# eas | Silver Grey e46 M3: Resurrection



## eas (Jan 7, 2009)

Some of you may have wondered why there hasn't been any updates...

Not too long ago I faced every e46 M3 owner's worst nightmare, the catastrophic failure of the beloved S54 due to the notorious rod bearing failure. not falling within the recall period (01-03), I decided it would be best to locate a used S54 to complete a heart transplant for my M3. Looking forward, I've simply decided to start a new journal.

Thus marks the resurrection of my MY04 6MT M3. Let's begin:

*Color:* Silver Grey
*Interior: *Speed Cloth/ Grey Trim
*Packages: *Xenon's, No Sunroof, No power seats
*Transmission: *6MT

*Maintenance*
The engine failure changed my overall plans a bit. Rather than document the progress in the previous thread. Previous entries have been documented here .

Preventive maintenance is a must so history does not repeat itself.

Through careful weeks of searching, a suitable donor was found from another MY03 6MT with 72K on the clock, amazingly within 500mi of my current mileage in order to keep thing synced. In order to avoid future issues with the rod bearings, we performed a leakdown test and disassembled/inspected the donor motor's internals to determine the engine's current condition as well as see if there was any damage present.

So far, so good.

With the engine still out of the car and on an engine stand, we inspected the intake/exhaust camshaft bolts to signs of backing out (often referred to as "VANOS bolts") and replaced as well as performing other VANOS maintenance, including new sealing plates and filter cartridges. Preventive maintenance included a new water pump/thermostat since it was easily accessible. This also included a new OEM Clutch since it was reaching the end of its life expectancy.

Quick iPhone pictures of the swap:











After a few long nights of hard work, the M3 roared back to life!

Giving the new clutch and rod bearings a bit of time to get comfortable in their new home, we'll soon strap her to the dyno and see what we're given from the horsepower gods as a baseline.

More to come.


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## Dave 330i (Jan 4, 2002)

how much did the transplant plus the extas set you back, so far?


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## eas (Jan 7, 2009)

*Table of Contents*

*Bosch Alternator*
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showpost.php?p=6048193&postcount=4

*B&G Springs*
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showpost.php?p=6054215&postcount=5


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## eas (Jan 7, 2009)

After a few days of driving around, we noticed that the car was starting to have problems starting up. After a couple quick voltage tests and code scan, we determined it was the alternator going out, so it's now time to replace it!

A Bosch Alternator was ordered, and we got to work quickly, getting it replaced the same day the alternator was delivered.



















After a quick and painless install, the e46 M3 is starting up with absolutely no hiccups!


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## eas (Jan 7, 2009)

The e46 M3 is a beauty in stock form, but there are slight changes that I've been waiting to make after the car was back on the road. At the top of the list was to get rid of the 4x4 ride height as soon as possible, so I decided to put install B&G springs, a product many of our customers have been extremely satisfied with.



















While the car was on the lift, we also decided it was a perfect time to do the Clutch Delay Valve delete.










This is how the M3 sits after the B&G springs were installed:





































What do you think?

Stay tuned for some new updates very soon


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## eas (Jan 7, 2009)

Upon completing the 1200 mile break-in for the rod bearings finished, we dynoed the M3 to see what power it's making in stock form. The results on our Dynojet was 277rwhp, a very strong baseline for the car. With MFEST V right around the corner, we decided it's time to add a VF420 supercharger system along with a fresh set of Cool Carbon S/T brake pads to test them out at LVMS.

Here's a time lapse video install of the VF420 Supercharger being installed in my car:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5wgR2khmvg&feature=player_embedded





The VF420 Supercharger system is VFE's entry level supercharger for the S54 making approx 4.0-4.5lbs of boost. This kit installs in relatively little time since this is the non-intercooled version of the VFE lineup and and can easily be upgraded to either the VF480 or VF570 kits for those that have the thirst for more power, which is the reason why I chose to go with this kit . Both the VF480 and VF570 are water/air intercooled systems and utilize higher boost levels.

The VF420 powered M3 did very well on the track, with very usable linear power, and the Cool Carbon brake pads allowed for the car to slow down from high speeds very rapidly. Daily driving the car is a blast, and power is available for when I want to have some fun


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## eas (Jan 7, 2009)

Upon the addition of the VF420 kit, I was on the hunt for a more aggressive exhaust to pair with the added power. An exhaust that have always had me in awe was the Dixis Spirit Titanium exhaust, and the weight savings intrigued me as well. Knowing that this was a rare exhaust to come by, it didn't seem plausible, but I was determined to find one.

