My new M3!

[Sethypoo]

Hey everyone! I am still pretty new to the forum here but I just thought I'd start my own build thread to show and keep track of my progress of the M3 I just bought. I had a 325i before and the rear end got smashed by a hit n run in the middle of the night while I was sleeping and the car was parked in front of my house. SO, I decided to finally go all the way and pick up an M3. Now I don't have huge funds so I picked up an M3 I knew would need some work. So without further of do here it is! (P.S. don't mind the dirt)http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l190/drummerboi5678/M3%20Thread/20131205_125932.jpg

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Went to change the oil tonight and previous owner told me that when he went to change the oil he noticed epoxy around the bolt so I was a bit hesitant and came prepared with a re-tapping kit and two bolts. (OEM size and a 1/2" to put in if I had to make a bigger hole) Well to my luck I pulled out the old oil pan bolt and here is what came out.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l190/drummerboi5678/M3%20Thread/20131209_182259.jpg

Thank God, I was able to get the other half out. I then put on the new OEM sized 12mmx 1.50 bolt with gasket and it went in no problem. Filled up the oil and no leaks to be found. WOO! I was so afraid I was going to spend all night re-tapping or creating a new hole. Was blessed to walk away with just replacing the bolt.

[MauiM3Mania]

Sweet! Now wash the car!:alright

[Sethypoo]

Hahaha I shall do so!

[gorillajin]

I like it. Please keep posting your progress.

[Steve Pratel]

Wow.... you lucked out, go buy a lottery ticket! "hey I noticed some epoxy on the oil drain bolt' that is classic............. The first time you do anything on a proir owned car, always has some pucker factor. Usually things like the oil drain plug, thermostat bolts, lug nuts, and spark plugs have surprises. My son bought a Mitsubishi Eclipse and one of the tires had a missing wheel lock. Tire shop wanted to cut the rim off the car, but I was able to get it off with an external bolt extractor. Check these things out ASAP while you can easily find the PO.

[Sethypoo]

I like it. Please keep posting your progress.

I will keep this updated the best I can! :)

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Wow.... you lucked out, go buy a lottery ticket! "hey I noticed some epoxy on the oil drain bolt' that is classic............. The first time you do anything on a proir owned car, always has some pucker factor. Usually things like the oil drain plug, thermostat bolts, lug nuts, and spark plugs have surprises. My son bought a Mitsubishi Eclipse and one of the tires had a missing wheel lock. Tire shop wanted to cut the rim off the car, but I was able to get it off with an external bolt extractor. Check these things out ASAP while you can easily find the PO.

Yeah Im pretty much going through it all right now trying to see if there is anything hiding I can find!

[keemo1435]

Nice! Definitely needs work but I'm sure it's in good hands. Will be watching.

[Sethypoo]

Well I knew my rear shock mounts were gone as the annoying clunky noise coming from the back and such. Pretty easy fix as the only pain in the butt was getting that top nut off the shocks themselves. I just cut holes in the carpet in the back to have further easy access for a later time when I decide to buy the reinforced shock mounts and strut bar to put in the back. All in all happy to have them replaced. You can see how bad the old ones were hahaha they were completely shot!

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l190/drummerboi5678/20131211_161039.jpg (http://s96.photobucket.com/user/drummerboi5678/media/20131211_161039.jpg.html)

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l190/drummerboi5678/20131211_161048.jpg (http://s96.photobucket.com/user/drummerboi5678/media/20131211_161048.jpg.html)

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l190/drummerboi5678/20131211_162140.jpg (http://s96.photobucket.com/user/drummerboi5678/media/20131211_162140.jpg.html)

[Sethypoo]

Car has been having cooling issues. Gonna redo most of the cooling. Waiting for a mishimoto radiator to come in, gonna replace hoses, thermostat, thermostat housing, and most likely gonna attempt the electric fan conversion to get rid of that sketchy clutch fan. Oh also gonna replace the clutch master cylinder as my clutch pedal has been sticking to the floor and previous owner of the car just replaced the clutch slave. More pictures to come as I get it all done!

P.S. Also upgrading stereo as the one in it is quite crappy. Probably throw my two 12"s subs in the back at some point too. If any of you care about the non engine related stuff :P

[rajicase]

^^What kind of cooling issues? Replace the water pump too. And don't wait, overheating these cars is bad news.

And yeah good choice on upgrading the stereo, especially if it has stock speakers(those nokia speakers are abysmal). I couldn't fit two 12's in the trunk. Maybe it was cause I was building the box to spec for the subs, but even a premade box that was smaller I don't think would fit. (All this assuming you want them in a box flush with the back seat, if not then two 12's probably would fit fine)

[Sethypoo]

^^What kind of cooling issues? Replace the water pump too. And don't wait, overheating these cars is bad news.

And yeah good choice on upgrading the stereo, especially if it has stock speakers(those nokia speakers are abysmal). I couldn't fit two 12's in the trunk. Maybe it was cause I was building the box to spec for the subs, but even a premade box that was smaller I don't think would fit. (All this assuming you want them in a box flush with the back seat, if not then two 12's probably would fit fine)

Leaking coolant badly. I haven't been driving because of it. Ill take the occasional drive around the block and there is a trail of coolant going down my driveway following me down the street lol its pretty bad so i just decided to replace it all! Previous owner said he replaced the water pump so that's covered.

I got two 12"s in the back and its like perfectly flush hahaha it BARELY squeezed in. Figuring out wiring in this was a bit tricky but I got it all going and sounding good! Only one rattle spot that I will have to dampen with GTmat or dynamat. I will post pics tomorrow hopefully of the stereo!

Still waiting for radiator to get here from Mishimoto :( but I do have a clutch master cylinder to replace and door handles to fix as my driver side doesn't open from outside. Thanks for being active in my build thread! :)

[Skunk]

2x 12 is a little overkill isn't it? I love good loud audio but also like my car to be as light as possible. I'd refrain from adding accessories while you
are rebuilding it. Im in a similar situation as you but my car is kinda stripped and awaiting parts as my funds allow.
What do your seats look like? Plans for paint?


Good luck man.

[kovrol]

I would kick the prev.owners ass for this :)