Tims 05 ZHP restoration and build

[Suppra87]

This is continuation of my introductory thread. For purposes or staying organized and giving everyone the complete picture I am going to copy and paste my first post over here.

Hi Everyone. My name is Tim, I'm a Euro specialty mechanic in Annapolis, MD. I love cars and have owned at least 30 over the past 15 years. When I'm not at work, Im in my home garage working on my own projects or customers cars. I'll save my stories of other projects for later since the real focus of attention here is my newly acquired ZHP.

A few years ago a bought a 2003 VW Jetta 1.8t 5sp from a customer at work that couldn't afford the repairs. Paid a few hundred for it with intentions of parting it out and making a little money. I was very preoccupied with a personal customers 95 Porsche 993 engine reseal, timing chain and transmission replacement that I never even touched the Jetta. Fast forward to last weekend when a friend of a friend reached out to me asking about my Jetta and mentioned he wanted to trade me his 05 BMW 330 straight up for the Jetta. He said the engine was hydro-locked on the BMW. I figured Ive got nothing to loose and made the trade. Both parties satisfied with the deal and boom history was made!

After looking over the car and it's featured I realized it was different than all the 330s Ive driven in past years. Thats when I discovered this forum and that my deal of a century netted me a ZHP for cheap.

I pulled the spark plugs and cranked the engine. This resulted in 6 geysers of black gold shooting out of the cylinders! Awful mess. Put the plugs back in and it started right up and idles smooth except that it billowed smoke from the tailpipe. Long story short, bad Crankcase vent valve (oil separator) caused oil to be sucked up the dipstick tube. Replaced all the PCV stuff and the engine runs perfectly with no smoke. Score!!

Now comes the fun part! Considering the low price of admission, Ive taken it upon myself to restore this car to its former glory and keep it for myself. No thoughts of selling it in the foreseeable future. Dirty is an understatement. Id like to document and share the entirety of my project with everyone here. This story is developing quickly and progress being made everyday. Ive only had the car for exactly 7 days at the time of this posting. Hopefully someone here can point me in the direction of where I can post this build/restoration.

TLDR: Got ZHP super cheap, dirtiest car I've ever cleaned, restore and build. Stay tuned.

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The first order of business was get it running and confirm the engine is good. Otherwise I would swapping a 1JZ into this chassis. good news is that engine runs great after a breather system replacement. I didn't take any pictures by y'all know what all that looks like anyway.

[Suppra87]

Next up was cleaning and boy was there a lot of cleaning. I removed the 2 front seats, vacuumed and steam cleaned the carpets, scrubbed all the leather with Chemical Guys cleaner and reconditioned it all with Chemical Guys leather conditioner. Turned out very good. I was able to recover the alcantara e-brake boot with Sonax cleaner but the shift knob, shift boot and steering where were way too far gone. On order is a new boot, knob and wheel all from Colby Wheel. Ill update when those parts come in. I also had to remove nearly every switch from the car to clean out food, vape juice grime and other bio-hazard stuff from the tiny crevices.

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[Suppra87]

Here's some before and after pictures of the front seats. I also thoroughly cleaned all the grime from the undersides of the seats and re-lubricated all the sliding points and gears.

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[fredo]

:like

[Vas]

Subscribed. Great progress [emoji106]

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

[Suppra87]

I can't speak highly enough about these products. Amazing what a quality product cleaner and some patience will do!

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[BADCLOWN]

like i said, diamond in the rough. interior turned out great, the coby touches will only add to that.

cant what to see how the exterior turns out.

[DeathTrap]

Good score! I would've liked to see a 1JZ swap, but this will do.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

[Suppra87]

like i said, diamond in the rough. interior turned out great, the coby touches will only add to that.

cant what to see how the exterior turns out.

Couldn't agree more. I was surprised by the interior. Exterior is going to be a few weeks out I think. I need to finish all mechanical, suspension, brakes, fluids first before I start cleaning up the paint.


Good score! I would've liked to see a 1JZ swap, but this will do.

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Stay tuned, you just might get to see that. My original thoughts on this chassis, given a bad engine, was to swap the 1JZ from my Cressida into it. I blew up the rear diff in my Cressida this past summer and have been looking a for a better chassis ever since.

