E12 M535i Project - 08-21-19 Update

1st 5er · Post by **1st 5er** » Jan 06, 2017 7:45 PM

ElGuappo wrote:Do like, would fondle

2nds.

bkbimmer · Post by **bkbimmer** » Jan 07, 2017 3:10 AM

I hope it does brodies.

Tammer in Philly · Post by **Tammer in Philly** » Jan 10, 2017 1:01 PM

The before/after pic series is just amazing.

Really nicely done. Be proud of that.

davintosh · Post by **davintosh** » Jan 10, 2017 4:49 PM

Tammer in Philly wrote:The before/after pic series is just amazing.

Exactly. The car couldn't be in better hands. Well done, sir.

I can see how it's hard to get work done with that around; I'd want to look at it all day too.

wkohler · Post by **wkohler** » Jan 14, 2017 2:24 AM

Thanks guys. It's been a lot of work and it hasn't always been fun.

Haven't done a lot of big stuff over the last few days, but we are getting kinda down to the piddly crap now.

I figured out the 2500 rpm hesitation issue. I bought a new old stock AFM from a guy in Germany and hopefully I'll receive it sometime in 2017. Everything was pointing to the AFM being the issue. Given tracking status hasn't changed in over ten days (WTF), I decided to look at other things. I swapped Ignition modules, ECUs, did a bunch of other checks on stuff and finally said, "I need to adjust the TPS again." I put the meter on it and I had "001" with the throttle closed. I couldn't rotate the switch anymore, so I was thinking it was bad. I decided to move it the other direction. The number shot way up, then gradually came down and then I got "000." Runs really smoothly now. It was off quite a bit. I guess when the motor was hitting about 2500 rpm, the TPS was saying idle. So, as long as the AFM shows up sometime, I can relax a bit.

Next, I had to do the sun visors. I had a brand new pair I had gotten a few years ago. I went to put them in and discovered that the brand new pair weren't for an E12, rather an E21, so they were useless to me. I went through the stack of visors and found the originals from this car. Of the E12 visors I had, they were actually the best ones.

After lots and lots of cleaning, a huge improvement for sure, but next to the new headliner, a bit of a let down.

I had never mounted the trunk spoiler. Reason being that there were two holes that needed to be made on the underside of the trunklid so I could put nuts on the outermost spoiler studs. The original had them but in all the commotion, Mike lost track and I wasn't thinking about them either. I was going to wait and let Mike make the holes, but I got tired of nothing getting done, so I sprung into action. The current owner of my old white M535i was nice enough to take some measurements of the holes in his trunk lid and I figured out the diameter of the hole and started shopping for a hole saw or something to make it. I soon discovered that the big drawback to hole saws is the bit that drills the pilot hole. There isn't enough of a distance between the bottom layer of metal and the top of the trunk lid. After conferring with a friend, he suggested I use a cutter with a spring loaded locating pin and said to look at the Rotabroach. So, I bought a set from Amazon and the largest size in the smaller set was sufficient.

I bought the stick lube as well. I used a small drill bit and drilled a pilot hole through the hole for the stud in the top of the trunk though the bottom layer. That was perfect for setting the locating pin.

Then I chucked up the ol' Rotabroach and voila!

Super clean hole. Very impressed. Made quick work of it too. I touched-up the bare metal with some primer and then later some polaris and good to go.

I mounted up the spoiler. So interesting.

Once the spoiler was on the car, I affixed the stripe, the roundel and the model badging.

I hadn't yet mounted the lower left dash panel. Reason being that I didn't have a reverse light harness. I have no idea what happened to the one that was on the car. I decided to pull the one out of the 6er in the backyard and use that as a guide to make one. Turned out it only had half of one. Fortunately, it had the grommet and the part that connected inside the car. I had an E28 one, so I combined the two to make a good one and then spent an hour feeding it into some heat-shrink tubing. Hooked it up and everything worked. Awesome. With that done, I attached the fader, switch for the power antenna and the power window circuit breakers and then the panel to the car. I can't find my new pedal pads, but they're cheap enough and easily available that I can just pick up a new pair.

I while I had the front of the car in the air, I put the lock wire on the front strut to knuckle bolts and called it a day.

