szacsi72's 1984 Zinnoberrot 535i Build

[szacsi72]

###REPOST - ORIGINAL GOT LOST DUE TO SERVER ERROR###
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Car's current specs & plans as of 27.03.2024:
Exterior:
-Zinobberrot E28 EURO
-Original shadowline trim
-Original M5 front valance
-Original M5 rear wing
-Custom Black-Hella headlights
-E34 M5 Style 20 8J all around, wrapped in 205/40R17 Nankang NS2R, brushed lips and Diamantshwarz Metallic spokes
-20mm spacers all around, converted to studs
-Original BMW Vintage Emblems

Interior:
-Original sports steering wheel wrapped in Nappa leather, extra padding, red stitching
-DIY red needles
-E34 M5 cloth seats
-Red seatbelts
-Custom full 7 way stereo setup - TO DO
-Headliner wrapped in black leather
-Full reupholstery with M-rain fabric and black leather - TO DO

Suspension and handling:
-Custom coilovers
-35i sway bars
-Poly RTABs and subframe bushings
-30mm Gangl Motorsports RC Spacers
-Brembo 4-piston radial calipers @ 330x24mm custom slotted rotors
-Porsche 911 2-piston calipers @ 300x20mm custom slotted rotors
-E32 750i MC with 18i booster
-Reinforced steering box pin - TO DO
-E34 aluminium front lower control arms with spherical bushings - TO DO
-E28 front upper arms with E34 M5 bushings - TO DO

Engine and drivetrain: - TO DO
-M30B35 from E32 735i
-KM Cams Steg2 292°
-KM Cams billet steel lifters
-Custom cam locks
-Raised compression 9.8:1
-Modified M30B35 pistons
-440cc Bosch Green giants
-M30B35 flipped intake adapted to 80mm TB
-Custom 80mm induction piping
-AFM delete - Bosch Motorsport PST1 IAT/MAP instead
-Megasquirt MS3++ running fully sequential ignition and injection both, map switch, launch control
-Bosch LSU 4.9 Wideband
-Distributor delete - 6x Audi Red Top coils
-VW Polo ICV
-M106 knock sensors
-Schmiedmann Headers
-2x50mm exhaust - ?? Mufflers - TO DO
-3.64 LSD rebuilt to 40% - TO DO
-Getrag 260/6
-Billet steel E28 M5 6kg flywheel
-E28 M5 Sachs clutch kit with stainless steel pivot
-E46 heater valve
-E28 535i radiator with E34 535i overflow
-Shaved engine bay, custom fuse/relay plate, motorsport spec wiring with bulkhead connector
-Power figures: expecting roughly 275HP crank - Under construction!

[/i]

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Hey everyone!

Allow me to introduce myself. My name's Dave, I'm a mechanical engineer from Hungary, EU. I've had a coupla bimmers before, and always wanted an E28, but something was always wrong. Finance, no place, no time, no good deals.. So on. After multiple years, my luck finally came and I've found an E28 for sale and bought it the very day I've sold my E21 318i on the 8th of August, 2021.

You may read the story of the car before I got it, here:
http://capabmwforum.hu/index.php/topic,1465.0.html

The car came to me as an 528i, and was mostly rebuilt, using two E28's - A 518i for the shell, and a 528i for the drivetrain, suspension, brakes etc.
The car's been repainted in 2013, the colour she's wearing is Zinnoberrot, which you would normally find on an M5 or an M535i (in my experience, anyway), finished with an M5 front lip, full shadowline (original, not painted chrome), an M5 rear spoiler, essentially an M5 replica - other than I'm rocking different wheels, and Black Hellas.




The car was pretty good condition, but it has/had some small issues, mostly with electronics, and the drivetrain was(is) pretty worn. Since I got my hands on it, I fixed a lot of small errors, and made some small finishing touches, such as small trim pieces and interior bits. Other than these, the main changes were that I've changed the OZ Futuras to E34 M5 Style 20's, naked. I've always wanted a set like this, and the Futura's were too much for my taste. The rims got refinished in BMW Diamantschwarz paint and brushed + clear coated lips; I'm running NS2R semislicks in 205/40R17 size all around, with 20mm spacers and converted the car to studs.



The main difference is that I've swapped the engine to an M30B35 from an E32. It's been semi-rebuilt, and I've tried to make the already clean engine bay even clearer. The engine is mostly stock apart from a chip, a very-mild cam, and a flipped intake.




