E46 Fanatics Forum banner

OEM M3 PARTS ON NON-M - modding guide

853K views 961 replies 382 participants last post by  m3jala 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Since a lot of threads pop up about fitting OEM M3 parts on Non-M cars, I figured we might as well have a thread that explains everything. This will be a list, hopefully including part numbers, of everything you'll need to fit OEM M3 parts on a Non-M.

---

Front Bumper:

Difficulty: 4/10
DIY: Maybe.
Installation:
- Coupe: http://www.e46fanatics.com/howto/howtodetail.php?howto_id=40
- Sedan: http://www.e46fanatics.com/howto/howtodetail.php?howto_id=41
Part Numbers:
- Re-Bar: http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=BL93&mospid=47714&btnr=51_3229&hg=51&fg=15
- Bumper: http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=BL93&mospid=47714&btnr=51_4781&hg=51&fg=15

This will fit on okay, but will need some tinkering to fit flush with the stock non-m fenders. Without modification, the bumper sits about an inch and a half forward and the sides flare out an inch or so; on a sedan, it's a slightly bigger gap. To fix this, some people opt for the OEM CF reinforcement bar and stretch the sides in a little bit, while others simply shave down the stock bar to allow the bumper to sit farther back.

Safe Alternatives:
- OEM Mtech2 front bumper (available at your local BMW dealership)
- M3/ CSL replica bumper (available through many of the sponsors here at e46)

---

Front Fenders:

Difficulty: 5/10
DIY: If you're looking to save money, then a DIY would be nice.
Part Numbers:
FRONT LEFT 41357894337 $281.23
FRONT RIGHT 41357894338 $281.23

The OEM M3 Fenders will fit on nicely, but will be wider than the stock coupe front bumper. An M3-fitment front will fit perfectly flush with these.

Safe Alternatives:
- Racing Dynamics Tornado

---

Hood:

Difficulty: 4/10
DIY: Absolutely.
DOES NOT FIT SEDAN!
Part Number:
HOOD 41617894223 $558.00

Minor fender modification is needed for 100% fit. Most people do this by simply spacing the fenders out by using washers.

Safe Alternatives (for coupes/verts ONLY):
- Carbon Fiber (available from many aftermarket companies)
- Vorsteiner GTR
- Hartge-Style

---

Mirrors:

Difficulty: 2/10 (coupe/vert), 4/10 (sedan/wagon)
DIY: Yes.
Installation:
- Coupe: http://www.e46fanatics.com/howto/howtodetail.php?howto_id=6
- Sedan:
... Assembly: http://www.e46fanatics.com/howto/howtodetail.php?howto_id=27
... Base Plate Modification: http://www.rogueengineering.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=E46M3MIR
Part Numbers:
RIGHT PRIMED EL.EXTER.HEATABLE MIRROR 51167893468 $232.13
LEFT PRIMED EL.EXTERIOR HEATABLE MIRROR 51167893597 $232.13
ACTUATOR LEFT 51167895273 $169.63
ACTUATOR RIGHT 51167895274 $169.63
MIRROR GLASS HEATED PLANE LEFT 51167157247 $46.59
ADAPTER LEAD, MIRROR HEATING 51167836442 $6.58
MIRROR GLASS HEATED CONVEX RIGHT 51167157244 $58.31
ADAPTER LEAD, MIRROR HEATING 51167836442 $6.58

On coupes and convertibles, they're a direct bolt on. For sedans and wagons, the bases have to be modified slightly.

Safe Alternatives:
- M3 Replica Mirrors (M5-look) (available through sponsors)
- Hammann/Hagus (available through sponsors)
- AC-Schnitzer (available through sponsors)
- e36 M3-style (available on ebay)
- Hartge

---

Side Skirts:

Difficulty: 2/10
DIY: Yes.

Direct bolt on. No modifications needed. On sedans and tourings, the skirts will be a couple millimeters too long. No biggie though...

Safe Alternatives:
- Hammann GTR
- Hammann Competition
- OEM Mtech2
- AC-Schnitzer
- OEM Aero Kit (a.k.a. 'Mtech1')

---

Rear Quarter Panels/Fenders:

Difficulty: 9/10
DIY: NO!
Heavy modifications are needed for these to work. In short, a body shop will need to cut your existing quarter panels to smithereens and weld the M3 ones into place. This will require many hours of labor and lots and lots of money. This process is also irreversible. Only do this if you're absolutely certain that your pocket can take the hit.

