Attack of the Silver Grey Sedan!

[mimalmo]

I spent several months searching for the right car. The ZHP isn't rare but it isn't very common either. I began looking into flying to another city to buy one and driving it back. One of my regular routines during my search was to check the inventory at Minnetonka BMW and Motorwerks BMW (both in the Minneapolis area). In early February 2008, Motorwerks had a 2004 330i listed with no pics or details. After speaking to someone on the phone I knew immediately by his description it was a ZHP. After a short test drive and some price haggling we made a deal. This is what it looked like when I got it (not my pic but mine looked identical).

http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg283/mimalmo/ZHP640x480.jpg

I opted for the OEM clear corners and sidemarkers because I was intent on keeping OEM quality and appearance as much as possible.

At the Eurowerks show in 2008:
http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg283/mimalmo/zhpeurowerks1024x768.jpg

Some window tint to keep the sun from fading my interior. 35% on the front, sides and rear.
http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg283/mimalmo/P1010192edited-1.jpg


Couple of simple upgrades after that were an iPod connecting/charging cable (iSimple)that allows me to still use my steering wheel controls and factory radio as well as a hard-wire kit for my radar detector. I also swapped out the chrome grilles on the car for a pair of matte black ones.

Fall of 08 Wheels & Wings show (yes, it's a show with cars, bikes and planes! Cool event with over 1,000 cars every year.)
http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg283/mimalmo/WheelsWings08ZHP1.jpg

One thing that always bugged me was the gap between the front tire and fender. I looked into lowering springs but nobody could guarantee a ride height or performance level so I started looking into coilovers. A bunch of the guys on E46 Fanatics use KW and after learning about the stainless steel bodies' reliability against rust, I was sold. I needed a 10mm spacer up front for clearance with the OEM wheels. Plan on spacers and longer wheel bolts if you are using the OEM ZHP wheels. 5mm is minimum needed but 10mm is better for a more "flush" look. The KW V2's were installed in January of 09 and have been perfect.

Winter Mode with the coilovers, OEM wheels and Blizzak snow tires:
http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg283/mimalmo/SilverGreyZHPonKWV2640x480.jpg
Compared to stock:
http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg283/mimalmo/P1010192edited-1.jpg

[mimalmo]

One day, I noticed my headlights were aimed very low - about 20 feet in front of the car. I guessed it was the headlight auto-leveling sensor and after removing the front passenger wheel, my guess was confirmed.

http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg283/mimalmo/P1010340.jpg

If you look closely below, you can see where the previous owner simply took the old sensor and ran a wire through a hole and then wrapped it around the broken end. They topped off this magnificent work with some sort of epoxy. Like this was ever going to last long term...
http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg283/mimalmo/P1010339.jpg

Removal is easy. There are two 4mm hex screws on the sensor where it attaches to the bracket. Once you get those off, get out that trusty 10mm wrench (seems like 90% of the nuts and bolts on an E46 use 10mm) and a pair of needle nose pliers.

The sensor is attached to the control arm via a ball jointed arm. Behind the nut is an area to grab with the needle nose pliers while you use your 10mm wrench to loosen the nut. You may find that after you loosen the nut that a socket driver works easier.

The last step in removing the old sensor is to remove the connector plug. Taking time here is very important since forcing it or using tools will only break the clips. Looking at it for a couple seconds I was able to figure out where to press to seperate it without breaking anything.

The easiest way to get it all back together was to first mount the new sensor on the bracket using the two 4mm hex screws, attach the leveling arm to the control arm and lastly connect the wiring plug.


Here's a look at new vs. old sensors. Note that when installed, the leveling arm actually points to the left.

http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg283/mimalmo/P1010341.jpg


Unfortunately, when I got it all back together, I discovered a cracked fog light lens...

http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg283/mimalmo/P1010346.jpg

After some research, I found that the OEM M3 foglights were identical but they have "clear" glass instead of the "fluted" style shown above. Since it was so much easier to find M3 fogs, I just put a pair of those in.

[Marcus-SanDiego]

Nice. Good idea for a forum.

[mimalmo]

Sometime around when I fixed the headlight level sensor, I also added an OEM M3 strut bar and a Gruppe M intake. Writing this reminds me that I still need to take pictures of those items. The strut tower bar was put in to help avoid mushrooming of the strut towers that can happen from hitting potholes.

The Gruppe M intake was put in because it makes amazing intake sounds. Seriously, you have to hear one sometime. Low rumble at lower RPM's to a howl that almost sounds like an exotic car at WOT. I've tried to make a video before but nothing does it justice.

