"It's a "Porch-uh"" (ikazuchi)
07/10/2015 at 14:14 • Filed to: M3, GTS3
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"It's a "Porch-uh"" (ikazuchi)
07/10/2015 at 14:14 • Filed to: M3, GTS3 | 11
| 11 |
My wife and kids were out visiting family for a week so I got a lot done on the E46 M3 GTS3 project. It’s almost down to the shell (at least as far as I want to take it), with only a few more things to do before it goes off to the body shop for the repair, then cage builder for the... cage. I can barely walk around in my garage with all the parts littering the floor. Some will be sold. Some thrown away. Most will be kept.
Konis and Tein springs are for sale if somebody wants them.
Once I got the front struts off I was greeted with this mess. Apparently the previous owner wanted MOAR CAMBER and tow in so they could cord the front tires (which was a rousing success). So they did this instead of getting proper camber plates. I’m hoping a proper strut tower brace will put the struts in the right spot and I won’t have to weld in new metal here.
Important Safety Tip: Before you take all the weight off the front of a car, either support the rear or take off weight there as well. I took off the front subframe (with brakes, hubs, a-arms, etc attached) and the body just tipped back. Luckily I’m dumping the stock exhaust, which took all the weight.
The rear subframe was fun, since I thought I took all the bolts off, but it kept hanging up on the handbrake lines that I didn’t notice. I’m debating on how much time/energy I want to put into cleaning up some of these parts before re-installing them. I think a lot of that will depend on how long the shell is gone.
The passenger-side door has been gutted. The door release/lock mechanism took me a while to figure out, as the electronic lock defaults to “locked” and I needed to defeat the mechanism so it would never lock again. All this still needs to be done on the driver-side, plus I need to make up some pull straps for the interior door release.
At this point I’m still making money (well, making back some money from the initial purchase) by selling off parts. After I strip out the wiring harness, front and rear glass, and sound deadening, the spending spree begins and I get to start building instead of taking apart.
Getting excited that I made some great progress after the car had been sitting for 5 months. Now I’m off to shop suspension!
FJ80WaitinForaLSV8
> It's a "Porch-uh"
07/10/2015 at 14:20 |
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Impressive. How’d you hold the front of the car up at that extreme angle?
MonkeePuzzle
> It's a "Porch-uh"
07/10/2015 at 14:35 |
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!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!
thats... hawt, go on
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MonkeePuzzle
> FJ80WaitinForaLSV8
07/10/2015 at 14:36 |
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I used an i-bolt in my garage’s support beam and a ratchet strap. not sure on Porch-uh’s method
d1ck
> FJ80WaitinForaLSV8
07/10/2015 at 14:54 |
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It tipped back on the jack stands when he removed the front subframe.
BREADwagon
> It's a "Porch-uh"
07/10/2015 at 15:00 |
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Wow, whoever thought doing that to the strut tower was a good idea.... Have your cage builder weld in one of those tower reinforcement kits. That plus the brace should be good.
uofime-2
> It's a "Porch-uh"
07/10/2015 at 15:15 |
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Since you plan on abusing this thing I would vote have metal welded back in here. That’s a lot of real big holes. I would have seriously been afraid to drive the car like this, the PO needs to be beaten and never allowed near a car again.
Toby F., Manager
> It's a "Porch-uh"
07/10/2015 at 15:21 |
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To fulfill my curiosity, how were you able to bring the front of the car back down?
Also, you’re a San Diegan correct? I’d love to see your work in person/ran when finished.
RallyWrench
> It's a "Porch-uh"
07/10/2015 at 15:39 |
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Have your cage builder cut & box those strut towers so you can do proper camber plates and pillow balls. You’re in it this far, unless it’s got to have stock strut towers for a rulebook there’s no reason not to.
GUYMANDUDE
> It's a "Porch-uh"
07/10/2015 at 16:18 |
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These might help your strutt towers.
They fit under the strutt tower to reinforce the sheet metal, which can’t handle stiff springs and rough roads.
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It's a "Porch-uh"
> Toby F., Manager
07/11/2015 at 20:15 |
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I could just push it back down with my weight. I then took a tie-down and tied the subframe to the frame temporarily while I propped up the very back with two more jack stands.
Yup, Escondido technically. Hopefully it will be done in a few (or 6) months!
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It's a "Porch-uh"
> GUYMANDUDE
07/11/2015 at 20:16 |
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Yes, this. Thanks!