# E36 M3 sedan- going Momo to Mo' go



## ppower (Apr 8, 2011)

My M3/4/6 has a great install done by Polk Audio, but I have the itch to change it out. Unfortunately, I'll probably be going backwards on quality of install, but I want to lighten up the car. Here's the equipment list in the car now:

[Audio Control]
(1) 4XS Electronic Crossover

[Eclipse]
(1) 34230 2 Channel Amplifier
(1) 33240 2 Channel Amplifier
7002 Reciever
5083 CD Changer

[Monster Cable]
All wires and interconnects by Monster Cable.
(1) 1-Farad Monster Cap

[Optima]
(1) Red-Top Battery

[Polk Audio]
(2) MM100 subs
(1) MM455 component system
(1) MM465 component system

Going into the car will be:
Alpine CDE-102 (at least for now)
JBL MS-8 (will power F&R)
Focal 130VR components
Focal 165VR components
Alpine PDX-M12 (may sell & buy a JBL MS-5001)
Stereo Integrity BM mkIV (when it comes available)

For now, here are some photos of the current setup:

trunk- all plexiglass has carpeted covers. floor still has Polk logo embossed but needs airbrushed again.









left









subs









right









sub pass thru









screen









center stack









Eclipse HU "brain"









rear deck









front tweeters


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## lashlee (Aug 16, 2007)

Wow!! I haven't seen a 7002 since I sold mine years ago. Too bad Eclipse decided to take things in other directions.


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## Mless5 (Aug 21, 2006)

Curious to what you will end up with!
Can't wait to find my m3 sedan!


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## yuri (Apr 11, 2009)

love your poke install ,very neat ...

but may i suggest some other ideas to your planned new install .

i would be concerned using the ms-8 to power the focal comps front and rear .
i really think it would be a backward step as the ms-8 hasn't enough power to run them .

with the ms-8 you could use an set of coaxial speakers powered off the ms-8 in the rear as its only ambient sounds sent to the rears and the money saved could be put toward a 3 or 5 channel amp to run the front speakers and sub .

a 5 channel would give you the power and allow for full active running on the front comps .. even a 3 channel amp would be much better ,with the amp powering the midbass drivers and using the ms-8 to power the tweeters ..

please don't think i am shooting your planned system down .
i just think you would be very disappointed coming from your present install ..
rgs yuri ..........


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## Angrywhopper (Jan 20, 2010)

Is there a typo in your original post?.. The us spec e36 m3 never came in a 6 speed.


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## ppower (Apr 8, 2011)

Angrywhopper, mine has a Euro 6MT swap. I just wish I also had the engine.

Yuri, you speak a lot of sense. I bought the PDX-M12 because it was a good deal, but I'm already thinking of selling it to get something different. Since that is already buying an additional amp, it makes sense to just use a 4 channel amp bridged to 3. I could get a 4x100 to send 2x100 +200. A PDX-4.100 looks pretty reasonable. Any other suggestions to look at? I really want something as small and light as possible but still with some quality.


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## Angrywhopper (Jan 20, 2010)

ppower said:


> Angrywhopper, mine has a Euro 6MT swap. I just wish I also had the engine.
> 
> Yuri, you speak a lot of sense. I bought the PDX-M12 because it was a good deal, but I'm already thinking of selling it to get something different. Since that is already buying an additional amp, it makes sense to just use a 4 channel amp bridged to 3. I could get a 4x100 to send 2x100 +200. A PDX-4.100 looks pretty reasonable. Any other suggestions to look at? I really want something as small and light as possible but still with some quality.


Awesome! I had a 99 m3 coupe and loved it. I currently have a 2004 M3.

Sorry to threadjack but I love M cars!


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## scooter99 (Dec 21, 2008)

Was there anything taken into consideration when doing the subs on this build? I'm doing a very similar build with my subs and I'm wondering if there were any measurements taken into account for between the subs and the pass through? Very clean by the way! Nicely done!


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## ppower (Apr 8, 2011)

No worries on threadjacking. The ///M cars are nice. This one had all of its modifications done at T.C. Kline Racing where the first owner worked. Matt Polk is a friend of his, so Polk did the stereo side of things. It has been a long time since I have taken out the stereo to see exactly how the box was built, but it is fairly well sealed off to get all of the sound pushing through the ski hole. From the back of the trunk, there is no sound to speak of. With the back of the rear seat being metal, it's definitely important to get it funneled through the hole. I would say THAT is the reason the subs are angled inward instead of the traditional flat face. There is also red lighting (matching the dash lights) inside the box and in front of the subs, but I don't have that operational right now.

Polk's page showing the install

Some information I have shows that 5 1/4" are front and rear as is stock, but Polk shows a set of 6.5". I don't know if they enlarged the kick panel openings and forced a 6.5" in there or not, so I'll wait and see. I ran into a great deal on some 6.5" Focals, so I ordered them while I could and will just sell them if I have to sell them if they don't work.


