Rally-x 528e build (caged, head swap, and more!)

[95maxrider]

Installing STOCK SPRINGS lifted the car 3-4"?!?!? Was it running without springs before?

LOL, I'm wondering if I got 535 springs and if they ride higher than 528e springs would have. We also relocated the battery at the same time, so that probably added a bit to the front height. It's probably closer to 3", but still, DAMN. Now all that skid plate bracing has no reason to exist!

[Jelmer538i]

Maybe I missed it but that diff you have is a medium case diff called a 188 diff. The large case diffs are the 210 ones and the small case diffs are the 168 ones.

You can id a 188 diff by the 6 bolts that hold the side bearing housings in place, a 210 uses 8 bolts.

You are fine fitting a E30 325i diff after swapping your rear lid with the E28 one.

[95maxrider]

Since it looks like the OEM M5 sway bars are my only option at this point if I want 25/19 bars, I need to start thinking about new bushings. Do most people stay with stock bushings or go aftermarket? The only aftermarket ones I found are the Powerflex ones, and they are EXPENSIVE!

$54 for the fronts
http://powerflexusa.com/bmwe285series19 ... shing.aspx

And freaking $92 for the rear!?!? How in the world is that $92 worth of parts?
http://powerflexusa.com/bmwe285series19 ... shing.aspx

I haven't checked OEM prices, but even they can't be that overpriced. What do you guys think? Are there better options out there?

[95maxrider]

After reading

http://www.mye28.com/viewtopic.php?p=1155733#1155733

it sounds like OEM is the way to go from an installation standpoint, as the poly bushings are a bitch to install.

http://www.pelicanparts.com/BMW/catalog ... hk_pg4.htm

The Pelican page says I need PN PEL-PFF5-310-25 for the front and PEL-PFF5-308-19 for the rear (for a 25/19 setup). Yet everyone here got the 18mm rears. Why is that?

EDIT- Found my answer here:
http://www.digest.net/bmw/archive/v7/msg03531.html

The E28 M5 bars are 25/18, which would explain why everyone got the 18mm bushings

[95maxrider]

According to people in this thread:
http://www.mye28.com/viewtopic.php?t=86568

you can get the reinforcement brackets from Ireland Engineering without buying their entire kit.
http://www.iemotorsport.com/bmw/E28-E24 ... ybars.html

I'm just leaving this here for future reference.

[95maxrider]

D'oh....did some more digging and came across a thread I had read before and forgotten about

http://www.mye28.com/viewtopic.php?t=83268

Apparently at one point you could buy the M5 brackets from BMW, but they don't appear to be available any longer. #25, 41112230014 here:
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do ... g=41&fg=10

But most importantly, I rediscovered this:
http://home.mindspring.com/~scrappycrow ... acket.html

Which shows me what to do for the rear, but what needs reinforcement in the front? In the mye28 thread above, one person said the FSB end link mounts to the strut need to be reinforced. Is this in addition to reinforcing the bar mounts?

[Thegerms636]

I picked up my first e28 about 6 months ago now (1987 528e) and I'm in love with her. I've rebuilt the front end (suspension wise) top to bottom minus struts and springs. Had the same issues with that alternator rail (missing teeth bla bla bla) replaced it. My Diagnostic board is goofy but if you tap on her she comes back to life, all wiring to it and connector are good so i assume something in the board. I don't know for sure the direction I want to go with it, but this has inspired me and opened my mind to the possibilities this car has. I gave up the auto field 3 years ago and moved to where I can make more money still tinkering with motors, doing industrial generators! Needless to say, I no longer have access to a lift and such, which SUCKS, but I still have all my tools. This has made my progress slower than most peoples abilities because as I am sure you know working on creepers and asphalt does not make for a speedy job!

As of today in fact I am in the process of dropping the new clutch and rear main seal in it plus having the flywheel resurfaced (surprisingly, original flywheel, still in spec, with no missing teeth!). After the clutch I don't know what will be my next project. Maybe pull apart the motor, clean / repair etc...

She has 243,546 miles right now but runs like a champ!! (which says tons about BMW) Over the years I've worked on roommates older BMWs such as e30's e36's and i myself just sold my e39. All of these cars were high mileage and ran great.

I guess I am posting to you because I see you are a fellow Marylander and I want you to know, I'm pleased at what I am seeing! Thank you for showing me doors I've never considered opening. I would also like to ask since you are local, where are you doing these rally type courses? I have a WRX with lots of time and money into it but no where to take it off road! This is my first day on here and cant believe I have stumbled upon such an inspiring local!