Luckily I was able to find a used Dixis Spirit Titanium Exhaust and was able to install the muffler right before MFEST V!







The exhaust note is intoxicating, and cruising around the city with the windows down has never been such a harmonic experience!


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## eas (Jan 7, 2009)

A friend of ours happened to have some HKS Hipermax RS Coilovers available for the e46 M3 laying around. We decided to throw these on my car to get the M3 at an even lower stance with proper dampening. The clock was ticking and we knocked the night prior to heading to Vegas.





These HKS coilovers bring the car down very low, and they are surprisingly still very comfortable. Not bad for the street, but my only gripe is that they don't have any camber plates. We got around to doing this right before MFEST V, so here's an action shot of the M3 on the track with the VF420 kit and HKS coilovers installed:



They definitely held up well on the track, and the car felt much more planted before. I'm very satisfied with the decision to put the coilovers on!


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## eas (Jan 7, 2009)

One of the things that kept coming across my mind was to either keep the DEPO smoked corners that came with the car on, or get some OEM clear corners back on. Silver Grey is one of those colors that looks great with both styles of corner lamps, but I ended up going back to OEM clears to bring some contrast to the car:










Also, while I ordered up the OEM corners, I decided it was time to swap out my yellowed sidemarkers for newer ones also:










Very small subtle changes, but enough to change up the look of the M3. I'm definitely happy with it for now, but who knows, I may go back to the smoked corners in a few months


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## eas (Jan 7, 2009)

It was right before BimmerFest 2011, and we thought it was now time to change things up on the e46 M3. We opted to go for a simple look, yet aggresive, so we decided on the VMR VB3s in 19x9.5" ET33 and 19x10" ET25, wrapped in Yokohoma Advan Neova AD08s. The front wheels were having trouble clearing the HKS coilover on the inside, so we took care of that with a Macht Schnell 5mm spacer at the same time.




























What do you think?


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## eas (Jan 7, 2009)

Some updated shots of the VMR VB3s on my car, and how it currently sits:





The Yokohoma Advan Neova AD08s are by far the best tire I have ran on a car. They're very grippy, and can put down the power with no problems at all. The VB3s definitely changed up the look of the whole car in general, yet retaining that clean OEM look.

I'm very content with the decision to go with the 19x9.5" and 19x10" combo with the VB3s, the concavity of the wheels definitely makes the car look wider!


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## eas (Jan 7, 2009)

Some of you may have already noticed that my car has a bit of a Japanese influence, this is mainly due to brian @ eas and his Voltex Cyber Edition Evolution IX showing me all of these beautiful parts from Japan. He threw an idea at me that I was tossing around for a bit, and ended up pulling the trigger.

Following the Japanese theme, I present to you *Magnesium Blue CE28Ns:*















Do you like the color combination? We surely do


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## 0-60Motorsports (May 5, 2008)

Very Sexy! love the Volks


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## Groznyy_Volk (May 27, 2011)

Beautiful car! 

Also DEADMAU5 <3!!!!!


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## eas (Jan 7, 2009)

A quick update of what was done last week:



A review coming soon


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## eas (Jan 7, 2009)

With the extra power, it was time to upgrade the brakes as well. My old pads were on their way out as well, so it was the perfect time to switch up the brake setup. As we're working on getting this car more prepared for upcoming track days, we decided that going with a BBK would be a great choice.

I was lucky enough to find a used set of Stoptech ST-40 front brakes for a great price, so the choice was clear!









Comparison of the Stoptech 355mm Slotted Rotor and the OEM rotor.









Cool Carbon S/T Brake pads for the Stoptech ST-40 calipers.





































*Overall Impressions*

The brakes are fantastic, helping the car stop on a dime with no sign of any brake fade, and will be able to handle the added power for when I upgrade to the intercooled VFE supercharger system. The Cool Carbon pads were chosen due to our great experience with them with the OEM setup, and they have once again proven themselves with the Stoptech ST-40! Can't wait to see how these do out on the track


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## eas (Jan 7, 2009)

Here's a recent video of my VF420 Supercharged E46 M3 with the Version 4 software calibrated by VF Engineering. This video shows the cold start and several acceleration runs of this daily driven vehicle.






