Well I've gone an bought someone's unfinished project

[mewherman]

Hey, I'm new to this forum and I have never owned a BMW before, despite really wanting to. I'm not new to mechanics, as I've been a professional mechanic for more than a decade and have owned many classic cars. Nevertheless, I know nothing about BMW and this franken-car leaves me with many questions such as "why have I done this" and "I'm already restoring multiple cars" and so on.

Anyhow, here are some photos.


So I've always wanted an e28 and I realize this is an E12 and this is an e28 forum, but you know I hope that's ok because the price was right and someone has already (poorly) done the engine swap I would want into it, and it has nicer bumpers.

So I bought this cheap because it was in shockingly unrusty conditon for a 1979 528i in Canada, and it has what is allegedly an M30b35 with that I think is called the 265? 5speed transmission and it ran and drove onto my trailer.

My main question is whether it actually is an M30b35.(it does appear to have the toothed tone wheel for motronic 1.3) I also have many misgivings about the quality of this engine swap.

So this photo is of the oil filter housing, now I'm a non-expert but the b35 in photos I've seen has this top loading cartridge set up, but this guy looks like it's from the original engine or maybe the whole bottom end is original who knows, all I know is it's facing downward and is jammed so hard into the engine mount that there is no way you can change the oil.

Another thing that I have no photos of is the transmission mount, it only has one mount on the passenger side, the transmission case has right and left flanges for mounts, but the bracket only has accommodations for one mount, also all the nuts are finger tight on the mount.

The engine has strong indications that it originally had an engine driven clutch fan which is missing for obvious reasons, there is a small electric fan operating as a pusher in front of the rad, is this original? Or has someone put this there, also I have yet to see it do anything.

The transmission has a strong whining noise in neutral. Maybe there is no oil in it? Who knows.

There are a few other things I have questions about, I appear to have most of the vacuum lines for the evap system missing? Is this going to cause all kinds of issues for me? There are also many electrical plugs that are just plugged into nothing and I have no idea what they are supposed to be for. That said, the engine runs just fine after I changed a fouled spark plug.

I've ordered a number of parts to hopefully get this recommissioned.

The main issue I have at the moment is actually the fact that the person who swapped this bodged the throttle, and the original parts from the E12 chassis that I need to hook up the throttle cable and make it work are missing.

Namely "lever" Part #: 35411113233 and "rod" Part #: 35411107644

also, nothing electrical works except the power sunroof.

Now, I've ordered these from pelican parts who claim to have them even though they are discontinued 20 years ago, but I don't have much faith in that.

My main question for you kind-hearted forum users would be to pursue my photos and see if you can eyeball anything I might not notice that I should be paying attention to. I would also love some wiring diagrams for this engine, so I can trace down this rat's nest, otherwise it will never be reliable.

[Mike W.]

So I bought this cheap because it was in shockingly unrusty conditon for a 1979 528i in Canada, and it has what is allegedly an M30b35 with that I think is called the 265? 5speed transmission and it ran and drove onto my trailer.

Welcome to the group!

If it's a 5 speed and the speedo works it's a 265, that's the only 5 speed with a speedo drive. The 265 has a 3 piece case, plus a removable bellhousing. To further confuse you both the very similar, but 2 piece case 262 and the 265 have a 262 number cast into the front part of the case.

My main question is whether it actually is an M30b35.(it does appear to have the toothed tone wheel for motronic 1.3) I also have many misgivings about the quality of this engine swap.

The intake side of the block will sort of tell you the displacement, the original 2.8 would have a 2.5/2.8 cast in denoting the 86MM bore, a 3.5 would have a 3.5 as it was the only one with a 92MM bore.

So this photo is of the oil filter housing, now I'm a non-expert but the b35 in photos I've seen has this top loading cartridge set up, but this guy looks like it's from the original engine or maybe the whole bottom end is original who knows, all I know is it's facing downward and is jammed so hard into the engine mount that there is no way you can change the oil.

I don't know why it would be jammed against the motor mount, but you're correct, it is the earlier oil filter.

Another thing that I have no photos of is the transmission mount, it only has one mount on the passenger side, the transmission case has right and left flanges for mounts, but the bracket only has accommodations for one mount, also all the nuts are finger tight on the mount.

Odd looking yes, but that was stock on E12s and E24s thru 82.

The engine has strong indications that it originally had an engine driven clutch fan which is missing for obvious reasons, there is a small electric fan operating as a pusher in front of the rad, is this original? Or has someone put this there, also I have yet to see it do anything.

Yes, it should have an engine driven fan. It's a tight fit, so tight that I've found the minimal fan shroud to have no effect, figure half an inch clearance between the fan and the radiator. But they did also come with a pretty beefy aux electric fan in front of the A/C condenser, 2 speed off switches on the bottom right of the radiator, low speed is nearly silent, high speed you can hear on the freeway. 5 blade, roughly 15" diameter

The transmission has a strong whining noise in neutral. Maybe there is no oil in it? Who knows.

While rugged and strong, the 265 does have a problem with the input bearing getting noisy. Change the oil, GL 4 is spec'd, especially in Canada a GL 5 will make for difficult cold shifting. There's a thousand threads and opinions on the "perfect" tranny oil.

There are a few other things I have questions about, I appear to have most of the vacuum lines for the evap system missing? Is this going to cause all kinds of issues for me? There are also many electrical plugs that are just plugged into nothing and I have no idea what they are supposed to be for. That said, the engine runs just fine after I changed a fouled spark plug.

