Redshift's 335d Touring/Wagon 6-speed Manual Build Thread (USA)

Redshift · 10-21-2019, 04:42 PM

Hello, everyone. You may know me from such previous builds as E39 M5 touring conversion (click here for BaT auction results: https://bringatrailer.com/listing/20...ng-conversion/ ) and E46 M3 touring conversion (click here for build thread: http://www.m3forum.net/m3forum/showthread.php?t=544393 )

After realizing the cost of completing the M3 build (rear body/bumper, rear fenders, and full body repaint) would be quite beyond what the car is worth in the end, I decided to <ahem> shift gears and start something new based on a few cars I've seen and driven before and that is an E91 touring diesel 335d with a 6 speed manual transmission.

I've seen one sedan with the manual but no tourings, at least not in the USA, so I figured why not?

Here is where I'll keep all the details updated and is a good way to keep track personally of what I've done and what still needs work.

A week ago Sunday, I flew to Atlanta and picked up the donor car, a 2011 335d with a salvage title which already had stage 2.8 modifications done by Tune My Euro (AARodriguez). I asked him to finish it off with v2 hybrid turbos and a new fuel pump and tune for me, and he did, so now it's a full stage 4.1 car. Andrew was nice enough to pick me up personally at ATL and drive me back to the shop. On the way, after some nice BBQ for lunch, it was raining and he noticed the wipers weren't brand new, so he bought Bosch versions at the local O'Reilly's and we fixed a situation where the windshield nozzles weren't working. After that I was on my way.

I drove it from there to Greenville SC to attend the BMW CCA Oktoberfest 50th anniversary event and was lucky enough to be able to hot lap it on Michelin's Laurens Proving Grounds 2.0 mile high speed test track pretty much at full speed. The brakes were not happy with me for sure and were smoking like crazy after just 4 hot laps.

The car held up great on track despite having only square 225 all season Cooper tires and fairly awful brake pads and the instructors there (driving M5 competition package cars) were shocked at its ability and speed.

My transmission, driveshaft, race clutch, 6-speed swap kit, and various other goodies will be on the way soon from Denmark thanks to Dennis over at Schmiedmann.com. He's been amazing so far in helping me source the parts that aren't available in the USA.

Tomorrow, my custom built 330d Wavetrac 3.25 LSD from Dan at Diffsonline.com should arrive as well.

The touring I'll be using as a base is due in Wednesday from Nevada and I'll post photos of that soon. For now, here are some photos so far.

My old M5 touring:

My E46 M3 touring:

Donor 2011 335d non-sport:

Dyno chart of donor car (will re-run on my local DynoJet as a baseline):

I couldn't help but clean the interior when I got it. Was dirtier than I thought (left side is clean, right side is dirty):

Chasing an instructor in his M5 comp:

Hard to see, but billowing smoke from brakes:

That's it for now.

Nadir Point · 10-22-2019, 11:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Redshift

After realizing the cost of completing the M3 build (rear body/bumper, rear fenders, and full body repaint) would be quite beyond what the car is worth in the end.

A real sleeper!

I once unwittingly went through that to the tune of an over 10 grand deficit by the time it was sold. Restoring old cars is rarely a profitable, or even break-even business for small-time individual operators.

Redshift · 10-22-2019, 02:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nadir Point

A real sleeper!

I once unwittingly went through that to the tune of an over 10 grand deficit by the time it was sold. Restoring old cars is rarely a profitable, or even break-even business for small-time individual operators.

Most times, builds like this are $ losers. I build them to drive and enjoy and not for profit or "break even," but my M5 touring was actually probably a nice profit in the end. Got lucky on that one.

blackknight530i · 10-22-2019, 05:00 PM

I'm in for this next build Brian. I know the guys and I will be heading up there soon to pick up some parts from Harold, so we can help a bit if you need it. Finally, another wrenchfest!

