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Hopefully going to start the engine conversion this week, so watch out for the build thread.... What conversion are you planning? Before this lockdown, it was interesting that the value on Non-M 6 pot E46 models were firming up. I am surprised at how much a friend paid for his 2003 330Ci ClubSport! A clean 330 coupe is sought after at the moment, they are the next best thing to the M3 and are quite fun to chuck about. I would imagine they will be the one's that hold their value in a few years time. Although mine is an M-sport it's fairly tired, and is never going to be worth much as it is. So the plan is to shoehorn a 4.0 M60 engine under the bonnet as a replacement for my old E30. To be honest I have actually done quite a bit of work to the car already, just didnt get around to starting the build thread so there is some catching up to do. I did think I might combine it with a thread on the superturbo, as that car is another that doesn't have it's own thread.
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Last Edit: Apr 20, 2020 8:29:50 GMT by carat 3.6
1988 Mercedes w124 superturbo diesel 508hp 1996 Mercedes s124 e300 diesel wagon 1990 BMW E30 V8 M60 powered! 1999 BMW E46 323ci project car
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Is the E46 bmw a retro ride?ballbagbagins
@ballbagbagins
Club Retro Rides Member 164
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Hopefully going to start the engine conversion this week, so watch out for the build thread.... What conversion are you planning? Before this lockdown, it was interesting that the value on Non-M 6 pot E46 models were firming up. I am surprised at how much a friend paid for his 2003 330Ci ClubSport! Maybe the clubsport is quite rare now, or nice ones anyway.
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qwerty
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 2,410
Club RR Member Number: 52
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Is the E46 bmw a retro ride?qwerty
@qwerty
Club Retro Rides Member 52
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Apr 20, 2020 12:03:25 GMT
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I really fancy building a slightly stripped down early E46 318i Coupe, with a breathed on M44 engine. Kind of like a Clubsport RS. Manual windows, no AC, No back seats, Lightweight Buckets up front, 17" wheels with sticky tyres, bigger brakes, shorter diff etc etc.
Ultimately it would be even better with the Engine from the E90 320SI. Mounted as far back as they are in them with some lairy cams and ITBs.
I have a bit of a fascination with 4 cylinder BMWs
Tom
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Last Edit: Apr 20, 2020 12:04:35 GMT by qwerty
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ChasR
RR Helper
motivation
Posts: 10,191
Club RR Member Number: 170
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Is the E46 bmw a retro ride?ChasR
@chasr
Club Retro Rides Member 170
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Apr 20, 2020 21:23:21 GMT
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What conversion are you planning? Before this lockdown, it was interesting that the value on Non-M 6 pot E46 models were firming up. I am surprised at how much a friend paid for his 2003 330Ci ClubSport! Maybe the clubsport is quite rare now, or nice ones anyway. Partially I reckon. The ClubSports are rarer to be fair, but even a 330Ci is harder to get. I suggested the ClubSport, as it became apparent the quality of car that he wanted would need more to go further(no rust, and something that wasn't bodged with too many super cheap eBay parts on it, and not massively tatty inside) was harder to get than both of us realised. He originally wanted to spend £2k and I thought he'd get a nice example for that. He ended up going up to £5k with still some tarted up muttons around ; Honestly, his 158k 2000 328i Touring was in much better condition than most of the curse word out there and he sold that for what now seems a cheap £1.2k. In the end he found a 330Ci ClubSport with 68k, off an owner who mostly fitted decent bits (one of the eBay bits has died already like the oil lever sender unit). It was generally a decent car with a very good history and attention in the right places for £4.2k. It's a nice car to drive but I personally like a little more top end than what the 330Ci offers. The slam of the power all of the way to the redline like what the 944 Turbo had is more my think, which the M3 does quite nicely ; I won't like in saying it's a bit too quick for the road these days however, and it's hardly a quick thing against modern rivals like the M2 an the successor, the M4, but the M3 certainly feels planted with what it has over an M4 I've driven a few times. I really fancy building a slightly stripped down early E46 318i Coupe, with a breathed on M44 engine. Kind of like a Clubsport RS. Manual windows, no AC, No back seats, Lightweight Buckets up front, 17" wheels with sticky tyres, bigger brakes, shorter diff etc etc. Ultimately it would be even better with the Engine from the E90 320SI. Mounted as far back as they are in them with some lairy cams and ITBs. I have a bit of a fascination with 4 cylinder BMWs Tom You can lose quite a bit of weight from an E46, especially those with electric seats ; I think they are 25+kg each! You can't go wrong with an M44 engine. One of my favourite memories of going around the Nurburgring was going in a stripped out E30 318iS ; I was tempted to buy its poor relation, the Z4 1.9 pre-LCI after I went in that E30. I always wanted an E30 318iS and that one really was a case of meet your 'heroes'. I do know what you mean about the 4 pot-ness. From the 2002i to the E90 320Si, there certainly has been that link present The E46 Compact would be a great example for your project I think. But the E87 130i seems to be semi-slipping under a few radars and that looks like a hell of alot of car for the cash. Me? I'm trying to go with a 'soft' CSL in an OEM+ way without getting too stupid. Given I've covered the engine, and infotainment, weight would be the next thing and possibly the trickiest thing to do without sacrificing it's 'tourer' feel, which I adore.