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## ppower (Apr 8, 2011)




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## yuri (Apr 11, 2009)

ppower said:


> Angrywhopper, mine has a Euro 6MT swap. I just wish I also had the engine.
> 
> Yuri, you speak a lot of sense. I bought the PDX-M12 because it was a good deal, but I'm already thinking of selling it to get something different. Since that is already buying an additional amp, it makes sense to just use a 4 channel amp bridged to 3. I could get a 4x100 to send 2x100 +200. A PDX-4.100 looks pretty reasonable. Any other suggestions to look at? I really want something as small and light as possible but still with some quality.


personally i would go for a 5 channel to get the most out of the front comps and it would be just 1 amp to install , 2ch to the mids & 2ch to the tweets and mono ch to the sub ...power the rears off the ms-8 ..
you could keep your pdx-12 and stack a pdx-6 4ch on top if you have room .
depends on the budget and space you have to work with ..

lots of 5 channel amps out there 
some small class d amps 
alpine pdx 5
jl hd 900/5 
jl xd 700/5.


best of luck whatever way you go ///////////


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## ppower (Apr 8, 2011)

Good point, but keep in mind that lowering weight is a main concern. For that reason, I'll want to keep it a single amp in addition to the MS-8. Dropping from the PDX-12 to a MS-A5001 cuts weight from 10 to 5lbs. Speaking of weight, I've noticed that weight is a spec most difficult to find. This can be taken pretty far to the extreme, but I'll just have to figure out what middle ground I'm happy with. I appreciate you getting me to think of other options.


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## upperguy (Jul 31, 2009)

wow it really seems like a shame to lose a system that well put together and with that history just to save a little weight... Even if you went with a single simple sub and consolidated the amp to a single 4 or 5 channel you would save maybe 25# tops, as the momo's aren't a particularly heavy sub. Why not just add some more power? FI is pretty straight forward for a reasonable setup(I ran a supercharger on my E36M for years with stock everything).

If you really want to lose some weight, ditch the seats! Stock powered non-heated seats in that car are 82# each! With some nice Recaro's you wont sacrifice any comfort(mine were more) and save 40# on each side. RK's are my dream wheel(would do some dirty things for a reasonably priced 4x100 17" set).

But just think about it before you do anything dramatic, it's rare to see a setup so nicely put together. Plus a mild FI on those cars can be amazing! Mine was a Dinan setup, near stock(8# Dinan pulley, supersprint catback) so very conservative and was dead even with a k04 powered S4 from a roll. I didn't have the luxury of the 6sp but never having to leave 5th gear for most cars was something special!

Now I have a mini...:shrug:


EDIT: There's a guy selling a full Active Autowerks drop in turbo setup for under 3k right now, tune and everything! Why couldn't things be that cheap when I wanted to do them! haha <3


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## Cdub (Feb 3, 2006)

Awesome car! I might be a little bit biased though as I have a M3/4/5

If you can take pics of how they got 6.5s in the kick panels I would be very interested. I know the e36 sedans have much less room in the kickpanel compared to the coupe.


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## scooter99 (Dec 21, 2008)

I'm curious, and maybe I missed it, but what is the reason you're looking to cut weight? Are you racing it or something like that? It seems like a lot of time and a lot of money to sink into and destroy an already (what appears to be) perfect system, to save a couple pounds. I would think something like lighter wheels, or lighter seats (as upperguy said) would be a more realistic drop in weight. I mean the whole thing is so nicely done, I'd hate to see you tear it apart to do something less quality. Just my $.02.


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## ppower (Apr 8, 2011)

You guys are making good points that have been in the back of my head. I hate to 1) take out such a nice system with its history and 2) go to a less "impressive" install. I have so many other home projects that this one is being placed on hold. UGH!

Seats would definitely be a good place to lose weight, and I'm actually about to go backwards on that. My interior is a mottled gray leather that is difficult to match, and I bought some power Mulberry Vader seats from an M3 couple. Curiously enough, he was selling to convert his car to black interior and get Recaro 15lb buckets. My car has manual seats, so I'm already adding the weight of motors, but part of my stereo excuse was/is that I already have to pull everything out to run continuous power to the seats.

My thought for now is to leave the subs and amps, replace the head unit and cabin speakers, and see if I can convert the left side with the 4XS and changer to fit the JBL MS-8. That would probably make a big improvement and keep the bulk of the install together.


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## RocketBoots (Apr 16, 2011)

Wow, this is a really clean install. I'd actually keep everything except the head unit, because it's a bit dated. E36 M3 owner myself. Very nice car BTW.