Can't wait for more power with the upgrade to an intercooled system! :drive:


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## eas (Jan 7, 2009)

A photoshoot that we did of my car before parting with the CE28Ns and moving onto some 18" wheels


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## eas (Jan 7, 2009)

My 18" track wheels finally came in!











Specs are:

*Advan Racing TCIII -Dark Gunmetal*
18x9.5" ET22
18x10.5" ET25
Hankook RS-3 265/35-18
Hankook RS-3 285/35-18


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## eas (Jan 7, 2009)

Inspection II countdown on the cluster creeped up very quickly and I started to hear the valves ticking pretty loudly, so it was time for a Valve Adjustment. Getting started on it was a breeze, until it came time to measure, which was quite time consuming.

Letting the car sit and cooling down the engine:









Getting started by removing the cover, coil packs and spark plugs:









The shim kit in all it's glory with the tools to measure and replace shims:









Here is the S54 with valve cover off and ready for the valve adjustment:









This tool made all the difference in the world to change shims









In the end, 18 of the valves were either out of spec are quite close to it, so they were all changed. Guess I've been pretty hard on the car since the previous valve adjustment 

We offer Valve Adjustments and Inspection IIs here at EAS, give us a call if you have any questions or if you are due for maintenance!


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## eas (Jan 7, 2009)

Trying out a new look:





































What do you think, Volk TE37SLs or Advan TCIIIs?


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## eas (Jan 7, 2009)

One of these are going on this car next, can you guess which one it'll be?


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## eas (Jan 7, 2009)

Here's a video of a track day at Streets of Willow that I did a couple of weeks ago:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTxAula_f9E&feature=channel_video_title

The car felt very solid and predictable throughout the day, with the VF420 supercharger system delivering power smoothly and consistently lap after lap and the Hankook RS-3s putting all the power to the ground. More track days to come in the near future for sure, I can definitely use more seat time


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## eas (Jan 7, 2009)

Thanksgiving meant new shoes for the car!











Magnesium Blue TE37SLs wrapped in Hankook RS-3s. What do you think?


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## Oman_BMW (Jun 28, 2009)

loved the project and the car


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## eas (Jan 7, 2009)

Another day out at Streets of Willow CCW with the VF420 E46 M3:






Going counter clockwise this time, I learned that I need to change out the brake fluid since it reached it's boiling point pretty quickly after a day of hard braking, so that will be the next item to address. The car performed wonderfully on the track, though it can use a little bit stiffer suspension on it, so that's another thing on the list to change out. After this event at SOW, we have decided that there will be some major updates to come shortly after the holidays!


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## eas (Jan 7, 2009)

Here's a teaser of what's to come...


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## motordavid (Sep 29, 2004)

Very interesting and well shot thread, imo...
Cool vids and vg pics of a haulazz /Track/Q ship! :thumbup:
GL, mD


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## eas (Jan 7, 2009)

Updates for the new year! Here's the first one:



















New wheels and a fresh set of RS3s! Notice anything else different?


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## eas (Jan 7, 2009)

The VF480 kit has been installed over the holidays, here's a video of it on the dyno! More videos and review of the VF480 kit to come after my next track day!






Some more photos of the car with the new red TE37 Super Laps


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## eas (Jan 7, 2009)

Here is the last of my holiday updates to be installed very soon!

AST 4100 with Vorshlag Camber Plates, paired with Swift Springs in 10k/12k.





Can't wait to try these out at the track


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## eas (Jan 7, 2009)

AST 4100s and Swift Springs are all mounted up, ready to go! Time to get an alignment and terrorize Cal Speedway this following weekend with MFEST!



















Hopefully I'll see some of you guys out at the Roval


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## eas (Jan 7, 2009)

Having some fun at Auto Club Speedway over the weekend!










The car performed flawlessly with the new AST suspension, VF480 upgrade, and new projectMu G-four 335 Brake fluid! The track was perfect for the car, providing some nice straights for high speeds while still having quite technical parts on the infield. It was nice seeing some members, such as *kaiv* out at the track as well!


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## Tkaczuk (Aug 13, 2011)

Looks like you did well. The pictures weren't bad either.


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## eas (Jan 7, 2009)

A couple more shots of EAS cars, as well as kaiv's:


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## eas (Jan 7, 2009)

Doesn't the VF480 just look like it came from factory?


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