Cheers, mad props.

[95maxrider]

I guess I am posting to you because I see you are a fellow Marylander and I want you to know, I'm pleased at what I am seeing! Thank you for showing me doors I've never considered opening. I would also like to ask since you are local, where are you doing these rally type courses? I have a WRX with lots of time and money into it but no where to take it off road! This is my first day on here and cant believe I have stumbled upon such an inspiring local!

Cheers, mad props.

Well thank you sir, it's always fun getting more people involved in rally-x too! Here's the website with upcoming events listed:

http://www.wdcr-scca.org/RallyCross/tab ... fault.aspx

The events seem to be filling up quick, so if you want to come I would recommend signing up soon! The majority of the cars out there are Subarus, so you would fit right in! I just hope your car isn't lowered too much, as that can ruin your day pretty quick.

The next event is on Sunday the 26th. All the races are at Summit Point in WV. If you're in Frederick, it's only about 45 minutes from you. I'm down around the Rockville/Bethesda area. I hope to see you out there, and thanks for the kind words

More updates to come, including:
-swapping the 3.25 (3.23?) LSD for a 3.73 LSD
-M5 sway bars with poly bushings and Meyle end links plus the necessary reinforcements
-IE poly steering coupler
-adjust valves, TPS, etc

[Thegerms636]

Awesome! Thank you! I actually have an off road set up on her, I am a firm believer in never slamming a subie though they do look good if done right!

[95maxrider]

Well I hit a snag in my quest for big sway bars....

I bought a set of E28 M5 sway bars (25/18) last week from a guy on Rev. I also ordered new poly PowerFlex bushings to match. The bushing brackets that were included with the sway bars are not anything CLOSE to what the PowerFlex bushings are meant to go into. The guy I bought the bars from said he took them off an E12 but assured me they were originally from an E28 and would work on my car. Well, maybe they will, but not with the poly bushings.

All I can surmise is that these are non-M E28 brackets, but what I can't figure out is what bushings are with them, as they are clearly not M5 style/outer size and yet seem to fit over the bars perfectly. What exactly am I looking at, and short of finding a used set of M5 brackets, do I have any options? Are the non-M bushings/brackets strong enough for M5 sway bar use? I plan on reinforcing the strut housings for the end link attachment in the front as well as the frame mounts for the rear sway bar end links.















I'm aware the front bushings are shown upside down, but it doesn't affect fitment in this case since the difference is so big!

[athayer187]

The rears look right, but the fronts are for sure meant for the larger M5 brackets.

[95maxrider]

The rears look right, but the fronts are for sure meant for the larger M5 brackets.

Even the rears didn't quite fit. The bushing wasn't long enough.

Do you know if I can get away with just buying the M5 bushing brackets or if I need to also get the frame mount for the bracket?

For example, can I just get #3 or do I also need #12?
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do ... g=33&fg=45

In the rear, I don't even see the frame bracket as an option, so can I just get #3 and put it on the non-M frame mount?
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do ... g=31&fg=10

[95maxrider]

Ugh, did some more searching and came across some helpful threads on E24 forums regarding the FSB frame mounts:

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/sh ... -in-635csi

http://bigcoupe.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.ph ... a6e49c7eb7

http://www.mye28.com/tech/rods_pages/si ... _mount.pdf


Now, my question is if I can use the non-M brackets and thin bushings, and just reinforce the stock non-M frame mount instead of trying to fabricate a new frame mount to accommodate M5 bushing brackets? Is the frame mount the weak point or is the bracket the weak point?

[athayer187]

http://www.mye28.com/viewtopic.php?t=63 ... light=sway

I don't believe that the thin wall bushings are of any use at all. The other limiting factor on stock 535i front swaybar brackets is that they are captured with one bolt, and one tab. If that tab bends, game over.

If you can - get the M5 pieces.

[95maxrider]

I thought I had already posted pics from the second event, but I must have forgotten. Time for more pics!

On the smaller barn course:










And from the third event a few days ago on the big main track:



This is what happens after you lock up your brakes and try to correct:


Again, the results of more brake locking:




Hopefully ABS will be working again by the next race, because I was not prepared to race without it. I got much better as the day went on, but the first few runs were a little tricky. Still only hit one cone for the day, which was a direct result of the brakes locking up.