Here's my Cressida 1JZ build for those of you interested...https://www.celicasupra.com/threads/mx72-cressdia-wagon-1jz-build.120867/

[BADCLOWN]

1JZ swap would be hella interesting. Nice TACO btw

[Suppra87]

1JZ swap would be hella interesting. Nice TACO btw

Thanks! Its a 2015 TRD OR with trd pro suspension and Volk TE37x Progressive wheels, my daily driver. Plenty of other modifications that I wont go into now haha.

All my BMW purist friends have been telling me NOT to swap such a special car.

[johnrando]

Good stuff!

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

[Suppra87]

I cleaned the window switches in the car with a brush, cleaner and a tooth pick. They were filled with horrendous material. Thought I was satisfied with the results until a closer look reveled this gunk at the bottom. Didn't take an after pic but there a solid 90% I think.

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The fogs were missing when I got it as well. Figured some inexpensive yellow glass ones would do the trick until i come up with a better solution. Factory fogs don't put out enough light for my liking. I'm running Baja Designs amber wide beam fogs on my tacoma and the light output is more than my upgraded 90w low beam bulbs! I may reach out to them about an option for our M-tech bumber mounting.

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Next up was a front plate mounting solution that didn't involve holes in my bumper. Saved a few bucks on this one and made a quick aluminum tow hook mount using modified stock tow hook and a piece of aluminum that happens to have reflective print on the reverse side :rollseyes

Also threw in a set of glass black grills since the ones on the car were zip-tied into place...not hating on the zip-ties of course but that no good for me! Previous owner had also attempted and failed to hold the grilles in with JB weld. Not at all fun to remove.

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Then I killed some time with a simple rear emblem plasti-dip. In years past I'd always de-badge my cars but for some reason Ive grown to like keeping them but making them more subtle.

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[Suppra87]

The interior looks great with all the reconditioned seats back in place and now that the carpet has completely dried from the cleaning, I can toss in a set of weathertechs.

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The 135 wheels that came on the car were in decent condition besides having been neglected for years. I scrubbed them with all my might and Im mostly satisfied with the results. They could be cleaner but some of the brake dust pitting doesn't want to be removed. Also got a set of new Pilot Sport A/S3+ tires today. Mounted and balanced them today at work.

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Ive also got this pile of strut mounts, stoptech brake hoses, and Bilsten PSS coilover to install still. Waiting on strut tower reinforcement plates from BMW currently.

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[Oli77]

Dang, you are on a roll! That's great stuff. Car look so much better on the inside. That steering wheel though.

[Suppra87]

Its a labor of love I tell ya! It's completely driveable at this point with the exception of that nasty steering wheel. I could pull the wheel off my 03 525i 5.0 project but I guess ill be patient and wait for my colby wheel order to arrive.

[Will]

Fantastic! It's awesome to see the before / after photos of your efforts.

Keep us posted!

[BADCLOWN]

Morimoto makes some pretty good fog lights for the mtech2 bumper. I have them on my car. Only issue though is that I ordered them from xenondepot BEFORE they were bought out and their customer service went to shit (lots of people complaining about their insanely late orders/lack of customer service response on the T4R forums regarding the tribeam LED headlights)

If you can find a set of those somewhere, I really enjoy them

[ZHPizza]

Morimoto makes some pretty good fog lights for the mtech2 bumper. I have them on my car. Only issue though is that I ordered them from xenondepot BEFORE they were bought out and their customer service went to shit (lots of people complaining about their insanely late orders/lack of customer service response on the T4R forums regarding the tribeam LED headlights)

If you can find a set of those somewhere, I really enjoy themYup I still love mine. There's some output pics in here:

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[Thatguy_JZ]

It's coming along good! This reminds me of when I got mine. My interior wasn't that dirty but I still felt nasty in it. The previous owner even left some packs of very small condoms in the glovebox.

Oh, did someone say Tacoma??

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[Suppra87]

It's coming along good! This reminds me of when I got mine. My interior wasn't that dirty but I still felt nasty in it. The previous owner even left some packs of very small condoms in the glovebox.

Oh, did someone say Tacoma??

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Sweet Tacoma man!! Very tastefully modified I must say!

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[Thatguy_JZ]

Thanks! You too! I've always liked the TE-37's on our truck.

[Suppra87]

More goodies waiting for me when I got home from work today. Front window regulators, new cup holder, gas cap, and cheap fog grilles. Cup holder and gas cap were a no brainer. Fuel door area needed some serious cleaning though. Also figured Id toss the SS Brake hoes on while I was at it. Did a full brake fluid flush and clutch hydraulics flush.

