M535i my new toy. It's a keeper.

Tiit · Post by **Tiit** » Oct 06, 2017 4:57 PM

Hey everyone. Ive been lurking around this awesome forum a while and since it is quite around here, I thought, I show what
i just dragged home.
So here is a short version of my story. Always loved e28, I've had few, but they all been ratty. Always dreamed of owning a nice M535i. I started looking more seriously to buying one about a year ago and now I finally bought one. The goal was to find something in fairly decent condition and as original as possible. I found one in Melbourne which looked promising. I drove down there with my family to check it out, not fully convinced I was doing the right thing

, I bought it.
Immediately we started the 800km trip back home. Unfortunately the trip did not go smoothly. I could not even make out of town when the engine started hesitating and died. Barely made off the highway. It felt like a fuel problem. Clogged fuel filter, in tank fuel pump or primary pump is failing were my thoughts.

IMG_9084 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

I filled her up and hit the highway, hoping the full tank of fuel fixed it. Same thing happened Half an hour later. The seller doesn't reply to my sms of course. It was pretty stressful at times, but eventually I managed to drive home, my wife my son and the dog following right behind me. One thing I still have not figured out is why my wife puts up with all this nonsense

.

IMG_9111 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr
Finally at home.
More about the car:
Australian delivered M535i
No cracks in dash
Worn but no tears in seats
Becker mexico radio
mostly stock
No sunroof
Seems to be genuine 300000km on the odo
The not so good:
Something have happened to the right side of the car. Right side doors have been replaced. Mirror adjustment is switch is missing and door seals are loose.
Dash has been ripped apart, lots of scores are missing seems very dodgy.
radio isn't working
Some minor rust in common areas like around trunk seal area.
due to lowered spring and bigger wheels there is damage to the bumpers.
Shifter is super sloppy.
A/C does not work.
Engine start hesitating at highway speeds.
Fuel pump noisy
This is What I know now. Im sure when I dig in deeper Ill find some nasty surprises in there.
Luckily it came with a set of 16" style 5 wheels. 16" was big enough for m5 big enough for me.
There is lots to do for years to get it perfect. Wish me luck.

Btw I am not originally from Australia so my english may be a little wonky.

muleskinner · Post by **muleskinner** » Oct 06, 2017 6:01 PM

Handsome looking car. Keep us posted on the project.

Das_Prachtstrasse · Post by **Das_Prachtstrasse** » Oct 06, 2017 6:51 PM

It's nice to see another local member pop up out of the woodwork. That looks to be a good base, a great colour combination for an M535i. Best of luck with the project.

brendonoid · Post by **brendonoid** » Oct 07, 2017 1:26 AM

There are so few straight E28s here in Aus it is worth persisting IMHO. Just don't add up the invoices.
Very rare for Aussie cars to have had the steering box mount fixed properly and at 300k kms I guarantee its broken. Safety first.

Good luck on your journey!

Dale3783 · Post by **Dale3783** » Oct 07, 2017 10:53 AM

Great looking car. Congrats!

Rye.well · Post by **Rye.well** » Oct 07, 2017 3:56 PM

Very cool that it has 300k on the odo. could be a 500k car if you bring it back to its former glory. and the 16" style 5's look good, throw out those other wheels ha.

Tiit · Post by **Tiit** » Oct 09, 2017 6:35 AM

I created an album showing most of the issues with the car I have found so far. https://flic.kr/s/aHsm5LSwGW
Have not done much with it so far. I will try to get it registered soon and then start poking around.
I have a question about the wheels. I can't figure out what wheels are they exactly. They are 16" by 7" et20 centre bore fits e28 perfectly. If I understand correctly, these are manufactured feb 1997.? These came without centre caps. Do centre caps from 15" style 5 fit? I tried to search, but couldn't find definitive answer. I don't know fore sure, but i can imagine that previous owner had the wheels, but centre caps didn't fit due to hub dust caps and throw them away.