Next up was wheels...

19" VMR V710's
19x8.5 front ET35 with a 235/35/19 tire
19x9.5 rear ET45 with a 255/30/19 tire
Tires are Dunlop SP Sport Maxx

I had to get my fenders rolled due to my ride height. Once that was done, ZERO rubbing.

http://img188.imageshack.us/img188/9076/img1754e.jpg

http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg283/mimalmo/August%2029th%202009%20BMW%20Meet/P1020596.jpg
http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg283/mimalmo/August%2029th%202009%20BMW%20Meet/P1020629.jpg
http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg283/mimalmo/August%2029th%202009%20BMW%20Meet/P1020675.jpg
http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg283/mimalmo/Motion%20Blur%20Pics/8.jpg
http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg283/mimalmo/Motion%20Blur%20Pics/4.jpg

[mimalmo]

Sadly, not much was done in 2010 on the car (mind you, I got the car in Feb of 2008). Unfortunately, I didn't really have any funds for modding due to the downturn in the economy so I was just grateful to be able to keep what I have.

I sold the VMR wheels at the end of 2010. After two years of the same wheels, I was getting the itch for something new or different. I still haven't decided what that will be. I was about to buy some OEM ZHP wheels that were refinished when something shiny caught my eye...

I've wanted to get a limited-slip differential for this car since day 1. Problem is, they're really expensive and the M3 LSD doesn't just swap right over like it does on earlier 3 Series cars. So I had almost given up until I learned that a few folks had swapped over the M3 driveline by also swapping the rear subframe.

I started looking but the rear diff alone from an E46 M3 usually goes for $700 on eBay. Complete rearend setups were $1,500 or more plus shipping. I found a guy that was selling one locally from a car that took a hit on one side that damaged a control arm, brakes and an axle. The diff, subframe and other side's control arm, axle, trailing arm, etc were in good shape. I picked it up last night and unloaded it into the garage this afternoon. Price paid? $500.

So now the plan is to tear off what I don't need and sell it, keep the parts I need and buy a driveshaft and an axle. I wish I could say that this will be done soon but the reality is that I'll probably wait until it's warm to tackle the weekend-long project of installing this.

Big benefits I'm looking to get out of this are; LSD and a stronger rear subframe in case I decide to go SC or turbo later on.

http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg283/mimalmo/M3%20Driveline%20Swap/Subframe1-31-11.jpg

[Mtnman]

haha. Nice! this is what you were talking about when you told me you had something in store we would like. Perfect. I like. :word for the price. :fistpump For the Mod :roundel just cause.

[mimalmo]

Yup, this is what I was working on. Getting the whole thing for $500 will definitely help lower my investment costs on this mod. I should be able to get $100 to $200 for the parts I remove and sell. Looking to get the whole thing done for less than $900.

[pyreguy]

Nice writeup! What wheels are you running since you sold the VMRs?

[mimalmo]

Nice writeup! What wheels are you running since you sold the VMRs?

Thanks. Currently running the OEM wheels

[mr hish]

i really like the rims in ur picture , if u think of changing them i would recomend installing th 19'' m3 csl rims they would look really nice on ur zhp

[mimalmo]

Thanks. If anything, I'll likely go with something else though. There's already so many E46's running around with CSL's.


Almost forgot, last summer a couple of us went to a local dragstrip and had some fun. My car was a little slow off the line because of the heavy wheels and the fact that I wasn't gunning it and then dumping the clutch. I should have kept the timeslips. I can't even remember what I ran but I know it was a little slower than what Car & Driver did when they tested the ZHP.

http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg283/mimalmo/RockFalls.jpg

Coming back through the pit area (you can see a buddy's HPF M3 behind me).
http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg283/mimalmo/RockFalls2.jpg

[kayger12]

Gawd, that's a beautiful car, Eli.

[danewilson77]

Yeah...I like Eli's stance...I know he worked hard on that.

[mimalmo]

Thanks guys.

[Johnmadd]

I've wanted to get a limited-slip differential for this car since day 1.http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg283/mimalmo/M3%20Driveline%20Swap/Subframe1-31-11.jpg

I agree, I just wish I could use my 4.10lsd out of one of my e30's.

[Marcus-SanDiego]

Eli, your car looks great, pal.

[mimalmo]

Thank you. Always a work in-progress.

[jjcools]

Eli, you amaze me. first with the stance and now a LSD... I want!

[mimalmo]

Eli, you amaze me. first with the stance and now a LSD... I want!

Thanks! Now I just gotta get some more parts and figure out how it all goes together.

