Well I'm now officially bloody broke, I finally bit the bullet and have purchased a E92 M3 complete rear end (sans dampers) and the front hub assembly with rotors calipers etc from a wrecked 2010 M3 with DCT (3:15 ratio which is perfect for 6MT 335I's) with 15000 miles on the odo in the UK.
The vehicle had been torched (so the interior was toast but the drivetrain was OK) no signs of excessive heat (all rubber brake lines etc are fine)
By doing it this way I will have a M3 lsd with beefier drive shafts (less chance of snapping one during launching) upgraded linkages and bushings and the m3 F&R bbk kit and M3 F&R sways (my eibach sways will now be up for sale!).
Rear end ready to be stripped for transportation (looking a tad manky due to a few uk winters):
I was only initially going to purchase the rear end, but when it comes time to purchasing coilovers most companies wont do a custom order of Front 335i and Rear M3 (BC being the exception) so I decided to purchase the front hubs so a m3 coilover kit will fit and the front drilled rotors will match the rear now also.
Front end:
So far there has been a lot of co-ordinating between the wrecker and locating a reputable courier luckily I have a mate who is located in Newbury who has helped me out by placing a shitload of phone calls to not only source the parts from various wreckers but to also co-ordinate the courier.
Like Drawn05 mentioned to me (drawns build thread and being in the shop whilst his car was getting built was the inspiration for me in going ahead with the M3 rear end- details of his build thread here:
http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=748574) there are a number of costs to consider once the goods have arrived so this mod certainly isn't for the typical modifier after some cheap BFYB type of mod:
A short run down of costs once you have paid for transportation from the UK:
Port Charge AUD 75.00 per cbm
Terminal Handling AUD 25.00 per cbm
Import Doc Fee AUD 60.00
Delivery Order AUD 60.00
Sea Cargo AUD 20.00
FCMR AUD 35.00
Customs Clearance AUD 125.00
Electronic Entry Fee AUD 70.00
Above excludes any duty or GST applicable
WTF is a electronic entry fee....
I think once this arrives I will strip all 4 hubs down and install new wheel bearings, and clean and polish everything and then have Pete and the boys at advan install everything.
Since the m3 diff sits further out (closer to the engine) the 335i prop shaft must be shortened, but it also has a different mounting flange so a E38 or E39 rear section of the prop shaft must be used. 7 series E38 shafts are dirt cheap online and this one was sent to me for around $150 from Deutschland!
As for coilovers there isnt going to be a great deal of $ left, so I may just buy a cheap set of BC BR's then buy the ohlins R&T coilovers in 12 months time perhaps...
I have found that the ohlins gear provides much better high speed dampening yet also provides a supple oem ride like ride quality (this is why you pay a premium for top shelf stuff) on my aprilia road bike:
ohlins forks revalved and built by Stig & PPS racing in the usa:
Ohlins rear shock assembly with remote preloader:
(ignore the chicken strips on the rear I had just mounted the lightweight OZ rims with tyres a few days beforehand)
Now the wait continues for the long slow journey to have the parts shipped via sea from the UK....
In the meantime I need to find a home for my wavetrac diff that's BNIB!!!