Resetting the old car timer
If you drive an old car for long enough, you start to forget commonplace amenities of a new car. Things like keyless entry, heated seats, and a strange refrigeration sensation called air conditioning may as well be far-fetched concepts last seen as special effects in 2001: A Space Odyssey. It turns out that the “future” was more than 20 years ago and time marches forward.
As someone who daily drives what most humans would classify as an antique, I finally came to the realization that I needed some sort of “modern” car. Being able to carry more than one person, not having to explain why the A/C was deleted, and not buzzing close to 4,000 RPM on the freeway are features that are becoming quite appealing these days…so when given the opportunity to purchase my friend Dirk’s 2003 330i, I had to buy it.
Same Ingredients, Marginally New Look
By no means is an e46 BMW 3 Series much of a deviation in terms of the cars I’ve owned. If anything it’s beyond cliche. But it’s not just any e46 330, because it’s the highly debated ZHP version of the 330i. For those who don’t have hours to fall asleep in front of a keyboard learning the nuances, it’s essentially a glorified sport package 330. It has sportier looking bumpers and wheels, different interior trim pieces, but the main talking points are the marginally uprated camshafts for a total of 235 hp (10 more than the regular m54 330), heavier weighted steering rack, and the introduction of a 6-speed for manual transmission cars (also available on a regular 330). Oh, and the most important cars and coffee factoid that every ZHP owner should have on standby is the availability of a few M3 paint colors. Oooh! Ahhh! Yawn…
So why do people get so wound up about the ZHP cars? In the case of the sedans, some argue it’s the closest thing BMW made to a 4-door e46 M3, but in reality it’s missing the main ingredient of the M3–the high strung S54 engine, which makes another 100 horsepower to boot. Spend enough time on the forums and the ZHP-isti are quite eager to list how rare their ZHP is relative to other ZHPs. In some cases they aren’t wrong that their Imola Red sedan was 1 of 3 built on a Tuesday during the third week of July before Deiter took an early lunch. Sounds like an express ticket to Corvette ownership!
By now you’re probably wondering what’s the catch with this car. And you’d be right to think that. The elephant in the room is someone had keyed the car. More specifically this person had decided to perform the same ‘makeover’ to roughly 200 cars one evening along with slashing a bunch of tires in the process. Unfortunately this 330 fell victim to that fateful night. The big eyesore on the car is the hood, where the artist decided to make a double pass at engraving their signature. Since the car is bright red, it’s quite noticeable. On the other hand however, it means the car can simply be driven and enjoyed until it’s time to repaint it.
The ZHP Difference?
A major appeal of the e46 330 is that it combines a lot of what I liked about my old e36, but also fixes the things that bothered me. The big upgrade for daily driving is having an overdrive 6th gear. The extra gear is a really nice feature for highway cruising as the engine is well under 3,000 RPM at 80 mph, whereas the e36 was a bit buzzy at 3600 RPM in 5th gear.
In terms of power, honestly I have a hard time noticing the hotter camshafts. The M54 motor is more of a torque motor, so while the extra bit of performance and raised redline are cool to brag about to fellow BMW dorks, it’s not detrimental if you shift a bit short. Additionally the ZHP has 3.07 final drive ratio, so it also has longer legs than the usual 3.23 found in most e36 M3 5-speed models.
Since Milton is now the proud owner of my old S52 e36 328/M3-wannabe, he was able to drive each car back to back. Milton immediately said the ZHP wasn’t raw enough for his liking, which is code for needing a louder exhaust and stiffer suspension. While I do appreciate those additions to the e36, I can’t say I crave them just yet on the ZHP. Maybe it’s because I’m an oldtimer now, but the stock exhaust is loud enough and the stock spring rates are plenty firm, especially with the lower profile 18-inch wheels.
To be fair the ZHP is pretty good out of the box. That’s not to say there aren’t areas for improvement, but they’re pretty mild in the scheme of things. Honestly, if you need a 1-car solution and are ok with an older car, the ZHP checks a lot of boxes without being overly expensive to keep running.
