[tbouchard991]

After much procrastination... I finally replaced both my front hubs. (Bought these hubs back in October of last year.. oops)

• Added brand new passenger side dust shield (destroyed the original one when doing PSM Caliper upgrade)
• New Dust Caps, and Wheel Hub Assembly
• ApexRaceParts 78mm Studs all around
• Rotor screws to hold the M3 Rotors.

-> Factory Hubs were quite rusty, and the threads for the rotor screw was non existent

--

 

[tbouchard991]

Unfortunately, last night I hit a deer coming back from uni. The importance is im okay, and unharmed.

Selena however? Surprisingly took the hit quite well, and it could’ve been worse.

So far the damage I can see;

• Passenger Headlight
• Turn Signal
• Hood
• Passenger Fender (got pushed in a few mm)

Surprisingly the junkyard bumper held up very well, and has zero damage.

Seems like the apron / frame rail is fine? however I won’t get the full picture until the car is torn apart.

 

[malapane]

Bummer. Deer and critters are a real problem for me too. I have been lucky so far, and only tapped a deer and a red tailed hawk and other smaller birds, but my son has broke his ZHP bumper on both sides from a racoon and what he thinks was a cat... I certainly keep my head on a swivel, especially around dusk and dawn.

Sorry about the damage. Hopefully the fender can be saved and you have good luck finding a hood... And lucky it was a small deer - you hit it pretty hard.

 

[tbouchard991]

Bummer. Deer and critters are a real problem for me too. I have been lucky so far, and only tapped a deer and a red tailed hawk and other smaller birds, but my son has broke his ZHP bumper on both sides from a racoon and what he thinks was a cat... I certainly keep my head on a swivel, especially around dusk and dawn.

Sorry about the damage. Hopefully the fender can be saved and you have good luck finding a hood... And lucky it was a small deer - you hit it pretty hard.

I was doing about ~60mph, I already found two LCI orient-blue hoods (LCI hoods look surprisingly good on Pre-LCI's) Since the wagon is going in storage next week until early march, it'll give me plenty of times to figure out how to proceed with it.

 

[///Mark_D]

Oh no! That really sucks man. Luckily you are OK and the damage seems to be minor. I was surprised that the video wasn't laced with expletives, I would have been dropping all kinds of choice words.

Glad that your Mtech I bumper survived too, that would have been a tough part to find in the right color. Keep us posted once you've got it taken apart, hopefully there isn't any major damage hiding below the surface.

 

[VpointVick]

I was doing about ~60mph, I already found two LCI orient-blue hoods (LCI hoods look surprisingly good on Pre-LCI's) Since the wagon is going in storage next week until early march, it'll give me plenty of times to figure out how to proceed with it.

Note that the core supports differ in the way that the little bumpers support the grille area, and they'll push the LCI grilles out if you use a pre-LCI support without mods.

 

[tbouchard991]

Oh no! That really sucks man. Luckily you are OK and the damage seems to be minor. I was surprised that the video wasn't laced with expletives, I would have been dropping all kinds of choice words.

Glad that your Mtech I bumper survived too, that would have been a tough part to find in the right color. Keep us posted once you've got it taken apart, hopefully there isn't any major damage hiding below the surface.

Honestly, I was super calm for about 30minutes after the incident happened. My brain was like "The damage is minor, it can be fixed, the importance is your safe and not hurt".. after that 30minutes or so, thats when my emotions started to set in, "I started tearing up, and my poor wagon is hurt, I invested so much to where it is today, I could've definitely avoided that deer"

All these thoughts started to run into my head, but then again at the end of the day.. the most important thing is I am healthy and not injured. Thankfully it's minor damage and can be fixed!

Note that the core supports differ in the way that the little bumpers support the grille area, and they'll push the LCI grilles out if you use a pre-LCI support without mods.

Absolutely! We'll see. Nothing is set in stone yet, I have all winter to figure out what to do with wagon and how to proceed with it.

 

[Geo31]

Oh man, sorry to hear this. You've put so much effort into it. At least it's fixable.

This was mine 3 weeks after buying it (thankful there was no structural damage:

 

[tbouchard991]

Oh man, sorry to hear this. You've put so much effort into it. At least it's fixable.

This was mine 3 weeks after buying it (thankful there was no structural damage:

Yikes! I didn't know about this, glad you got it sorted. Your wagon looks great.

 

[yjsaabman]

That could have been a lot worse. Open road with no other traffic, so you had plenty of room to avoid it the best you could. I doubt there is any serious damage below the surface.

I've lost two, now, and almost lost my current one back in February. My wife was terrified when she had to call me about what happened back in February. I stayed calm and reassured her I was just glad she and our daughter were safe and uninjured. I was upset, but it was really beyond her control, just like this was beyond your control. In the end I'm just happy the car can be saved. I had told myself this is the last one. If this E46 Touring gets taken from me it's just not meant to be. Three strikes and I'm out. Guess I'd have to find a nice E39 Touring instead. Wouldn't mind a little more room, sometimes.

