E46 Suspension / driveline refresh ... whats most likely rooted ?

[Cement 871]

I'm giving my E46 318ci a freshen up as part of a motor swap project and am looking for guidance as to what is most likely needing to be done from those with more experience with the E46 / BMW in general. Its done nearly 200,000km and maintenance so far (i just purchased for this project) looks to have been at the 'must do' only end of the spectrum based on the tar its running where engine oil should be and the front control arm bushings that are stuffed.

I've got some 330 components to go in so will be giving these the love and swapping in when the time is right. Specifically I have front knuckles and calipers, rear subframe / diff / brakes and axles plus drive shaft which will need to be modified at some point.

So far the shopping list is below. The obvious omission is shocks / struts / springs / ARB's which I will do later once the project is mobile and finances evaluated. I want to do the harder to get to pieces while I have things in pieces:

• Rear chassis / subframe reinforcement kit
• Goodridge braided brake hoses
• Powerflex bushings (ref numbers 1,3,10,11,17,18,19,25,26)
  • Front control arm bushing set
  • Rear trailing arm bushing set
  • Rear subframe rear bushings
  • Rear subframe front bushings
  • Rear upper arm inner bush (pair)
  • Rear lower control arm outer bush (pair)
  • Rear lower control arm inner bush (pair)
  • Rear diff front mounting bush (pair)
  • Rear diff rear mounting bush

The Questions:

1. Is this a generally reasonable approach (essentially replace anything assuming its shot) or overkill and should dial it back to save some cash ?
2. What items are likely to need doing to get things up to a reasonable standard which I have not covered ? (LCA ball joints etc ?)
3. Has anybody had experience with Driftshop.com as this is where I am looking to get everything from. Cheaper / better alternatives ?
4. Best outlet to get brake rotors and pads from ? Looking for slotted only.

[Sammo 2544]

What motor swap?

That sounds pretty comprehensive, but potentially unnecessary?? 

What ailments / symptoms are you getting with the suspension / driveline? Or more looking to future proof for power?

Other things to explore would be guibo / tranny and engine mounts.

I would invest $50-100 or so on a proper hoist check with an expert to get a clearer view rather than throwing parts at it. 

FCP euro are great value for OEM quality parts, especially if you're doing a decent order. Not sure if the do a lot of aftermarket / poly stuff though - more OEM.

 

[Olaf 3317]

if buying powerflex bushings is going to stop you doing shocks, go with OE and Meyle HD rubber parts.  You'll want to do endlinks and ARB bushes front and rear.  

#1 concern:  how's the cooling system, oil leaks, CCV system?  Agree with Sam's recommendation above - get it on a hoist for assessment by a pro.

I've no experience with driftshop.com.  Are you building a drift car?  

[Cement 871]

Thanks for the advice thus far ... might be disturbing to some viewers, but the swap is a Nissan VQ37VHR

The motivation is a bit of a mixture between future proofing, prep for a power increase (155kW increase ho ho ho) and getting to a known good state as I've only just got the car for this project. I know for sure the front LCA bushes are shot, some times a mild clunk from the rear end. Engine and trans are not an issue as they will almost certainly not be reused, likewise cooling system bar radiator (potentially).

Good call it might be smart to take a decent poke around on a hoist with an expert ... mostly I just don't want to drop the rear out again after the power increase reveals its all a bit sloppy.

Any inspection recommendations in Auckland (North Shore ideal) to go to who is more at the performance end as opposed to quiet and comfy ?

No drift plans, will be a fun streeter only ... got onto driftshop.com looking for a fuel pump funnily enough but they sell a lot of what I need and prices seem good. Based out of France which is fairly unique !

[zero 1162]

I really like powerflex, and use them myself, but for a street car I would just go oem rubber for the subframe mounting bushings.

Try checking out the prices on powerflex from Schmeidmann as they are the cheapest suppliers I have found and where I bought mine.

Investigate rear trailing arm limiters too.

[Sammo 2544]

@Cement fair enough - for that kind of power bump, probably worth doing it all while you're in there.

VQ swap! Is there a lot of support for that? Certainly different

 

[Cement 871]

I've seen a few pictures of VQ35's here and there but have not seen a VQ37 as yet ... I like the challenge of getting it all sorted but would be nice to see some more resources out there !! Latest problem is differing wiring between the Infiniti G37 and Nissan 370Z (USDM) which makes me question the 370GY Skyline wiring I am looking at also ... just more work to validate everything really.

Back to the bushings, getting some varied vibes really so am a bit on the fence again ... @zero are you recommending a mix of polyurethane and rubber for different locations ?

[zero 1162]

Yea, for a street car i'd recommend a mix.

I have a mix of powerflex and oem rubber on mine.

 

And I compared prices and it looks like schmeidmann is cheaper to purchase from.

[Cement 871]

Interesting ... is there a pretty well accepted recipe for what gets PU and what gets rubber ? This is my first BMW so I'm a little lost

[zero 1162]

For a street car I would use oem rubber for all mounts - so engine mounts, gearbox mounts, and subframe mounts.

Everything else its fine to use poly, but I wouldnt use the hard poly on a street car. Powerflex is good because its better than rubber but not too hard.

The really common bushing failure points on the e46 are the front control arm bushings, and the rear trailing arm bushings.