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[Suppra87]

Yup I still love mine. There's some output pics in here:

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Those look awesome and plug/play is ideal for sure! Check out these Baja Design (https://www.bajadesigns.com/products/Toyota-Tacoma-Tundra-4Runner-Squadron-Sport-Amber-WC.asp) lights. They're 3150 lumen per light. Complete game changer for backroad cruises. Im going try to adapt these.

[Oli77]

Dang, my gas cap area don't look quite this good.

[johnrando]

Looks great!

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[Suppra87]

More progress today! I changed the oil filter stand gasket, vanos line, idler/tensioner pulleys, and belts. Changed the rear diff fluid with Motul 75w90 and Transmission with Redline D4.

Also got my Coby Wheel, shift knob and boot. What a game changer for the interior!! Strangely enough, the new ZHP shift knob is noticeably heavier than my existing knob. Im inclined to believe my original knob is OEM ZHP given that this car is completely stock. Just kind of strange the new one is so much heavier yet otherwise identical. If anyone wants my original knob, it's all yours, just pay shipping.

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[BADCLOWN]

looks soooooo good. I got an insta-boner when I opened my coby box for my car a while back. Such a good upgrade.

I really need to get a new ZHP knob, mine is in great shape for being original but a new one looks great.

[Suppra87]

Thanks BADCLOWN. I basically needed to change my pants after grabbing the new coby wheel for the first time. Worth every penny, thats for sure!

The past few days I have been very buys but managed to make some more progress on the zhp. Forgot to take pictures of the coilover install but Im sure y'all know what that looks like any way. Also did the left front window regulator, replaced with a VDO unit. Still need to tackle the right front regulator.

Last night I did the Valve Cover Gasket since it was dripping on the rear position primary O2 sensor. Very pleased and surprised to see how clean this engine is inside with 184k on the clock! Clanged the oil as well.

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[Oli77]

Beautiful inards!

[Suppra87]

Beautiful inards!

Thanks! A compliment unique to an automotive forum haha

The guy I got this car from only owned it from 176-184k and didn't have the means to maintain BMW. I haven't pulled a carfax but I suspect that I am the 4th owner and it would appear that owner #1 and #2 maintained it very well.

[fredo]

Well done. Will you replace the headlight lenses ? That would improve the car appearance big time.

[Suppra87]

Thanks Fredo! I replaced the left headlight last night with a used one from eBay. I didn't notice at first but the original one was shattered inside. Today Ill be restoring the lenses on both headlights and readjusting them. Can anyone here with factory Zenon lights tell me what height the headlight cutoff is from 5 feet away? Mine are all sorts of misadjusted so im looking for some sort of baseline.

This morning I took it out for the first drive since all the work Ive posted. She drove perfect! Incredible ride quality, no strange noises, no surprises, just e46 driving bliss. Only thing I hate is the amount of smoke billowing out the tailpipe. The exhaust is soaked with oil inside due to the previous failed PCV and I know its going to take a few hundred miles to it all off. In the meantime just sucks see that oil cloud in the rearview. I feel bad for the people behind me.

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[Suppra87]

Headlights finished. Wash, clay bar, and wax coming up next. Stay tuned!

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[delvin]

I missed it but what coil over did you go with?

[johnrando]

Nice werk!

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[Suppra87]

I missed it but what coil over did you go with?

Bilstein PSS. The standard kit, non-adjustable dampening. Really nice ride quality! Easily nice enough for daily driving yet very controlled when it needs to be.


Nice werk!

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

Thank you kind sir!

[ZHPizza]

Oh man how do you think the cats held up to all that oil??

[Suppra87]

Oh man how do you think the cats held up to all that oil??

So far so good but Im only 50 miles post oil soak. No codes yet and I made sure I got at least 2 drive cycles on in today. That being said....I expect to see CAT codes and primary O2 sensor codes within the next 1000 miles or so. It will be a miracle if they survived!

[fredo]

I have headlamp alignment specs, let me find them and I will post here.

[egiles14]

Just seeing this post...great score on the ZHP, and excellent work! You are absolutely doing it the right way.

[delvin]

Bilstein PSS. The standard kit, non-adjustable dampening. Really nice ride quality! Easily nice enough for daily driving yet very controlled when it needs to be.




