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My modification "journal"!

16K views 40 replies 20 participants last post by  LYTSOUT 
#1 · (Edited)
Hey fanatics,

After crazy amounts of research and about 2 years worth of window shopping for a new project/hobby, I broke down and bought my M!!! :excited: I have been looking around and have spent countless amounts of time searching and dreaming on these forums and decided that an e46 fit my needs. The car is going to be a weekender project/daily driver if needed type of car, but I still want something I can tinker with and have people appreciate at shows. Every mod that I plan to do will be directed toward keeping the car appear, upon first glance, to be stock to many but to be noticed by enthusiasts. I hope to have a HPF turbo installed within the next few years as a "final modification" after most everything else has been touched on. This includes little aesthetic changes and performance modifications such as suspension and the like. I am posting this thread as my little journal/open recommendation request page if you will.

With ALL that being said... I welcome ANY and ALL recommendations. From here on out, as I purchase parts I will be posting pictures and short little reviews of everything that gets placed on the car. I will also do my best to post links as to where you can pick up the parts I have mentioned.

So I guess I'll start it off. I bought a 2004 carbon black e46 M3 and just to go ahead and get it out of the way... I'm in love.





I've always seen myself more as a muscle car guy, but I have been convinced to broaden my horizons!

A little info: before buying the car I was looking around and trying to decide exactly how far and what direction I was wanting to take my little project. After deciding that I was going to go no less than a HPF stage 2.5, I figured that as long as the car has no frame damage and it was taken care of by it's previous owners, there is absolutely no reason to purchase a car with little to no milage seeing how I want to replace the engine with a brand new one from HPF and to basically do a complete overhaul over time. Mind you this is just my personal opinion, but I just thought that purchasing a near brand new car and then having the suspension and drivetrain replaced would be a waste of my cash. My car was purchased with a little over 70k on the clock and I was fortunate enough to find a car in which all of the maintenance was documented via the vehicle's key at a BMW dealership on time as recommended. I decided on a stick. I know that the SMG's have been proven to be easier and quicker for the average joe on the track, but damn, sticks are just fun! The paint has a few imperfections as a car that has been driven would, but like I stated before, the car is my little project which puts a paint job in my near future.

I am sad that I did not decide to do this earlier so I will just go ahead and recap what little things have been done so far.

I first purchased a new shift nob. I realize the original was made tall for a reason and that is to put it closer to the steering wheel making it easier to switch between the two when you put your foot in it, but I just hated the look. Abiding by my plan to stick to "stock at a glance" I purchased a ZHP shift nob and replacement boot from Turner Motorsport. http://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-1844-manual-bmw-shift-knob-zhp-style-weighted-anatomic-5-or-6-speed-pattern.aspx I love it! It feels fantastic in my hand and lowers the grip just enough to satisfy my aesthetic pleasure.



Before:



After:



Here is a great thread on how to remove the interior trim. http://www.e46fanatics.com/howto/howtodetail.php?howto_id=25 Once you get down to the piece surrounding the knob, do as they say for removing the shift boot, then just pull up directly on the knob. Be sure that you pull straight up and don't torque the lever in any way as to avoid any kind of damage. Also... make sure you don't give yourself a black eye because you may have to put some muscle behind it.

I am really pleased with the service and shipping from Turner Motorsport. Shipping was fast and the process was easy. I plan on purchasing from them in the future. They also make it really easy to get maintenance products such as oil (a pain in the neck when it comes to finding it), filters, and the like.



Next I went for halos. Personally, I absolutely love them! They look fantastic and when you turn the lights off at night. That clean glow just looks absolutely sinister! I purchased a kit from Bimmian. http://www.bimmian.com/WeissLicht-Halo-Rings-Kit-for-BMW-E46-3-Series I really recommend these rings. They feel like they have a great build quality and the clips that come with them make it super simple with the install. I recommend using this site as well just because they provide simple installation instructions with most of the parts they sell and the wiring harness that was sent with the kit allows the lights to fade on when I unlock the car using the key fob and fad out upon locking it- such a cool effect!



I also placed an order for replacement side indicators from Bimmian. My indicators were old, turning a bit yellow, and I could actually see water in behind them. Of course, I had an issue with this. That and I found that the original white indicators were a bit unattractive.