Just a couple of piddly things left. I should be able to drive the car now, but it's still insured for like $6500, so I need to figure all of that out before it leaves the garage again.

5280 JB · Post by **5280 JB** » Jan 14, 2017 3:32 PM

The few times I've needed to drill holes into a trunk lid or other body sheet metal, the "pucker factor" is pretty high when the drill actually starts cutting into metal. I always fear some huge screw up, even though you measure two, three, eleventy times first. Congrats on getting that spoiler mounted perfectly the first time!

Just an awesome, super impressive result on this car Chris!

Jim

bkbimmer · Post by **bkbimmer** » Jan 14, 2017 3:45 PM

I love the Arizona historic plates.

maybeillbuyit · Post by **maybeillbuyit** » Feb 05, 2017 11:55 AM

Beautiful, love the spoiler. Does the exhaust get chrome tips or stays as is? You're going to be bored, whats the next project?

fastcrs · Post by **fastcrs** » Feb 05, 2017 1:57 PM

Car is a stunner...The wheels look great on it.

wkohler · Post by **wkohler** » Feb 06, 2017 11:59 PM

Thanks!

I thought the wheels would look good as well. I had never put the RAs on the car before and I had them refinished a few years back. Lately, I was thinking more and more about putting the original 14" BBS-Mahle wheels on and I might still get them refinished and do something with them. For now, they're holding up the E28 parts car.

The exhaust is supposed to get chrome tips. I found a pair and paid about $200 for them only to receive the wrong 42mm ones for a 533i that are about $20 ea. Sadly, I only got a portion of my money back on them and I think the language barrier is a big part of that.

I don't think I'm going to be bored since I still have to get this thing broken in (about 95 miles on it now - it's ok). I've got plenty of projects and there's still some tweaking and some other stuff that will have to be re-visited on this car. At this point though, I feel pretty burned out. It felt good to get rid of that 635CSi though. Now I just need to get rid of the parts.

Here's a photo of the car somewhere other than in my driveway.

Chimi-Changa · Post by **Chimi-Changa** » Feb 07, 2017 10:36 PM

LOOOK-ING GOOD!

bkbimmer wrote:I love the Arizona historic plates.

Right? They look antique-ish. Perfect on these cars.

Adam W in MN · Post by **Adam W in MN** » Feb 08, 2017 8:47 AM

What's the reaction driving on the street? It has to get some stares especially with the stripes!

Is the suspension settling a bit and are you happy with the wheels and ride height?

white chocolate · Post by **white chocolate** » Feb 08, 2017 1:44 PM

Looks great!

duggi · Post by **duggi** » Feb 08, 2017 5:15 PM

Can you restore my NK please?

All kidding aside, you've done an amazing job with that car. I'm very impressed by the level of detail and polish.

dukmon · Post by **dukmon** » Feb 08, 2017 6:16 PM

Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice

wkohler · Post by **wkohler** » Feb 08, 2017 10:32 PM

Thanks!

Interestingly, this car doesn't really seem to get noticed on the street. I haven't really seen anyone looking at it.

The suspension feels pretty good. I am actually satisfied with where it's sitting. I think the 16" wheels accentuate whatever gap there is up front, but it feels pretty planted, so I'm happy with that.

Post by **tig** » Feb 09, 2017 4:27 AM

wkohler wrote:Thanks!

Interestingly, this car doesn't really seem to get noticed on the street. I haven't really seen anyone looking at it.

The suspension feels pretty good. I am actually satisfied with where it's sitting. I think the 16" wheels accentuate whatever gap there is up front, but it feels pretty planted, so I'm happy with that.

From the recent pictures you've posted it looks tits to my eyes. Stance just seems perfect for the era.

duggi · Post by **duggi** » Feb 09, 2017 11:07 AM

cek wrote:
wkohler wrote:Thanks!

Interestingly, this car doesn't really seem to get noticed on the street. I haven't really seen anyone looking at it.

The suspension feels pretty good. I am actually satisfied with where it's sitting. I think the 16" wheels accentuate whatever gap there is up front, but it feels pretty planted, so I'm happy with that.
From the recent pictures you've posted it looks tits to my eyes. Stance just seems perfect for the era.