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## thomv (May 13, 2011)

Hey Brian! You still have the car, huh? Nice. I think the kicks have the 5-1/4 set and the rear deck has the 6-1/2 set. But I could be wrong since it's been about a decade...

Thom


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## ppower (Apr 8, 2011)

Hey, Thom! I guess somebody pointed you over to this thread. I just sent you a PM. You're now out of the audio scene work-wise, right?


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## RocketBoots (Apr 16, 2011)

Brian, from understeer?? Is this your car?? It's so sweet! Just update the HU; otherwise, leave it alooonnee!


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## ppower (Apr 8, 2011)

It used to be Brian Leib's, but now it's mine. ALL MINE!! mwahahahaha

This next week I'll be having to take out at least part of the stereo to run power for power vader seats going in, and I'll take out/replace the head unit at the same time. Taking out the HU means no need for the changer, so I might see about replacing the changer & 4XS in the left side panel with the MS-8. I'm getting guilt-ridden with the idea of replacing all of it.


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## Viggen (May 2, 2011)

like others have stated.... very nice car.... back in the days when they didn't weigh 3400+ lbs....

If you want to race it I would find another E36 & make that a track car otherwise do what was suggested & keep it. The weight does suck but since it's already in there you might as well use it 

Possibly just throw some better speakers in there &/or just a new head unit. Eclipse made awesome stuff but the newer decks have all the new features. Possibly just do 1 step at a time... deck.... front speakers.... amps..... then subs or something like that


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## thomv (May 13, 2011)

Correct, I'm not in the car audio industry anymore. Those Eclipse amps above the sub box are probably the easiest way to save weight, they are huge if I remember correctly. Swap those for one PDX maybe?


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## Viggen (May 2, 2011)

if only weight is a concern you could also hit the areas which affect handling the most. Get some light wheels & also brakes. OZ makes some really light wheels at under 20lbs a corner for 17-18in rim. Then throw some AP Racing or similar high performance low weight brake setup & you will drop the weight where it matters the most.

My AP Racing brakes have given me 11 years of use & they were used when I purchased them  Awesome stuff.... 1/2 the weight of many OEM setups


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## ppower (Apr 8, 2011)

The car is too nice to turn into a track rat, and I don't care to get crazy with forced induction putting more stress on the drivetrain. I already bought power M3 coupe seats (Vaders) in the hard to find Mulberry leather my car has. If I were truly serious about losing weight, I would get some 15lb Recaro Pole Positions instead and do a stereo w/ no sub. The car already has Porsche 993TT brakes, "Big Reds" up front, so there isn't too much sense in throwing big money at it when it's already just a car seeing only a few thousand miles/year. 

thomv, one of the original installers, mentioned that I will likely have to have the A pillars rebuilt to fit new tweeters if/when I do that. UGH! I didn't think about that. Getting tweeters to fit the custom rear deck should be easier. The amp box alone is a big heavy beast, and that's aside from the big old school amps. We'll see what I get around to doing next Friday when I have allotted time for the work.


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## RocketBoots (Apr 16, 2011)

Viggen said:


> like others have stated.... very nice car.... back in the days when they didn't weigh 3400+ lbs....
> 
> If you want to race it I would find another E36 & make that a track car otherwise do what was suggested & keep it.
> 
> Possibly just throw some better speakers in there &/or just a new head unit. Possibly just do 1 step at a time... deck.... front speakers.... amps..... then subs or something like that


Agreed. That car was featured in EuroTuner magazine. Feel guilty!  Or, do whatever you want, since it's your car. People with M's get a little perturbed because they think it's a classic or a rare or something. I agree with that a little, which is why I don't mod mine too much from stock.

I'd keep the rims; those BBS look so good on that sedan IMO; and I wouldn't swap out the Porsche brakes  If the amp in there is that massive, I'd maybe switch that out for some itty bitty class D's. They sound really good these days. And yeah, you could swap out the components and put better processing in there as well, in addition to getting a new HU. Just do a makeover. All the groundwork/infrastructure is there and so well thought out that I don't think you'll get much better sound unless you significantly cut/mod/alter the car. Hell, I'm gonna copy that tweet placement, and this is 13 years later. And most of the E36's, or E46 and E90's even, use that tweet placement.

If you want to track it, it sort of would be a shame; get a '95 with OBD I for that 

But don't let us boss you around. Like I said, it's your car, you do whatever you want. I just wish it was MY car :laugh:

BTW, when did you take it off Brian's hands??


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## ppower (Apr 8, 2011)

Thanks. Brian actually sold it to my brother in 2003 IIRC. I bought it off of him which made room for an E30 M3 for his play car. I'm flying up to Chicago on Monday to help him pick up his new E90 getting a carbon fiber roof installed at IND...and Euro bumper and 20" LM-R's. Stay in school kids. The toys get to be cooler and newer. Maybe I'll 3m cf my roof to keep the twinkie action going. 