The car doesn't have a very smooth idle, so in addition to finally adjusting the vales after the head swap, I'm considering replacing my O2 sensor. With only one on the car, I figure it's probably pretty important to how it idles/runs at part throttle. If I can get all that done and find a set of big sway bars, I think I will be very happy with this car. The 3.73 diff really woke it up, and I really don't think I was ever wanting for more power/response at the race. The car has some severe problems with body roll/motion, as you can really feel the weight being thrown around, but I think sways will fix most of that. If not, I might consider cutting one coil from the front springs, as the pictures show it's riding unnecessarily high.

And a video from the third event with my best AM run and PM run:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... 5_aBgRxhm8

[NAH]

Sounds just like you are running straight pipe exhaust in the videos ^^
What suspension and you running since it's so high?

[95maxrider]

Sounds just like you are running straight pipe exhaust in the videos ^^
What suspension and you running since it's so high?

Yeah, the exhaust was like that when we bought it. No cats in the system, and I think it's a single 3" after the straight pipes/cat delete (plus a muffler). I'm not a huge fan, but it works for now.

For suspension, right now it's on E28 springs (actually not sure if from a 535 or 528, also not sure if it makes a difference) and Bilstein HDs. I'm also a little surprised at how high it sits. Part of it may be from moving the battery to the trunk, and part may be from gutting the interior. Still though, it makes me think I've got 535 springs on it and they make it ride higher than 528e springs would. I'm considering cutting a coil off the front springs, because we simply don't need this much clearance.

Did a little digging only to find a myriad of spring options for the E28.

528e:
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do ... g=31&fg=10

535:
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do ... g=31&fg=10

So these are stock springs, I'm just not sure which.

It was lowered when we bought it, but that didn't work very well when playing in the dirt. Unfortunately now there is a tremendous amount of body roll, and I'm having a hard time finding a set of the big 25/19 sway bars.

[tig]

I love how this car and thread is like the honey badger. It just doesn't give a shit.

Well done! Very well done.

[95maxrider]

Not much new here, still trying to figure out how to get big sway bars to work on this damn thing.

In the mean time, we prepped the car for the additional loads of the big bars by reinforcing the FSB end link attachment points on the struts, as it's a known failure point. We ran out of time, but the next thing to do is to reinforce the rear frame mounts for the big bars. We did at least get new Meyle end links front and rear. Our old rear links were pretty shot.

Welding!







And I got the rear section of the front fender liners installed:





And I'm not sure if this is from the dirt, or from driving too hard on the street, but the front Winterforce tires are chunking:






So that's cool.

[95maxrider]

A few months back I had the front sway bar end link mounts reinforced on the struts by my mechanic, and when I got the car back he told me something happened to the ABS wire on the front of the car (driver's side). It sounded like the wires were only barely attached, and when he went to do his work, they came apart. The story didn't quite make sense, but either way, this is what it looked like when I got it back:





And so for the last two rally-x events I've been running without ABS, and while I can stay out of ABS most of the time, there were a couple of times I really could have used it, and I lost time without it.

So I picked up a used sensor from south26 on here and got to installing it





But unfortunately, even after disconnecting the battery overnight to let the ABS module reset, I'm still getting the ABS light come on after I drive the car ~50', and ABS is inoperative. I'm kind of at a loss as to how I should approach this problem. I've read that other people have had the same problem, but haven't come across a solid solution. Any tips on this would be greatly appreciated!

[95maxrider]

Like most E28s, my car was blessed with the chrome accents in the tail lights, and they don't exactly match with all the blacking out of other trim I've done, so it was time to tackle two projects at once. What was the other project? Water leaking into the trunk around the tail light seal.

I took out the lights and inspected the original insulating foam, and it had seen better days. I read a thread on here talking about a 3M product that is great at sealing things, and is likely the same stuff used to seal around the tail lights on my I30 and many other cars. Enter: 3M Strip-Calk.



We applied this liberally to both the lights and the body, and from what I can tell, it makes a good seal.







So after much cleaning, taping, sanding, and painting, I ended up with this:





Hooray!

===============================================

On another note, we tracked down another water leak a while ago, and it turns out the large puddles of water on the floor are coming from the lower window seals on the doors.

This part:






It clearly needs to be replaced, but I'm not sure which part is which in looking at the Real OEM diagrams.

For the front, I think I need part #5
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do ... g=41&fg=40

And for the rear, I think I need #4
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do ... g=41&fg=45

Are those the correct parts? Is there anything else I should replace in there while I have everything apart? Are there any tips on how to best do the job?