Now, let me give you an overview of the plan and my goals.
In short, I'd like to keep this car a stock-ish, OEM+ 535i. The main goal is to fix all it's problems, and to modernize it in a sensible, nice fashioned way. I'd like to use this car to make roadtrips and just generally cruise around, no racing, tracking or anything else. However, I do like to build my cars well.. So I'll probably go overkill on many bits, just because I love creating and making things right.

Here are the main issues I'm facing right now:
No heating
No feedback on my temp gauge
Drivetrain is completely fucked, basically need to rebuild everything. It's wobbly, loud and the whole car shakes..
Tranny and clutch are noisy
Engine runs like shit, cylinder head is worn, needs a rebuild.

So now let's walk over my plans. This is just a feeler, I'll get into more details when I'm actually discussing the given topic.
• Fix the drivetrain
○ Rebuild the LSD, potentially swap to a higher gearing (3.46 right now)
○ Rebuild the driveshaft, replace CSB
○ Rebuild the axle-shafts
○ Rebuild the transmission (input shaft bearing is dead)
○ Repair the flywheel? (I'm not sure of the condition, need to see first)
○ Change the complete clutch (actually, it's only the throwout bearing that needs replacement, but a complete new 'OEM' Sachs clutch kit is around 150USD, so I'll just change it for the piece of mind; might get is kevlar'd too)
• Rebuild the suspension
○ Change poly bushings to E34 M5 RTABs, front's to E31 and mooseheads, etc
○ Make new coilovers (running custom coilovers, but the springs are too stiff and the damping is too soft.)
I'm going for 6k front, 5k rear, the mechanical part will be done by me, and the damping will be dialed in by a professional in my country.
○ New top hats, front is worn, the rear one is the stock, shitty rubber that I dislike a lot.
• Upgrade the brakes
○ Now, this is totally useless, the brakes I have now (E34 300mm front, E28 286mm disc rear, 528i main cyl with 518i brake servo) works fantastic;however, the discs are a touch worn, so a complete brake service is near Anyway. I wanted to fill up the space behind the Style 20's, so I'm making a complete big brake kit using 4 and 2 pot brembos - This is almost finished, I'll probably create a detailed post next week when everythings ready. I'll probably start selling this BBK later too, if you're interested..
• Do something with the exhaust
○ TBH, I really don't know yet.
○ I like the stock exhaust, I want to trip with this car, so I don't want anything loud, but I'm losing on weight and performance. Might keep stock, might make a "replica" of the stock system, just with 2x60mm, might get a full performance exhaust… We'll see.
○ I also need to make/buy some shielding, as this is missing right now, the stock shielding is pretty much destroyed..
• Rebuild the engine
○ The engine needs a partial rebuild, mostly on the cylinder head, so I'll rebuild it, but of course, OEM+ way.
○ Aftermarket ECU - Probably maxxecu street. I would like something more modern than the motronic, as I'm missing out on torque, fuel efficiency, feedback, tune-abilty.. Everything. And most importantly, I truly hate the AFM. It is so inefficient, inaccurate and takes up so much space in my engine bay!
○ Cylinder head will recieve a 284 schrick cam, HD rockers, rocker lockers.
○ Engine block and cylinder head will be shaved to increase compression.
○ Hopefully everything is OK in the bottom end.. If not, I'll end up creating a stroker, with oversized high compression NA pistons.
○ Put in more modern, bigger injectors. I have some Saab (or what) injectors that are a perfect replacement for the stock units, just newer and come with 4 holes.
○ M50 throttle body in place of the M30 unit - same diameter, but better cable routing options for my flipped intake
○ Coils? I'm not sure, I'll probably borrow a set from someone and see if there's any real power difference with them. I don't really fancy them, I'd really like to keep the stock-ish look, but also don't want to miss out on performance. I'm running an M5 Bosch coil as of now.
○ A crank scraper
○ Serpentine belt conversion (custom made, this is also in developement and once done, it will be up for sale)
○ Possibly and oil cooler? I'll just keep and eye on oil temps, won't add anything unnecessary.
• Small bits
○ I have a couple of small things I'd like to touch up, such as:
○ Red seatbelts
○ Reupholster the rear seats and door card to match my E34 sport seats
○ Rebuild and repair my M5 front valance


I think this is it for now.
I'll be using hashtags at the beginning of my posts, so the thread will be easier to see trough!