(Not-so-safe) Alternatives:
- Custom widebody

---

Rear Bumper:

Difficulty: 6/10
DIY: Probably not.
Part Numbers:
- Re-Bar: http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=BL93&mospid=47714&btnr=51_3306&hg=51&fg=15
- Bumper: http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=BL93&mospid=47714&btnr=51_4219&hg=51&fg=15

This has only been tried a handfull of times, but this mod is usually accompanied by a widebody. Since there's such a difference between M and non-M rear fenders, this bumper is a good inch or two too wide. To fit this correctly, you'll either need to do some hardcore molding and reshaping of the bumper, or a custom widebody in the rear. If you can deal with the bumper flexing and creating numerous noticeable gaps, then I guess you could do it without modifying anything (and only stretching the sides of the bumper in). Again, this mod isn't highly recommended unless you're serious about modifying your car.

Safe Alternatives:
- Hammann GTR
- Mtech2
- OEM Aero Kit (a.k.a. Mtech1)
- Various rear addons

---

Trunk (including CSL trunks):

Difficulty: 3/10
DIY: Yes.
DOES NOT FIT SEDAN!
Part Numbers:
- M SPOILER REAR, PRIMED 51717893671 $139.50
- TRUNK LID 41627065260 $430.78

Some people (for whatever reason) want OEM trunks on their cars. The trunks are the exact same dimensions for M and non-M cars, therefore this is a direct bolt-on. No biggie.

Safe Alternatives:
- M3 Trunk Lip (yes, it fits fine)
- CSL Replica Trunks (Vorsteiner)
- CSL Addons (eh)
- Bimmain CSL-Style Addons (very nice looking IMO)
- ACS 3-Piece Race Wing
- ACS 3-Piece Trunk Spoiler
- ACS 1-Piece Trunk Spoiler

---

Muffler:
Difficulty: 4/10
DIY: No. (leave it to any reputable muffler shop)

Despite what many people think, this mod isn't very hard to do. Here's what you'll need to do:
- Either cut the spare tire well ($100ish) or get an OEM M3 one put on ($150ish) in order to allow room for the muffler box.
- Get a new rear bumper to accomodate the sexy, center-exiting, quad tailpipes.
- Go to a muffler shop and have them weld it on. Just the welding and bracketry shouldn't cost more than $100 in total.

Safe Alternatives:
- Custom quad exhausts
- Remus/Eisenmann quad exhausts

---

Wheels/Tires:

Difficulty: 4/10
DIY: Sure.

To get a set of four to fit, you will need to do some hardcore fender rolling and buy some smaller tires. To ensure proper fitment and to avoid a headache, I'd probably just find a set of four front wheels. These will fit just fine with no rubbing or modifications or anything.

Safe Alternatives:
- Anything :)

---

Gauges/Instrument Cluster:

Difficulty: ?/10
DIY: ?
Part Number: INSTRUMENTS COMBINATION UNCODED MPH 62117837972 $504.43

This has not been successfully done yet. People have plugged these in, and here are the results:

WORKS 100%:
- MPH
- RPM
- OnBoard Computer Functions
- Lights
- Indicators
- Engine Temp.
- Gas Info

DOES NOT WORK:
- Oil Temp. Needle
- RPM Warmup Lights
- Little orange ODO Tamper Light comes on...which is bad

This is a DIRECT PLUG AND PLAY, but will not work 100%. You be the judge...

Safe Alternatives:
- Bimmian M3-Style Gauges
- UUC Whiteface Gauges
- Silver Gauge Rings w/ Red Sharpie'd Needles

---

Steering Wheel:

Difficulty: 3/10
DIY: Yes
Part Number: M SPORTS STEER.-WHEEL, AIRBAG, LEATHER, BICOLOR 32348022322 $700.29

As long as you have the round airbag, this will be a direct bolt-on. The airbag, horn, radio buttons, cruise control, and everything else will work. Yay!!

---

More to be added later....

---
 
See less See more
11
#437 · (Edited)
Hello, I have a set of 2006 M3 rims on a 99 E46 pre-facelift 328i and the back is catching badly.. For now I just took them off. The back is 265/35/19.. What tire profile would you guys suggest I get so I can make it better? What do u mean by fender rolling? Another idea I had, but I'm not sure if it's possible.. What if I get an adjustable shocks/struts to raise it a bit?