Redshift · 10-22-2019, 05:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blackknight530i

I'm in for this next build Brian. I know the guys and I will be heading up there soon to pick up some parts from Harold, so we can help a bit if you need it. Finally, another wrenchfest!

It wouldn’t be a proper build without you, my friend. Can’t wait to see you. Keep me posted on timing. We aren’t traveling soon. You still gotta get your M3 parts too.

blackknight530i · 10-22-2019, 05:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Redshift

It wouldn’t be a proper build without you, my friend. Can’t wait to see you. Keep me posted on timing. We aren’t traveling soon. You still gotta get your M3 parts too.

So, funny story... I'm selling my 330Ci in January. I guess I'll pass on some M3 parts to Steve for his track car 330i. Also looking to sell both my wagons, LOL. Might get an actual e46 M3 for track use later

.

Redshift · 10-22-2019, 05:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blackknight530i

So, funny story... I'm selling my 330Ci in January. I guess I'll pass on some M3 parts to Steve for his track car 330i. Also looking to sell both my wagons, LOL. Might get an actual e46 M3 for track use later

.

Clearly our communication has been too sparse lately. We really need to catch up.

ucsbwsr · 10-23-2019, 11:44 AM

Siiiiick! Can't wait.

What manual transmission did you source exactly? Any info or concerns on the MT handling the torque of a hybrid turbo M57?

Evan

ki_soarer · 10-23-2019, 06:56 PM

Looking forward to seeing this build. Would it be possible to get a rough cost estimate for the transmission swap? I have considered it if my trans fails.

Redshift · 10-23-2019, 07:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ucsbwsr

What manual transmission did you source exactly? Any info or concerns on the MT handling the torque of a hybrid turbo M57?

It's from a european 330d. I have some concerns but I'm not planning to beat on it or abuse it much so hopefully it holds up. More concerned about axles, giubos, and clutch.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ki_soarer

Looking forward to seeing this build. Would it be possible to get a rough cost estimate for the transmission swap? I have considered it if my trans fails.

Sure, I can get some numbers when I have parts costs down.

Redshift · 10-23-2019, 07:14 PM

Wagon came in today. I was busy repairing leather on several cars at a used dealer so my wife met the driver and signed for it. Besides being filthy, a 1970 Chevy pickup was situated on top of it and leaked fluid all over the roof and hood so it needed a wash. I just did that and debadged the rear and got rid of the "BMW of San Francisco" sticker. Body is fairly rough but with some PDR and slight paintwork (it needs M-sport bumpers anyway) should be good.

The interior is fairly clean except for the passenger door pull (I can fix that) and it drove nicely except for a "lighting error" and the fact that the window switches are reversed and the iDrive controller won't control anything on the screen.

Some pics after a very quick wash - yes I know it needs full paint correction etc!

ki_soarer · 10-24-2019, 06:50 PM

That looks like a well equipped wagon! I see it's got active cruise. Love that color. Can't wait to see this thing get built!

Redshift · 10-24-2019, 07:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ki_soarer

That looks like a well equipped wagon! I see it's got active cruise. Love that color. Can't wait to see this thing get built!

It’s definitely loaded. Everything except M-sport package I think. I wish I could find a list of available options to check.

CSBM5 · 10-24-2019, 08:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Redshift

It’s definitely loaded. Everything except M-sport package I think. I wish I could find a list of available options to check.

Just need to ask!

PDF attached.

Redshift · 10-24-2019, 08:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CSBM5

Just need to ask!

PDF attached.

Nice! So if I read that right it’s loaded shy of M-sport pack which I’ll recreate with black headliner and M-sport bumpers which I just ordered today.

ki_soarer · 10-24-2019, 11:06 PM

If you send me the last 7 of the vin I can pull the factory build sheet and you can see all the options.

Redshift · 10-25-2019, 07:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ki_soarer

If you send me the last 7 of the vin I can pull the factory build sheet and you can see all the options.

Thanks! I’ve got that from the internal BMW system already. I’m also seeing if someone can find the rarity of the Montego on the E91 chassis.

