88 M3 rez-erection

[patrick88m3]

Leakdown and compression tester showed up last week. Also got a filter regulator for the air compressor that's been sitting unused in the garage for months. Once I have time between mowing and house bs I'll get numbers on the s14 and s52.
Took a trip down south to visit family and picked up a 3.25 LSD and a ZF. Also dropped off the dented fender and bumper with a fellow M3 owner that does auto body in TN.
The few local body guys I asked said that it can't be fixed but he seems confident in it being savable.

[patrick88m3]

It really is- takes a lot of the fun out of it. I disassembled the s14 in my car and started working my way down the list and hit 10k almost immediately. Water pumps are $500, thermostats are backordered until 2027, timing chain guides are NLA. It's pretty dumb.

N52 gets you S52 powah without the weight penalty but doesn't feel sexy enough to belong in an M3 for whatever reason.

Re: trans, you could always use an e90 6sp- ask JasonWilson48 what shift linkage/clutch/flywheel/driveshaft he's using. I see cheap rwd e90 transmissions pretty regularly on my local marketplace.

The zf detent kit went up in price, which is something to consider on top of the zf tax.

I sound like a broken record at this point, but the ClassicDaily standalones are great for the money. My car runs so much better than my last m20 did on MS. He has an OBD1 & 2 24v standalone: https://www.classicdaily.net/collect...standalone-ecu

Regarding rust repair, might be a slippery slope..... could be fun to get the car running/driving and enjoy it w/ speed holes for a while so you don't get burnt out doing everything at once.

The N52 swap makes sense spec wise but seems too difficult to tackle for my first ever project this in depth.

I'll send him a PM on the e90 trans. It's fkn impossible to find ANY E30 or E36 parts here unless I go up to Chicago. Reaching out to parts guys I know of down south but not having much luck on a ZF and diff.

Thanks for the ECU rec, not a ton of OBD2 PNP options. I'll definitely look into that.

I'm 99% sure I've found all of the rust. Don't see any rust from road salt, just water from sitting outside. Since there's quite a few large holes in the firewall I think it's best to just do it all at once while the car is apart. Fun stuff.
With how much this car is worth I figured leaving it speed holed is not the best choice. I will say the hole around the gas pedal BMWs get is quite nice if you take your shoes off driving in the summer.

[AWDBOB]

Haven't touched the rust yet, should have enough car money to get patch panels and some tools such as a bead roller this month.
Really need to get my ass in gear on this project.

It's a shame how expensive s14 stuff is.
Depending on how much I spend for a trans and diff the swap will be about half of what a 220 hp ish s14 build would cost. My engine came with a cross member and shifter for a g260 but I'm having a hard time finding one cheap enough to make me want to use one over a zf.
Got a decent deal on the ITBs, going to keep an eye out for deals on a standalone and cams. A lot of money left to spend, that's for sure.

It really is- takes a lot of the fun out of it. I disassembled the s14 in my car and started working my way down the list and hit 10k almost immediately. Water pumps are $500, thermostats are backordered until 2027, timing chain guides are NLA. It's pretty dumb.

N52 gets you S52 powah without the weight penalty but doesn't feel sexy enough to belong in an M3 for whatever reason.

Re: trans, you could always use an e90 6sp- ask JasonWilson48 what shift linkage/clutch/flywheel/driveshaft he's using. I see cheap rwd e90 transmissions pretty regularly on my local marketplace.

The zf detent kit went up in price, which is something to consider on top of the zf tax.

I sound like a broken record at this point, but the ClassicDaily standalones are great for the money. My car runs so much better than my last m20 did on MS. He has an OBD1 & 2 24v standalone: https://www.classicdaily.net/collect...standalone-ecu

Regarding rust repair, might be a slippery slope..... could be fun to get the car running/driving and enjoy it w/ speed holes for a while so you don't get burnt out doing everything at once.

[patrick88m3]

It appears you've made the right choices- how's the rust repair coming along?

For the price of a few consumable s14 parts you can buy yourself an s52 dropout these days

Haven't touched the rust yet, should have enough car money to get patch panels and some tools such as a bead roller this month.
Really need to get my ass in gear on this project.

It's a shame how expensive s14 stuff is.
Depending on how much I spend for a trans and diff the swap will be about half of what a 220 hp ish s14 build would cost. My engine came with a cross member and shifter for a g260 but I'm having a hard time finding one cheap enough to make me want to use one over a zf.
Got a decent deal on the ITBs, going to keep an eye out for deals on a standalone and cams. A lot of money left to spend, that's for sure.

[AWDBOB]

It appears you've made the right choices- how's the rust repair coming along?

For the price of a few consumable s14 parts you can buy yourself an s52 dropout these days

[patrick88m3]

Slow motion is better than no motion right?

[McGyver]

That's a lot of rust, but it still seems manageable.

Assuming the engine turns over by hand, I would definitely try to start it before pulling it. Check the oil and try to prime the oil pump before starting it, hopefully it just fires up!

[patrick88m3]

I guess the next steps are going to be order floor pans, a bead roller, air hose, filter/regulator, and some air tools. Can't do much with an angle grinder in some of these spots.
May be a while of no progress because I also need to buy Christmas gifts and whatnot. Since the engine needs to come out to patch the firewall, I could set up a fuel pump in a bucket and try to start the thing.
Would like to try before it comes out.

[patrick88m3]

The car is rusty. I got every spot I could find cleaned up enough to see how bad it is.

[patrick88m3]

That's a nice big workshop you've got!

What about putting down some plywood across your rafters to make space for light stuff? (seats, door cards, carpet, etc.) That and some organizing would give you plenty of usable space.

I already have stuff up there haha. It has to come down when I eventually insulate and put a ceiling up. I need to get rid of junk.

[McGyver]

That's a nice big workshop you've got!

What about putting down some plywood across your rafters to make space for light stuff? (seats, door cards, carpet, etc.) That and some organizing would give you plenty of usable space.

[patrick88m3]

Got the dash pulled and hung my hood on the wall. Thanks grandeswag for the idea.
I feel like I should've had the HVAC box out yesterday but I wasted way too much time dealing with morons on marketplace. Trying to sell SRT parts from a 300c I scrapped. Never touching a mopar car again ever.
Working on the HVAC box tonight hopefully.


I desperately need a shed and some time organizing. Get stressed just looking at the mess.

[patrick88m3]

acquire cheap e46 from here, part out car, receive cheap S54

Thanks for that link.

[kronus]

acquire cheap e46 from here, part out car, receive cheap S54

[amcp]

Where are you getting a nice s54 for 2-3 gs?