Thanks in advance!
 
#438 ·
You should probably be running 225/35 all around, maybe a 235/35 in the back but it would probably rub.

Fender rolling means taking a big rolling device (attaches via lugnuts) and rolling the inner lips of the rear fenders flat. That's probably what the tires are rubbing on now. Either way, 265 is outrageous for how far the M3 wheels stick out. Here's what it looks like:



Your new shocks/struts to raise the car idea is... well.. bad. lol

Happy first post, enjoy the forum!
 
#439 ·
Thanks for the fast reply Alec.

Well, I went down to this local shop that does some custom work and had them roll the fender for me. It seems they couldn't do much with the passenger side, because they said it is much thicker then the driver side. So they did as much as they could.. Now as far as the tire size.. According to the tire shop I went to, the smallest size I could put on that wheel(9 1/2 width?) is a 235/35/19. Is this true or these people don't really know what they're talking about? I didn't really check but are the m3 wheels staggered?

Thanks once again guys!
 
#440 ·
Sounds like they don't really know what they're doing, mainly because the fenders can easily be rolled if all the thick rubbery crap inside the fold (the part of the inner fender that gets rolled) is picked out. When shops aren't experienced with these cars, they don't care to spend the hour to do that, they'll say that the metal is too strong, won't go any farther, etc. and the fenders won't budge an inch. Happened to me too...

A 235 is the 'safe' recommended size for that width, but people use 225 all day on everything up to 10" wide. Think of it this way - if you don't stretch the sidewall of your tires, it will contact directly with the fenders. It's a trade off, but it also happens to have the best aesthetics.

M3 wheels are staggered pretty intensely to fit properly inside M3 fenders. They will work on a non-M car, but it gets pretty tight in there. Even with my wheels, I can only fit 3 (yes, 3.. not 4) business cards in the rear fender clearance.
 
#441 ·
Thats what I thought Alec, they all seemed to be a little clueless. There is another shop here close to my house that does custom work and I'm going to try to run down there tomorrow and see if they can do a better job, if not and if I'm lucky I'll rent a fender roller out somewhere.

Wow 3 business cards? That's crazy tight. Does it catch while you drive or hit small bumps, or even with a couple of people in the back seats?
 
#442 ·
The passenger rear tire rubs with people in back, or if I hit an awkward bump in the road. It's more of a 'scrub' than rub, the driver fender was rolled a little bit more when I did it. Neither fender is rolled much at all though, it was too cold to pick all that rubbery crap out to get a good roll.

Both rear wheel lips rub on the fenders whenever the car sits that low, which is quite a bit. ha, I should take a picture of the lips up close. It sanded down all my curb rash for me :) Now I have a brushed aluminum time attack ring. lol
 
#443 ·
I ended up triming the lips and rolling the hell out of the fenders, pushing it out. I currently have the 265/35/19 on it, which catches quite a bit. I'll be going down on size eventually though.. The only thing that sucks, but not a biggie is that I'll have to to some body work to my fenders, but I plan on painting the car anyways! If I have time I'll take some pics later on.
 
#444 ·
I'm wearing glasses [which are 2 years out of date] so sorry if this question has been answered. I tried reading/searching some of the posts then gave up.


For the front fenders you were talking about coupes right? What is the fitment for sedans? Would I also need a hood to go along with it?
 
#449 · (Edited)
Hi people
This is my first thread on this forum.
So Hello to all of you
I was thinking about changing my exhaust in 330 2001 coupé and i can get original exhaust manifolds cheap but i don't know if they will fit.
And second thing will the manifolds from LHD fit RHD cars ( i live in England at the moment )
Thanks for the help
 
#458 ·
OK lets take another shot at the rare parts thread. If you are posting up a part post it up with a pic..

i hate you for having those seats in such great condition.. i bet you got them cheap too. In all seriousness, congrats on the score. I'm jealous of those - doesn't happen often..

Here's the oem titanium brake lever that I just picked up, I was informed by RHDJapan.com that it was one of the last three sets available in.
 
#460 ·
So from what I can tell H&R Race springs from a 330Ci will fit an M3?
 
#467 ·
Yes. I put heated M3 seats in my sedan, but I already had heated seats, so they were just plug and play (you just have to swap the outer rails so the seatbelt mount is still there, which is the rule with swapping any coupe seats into sedan.)

