B3s Touring no. 104 6 sp Manual conversion completed 12/3/18

Thought we'd tempt out our budding photographers. Share your photos. We'll add different themes from time to time.
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Bertroex
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Post by Bertroex » Thu Dec 01, 2016 12:38 pm

Simon,


Just a quick line to say that I greatly enjoyed your write up. As for the lost battle of the x3: I was there as well, but I changed the wife instead. :lol:

(no kids, though!!)

Cheers,

bert
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1985 Porsche 924 S

ex:1983 E28 525I, 1985 E28 528I, 1989 E30 325I Mtec coupe, 1986 M535I, 1990 E30 320i Touring, 1990 E30 325I touring, 1990 E34 525I, 1998 Z3 1.9, 1998 E39 523I SE, 1999 e46 328CI, 2008 E92 Alpina B3 BiTurbo 053
and 13 Porsches...

simon13
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Post by simon13 » Tue Dec 26, 2017 10:35 pm

So well now that the E36 was sold a few months ago, you can't be without an Alpina touring, so now i'm down to just 1 and its this.

Now its not a baby tram its going to get the same treatment as the E36 had, plus other things. As really it needs alot of work to get it how i'd like it. After being used as a daily family car its whole life


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I picked up a full sized spare alloy, which is always a better idea than a space saver. I'm grateful e46s have a spare wheel well as the new stuff doesn't!





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She needed welding to get an MOT this year on the drivers side sill and tidy clean up of some other areas to try and keep the tin worm at bay









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I bought this complete touring Harmon Kardon setup also about 2 years back but have never done the job so i've made a start on that today



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I've started with the easy bits changing the door looms, you can't seem to split them down like on the older cars so its a change the whole door loom job. You don't need to remove the whole door like i did here getting in a tis!

I luckily aquired some HK equipped door cards with speakers a while back in black that weren't mullered. So i've got a complete set of spare door speakers which is handy






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I've also bought this LSD its 3.38 ratio so it could be used on an auto but it gears it down a bit or on a manual which its a bit shorter ratio than a manual B3S used! :lol:





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I've boughts all these manual parts off E46 M3s!! So one SMG gearbox which i've had converted to be a normal manual 6 speed box.

And all thats needed to do it, now seeing as this is a road car i've opted to go standard and have the standard M3 clutch and dual mass flywheel so shes lovely on the road.

I've nearly every part needed to get this started, its going to be epic like the E36 was but better! I'm doing this how alpina did it to a LHD cars when they were new that we in the UK were denied! Shes going to fly!!



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dirty war horse and merry late crimbo
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greenelekta
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Post by greenelekta » Tue Dec 26, 2017 10:59 pm

Another load of work you've set yourself, door off! On the + I see you've converted your VW neighbour to BMW
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Post by simon13 » Tue Dec 26, 2017 11:15 pm

That was nothing to do with me! I've had to work on it several times now also its a 330i clubsport with some mods innit
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Post by simon13 » Sun Feb 04, 2018 11:46 am

So manualness has begun! So last week i fitted the quaife LSD. Not a great job to do on the driveway. E46 diff swap is a bit tricky!


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God bless crusty scottish cars. The diff is like a barnicle!



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So Alpina use 3.64 ratio on the auto cars. Interesting point - the e46 M3 uses this ratio with a manual gearbox!


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Heres the quaife a 3.38 ratio which is a standard auto 330i ratio.

Alpina used a 3.15 ratio on its manual cars so 3.38 is bang in the middle of what alpina used and the M3. So theres still choice and we shall have to see how it drives to decide is 3.38 is a good ratio. Will be quick no doubt!! Having the 3.64 means i could go full e46 m3 spec. Or i have an E36 3.15 ratio LSD in my garage that i could get transfered into an E46 diff casing. Choices!!



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All fitted i drive the car a couple of times and it blunts its acceleration a little like you'd expect but lower revs on the motorway and upped economy a touch




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All loaded up ready to go. So in an effort to copy how alpina did this. The 6 speed gearbox, propshaft, gear linkage, clutch and flywheel are all from the e46 M3. The clutch slave and master cylinders and pedal box etc just come from any manual e46.





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Now shock horror i'm paying a good friend of mine who has just started up his own garage in Gatwick, BM performance Ltd. Barry and his partner are going to do the conversion. I'd struggle time wise to do it, plus i don't have the diagnostics to "tell" the car its now a manual. I could do the spannering but not this time.

