Tatarin's Silver ZHP Project Thread

[Tatarin]

Hello and Welcome,

Sparing you the long introduction which you can read here:
http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?20167-New-ZHP-Owner-in-Seattle-Washington
I will be documenting the progress of the restoration and modification of my Silver ZHP.

Specs of the car are:
2006 ZHP with 51,000 miles at the time of purchase.

Issues that need addressing:
01) Airbag Light
02) DSC / yellow "Brake" light (ABS Sensors?)
03) WSP Inspection [PASSED 5/15/2017]
04) Major Fuel Leak:crying:crying:crying
05) Rear Half Shafts/Boots/Bearings replacement
06) Rear Seating Arrangement (or lack there of)
07) Wheels and Tires [Received and Installed 5/26/2017]
08) Alignment
09) Rear-end damage
10) Rear Bumper
11) Paint

I will update this as I install the parts and work on the car. Pictures below for inspiration.
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[Tatarin]

First the good:
1) I was able to pass the WSP regardless of a massive fuel leak which is only apparent after I shut the car off. (Maybe a return line returned it's last?) Taking suggestions on what that could be.
2) Got rear and front wheels and tires. Indy 500 Firehawks at Firestone look to be a rebranded version of the Bridgestone RE003 tire for far less money.

The bad:
1) Massive fuel leak.
2) Alignment is shot. Looks like the car was in a front end collision before the rear collision totalled it.

After alignment I got my first batch of bad news. The best alignment I was able to get yielded the following:
Driver's Front
Camber: -1.0° (spec 0.0° to -0.7°)
Caster: 4.6° (spec 5.9° to 4.9°)

Passenger Rear
Camber: -1.7° (spec -1.8° to -1.3°)
Toe: -1.59° (spec 0.18° to 0.08°)

So I ordered up some cheap adjustable suspension and camber arms to mend that. I just hope it doesn't drive like a banana. My thinking is, if I lower the car in the front I'll get more positive camber (adjustable top plates help). If I tighten up the camber control arms (CCA) in the rear I'll get more positive camber. So I got myself +/- 3° CCAs to help dial in the geometry after I lower the car. The mounting point for the CCAs is at the rear of the wheel hub assembly, by dialing in more camber, I should be able to adjust the toe to spec.

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[Tatarin]

In a true Russian fashion, I went ahead and hardwired a dashcam.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01EX8ATKK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
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Please pardon the dirty windshield.
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Clean install though.
First Step - Shorten the wiring kit.
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Took the Stock wiring kit that came with my dashcam: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LXC2329/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
This "hardwire-kit" came with what feels like 15 feet of wire. So I shortened it for a factory feel.
Thankfully there were only two wires
RED - Hot
Green - Ground
What I did next was I located my "Home-Link" wiring harness on the passenger side of the dome light assembly.
I took the green and blue wire and stripped it.
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Attached my red wire from the hardwire kit to the green and blue wire from "Home-Link" loom.
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Shrink wrapped the exposed wires and grounded the green bolt clip on to the screw with the bracket.
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Re-assembled the whole shebang and there we have it.
I am ready to capture next time a bear on a unicycle makes me throw my car in a ditch.
Complimentary picture of my paint skills.
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[ZHPizza]

This is amazing. How is the car driving?

[ELCID86]

Nice work on the camera and wiring. It's on My to-do list

[BMWM3186]

So did the previous owner cut and weld another back end of another car onto it? Is that easier to do than completely replace the side panels, trunk etc. ? Seems like it'd be a nightmare to get everything to line up. Cool project!

Sent from my ONEPLUS 3 using Tapatalk

[Tatarin]

The car is driving better now that the alignment is getting fixed.

[Tatarin]

BMWM3186, he JB Welded the back end from a 325ci... poorly

[BMWCurves]

BMWM3186, he JB Welded the back end from a 325ci... poorly

Just...no.

[Tatarin]

So here is the skinny on the E46.
I went with the most economical fully adjustable suspension (read: ebay come-ups) that I could find.
The key factors were:
1) Height adjustable
2) Adjustable camber plates
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I got a deal on lower adjustable camber arms which are far more stout than the stock ones.
1) They are 3/8" steel at the thinnest point
2) Take more work getting into the car than anticipated.
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A little bit about installing the adjustable camber arms on the e46:
1) Remove the front of the rear subframe support bracket.
18mm ratcheting wrench (under exhaust), 18mm shallow ratchet, 13mm shallow ratchet, 10mm shallow ratchet.
2) Undo the differential bolts with a jack and a wood block under the diff.
18mm ratchet
3) Jack up the differential 1.5 inches. Block it off to secure in place.
4) Undo the four rear subframe bolts, drop the subframe 0.5 inches and make sure it rests on the bolts.

Optional but recommended step:
5) Lubricate your hubris with copious amounts of your favorite malt beverage.
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The results:
As it sits, the car is lifted by about 1.5" from stock.
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I still need to adjust the rear toe somehow. Any ideas and suggestions are welcome.

P.S.
Sorry for the bad photo quality. What image file reducer do you all use?
P.P.S.
Do not get the cheap orange adjustable ebay coilovers if you like your spine. To say that they are stiff is to say nothing at all.

[Tatarin]

Next on the list:
0) Sourcing the rear passenger spring carrier: Might be the reason behind bad toe.
1) Body work: Few months out.
2) Sourcing better adjustable coilovers: Bilsteins
3) Rear bushings
4) Bumper solution: Custom steel bumper or fixing the stock bumper on to the body

[Tatarin]

I will work on making another post about my ZHP adventures later today, for now, an update about the fuel leak I was experiencing.
The reason why I had a fuel leak was my original repair on the fuel pump.
The fuel pump seal, if installed incorrectly will slip off the edge of the fuel tank.
Best way to install it is to wrap the string around the seal while installing the new pump, seat the pump, before twisting the cover on, pull the string off.

[BMWCurves]

How did you know your car was leaking fuel? Smell in the cabin or noticeable drop in fuel economy/remaining fuel?

[Tatarin]

BMWCurves:
It would piss fuel from the middle of the car's rear passenger compartment if the tank was more than 7/10s full.

[BMWCurves]

BMWCurves:
It would piss fuel from the middle of the car's rear passenger compartment if the tank was more than 7/10s full.

Doesn't sound like a fire hazard. Well done fixing it.

[Tatarin]

Doesn't sound like a fire hazard. Well done fixing it.

I noticed it while lighting a cigarette a few feet away from it. Wind changed directions. I almost quit smoking on the spot... forever.

[Tatarin]

It is up for sale:
http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?20680-2006-BMW-330I-ZHP-4200