Thank you for joining! If you have any questions, let me know.

Until next time
Dave



*Updated with specs

[szacsi72]

#Answers #PhotoDump

There were some comments on the original post, luckily I saved those in time so I can still answer them

Welcome to the group and sharp looking car!

Thank you!

Looks like a great starting point, and a nice project.
That engine bay looks fantastic!

Love the flipped intake, have always thought the intake tube over the valve cover ruins the straight-six aesthetic.
Have you retained the AFM? Any shots of it together as-running?

Welcome to the forum, will be following for updates!

Thank you!
Yes, I've retained the AFM for now, I'll ditch it later when the car gets a standalone ECU. I've ditched the idle control, I'm using just a 90 degree, 70mm silicone elbow, a threaded rod that connects to the engine block, and some 3d print magic to keep the AFM in place. Essentially, a small twisted bit, which connects the AFM to the theaded rod. It's printed from a carbon-fibre composite.
Here:




I'm running a RamAir foam air filter. Yes, I know it's far from optimal, but the amount I use this car, it will rust before I get any engine damage, and I wanted a fully black filter, as I'm going for the cleanest possible engine bay.
When measuring and playing with the AFM, I've noticed the square part's area is better matched with a 65mm air filter's area, however, I believe the stock diamater on the outside is 70mm (or 76mm, possibly? I don't have one to measure right now, please correct me.)
Therefore, I've rather bought a 65mm air filter, and 3d printed an adapter. I also didn't like the stock "adapter", it was horribly designed, when it comes to airflow and separation. Yes, I know - this barely makes a difference while having a literal alloy block after it... But I like making the small things right. Makes me feel good about myself - I did my part
The foam filter also has kind of a velocity stack inside it and a drop in diameter, so I could print the intake pipe in a way so that the inside of the intake perfectly lines up with that velocity stack. Another "won't make a difference, but feels good" part.
You may see it in this picture:


Aaaand unfortunately this is the best picture I've found of the air intake I've made, I can make a real photo later, if you're interested.

Welcome! Very nice. Can't wait to see more! I'm working on a 1987 535is, myself. It needs a LOT of TLC.

Thank you! Best of luck with your 535is!

[Etip]

Looks great. I second everyone's comments on that engine bay- WOW!!
Can't wait to follow your build.
What kinda power output are you looking to get out of it in the end?

[szacsi72]

Looks great. I second everyone's comments on that engine bay- WOW!!
Can't wait to follow your build.
What kinda power output are you looking to get out of it in the end?

Hi Etip,

Thank you! I'm looking to clean it up even more this winter - either M50 TB, or an electric TB, AFM delete..
If I stay NA, I'm looking for roughly 260-270hp, nothing crazy, just a torquey engine with good response and driveabilty. Higher compression, modern ECU and igntion adds soo much to how the engine feels...!
I might loose my cool and turbo it Anyway, we will see!

[szacsi72]

#PhotoDump

I'll just dump some pictures here that some of you might find interesting.

If you guys don't have RC/Bump steer spacers, I recommend you grab a set. Truly changes how the car handles when lowered!
I'm running Gangl Motorsport 30mm ones on my personal car.




Stud conversion:




Here's my wiring harness:
I had to cut up an E32 harness for the connectors and make custom wiring, as I've both the DME and the fuse box relocated. You can see that I've also removed a ton of cables, that I've decided not to use..




I truly love my rims, wanted a set for soo long:




This was made by Shmeliov:

[szacsi72]

#CoolingSystem #SmallBits

Hi guys,

Today I was playing a bit with the cooling system.
The lower rad hose is fucked…
I've an E34 radiator in my car, so I've used an E34 M30 hose. Now, it did work with it, and the fitment was OK-ish.. but sooner or later, the hose decided to commit suicide and jumped over that long M5 screw, and the water pump pulley tried to eat trough it. I got lucky that I've noticed this in time, because I was about to have a real bad time:




And yes - I was missing the original clip (PN11531717091), and yes- I've overheated once (stuck t-stat), could be when the hose jumped..
So I've decided to order a hose that matches the later E34 style housing (PN11531289859) from BMW, but… see for yourself:



Sooooo yes, anyone has an idea which hose I need to run?
M30B35 and an E34 rad. I know I can cut up the two and connect them etc, but I'd like to keep it clean, don't want to see 6 connections for one hose.. Thank you!