So can't wait to drive it with the 6 speed manual like out German cousins were allowed to option. Will this be the only RHD B3S in manual i wonder now? It certainly cost alot more than when i converted my old e36!
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Post by simon13 » Sun Feb 11, 2018 10:37 pm

So moving on, :lol:

Lots to update and be geeky on,


These pictures have been sent over from my tame specialist!



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bye bye Mr auto box




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The money shot :)




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this generation of car have to now be told you are no longer an automatic car but a manual by diagnostics of the correct type



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~To fit the metal clutch pipe that runs from pedals to clutch slave the dash has to come out AND the heater matrix! Its hardcore. Modern car design? Everything upto this point used a a hardline that bolted outside in the engine bay so 400% easier than this. Alas it helps with fitting of the Harmon Kardon stereo loom of which there is more drama on that later!!



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Said hard clutch line fitted




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The money shot! hows this look? Gearnob is too old but i'd like a wooden one to match my wood trim


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So onto the propshaft and the main and only drama so far...........

Right to fit an M3 gearbox you need an M3 propshaft. An M3 propshaft needs to connect to an M3 diff. Which is different to the rest of the e46 range. Now alot of people had said fit an M3 rear axle complete it fits/ bolts on no dramas. The alpina wheels fit on fine because the offset of M3s wheels is different or they stick out more to give the wider look.

The M3 uses a large case diff which is bigger so the M3 prop is slightly shorter and is the top part pictured. Also the CV joint on the back is slightly different. So my current solution is to get the M3 prop cut and lengthend and the old CV off my auto prop fitted onto it. So a hybrid prop but the best solution to date.

How did alpina do it i hear you cry? Seeing as the manual 6 speed B3's came out in 1999 years before the M3? Well they must of used their own propshaft. There is however a bolt on solution - a propshaft off a late manual 330i ie a car built after March 2003 had the same 6 speed gearbox the M3 uses. However these cars are rare and almost non existant 2nd hand. They mate up to the normal e46 diff perfect also. So i think thats the modded prop i'll end up with without going out and finding a factory one. This is what alpina would of come up with in the 4 years or so before BMW did i expect.

Sorry for long ramble in my language!




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I've got the auto box home now also, check out the big crack in the starter wheel! looks like a scratch running along the bottom 3 bolt holes and spreads out each side. I swear i could hear this sometimes flexing chattering after start up. Alpina torques!!!




Lastly, my boot floor has a crack in it. So be warned Alpinas are no immune from this issue! New radiator also being fitted as the EIS one i fitted years ago when i did the engine rebuild is kaput already so don't buy!

Finish currently hinges on how quickly i can get prop sorted. Theres a great place in Feltham for props who reckon 150+VAT to cut lengthen re balance a prop so i'm there first thing monday!
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Post by polynesian2 » Mon Feb 12, 2018 12:11 am

Hi Simon, great to see all of this progress! It's going to drive brilliantly.

I had the same crack in my auto box- except mine went virtually all the way around! That was expensive... and also the subframe cracks, ETA repaired that at a much lower cost than the gearbox/ auto flywheel part. Sure you are in good hands though for anything that is out of your hands. Keep us posted!

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Post by darren_mk » Mon Feb 12, 2018 10:29 am

Great read!, love how dedicated you are to manual's 8)
It will be some tool when finished!

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Post by simon13 » Mon Feb 12, 2018 9:44 pm

Thanks!

I dropped the prop at the shop today and they say its a goer! Should be done this week
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Post by nealpina » Tue Feb 13, 2018 4:52 pm

Very interesting :) - keep updating
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Post by ali » Wed Feb 14, 2018 10:21 pm

I thoroughly approve !!!!
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Post by simon13 » Thu Feb 15, 2018 10:18 pm

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So here is the now custom propshaft. The front half is E46 M3 now including centre bearing and mount. The rear half is 330i



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This is the two props before modding


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And the new modded one, a rather nice large weld around the pipe.



Let hope its the correct length and fits!
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Post by simon13 » Fri Feb 16, 2018 10:20 pm

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balls. Something has gone wrong been lost in translation but its not long enough!


Anyone would think i enjoy these 60-80 mile round trips in my fucking van driving this sodding propshaft about but it continues.

Alas its no ones fault but the issue is to carry on and sort it! I shall update accordingly

Cars and modding = dramas never forget this!
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greenelekta
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Post by greenelekta » Fri Feb 16, 2018 11:51 pm

You are a glutton for punishment, the B10 Touring project and this. Both will be unique so keep going!
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Post by PhillV8S » Sat Feb 17, 2018 12:05 am

You’ll laugh about it one day, surely half the fun is the journey, not just the destination!
Keep up the good work. Look forward to seeing the result of your endeavours one day.
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