with inflating side bolsters), drilled rotors , front and rear strut braces and M3 mirrors.

I researched getting an E46 for months as I wanted something with an older school feel but still modern enough and reasonably reliable that I could keep for a while. The 330ci seemed perfect, as I've always loved the timeless look and the M54B30 has a great reputation and enough power for our twisty roads.

Manual, RWD, NA straight six, great steering and 50/50 weight distribution - can't complain!

My goal is to go for an OEM+ build and hopefully end up with one of the nicest Non Ms around.

I've spent a lot of time and money getting it to a high standard with OE / OEM parts:

Maintenance / Performance

• Oil and filter / Plugs / Diff and Tranny fluid
• New intake boots, DISA O ring and MAF clean
• New waterpump / thermostat / radiator hoses / expansion tank / belts and pulleys 
• Short ram air intake, fully heat shielded and ducted from kidney grilles
• Valve cover gasket & oil filter housing gasket
• Vanos seals & Oil line
• Fuel filter 
• All new tensioners and pulleys
• Poly steering coupler
• Supersprint axle back and secondary cat delete
• CABs / new shock and strut mounts with front reinforcement plates
• Front and rear tower braces (ARC)
• E46 M3 front 26mm sway bar / E46 Msport Vert 20mm rear bar, new bushings and adjustable end links (upgrade from 23mm/18mm bars)
• ST XA Coilovers (Same spec as KW V2) - height and damping adjustable
• New Lemforder Tierods and boots
• Remap - throttle response / power (probably not) / subtle burble
• Fully certed for manual swap, coilovers and all mods (inc driveshaft hoops)

Exterior

• Paintless dent removal
• Bonnet, side skirts and door respray
• Stage 2 paint correction and regular waxing
• M3 mirrors
• Euro personalised plates - 'NZ E46'
• ESR SR01 18x8.5 ET30 and Hankook Ventus V12 235/40/18
• New headlight lenses / New clear corners / rear LCI boot lights / Dual slat front grille
• Boot and mirrors resprayed for cosmetic reasons
• New OEM front bumper colour matched

Interior

• Fully refurbed and re-coloured M3 Nappa leather to BMW Caramel
• Piano black trims 
• Armrest delete and refinished interior plastics
• Re-wrapped steering wheel and refinished trim - highly recommended!
• Billetworkz shift knob (450grams!) and clutch stop, matching handbrake handle
• Alcantara custom stitch shift and handbrake boots
• Factory style touchscreen with wireless Apple Carplay - looks OEM but with 2021 functionality
• Front JBL components, Pioneer amplifier and 12" sub
• Both front Airbag recalls done

To do list $$$

• IR to RF key conversion
• Engine mounts?
• Diff bushings?