Redshift · 10-31-2019, 08:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Redshift

Thanks! I’ve got that from the internal BMW system already. I’m also seeing if someone can find the rarity of the Montego on the E91 chassis.

Credit to "Sickfinga" on max bimmer forums for this production data:

My car:

7 - 2009-2012 BMW 328xi Touring (UU33) - NA painted in Montego Blue Metallic (A51) with Black Dakota Leather (LCSW) interior were built for the US market. 3 manual, 4 automatic.

2 were built for the Canadian market. 1 manual, 1 automatic.

The most rare option in this car is the option S541A - Active cruise control. It was installed on 34 out of 5,181 cars.

Montego Blue Touring overall US/NA production:

2007-2008 BMW 328i Touring (VS13) - US - 56
2009-2012 BMW 328i Touring (UT93) - US - 25
2007-2008 BMW 328xi Touring (VT73) - NA - 109
2009-2012 BMW 328xi Touring (UU33) - NA - 68

Redshift · 11-01-2019, 05:37 PM

Got the wagon registered and officially plated. Custom plate should be here in a few weeks.

Also had the entire car properly coded to remove the lighting error message and now the window switches, iDrive controller, and mirrors along with everything else seems to work properly and as it should.

The M-sport bumpers and 335d rear insert should be at my body shop by now, and I hope to get it in for paint work (for both bumpers and also touch ups and repaint on some of the panels) soon.

I will finalize my european Schmiedmann order on Monday of next week to get the trans, driveshaft, pedal box, etc stuff on the way and once that shows up, real work can begin.

Redshift · 11-27-2019, 09:42 AM

Started the project more heavily now - here are some updates.

Had the fenders rolled by the best in the business - Pro Fenders here in Raleigh NC. He spent hours removing the material behind the fender and getting them much flatter. Probably added 25mm of clearance in the rear and maybe 15-20mm up front. I'm hoping that with a proper suspension selection, a 295 wide rear tire will fit because I'll need the traction with the high torque M57.

New tag came in:

Euro parts also arrived including black headliner kit, sliding center console, roof rail delete kit, transmission, driveshaft, flywheel, pedal box, clutch parts, euro light switch, euro tail lights, and race clutch.

I also gutted the interior of the E91 since it's going to the body shop today for the M-sport bumpers and PDR and other paint work to make it close to perfect.

We'll be having a wrench-fest weekend on Dec. 7/8 at my shop during which we'll completely gut the 335d donor car in preparation for when the E91 comes back from paint so that we can start the actual swap. Anyone who wants to join is welcome.

335dlci · 11-28-2019, 10:34 AM

2nd diesel wagon actually.. good luck on the build. Love the color

Redshift · 11-28-2019, 10:41 AM

Never did I claim first. But may be first manual diesel wagon.