I ordered a pair of smoke LED indicators and I think they look great. Once again, installation instructions were included and the build quality is better than OEM. The indicator still lights up as amber though I believe they are available to light in white as well. http://www.bimmian.com/WeissLicht-LED-Side-Lenses-for-BMW-E46-3-Series



The next thing I absolutely HAD to fix was the freaking cap that covers the nut holding the windshield wiper on. Apparently the guy I purchased the car from lost one of them and it was driving me CRAZY! :banghead:



After searching around for forever I found it!
http://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E46-M3-S54_3.2L/Exterior/Wiper/ES169835/
ECS Tuning has that available and many other little parts that may seem near impossible to find. I wish that I had known about them before having the lining on my A and C pillars redone because they have the pillars already finished ready to install and I could have just purchased brand new ones for cheaper than it was to have them redone. :facepalm:
http://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E46-M3-S54_3.2L/

I had a hard time paying shipping for a part that was under 3 bucks so I also decided to replace those crappy looking (again, in my opinion) orange reflectors on the front of the car. I didn't really want to delete them completely as to loose any kind of function that BMW had intended for them so I was really excited when I found a pair of smoked lenses.
http://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E46-M3-S54_3.2L/Lighting/Side_Markers/ES11208/

Before:



After:



I was impressed. I compared the old with the new and the build quality is identical if not better and for 10 bucks... please!

Also with this same purchase, I ordered a new center console.
http://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E46-M3-S54_3.2L/Interior/Center_Console/ES86862/
Once again... previous owner... I guess he decided that driving with rings on your right hand was a good idea. The area under the emergency brake looks as if someone had taken a piece of 40 grit sandpaper and just went to town... heart breaking. That's okay I guess... tearing apart my interior for the install will be fun!



The quality of the part is OEM. Has the exact dimensions and is even coated with that strange feeling paint (for lack of a better term) that BMW uses on the part. For 50 bucks... not a bad find. I would have rather purchased a carbon piece but I wasn't able to find one that accepted the leather armrest (also available through ECS :D). If any of you find one... by all means, PLEASE send me a link and I'll sell you this one for half what I got it for!

Separately but around the same time, I purchased some carbon fiber REPLACEMENT trim.







I absolutely LOVE the look and quality of the parts! Damn, they were hard to find but oh so worth it. I did not purchase the arm rests though... before I get flamed for the decision, I think I want to try and repaint the originals and add a heavy clear coat. I would like to try and incorporate the BMW color stripes in the part somehow but to do it tastefully with a base color that will still look okay with the carbon trim. The only reason for this decision is that I freaking love the carbon, but the problem is that everyone and their mom likes to do the same thing with their trim. I kind of want something that is different but without looking like crap (as that strategy often turns out). Once I complete the parts and put it all together, if it throws the look off any at all, I'll just purchase the armrests in carbon... no biggie.

I have decided to hold off on installing the interior parts though... don't hate... I want to purchase a new sound system for the car as well. If I get that out of the way before the installation, then I will only be tearing the car apart once vs twice which could give more opportunity for crap to break. I am having trouble deciding on which route to take though. Like I have expressed before, I really like the idea of keeping everything appearing somewhat stock upon first glance. In this state of mind, I have really considered picking up a Dynavin unit. On the other hand, I am unsure if that unit is going to make me happy. STOP STOP!!! Not trying to start a flame war and trust me, I have seen many threads about this subject turn out this way. The thing is that I realize what the unit was made for- basically giving you the stock look yet adding additional features that are not otherwise available. And I absolutely love the fact that the unit can be installed directly out of the box without having to modify the car! Fantastic! But I am afraid of making a 7-8 hundred dollar purchase then regretting it because I want more sound quality. The other unit I have been looking into is the Pioneer AVH-P8400BH. You see, I am an Apple fan and I do have an iPhone so the whole app radio thing sounds very appealing. I really like the fact that every time Apple does an update for their maps software, it is going to in turn update the navigation in my car. In addition, the sound quality is going to surpass that of the Dynavin because lets just be honest... the development on the Dynavin just wasn't steered in the direction of sound quality. Modifying my A/C duct isn't going to bother me, I'm aware that it will have to be done. On the other hand, I just don't want to wonder too far away from stock at a glance. I guess I am just going to have to ponder on it a bit more. Once again, recommendations are welcome as long as you don't declare war.