IMG_9206 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

Grande Royal · Post by **Grande Royal** » Oct 10, 2017 12:13 AM

Nice find! I have an 1985 M535i same exterior color but a black interior. What year is it? Love the pinstripes, are they painted or vinyl adhesive? Please if you would post a picture of the Becker Mexico radio. My M535i was missing the orignal radio and and the Becker is possably the correct radio optioned for my car depending on which BMW option list used for decoding. It would be a great help as I am trying to return it back to the way my car was originally optioned. And of course, good luck with your new joy! Joel

Tiit · Post by **Tiit** » Oct 10, 2017 5:39 AM

Grande Royal wrote:Nice find! I have an 1985 M535i same exterior color but a black interior. What year is it? Love the pinstripes, are they painted or vinyl adhesive? Please if you would post a picture of the Becker Mexico radio. My M535i was missing the orignal radio and and the Becker is possably the correct radio optioned for my car depending on which BMW option list used for decoding. It would be a great help as I am trying to return it back to the way my car was originally optioned. And of course, good luck with your new joy! Joel

Thanks. Mine is 1/86. Blue interior is kind of odd, but I actually like it. Stripes are stickers. Is it possible to source them? Your car is obviously an import?

IMG_9143 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

Grande Royal · Post by **Grande Royal** » Oct 11, 2017 7:44 PM

Thanks for the picture of your Becker, it helps me out. If you ever come across another Becker Mexico please let me know! Love to source one but hard to find in the US. Yes mine is a German market M535i imported to Atlanta, Ga. in 1986 spent its life there. Mine has Black over silver adhesive pin strips. I believe all the M535i came with adhesive pin strips unless painted on by the dealer/importer. I have seen very few OE sets come up here or eBay. Nice yours is a slick top, mine came optioned with the glass moon roof. Please keep posting your progress with you car and if I can help answer any questions Let me know! Joel

Post by **tig** » Oct 11, 2017 10:31 PM

Congrats. Subscribed to see this save happen!

Tiit · Post by **Tiit** » Oct 15, 2017 12:44 AM

cek wrote:Congrats. Subscribed to see this save happen!

Thanks. By the way this is all your fault. I have been wanting to buy one a long time, but the decisive blow came from reading your projects.

Post by **tig** » Oct 15, 2017 11:13 AM

Tiit wrote:
cek wrote:Congrats. Subscribed to see this save happen!
Thanks. By the way this is all your fault. I have been wanting to buy one a long time, but the decisive blow came from reading your projects.

I am SO sorry for ruining your marriage. I feel awful

Tiit · Post by **Tiit** » Nov 06, 2017 5:59 AM

I thought I'd explain why it was a bad idea to buy the car.
* I don't really have a space for it. I've got a garage, but it is my workshop and current no space for a car.
* I am an apprentice. I don't make a lot of money. Studying takes time.
* House needs some maintenance and improvements. Money and time.
* I have too many hobbies.
* Im known for being reckless and impatient.
and yet I'm trying to be a good father and have some time for my wife too.

So nothing unusual I guess.

With the car I haven't done much since last update. It passed the mechanical inspection and got it registered. Drove it to work two times and thats it. It currently rides so horrible I don't want to drive this thing until fluid changes and some maintenance is done.

I made a mobile base for my table saw. This heavy beast is the main reason I can't fit the car in the shed. Now I can move the saw around and make some space for the car.

IMG_9602 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

I also bought some wheels. 15" style 5 is for my blue e28 and TRX I bought because they were cheap. I am not intending to use TRX wheels, but they were cheap and original to m535i.

IMG_9609 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

Hoping to have time to install these things soon. Also purchased Parts cleaner and small soda blaster.

IMG_9603 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

Couple of days ago I made this contraption( For the other e28 I own)

I am unsure am I a genius or an idiot, but this is what I came up with.

IMG_9620 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

IMG_9626 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr
Possibly not the right way to do it, but it allowed me to test a lot of thing at once. Fuel pump, FPR, fuel injector spray pattern, leak down...

Galahad · Post by **Galahad** » Nov 06, 2017 8:59 PM

Tiit wrote: Couple of days ago I made this contraption( For the other e28 I own) I am unsure am I a genius or an idiot, but this is what I came up with.
Possibly not the right way to do it, but it allowed me to test a lot of thing at once. Fuel pump, FPR, fuel injector spray pattern, leak down...

This is great - all you're missing is the in tank pump. Wish I'd thought of this months ago, it would have saved me a lot of work.

Tiit · Post by **Tiit** » Nov 06, 2017 11:35 PM

Galahad wrote:
This is great - all you're missing is the in tank pump. Wish I'd thought of this months ago, it would have saved me a lot of work.

