Brian Dumont’s E46 M3
With any car there are multiple ways of modifying it, some people like to look good and ride low. Some people like to turn the car to a purpose built performing machine. We recently posted up Sergio’s M3, that may have upset some BMW purist. So this time we bring to you something from the other side of the spectrum Brian Dumont’s M3, that was bought from day one with a purpose.
The car and the owner are both new to me personally, Brian comes out and supports our events so I do see the car frequently. But never got a chance to talk to the owner at all, the cars life began as a street car out on the West Coast. The car was spotted by a friend of a friend in a Auction out in Texas as a shell with the transmission in the trunk.
The car was rebuilt and Brian was able to get a few track days out of the E46 until…
Whenever you take your pride and joy out to the track you always run that risk of disaster happening. While screaming at 8,000 RPM the car caught on fire at 100mph, Brian told me he had to dive out the car and watch it burn. Which has to be one of the worst feelings, we have all seen videos online of cars burning to the ground, and it seems like a nightmare. Luckily the car was not a total loss
The culprit was a seized rod bearing that grenaded the motor, and dumped all 12 quarts of oil on the exhaust and sparked the flames!
The rebuild began again for Brian to build it to be able to handle 9,000rpm without any doubt of failure. It started with a fresh S54 motor with plenty of goodies:
– 2 qt. B&M oil Cooler and Upgraded High Volume Oil pump
– ARP main, rod, and head bolts.Ceramic coated Calico rod and main bearings
-Dinan Cams, Dinan MAF, Dinan intake, and Dinan Throttle bodie
s– Block is decked, head is milled and ported, bringing compression to roughly 12.6 to 1
– Oil passages opened up and polished– Stock pistons, TS rings, stock pistons Calico Coated on top and skirts
-401hp
It took 2 years for Brian to get the M3 back on the road again. One of the hardest things Brian noted was the wiring in the car. I personally hate wiring anything in a car, I can only imagine the nightmare it was to get everything back in working order after a fire in the engine bay. Brian was sure this time there would be no failures in the build so he took his time and did everything the right way the first time.
It is built as a racecar so the modifications did not end in the engine bay, the suspension setup consists of:
– Alcon/Rotora 15″ Big brake kits, full floating rotors front and rear
-Stainless lines, 6 piston fronts, 4 piston rears, Hawk track pads
– 1.8” sway bars with custom adjustable heims
– 18×10 Enkei NT03+M’s, 275/35/18 Falken 615K’s on all 4 corners
Brian’s own description of driving the car:
It is a racecar, with headlights and a license plate. It weighs 2918lbs without a driver; It rides horrible, but handles great. It’s very loud and spins the tires hard until 100MPH or more. Trac, ABS and stability controls are still in operation, but can be switched off. It is very light, very stiff, and lacks traction in most situations. It has heat, HK audio, power locks, OE alarm, Gets 25MPG on the highway if driven like an adult.
Many of us including myself have been guilty of giving up on a project or selling a incomplete build. But Brians dedication to his M3 has truly paid off. Looking at his mod list and hearing him describe the car, we can almost hear and imagine what its like to drive a car built from the inside out to perform.
Brian says he has not been able to return back to the track with the car as of yet, so its limited to mountain and a weekend fun toy to take out when the weather is nice. Hopefully he will be able to enjoy it back on the track soon!
2004 BMW M3 (E46)
– Fresh S54 Motor (5000 miles street run-time, proper break in procedures)
– 2 qt. B&M oil Cooler and Upgraded High Volume Oil pump
– Upgraded Water pump (custom impeller and housing)
– Hayden electric fan.
– Detachable front bumper (for trailer loading and easy oil changes)
– Upgraded SMG trans, vented bellhousing, Straight-cut 4130 gears, Aluminum Flywheel, Sachs Racing clutch.
– Custom Alum. Subframe mounts, motor mounts, trans mounts, and control arms.
– TC Klein/H&R Coil Overs, 1000 lb springs, camber plates, and all Delrin Susp. Bushings.
– Front and rear control arms are custom to eliminate movement in subframe.
– ARP main, rod, and head bolts. Ceramic coated Calico rod and main bearings.
– Dinan Cams, Dinan MAF, Dinan intake, and Dinan Throttle bodies.
– Block is decked, head is milled and ported, bringing compression to roughly 12.6 to 1
– Oil passages opened up and polished.
– Stock pistons, TS rings, stock pistons Calico Coated on top and skirts.
– Alcon/Rotora 15″ Big brake kits, full floating rotors front and rear.
-Stainless lines, 6 piston fronts, 4 piston rears, Hawk track pads.
– 1.8” sway bars with custom adjustable heims
– VIS Carbon fiber hood, and trunk.
– 18×10 Enkei NT03+M’s, 275/35/18 Falken 615K’s on all 4 corners
– TC Kline SCCA and NASA legal 6 point cage
– Sparco EVO3 seats on BMW specific Sparco Rails
– Sparco 6 point cam-loc belts
– Quaiffe LSD, Multiple sets of gearing. Car tops out at 180+
– BB Racing full exhaust
– BB racing full race headers
– Custom SMG paddles
– European bumpers, front is removable for loading onto trailer or lift.