Moving on...

I made my first of many purchases from HPF :excited: It isn't a huge one but hey... stepping stones! I am aware that doing a whole bunch of modifications to the car's suspension is going to further fatigue an already flawed subframe. I dropped some cash on a set of HPF subframe reinforcement plates.
http://www.horsepowerfreaks.com/partdetails/HPF/Body/Subframe_Reinforcement_Plates//13757
I am going to take the car down to Buckhead Imports down in Smyrna Georgia on Monday to have the plates installed. I have visited their site:
http://www.buckhead-imports.com
From what I can see, I am impressed. I have spoken to them over the phone and they seem to be knowledgable and overall pleasant to speak with. They claim to do these installs often (The big deciding factor for me. I don't want anyone messing with my car unless they know what they are doing) and I was told that there are a few HPF cars in the shop currently. They will be finishing up a tune throughout the weekend, so... I might make it there in time to check them out!!! They have agreed to take good pictures of the entire process, so you can count on seeing those soon!

Anyway (off the bunny trail), back to the parts. I am impressed with the quality. I am aware that Turner Motorsport also makes reinforcement plates for the same purpose and I am pretty sure they are actually a bit cheaper, but the only reason I went with the HPF plates is that apparently these are just a bit thicker... and let's just be honest... If your girl told you that thicker isn't always better... she is just trying to make you feel better...







It really doesn't show so well in the picture, but they used some pretty sturdy gauge steel with these because they are heavy and they feel like quality. I am also impressed with the cuts. It isn't exactly easy to cut steal of this gauge and these cuts are perfect, no imperfections. Im not saying that the parts from Turner Motorsport aren't cut the same way because I have not seen them, but these are certainly no exception. Worth the extra penny!

When I decided to have the plates installed on my car, I decided to go ahead and purchase new rear subframe bushings. I figured since the back end of my baby is going to be in pieces, I might as well have these replaced for just a little added labor. I ordered them with the reinforcement plates from HPF. I went with the yellow street version from Powerflex.
http://www.horsepowerfreaks.com/partdetails/Powerflex/Suspension/Bushings//15489
I decided on the street version because, as mentioned earlier, I want a car that I am not afraid to drive on a daily basis. There is a reason that bushings are used on a car, that is, to get rid of some vibration and they are made to give a little which makes it easier on your subframe vs having your suspension bolted on directly. Kind of like having a pillow for your suspension to rest it's little head on :D. Race cars are usually taken apart and serviced much more than street cars which makes normal wear and tear on parts not such a big deal as they will just be replaced if needed. Well, with a street car, the car isn't disassembled quite so often which makes that added wear and tear (in my understanding, the race edition would be stiffer than the street) less than desirable.



Well anyway, thats about it for this post. I hope I didn't kill you with boredom. I am really excited about the subframe reinforcement plates being installed on Monday. If they are okay with it, I will certainly post some pictures of the shop and I will DEFINITELY be posting pictures of the installation process.
 
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#2 ·
Journal looks great. Good job and props to buying a manual!!
 
#3 ·
Lookin good bro
 
#6 ·
This link should take you to them: http://www.carbonized-bg.com/

The parts are OEM pieces that are wrapped. I know this is kind of cheating but let's be honest... There is going to be absolutely no functional advantage between wrapped parts vs carbon fabricated. This is about the only way to go without spending over 1500 bucks just to get some interior trim.

I was slightly apprehensive about ordering wrapped parts from an overseas manufacture (just because in the event that the parts didn't turn out correct, it would be a pain to get the issue corrected) but I was really impressed with the craftsmanship. The weave has absolutely no stretch or distortion and once the parts go on, there will be absolutely no difference in appearance between these parts and a set of fabricated carbon parts. Plus, I'm not going to have any fitment issues that could possibly happen with fabricated parts just because these are OEM to begin with.
 