Until I change this, I can't continue with the other problems of the cooling system. :/
In the meantime, I'll start working on the brakes, I'll show you some eyecandy in another post later:)

[szacsi72]

#BrakeSystem

Hey guys,

Today I'll write a bit about my brake upgrade.
Now, the car currently has E34 525i 302x20mm brakes up front, and E28 528i 286x10mm rear discs. These worked perfect, and I actually really liked the brake feel; however, when I changed my rims to Style 20's, I was left with this view:




Far from terrible, however… Let's be honest, it doesn't look too pleasing.
I wanted to put something nice behind the spokes, and also, my brakes needed an overhaul anyway - so i figured if I need new rotors and pads anyway, this is the perfect time to upgrade my brakes. This was something I would have needed to do anyway in the long term, as I'm planning on tuning my engine (possibly even a turbo in the long term?), and I really like stopping in time.

Now, my car is and will stay a street car. Putting on brakes that are oversized would be a bald move - the extra weight hurts every other aspect of the car. It's a lot of rotating AND unsprung weight! Therefore I wanted something, that was:
• Lightweight
• Good pedal feedback
• Good aestethics
• Easily available
• Good value
• Fits 17" rims

I instantly knew that floating calipers were out of the game. Fixed calipers are lighter, stiffer and look way better. I was originally looking for around 320mm front discs. So, on the search I went.
After multiple days of hunting, I found that the Alfa Romeo 159 3.2 used universal, radially mounted 4 piston alloy Brembos, with 330mm discs. The piston diameter is 42mm for all 4 pistons, meaning that the overall piston area is just a touch under of a single, 60mm piston caliper's (floating type), which meant that I could use the Brembos with the stock master cylinder.
I was satisfied with them, so I purchased a used set.

Once this was done, I needed to figure out which discs to use, and match the rear brakes.
I looked at the available rotor options from BMW from 300 to 345mm, and ended up using the E9X 330x24mm front discs. These come in at a reasonable 9,1kg, with an overall width of 73mm. (PN:34116854999). F10 520d 330mm discs would've been lighter, as they are composite discs, but they would've costed around 4 times as much, and I wanted to keep this as a budget upgrade. F30 328i discs will also work, but they are heavier.

For the rears, I decided 300x20mm cooled discs of an E34 540i/M5 will be more than enough.

Then I opened up my brake bias calculater that I've made, and got to work:




I was originally aiming for 70% F/R, but I ended up at 71.73%, because I wanted to keep the rear piston size moderate, so that that stock master will do it's job well - I really hate plushy brakes! A good stiff pedal is what a car needs.
I opened up the Ate catalog, and looked at which cars have 2 piston, fixed calipers with 38mm pistons, that fit the wide, 20mm discs of an E34… Luckily, I did find one! The first gen 911 carrera, SC, turbo etc. ended up being a perfect fit. They are a bit heavy, as they are greycast, not alloy - but they are not super heavy, barely heavier than the stock calipers, so I'm fine with them.

So then I went to collect all the parts:




Managed to get brand new rear calipers:


Measured...


Designed..



Printed.…


The calipers were painted by TTH Felgen in Hungary. They were finished in BMW Zinnoberrot, so they will match the car's paintjob perfectly!






Now the only thing left is to put the calipers back together, then make a final test-fit with the 3D printed adapters. If everything is OK, I'll fire up the CNC, machine the adapters and the brakes can be mounted in their final place within 2 weeks.

And as a final touch, the car is going to recieve custom CNCd rotors, as I didn't truly like any of the options off the shelf.



Weight rundown!
My BBK / E34 M5 315mm
Front calipers: 3147g / 5,1kg
Rear calipers: 3550g / 2,9kg
Front discs: 9,1kg / 9,4kg
Rear discs: 5,9kg / 5,9kg
Front adapters: 250g / 0
Rear adapters: 230g / 0

I think these are good values. Lighter than an E34 M5 315mm brake system
I'm very happy how they are turning out, really hope there won't be any surprises and I'll be able to test them if we get any sunny days over the winter.

