[karan561]

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 have been selected to do duty for Project E46;



Size: 245/40 R18 squared setup

Date of Manufacture: 50th week of 2017 (as fresh as it gets)

[RoadGlide]

Great build there, Karan! I have been following this build since the beginning and I would like to add a suggestion to the mod list. What about a CSL body kit or at least the rear ducktail spoiler?

[karan561]

Originally Posted by RoadGlide

Great build there, Karan!

Thanks

What about a CSL body kit or at least the rear ducktail spoiler?

I have planned something for the front bumper but the rear not yet. But yes, the CSL trunk is in my mind as well.

[ritedhawan]

What I like about this thread: is the 'Maintenance driven approach’ to Project E46. The initiator of this thread clearly appreciates the fact that ‘A 15-year-old car is bound to have 15-year old parts which may or may not be worn out or replaced in time by previous owner. ‘

Therefore, the numerous attempts to replace parts as much as possible lends credence to this 'Maintenance driven approach’. The trade off is future peace of mind, and even if there were niggles in the future, the initiator of this thread would able to narrow down to that part of car which was not touched in Project E46. This approach adds longevity to the vehicle.

You could simply have uploaded photos and provided the description; However, you went out of your way to upload videos which add immense value to ‘Project E46’ and makes this thread unique.

We thoroughly appreciate the effort you are putting in Project E46.

Earnestly awaiting next update!

[karan561]

Originally Posted by ritedhawan

What I like about this thread: is the 'Maintenance driven approach’ to Project E46. The initiator of this thread clearly appreciates the fact that ‘A 15-year-old car is bound to have 15-year old parts which may or may not be worn out or replaced in time by previous owner. ‘

Therefore, the numerous attempts to replace parts as much as possible lends credence to this 'Maintenance driven approach’. The trade off is future peace of mind, and even if there were niggles in the future, the initiator of this thread would able to narrow down to that part of car which was not touched in Project E46. This approach adds longevity to the vehicle.

Hi ritedhawan, Firstly special thanks for this extremely motivating comment & love shown towards ProjectE46

The goal is to achieve maximum driving pleasure hence it was very important to sort the wear & tear, maintenance bits some needed to be done & some were precautionary. Very soon the cosmetics will also be taken care off.

You could simply have uploaded photos and provided the description; However, you went out of your way to upload videos which add immense value to ‘Project E46’ and makes this thread unique.

We thoroughly appreciate the effort you are putting in Project E46.

Earnestly awaiting next update!

Thanks, next video should be out coming weekend

[karan561]

A few pictures of the Michelins being installed on Apex Racing Wheels @ Super Tyres, Mulund;



A quick look at the specs;



Every car enthusiast loves FAT n THICK tyres & i am no exception



Process Starts;



1 down, 3 to go;



Balancing;



SUPER TYRES did an exceptional job in crafting these tyres over the rims;



DONE



Fortuner overlooking the job & patiently waiting to transport them to the E46;

[karan561]

New Video;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-A-CLviqvYI

^ This is Part 5 of the Project E46 series,



The video starts off with describing the KW Coilovers. I have picked the KW Street Comfort coilovers which offer a balance of ride comfort & sporty /aggressive street driving performance. Also these are height adjustable but offer a minimum 5mm drop over stock & a max of 20mm lower to stock is available too. Then finally the StopTech BBK (Big Brake Kit) is installed and seen in the video. This 4 piston setup's caliper & rotors which are cross drilled are seen in detail.
Sport Control Arms & Control arm bushings, with Link Rods are seen already installed. Tie rods are not installed yet as there is a leak observed in the steering rack which needs to be fixed.
Another precautionary change will be the flex disc (Guibo) of the drive shaft.
Moving on to the rear, the work on the Rear Subframe Re-inforcement is done, which is again precautionary as most of the E46 owners do it.
The rear brake rotors are again StopTech Cross Drilled but the caliper is from an E46 M3.

Also i finally test fit the APEX wheels on my E46;

[karan561]

Finally test fit the Apex Rims on my E46 & simply bowled over This was the 1st time she touched the floor after the install of new Coilovers, Bushings, Brakes & other stuff;



A Closer look;



& a long shot;



Other details about the progress & test fitting is already discussed in the previous post

[Porschefire]

Hi Karan, I really appreciate the time, effort and money you've put in to bring an awesome awesome car, back to it's glory. I just cannot wait to see the finished product, I'm very sure that you will ensure it is the best looking E46 in the country, if not in the world. I'm glued.

Originally Posted by karan561

A Closer look;
Attachment 1752585

Isn't the clearance between the wheel well and the tyre very low? Considering that the KW coilovers you've got are comfort oriented (also), there might be a possibility of the tyres getting damaged on pothole laden roads, isn't it?

[karan561]

Originally Posted by Porschefire

Hi Karan, I really appreciate the time, effort and money you've put in to bring an awesome awesome car, back to it's glory. I just cannot wait to see the finished product, I'm very sure that you will ensure it is the best looking E46 in the country, if not in the world. I'm glued.

Thank Porschefire for such inspiring kind words

Isn't the clearance between the wheel well and the tyre very low? Considering that the KW coilovers you've got are comfort oriented (also), there might be a possibility of the tyres getting damaged on pothole laden roads, isn't it?

True, but this was at the lowest setting, will raise the height by atleast 10-15mm for real world practicality.

[karan561]

M Tech II front bumper came in last week, special thanks to D.A.D for sourcing it;



& finally did a quick test fit before the car goes in for a Paintjob in the coming days;



I was confused between picking the M3 bumper v/s MTech II. Though M3 bumper was available for a sedan But as M3 was always a coupe hence I wasn't really convinced to put that. Whereas the MTech II was like the MPerformance version those times & this particular bumper was available on the ZHP sedan which has a cult following in the e46 fraternity hence picked the MTech II Bumper

This is how the front would look with the new bumper;

[Tanveer_2558]

Love how the mods are transforming the car man, Kind of tempts me to start something on the similar route (Only if time ever permits that) Kudos to you man for putting in soo much time and effort, Can't wait to see the final result (In person) soon!

[karan561]

Originally Posted by Tanveer_2558

Love how the mods are transforming the car man, Kind of tempts me to start something on the similar route (Only if time ever permits that) Kudos to you man for putting in soo much time and effort, Can't wait to see the final result (In person) soon!

Hi Tanveer,

Thanks man for the wishes.

In-fact your 530d is a project car by itself. All the mods have synced in well on your car, be it the performance or the exteriors, particularly THAT FRONT LIP THO

Coming back to my E46, yes i am equally excited to see the end result & it seems in a few weeks we should all be ready to witness the final look

[Tanveer_2558]

Originally Posted by karan561

Hi Tanveer,

Thanks man for the wishes.

In-fact your 530d is a project car by itself. All the mods have synced in well on your car, be it the performance or the exteriors, particularly THAT FRONT LIP THO

Haha yeah i'd agree on that too, Do drive my car during our next drives

Coming back to my E46, yes i am equally excited to see the end result & it seems in a few weeks we should all be ready to witness the final look

I would like to witness it personally on the driving seat

[karan561]

The car is now all stripped & ready to get some fresh paint;



The colour has been selected as OE BMW E46 Paint - SILVER GREY METALLIC (Paint code A08);



^ IMO the E46 chassis carries of silver/grey very well & hence I selected this option. This colour is also known as CSL grey.

This shade has a total of 5 variations in BMW E46 lifecycle, out of which 2 have been selected & sprayed onto the car for sampling/finalisation;



Hope everyone likes it