In tank pump has been tested already and it works. I chose to do it this way because the fuel pump was removed from car already. Better way to do it is to extend the fuel lines under the hood to fuel rail and simply jump the pump.

ElGuappo · Post by **ElGuappo** » Nov 07, 2017 2:59 PM

My woodworking tools are why I also cannot fit a car in the garage...Powermatic 64a table saw, bandsaw, shaper, drill press, etc...
I dig the fuel rig, I've seen similar setups before and cannot see a good reason not to do it.

Tiit · Post by **Tiit** » Nov 23, 2017 2:59 PM

Finally the car is in garage and I found few hours to work on it. Swapped the exhaust and fuel pumps from my parts car. Now it runs kind of ok.
Also changed the oil.

so here is what happened. Drain the oil, remove the old oil filter, put new filter in cartridge, fill 6l of 15w50 extra high zddp full synth oil, remove fuel pump fuse, crank for about 10sec and oil light doesn't go out. Crank another 10sec and light is still on. surely oil is there just hasn't reached the sensor yet. I plug the fuel pump fuse back in, fire it up, rev it around 2000 for couple of seconds and oil light is still lit up, shut the engine, remove the fuse again. Then I removed the spark plugs to make it easier for the battery. Removed valve cover, creep on cranking for a while and I don't see any oil spraying from oil bar.

now feeling sick to my stomach and try to sleep.
Oh yes. aluminium flakes in the old oil and filter also.

Prior oil change, oil light took a second or two before shut off. I figured it's due being far away from pump and it's normal. I was going to send oil sample to lab as well.

Tiit · Post by **Tiit** » Nov 24, 2017 12:45 AM

You can see couple of flakes in the bottom of the jar.

IMG_9748 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

This shit is all over the oil filter

IMG_9738 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

Under valve cover everything looks ok

IMG_9719 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

Tiit · Post by **Tiit** » Nov 28, 2017 8:49 PM

It took solid 20 seconds if cranking to get oil pressure up in the head. Maybe it's normal?
Metal flakes in the oil/oil filter appear to be not metal. Someone has marked the engine internal parts with silver marker, which is flaking off now and is circulating in the oil. I choose to ignore the crap in the oil for now and move on. I'll measure oil pressure when I have a chance.
Measured compression on cold engine while the plugs were out. All sylinder were between 125-130psi. Seems low, but my parts car has identical compression. I'll do leak-down test in future to get better understanding what is leaking Where.

dsmith · Post by **dsmith** » Nov 29, 2017 8:35 PM

It could take 20secs to have the oil light go out after a complete oil change. Monitor it and see what happens. If it is a high compression motor, then your compression numbers might be low, but being even, I would first think that your test is suspect.

Tiit · Post by **Tiit** » Nov 30, 2017 5:33 AM

Mine is low comp. Australia only got low comp motors. U.K. Imports are high comp motors, but they tend to be rusty. Leak down test would give the full picture.

Tiit · Post by **Tiit** » Feb 01, 2018 6:06 AM

Small update. Nothing special have happened, but I've done some little things. Been pretty busy and had 4 weeks holidays in Japan. I didn't see a single e28 in japan. But I did see something interesting

Over seven years ago, when I was in japan, I saw a 2002 parked in front of the house. I took this picture in november 2010

My latest visit to japan I was so exited to see the same car still in the same spot. This time I had to go and knock on the door and luckily the owner spoke good english and we chat for about an hour. It used to be a some kind of a race car before he bought it. He said due to the noise and vibration it makes, his kids never failed to sleep in it. Here is the pic me smiling in it 2018.

Getting back to my e28.I am currently working in the trunk. I got a little carried away, but it would be silly not to fix up those rust spots in the trunk while replacing the trunk seal. There is a little bit surface rust in the seams and couple of bigger rust holes in the spare wheel well. Over all the rust situation is not too bad I think.

Tiit · Post by **Tiit** » Feb 19, 2018 5:40 AM

Came home from work and was relieved to see the box from Pelican parts is waiting for me.