I'll post and update when the calipers are mounted with the prototype adapter!
David

[Panici]

Yes, I've retained the AFM for now, I'll ditch it later when the car gets a standalone ECU. I've ditched the idle control, I'm using just a 90 degree, 70mm silicone elbow, a threaded rod that connects to the engine block, and some 3d print magic to keep the AFM in place. Essentially, a small twisted bit, which connects the AFM to the theaded rod. It's printed from a carbon-fibre composite.

Aaaand unfortunately this is the best picture I've found of the air intake I've made, I can make a real photo later, if you're interested.

Would love a few photos if you don't mind.
I would like to flip the intake with the stock AFM and haven't found any reference pictures of this being done in the past.

Also, saw your post about the custom brakes. Can't wait to see how that turns out!

[Mdreamer]

Thank you for keeping us abreast of your progress. I'm excited about seeing how your brakes turn out!

[szacsi72]

#BrakeSystem #IntakeSystem

Yes, I've retained the AFM for now, I'll ditch it later when the car gets a standalone ECU. I've ditched the idle control, I'm using just a 90 degree, 70mm silicone elbow, a threaded rod that connects to the engine block, and some 3d print magic to keep the AFM in place. Essentially, a small twisted bit, which connects the AFM to the theaded rod. It's printed from a carbon-fibre composite.

Aaaand unfortunately this is the best picture I've found of the air intake I've made, I can make a real photo later, if you're interested.

Would love a few photos if you don't mind.
I would like to flip the intake with the stock AFM and haven't found any reference pictures of this being done in the past.

Also, saw your post about the custom brakes. Can't wait to see how that turns out!

Hi!

Here are some better pictures:






As you can see, the air filter is very close to the alternator, so I'll modify the design and twist the adapter around 5-10 degrees, for clearance.

The way I flipped my intake is that I've laser-cut and welded a thicker plate onto the manifold and bolted a "cap" to the other side; for the cable routing, I'm using 3d printed parts but I'm looking to install an M50 throttle body, as they have a side-type cable routing, that should clear up my engine bay really nicely.
If you want to do the swap, I'm happy to supply you with all the parts you'll need.



You'll see my brakes later in this post:)

Thank you for keeping us abreast of your progress. I'm excited about seeing how your brakes turn out!

Thanks! Well, here's the updates on the brakes:
Almost everything fits as it should, however, unfortunately the adapter didn't clear the brake mounting points. I've cut the 3d printed prototype to check if everything else is OK.
It is.
I like how they look, but may you be the judge:








I've redesigned the part, printing a new prototype as we speak, I'll test fit it next week and off it goes to get machined! I will then continue with the rears. The rear calipers are a 2-bolt type, so that will only take minutes to design and print.


Until next time.

[Mdreamer]

Excellent work! Thank you for sharing. Your craftsmanship is fantastic.

[szacsi72]

#CoolingSystem #BrakeSystem #Driveline #Exhaust #SmallBits

Excellent work! Thank you for sharing. Your craftsmanship is fantastic.

Thank you very much!


So, let's continue on the journey, this is what I have for today.

1. Engine
First of all, I have redesigned the AFM - Filter adapter, as the filter was too close to the alternator. I've simply twisted the adapter 10 degrees, this should give me roughly 25mm more clearance. I've also deleted one chamfer on the mounting, as that's where the AFM-mounting-long-thingy goes.


After trying to figure out which coolant hose to run, I've decided I'll just try another E34 535i one. I simply can't find anything that fit's better.. This time, I've bought a new OEM hose (previous one was Meyle), in hopes that this one will fit better. I'll try to trim it a bit so that if fits better. This time, I'll also run the stock clamp; and I'll make a bigger hole for the t.stat than before. It could be that it only jumped over because I've overheated the engine... Who knows. We will see.
I've also ordered a hose that runs from the water-pump to the rear of the engine (11531274210), as this one is currently just fabbed from silicone hoses and stainless pipes. Hopefully, this will look a bit better, I'm trying to really tidy all of my pipes. Also bought OEM connectors to replace the shitty fabbed up ones.

Regarding the overheating issue, I've searched the forums and realised that the heat core distribution valve should always be open when unconnected... So I'm pretty sure it's stuck. I'll take it out the car, and take a closer look. I'll try to repair it, or I'll fit an E46 unit as suggested by a different board. I'll also make sure it is unconnected to any electronics next time I'll try to bleed the system.

Aaaaand then all that's left is to finally fix the gauge, as it's always not working. Well, not the gauge itself.. I believe the gauge is right, it's the wiring or the sensor that faulty. Would be really good to finally know temps... It's a bit risky cruising around just like that.