[winfred]

once the key is cycled the abs is reset, if the light comes on after you start moving you have a dead or really weak sensor, a quick and dirty test is hook up to sensor with meter set to AC, you will get a volt or two when you spin wheel, you can check one side against the other

[95maxrider]

Hrm, I'm in a bit of a dilemma, and I could use some opinions.

I've found a set of 24/18 Whiteline sway bars for $360:
http://www.energysuspensionparts.com/pr ... rod=BBF34X
http://www.energysuspensionparts.com/pr ... rod=BBR34X

But since the front bar is so large, I'm pretty sure I would need the M5 frame mounts for it not to fail quickly, and these are simply not available.

My other option is to get a used set of a 22mm ST front bar and an 18mm rear M5 bar that I found.

Doing my reading here:
http://www.digest.net/bmw/archive/v7/msg03531.html
and
http://www.mye28.com/viewtopic.php?t=63 ... light=sway

Tells me my '88 (late model) has 19mm front, 15.5mm rear bars, so the 22/18 would probably be different enough to be worth the effort and money. Additionally, the 22mm bar might be small enough to not put too much load on the mount, so maybe I could get away without dealing with the M5 mount headache.

What do you guys think? Is the 24mm front bar worth the extra effort of somehow getting M5 frame mounts on the car, or will the 22mm be enough of an upgrade? Or, is the 22mm bar big enough that it too will rip off the front frame mount, thus negating it's only redeeming quality?

[95maxrider]

A few weeks ago while under the car trying to fix the ABS issue I discovered the DS rear outer axle boot was ripped and was spewing out grease, so I wanted to get that fixed before the next race.

After looking at the price of new axles on Pelican and the reviews of the $60 remans at parts stores, I decided to just get the boot kits from Pelican and rebuild mine. Four $15 kits ain't so bad. Unfortunately, they decided to only send two, so now we'll have to take the axles out again sometime to do the inner boots. I decided to replace both outer boots since they were in much worse shape than the inners.

Thankfully I have good friends who were willing to lend a hand with the job, so I went the Patrick's place and Josh came out too. Bobby (the co-owner) was nowhere to be seen Before doing the work I had Patrick drive the car around and he picked up on a clunk coming from the rear end when getting on and off the throttle at low speeds. In his semi-professional opinion, the whine I'm hearing from the rear end on the highway is my diff and not the carrier bearing on the driveshaft, so I was worried that the clunk might also be coming from the diff. Apparently some diffs whine and some don't, and there's nothing you can really do about it except shut up and take it. So naturally, I'm going to install more sound deadening and carpet this weekend, because it is damn near unbearable.

Anyway, the point of all that is the clunk from the rear was actually coming from the PS axle. When Josh took it apart and tried to reassemble it, the bearings wouldn't all go back into the carrier thingy. He did some filing work, but I don't think that did much. Eventually, and I'm not sure how, it went back together and seemed to rotate more freely. IIRC the grease in that boot was much nastier than the grease in the ripped DS boot. Now I'm curious to see how bad the inner joint is for that axle. So for once, we solved a problem we didn't intend to, which is much nicer than the usual finding more problems while simultaneously not fixing anything.

Anyway...





Obligatory jacking off picture


Ahhh...


Well, it's half-nice


This is what the PS inner looks like


And the PS outer before we replaced it


So...who thinks we need new pitman arms?


Big thanks to Patrick for offering up his garage, lift and time, and thanks to Josh for all the help!

[95maxrider]

Holy shit, it actually happened!! The car has some properly sized sway bars!

After months of searching, I came across a set of used sway bars that were just right. Let me recap:

First idea- Get the ST 25/19mm set. Oh, but wait, it's no longer being produced and nobody seems to be selling used ones.

Second idea- Buy a used set of M5 bars and figure out a way to mount the front one. Oh wait, the guy who sold me the set lied and they turned out to be from an E12 or something and weren't even close to fitting the E28.

Third idea- Buy a new set of Whiteline 24/18 bars. Oh wait, they're out of stock and not sure when they're getting more.

Fourth idea- Just freaking get the medium ST set that's still supposedly available. Oh wait, the rear bar is only 0.5mm larger than stock. That's not worth $180.

And yet a few weeks ago the clouds parted and I got a PM from a gent here who had the perfect set: 22mm ST adjustable front bar and a 18mm M5 rear bar. Hooray! Those are respectable increases over the stock 19/15.5mm bars.

On to the install!

Patrick noticed the upper bolt for the DS FSB end link (about 2 months old) was very loose, so he snugged it up, but aside from that the install went pretty well. Pics!