 

[tbouchard991]

That could have been a lot worse. Open road with no other traffic, so you had plenty of room to avoid it the best you could. I doubt there is any serious damage below the surface.

I've lost two, now, and almost lost my current one back in February. My wife was terrified when she had to call me about what happened back in February. I stayed calm and reassured her I was just glad she and our daughter were safe and uninjured. I was upset, but it was really beyond her control, just like this was beyond your control. In the end I'm just happy the car can be saved. I had told myself this is the last one. If this E46 Touring gets taken from me it's just not meant to be. Three strikes and I'm out. Guess I'd have to find a nice E39 Touring instead. Wouldn't mind a little more room, sometimes.

Absolutely! After doing some more investigation (in the morning) The core support seems undamaged, so new hood, fender and headlights and it'll be like new! I am beyond fortunate how minimal the damage is, and how well the wagon took the hit considering I was doing 60mph on some backroad in Upstate NY. (I commute an hour to my uni, and an hour back since im staying at a family friend).

Honestly, I am very happy with how planted the wagon felt at that speed with the quick reaction of trying to avoid the deer. (The weight transfer is obvious in the dash cam footage). I bet three years ago i tried attempting that on really worn a/s tires with blown struts, and bushings. The outcome would've been much worst.

Im not sure what it is with my wagon hating its passenger side.. from taking a huge chunk from the original bumper from hitting a massive tree branch after a huge rain storm in the early morning last year, to now destroying the passenger headlight and fender lol.

 

[tbouchard991]

Oh man.. I forgot how good Style 44's look.

 

[Geo31]

Ugh. Back when these cars were new we couldn’t wait to get rid of them. Funny that folks like ‘em today. I have a pair I need to unload.

 

[tbouchard991]

Ugh. Back when these cars were new we couldn’t wait to get rid of them. Funny that folks like ‘em today. I have a pair I need to unload.

Absolutely! Originally, I hated them. However.. I think they aged very well to be honest.

 

[tbouchard991]

Here's a comparison with Driver and Passenger Side Fender ->

The passenger side got pushed in a bit from the bambi's rear end smashing the fender. However, the core support looks fine. I already sourced a hood, fender, and a headlight. Just need to get the hood and fender painted, and it'll be like new. Im considering just respraying the entire wagon and getting all the dents, and surface rust fixed.

 

[tbouchard991]

Did I drive 240 miles with no hood to grab a hood for my wagon? Yes!

I am happy with how fantastic it did on a round trip of almost 500 miles.

The fender I got free from a friend. Its not the best shape, its a bit mangled. The hood I snatched for 75$ and its in okay shape, so I can't complain either on that. Maybe next year, I can source a Orient Blue Hood, and Fender in better condition!

At the end of it, I am super thankful the drivetrain and suspension was untouched. It might look a bit ugly, but at least I have a hood that closes, and a fender!

I did get a free passenger halogen headlight as-well from a friend, which I'll be upgrading. I temporarily fixed my old headlight with some JB Weld, so I could drive with headlights.

Had to tape the indicator as-well, since the headlight wasn't sitting properly.. It held with zero issues.

Next year ill be upgrading both headlights with Mini H1 Ultimo paired with H1 XB35 5500k.
Link -> Retrofit Upgrade Kit ZKW Halogen Headlights

Did this upgrade on my Vert, and I am super happy with the output!

 

[yjsaabman]

I've got a titan silver fender for pre-LCI that's been kicking around for years. IIRC it's in good shape as far as dings, rust, etc. If you want one you can have painted and then installed you can have it.

 

[tbouchard991]

I've got a titan silver fender for pre-LCI that's been kicking around for years. IIRC it's in good shape as far as dings, rust, etc. If you want one you can have painted and then installed you can have it.

Thank you so much!

 

[tbouchard991]

I remember when I bought my 323Cic back in April... I told myself.. *I'll keep it stock, I won't go toooo crazy, its a daily"

Yeaaaah about that... 😂

Its comical at this point, because the vert is honestly being built identical to the wagon.

Speaking of which..

I sourced a ZF 5-Speed for 700$ (Comes with linkage and driveshaft) for the Vert. It'll get all new detents, shift seal, and bearing guide tube and pair that with a E60 545i Shifter. Ontop of that, my friend sourced a set of used headers, which will pair very nicely with the Borla Cat Back.

Honestly just some sport seats, and AVIN AVANT 4 head unit and it'll be perfect.

--

Anyone want a Getrag 250G for 500$?

Includes:
Driveshaft
Entire Shift Linkage w/ Shift Knob
Clutch & Flywheel (Apparently there was a new clutch put in at 100k?) However, I won't be able to confirm until the trans comes out.

--

As for the wagon?

It was really nice driving it again, drove it a few days this week and it always put a big smile on my face. The ease of rev matching, to the sound of the M52TU.. Its intoxicating.

Looking forward to next year to sort it out, and make it look presentable again.. 😂

 

[Al_Bundy]

I remember when I bought my 323Cic back in April... I told myself.. *I'll keep it stock, I won't go toooo crazy, its a daily"

Yeaaaah about that... 😂

That’s what I said too. One torn apart wagon later 😂