2. Exhaust
I wanted to fab up a new exhaust system, and this spaghetti was on sale, couldn't resist.....


It's from Schmiedmann. I'm planning to continue the header into an X-pipe, then into a huge, 400mm rm motors resonator and a custom made muffler. I'll go with 2x50mm, the exhaust tip's will be 2x60mm, and all stainless, of course. But this will come later, as there's nothing wrong with my current exhaust system and I've got plenty to do...

3. Driveline
Well, as my complete driveline is gargabe, I need to replace almost everything. I finally had some time to come up with a plan, this is what I intend to use:
Flywheel - https://www.gladen-motorsport.de/en/Ste ... +3-9kg.htm
Clutch disc - E28 535i B34
Pressure plate - E34 535i B35
TO Bearing - LUK
Input shaft bearing - LUK
Transmission - Getrag 260/6 from E34 535i
Driveshaft - E28 528i - Get it rebuild
Seals - Elring
DS bearing and carrier - Febi

I'll slowly start to order up the parts, just you know, before x-mas is not the best time to spend money on parts Not gonna lie, looking at my wallet hurts a lot.

4. Small bits
Just some bits bought and fit.. at least it makes me feel a bit better about myself.

New M5 front valance covers:



Got my steering wheel refinished:


New OEM BMW floor mats for all 4:
(Does anyone know how to lock them? They came with some locks, but there are no holes in my original carpet?)



New, OEM BMW Shiftknob and sticker, and a custom made new shiftboot:
I'd like to add some more red later, so this will go very nicely with it.


Stainless steel pin, just to bombproof things:


New Bosch OE M5 coil:


And some more ignition parts:

[szacsi72]

#CoolingSystem

Well, after one year, my idiot ass realised today that I've been using the wrong coolant temp sensor, which is probably why I'm not seeing feedback on the dash, even tho my panel has been repaired by a friend of mine.
I had the 2-pol E34 unit in the car, even tho I should be using a 1-pol unit (12621710512). I'll swap it over this week and test it with some hot water - As the car currently cannot be started.




I also took apart my heater valve, as I've thought that it is stuck closed - I was not getting any heat in the car. Turns it, it was actually open, so that wasn't the cause - however, it is shot. The electrics are not working, and the seals are also shot. I'll attempt to perform an E46 heater valve retrofit (as of:viewtopic.php?f=3&t=130485), we will see how it goes. I'll also try to come up with a good way to mount it, I don't like ghetto sheets of steel and zipties. If I do figure out something, I'll probably make a couple more and I'll put them for sale for you guys.



I've also fit a new E34 535i hose, but...
I really hoped I could get away without cutting any hoses, but this is VERY far from optimal. I'll probably cut this in half; I'll use an E34 upper part and an E28 lower part and connect them together. Sigh. I hate additional hose clamps!

[tig]

Fantastic build.

I'm just intrigued by the flipped intake manifold. More pics of that please.

[szacsi72]

Fantastic build.

I'm just intrigued by the flipped intake manifold. More pics of that please.

Thank you!
Unfortunately, I'm overloaded right now until the end of January.
I will continue the work in February, and I'll try to take some more pictures for you. I'll be offering a kit later too, if you are interested.

[szacsi72]

Hi everyone!

I had some free-time for the first time in a while, finally...

I've done the E46 Heater valve conversion, you can read some more about it here:
viewtopic.php?p=1521783#p1521783



Now with that done, I went shopping. I needed to replace most of my water lines, as they were an ugly crap, and honestly I forgot that I just mocked them up... And now that I saw how it looked like, I needed to tidy up the lines under the engine bay.

New OEM E28 535 hose, sooo much better than thick mocked up shit SOMEONE made... that idiot!


I couldn't get my hands on an OEM T-connector, but I really needed to replace this POS fabbed up one. Luckily, I've found a good alternative, from some VW. Part number: VAGN90760601
Unfortunately I forgot to take pictures with the T installed, but it fits soo perfectly, as if it was made to be there. I'll snap some next time..



While I was working on the cooling system, my buddy came over to help me fix the gauge cluster... with no luck. I've found a specialist in Hungary who *should* be able to fix it.. sigh. I really hope my temp gauge starts working, way too long without one..