This isn't a museum piece, but I certainly respect its "history". It's a cleanly modded car, and I just want to maintain the integrity while giving it some updates. I guess like you allude to, making a few changes puts my own stamp on the car instead of it just being Leib's old car.


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## ppower (Apr 8, 2011)

hey RocketBoots, reply again! You'll be at your magic 50 posts!


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## RocketBoots (Apr 16, 2011)

ppower said:


> Thanks. Brian actually sold it to my brother in 2003 IIRC. I bought it off of him which made room for an E30 M3 for his play car. I'm flying up to Chicago on Monday to help him pick up his new E90 getting a carbon fiber roof installed at IND...and Euro bumper and 20" LM-R's. Stay in school kids. The toys get to be cooler and newer. Maybe I'll 3m cf my roof to keep the twinkie action going.
> 
> This isn't a museum piece, but I certainly respect its "history". It's a cleanly modded car, and I just want to maintain the integrity while giving it some updates. I guess like you allude to, making a few changes puts my own stamp on the car instead of it just being Leib's old car.


Yeah, definitely put your own stamp on it. The carbon skin on the roof is an interesting idea. I wonder how that might look. Personally, I always thought the rear spoiler on the trunk, especially on the sedan, looked really damn good.

Love the E30 M3. 

If your bro's E90 is an M3, those things are very nice (although soo heavy); the LM-R's are super sweet too.



ppower said:


> hey RocketBoots, reply again! You'll be at your magic 50 posts!


Yay, I can have more than 5 messages in my PM's! That was my favorite feature of this site!


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## ppower (Apr 8, 2011)

Bringing this back from the dead. I can't believe it's been 5 years since I was looking at doing the stereo. Home remodeling projects have kept this on hold on top of indecision about messing with this stereo. However, I have speakers bought/ordered and just need to get a 5 channel amp. Since it has been FIVE years, I need to see if there are any other recommendations besides an Alpine PDX-V9 I need to consider. My driver side A-pillar has tabs broken off and comes loose when I hit bumps, but it will need to be replaced anyway. Either that or I try to put it back in the odd stock door location (if it fits) with stock A-pillars. The rear deck speakers are crumbling and definitely need to be replaced.

1 Stereo Integrity BM mkIV sub (have 2 but will use 1)
4 Stereo Integrity TM65 6.5" mids (still uncertain if they'll shoehorn into the front)
4 Stereo Integrity M25 tweeters (on order)

Wish me luck!

BTW, here is the car with the E90. They were great siblings.


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## Mless5 (Aug 21, 2006)

What's your plan for TM65s?


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## Babs (Jul 6, 2007)

ppower said:


> I need to see if there are any other recommendations besides an Alpine PDX-V9 I need to consider.


JL XD v2.. Serious. Great amps along the same footprint in size, and differential-balanced inputs, etc., and equally good all day long I think. I'm running a V9 now and love it, but for a few different reasons I'll be going XD v2 next.


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## ppower (Apr 8, 2011)

Mless5 said:


> What's your plan for TM65s?


2 in the kicks, 2 in the rear deck. Stock fronts are 5.25", but it is supposed to be a simple modification to fit 6.5". Then again, the sedan is supposed to be a tighter fit than the coupe. Hopefully the TM65's 2.3" mounting depth is helpful in this.

I already sold the Focal separates and MS-8 I had in hand to use on this.


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## KrautNotRice (Nov 2, 2015)

Subbed for more. You've got a really clean E36 M3 there, love the Alpine 4 door. The RKs are dead sexy, too!


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## ppower (Apr 8, 2011)

Thanks. The headliner comes out this week to fix a sag, so it might be a good time to start dismantling the audio. This has been a long time coming. I don't know exactly how I'll mount the M25's yet, but I can get to work on the rest. 

Being Alpine White and have an Alpine CD, I might as well get an Alpine PDX-V9. Looks like I'll purchase that today.


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## KrautNotRice (Nov 2, 2015)

ppower said:


> Being Alpine White and have an Alpine CD, I might as well get an Alpine PDX-V9. Looks like I'll purchase that today.


There you go!
Also, since you started the thread out by trying to shed weight you could simply go trunk baffle with a single big sub. Not sure if it was suggested already, but making that switch could save the weight of one of the subs plus the weight of the huge, elaborate box.


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## ppower (Apr 8, 2011)

Funny you say that. I originally was looking at doing an Image Dynamics sub with aperiodic membrane. Then the Stereo Integrity sub was coming out that takes such a small box, I figure that if I can do fiberglass with just MDF top, that should be quite light. I'm curious to pull out the current equipment and weigh it all. We've had the amp & sub boxes removed before, and the performance difference was noticeable.


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