10-21-2019, 04:42 PM	#1
Redshift Private First Class 174 Rep 109 Posts Drives: M3, ZHP, 335d, X5d Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Raleigh NC iTrader: (0)	Redshift's 335d Touring/Wagon 6-speed Manual Build Thread (USA) Hello, everyone. You may know me from such previous builds as E39 M5 touring conversion (click here for BaT auction results: https://bringatrailer.com/listing/20...ng-conversion/ ) and E46 M3 touring conversion (click here for build thread: http://www.m3forum.net/m3forum/showthread.php?t=544393 ) After realizing the cost of completing the M3 build (rear body/bumper, rear fenders, and full body repaint) would be quite beyond what the car is worth in the end, I decided to <ahem> shift gears and start something new based on a few cars I've seen and driven before and that is an E91 touring diesel 335d with a 6 speed manual transmission. I've seen one sedan with the manual but no tourings, at least not in the USA, so I figured why not? Here is where I'll keep all the details updated and is a good way to keep track personally of what I've done and what still needs work. A week ago Sunday, I flew to Atlanta and picked up the donor car, a 2011 335d with a salvage title which already had stage 2.8 modifications done by Tune My Euro (AARodriguez). I asked him to finish it off with v2 hybrid turbos and a new fuel pump and tune for me, and he did, so now it's a full stage 4.1 car. Andrew was nice enough to pick me up personally at ATL and drive me back to the shop. On the way, after some nice BBQ for lunch, it was raining and he noticed the wipers weren't brand new, so he bought Bosch versions at the local O'Reilly's and we fixed a situation where the windshield nozzles weren't working. After that I was on my way. I drove it from there to Greenville SC to attend the BMW CCA Oktoberfest 50th anniversary event and was lucky enough to be able to hot lap it on Michelin's Laurens Proving Grounds 2.0 mile high speed test track pretty much at full speed. The brakes were not happy with me for sure and were smoking like crazy after just 4 hot laps. The car held up great on track despite having only square 225 all season Cooper tires and fairly awful brake pads and the instructors there (driving M5 competition package cars) were shocked at its ability and speed. My transmission, driveshaft, race clutch, 6-speed swap kit, and various other goodies will be on the way soon from Denmark thanks to Dennis over at Schmiedmann.com. He's been amazing so far in helping me source the parts that aren't available in the USA. Tomorrow, my custom built 330d Wavetrac 3.25 LSD from Dan at Diffsonline.com should arrive as well. The touring I'll be using as a base is due in Wednesday from Nevada and I'll post photos of that soon. For now, here are some photos so far. My old M5 touring: My E46 M3 touring: Donor 2011 335d non-sport: Dyno chart of donor car (will re-run on my local DynoJet as a baseline): I couldn't help but clean the interior when I got it. Was dirtier than I thought (left side is clean, right side is dirty): Chasing an instructor in his M5 comp: Hard to see, but billowing smoke from brakes: That's it for now. __________________ Brian - E91 335d triple turbo 8hp swap wagon - E46 M3 wagon - E70 X5D stage 4 - G87 M2 (coming soon) Last edited by Redshift; 10-22-2019 at 07:27 AM.. Reason: change title
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10-22-2019, 05:00 PM	#4
blackknight530i Registered 0 Rep 3 Posts Drives: 2003 BMW 530i Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Charlotte, NC iTrader: (0)	I'm in for this next build Brian. I know the guys and I will be heading up there soon to pick up some parts from Harold, so we can help a bit if you need it. Finally, another wrenchfest!
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10-23-2019, 11:44 AM	#8
ucsbwsr Captain 603 Rep 685 Posts Drives: E61 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: CA iTrader: (0)	Siiiiick! Can't wait. What manual transmission did you source exactly? Any info or concerns on the MT handling the torque of a hybrid turbo M57? Evan __________________ N54 Powered M5 Wagon: - M5 Shaft, M5 LSD, M5 Axles, M5 Brakes, M5 Front End, M5 skirts, M5 Mirrors - Manual Swap, MFactory SMFW, Spec Stg 3+, KW V3, RD Sport Sways, F14 SDC - EOS Port Injection Manifold, Fuel-It: Stg 2 LPFP +Lines +Ethanol Sensor - JB4, Hexon RR550s, Custom Inlet, AR DPs, 3" Exhaust, VRSF 7" IC, ER CP +Tial
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10-23-2019, 06:56 PM	#9
ki_soarer Second Lieutenant 129 Rep 264 Posts Drives: 2010 335D Join Date: May 2018 Location: MD iTrader: (1)	Looking forward to seeing this build. Would it be possible to get a rough cost estimate for the transmission swap? I have considered it if my trans fails.
