Eagle

Yeah they have been my go to for awhile and we get our customers cars done there too. Never had an issue with a vehicle driving poorly after being done.

Finally got the welding done. Certainly not a job i ever want to do on axle stands again but i think it looks decent for an amateur? Penetration appears good so certainly don't anticipate any future problems. Paint will have to wait due to weather.

Im sure it is but for an imported, manual converted and engine swapped car the pricing seems optimistic

Don't see the point tbh. Exchanging the key blade involves cutting open a sealed key and having to cut and re glue the blade etc and risking damaging it. Just not worth it for not having to swap the battery every few years. As for charging i would think the IR equipped car use the same antenna ring as RF (which does the charging). Maybe check BMW parts numbers via http://bmwfans.info/parts-catalog/

Haha I wouldnt stake on that claim either

"These engines are bullet proof' such an over used\exaggerated term, i don't even know what its suppose to mean anymore. Guess its cylinder head rebuild before 200,000km for this guy.

Maybe be ticked them up against the mortgage

I didnt see that, posted at same time. Yeah would be good to know. Does certainly seem to be some conflicted info looking at pictures and part numbers. Catalogue pictures have always been correct in my experience but maybe they arent in this case Either way if it looks like the above its a no go if not then you should be good.

Not sure why. Do does it looks like this ? https://www.bildelsbasen.se/nb-no/pb/Søk/Bildeler/s1/BMW/BMW-6-E63&64/2002_2010/Girkasse-&-Drivaksel-&-Mellomaksel/Girkasse-6-Trinn/Alle/ID-41373351/23017563660#pb_product_image_group

http://bmwfans.info/parts-catalog/E63/Europe/650i-N62N/R-N/browse/manual_transmission/manual_transmission_gs6s53bz_smg/ Same box as the E46 6 speed SMG\SSG with a different bellhousing

As far as i know the 650i never had SMG III which was for M5 and M6. SMG II was for E46 M3 but used the same system setup iirc.

It occurred to me you may of been talking about converting the SMG box itself to H pattern? (i was thinking SMG vehicle>H pattern at the time) If so then its not practically possible to convert as the shift actuator is bolted on to the rear housing to form part of it, then uses a shortened internal selector rod (SMG II is just a external actuator attached to the H pattern shift rod). It could be done i think if you had a broken H pattern swapped parts ove

Yeah should be both MS43. Maps are likely different but you are reflashing. I've never tried cleaning them myself. Never saw the point when you can replace them for 150ish and be done with it given they are already decades old. Suppose be done every 150000km. You can clean them yourself via diy methods but they proper machines will spray, flow and leak test them well. Was around $25 per injector last time I did it so not too expensive. I was thinking installing seal on crank not the cover. I've always just put them in flush. A workshop maybe able to do it or have something machined up maybe if tool is costly.

Looks like its had a rough life and your right it probably deserves a rebuild. Im going say likely an import? Water pump damage wouldn't worry me, cant do much about it anyway. Oil on the intake ports will be from the inside the manifold. Those feet with bolt hole where the gasket sits on the manifold are just a press fit and im sure allow oil to seep past. Are those codes that have been cleared already? Factory software is good as it logs details of the fault and how many times it has occurred. You could add: O2 sensors to the list but they are hard to find without going universal (well one bank is anyway hence why i haven't done mine yet). Injectors cleaned and tested + seals. Maybe fuel lines to rail The rear main seal should come with a plastic cone tool which does the job.

Car version of hot potato

I'm curious what the shipping process for gearbox etc is like. What did it cost or you still waiting for a tax bill etc?

Yeah i guess its the same reasoning i applied while with doing the full subframe reinforcement, just about everything is out so why not. Could of just done the underside which probably would have been fine based on what i know now, but fact is you can't fully know that car is 100% without cutting holes and inspecting. I would think in general anyone doing this sort of repair work would have adequate welding quality given the scope of it. Once sealed and painted etc and put back together it would be much hard to critique. The cert guy isn't really applicable to my situation but the people who engineered the fix are the only people id query if needed.

Underside and floor mostly prep'd for welding next week. Wheel arches and trailing arm pockets will be stiched reinforced also along with redoing some of the spot welds that were a bit iffy. The poor factory MIG welds for the front threaded receiver under the rear seats will be redone too. Finally the trunk floor reinforcement plates that connect the floor to the side of chassis legs. Underside plate are also plug welded from the trunk floor cavity for an even stronger connection.

Fair enough re engine. Guess if cost and time are no object then its not an issue. If no other failures on the top side then good undersides plates and reinforcing a few weak areas i guess is the compromise. Doing it all when everything is out was the best option for my coupe. The top side welding isnt very much compared to the bottom but involved more prep\cutting. Im not sure how the touring boot floor is different compared to the others. Never never of anyone needed certs for this type of work, you aren't really modifying just reinforcing. From what i understand the there is no need to have that movement in the subframe which stock rubber bushings do esp when they are older. Softer grade poly bushings (Reddish recommend Powerflex yellow) in that area don't give any real noticeable negative effects, its obviously not a cure for poor design though. Poly rear rubber diff\subframe bushings appears to cause more NVH though over the rubber versions.

If it were me id get the car running and driving first before pulling the head. Lots of work and extra tools required for maybe minimal gain unless you know the engine is burning oil etc. Subframe floor reinforcement is massive and exhausting job if you do it properly ie top and bottom plates. You need to be a decent welder or know someone who is and can do it on jackstands\hoist unless you want to pay someone massive labour rates - RMS say its a 30-60 hour job, lost count how many hours ive put in so far. Never heard of anyone needed a cert. You can make blend the repair in quite well if wanted. Id just inspect the underside and internal cavities when the frame is out and go from there (see Reddish Motorsport videos and CMP write up on it). If you don't see anything then i wouldn't bother in your case. I replaced my bushings with Lemforder\Meyle ones because im re-enforcing and they are much cheaper than poly(and look better). Poly is suppose to be better for limiting frame movement hence reducing stress on floor\welds. See my thread later on today for an idea, mine had 2 extremely minor failures but i wanted to do it anyway for piece of mind.

The bushings dont truly fail, just the floor. Likely something in the drivetrain in that case. dont think ive driven any E46 that doesn't have at least in a dull thud under certain conditions. Yeah looks like you are going to swapping and replacing a lot of parts so not an issue.

It uses the same SMG system as earlier non M cars so don't see why not. As above HellBM may know more.

Yes but id imagine trying to source manual parts for a car like that would be hard. At the min you'd need manual box, shifter linkages\parts, pedals, hydraulic lines and parts and recoding.

Slight end play on the PS pump is normal. Clunking could drive train, diff or worn trailing arm bushings. Does it only do it when cold?

Man that sucks esp the transmission part. Reading through your thread it doesn't strike me as a car that had any love for along time. Like any forum there is trash masquerading as legitimate enthusiasts sadly.