#12 ·
Just got back from picking up my baby! :woot:

Subframe renforcements and new Powerflex rear subframe bushings are in! I really didn't expect to notice any difference in the way the car drives just by installing the new bushings seeing how I had them replaced as a "Oh, and while you're down there" kind of thing, but after having a 3 and a half hour drive home to play, to my surprise I can. I can really tell the difference in when power is being transferred to the rear diff. It feels much more solid but without having any noticeable increase in road noise.

Anyway- a few short pictures of the installation...

Rear diff and suspension out. (HPF car in the background :D)





Plates in, welded, and painted.











Ahhh!!! So nice to have it back!

So... I'm just going to have to go ahead and give a shout out. I was very impressed with the customer service over at Buckhead Imports. These guys were spot on! Everyone I talked to were very knowledgable and they have previous experience with these installations. I mentioned before that the guys were great over the phone, but when I got there Jason, the president, gave me a tour of the shop and let me take a look at a few of the HPF cars they were working on. Like I said, very impressed. The car was dropped off on Monday afternoon with plans of picking it up on Wednesday. Unfortunately, there was a short delay in getting it done. Once I dropped the car off and the guys had taken the car apart, they noticed that HPF had sent two identical pieces that should have mirrored each other. The issue was handled impressively quick! They contacted HPF and had the part expedited over night (Great work between both HPF and Buckhead!). The car was finished by Thursday morning and because I had to work, they held the car in shop until I was able to get there today to pick it up. None of this was at any extra cost nor effort to me all while keeping me in the loop the entire way. Jason even gave me his personal cell phone number just in case I needed to contact him outside of business hours. I really think other shops need to take a tour of Buckhead and bring a notebook for notes on how things are supposed to be done. If you own a shop or have one you use regularly, please don't be offended by the previous statement, but shops have tried to screw me before and it freaking sucks!!! I drove 3 and a half hours to get there but knowing what I know now, I would have gone twice that distance to get the same service. In the future, if there is anything I am unable to handle myself, I'll trailer my car there before I take it elsewhere. So, if anyone needs a dependable shop and you are anywhere near or are willing to drive to Smyrna Georgia, these guys have my recommendation hands down!

Now I can move on to other modifications without fear of it being useless due to a damaged subframe!

Moving on- So, Ive been drooling over my carbon pieces! Really having to hold back ripping my interior apart multiple times (as much fun as it's going to be!). This is the reasoning for the decision to go ahead and get my sound upgrade out of the way!

I'm going to try and do a full system overhaul and I need some help with some decision making on which receiver to use. I think I am going to get some Christmas shopping done first which gives me some time to sleep on it. I have picked out a few units that I like, I just need help deciding which ones will look best and like they belong there. I keep looking into the Dynavin D99 unit, but still don't think I'm impressed. The only thing that really attracts me is the Android aspect of it just because the possibility of expanding it's capabilities, but I do not have wifi hotspot with my iPhone service, so it would end up near useless for me. I'll post a picture of the original unit in place, then pictures of it's replacements. Let me know what y'all think... which will look like it best belongs?

OEM: (This is not my unit as I do not have a nav unit in my car)



INE-S920HD- I'm really leaning toward this one. I like the buttons on the side. They are slightly reminiscent of the ones on the BMW unit.
http://www.alpine-usa.com/product/view/ine-s920hd



DNX6990HD- This one is nice because, unlike the Alpine, I can change the button color to match the amber interior lights of the car.
http://www.kenwoodusa.com/Car_Entertainment/eXcelon/Mobile_Video_n_Navigation/DNX6990HD



AVIC-Z140BH- Or should I just go with a flat clean look? Button strip along the bottom can also change illumination colors.
http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Car/GPS-Navigation/AVIC-Z140BH



For now, please do not look nor make any decision off of specs, just aesthetics.

Ready... Set... Go...
 
#15 · (Edited)
Congrats on the M...your doing a great job modding.

Two questions/comments? The trim looks really good and a pretty good price, I wrapped mine and it looks good but not great. Is the trim clear coated? And also I wanted to comment on the I pod DVD head unit, I was going to get one for my girls Audi for Christmas, I really liked it but was thrown off by the reviews, the ones I read we're very bad. I just wanted to give you a heads up, so check it out.
 
#17 ·
I remember my first E46 M3, it was also Carbon Black Metallic. I love the color! I have not done the sub-frame reinforcement, but I have added lots of upgrades including engine and Navigation upgrades. Check out my garage, I did a lot of research before I did any upgrades. Good luck with everything!
 