[jjcools]

Just make two!!!

[mimalmo]

Haha, sure. Once I get this all figured out, you can bet that there will be a detailed build thread so other owners can more easily add an LSD to their cars.

[az3579]

I agree, I just wish I could use my 4.10lsd out of one of my e30's.

Holy hell. That thing would fly. And run out of steam at like 120mph. lol

[04ZHP_PDX]

Coming back through the pit area (you can see a buddy's HPF M3 behind me).
http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg283/mimalmo/RockFalls2.jpg[/QUOTE]

Holy Masoli - That is one sexy azz car man. Perfectly stanced, beautiful eyes and look at those friggin meats on the rear. MMMMM.

Perfection.

[Linh]

Silver gray usually looks boring to me, but wow! Yours is absolutely stunning! I'm not into modding much but yours is inspiring me to do so lol

[mimalmo]

Thanks guys.





Holy Masoli - That is one sexy azz car man. Perfectly stanced, beautiful eyes and look at those friggin meats on the rear. MMMMM.

Perfection.

Hey, did you get my reply to your post on my member page from the other day? Wanted to make sure you saw it.

[Oli77]

Silbergrau ist nicht "borring":

http://i900.photobucket.com/albums/ac208/othibau/Feb2011.jpg

[CERF04ZHP]

Holy Masoli - That is one sexy azz car man. Perfectly stanced, beautiful eyes and look at those friggin meats on the rear. MMMMM.

Perfection.

I couldn't have said it better myself. That is, from a viewers perspective, ZHP perfection.

[mimalmo]

Thanks for the compliments guys.

[Rovert]

So niiiice....Can my car change colour to yours....I'm tired of black!

[Marcus-SanDiego]

Before I got the imola red, I had my eye on silver gray. Win.

[mimalmo]

I can confirm that a 19x10 rear wheel looks badass on my car and doesn't rub at all.


:eeps

[danewilson77]

Damn......rides a lil harsh though huh?

What rim and offset?

Droid! Srs Legitness!

[Rovert]

What rim and offset?


+1! :drool

I just put 10mm spacers on my rear 17x8.5 ET50 to make it ET40 compared to my ET45 19x9.5 summers. So far ET40 is safe! I wonder if I can work my summers at ET45 + 10mm spacers = ET35!! I hope so! I want my rear stance more flush!

[mimalmo]

Damn......rides a lil harsh though huh?

What rim and offset?

Droid! Srs Legitness!


+1! :drool

I just put 10mm spacers on my rear 17x8.5 ET50 to make it ET40 compared to my ET45 19x9.5 summers. So far ET40 is safe! I wonder if I can work my summers at ET45 + 10mm spacers = ET35!! I hope so! I want my rear stance more flush!


http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?188-Your-Headlines-what-s-the-latest/page50

[Rovert]

I see the offset is ET45 for those X5 19x19 wheels. :) I guess the outside ET is safe at 45mm....and it's out far enough for you to accommodate some extra on the inside so the shock doesn't rub! :D

[mimalmo]

I'll try a 10mm spacer next week.

[Rovert]

Please do! Then I'll know if I need more modification on my fenders when I switch over. My fenders are rolled moderately.

[mimalmo]

I used this website to help determine if they would fit or not. Based on the data I ran, the 10" rears sit in a little farther and also poke out a little farther than my VMR setup did.

http://www.willtheyfit.com/

[jjcools]

What tires are you going to run. 255? 265?

[danewilson77]

http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?188-Your-Headlines-what-s-the-latest/page50

I didnt see where you discussed the ride at all?

[danewilson77]

I used this website to help determine if they would fit or not. Based on the data I ran, the 10" rears sit in a little farther and also poke out a little farther than my VMR setup did.

http://www.willtheyfit.com/

Ima steal this link for the parked tire fitment thread. Thanks Eli...

[mimalmo]

I didnt see where you discussed the ride at all?

The ride quality is better than my winter tire setup. I drove around the neighborhood to test it, hit a few potholes on purpose too. That felt weird.

[danewilson77]

OK...thanks Eli....

What are you doing with your old rims again?

[mimalmo]

Nothing right now. They are good spares to have and my winter tires are on them.

[danewilson77]

Sounds good.

[mimalmo]

http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg283/mimalmo/Cars%20and%20Coffee%20Minneapolis%20April%202011/P1120044.jpg

[Marcus-SanDiego]

Eli, your car looks great, dude.