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10-23-2019, 07:14 PM	#11
Redshift Private First Class 174 Rep 109 Posts Drives: M3, ZHP, 335d, X5d Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Raleigh NC iTrader: (0)	Wagon came in today. I was busy repairing leather on several cars at a used dealer so my wife met the driver and signed for it. Besides being filthy, a 1970 Chevy pickup was situated on top of it and leaked fluid all over the roof and hood so it needed a wash. I just did that and debadged the rear and got rid of the "BMW of San Francisco" sticker. Body is fairly rough but with some PDR and slight paintwork (it needs M-sport bumpers anyway) should be good. The interior is fairly clean except for the passenger door pull (I can fix that) and it drove nicely except for a "lighting error" and the fact that the window switches are reversed and the iDrive controller won't control anything on the screen. Some pics after a very quick wash - yes I know it needs full paint correction etc! __________________ Brian - E91 335d triple turbo 8hp swap wagon - E46 M3 wagon - E70 X5D stage 4 - G87 M2 (coming soon)
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10-24-2019, 06:50 PM	#12
ki_soarer Second Lieutenant 129 Rep 264 Posts Drives: 2010 335D Join Date: May 2018 Location: MD iTrader: (1)	That looks like a well equipped wagon! I see it's got active cruise. Love that color. Can't wait to see this thing get built!
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10-24-2019, 11:06 PM	#16
ki_soarer Second Lieutenant 129 Rep 264 Posts Drives: 2010 335D Join Date: May 2018 Location: MD iTrader: (1)	If you send me the last 7 of the vin I can pull the factory build sheet and you can see all the options.
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11-01-2019, 05:37 PM	#19
Redshift Private First Class 174 Rep 109 Posts Drives: M3, ZHP, 335d, X5d Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Raleigh NC iTrader: (0)	Got the wagon registered and officially plated. Custom plate should be here in a few weeks. Also had the entire car properly coded to remove the lighting error message and now the window switches, iDrive controller, and mirrors along with everything else seems to work properly and as it should. The M-sport bumpers and 335d rear insert should be at my body shop by now, and I hope to get it in for paint work (for both bumpers and also touch ups and repaint on some of the panels) soon. I will finalize my european Schmiedmann order on Monday of next week to get the trans, driveshaft, pedal box, etc stuff on the way and once that shows up, real work can begin. __________________ Brian - E91 335d triple turbo 8hp swap wagon - E46 M3 wagon - E70 X5D stage 4 - G87 M2 (coming soon)
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11-27-2019, 09:42 AM	#20
Redshift Private First Class 174 Rep 109 Posts Drives: M3, ZHP, 335d, X5d Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Raleigh NC iTrader: (0)	Started the project more heavily now - here are some updates. Had the fenders rolled by the best in the business - Pro Fenders here in Raleigh NC. He spent hours removing the material behind the fender and getting them much flatter. Probably added 25mm of clearance in the rear and maybe 15-20mm up front. I'm hoping that with a proper suspension selection, a 295 wide rear tire will fit because I'll need the traction with the high torque M57. New tag came in: Euro parts also arrived including black headliner kit, sliding center console, roof rail delete kit, transmission, driveshaft, flywheel, pedal box, clutch parts, euro light switch, euro tail lights, and race clutch. I also gutted the interior of the E91 since it's going to the body shop today for the M-sport bumpers and PDR and other paint work to make it close to perfect. We'll be having a wrench-fest weekend on Dec. 7/8 at my shop during which we'll completely gut the 335d donor car in preparation for when the E91 comes back from paint so that we can start the actual swap. Anyone who wants to join is welcome. __________________ Brian - E91 335d triple turbo 8hp swap wagon - E46 M3 wagon - E70 X5D stage 4 - G87 M2 (coming soon)
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11-28-2019, 10:34 AM	#21
335dlci Lieutenant Colonel 286 Rep 1,595 Posts Drives: 335d Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Socal iTrader: (0)	2nd diesel wagon actually.. good luck on the build. Love the color
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11-28-2019, 10:41 AM	#22
Redshift Private First Class 174 Rep 109 Posts Drives: M3, ZHP, 335d, X5d Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Raleigh NC iTrader: (0)	Never did I claim first. But may be first manual diesel wagon.
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