While crawling under the intake manifold, I've noticed this:

Yep. I guess PETG is not good enough for the engine. Reminder guys: Never install your "prototypes" fully, or you'll forget about them and they'll no longer be prototypes...
I went to print one from high temp carbon fibre, but looks like I've run out of luck..



AAAnd i also noticed some leakage around the brake master. I suppose this is a perfect time to get rid of this painted reservoir...


I've had a really ugly spare unit laying around, figured it's time to see what the ultrasonic can do with it!
Well, let's say, I'm pleased enough with this to not spends upwards of $250 on a new one.



I've ordered some new seals, (PN 03.3304-2208.1) and a cap, without the leveling sensor. I believe I've found the part number for an early E12 or something similar, however, I quickly converted that to an ATE part, hence buying aftermarket ATE parts is soo much cheaper. (PN 03.3556-1164.2)



Next up:
Waiting on these small parts, then finished the cooling system, bleeding, changing the reservoir.
I will then start some measurements so I can get started on the suspension.
I'll also try to finish the BBK sometime before march.
I've ordered up everything for the drivetrain repair, waiting on thoose too.

Until then, here's my ride for the winter months to keep me busy!


David

[camplo]

Amazing build! I've never seen those bump steer spacers. Would you mind educating me a bit on them? I am interested in putting a set on my car but dont know if I will have the clearance since I have 16" wheels. Also I am not sure what size spacer I would/should need.

[Sparkeysf]

That steering wheel looks absolutely awesome. I had the same style in my car when I bought it over 10 years ago and replaced it with an Mtech 1. I think I still have the original one in storage someplace. I'm seriously considering having it recovered to look like yours. How much padding is under the leather?

[Sparkeysf]

That steering wheel looks absolutely awesome. I had the same style in my car when I bought it over 10 years ago and replaced it with an Mtech 1. I think I still have the original one in storage someplace. I'm seriously considering having it recovered to look like yours. How much padding is under the leather?

[szacsi72]

Amazing build! I've never seen those bump steer spacers. Would you mind educating me a bit on them? I am interested in putting a set on my car but dont know if I will have the clearance since I have 16" wheels. Also I am not sure what size spacer I would/should need.

Hi camplo,

Thank you for the kind words.
The bump steer spacers are designed and made by me, you may buy them here:
https://angry-ass.com/product-organizer ... cers-3ezza

My recommendation is go for half the amount of your lowering. Meaning, for 60mm of lowering I'd recomennd 30mm spacers. I'm personally using 30mm spacers now, because I've only made 30mm versions at first and I'll change them later to 45mm when I upgrade my suspension.
To check if it fits, just grab something that's 35mm-ish thick (for 30mm). If it fits between the control arm your rims, it's safe to run. If you have less than 5mm space, I'd recommend to grab a smaller one! Any stone or debris that gets in there could damage your suspension if it's too close.

That steering wheel looks absolutely awesome. I had the same style in my car when I bought it over 10 years ago and replaced it with an Mtech 1. I think I still have the original one in storage someplace. I'm seriously considering having it recovered to look like yours. How much padding is under the leather?

I'm not sure how much padding there is exactly but I'd say it's about as thick as if there were two layers of leather instead of one.

[szacsi72]

Hi all,

So here's some updates.

I've finished my E46 heater valve and cooling system refresh! After all, I did end up having to cut an OEM E28 rad pipe and shorten it about 60mm's. Oh well. Doesn't look *that* horrible, but I'd lie if I said I'm super happy about it. Here are some pictures for you.


The next job was the brake fluid reservoir.. Because this is how it looked at first:


My E12 sensorsless cap arrived, so it was only a matter of getting rid of the leaky seals, fitting new ones and reinstalling the reservoir..


...I thought at first. But the red master cylinder looked just straight out f-d up. So I had to paint it black first... And then fit the seals, reservoir and cap.
I was left with this.

If you ask me, this is a veri big improvement. At least to my eyes. Maybe some of you liked it all-red better, but I'm happy.


Next job was.. CARBON! I love carbon.


So I went and replaced the mount for my M5 coil:

And yes, I have a weird addiction to copper nuts. I just love their colour. I'm planning on converting the thermostat housing to studs and also putting copper nuts instead of the ugly bolts.

Next up, the new AFM-to-Airfilter adaptor, now in high temp carbon, and bent for clearance:


The only thing left to do was to refill and bleed. I needed 3 attempts until all the air come out.