#21 ·
Hey guys,

Time to get it rolling again. As mentioned before, my next step is going to be upgrading my sound system. I have decided to go Dynavin. I just really like how it makes the car look stock and the fitment shouldn't be as much of a pain. I have also picked out one of my amps. I have gone with the JL XD600/6.

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_136XD6006/JL-Audio-XD600-6.html?tp=115

I need some recommendations as to which speakers to get. It obviously isn't going to be any kind of competition system, but I definitely want something that I can appreciate, is the most bang for my buck, and that sounds a lot better than the crappy stock HK system. My amp can support 75 watts at 4 ohms or 100 watts at 2 ohms. I have been looking into Kicker and Boston Acoustics.

Recommendation for a second amp and sub/subs would also be appreciated. Am I going to be happy with something like 1 12? I think I am going to build a custom box for the back that will mount up where the original "subs" were. I don't want anything huge as I would also like to have some trunk space, but I do want something to be appreciated for when I pull into shows every once in a while.

What do you think?
 
#22 · (Edited)
Alright, time for an update. As you know, I was over the crap that I had coming out of my speakers with the OEM setup. My plan was to upgrade the speakers, and upgrade the head unit as I wanted to have a double din receiver. After a few nights of sleeping on it, I decided that I'd go for the Dynavin unit. The idea of having the interior looking as factory as possible just wasn't something that I was able to pass up. I knew that It wasn't going to have the performance of a brand that specializes in pleasing the ear of all the sound junkies, but I'm really not an audiophile. I just want something that will sound better than OEM.

Next I decided that I'd probably want a little more power than what I had through OEM, though I was not wanting to add a ton of weight to the car in the process or needing to modify the alternator or battery just to supply the power to drive the amps. Just trying to keep it practical. I decided to go with the JL Audio XD600/6 to power 6 speakers which includes 4 mids and 2 tweeters.

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_136XD6006/JL-Audio-XD600-6.html?tp=115

Next was the amp to power the subs I was going to replace those ridiculous 6x9s in the trunk with. I went with the JL Audio JX500/1D.

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_136JX5001D/JL-Audio-JX500-1D.html?tp=115

Total list of speakers:

* 2 sets of JL Audio C2-525Xs
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_136C2525X/JL-Audio-C2-525X.html?tp=105

* 1 set of JL Audio C5075-CTs
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_136C5075CT/JL-Audio-C5075-CT.html?tp=107

* 2 JL Audio 10WXv2s
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_13610WXV2/JL-Audio-10WXv2.html?tp=111

So now that I got that out of the way... now for pictures...

My original plan was to build a box completely out of MDF that would mount in the same location as the OEM "subs", but still be able to retain as much truck space as possible. The more I thought about it, the more the idea of in someway throwing the balance of the car out of whack (I'm not pretending to be some track nut... because I'm not...) just kind of made me sweat. So I decided I'd try my hand at building one out of fiberglass. With no experience with fiberglass, naturally, I was nervous. A few YouTube videos later and I had built up my confidence enough to be dangerous.

Here is my first rendition of the frame I was going to go with, didn't like how the speakers were going to be protruding so I moved them back a bit. (This image is of the box actually upside down in relation to how I was going to mount it.)
[/IMG]

Next was to wrap it in the "shell" on which to fiberglass. Any material that you feel will give the amount of stretch you need will do the job. I just pulled it over the frame and stapled it in place.

[/IMG]

[/IMG]

Next to harden that material I coated it in fiberglass resin. Once it dried, I was actually fairly impressed as to how sturdy it had become. I was expecting it to be like working with an egg shell.







Once that dried, it was time for fiberglass. I cut it into 4x4 squares (now I know I probably would have made them a bit larger just for convenience), put a coat of resin down, fiberglass, then resin until the 4x4 looked almost transparent. Finished product before sanding...



After sanding...

[/IMG]

You can sort of see the little specks of white where I think I got some bubbles it the material. Irritating, but I thought I was doing fairly well for a first time. Besides, this was just the first coat.

[/IMG]

Second coat. A few less bubbles...

