Harper

Schmiedmann is almost always the cheapest for genuine parts. And spareto to is better than pelican for basically everything else in my experience.

It has definitely been done if you look on the m42 forums. Loads of parts on them are interchangable. My dad is building a 318is coupe and considered doing a Frankenstein m42/44 but ultimately just went with the m44 for simplicity. Lightweight flywheel, itbs etc.

Where did you get the vinyl stickers? I'll need a set for when I do my calipers as well.

M44 has a larger oil pump that flows better, M42 has the forged crank and supposedly the valvetrain can rev higher. The best version is probably a hybrid of the two. M44 block with 320d stroker crank and M42 head for the revs and replaceable cam trays. One can dream.

Not on realoem

E46 M will always be my first love. I drove it to work this morning and it's just so good, I was smiling the whole way. But I've really grown to love the compact. It's perfect for it's purpose which is a practical daily driver that's still fun to drive, it's even pretty decent on gas compared to the M3. There was nothing wrong with the 130i, I just never really gelled with it. Drove good, sounded good. But I didn't love the way it looked and it didn't make me excited when I looked at it like the other 2.

My dad still reminisces about driving the Porsche race cars from Auckland down to Wellington on dealer plates for the wellington street race. The convoy of fully caged racecars with race tyres on public roads was probably more fun than the actual racing. Doubtful you'd get away with it today. I'll forever be jealous of the cars he got to drive and race at that time.

I actually DIY'd the headliner in my 130i with the help of my neighbor who is an auto upholsterer. Around the sunroof was the trickiest bit. Made me appreciate how good upholsterers are though, no way I could have done it without his help. There's more technique to it than you might imagine. Getting everything stuck down evenly through the contours with no stretch or creases etc.

Sorry you're 100% right. Me being a dumbdumb, forgot it wasn't the 323 that was being converted. Only very early 330ci's are ZCS, most will actually be FA.

Stu's trim & sound in Wiri. Stu and Ross are legends. Had them do a handful of odd jobs over the years and never been disappointed.

323 will be ZCS though. This guide for the coding

The 330 motors have been known to break the getrag 5 speeds under hard use. But it will bolt up and work fine. Only other thing to note is your 323 driveshaft will not directly bolt to the 330 diff. You'll have to swap the input flange on the diff from the 6 bolt 330 style to the 4 bolt 323 design.

Or buy my Merc 190E manual for sale, open to offers Way more uncommon than an E30 https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/cars/mercedes-benz/190-e/listing/4906738493

A closer look suggests you're right. The wikipedia disagrees with realoem as well. Would be strange for the M3 to get the BZ while the 335i gets DZ when the torque figure is the same.

335i's came with the 53DZ according to realoem, to deal with the extra torque presumably. Pretty bulletproof gearbox. https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/showparts?id=VB73-USA-06-2006-E90-BMW-335i&diagId=23_0926

Yes all the computer side can be made to work pretty easily, cruise control, reverse mirror tilt etc. Bit of a learning curve if you're not familiar with the software required to do it though.

Find the part number on realOEM by plugging in the last 7 digits of the VIN and looking at the parts diagrams. Order whichever parts you need from somewhere like spareto or fcpeuro. Spareto has been my favourite recently, tends to be the cheapest supplier and orders typically arrive within a week if the items are in stock.

The amount of junk I can fit in the back of the compact is pretty staggering. And the way the rear hatch opens up basically full vertical means I can practically stand upright in the boot while I load it.

Costco was the cheapest way to get pilot sports 4S/5 last time I priced up a set. I'm still running lingling tyres on the compact which try to kill me every time it rains. Very overdue for a set of michelins.

There was an E34 M5 for sale recently for about the same price iirc. I do love the e34 540i, I'd like to own one at some point.

I've failed a couple WoFs for some bullshit reasons in the last year or so. Doesn't really mean anything that its failed imo. My alfa 156 failed on 'structural chassis damage' for a gold coin sized dent on one of the chassis rails. Eventually had it overturned because it made zero sense but it still shows up as a fail on carjam. Lovely E46 and spec, I can see why you'd want that one back.

I foresee one of these or a 740i in my stable at some point. GLWS

On the E46 you can back the front subframe bolts out a handful of turns and give yourself an extra bit of clearance for the top bellhousing bolts. The extra inch or two of room makes a massive difference.

The NAM3Forum guys hate on the 135i setup, supposedly those calipers are a bit junky but maybe that's just in comparison with M3 calipers. Probably still a significant upgrade over the 330 ones. I've had a set of 996 front and rear calipers sitting in storage for about a year waiting for a rainy day to rebuild and fit to my M3. Almost identical to the OE CSL brake bias with way better pedal feel. The stock brakes honestly are completely sufficient with decent pads and fluid even when I had them on track. I haven't quite been able to bite the $2000 bullet for new CSL front and rear rotors and rallyroad adapter brackets for a mostly visual upgrade but it's on the to-do list. The brackets from rallyroad are far superior, lighter (about half the weight), higher quality, and allow you to run the 98635193915 D737 shape pad which will sweep the entire M3 rotor, where the stock 98635293910 D738 pad won't. https://nam3forum.com/forums/forum/main-forum/e46-2001-2006/3153-porsche-brembo-996-bbk-conversion - Very good write up comparing the different brackets Look forward to seeing how you go with this and what your impressions are.

I'm guessing you saw the engine/trans that mpartsww posted for sale for about that much. You could get a quote direct from them if you haven't already. Probably no way around the big shipping cost unfortunately. Shipping bulky items overseas has just skyrocketed over the last handful of years. But honestly you'll save so much money by just buying the cheapest M3 you can locally. It doesn't make sense otherwise imo. By the time you get an engine and trans here you're 2/3 of the way to just buying one and in guaranteed running condition etc. Not to mention all the parts you need, intake parts, wiring harnesses, exhaust, cooling system, AC lines, power steering lines, fuel lines, EVAP lines, trans mount, driveshaft, many others. Not to mention the extra parts that are not required but will make the swap better and easier, cluster, M3 brakes, sway bars, full M3 rear end and LSD, EWS. If you actually list everything you need and start pricing it, you'll quickly realise getting it piecemeal is uneconomical. Not to mention having the rest of the car left at the end to part out and recoup cost. I really considered M3 converting my compact but ultimately decided against it since I'd likely never see any of that money back so I 330 swapped it instead.