On a test ride we go! I was really happy for around 3km's. Aaaand then a hose snapped. Here we go again...


Luckily, I was able to put the clamp further down and got home all safe and sound, but the ONLY old hose I had decided 40 years was enough. Ordered a new one, I'll replace it somewhen next week.

Anyway, the car runs OK now.

Turned out, that the weird and ugly noise and shaking was cause by the fact that my buddy forgot to tighten the driveshaft after install, so that's gone too! Yeey!

But then my hacked-up shitty throttle adapter snapped TOO. I don't know how many times I need to say this, but DON'T PRINT PETG! You will forget that it's a prototype, until it breaks...

Printed another one in carbon for now, but I'm ditching this whole setup for an M50 TB.

Some good news: my gauge cluster is finally fixed! It turned out it only had some grounding problems!



The next jobs are:
1. Audio.
I will of course make a post about this. The current plan is 6 speakers, 5.25 mids up front (if I can make them fit, else 4"), with tweeters on the A pillar, and 6.5" for lows, mounted on the rear parcel shelf. All this with some added insulation and NVH reduction, and I plan to finnish it off by making 3d printer cover grilles that look like the OE versions - just in the proper size. I managed to grab a head unit already, a Blaupunk Hamburg RCM 104! Perfect fit for my needs. I will also make an adapter for it to play bleutooth - hence it can use a cd changer, it has an AUX connection.
[/url]
2. Alternator
No charge. No idea why.
3. M50 throttle body swap
I'm designing the adaptor plates now. The TPS is giving my nightmares... but I'll figure something out.
4. Interior work. I plan to do this together with the audio. I want to refinish the door cards in red-stitched leather, and grab 20th anniversary red seatbelts. (If you have a lead, please, let me know!)
5. Red needle conversion for the gauge cluster.

If these are all done, I will continue on the brake system upgrade, refinish and repair the damaged M5 lip, standalone install. I am also considering replacing the hella darks with regular euro light. I guess I'm getting old, but I'm moving over to OEM and OEM+ more and more..

Have a nice one guys.
David

[Galahad]

Throttle cable: The e34 525i m50 throttle cable works well in my m50 swap, throttle is roughly in the same position as yours.
Alternator: check the alternator light in your gauge cluster, some clusters the light needs to work for the alternator to charge.

[szacsi72]

Throttle cable: The e34 525i m50 throttle cable works well in my m50 swap, throttle is roughly in the same position as yours.
Alternator: check the alternator light in your gauge cluster, some clusters the light needs to work for the alternator to charge.

Thank you!
Yes, I figured M50 throttle cable will work, altough I'll go for one from an E36 - roughly the same length, but much cheaper.
For the alternator: no way that it can't charge if the bulb is out?! But in fact, my bulb is probably out, it never lit... I'll go and check it. If that solves the issue.. haha!

[Galahad]

Throttle cable: The e34 525i m50 throttle cable works well in my m50 swap, throttle is roughly in the same position as yours.
Alternator: check the alternator light in your gauge cluster, some clusters the light needs to work for the alternator to charge.

Thank you!
Yes, I figured M50 throttle cable will work, altough I'll go for one from an E36 - roughly the same length, but much cheaper.
For the alternator: no way that it can't charge if the bulb is out?! But in fact, my bulb is probably out, it never lit... I'll go and check it. If that solves the issue.. haha!

The later clusters added a resistor to solve the issue - it's a pretty dumb design oversight. I ran into the issue last year after storing my car for the winter, somehow the bulb had gone bad from sitting.

[szacsi72]

Thank you!
Yes, I figured M50 throttle cable will work, altough I'll go for one from an E36 - roughly the same length, but much cheaper.
For the alternator: no way that it can't charge if the bulb is out?! But in fact, my bulb is probably out, it never lit... I'll go and check it. If that solves the issue.. haha!

The later clusters added a resistor to solve the issue - it's a pretty dumb design oversight. I ran into the issue last year after storing my car for the winter, somehow the bulb had gone bad from sitting.

Ordered a replacement. 6USD for a single bulb is quite a lot, but oh well, what can I do? Got 5 units to have backup. Also ordered an E36 325i throttle cable (PN 35411163228) and some bits and pieces to refurbish the mechanism, while I'm there. Hopefully the bulb will solve the issue.