Agreed. Personally I've always been more than fine with the stock ride-height on most BMWs. Looks fantastic, glad you went for the stripes...I think most people wouldn't have.

maybeillbuyit · Post by **maybeillbuyit** » Feb 11, 2017 10:52 AM

I thought the wheels would look good as well. I had never put the RAs on the car before and I had them refinished a few years back. Lately, I was thinking more and more about putting the original 14" BBS-Mahle wheels on and I might still get them refinished and do something with them. For now, they're holding up the E28 parts car.

Those RAs look awesome and I know 16s are the wheel for these cars, but I would love to see the stock 14x7s on this car. Its just another original detail. I know the tires suck.

wkohler wrote: The exhaust is supposed to get chrome tips. I found a pair and paid about $200 for them only to receive the wrong 42mm ones for a 533i that are about $20 ea. Sadly, I only got a portion of my money back on them and I think the language barrier is a big part of that.

I just had the exact same thing happen but didn't realize till you posted this. I found a NOS set on ebay for $14 to replace the beat ones on the 79 635.They go well with the car as the whole thing is beat. They just came in the mail.After reading your post I went and checked and they are 42mm and I need the 46 or 48. Into the hoard they go.

GaAlpinaOwner · Post by **GaAlpinaOwner** » Feb 12, 2017 2:47 PM

Chris the E12 looks awesome...really has come far! Congrats

David Frankel

grbbenny · Post by **grbbenny** » Feb 14, 2017 6:08 PM

Just went through this thread after not having been around the site much since I sold off my BMW fleet. I thought my M535i looked pretty good but this car is so many levels above that car it is ridiculous. My god that is nice.

Congratulations Chris - magnificent!

Graham

q20v · Post by **q20v** » Feb 20, 2017 6:36 PM

Very very nice build. I love the attention to detail. Have fun putting some miles on her!

Barry

DXXXIIIi · Post by **DXXXIIIi** » Feb 24, 2017 4:47 AM

Such an amazing journey.
I'm sure you might have seen this already, but I wanted to share what I stumbled onto on Petrolicious. I hope I get the link inserted correctly.

http://petrolicious.com/the-bmw-e12-m53 ... 459add8124
Mr Kohler, please submit your story!

Adam W in MN · Post by **Adam W in MN** » Feb 24, 2017 10:12 AM

http://www.mye28.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=142952

wkohler · Post by **wkohler** » Feb 24, 2017 11:08 AM

I highly doubt they'd have any interest in my car after running this story. That will be all their E12 content for the next 10 years.

1st 5er · Post by **1st 5er** » Feb 24, 2017 1:05 PM

Adam W in MN wrote:http://www.mye28.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=142952

Should have been your car Chris.

DXXXIIIi · Post by **DXXXIIIi** » Feb 24, 2017 1:46 PM

wkohler wrote:I highly doubt they'd have any interest in my car after running this story. That will be all their E12 content for the next 10 years.

LOL. I dunno tho. Yours is such an awesome story of resurrection.
Though you might have to wait till they run eleventy hundred more stories 'bout how awesome the 911 is.

And thanks Adam.

wkohler · Post by **wkohler** » Mar 13, 2017 2:59 AM

So, a bit of an update. I haven't had a lot of time to do much with it, but I've been working out some kinks and putting some miles on it. It's been tough to find the time to drive it, let alone at times with low traffic, but I've been working on it. The other day, I took it out for a while since I had to drop a couple things off for my other job out in Chandler. It was a good time of day and decided I could do it. I swung by Mike's shop on the way back since he hadn't yet seen the car assembled. I picked it up from him 22 months ago! He was blown away by it and all of the people in his complex were over looking at it and asking questions. It was kinda weird for me, but I received a lot of compliments on the depth and quality of the work that has gone into it. I can't lie when I say it felt pretty good. Had to work ridiculous hours Friday and yesterday, but I did put roughly 155.7 miles on it today. I had a more northwesterly route planned hoping to stay away from congestion, but I got a text from a friend out in far east Mesa asking if I wanted to get together, so I changed course and went out that way, which also allowed me to drive up the Bush Highway along the lower Salt River and Usery Pass for a bit after lunch. It's not very far from civilization, but is very beautiful desert and a road that allows lots of changes in RPM which is ideal for the break-in process. Lots of motorcycle traffic but it flows pretty well. I had photographed some bikes out here a few years back and received a citation for using a camera on National Forest land. $200 plus a $58 court fee. Yay. Since then I was hoping to get back out since I had never personally driven the road during the day and it really was great.