So where does that leave the e36? Aside from the usual failing door card jokes, the e36 does still earn gold stars in a couple areas. The e36 is still very easy to place on the road, and the interior layout has better ergonomics versus the overly chunky controls of the e46 interior. The e36 strikes a good balance of keeping the driver touch points svelte. However, the fit and finish of the e46 is significantly improved. The only thing right off the bat that bothers me is how thick the steering wheel is compared to my other cars. Take this with a grain of salt as the thin rim M-Tech 1 e30 wheel has been my means of navigating the tarmac sea for several years.
As a science experiment, I weighed the e46 and it scored 3316 lbs. with a 3/4 full tank of fuel and the steelie spare removed. By contrast, the e36 clocked in at 2982 lbs. with the same amount of fuel and spare tire removed, but also had lighter Kosei wheels and lighter Recaro Sportster seats installed to help shed some pounds. Seems like the e46 ZHP needs to go on a diet.
Try Not to Ruin It
Like any “new” car, there’s a wishlist of things that are starting to add up. As to when I’ll get to addressing them is another story.
Rear Subframe Reinforcement: While this is more common with the M3, I don’t see a reason not to reinforce the rear subframe and trailing arm mounting points. This was something I did with my e36, and the e46 follows a similar procedure (plus some extra reinforcements in the trunk), so may as well just get it done sooner than later. Likely a shop will have to perform the work since I’m still a student of the Derek Zoolander Center for kids that can’t weld good.
Rear End Bushings: As part of the rear end welding palooza, it only makes sense to replace the subframe and trailing arm bushings at the same time. The subframe I’ll likely go with a mild durometer poly as there hasn’t been any appreciable NVH increase from going this route with my previous BMWs, while the trailing arm bushings will stay rubber since that’s where I’ve had NVH issues in the past.
Shocks & Struts: Generally stock suspensions are woefully soft on a lot of older BMWs, but the 330i is surprisingly firm. To keep things simple for now, I’ll be looking for a new set of shocks and struts to replace the 100k+ mileage ones currently on the car. The factory Sachs setup is damped quite well, but their lifespan is short. Since I don’t want to lower the car just yet, I will most likely get a replacement set of Sachs shocks & struts which should work great for a daily driver. If history repeats itself though, then there’s a high probability Ground Control will enter the equation sooner than later.
Honeymoon Phase is Over
Now that I’ve lived with the ZHP for nearly a year, the first round of repairs have made waves. Thankfully nothing too severe, but without a doubt inconvenient.
Leaky Interior: The first surprise came in the form of a wet rear carpet after heavy rains. Naturally I thought to check the sunroof drains as that’s common with other BMWs, but the car passed the leak test in that area. Some more digging around the forums pointed me to the door vapor barriers, which are essentially sheets of foam that seal the door with butyl tape. If someone has replaced the window regulators (which happened on this car), the vapor barrier has to be removed as part of the repair, which upsets the seal.
Power Steering Geyser: The other gremlin I’ve had to battle is the power steering pump. My particular car has the less-robust LF-20 pump, which failed on me like clockwork. Thankfully replacing the pump wasn’t too troublesome, but the coupling mating the high pressure line has backed off on a couple occasions, causing a spill of ATF all over the ground. I’ve tried new o-rings, and now the latest attempt involved adding blue loctite to the threads.
DME Flash Update: Another quirk (but not a feature…) specific to this car was a hesitation under load at around 2800 rpm. It’s as if the car had a slight misfire, but no check engine lights appeared. I later learned that the MS45 DME used in the ZHP was known to do this, which made driving the car around town very irritating. The Fix? Pay a shop with BMW software to update it to the latest version and problem solved.
Low Mileage, Yet Worn Out Driver Seat: For one reason or another, the driver seat is very uncomfortable after an hour of driving. Further investigation suggests the cause to be worn out seat foam under the upholstery. In the old days you’d just find a good replacement seat, but things get a little more complicated on the e46. Not only are there different upholstery, but I have to find both a power AND heated version of a black sedan sport seat (some even have a lumbar option too). M3 seats will work as well, but won’t look quite right in a 4-door e46. The nuclear option is to get a set of Recaro Sportsters which are both lighter and more comfortable than any of the OE BMW seats.
Another Chapter
Having the e46 has reignited the project car spark in me. By no means will it be some outrageous build, but rather some fun projects to tackle along the way while still keeping the car a daily driver. In essence, it brings back the low buck fun that made the [even] older BMWs appealing to drive and modify in the past.