So you'll just have to do the heated seat retrofit on top of that. Should be pretty simple.

gltdn said:
I heard that with my fender being rolled and if I put a 245 zy tires it wont catch! What is your opinion on this?
Yeah, that sounds pretty good to me. If it was my car, I would try a 235/35 rear to start, just to make sure it doesn't rub too intensely. 245 on a 9.5" would be a close call if you don't have a lot of camber, since it's a normal tire for that size wheel.

This is what a 235/35 looks like on a 9.5", this is a good middle ground to start.



and here's a 225/35 on a 9.5". You won't need to go this narrow if you roll the fenders well, but you can see what narrower tires do on wide wheels.. bump the size down and the clearance increases quite a bit.
 
#468 · (Edited)
Yeah, that sounds pretty good to me. If it was my car, I would try a 235/35 rear to start, just to make sure it doesn't rub too intensely. 245 on a 9.5" would be a close call if you don't have a lot of camber, since it's a normal tire for that size wheel.

This is what a 235/35 looks like on a 9.5", this is a good middle ground to start.
To be safe, I'll go with the 235/35..

and here's a 225/35 on a 9.5". You won't need to go this narrow if you roll the fenders well, but you can see what narrower tires do on wide wheels.. bump the size down and the clearance increases quite a bit.
This doesn't look bad.. but I hope the 235/35 do me fine *fingers crossed*

Alec, my front tires says 225/40! Should the front be 40 or should I drop it down to 225/35?

Thanks once again for the great help Alec! Lol your lucky your not my neighbor I would be randomly knocking on your door for help w/ my bimmer :p
 
#469 ·
To be safe, I'll go with the 235/35..

This doesn't look bad.. but I hope the 235/35 do me fine *fingers crossed*

Alec, my front tires says 225/40! Should the front be 40 or should I drop it down to 225/35?

Thanks once again for the great help Alec! Lol your lucky your not my neighbor I would be randomly knocking on your door for help w/ my bimmer :p
On a 19" wheel, it should definitely be a 225/35. Never heard of anyone running a 40, I assume there would be intense rubbing when the wheel is turned to full lock. 225 front - 235 rear is a good setup, I have it on my e46 right now and it looks pretty good and performs like a champion. :D
 
#470 · (Edited)
On to the mirrors..

On the first post you put down the parts #'s.. I need to buy all these parts Part Numbers?

RIGHT PRIMED EL.EXTER.HEATABLE MIRROR 51167893468 $232.13
LEFT PRIMED EL.EXTERIOR HEATABLE MIRROR 51167893597 $232.13
ACTUATOR LEFT 51167895273 $169.63
ACTUATOR RIGHT 51167895274 $169.63
MIRROR GLASS HEATED PLANE LEFT 51167157247 $46.59
ADAPTER LEAD, MIRROR HEATING 51167836442 $6.58
MIRROR GLASS HEATED CONVEX RIGHT 51167157244 $58.31
ADAPTER LEAD, MIRROR HEATING 51167836442 $6.58

That's almost $1000.00/us :eek:

Also I have a 99 328i sedan.. if they ask what year m3 I need them for what should I say? or would any e46 m3 mirrors fit?

Fenders, will a 2003 m3 fenders fit a pre-facelift e46 sedan?
 
#473 ·
that's not the actual price, just the realoem.com retail. i got mine from the dealership (when i worked there last year) for around 500.

tell them you need 6 or 12 pin connectors, depending what you have in your car. if you don't know already, you need to take your door panel off and find out how many pins are in the mirror connector. you can also choose whether they're autofolding or not, and maybe heat was an option too. mine are the whole she-bang in 6 pin.
 
#471 ·
Yes, I agree that a 35 series tire is definitely what you are going to need. I have heard of people putting a 40 or even 45 series tire on, but it will always rub unless you do some inner fender modifications. If you run that size tire and don't modify the fender then it will get damaged in no time and then you will need to replace it which is never fun.
 
#472 ·
I bought the wheels off of ebay.. the tires was pretty warn out, so I'm guessing the guy put it on just to sell the wheels! but yeah the fronts are currently 225/40, but I didn't notice anything catching/rubbing while doing turns, go figure. When I take it to put on new tires I'll pay close attention to it.. just to see if they were catching or not.

My new ones will definetly be 35 all around!

Thanks!
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top