Anyway, the M535i has been performing pretty well so some of the anxiety about it has subsided. Here are some photos from today.

We're sitting at about 460 miles as of today. Looking to change the oil to Valvoline VR1 either tomorrow or Tuesday depending on schedules. Then maybe I can take it over 4000 RPM and hopefully not go to jail. It feels like a pretty strong motor.

muleskinner · Post by **muleskinner** » Mar 13, 2017 6:29 AM

Great photos!

Adam W in MN · Post by **Adam W in MN** » Mar 13, 2017 8:25 AM

Great pictures and nice to see you're settling into driving it more!

ElGuappo · Post by **ElGuappo** » Mar 13, 2017 12:13 PM

I'm loving this car.
I am nuts about the stripes, especially how the rear flares up, makes it look like the car is in motion even when sitting still.
Can't wait to see it!

Post by **tig** » Mar 13, 2017 3:01 PM

How much was the ticket this time?

wkohler · Post by **wkohler** » Mar 13, 2017 3:02 PM

cek wrote:How much was the ticket this time?

Lol. Well this time it was just me and my phone. Last time, it was me, a bunch of camera equipment and a bunch of guys with Harleys that couldn't keep their mouths shut. "Oh, yeah, we're doing a shoot for a magazine." That didn't exactly fit with my story.

tschultz · Post by **tschultz** » Mar 13, 2017 3:29 PM

Thanks for sharing.

Such a rewarding project even just to follow since back in 2010! I realized I never shard my thoughts on M90/dogleg combo. Yes, mine is in an E24 so it is heavier and balanced slightly worse... but still some insight for those who have wondered about the M90. I'm sure Chris can clarify a bit better with the cars he owns.

I haven't driven the 10:1 M30B34 but the biggest difference I have found with the M90 is that is has low end torque @2000rpm but also doesn't fall off about 4500-5000rpm like a us spec M30B34. Power continues in a quite linear fashion.

No it isn't a speed demon above ~90mph, the engine just doesn't make power in the high revs like an S38. But it is a much more versatile combination and I really love mine. Fortunately it has power in each gear and the ability to really pull well out of tight curves at 2500-3000rpm where an S38 car has to be above 4k rpm. This makes the combo brilliant for mountain drives.

Curious to hear what you have to say about ti after getting it fully broken in.

Hffvdbl · Post by **Hffvdbl** » Mar 13, 2017 4:19 PM

Looks fantastic Chris, great job! What size are the wheels and tires? They look perfect on the car.

M. Holtmeier · Post by **M. Holtmeier** » Mar 13, 2017 6:33 PM

Beautifully done, Chris!

Karl Grau · Post by **Karl Grau** » Mar 13, 2017 9:26 PM

You're like the Ansel Adams of color automotive photography.

wkohler wrote: I had photographed some bikes out here a few years back and received a citation for using a camera on National Forest land. $200 plus a $58 court fee.

What the F-ing F? When did this become a thing?

wkohler · Post by **wkohler** » Mar 15, 2017 3:27 AM

Thanks for the comments. It certainly has been a very frustrating project at times but it is pretty nice to actually drive it. I did the 500 mile oil change today, so it's running on some fresh Valvoline VR-1. That oil filter canister is really a pain in the ass - even with a lift. Part of me wishes I had gone to a later canister and just powder-coated it to look the part but I decided to stay original. Meh!

With that done, I need to czech the timing and some other stuff again before taking the motor more into the rev range and going WOT. I guess we will see how it all goes this weekend as barring anything I haven't noticed or some impending disaster, I guess this is the car I'm going to attempt to make the trip to San Diego with. I'm not totally sure it's the right idea but what the hell.

vinceg101 · Post by **vinceg101** » Mar 15, 2017 12:05 PM

wkohler wrote:With that done, I need to czech the timing and some other stuff again before taking the motor more into the rev range and going WOT. I guess we will see how it all goes this weekend as barring anything I haven't noticed or some impending disaster, I guess this is the car I'm going to attempt to make the trip to San Diego with. I'm not totally sure it's the right idea but what the hell.