IMG_2081 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

It was a long wait. Pelican sent the package at january 24. In four days it was already in Sydney. And the remaining, less than 300km, took 21 days. Adding up shipping, customs fees and exchange rate, the $1000 bill inflated to $1750 aud. Its kind of annoying, but still cheaper than sourcing from local BMW dealer.
Unboxing was fun. My son and I dug right in to it. We pulled all boxes apart and inspected them all.
I don't have a huge amount of free time at the moment so it's gonna take a while to install all of those parts tho.

IMG_2100 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

Das_Prachtstrasse · Post by **Das_Prachtstrasse** » Feb 19, 2018 8:57 PM

Next time, buy your parts through Schmiedmann. They generally work out %10-15 cheaper than Pelican and they ship with DHL so it never touches the joke that is the Australian postal service.

Tiit · Post by **Tiit** » Feb 20, 2018 5:07 AM

Thanks for the info!

Tiit · Post by **Tiit** » Mar 06, 2018 7:53 AM

I have finished working in the trunk (for now). I cleaned the surface rust and painted the whole thing. Water has been leaking in there for a while and quite a bit of surface rust there. It took me forever to prep the trunk for paint mostly because I had no idea what was I doing and secondly the surface area of the whole trunk/boot area is as big as half the car outside.
Final paint turned out not great, but acceptable for a complete amateur. Didn't really need to paint the whole trunk, but its so much nicer and a good practice for me too.
Trunk seal installation is pretty easy when trunk lid and hinges removed, but I am not happy with te end result. I might redo the seal in the future. It was pretty big project and I am glad it is over now.
Things I need to address:
*Hinges are worn and don't work well. Need to replace/repair
*Trunk carpet has shrunken. I don't know if its a result of washing it or do they all shrink with age.

*Water is leaking in to trunk from right C pillar vent.
*Spare wheel well is rusted through. Too much for me. I will get someone competent to fix it.

the beginning

IMG_1977 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

IMG_1978 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

IMG_1979 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

Rust in the spare wheel well is more serious than I had hoped.

IMG_1986 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

Progress.

IMG_2050 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

IMG_2051 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

IMG_2053 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

IMG_2054 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

IMG_2072 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

IMG_2076 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

Not perfect, but much better than before.

IMG_2079 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

IMG_0235 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

IMG_0238 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

IMG_0241 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

Shrunken carpet

IMG_0242 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

sail_or_drive · Post by **sail_or_drive** » Mar 06, 2018 3:36 PM

Nice work. I need to do the same thing with my trunk. Thanks for the inspiration.

Chimi-Changa · Post by **Chimi-Changa** » Mar 06, 2018 10:57 PM

Great work here, hopefully your trunk stays dry. I just did my seal channel and that was plenty of a pain, never mind the whole trunk!

Curious how you removed all the glue off the trunk floor before paint?

Tiit · Post by **Tiit** » Mar 07, 2018 6:58 AM

Chimi-Changa wrote: Curious how you removed all the glue off the trunk floor before paint?

I simply rubbed with fingers until the glue turned in to a ball and started sticking to itself. Pretty dull job and fingers were sore. There maybe are some chemicals out there that makes the job easier, but nothing worked what I had on hand.

The other day it rained here

IMG_2107 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

I took advantage of the rare wet day and washed the car for the first time. I spent couple of hours on wheels alone. I think it has been years since last washed and was very dirty. A lot more cleaning still to do in future.

IMG_0249 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

Floor mat is disgusting. Holes burned in by sigaret butts and the stain is probably caused by a leaky clutch cylinder.

IMG_2114 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

IMG_2115 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

Last weekend a friend of mine visited me. We worked hard insulating and sheeting my shed (actually half of it). What a great weekend and my shed is transformed now.

IMG_2118 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

IMG_0253 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

IMG_0251 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

Post by **tig** » Mar 07, 2018 10:57 AM

What's the sheet metal look like under the pedals?

Are you Iain's nephew? If so, I'm so sorry for you. If no, never mind. Regardless, carry on

Tiit · Post by **Tiit** » Mar 07, 2018 2:27 PM

cek wrote:What's the sheet metal look like under the pedals?

I haven't checked yet. I'm scared.

Tiit · Post by **Tiit** » Mar 10, 2018 8:47 AM

I received front outer window seals from eBay.

IMG_2128 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

Well packaged, but the seals appear to have been sitting in storage a while. Seals are not completely straight.

