Restoring an 86 Bronzit 535i

[bronziti]

Hello all!
been a long time reader but just recently joined. i have been looking for an e28 in the past but life happens and 10 years later i restarted and found a project car got it from a local seller with about ~100K on the clock.

already knew it would be a project since i saw all the rust but was more concerned about the engine and how it ran (will get to this later). during the test drive it started right up ran strong, shifted fine and the only issue was that the brakes would loose pressure and pedal would go down about an inch but it did build back up when pressed again. PO mentioned it could be the accumulator so i factored that in... drove and got the car safely home and really loved the way it drove on the highway. it was a 45 min drive and no issues.

so first i refreshed and flushed the brake and the power steering fluids, the brake fluid looked like it wasn't changed for a while... and well that fixed the sinking brake pedal and it never came back... but then the ABS light is also lit so i tried to get that sorted, snooped around under the car and since it's a new york car the abs rings were rusted out and that i think is the issue, good thing that Ivo sells them and was able to get a set out here within a few weeks.

since i was gonna change the abs rings, decided to drop the subframe all-together to deal with the rust and do some cleaning...


Rusted Diff:



Rear ABS rings were rusted out



Refurbished parts


not going for a show car just something i'll enjoy driving and tinkering on.. searching for a few parts for this car and have tried to reach out to some sellers on this site and other regular sources such as FB or erbay... even though i've encountered a lot of dead ends i manage to link up with some good ones. atm i'm tackling the rear end and slowly moving my way to the front.

i keep reading all the build threads on this site for inspiration and ideas to push me ahead and work on the car. so happy and enjoy the wealth of knowledge and resources available. hope to get some help if ever i get stumped with some issues from available veterans on the site.

[bronziti]

some pics for reference.

so when i got the car i flushed the brake fluid because of the pedal sinking and the fluid color looked like this.



took off the valve cover to find this surprise...


but compression was surprisingly consistent throughout the 6 cylinders..



and since the car had rust issues in the usual places i wanted to see if it had more lurking under the carpet...


removed sound deadening and found gas pedal bracket is rusted...


also found that the rear passenger side floor pan has rust issues...


pulled the fuel tank and surprise... more rust




to make myself feel better i got a used shifter upgrade... Z3 1.9 shifter PN: 25111434148

[1st 5er]

Looks like you're headed in the right direction.

Enjoy the ride.

[Panici]

Following for updates! Looks like a good start so far.

Pulling the carpets was the first thing I did when I got my E30. Ended up keeping them out until I addressed all the rust on the floorpans, replaced the door seals, and ran new sunroof drain hoses.

[alkalineom3n]

Following! Great start - makes me realize I should do some similar projects.

[bronziti]

Thank you!

Yes, read about the drain line relocation and would look into that as well. Original gas tank is nice and clean inside but got a used one that looked good outside, but has rust inside —go figure— using evapo-rust to clear the used tank out while sorting the rust around the gas tank area.

Another issue I got was while taking the fuel filter out the fuel line that had rust broke. So will need to replace the area or perhaps the entire line. Will have to investigate the state of the actual line throughout and might be a good idea since the subframe is out.

[Ordnator]

The best time to replace fuel and brake hard lines is when the rear sub frame is out. It is a pig of a job with the sub frame in.

Best regards

Mick

[bronziti]

The best time to replace fuel and brake hard lines is when the rear sub frame is out. It is a pig of a job with the sub frame in.

Best regards

Mick

yup looks like i will be doing this along with the brakelines... might do/go nickle/copper route..
found this site for reference and perhaps ordering.. https://store.fedhillusa.com/316475mmbrakeline-2.aspx not sure if anyone had experience with them or perhaps provide some leads on where to get the lines from reputable dealers... if anyone has info would greatly appreciate it.

[garageboy]

yup looks like i will be doing this along with the brakelines... might do/go nickle/copper route..
found this site for reference and perhaps ordering.. https://store.fedhillusa.com/316475mmbrakeline-2.aspx not sure if anyone had experience with them or perhaps provide some leads on where to get the lines from reputable dealers... if anyone has info would greatly appreciate it.

I don't wish to be a buzzkill, but the #1 reason I drive an E28 (and an E39, but not at the same time) is the brakes. Other than pads/rotors, I would be sure to stick to stock. I even find the "stainless brake lines" are a gimmick. I found that the stock rubber lines, and stock steel lines are up to the task in an E28 for all but the most grueling track service... and even then.

[bronziti]

I don't wish to be a buzzkill, but the #1 reason I drive an E28 (and an E39, but not at the same time) is the brakes. Other than pads/rotors, I would be sure to stick to stock. I even find the "stainless brake lines" are a gimmick. I found that the stock rubber lines, and stock steel lines are up to the task in an E28 for all but the most grueling track service... and even then.

actually this helped out. i was under the impression that the lines were NLA.. but found that ecs had them so place the order and will be refreshing those lines with oem soon!

[bronziti]

Some progress...

Got a new used tank to replace the old rusted unit:

Prepped and refurbished for use:



Got new oem brake lines bent and installed as well as new fuel line... just waiting on the supply line to come in from Germany.



started replacing some rust areas.. started with the passenger subframe mounting point.



concentrating on rust areas that is close to the fuel tank area. scared of welding around that area if the tank was on so i don't want to take any chances with that. once i get those sorted out i can then proceed to install the refurb' components

[bronziti]

started putting things back together...

most of the welding needed near the fuel tank is almost done... mounted the rear sub-frame and rounded one of the knurled bolts, order that and should be in this week... also got to fabricate some trunk areas to get the rear ready for panels

rear subframe restored and semi-mounted..


rear rust area welded with new fabricated panels using 16g steel
before..


during..


after.. with donor bumper mount.. still need to cut a hole i think if i decide to do the rear side markers again.

[1983533i]

Can I inquire what you payed for that used Gas tank, and do you know of anymore out there?

D.

[Panici]

That rear corner piece was hand fabricated?
Fantastic work!

[bronziti]

Can I inquire what you payed for that used Gas tank, and do you know of anymore out there?

D.

found it on fleabay... i had to pay $400 but its solid and a little rust inside. soaked it with evaporust for 3-4 days. i still see them now and again.

[bronziti]

That rear corner piece was hand fabricated?
Fantastic work!

Thank you! yes hand fabbed... first time doing it. learning as i go and really just taking my time but lazy at grinding down the welds on hidden areas. been watching a lot of online videos specially like this guy Fitzee's fabrication channel

[bronziti]

moving on. haven't posted in a while. life

got the brake and fuel lines sorted and installed, fuel tank went on, rear axles torqued down, drive shaft installed, wheels bolted on..

got to finish the back end apron a while ago and got it primed and painted. also got to install the rear euro bumper.

before:


after



driver and passenger side floor rust spots got taken cared of as well as the rear passenger foot well rust hole got replaced. decided to replace some sound deadening (hope the brand i used works well)

before:


after:




got to drive her a bit around the neighborhood... and the brake master decided to take a leak... took the opportunity to do the vacuum swap

slowly putting her interior back together now..after which, i can tackle the front end euro bumper conversion

[1st 5er]

That's some good movement.