[/IMG]

[/IMG]

Ill not post the third coat in attempt not to bore you with a picture that would look the same as the last.

Just a quick test fit. Just to make sure everything was going to work out.





[/IMG]

Not too bad. Now to smooth everything out in order to paint it. I used Bondo as a filler. It worked out really well and created a great surface to sand. I placed the first coat, sanded, next coat, sanded... repeat. Total was 3 coats. The finished product was completely smooth and felt more like a solid piece of material rather than the individual 4x4 squares that I had used.







Primer to fill the holes that Bondo may have missed. (Please make sure to put this on in thin coats... It is almost impossible to sand when you lay it on thick!!!)





Primer sanded.





First layer of black. (To match the exterior color... sorta.)



Second.



Third.



I'm certainly not a professional with this, but I don't think it was a bad first attempt.

Now on to the incredibly ridiculous installation. I originally looked up the forum post of the guy who so craftily figured out how to rewire the factory speaker wire and I was going to use that post as a guide... but then my OCD kicked in and made it impossible to sleep at the thought that "but what if I ever wanted to upgrade..." So I decided to run all new 14g wire. The first step was to create a "wiring" harness, if you will, to run from the unit to the amps in the trunk. I was also worried about the insulation degrading over time so I fell into buying Techflex for all the wiring I was going to be doing. I purchased a 500ft roll off of Ebay for what I could see was a fairly reasonable price... And went to freaking town!





And then for the speaker wiring. It was actually a bit of a pain trying to guess how long 4 different units of wire needed to be in order to wrap them in a way that they could split at the appropriate lengths while in the car. I left a bit of a tail on each end in anticipation of needing to pull it through the car without actually pulling on the wire itself.

\



And now to pull my entire car apart. I wanted to make sure to do the install correctly. No short cut stuffing wire behind trim and the like.

And it began...





Seats out. The sound deading material that BMW used was cracked and dry-rotted. Came out in crumbles...



Pulling trunk apart.



Front seats gone.



Center column.



Pulling apart the dash to remove the carpet.









From the inside of the car looking through the trunk.



The one thing I think would drive me crazy is to do all this work and to have a rattle at the end, so I decided to Dynamat the entire car. I picked up 2 of the Extreme Bulk Packs and went at it.

 
#23 · (Edited)
The harness from the receiver to the amps. I ran it in with the original speaker wires on the opposite side of the power harness. I held it in place with some extra strength masking tape. It actually worked really well. I pulled around on the harness quite a bit and after deciding that it was going nowhere, (didn't want to drill clamps into the car) I was satisfied.



Ran up the center column to the receiver.





While my car was torn apart, I decided that I was tired of the ugly amber hue of all the interior lights. I replaced them with LEDs from ECStuning.com. (quickly becoming one of my favorite sites.)

http://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E46-M3-S54_3.2L/Lighting/Interior/ES2539059/



Before:



After:



For the AUX and USB inputs I purchased some flush mounts to hide the wires. The idea of random wires hanging out of my glove box would drive me crazy!







Bluetooth MIC.





Skip though all the putting the car back together and the receiver is in. Because all of my connections used RCA cables instead of just using original harness... Getting it in was a painful!

Here is a picture of the finished center console.





I'm really happy with the hide-away look to the inputs.



I decided that I really was never going to use the nearly age old tire service kit so I used that to mount my amps so that I could have the original carpet back in and the amps not be showing.



And done!



And... I hate it! The problem I have is that with the new speakers mounted in the rear deck in the same way that the OEMs were, now it rattles like crazy! I can crank the volume and hold down the rear deck to eliminate the rattle so I am going to have to figure something out before I go nuts! :banghead: I have seen a few people modify their rear deck and I think I am going to try something along those likes. If ANYONE has any suggestions as to how to tackle this, let me know.

NEXT ISSUE: now that I have completed and installed the sub box, I feel like I could have done better. For someone with a bit of obsessive compulsion... it sucks! Now that I have the experience of once having done it, I know I can. So, first I think ill redesign the rear deck to get rid of the rattle, then I'm making a new box
 
#28 ·
Alright, now that I've had a chance to play with the box a bit, time for round two in the next box/rear deck build.

Goals:

*Make it lighter
*Reclaim just a bit more space
*Make better porting
*Fix the rattles in the rear deck!!!

