IND helped me build a ///MONSTER

I finished the Monster just prior to the iND photoshoot (http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=830443)

I never had a chance to get the car aligned and to be honest, there are not a lot of options in San Diego for a good track oriented alignment/coilover setup. Furthermore, my square 275/35/18s were rubbing pretty bad at full lock. On the recommendation of M3Post member "Esquire", I called Malek at MRF Performance. Malek was confident that he could remedy my rubbing issues and setup the car to my liking.

If you have read my build journal and iNDs post then you know my primary concern is that the car is functional and the rubbing I was experiencing did not fit into that ethos.

First off, I really liked Maleks shop. For an enthusiast like me that is a DIYer and gets antsy at the idea of someone else touching their car, this place is heaven. Small, with quality equipment and the experience of a master builder.

Align6 by JMEllis, on Flickr

Plus, its great to just chat about cars/BMWs while the Monster received nothing but the best care.

Align3 by JMEllis, on Flickr

Doesn't she look great sitting on the lift?

Align5 by JMEllis, on Flickr

I think I did a decent job at capturing the color. In sunlight, Signal looks much deeper while under cloudy skys it can look dark.

I had initially setup the car with a lot of camber and a lot of "low". Malek adjusted my settings to a better ride height and a much more performance oriented camber setting.

get-attachment-3.aspx by JMEllis, on Flickr

I love how the car turned out after the alignment! The car feels great and best of all, it does not rub! Here she is all dialed in and ready to go!

I cannot tell you enough how great my experience at MRF was. I will be going back.

klammer wrote

Congrats on the cover! Cars fantastic

gotta be almost as good as getting your photo up at the post office. congrats!

After six months my car is back at MRF Engineering. As I have said before, I like to do my own work. However, in this instance the work required tools, equipment and expertise that I just do not have.

I wish the weather could have been better.



I brought the beast back to MRF for something very special. About six months ago Malek and I had a discussion about the BMW OEM subframe and differential bushings. Basically, we all know the lack of rigidity in the differential bushings causes a lot of force to be placed on the differential bolt. Often these forces result in the differential bolt failing. Manual E9X M3s are especially prone to diff bolt failure.

Turner Motorsport makes solid aluminum differential bushings (at least they used to) and a solid delrin differential bolt bushing. The aluminum/delrin bushings will stabilize the differential and differential bolt against forces that could cause a failure in the mounting hardware. With the work required it made sense to also swap out the OE rubber subframe bushings for Turner Motorsport aluminum subframe bushings. Keep in mind that all new M cars and the E92 M3 GTS had solid subframe mounts. The solid subframe bushings will last forever, stabilize the suspension and protect the unibody.

As you can guess, its a lengthy and an in depth process.

GTS exhaust removed.



Exhaust, X-pip, brakes and subframe removed.



Here are all the rubber bushings removed. Notice the diff bolt bushing is actually made of foam. No wonder a lot of diff bolts fail. Removing these bushings the correct way is a very tricky process and requires some specialized tools. Malek has some very clever tools to make the removal of these bushings fast and safe.



Solid subframe bushings installed.





Differential bushings installed



All ready to go back into the car!





And finally going back in!



So how do I feel about the solid bushings! They have to be my favorite mod after the suspension and supercharger for overall feel of the car. The solid bushings help transfer power to the ground without hesitation. Essentially there is no slop or "squat" in the rear end when power is applied. The car just moves! I love the solid bushings! I highly recommend them to anyone but especially

Great write up. I need to come by Maleks one day when your car is there so I can see this beast in person.

Quick question, how do you like the GTS exhaust?

KEYON wrote

Great write up. I need to come by Maleks one day when your car is there so I can see this beast in person.

Quick question, how do you like the GTS exhaust?

The exhaust is secks!

JEllis wrote

The exhaust is secks!

Sick man

Nice upgrade!

i'm callin it, best e92m of 2013.

And1M3 wrote

Very nice build and you car looks sick. But for a name I will call it Kappa. That is a Japanese name for a water demon. Since your M is a monster why not use a montser name.

Amazing build, I am mad jelly and in awe.

Just please ignore this poster, he is obviously crazy. Kappa? Like the turtles from Mario are based on? Why would you name such a beast after something designed to be squashed? And why would you give a Japanese name to a German performance car? This isn't a rice rocket. For shame, And1M3, for shame.

awesome upgrade. I'm assuming the labor cost must be a pain.

Another legit BEAST, love it

Koldun wrote

Amazing build, I am mad jelly and in awe.

Just please ignore this poster, he is obviously crazy. Kappa? Like the turtles from Mario are based on? Why would you name such a beast after something designed to be squashed? And why would you give a Japanese name to a German performance car? This isn't a rice rocket. For shame, And1M3, for shame.

Thanks

tha_good_life wrote

awesome upgrade. I'm assuming the labor cost must be a pain.

More intensive than most mods but also one of the most substantial.

Sales@Carrozzeria wrote

Another legit BEAST, love it

Thanks!

The only other green I've seen here was Java green, and must admit was not a fan, but signal green puts the color in a whole new world, it looks sensational and the build is a real credit to you. It's great seeing a post like this, the detail is what inspires. Only very few posts come to mind when seeing yours, Esquire's Dakar yellow was another one.
Congrats on a brilliant car and the thoughtfulness that's gone into the build.

DaveDee wrote

The only other green I've seen here was Java green, and must admit was not a fan, but signal green puts the color in a whole new world, it looks sensational and the build is a real credit to you. It's great seeing a post like this, the detail is what inspires. Only very few posts come to mind when seeing yours, Esquire's Dakar yellow was another one.
Congrats on a brilliant car and the thoughtfulness that's gone into the build.

Thats a real compliment!

Esquires car is a awesome. He is also a really good dude.

A big fan of your build. Just those green wheels are so odd to me. Some contrasting wheels would look so good. Maybe on a spare set.

tpowerdinny wrote

A big fan of your build. Just those green wheels are so odd to me. Some contrasting wheels would look so good. Maybe on a spare set.

I hear you. The look is not for everyone. Its not something that works well in pics either.

I have another set of wheels in the works. The green TEs will probably stay as a back-up set.

tpowerdinny wrote

A big fan of your build. Just those green wheels are so odd to me. Some contrasting wheels would look so good. Maybe on a spare set.

JEllis wrote

I hear you. The look is not for everyone. Its not something that works well in pics either.

I have another set of wheels in the works. The green TEs will probably stay as a back-up set.

I disagree. I think the body-match wheels look great. It's harder to pull off with conventional colors, but I think it looks great with "louder" colors like green, blue, red, or yellow.

That said, that set of TE37s in gunmetal/graphite would look sweet on my SG E92:

:drool:Red wheels!

blast1st wrote

:drool:Red wheels!

Really? They don't make you think of the holidays?

Heres a tease of what might be next. Disregard the BBS wrench in the background.

IMG_0349 by JMEllis, on Flickr

JEllis wrote

Really? They don't make you think of the holidays?

no cuz it matches your tail light plus your car is already bright color it wont HURT if you throw in another there! like RED. LOL