With over 100 trips to pick up parts from the dealership, more than 200 hours of planning and a total of 800 hours of wrenching and rewiring, George Lee has lived and breathed the DIY philosophy in building his '00 BMW 323i for the past two years. If you don't believe us, visit his website at e46.mit.edu where he's posted over 3000 photos.
There's something about George that explains his ability to complete this immense project - education. He's a graduate of MIT and is currently enrolled at the California Institute of Technology for his post-graduate degree in Computer Science. He's also an entrepreneur, co-founding the networking firm Fastsoft. George's aptitude for studying and problem-solving coupled with an enthusiasm for cars, made this project possible.
A Bright Future
After his first year at MIT, George needed transport for an internship. A family friend owns Century West BMW, and before long a loaded 3-Series was en route to Boston. "School consumed all my time," he began, "but I managed to squeeze in twilight hours to work on the car while battling New England's sub-zero winters."
Since George had no mechanical knowledge, he learned with basic changes like an intake, sway bars and coilovers. As the months passed, he gained experience and then tackled his first major project - installing a used supercharger for the 2.5 liter engine.
Another major project was a first-generation car computer. "I built a Car PC using an Intel Pentium III mini-ITX form factor," he explained. "I was then able to demonstrate wireless MP3 synchronization while WiFi technology was still in its infancy, so I submitted it for my senior project."
After George graduated, he returned to SoCal and sourced a crashed '02 M3 with SMG2 transmission to begin the "real" DIY project. BMW never released a four-door E46 M3, so he was motivated to build his own.
M Swap
The totaled M3 had sustained damage to the intake manifold. "I thought it just needed a new airbox," he chuckled. "As I dismantled the engine, I realized almost everything was damaged - the throttle bodies, crankcase cover, coolant pipes and air valves." He spent the following weeks studying BMW's parts catalogue until he understood it and could fix every part.
Disassembly spanned several weeks but George realized it was the easiest part of the project. Doing all the work from his garage, he had to remove the drivetrain with only jack stands and two pallet jacks. "Luckily, the front detaches effortlessly from the frame so I disconnected the engine mounts and driveshaft to pull the motor. For the rear subframe, I dropped the suspension onto the other pallet jack."When George's 323i and donor M3 were stripped, the next task was reassembly. "I figured it would be just the reverse process," he remembered. "but it's never that simple!"