New bars


Rear installed with new PowerFlex bushings


The front bar came with poly bushings that were slightly worn but still stiff, so I reused them to save the $50 for the new PowerFlex bushings I bought just in case.


Installed!


Dear god, these transform the car. All that slop and wallow I was complaining about is all but gone. It's not quite as nice to drive as it was on the lowering springs and stock bars, but it's close. I can't wait to get more seat time and really feel what the bars do, but for now, let's just say they were worth the wait. Now let's all pray I don't rip off the frame mounts!

[95maxrider]

Got a few updates on the car, so I figured I would post up.

We finally got some carpeting down over the sound deadening in the trunk and back seat to keep the SD from getting damaged or torn up when putting things in the car. The carpet in trunk and on the lower portion in the back seat aren't glued down, due to ongoing water leak concerns, but at least the SD is protected.





We also installed some HD roll cage padding at helmet level.


And then we did some redesigning of the interior. We removed the remainder of the center console that housed the window switches and the tacked on aluminum dash panel that our ex-third member installed to make room for a storage container. Oh, and some much needed sound deadening on the firewall and trans tunnel! Bobby (the co-owner) had a spare set of floor mats from his E46, so we threw those in the car as well. Every little bit of sound deadening helps!





And we finally got back to doing some more blackout work on the chrome trim. I used more of the blackout tape around the windshield and paint for the front Roundel, which had completely stripped down to the chrome. From 5' away it all looks good enough for me!

Oh, and we took the car through a car wash after the last event. Doesn't it look nice?

[Drew in NYC]

I'm liking the milk crate mod

Good stuff!

[95maxrider]

Got some pics from the last race!

[95maxrider]

Well to celebrate the snow day here in DC, I'll be doing some long overdue updates to my build thread!

Due to a combination camera malfunctions and poor video quality (vibrations) resulting from too many hinges in my GoPro mount, I haven't really had many videos to post, but I got things straightened out by the end of the season, so I've got vids from the last two events of the year, plus one bonus event!

Rally-X #6 10/20/13
By this point we had our 25/19 sway bars on the car, and were loving the body control. No other mods had really been done to the car.

So coming into this event I was pretty solidly in third place for the season behind Roberto in 1st (2nd gen RX7) and Josh (E30 318 w/M42) in 2nd. The wild card in our MR division was Chris, who had previously ran a V6 swapped MR2 (and done very well with it) but the motors kept dying and he sold it, leaving him without a car for the season. For the 4th event I let Chris co-drive the E28 since my co-driver was out of town, and Chris beat me pretty handily in my own car. I watched him drive, and I learned I simply wasn't abusing the car enough, so I've tried driving more aggressively since.

Anyway, for this event, Josh let Chris co-drive the E30, and guess what? Chris smashes Josh in his own car and comes in 1st for the day, earning himself enough points to tie me for 3rd for the season! I came in 4th, behind Josh and Roberto.

Here are the results.
http://www.wdcr-scca.org/RallyCross/Res ... lt.aspx#MR

After 13 runs of about 60 seconds each, Josh was 12 seconds behind Chris, Roberto was 2 seconds behind Josh, and I was 11 seconds behind him. I only hit two cones for the day, which is quite a bit less than others in my class. Maybe I need to drive even more aggressively!

Towards the end of the day, the gas pedal was coming off the floor and flopping around, occasionally making the throttle stick, which added a few seconds to my final runs. The metal bracket the holds the pedal to the floor had rusted off, so there wasn't much holding the gas pedal in place. We had planned to get a hinge from Home Depot and do a quick fix before the next race, but never got around to it, and it came back to bite us. More on that later.

Another problem area with the car was the lack of ABS. There were a few sections on the course where I really was going easy on the brakes for fear of locking up, which was costing me valuable time. As of right now, the issue still hasn't been resolved. I also got tired of having my foot to the floor for so much of the run, and starting wanting more power. But what else is new?

Here's a video of my best run in the AM, followed by my best PM run.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EvNIYJ1 ... D7LGc5McKA

[95maxrider]

For whatever reason, I auto-x my Infiniti I30, but when the final Solo event came around, my front brakes were metal to metal and the new Wilwood pads/rotors hadn't arrived yet, so I decided to bring the E28 out on its snow tires and have some fun. I'm pretty sure I set the slowest times of the day, but the car sure made people laugh! Three other people from rally-x also come to Solo events and they got a kick out of seeing the E28 come out. Anyway, times didn't matter this day, so I'll let the pics and video do the talking. Watch the video to the very end!!

One of these things is not like the other




Here we go!