Repairing fire-damaged ZHP sedan

[eimkeith]

just scored my cluster on eBay!



- just a couple of airbags, a piece of cube trim, and an H/K tweeter assembly to go, and I've got a complete car (some assembly required)

[danewilson77]

Good work. That evidence certainly looks incriminating regarding the accident.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

[BADCLOWN]

I can’t see that going any other way than in your favor. Such a shitty thing to happen though, already have enough to worry about.

Maybe the mods can migrate this to a project thread, def would love it if you kept us updated on the progress

[cakM3]

Keith, I have a friend who parts out wrecked E46 ///Ms. Perhaps he might have a set of black M3 mirrors in his shop. I texted him and will let you know if he has a set to sell.

[eimkeith]

Keith, I have a friend who parts out wrecked E46 ///Ms. Perhaps he might have a set of black M3 mirrors in his shop. I texted him and will let you know if he has a set to sell.

cool, thx!

[eimkeith]

so I've been reading about S54 swaps (insomnia, and let's be honest - it's a beautiful engine) and I've run across warnings of an anti-tamper "dot" being an issue is the cluster isn't swapped with the LCM.. - can someone enlighten me here? Is this a potential problem for me with my ZHP cluster coming from one place, and the LCM coming from another?

and also - can the M3 oil temp gauge be retrofitted into a ZHP cluster somehow? (I miss that feature of my M3; super-practical, imo)

[slater]

there are ways of retrofitting an M3 cluster into the car - folks here have done it via brilliant forum member TerraPhantm. if you search you'll find pics, details, etc.

i will admit the oil temp gauge is the only reason i would retrofit the M3 cluster... i would really like that over the fuel economy gauge. it's been on my wish list for a while.

good score on the other stuff! bummer about the towing damage, but i agree with badclown above, it should be a pretty open and shut case. let us know what happens!

[eimkeith]

there are ways of retrofitting an M3 cluster into the car - folks here have done it via brilliant forum member TerraPhantm. if you search you'll find pics, details, etc.

i will admit the oil temp gauge is the only reason i would retrofit the M3 cluster... i would really like that over the fuel economy gauge. it's been on my wish list for a while.

OK, after some light reading last night, my head hurts trying to consider LCM upgrades, auto light/rain sensor retrofits, gauge clusters, and future S54 swap possibilities.. I may need some guidance here. The '03 car currently does not have auto lights or rain sensing wipers, although my '04 slick top parts car does - and that is where I was going to get the LCM from. However, I like the idea of rear fogs as well (mountain driving) and I'd like to do the LCM upgrades to get 3/4/5 blink option. There's also the issue of using the LCM from the '04 with the eBay ZHP cluster I've purchased, and making those two marry each other, and now that I'm thinking M3 cluster swap (to get the oil temp gauge presently, but also to have in place for a future engine swap), I'd want the clusters to be interchangeable - in case I decide to sell the car later (the ZHP cluster could drop back in.)

Is this stuff doable as-described? Am I missing any great modifications/features that should be considered while I'm dealing with this stuff? Can the coding be done remotely (i.e. if I ship my stuff to one of you wizards and pay you for the service)?

Since I have to replace the burned dash and will have access, is there anything retrofit wise that should/could be done back there while I'm at it?

What would you all do (given you're more experienced with these cars/their possibilities) in this scenario?

[slater]

OK, after some light reading last night, my head hurts trying to consider LCM upgrades, auto light/rain sensor retrofits, gauge clusters, and future S54 swap possibilities.. I may need some guidance here. The '03 car currently does not have auto lights or rain sensing wipers, although my '04 slick top parts car does - and that is where I was going to get the LCM from. However, I like the idea of rear fogs as well (mountain driving) and I'd like to do the LCM upgrades to get 3/4/5 blink option. There's also the issue of using the LCM from the '04 with the eBay ZHP cluster I've purchased, and making those two marry each other, and now that I'm thinking M3 cluster swap (to get the oil temp gauge presently, but also to have in place for a future engine swap), I'd want the clusters to be interchangeable - in case I decide to sell the car later (the ZHP cluster could drop back in.)