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Apr 21, 2020 12:02:47 GMT
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I really fancy building a slightly stripped down early E46 318i Coupe, with a breathed on M44 engine. Kind of like a Clubsport RS. Manual windows, no AC, No back seats, Lightweight Buckets up front, 17" wheels with sticky tyres, bigger brakes, shorter diff etc etc. Ultimately it would be even better with the Engine from the E90 320SI. Mounted as far back as they are in them with some lairy cams and ITBs. I have a bit of a fascination with 4 cylinder BMWs Tom I totally understand what you're going for here, I've owned an E30 with a 16v engine before and I share your interest in lightweight 4cyl 3series BMWs^^ but there is no point in bolting an M44 into an E46 when the E36 318is exists. The chassis are very similar, but the E46 with it's more integrated electronics will be much harder to strip down than the E36. And 4cyl engines in BMWs are always mounted way back at the firewall I currently have an E46 318i facelift model with the 2.0 16V engine. This would definitely fit your bill if you prefer an E46, but even the revised N46B20 has it's fair share of issues caused by BMW saving money on gaskets and timing chain accessories. (the earlier N42 engine was even more problematic) But then these 318i/318ci/318ti are very cheap and plentyful around here, and it's an all aluminium engine with variable valve timing and lift, which is nice I guess? just avoid cars with sketchy history, higher mileage and the early ones with the N42.
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qwerty
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 2,410
Club RR Member Number: 52
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Is the E46 bmw a retro ride?qwerty
@qwerty
Club Retro Rides Member 52
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Apr 21, 2020 13:54:31 GMT
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I really fancy building a slightly stripped down early E46 318i Coupe, with a breathed on M44 engine. Kind of like a Clubsport RS. Manual windows, no AC, No back seats, Lightweight Buckets up front, 17" wheels with sticky tyres, bigger brakes, shorter diff etc etc. Ultimately it would be even better with the Engine from the E90 320SI. Mounted as far back as they are in them with some lairy cams and ITBs. I have a bit of a fascination with 4 cylinder BMWs Tom I totally understand what you're going for here, I've owned an E30 with a 16v engine before and I share your interest in lightweight 4cyl 3series BMWs^^ but there is no point in bolting an M44 into an E46 when the E36 318is exists. The chassis are very similar, but the E46 with it's more integrated electronics will be much harder to strip down than the E36. And 4cyl engines in BMWs are always mounted way back at the firewall I currently have an E46 318i facelift model with the 2.0 16V engine. This would definitely fit your bill if you prefer an E46, but even the revised N46B20 has it's fair share of issues caused by BMW saving money on gaskets and timing chain accessories. (the earlier N42 engine was even more problematic) But then these 318i/318ci/318ti are very cheap and plentyful around here, and it's an all aluminium engine with variable valve timing and lift, which is nice I guess? just avoid cars with sketchy history, higher mileage and the early ones with the N42. An early E36 318iS in definitely on my list. A Black J Plater is "the one that got away" for me. I love the early cars with no M sport add ons and the black plastic mumoer bottoms etc, and one came up for £299 at a local used car place. I test drove it and it had a misfire so for some stupid reason I decided against it. I now am fairly sure a set of coilpacks would have sorted it. Being an early one it was an M42 as well! I was thinking Early E46 318i coupe as they're so cheap and easy to find at the moment, plus I love the look of the early cars with their "droopy" amber indicators. They came with the M43 and a few people seem to have swapped to the M44, mainly in Eastern Europe but I can't find any good information on wiring etc. I have looked at the 318CI's as well with the N46, but as you say, there seems to be a lot of bad reports about the reliability of the engines. Tom
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Last Edit: Apr 21, 2020 13:56:27 GMT by qwerty
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Jul 13, 2020 23:27:47 GMT
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I really should sort the build thread out, but here is a teaser of what I've been up to.
