E46 325TI Compact

[gumpertapolloss]

Thank you for the awesome replies. Really appreciate it!

Have a small update coming. Will update this afternoon.

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[cOlDFuSiOn]

I have always liked a well sorted Ti .. Looks good, keep up all the work on the car :thumbs:

 

[gumpertapolloss]

Soooo I was browsing the internet looking at different wheels and initially I wanted to buy a set of style 68's from Hannaford in Kzn. While I was in Kzn, I went to go and have a look at them and they where in a condition which did not comply to my standards.

The style 44's started to grow on me again and I forgot about changing the wheels. Fast forward 3 weeks later and a forum member pm's me saying he has a set of 68's available. Unfortunately he's in Capetown and shipping expenses did not make it worth my while......

Luckily, I found a beautiful set while browsing Gumtree and snatched them up right away!

Style 68's refurbished with a polished lip. I'll take some better pictures this afternoon, but I feel they suite the car really well and I'm stoked on my purchase!

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[evnmopwr]

That set is MINT BRU!!!!
And tires nice and meaty too

Good buy and definitely looks the part

68s for me are 1 of the best styles for the E46

:bravo:

 

[Salt]

Yep...they look perfect on the car :thumbs:

 

[cOlDFuSiOn]

Looks great :thumbs:

 

[gumpertapolloss]

Thanks guys! I feel as though the wheels have changed the look of the car completely and I have fallen in love with it over the past few days.

Some pictures I took after gym today.

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[Keshen Singh]

Enjoyed the post , That was also my 1st BMW I owned 10years ago, really enjoyed the ride and power it had. Awesome cars.....

:bravo:

 

[gumpertapolloss]

Had a little photoshoot with my friends this afternoon.... Just a slight teaser for now until I finish editing the pictures.

My friend with the 320d somehow convinced me to sell my style 44's to him. I'm still in two minds about this.

Ps: all pictures below are unedited.

320d x 325ti x 330i

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[Gordvisr]

looking good

 

[individj]

lovely

 

[Tinuva]

Ask your buddies to also join and post their cars. Would love to see more of that blue 330i...

 

[K0dAx]

Looking good!

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[Sankekur]

Good to see someone DIY'ing their car, great work so far.
Personally I like the 44's more than the 68's, but that's just me. The 68's are lighter than the 44 as far as I recall, which is nice. The 44's allow for larger brakes though.
Is it a staggered set of 68's?

 

[Salt]

Nice pics there...I need to take time and a place to take some too.

 

[gumpertapolloss]

Good to see someone DIY'ing their car, great work so far.
Personally I like the 44's more than the 68's, but that's just me. The 68's are lighter than the 44 as far as I recall, which is nice. The 44's allow for larger brakes though.
Is it a staggered set of 68's?

Hey bud.

The 44's are still around if I ever decide to put them back on the car. The 68's are staggered, so front is 7J and rear is 8.5J.

DIY is the way to go bud. Then you know everything is done the right way.

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[gumpertapolloss]

Bit of an update.

The car has been treating me well as a daily driver and I have been pondering with the idea of selling and replacing with a new vehicle. However, I have come to love the compact a lot and invested quite a bit of love into her. I'll update the thread and then announce my plan of action for this little beauty.

November last year I drove into the parking lot at work and all of a sudden I lost powersteering. I immediately knew it was the ps pump shaft that snapped so I went to get a new Meyle pump that weekend as well as some fresh oil for the powersteering and the engine. Pump together with it's hoses and oil was replaced. The engine got some fresh oil too.

Last weekend was D-day for maintenance and I invested a whole day into replacing a few items.
Items replaced:
Sparkplugs. (pictures of old plus posted)
Rear brake pads.
Rear spring mounts. (left rear one was completely torn. Got new ones from agents)
Powerflex RTAB's. (old ones were beyond screwed)

Pictures:

I attached some pictures of the work being done. Lemme tell you guys, do not try and DIY the RTAB's. Their a *insert really bad word* to do and took about 4-5 hours in total. Rest of the work was easy and straightforward.

Now to get onto the above mentioned. I am in the market for an F30 330d and I plan on getting one in the next couple of months. As mentioned, I can't sell the ol 325ti as she's been great to me and they are really becoming scarce. The plan forward is to S54 swop her. I have been searching the net for an S54 motor that's for sale, but to no avail. If I can buy a motor for now and at least just do bearings and vanos on the S54, it will leave me with some time to try and source an LSD.

Parts I'll need:
S54 engine.
S54 ECU. (ms s54)
M3 cluster.
LSD.

For now if I have the above, I'll be able to start working on the project and getting all my things in order.

If anyone perhaps have any info or leads on the above items I need, please feel free to let me know.
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[Fordkoppie]

https://www.webuycars.co.za/buy-a-car/276DC4074

Buy this complete car, build your car, and only once completely done, sell what remains.

Its going to be much more expensive to source the parts individually. You will find that you actually need a lot more than what one expects initially. So its best to have a complete donor car

 

[gumpertapolloss]

https://www.webuycars.co.za/buy-a-car/276DC4074

Buy this complete car, build your car, and only once completely done, sell what remains.

Its going to be much more expensive to source the parts individually. You will find that you actually need a lot more than what one expects initially. So its best to have a complete donor car

I agree 100% and I have been looking for donor cars. That specific M3 you linked, needs a new Diff and gearbox apparently.

I'm watching the classifieds closely and if I can perhaps find an accident damage car then I will consider it.

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[evnmopwr]

https://www.webuycars.co.za/buy-a-car/276DC4074

Buy this complete car, build your car, and only once completely done, sell what remains.

Its going to be much more expensive to source the parts individually. You will find that you actually need a lot more than what one expects initially. So its best to have a complete donor car

I agree 100% and I have been looking for donor cars. That specific M3 you linked, needs a new Diff and gearbox apparently.

I'm watching the classifieds closely and if I can perhaps find an accident damage car then I will consider it.

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Fordkoppie is 100% correct.

S54 motor Alone will set you back R75k ... and thats if you can find one.
Apparently most engine importers Dont bring them in as its too pricey.

you better off Buying the donor and doing the Swop.
Also on the HUnt for a donor