[mimalmo]

Thanks Marcus. After this pic was taken, I went to a friend's house and test fitted a 15mm spacer in front and a 10mm in rear. The 15mm in front fit fine but I think I need an 8mm in rear instead of the 10mm I tried out.

[Oli77]

Gorgeous! Alien technology with those wheels!

[jjcools]

That's funny, I was going to ask about a space up front... Looks nice, need moar pics! :)

[pyreguy]

Those wheels look good and beefy :)


Sent using alien technology and Tapatalk

[ryankokesh]

Those wheels are pure amazing. Never thought I would have liked them on a car, but man do they work!

I have to say, ever since I first joined bf.com I've wanted my car to look like yours. Never gonna happen cause I'm afraid to lower the xi, but I can dream!

[danewilson77]

http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg283/mimalmo/Cars%20and%20Coffee%20Minneapolis%20April%202011/P1120044.jpg

Not the normal rim. Forging ground Eli. Well done.

Droid! Srs Legitness!

[mimalmo]

Thanks guys. You should have seen it this afternoon with the spacers. :drool

[danewilson77]

Yeah....I need to roll my sheet, and put my 15mm's back on in the rear.

Droid! Srs Legitness!

[Johnmadd]

Let's dhuuuu eeeët, what spacerz should I get to run wide. STILL thinking really.

[danewilson77]

Let's dhuuuu eeeët, what spacerz should I get to run wide. STILL thinking really.

The best way to do it..imho is to roll, measure, then get spacers.

Or....you get 15mm, then pull or roll to make em fit. Bro....if were both gonna roll.....we should go in together on our own fender roller. Figure out what it would cost you at indy......subtract from price....and I will pick up the rest.

Droid! Srs Legitness!

[mimalmo]

Someone else took a better pic of my car yesterday than I did.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5184/5584703345_0ba242be99_b.jpg

[danewilson77]

Someone else took a better pic of my car yesterday than I did.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5184/5584703345_0ba242be99_b.jpg

:drool

Droid! Srs Legitness!

[mimalmo]

UPDATE:

Went with a 20mm spacer in front and a 10mm spacer in back. No rubbing in front and only very slight rubbing over really big dips on the driver's side rear (fenders are already rolled, may need a minor tweak).

http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg283/mimalmo/Cars%20and%20Coffee%20Minneapolis%20May%207%202011/P1120978.jpg
http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg283/mimalmo/Cars%20and%20Coffee%20Minneapolis%20May%207%202011/P1120982.jpg

I Got a decent shot of Alec's car too.
http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg283/mimalmo/Cars%20and%20Coffee%20Minneapolis%20May%207%202011/P1130051.jpg
http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg283/mimalmo/Cars%20and%20Coffee%20Minneapolis%20May%207%202011/P1130050.jpg

[danewilson77]

Looks great! List size and offset on the rims again. Thanks.

Droid + Tapatalk = FTW!

[mimalmo]

19x9 front ET48 plus 20mm spacer so final offset is ET28
19x10 rear ET45 plus 10mm spacer so final offset is ET35

[Marcus-SanDiego]

And if the wheels were not as wide (9 and 10, respectively), you could have an ever more aggressive offset.

[danewilson77]

Yes....1" = 24.5 mm...............

So...in the rear.....ET20 outer clearance would be in (closer to the hub) by 10mm....and you would have 40mm more clearance on the inner edge.

Fronts would be....outer clearance would be in (closer to the hub) by 5mm....and you would have 21mm more clearance on the inner edge.



Using this...

http://www.1010tires.com/WheelOffsetCalculator.asp

All in all, Eli has a more aggressive setup on his E46, than the 17x8 ET20's would be..........

[Marcus-SanDiego]

Yep. And that means one thing: I'm in for pictures after you buy the wheels, DW.

Looks good, Eli.

[kaboom]

Your car looks so incredibly badass Eli.

I basically want to copy your rims setup. Completely steal your thunder. Jack your style. You know, all of the above in a non *** way.

Ian

[mimalmo]

Thanks guys. Might try to go a little lower in front next. :p

[95m3ltw]

http://img188.imageshack.us/img188/9076/img1754e.jpg



Car looks great! I love the setup above, since we have silver gray, might go for the same look. Like the new wheels but just dont find the stretched tire look fitting for the car. But that is just my opinion, looks great otherwise.

[az3579]

I just realized; one moderate pothole and the wheels are toast... how are the roads over there, Eli?

[Rovert]

I've hit some pretty decent sized bumps and potholes. So far so good!

