a 2010 GRUPPE TITAN project: instead of getting an e92 m3, i decided to....

[0-60Motorsports]

WOW very nice!

[gixxer_kidd]

My heart has a weak spot for e46s and yours is going to be sick!!!

[sg_wannabe]

Originally Posted by gixxer_kidd

My heart has a weak spot for e46s and yours is going to be sick!!!

not as sick as yours was!!! that car was unreal.

and you wanna trade? i will take your keys anytime you want!!!

thanks, bro!
we finally got the water meth injection the way i want it and it is arguably the best way to set up the direct port injection....can't wait.

[sg_wannabe]

i went by the shop real quick earlier today. i did not have my camera with me so i snapped a few pics of the new 18s with my phone:

[e92_m3]

^^^Nice wheels man!^^^

Can't wait to see it installed.

[turb0mik3]

Prefer a manual to the flappy paddle SMG, but damn, that is one sick e46 M. Great job!

[sg_wannabe]

Originally Posted by e92_m3

^^^Nice wheels man!^^^

Can't wait to see it installed.

thanks. i can't wait either.

Originally Posted by Mflowt5

Prefer a manual to the flappy paddle SMG, but damn, that is one sick e46 M. Great job!

the decision to go with smg, at first, seemed difficult. i drove both for about a week each (smg from the dealer and friend's 6mt). after experiencing both for a decent amount of time, i decided to go with smg. it was an easy decision then. no regrets. at the same time, i know and understand your preference for 6mt as shared by quite a few others.

thanks for the kind words. again, all the credit goes to the shop....

[sg_wannabe]

yesterday, i ordered supersprint v2 stepped headers to replace the bhs headers. once they arrive, i plan on having them ceramic coated.

[sg_wannabe]

ss v2 stepped headers arrived on thursday. we are still waiting on some more parts including oil cooler, radiator upgrade (i still have not decided which one to get), silicone radiator hoses, and a few others.

i have added a respray of the rear bumper to the paint list.

hood vent project has been mocked up but has not been started.

all in all, things are moving along. i am really hoping to have the car done by the end of march.

[DOUT]

beautiful

[sg_wannabe]

Originally Posted by DOUT

beautiful

getting there...hopefully. thanks.

[dlbrooks18]

Very nice!

[Digital.James]

I miss my E46 M3 so much... yours is going to be amazing

[sg_wannabe]

Originally Posted by dlbrooks18

Very nice!

thanks.

Originally Posted by Digital.James

I miss my E46 M3 so much... yours is going to be amazing

i appreciate it.
get another e46 m3

[sg_wannabe]

things continue to move along:

-ss v2 stepped headers are off to get ceramic coating on both inside and outside.
-zionsville competition cooling kit with center 16" spal has been ordered
-bimmerworld oil cooler with an fittings arrived on monday
-paintwork is being finished up
-hood vent project's mock up is being worked on

[sg_wannabe]

i forgot to update this thread:

earlier in the month, i ordered the varis rear end diffuser (system 1) in 1x1 plain weave. then, the tsunami and earthquake struck. amazingly, despite all that is going on in japan, varis followed up just a couple of days after the tragic events to inform me that they would do their best to maintain the original shipping date of 3/30. honestly, i could freakin' care less about the diffuser (and it probably should go without saying) in light of the devastation and loss of life. i was surprised that they would maintain customer support/service in such times. last week, they relayed to me that they are on course to ship out on 3/30....

here is the piece in 2x2 twill weave:



their "default" weave is 2x2 though they do make pieces from time to time in 1x1.

i plan on modifying it slightly for a little better fit and finish. i will see what exactly we *need* to do once we get the piece.

the silver cf overlay of brand new oem m5/6 smg shift knob has been completed. these 2 pics were sent to me. this piece is on its way to the shop and is probably somewhere over the pacific at this time.




status gruppe tuning sec 2 arrived last week. i decided to go with this piece even after i had purchased the re x-pipe with evc and afterward took receipt of a brand new ss x-pipe. the shop was actually very pleased to see this sec 2 arrive.

pics are not the best. i hope to have better pics in a week or two.