Nice! Thanks for the reply, I’m trying to decide between the Billys, OE ZHP or take a chance with BC’s

Car looks fantastic!

[Suppra87]

Nice! Thanks for the reply, I’m trying to decide between the Billys, OE ZHP or take a chance with BC’s

Car looks fantastic!

In my opinion...Bilstein PSS hands down. I can't comment on new factory ZHP stuff cause mine was clapped out but ive driven 50+ different e46s and even with replacement suspension they don't come close to the PSS system. Additionally, I have BC's on both my E39 525i (Ford Coyote 5.0 swapped) and my ST185 Celica All-trac; while I like them both in terms of handling, the comfort/handling ratio just isn't there for me. Again just my take on it.

[fredo]

The PO owner found these headlamp alignment instructions somewhere. I didn't use them, but I hope they help.

36223

[Suppra87]

Thank you!! Ill try that today.

[Suppra87]

Sorry I haven't updates this project lately! This zhp has made me realize how long Ive needed an E46 in my life. Ive been really enjoying putting miles on this car (almost 1800 so far). It drives incredibly well and ive been averaging 26.2 mpg....driving a little faster than I should be.

Ive been busy making improvements but got lazy with taking pictures at times. Im sure y'all have seen most of this anyway.
I got carried away with rebuilding the DISA valve and the VANOS assembly and didn't take any pics.

I was sick of my Pillar trim flapping in the wind so I wrapped the A,B, and C pillars in foam backed alcantara. Turned out great!
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Then I replaced the engine and transmission mounts. The old engine mounts had sagged ~1/2", due for replacement. Old trans mounts didn't look too bad but they're super cheap, easy and had 185k on them....so no-brainer.
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I began to get a bad fuel smell in the car after filling my fuel tank for the second time. Turned out the top of the fuel pump housing had cracked and somehow leaked fuel in the car. It melted all the factory sounds deadening material. I replaced the pump with a new VDO assembly. Also scraped up and replaced all the sound deadening then a de-coupled layer of Mass loaded vinyl on top,
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Both of my ZKW headlights had seen better days, even have sanding/polishing the lenses. I decided to rebuild them using lenses labeled for AL headlights but fit the ZKW 100% perfect. Also a set of new metal Bi-Xenon D2S projectors from Retrofitlabs. Good amount of work but so well worth the results.
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Thats all for now!

[johnrando]

Nice werk!

Sent from my SM-G988U using Tapatalk

[Will]

Great work! I'm always so jealous of you guys with the lifts in the garage. I'll join the club one day.

[Will]

I began to get a bad fuel smell in the car after filling my fuel tank for the second time. Turned out the top of the fuel pump housing had cracked and somehow leaked fuel in the car.



This is so weird because my car just suffered the same problem where the top of the fuel pump housing was cracked. Mine was the suction pump on the driver's side. And, similarly, the smell was most prominent after refueling.

Not sure about the prevalence is, or what would cause the cracking other than old plastic.

Maybe the PSA should be: if you smell fuel (especially after refueling), check the tops of your fuel pump housings.

[Suppra87]

Couple of updates as I approach 190k. Awesome car to drive 100 miles a day.

Un-pictured improvements:
-ECS tuning shifter rebuild kit with poly bushings
-M3 RTABs with poly limiters
-Lemforder replacement front tie rod inner/outters
-I aligned it to slightly altered specs for better rear tire wear on the highway
-Retrofit OEM E39 homelink v.2 garage door opener
-Replaced all pads with Akebono Ceramic and resurfaced the rotors. (Previous owner put shit pads on good rotors, hence the resurface rather than replace)


Installed Eonon GA-9450 headunit, couldn't be happier.
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Replaced the original brittle front air duct with anew BMW piece. Also replaced the lower grille mesh. Front end looks much better now.
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This one may stir some controversy but my FCABs are oem in very good condition. I decided to fill them with 3M Windshield Urethane for a better feel and Ive gotta say, monumental difference. And almost free.
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Cleaned the front subframe brace/underpanel and replaced the flap door for the oil drain.
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[Suppra87]

Forgot the alignment results...
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[ZHPizza]

No controversy here - love seeing urethane filled bushings! I did that on another car and it was great. I'm guessing the rest of my window weld tube from 2016 isn't still good...

[johnrando]

Nice werk

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