IMG_2131 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

IMG_2136 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

IMG_2137 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

I didn't want to install them until I have all of the window seals so I can do them all in one go, but I had to find out if the damaged seals straighten out once installed. When I started poking around I went down the rabbit hole and spent a whole day on the driver door. The driver door have been replaced at some point and whoever did it slapped it together in hurry.

IMG_2161 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

IMG_2164 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

Wiring was a huge birds nest and central locking parts were missing.

IMG_2173 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

IMG_2174 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr by Tiit Saul, on Flickr
Luckily I found all of the missing parts from my parts car. Its really handy to have a unmolested parts car where I can see clearly how things supposed to go together.

I pulled the wiring out and re wrapped in harness tape.

IMG_2175 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

IMG_2177 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

Outer seal seems to fit fine. I think I can give the seller positive feedback now.
Things done:
*Outer seal installed
*Central locking
*mirror adjuster
*door stopper
*sound proofing and moisture barrier
*replaced missing mouldings and covers
Once I will receive window guide seal I have to take all apart again.

At night I had some spare time and removed these stupid pedal covers finally and peek under the carpet.

IMG_2181 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

IMG_2182 by Tiit Saul, on
Flickr

IMG_2183 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

I assumed the fluid is from clutch, because what else can it be? Brakes are on the other side. But clutch appeared to be dry and then I noticed this.

IMG_2184 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

A/C leak. Refrigerant seems to be a very effective paint remover too. Rust situation is not as bad as I had feared. I don't know what to do about it yet.

Tiit · Post by **Tiit** » Mar 18, 2018 2:05 AM

Local BMW club event is coming up soon and I really want to fix the sloppy shifter by then. I have heard of someone replacing shifter bushing without removing exhaust and drive shaft so I decided to try it as well. It is very tight as expected, but it went pretty well and got most of it apart, exhaust and drive shaft still in place. Dropped exhaust and drive shaft after I could not get the selector rod pin out. Even with more access I can't get the pin out. I modified small C clamp to push the pin out but no budge. I then went full barbarian on it and carefully carved the bushing away from the selector rod. I now have all kinds of room to clamp Vise-Grips on the pin but still no luck

. What the hell? I am running out of ideas. Do I really need to drop the tranny and drill it out? any ideas?

IMG_2268 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

IMG_2354 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

.

IMG_2355 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

IMG_2356 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

dsmith · Post by **dsmith** » Mar 18, 2018 12:54 PM

Looks like someone jammed in a roll pin. I have only seen the solid dowel pin. Euro and US cars.

Maybe a 90 degree drill and a short drill bit?

mescko · Post by **mescko** » Mar 24, 2018 6:59 PM

At night I had some spare time and removed these stupid pedal covers finally and peek under the carpet.

IMG_2181 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr[url=https://flic.kr/p/23Y5cX7]

Looks like a Huntsman. http://www.spiders.com.au/huntsman-spider.html

Tiit · Post by **Tiit** » Mar 31, 2018 9:32 AM

dsmith wrote:Looks like someone jammed in a roll pin. I have only seen the solid dowel pin. Euro and US cars.

Maybe a 90 degree drill and a short drill bit?

Dsmith you win. I ended up buying angle attachment for drill and it worked. That pin is hardened steel and not easy to drill. What a pain in the neck, but out it came.

IMG_2616 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

Also I managed to mess up one of the exhaust manifold stud. I tried various methods to remove the damaged stud, but ended up drilling it out.
Welded nut method didn't work.

IMG_2619 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

New stud in

IMG_2623 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

New copper nuts

IMG_2626 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

Also while I was in there I discovered exhaust leak from catalytic converter. I removed the heat shields and there was a big crack in it.

IMG_2612 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

IMG_2605 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr
I decided to weld the crack up the best I could and keep it until I source a replacement.

Car is now back together and I've done my test drive. Shifter feel ok and exhaust is quieter. Transmission shifts a bit slow. Not crunchy, but I can't slam gears in. It takes a second or two to engage. The real bummer is that I can not get the tranny filler plug loose. I can't even check the fluid level.

OEM BMW part has a sloppy fitment

IMG_2591 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

glad to see these shitty parts are gone from the car.