This kind of the way I feel at the moment; wish I had the month of shake-down I had originally planned. Oh well, at least we will have a wing man flying along side.

Can't wait to see this thing finally.

ElGuappo · Post by **ElGuappo** » Mar 15, 2017 1:34 PM

Don't let it being the wrong idea dissuade you from doing it!
Where is your 'Murican gumption?!

Pavel · Post by **Pavel** » Mar 16, 2017 5:50 PM

wkohler wrote:I highly doubt they'd have any interest in my car after running this story. That will be all their E12 content for the next 10 years.

But I do. Let's talk maybe we can put something specific this time for the M535i, restoration, owner etc. Maybe I will make a trip out to you to do a proper coverage on DRIVETRIBE. Got a pretty decent audience now at 35k members.

CSBM5 · Post by **CSBM5** » Mar 17, 2017 4:25 PM

wkohler wrote:That oil filter canister is really a pain in the ass - even with a lift. Part of me wishes I had gone to a later canister and just powder-coated it to look the part but I decided to stay original. Meh!

I assume this is the bottom bolt canister? The one where oil goes freaking everywhere just about no matter what you do? Ah for the days of such fun...

wkohler · Post by **wkohler** » Mar 20, 2017 4:52 PM

This last week, I had an awesome time with Greg E34 and Kyle in NO as they passed through town to go to the St Paddy's meet in San Diego. Kyle also had a mostly empty trailer, so instead of driving the M535i over, I did something I've never done before in my life - trailer a car to an event. It made sense since I've been so busy and I could relax instead of spending a whole day cleaning bugs and crap off the car. While I was planning on heading over really early Friday morning, Kyle was planning on leaving later on Thursday, so that ended up working out for me too. We had to pick ldsbeaker up in Yuma since I was going to be giving him a ride to San Diego anyway and Kyle was cool with that.

The trip over went smoothly and we got to San Diego around 3:30am. Kyle dropped us off at Darin's house and he ended up spending the night in his truck due to concerns about theft of the in the bed in the hotel parking lot. Later that morning, he and Greg had the car unloaded for me when I got there. It drove pretty well but I was concerned about some rubbing I was getting with the left rear tire which I hadn't really been getting before.

Here are a couple photos of it from the event that I've found.

So that was pretty fun and we decided to head home on Sunday morning. Once getting Adam and all of our stuff in the car, that left rear tire was going to be constantly on the fender, which we know wouldn't last long. After going through a few options of how to fix it, JP from La Jolla Independent suggested we unload the car and take it over to the shop and see what we could do. So we did. Devinder, his assistant, Dylan and Yar came along as well. I don't know what the deal is with these Bilsteins but they're supposed to be for the M535i but the spring wasn't even compressed with the perch on the top ring. Without a lathe, Devinder came up with an idea, so we pulled them out of the car and went to the pile of old Bilsteins and got a couple more lower perches, inverted them and used them as a spacer, then reassembled. It worked well. No spring compressor needed either, though there was a real one right there.

Back at Darin's, we got it loaded up again, and I have to say I think it looks pretty sweet.