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1988 Mercedes w124 superturbo diesel 508hp 1996 Mercedes s124 e300 diesel wagon 1990 BMW E30 V8 M60 powered! 1999 BMW E46 323ci project car
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Jul 14, 2020 13:07:02 GMT
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If you were an adult when it was new, it'll never seem retro!
As an E46 3er owner, I'd say that to me they don't seem old to me for that very reason but being objective about it, it's a car developed in the early/mid 90s, first sold in 1997 and superceded in 2006. They were so ubiquitous, mainly in 318i/320i/320d form because they had a relatively long production run but like so many cars they have (in my neck of the woods at least) started to thin out pretty drastically and quite suddenly. I still see a few earning their keep over the course of a week (mainly 318/320 coupés) but very few 4dr factory Sport models like mine. I suspect the ravages of time have taken most and the better cared for examples are now becoming garage queens, as owners are beginning to realise that non-drifted and abuse free examples are disappearing. As with everything, increasing rarity means prices are only going to go one way. Just look at prices for good examples of Sport E30s or E36s.
Whatever happens to mine, it's a keeper. I spent an age looking for one in my price bracket so if it fails, it will get parked up in the garage as I couldn't buy one like mine for what I paid for it anymore and, in the not too distant future, they will end up completely out of reach if I wanted to buy another.
So, retro?
Emotionally, no. Objectively, yes.
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Thread resurrection alert, but this has been running through my mind for a couple of weeks as my mate has a 330d Touring he's building up alongside my Jag M57 swap, and he's also got an E36 V8 which I really rather like.
I think styling's got quite a lot to do with it, but also how cars are constructed (are they pre-OBD2/Canbus etc.), and a spot of 'type of cars I grew up around'. E46s seem to fall just to the other side of these categories, having quite modern styling and all sorts of electric wizardry boxes (although my XJ40 does too and the development for that started in the late 70s...).
Perhaps there needs to be an 'Early Modern' category to separate cars that are newer but still decent from all the asinine swage-lined-to-oblivion 2-ton automatic-only electronic pillboxes that seem to have been the mainstay since 2010 or so.
E46s, Alfa 156s, VW Golf Mk4s, Mk1 Focii. That sort of thing. Not retro, but you still stand a chance of modifying things without needing a laptop.
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Thread resurrection alert, but this has been running through my mind for a couple of weeks as my mate has a 330d Touring he's building up alongside my Jag M57 swap, and he's also got an E36 V8 which I really rather like. I think styling's got quite a lot to do with it, but also how cars are constructed (are they pre-OBD2/Canbus etc.), and a spot of 'type of cars I grew up around'. E46s seem to fall just to the other side of these categories, having quite modern styling and all sorts of electric wizardry boxes (although my XJ40 does too and the development for that started in the late 70s...). Perhaps there needs to be an 'Early Modern' category to separate cars that are newer but still decent from all the asinine swage-lined-to-oblivion 2-ton automatic-only electronic pillboxes that seem to have been the mainstay since 2010 or so. E46s, Alfa 156s, VW Golf Mk4s, Mk1 Focii. That sort of thing. Not retro, but you still stand a chance of modifying things without needing a laptop. I agree on the "early modern" idea. There are quite a few cars that you would think are full of electrics and not very easy to play with, but actually are. The E46 in this thread being a good example, being an early car it's no different than an E36 electrically so easy to play about with. And it's not expensive. I really should do an update on this car now I think about it.
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1988 Mercedes w124 superturbo diesel 508hp 1996 Mercedes s124 e300 diesel wagon 1990 BMW E30 V8 M60 powered! 1999 BMW E46 323ci project car
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I really should do an update on this car now I think about it. Ah, no rush! Sure what's another year or three...
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Still learning...still spending...still breaking things!
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