IMG_2615 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

Tiit · Post by **Tiit** » Apr 07, 2018 5:44 PM

Transmission fluid has been replaced finally.
Is this amount of steel shavings on the drain plug something to worry about?

Untitled by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

This peace, stuck on the magnet, worries me a little. About 2.5mm diameter and appeared to be hardened steel.

Untitled by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

Old fluid had lots of non magnetic shiny stuff in it. Syncros? Really beautiful actually when light shining the right angle.

IMG_2747 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

Old fluid after 2 days.

IMG_2758 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

I replaced it with ATF. Transmission now shifts better when cold and maybe a little improvement when warmed up, but not perfect. Still struggles to get in second gear some times. Also the box is leaking pretty bad.

Tiit · Post by **Tiit** » Apr 09, 2018 9:41 AM

Sunday I had my first track experience with my car. A local BMW club event of driver training at the track and skid pad. A full day of awesomeness.
My goal was to have fun, push my car (and myself) close to limits, learn from trainers and get to know my car better while NOT crashing it. Accomplished all of it.
We started off at the Sutton track, which is not a raceway, but kind of a real world road simulation. The track is really cool with its long straight, sweeping bend, tight bends and elevation changes.
I missed out on the second session due the coolant light came on. It ended up being just a little low on coolant and nothing major. On the third session, primal instincts took over and I drove it like I stole it.

It feels weirdly calm and relaxing when I'm driving like an animal. Perhaps having driven Toyota Camry's and Corollas for the past 10 years, has done something to my head.

29872827_10215980114363949_1777801707897160981_o by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

The skid pad was awesome! There was a learning curve, but in the end I started to get the feel of it. Power steering couldn't keep up with steering, so I had basically manual steering, which gave me a good workout

Lack of LSD is challenging as well. It wanted to spin only one tire and sometimes felt like my clutch is slipping, but i smelled no clutch and carried on. Can hardly wait to get back on the skid pan.

IMG_0305 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

All and all a great day. Met some BMW fanatics and had great time on track. Highly recommend for enyone to check out your local motorsport events. And don't be discouraged by your lack of skills or your car not being ready for track. My car isn't "ready", far from it, but it doesn't stop me having a good time.
I made a video as well of the day. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LisUnJfMjeg&t=251s

While I was waiting for my turn, I snapped a few shots of others having fun.

IMG_1913 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

IMG_1895 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

IMG_1884 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

IMG_1831 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

Tiit · Post by **Tiit** » Apr 18, 2018 7:20 AM

My son and I made a video of installing hub caps.
Warning! Artistic approach. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLk3gE4xbWo

Tiit · Post by **Tiit** » May 22, 2018 8:34 AM

I was convinced that the radio is broken and requires some serious repair. I pulled it out and replacing the blown fuse made it work again. Left channel has some intermittent issue, which need to be addressed at some point. I love these old stereos.

IMG_2904 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

Also done lots of little things not worth to mention really.

IMG_2956 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

IMG_0543 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

IMG_2845 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

IMG_2842 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

IMG_2875 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

IMG_2876 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

Another thing I've done is added more lights in the shed. I can't believe the difference. You can't have too many power outlets and lighting in a shed! 'Before and after' pictures below.

IMG_0538 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

IMG_0537 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

Post by **tig** » May 22, 2018 10:39 AM

Did you install new lights or just turn them on?

Nice work.

Tiit · Post by **Tiit** » May 22, 2018 5:38 PM

cek wrote:Did you install new lights or just turn them on?

I did both. Installed new lights and turned them on.

Tiit · Post by **Tiit** » Nov 13, 2018 6:21 AM

It has been a while since my last update. The truth is, not a whole lot has happened to the car and have nothing major to report. But its been over a year now since i bought the car, so i should write something down.
I now have an additional member in my family and there is not much free time with two little kids around. Ive been to local car club cruise with my family, which was really nice.