Back on the road again. For real this time. Our original 10am departure was now 1pm. Things were going well. Until we started climbing into Alpine. Suddenly, it started stumbling and we were running on five cylinders. I exited the Interstate and pulled off into a Carl's Jr. parking lot. Started looking some things over and swapped the cap and rotor. Started it up and it ran fine for a few seconds, then settled back into five cylinders. I moved some things around and when I touched the coolant temp sensor connector, the car died, so I popped it apart, re-tensioned the pins and reassembled it. Started the car and it idled for a minute perfectly. Took it up Alpine Blvd for about a mile and it ran great. Turned around and headed back downhill and it started stumbling again. Went through a few other ideas and then Adam suggested that we shouldn't risk it since there was so much climbing ahead. We got some lunch and he reached out to some friends with trucks and arranged for a U-Haul trailer. My friend Eric was with us in his E39 (totally packed with computer stuff) and he suggested we go back out and look at the car. I said I wanted to pull the wires 1 by 1 to see if this was a dead cylinder or something that was moving around. Started with 6 and had a change with it, 5, 4, 3 and then when I pulled 2, nothing changed. With that, we went through and found that the injector connector on #2 was not fully seated as I thought it had been. He easily unplugged it. I double checked the pins and found it was one I hadn't disassembled, so I reconnected it, grabbed a tool and tapped on it to make sure it fully seated. Took it for a drive and I pronounced it fixed. Adam's friend was grabbing the trailer, so we put him off for a bit and got back on the road. While I was a bit stressed out, the car performed flawlessly and ran well. We were soon coming into El Centro and while I wasn't sure it was necessary, we still had him get the trailer just in case a problem did arise. Everything went smoothly and we dropped Adam off at home. He got home later than he was hoping, but didn't complain at all.

After that, Eric and I were on our way and it was smooth sailing all the way home. The car ran very well, was quiet with no rattles, no squeaks, no clunks and no other noises. The motor was smooth and it consumed no obvious amount of oil. I made it home around 10pm. Much later than I should have, but I was able to drive the car all the way and I was happy about that. I had a couple of issues and I'd have likely had them on my trip to San Diego and I wouldn't have really had much of an answer for the fender interference then and I'd have likely turned around and just grabbed the E39. I'm glad it worked out the way it did and I really appreciate Adam and Eric being patient while I was upset my car was showing it wasn't truly ready for prime time. In the end, it was a couple of minor issues, but I've obviously got some great friends that have my back.

This morning, I decided to clean the bugs off and swap out the trip lights and grilles for the real set.

Pretty insane amount of bugs in places very hard to access. That said, it looks no worse for wear.

white chocolate · Post by **white chocolate** » Mar 20, 2017 5:32 PM

Man, that thing is too cool!

Glad you guys got things worked out. Being stranded hours from home is no es beuno.

Adam W in MN · Post by **Adam W in MN** » Mar 21, 2017 10:43 AM

Glad you made it back ok, and looks like your concerns about the drive were well founded! Nice troubleshooting which can always be tough in the heat of the moment in a stressful situation.

cddallara · Post by **cddallara** » Mar 22, 2017 1:44 AM

Glad you made it there and back ok. You do have great friends. Some of the same ones have helped me before too.
Gonna be weird cruising by All Autos and not seeing a green British sports car there anymore. Hopefully Kyle has a safe drive up here and on to wherever Slammin's car is headed.

maybeillbuyit · Post by **maybeillbuyit** » Mar 29, 2017 11:08 AM

Sounds like a great first road trip. Nice job working through the problems. The car looks awesome.

That oil filter canister is really a pain in the ass - even with a lift. Part of me wishes I had gone to a later canister and just powder-coated it to look the part but I decided to stay original. Meh!

I've got the same canister on my M90 and it sucks. Not only does mine leak out the bolthole and the bolt falls out but once the canister is unbolted from below it doesn't have room to to come out the bottom. Then you have to go up top and twist and turn it to get it just right to have room to remove it from the top. The whole time dribbling oil all over.

Which later housing and canister would you use that has the oil cooler ports?

tschultz · Post by **tschultz** » Mar 29, 2017 11:38 AM

I agree it makes a mess, but I didn't think it was all that much worse than the M30B34. Just loosen the bolt by hand and then once it's fully unthreaded use your pointer finger to hold the bolt snug to the housing. Once you bring it down far enough you can move it and maneuver it around up and out. Maybe it helps that I have small hands, wrists and arms

Adam W in MN · Post by **Adam W in MN** » Mar 29, 2017 12:58 PM

When I change the oil on mine I put two plastic grocery bags around the canister and try to undo the bolt with a wrench inside the bag. It's convoluted and horrifically awkward but it sort of works to contain the bolt falling out and the oil spillage.

bkbimmer · Post by **bkbimmer** » Mar 29, 2017 1:45 PM

The car looks gorgeous, sir.