Is this stuff doable as-described? Am I missing any great modifications/features that should be considered while I'm dealing with this stuff? Can the coding be done remotely (i.e. if I ship my stuff to one of you wizards and pay you for the service)?

Since I have to replace the burned dash and will have access, is there anything retrofit wise that should/could be done back there while I'm at it?

What would you all do (given you're more experienced with these cars/their possibilities) in this scenario?

it would be best if you could decide now what direction you want to take with the car.

as for cluster swaps - with either the ZHP cluster you bought, or the M3 cluster - both will have to be 'virginized' in order to work with your car. TerraPhantm can do this, but as he is very busy these days it may be worth finding another shop who can do it.

as for the LCM and tamper dot - you can actually configure the new LCM from one of the other modules in the car (i can't remember which one - IKE maybe?), so it has the correct config. coupled with the virginized cluster, and you won't have a tamper dot to deal with - the cluster and LCM will sync correctly. also, for the 3/4/5 blink setup, you'll either need an LCM with a firmware version of 4.0+, or TerraPhantm can make the v3.6 FW units work also, with a mod. not sure on the details for this. what FW version is the LCM you bought?

as for S54 swaps - they are doable on the '03, but get easier the newer you get (for example, on my '05 i think you only need to move one wire in the DME harness). you should be able to do the S54 swap regardless of ZHP or M3 cluster, as you'll need to get either one virginized in order to work with the car anyway.

and as for what would we/i do - i like the idea of the S54 swap, but the M54B30 w/ ZHP cams is pretty great and with some basic bolt-ons (headers namely), and a tune for them accordingly, it can make good power. before an S54 swap (actually even before anything else), i would definitely address bushings/mounts, and reinforce the RACP. since you've got a shop to work in, that helps, and it's best to do everything at once, as i'm sure you're aware. are you wanting to track the car? forgive me if you already mentioned that. i built my ZHP Touring into a dual-purpose street/track car and i'm extremely happy with the outcome - it has not been to the track yet, but i feel like it will walk the DD/track line pretty well. anyway - i would focus on sharpening the car first before an S54 swap - and see what you think. going to a shorter rear end with LSD will help immensely, too.

EDIT - just saw your signature wish-list, too bad about the taillights as i think i just tossed a set. i'll double-check. i have a FW v3.6 LCM too if you still need one.

[eimkeith]

as for cluster swaps - with either the ZHP cluster you bought, or the M3 cluster - both will have to be 'virginized' in order to work with your car. TerraPhantm can do this, but as he is very busy these days it may be worth finding another shop who can do it.

as for the LCM and tamper dot - you can actually configure the new LCM from one of the other modules in the car (i can't remember which one - IKE maybe?), so it has the correct config. coupled with the virginized cluster, and you won't have a tamper dot to deal with - the cluster and LCM will sync correctly. also, for the 3/4/5 blink setup, you'll either need an LCM with a firmware version of 4.0+, or TerraPhantm can make the v3.6 FW units work also, with a mod. not sure on the details for this. what FW version is the LCM you bought?

So it sounds like I'm looking at handing over both clusters and the LCM to someone for the coding work, to have a replacement ZHP cluster for resale and to have a functioning M3 cluster to use in the car for the oil temp feature, yes?

I'll check the LCM today; it's in the '04 parts car. - any issues with having it paired to 2 clusters?

and I haven't reached out to TerraPhantm yet, as I'm still educating myself on what's possible and what I'm after - don't want to waste his time until I'm sorted - any idea if he still does this kind of thing for hire?

before an S54 swap (actually even before anything else), i would definitely address bushings/mounts, and reinforce the RACP. . . going to a shorter rear end with LSD will help immensely, too.

Yep, yep - same adventure I had with the M3.

Is the M3 rear swap the cost-effective route to gears and LSD? - same WMS-WMS width from what I can tell..