IMG_3828 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

Also my car was displayed on a german car show. Ironically, when I was looking to buy my car, I made very clear to myself I didn't want a show car. I wanted a car I can drive often and not care about cosmetics. One year in and we have travelled a whopping 4000km (of which 1000km was taking it home from the seller) and displaying at car show

IMG_2764 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

I am not a good writer, so I will express my thoughts in bullet points.
*When I bought the car, I wasn't sure if it was THE car. If it didn't click with me, I was prepared to get rid of it. Now, one year in, its clear it is a keeper. I have no regrets about buying it. It feels totally natural having it around. The car came home to daddy.
*In one year I've made FAR less progress on it then I had hoped.
*A lot of issues needs to be addressed on the car, but I was careful not to start on a task that would take me longer than couple of weekends. My strategy worked! I much rather have an imperfect car, that I can take out for a club cruise or a show, than having it stuck in the shed, pulled apart in million bits for months.
*It drives pretty horrible. Lowered suspension ruins the handling. Some clunking in front end. Steering pulls to left.
*Mye28.com is an awesome site. This forum have made my car ownership much more enjoyable. I really hope this place stays great for many years to come.

It's starting to get late. Time to go bed now. I add few more photos from german auto day.

IMG_2753 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

IMG_2760 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

IMG_2806 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

IMG_2771 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

Bonsaibacker · Post by **Bonsaibacker** » Nov 13, 2018 8:04 AM

Great story and clean work! Glad you posted- I would not have found your thread if not at the top...
Keep going

SeattleGuy · Post by **SeattleGuy** » Nov 13, 2018 10:24 AM

Dude that's heroic stuff there with two kitlin's around especially, well-played. Love the two car seat situation you worked out. Your wife = Goddess.

Tiit · Post by **Tiit** » Nov 14, 2018 8:04 PM

Thanks guys for kind words.

LeiseyJr · Post by **LeiseyJr** » Nov 15, 2018 6:52 PM

Cool Car! Good Read! That metal piece is concerning and 90% sure that is part of a bearing. I would take the trans apart or get a spare. I'm assuming yours doesn't have a lot of life yet. I've blown one up that was poorly maintained with similar amounts of metal. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if it starts rattling at idle don't ignore it like me and ruin a good trans that can be saved.

Tiit · Post by **Tiit** » Nov 20, 2018 12:00 AM

LeiseyJr wrote:Cool Car! Good Read! That metal piece is concerning and 90% sure that is part of a bearing. I would take the trans apart or get a spare. I'm assuming yours doesn't have a lot of life yet. I've blown one up that was poorly maintained with similar amounts of metal. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if it starts rattling at idle don't ignore it like me and ruin a good trans that can be saved.

Thanks for the heads up. Getting the transmission services is high on the priority list. I have been procrastinating because taking transmission apart (putting back together) is above my pay grade and paying someone to do it isn't cheap. Then again, trans overhaul is cheaper than its market value.

Last night, spur of the moment, I started full suspension overhaul. At first I planned to swap the lowered spring to stock springs, but we all know how this goes. While i was in there I discovered some worn ball joints, and I have e31 LCA sitting on the shelf ready to go in. Good time to install the moosehead UCA bearings and replace all parts that needs replacing. It felt like a black hole was sucking me in. I didn't want to start on a big project like this until I get my 535iA registered, but once parts started flying off, I couldn't stop.
BMW Club meet is in few weeks away, I haven't ordered any parts yet and time is limited. It may have been a mistake.

IMG_4480 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

Tiit · Post by **Tiit** » Dec 22, 2018 7:32 AM

I spent few hours every night for couple of weeks and here is what i got done.
*Springs swapped to stock (I believe pink paint mark is the right spring?)
*E31 lower control arms
*New brake hoses and guide bushings installed
*Moosehead UCAB installed
*New front stabiliser links
*Some cleaning and lots of other little things while I was in there.
Doesn't sound a lot, but working alone at night has its limitations.

IMG_4499 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

IMG_4494 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

IMG_4507 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

IMG_4510 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

IMG_4592 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

IMG_4648 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

IMG_4659 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

IMG_4660 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

I almost ruined my moosehead bushings, but in the end, I managed to press them in with my little hydraulic press. Overall the car lifted about 70mm (almost 3 inches). It made massive difference how it looks, feels and drives. With lowered springs it was horrible thing to drive. Now, with stock springs and other upgrades, handling definitely improved.

IMG_4755 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

IMG_4762 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

IMG_4895 by Tiit Saul, on Flickr

Still lots to do. I really need to get AC sorted. And drone from muffler (lack of it) drives me crazy. I have to admit I don't enjoy driving it at the moment.