the zionsville radiator came damaged the first time (roughly 2 weeks ago). insurance claim was made and zionsville sent out a new replacement that arrived earlier this week.

here is the portion that was most damaged in shipping (kinda hard to tell):



and then with a "test fit", it was found that the radiator is significantly larger than oem. this is contrary to what i was told by zionsville, but we will make it work. again, cell phone pics are not great but they give some idea of the slight fitment issues. also, you can see that the bimmerworld oil cooler does not line up "right" with the new radiator. adjustments will be made and some stuff fabbed up to make it all work and fit nicely.









all the pics above were sent to me. i have not had a chance to swing by the shop. i am hoping to sometime next week.

these cell phone pics were sent to me by the shop yesterday afternoon:

[///M3Lover]

VARIS is next on my mod list too. But, your E46 M3 is

Love your awesome write up. It's really nice to see a car enthusiast doing up a E46 M3. (This makes me think, my E46 M3 isn't a dinosaur yet. )

[dela]

Hi man,

Your project is coming along very very nicely!

I just had the B14 PSS' installed last week. I opted for the PSS instead of PSS10's since my car is a dd and a diesel.... But it handles great now.

I just wanted to thank you for your previous advice

[sg_wannabe]

sorry for the late replies.

Originally Posted by ///M3Lover

VARIS is next on my mod list too. But, your E46 M3 is

Love your awesome write up. It's really nice to see a car enthusiast doing up a E46 M3. (This makes me think, my E46 M3 isn't a dinosaur yet. )

varis is an amazing company to deal with. their products' quality is some of the best i have seen.

go for it with varis. if and when you decide to get one or more of their parts, pm me.

thanks for your kind words. in my mind, the e46 m3 will never be a dinosaur

Originally Posted by dela

Hi man,

Your project is coming along very very nicely!

I just had the B14 PSS' installed last week. I opted for the PSS instead of PSS10's since my car is a dd and a diesel.... But it handles great now.

I just wanted to thank you for your previous advice

thanks, man. i am glad you are enjoying the pss setup.

well, i am glad that i had the opportunity to share my experience/input and it proved to be somewhat helpful.

....


varis rear end diffuser arrived just now. the box made it from japan to pa in 2 days. in early march, i placed the order and varis gave an estimated ship date of 3/30. i am truly impressed and amazed that they were able to keep that ship date in light of the consequences of the tsunami and earthquake. their customer service is unparalleled in terms of communication as well: they told me within 24-48 hours of the tragic events that they would maintain the original completion and ship date.

the shop sent me phone pics. the box's condition made me a bit anxious.



but it is a very large box with a rough estimate of 7 feet in length and 4 feet in depth. width was not given to me. even still, i was concerned about the diffuser.

and here are 2 quick pics of it:




i plan on going to the shop tomorrow to take a look at the progress of the car as well as to see the diffuser in person.

btw, with the larger oil cooler (bimmerworld), the vf-engineering s/c kit's aftercooler does not fit with the brackets that come with the kit. some fabrication work will have to be done to ensure it is mounted correctly/securely. also, the shop noticed that the brackets attached to the aftercooler and the front sway bar do not allow for safe and secure bolting of the sway bar. that issue will be rectified.

there are a lot of other things that have come up, but those are the ones off the top of my head. i am very excited that the diffuser arrived so quickly and undamaged. the weave is nearly 100% perfect (like oem csl roof and diffuser). some touchup will be needed. the edges were noticed to be a bit rough. this is the half carbon version and the unfinished side (not pictured) will need to be sealed b/c of moisture. the preliminary plan is to put several coats of glasurit clear on the cf side, which appears to be just resin covered and has a little dull finish to it. several coats of clearcoat were put on every exterior cf piece so far including the roof.

[mkPOTO]

very nice, more updates!

[0-60Motorsports]

Diffuser looks awesome and so does the gear knob

[sg_wannabe]

Originally Posted by mkPOTO

very nice, more updates!

thanks. i will have more updates soon hopefully.

Originally Posted by 0-60Motorsports

Diffuser looks awesome and so does the gear knob

but you already knew that they would