E46 M3 6spd??

"ZHP Sparky, the 5th" (e30s2k)
05/08/2018 at 16:03 • Filed to: None

Guys! Check out this E46 M3. Topaz blue…I’m digging the color. And the price. Seems to be well maintained. And look, a picture with a manual gear lever.

But wait…what the hell??? It’s an SMG? Is this a “mod” people actually do? To make their SMG look like a true manual? So weird!

https://seattle.craigslist.org/tac/cto/d/2002-bmw-e46-m3-topaz-blue/6582556964.html

DISCUSSION (19)

feather-throttle-not-hair > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
05/08/2018 at 16:15

Yeah, ive heard of that. I think its just an automated manual with the SMG, so this mod isn’t as hard as a full engine swap.

His Stigness > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
05/08/2018 at 16:16

What a dickhead! Who puts a regular shift knob on an SMG?!?!?!

I hope no one buys that car now.

fintail > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
05/08/2018 at 16:22

With the amount of drivers I see with a hand on the shift lever of their automatic (while not shifting, just for a look, I think), I can believe it.

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > feather-throttle-not-hair
05/08/2018 at 16:23

Wait what, can you clarify? This is just a standard gear lever, boot, and enclosure on an SMG car, correct? Or is there something more interesting going on here?

Also I’ve been wondering what the price differential between true factory manual cars vs. SMG-to-manual converted cars is? There are so many SMG cars that appear to be cleaner and at a lower purchase price, and the swap is tried and true with legit shops doing it for a not too bad price…might actually be a decent way to go, if you want a clean car that hasn’t been molested.

Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
05/08/2018 at 16:25

Well; $12k makes a lot more sense for an SMG car...

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
05/08/2018 at 16:26

Wow. Ultimate poser.

bob and john > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
05/08/2018 at 16:36

its easier to change an SMG to a true manual. SMGT was just a manual bos with an automated clutch and lever.

feather-throttle-not-hair > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
05/08/2018 at 16:41

Reading comprehension fail on my part! If its just a cosmetic thing, that is indeed strange!

AfromanGTO > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
05/08/2018 at 16:42

I am tempted to buy this drop an LS and T56 in it, and burn the SMG and all of it’s electrical components.

bob and john > AfromanGTO
05/08/2018 at 16:43

why? SMG is a legit manual with automated clutch and lever. Just swap in the true manual parts and you are laughing

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > bob and john
05/08/2018 at 16:45

Yup I’m well aware. I’ve seen Performance Technic in the Bay Area doing a million of these swaps, seems pretty straight forward. Probably not the worst way to go to get a 6MT E46 M3.

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > fintail
05/08/2018 at 16:46

Maybe it’s theft protection?

AfromanGTO > bob and john
05/08/2018 at 16:51

Maybe I want an E46 M3 with a LS and T56. :)

bob and john > AfromanGTO
05/08/2018 at 17:07

then go buy a shell and build it.

why screw over a perfrectly well to do car because you want a corvette but dont want to join the corvette owners club?

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > bob and john
05/08/2018 at 17:10

You can do that?

AfromanGTO > bob and john
05/08/2018 at 18:54

Struck a nerve much? lol You do realize there’s no less than 10 other vehicles that have an LS engine in it.

1) Always find the nicest condition car to make a project out of.

2) My penis works just fine, so no Corvette for me.

3) Vette club meets are too damn early. Who wants to meet up at Cracker Barrel at 7am on a Saturday? Some of us are just getting home two hours before that.

4) I have been intrigued by the idea of putting a LS in an E46 for a few years. It would be a M3 GTR if BMW merged with GM for some reason.

5) If I have the money to piss away who cares?

6) I would buy an Evo 9 and STi. Then put the Evo engine in the Subie, and Subie engine in the Evo.

AfromanGTO > TheTurbochargedSquirrel
05/08/2018 at 18:55

Yeah it’s not too hard to do. The electronics is the hardest part.

bob and john > AfromanGTO
05/08/2018 at 19:54

nah, just sick and tired of constant LS IT BRO.

LS swaps are lazy and unoriginal (thought they do admittingly work, no denial there)

AfromanGTO > bob and john
05/08/2018 at 22:59

I would suggest a Coyote or Voodoo engine, but the heads make the engine too wide. The LS is compact and plentiful. The V8 swap from a E39 M5 is what the V8 M3s were, but they didn’t have that much torque. Plus you can rev the heck out of a destroked LS engine much like the I6 in it originally. The nose probably would be lighter as well.