I want to reclaim so weight out of it. I think I am going to attempt to construct the entire box out of fiberglass and only use MDF in the most necessary places such as the speaker mounts. I like the way that the current one sets but I want to see if I can bring it up just a hair more to prevent the little amount of stuff that might go in my trunk from sliding around and hitting something. The porting really just slams into the rear deck and I think it really contributes to a lot of the rattling that is going on... got to go!!! I think I'll play with the deck and rear speaker mounts a bit to see what I can accomplish.

First step... Mask EVERYTHING off. I am going to try and make a fiberglass mold of the top where the box will mount. I have never seen anyone do this upside down so I guess we will see how it goes.



The hardest part was getting the fiberglass mat to stick to the top of the trunk after everything was masked off with masking tape. I tried coating it in resin and allowing it to tack up and sticking it up there but the adhesion wasn't enough. Then I tried to mask in double sided tape... still didn't work. However, I sprayed some adhesive that is used to adhere decals to the car. Made by 3M from Auto Zone- bingo. Once I allowed that to dry with the glass up there for about 30 minutes, I was able to start throwing in some resin.







So... Just letting that dry really well then I'll add a few more coats of resin to try and make it stiff for when I bring it down. Once it is off I can start loading on the glass to make it into a really good bracket to hold up the box. I have never seen anyone do it this way so I will let everyone know how it goes. I doing it this way will give me a great way to mount it as everything will be much more snug. As I'm sure you know, the top of that trunk has all kinds of super fun turns and valleys...



I plan on using the air valve attachment for my compressor to separate the tape from the top of the trunk. I'll see if I can't give an update tomorrow after I have taken it down. If anyone has any ideas or experience with building boxes, please feel free to chime in.
 
#29 ·
Alright... ran out this morning to get to work. I was actually fairly pleased with the way it came out. A little more difficult than I had expected but it worked out fairly well. I think the only thing I would have changed would be to attempt to place an additional layer of fiberglass down or at least a few more coats of resin just to make it a bit stiffer. It was tough to keep the piece from bending too much as I was afraid it wouldn't keep a good shape. I had to just work my fingers in as best I could as I used the air gun to blow a separation in the tape.

And here is what I'm left with...



Now to pull the tape off. I wasn't expecting this but the adhesive didn't fully dry but just held a tacky consistency helping to remove the tape as all I had to do is keep a firm tension and the tape just came right off. You can see the places where there were gaps in adhesive because the small pieces of tape just would not come off. So, looking back, I'd say more coats of adhesive would have helped out a lot.







Then I added a few more coats of resin to that side to cover all of the fiberglass that the resin wasn't able to penetrate while it was upside down. I wanted to give it a few good coats because I don't plan on adding any more fiberglass to that side. I am afraid that any more thickness to that side of the bracket will result in poor fitment to the top of the trunk. However, I will be adding multiple layers to the opposite side to build up some strength.







So, just to let that part dry for a while then to move on. I am really pleased with the way it turned out. I tested it for fitment in the trunk before adding the additional layer of resin and it just sat in very nicely. As I took it back out I could feel the air being sucked in around it so I am sure it fills in with the curves of the trunk very well.
 
#30 ·
BAD NEWS: this car has been sold
GOOD NEWS: it was sold to ME!!

after an exhaustive search for an E46 M3, i quickly learned that there are TONS of convertibles and/or SMG available, but finding a coupe with 6MT is really tough, especially with clean carfax, well-maintained, and black/black. luckily for me, i found the perfect car in Nashville's craigslist a couple weeks ago and picked it up from the OP on sunday. the car now has 110k miles, but it's in excellent condition given the mileage. the OP was extremely cool to work with, and it was one of the best car-buying experiences i've ever had, so huge props to him...he's a really really good guy.

the car is exactly as he documented above, with the exception of the subwoofer. it was removed b/c he said it didn't sound good which is fine with me b/c i need the trunk for storage. however, now i have 2 barely-used 10" subs and a barely-used 500w amp for sale! pm me if interested

i'm not sure which direction i'll take the car, but if i do any further mods, i'll continue the theme of keeping it as tasteful and as OEM-esque as possible.
 
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