[mimalmo]

I just realized; one moderate pothole and the wheels are toast... how are the roads over there, Eli?
The roads are the worst that I've seen them in years and I've hit plenty of potholes with no problems so no, it's not "one moderate pothole and the wheels are toast".



I've hit some pretty decent sized bumps and potholes. So far so good!
I think Botond was referring to the current wheels, not my old VMR's.

[az3579]

I think Botond was referring to the current wheels, not my old VMR's.

This.


The roads are the worst that I've seen them in years and I've hit plenty of potholes with no problems so no, it's not "one moderate pothole and the wheels are toast".

Perhaps I just got unlucky in the past then... :dunno

[mimalmo]

Whoops, these just showed up. Hopefully I'll have more pics later when I get the rest of my work done.

[Oli77]

Love that attacking silver grey sedan.

Those are the brakes?

Hope you win this month's "car of the month" :biggrin and go live on the main page next to:


:kumbaya

Dang that emoticon is huge!

[Marcus-SanDiego]

Haha. That's the kumbaya emoticon.

Someone was linking to it from another site, so I changed the picture. Figure if someone wants to steal our bandwidth, I may as well advertise. hehe.

[mimalmo]

Yes, those are the brakes. Got that last caliper bolt loose this morning but now the rotor cap screw won't budge. Even borrowed my neighbor's impact screwdriver.

If you ever do your own brakes, I advise that you use liberal amounts of anti-seize when putting it all back together.

I should also mention that "Attack of the Silver Grey Sedan" was a bit of a joke from when I first suggested a projects forum for the site.
Original thread where the name came from:
http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?962-Project-Forum

[mimalmo]

Fronts are done.

http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg283/mimalmo/P1130291.jpg

[Marcus-SanDiego]

:like

[danewilson77]

:chuck

[mimalmo]

Some pics of my car from the Eurowerks show taken by a friend of mine.

http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg283/mimalmo/Eurowerks%205%20Minneapolis%20MN%20June%2025th%202 011/Eli1.jpg

http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg283/mimalmo/Eurowerks%205%20Minneapolis%20MN%20June%2025th%202 011/Eli3.jpg

[Johnmadd]

Some pics of my car from the Eurowerks show taken by a friend of mine.

http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg283/mimalmo/Eurowerks%205%20Minneapolis%20MN%20June%2025th%202 011/Eli1.jpg

http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg283/mimalmo/Eurowerks%205%20Minneapolis%20MN%20June%2025th%202 011/Eli3.jpg

Your car is very nice. Is that an e30 reflection in your pic? :-)

[mimalmo]

Thanks. It was a Fiat Spyder parked next to me.

[thesixsins]

Amazing work!

Did you get your OEM clears from a dealer or online? If online; from who?

Thanks!

[Oli77]

You are going to win the car of the month challenge with a car like that!

;)

[mimalmo]

Amazing work!

Did you get your OEM clears from a dealer or online? If online; from who?

Thanks!

Thanks! OEM clears came from either Bimmian or Turner Motorsport. I can't remember.


You are going to win the car of the month challenge with a car like that!

;)

Thank you sir! It would be an honor if I did.

[C Withers Media]

Congrats Eli...Car is looking delicious.

[mimalmo]

Thanks Casey!

[Ryans323i]

Congrats Eli. Best fitment period!

[mimalmo]

I recently sold the car. The new owner has taken delivery and you can follow his thread here:

http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?6069-UdubBadger-s-Magical-Modding-Tour-A-journal-of-quot-not-so-special-quot-proportions

[UdubBadger]

:)

[Rovert]

That looks like one satisfied yet calm smile!

[UdubBadger]

tis

[mimalmo]

ah memories....

[UdubBadger]

You're buddy Ben has been trying to convince me to send the car back up to Minnesota for him to enjoy ;)

[mimalmo]

LOL. Ben knew I was going to sell it before I even created my FS ads. He had an opportunity. I think his needs have just changed in the last 6 months and he's come to realize that a ZHP sedan fits his needs.

I once caught him trying to rub up against my car. True story.

[UdubBadger]

I'll be careful then if I'm ever back up in the twin cities area. :rofl

[Mike V]

I wouldn't think one would have to worry about their car getting molested. Crazy Minnesotans. :)

[mimalmo]

I miss this car. :(

[UdubBadger]

Me too... :(


Goin' HAM mobile

[Avetiso]

:(

Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk

[derbo]

where did it end up going?

[UdubBadger]

Leon in DC who hasn't been heard from since he took it off my hands last May


Goin' HAM mobile

[diverse]

nice work.

your reply to my thread has my head spinning.

[mimalmo]

Thanks. I still miss that car.