I like the evap system stock, it works and decreases emissions a little bit without making it run any worse. Unplugged electrical plugs? E28s had a few, but not E12s that I can remember, so probably a fallout of the less than perfect engine swap.

I've ordered a number of parts to hopefully get this recommissioned.

The main issue I have at the moment is actually the fact that the person who swapped this bodged the throttle, and the original parts from the E12 chassis that I need to hook up the throttle cable and make it work are missing.

Namely "lever" Part #: 35411113233 and "rod" Part #: 35411107644

Don't hold your breath on those parts fitting that intake, the E12 rod went up thru the intake between the runners.

also, nothing electrical works except the power sunroof.

Windows might be as simple as the circuit breakers that are located on the kick panel below the steering column.

My main question for you kind-hearted forum users would be to pursue my photos and see if you can eyeball anything I might not notice that I should be paying attention to. I would also love some wiring diagrams for this engine, so I can trace down this rat's nest, otherwise it will never be reliable.

Your pics aren't bad, but bigger would be a big help.

Wiring diagrams for many E28 and newer cars are located here, http://wedophones.com/BMWManualsLead.htm If a price is listed it's usually still available, but the prices are not at all accurate.

A valuable resource that lists most every part is here, https://www.realoem.com/bmw/

https://www.firstfives.org/ is a forum for E12s. I'm there also. Not very active these days, but it's pretty slow here too.

[Galahad]

"Why did I buy that?" is always the start of some fun - looks like an interesting project!
That wiring is a real mess. The engine harness is almost completely separate from the chassis harness so pretty much everything should plug in easily. Let me know if you have specific wiring questions and I can take a poke at it

[mewherman]

So I bought this cheap because it was in shockingly unrusty conditon for a 1979 528i in Canada, and it has what is allegedly an M30b35 with that I think is called the 265? 5speed transmission and it ran and drove onto my trailer.

Welcome to the group!

If it's a 5 speed and the speedo works it's a 265, that's the only 5 speed with a speedo drive. The 265 has a 3 piece case, plus a removable bellhousing. To further confuse you both the very similar, but 2 piece case 262 and the 265 have a 262 number cast into the front part of the case.

First of all, thank you for taking the time to reply!. I neglected to mention that it is missing the clutch inspection cover and you can simply see the back of the flywheel. I was not able to find a part number for this piece. It does have a speedo cable installed but the speed cable upper part is broken.

My main question is whether it actually is an M30b35.(it does appear to have the toothed tone wheel for motronic 1.3) I also have many misgivings about the quality of this engine swap.

The intake side of the block will sort of tell you the displacement, the original 2.8 would have a 2.5/2.8 cast in denoting the 86MM bore, a 3.5 would have a 3.5 as it was the only one with a 92MM bore.

It does say 3.5 on the intake, but my googling has shown me photos of b30b34 engines that have the same intake so I wasn't sure if that was diagnostic.

So this photo is of the oil filter housing, now I'm a non-expert but the b35 in photos I've seen has this top loading cartridge set up, but this guy looks like it's from the original engine or maybe the whole bottom end is original who knows, all I know is it's facing downward and is jammed so hard into the engine mount that there is no way you can change the oil.

I don't know why it would be jammed against the motor mount, but you're correct, it is the earlier oil filter.

Yeah I'm not sure what to make of that, there must have not been room for the top loader filter housing or they couldn't use it for whatever reason, the bottom of the filter housing is touching the rubber mount.

Another thing that I have no photos of is the transmission mount, it only has one mount on the passenger side, the transmission case has right and left flanges for mounts, but the bracket only has accommodations for one mount, also all the nuts are finger tight on the mount.

Odd looking yes, but that was stock on E12s and E24s thru 82.

Well that is good to know other than the nuts that hold it on not being tight.

The engine has strong indications that it originally had an engine driven clutch fan which is missing for obvious reasons, there is a small electric fan operating as a pusher in front of the rad, is this original? Or has someone put this there, also I have yet to see it do anything.

Yes, it should have an engine driven fan. It's a tight fit, so tight that I've found the minimal fan shroud to have no effect, figure half an inch clearance between the fan and the radiator. But they did also come with a pretty beefy aux electric fan in front of the A/C condenser, 2 speed off switches on the bottom right of the radiator, low speed is nearly silent, high speed you can hear on the freeway. 5 blade, roughly 15" diameter

yes the threads of the fan mount are almost touching the radiator, so you are saying this electric fan is capable of cooling the engine?

The transmission has a strong whining noise in neutral. Maybe there is no oil in it? Who knows.

While rugged and strong, the 265 does have a problem with the input bearing getting noisy. Change the oil, GL 4 is spec'd, especially in Canada a GL 5 will make for difficult cold shifting. There's a thousand threads and opinions on the "perfect" tranny oil.

Yes, all fluids will be changed, it only whines in neutral with the clutch engaged, not while driving.

There are a few other things I have questions about, I appear to have most of the vacuum lines for the evap system missing? Is this going to cause all kinds of issues for me? There are also many electrical plugs that are just plugged into nothing and I have no idea what they are supposed to be for. That said, the engine runs just fine after I changed a fouled spark plug.

I like the evap system stock, it works and decreases emissions a little bit without making it run any worse. Unplugged electrical plugs? E28s had a few, but not E12s that I can remember, so probably a fallout of the less than perfect engine swap.

Yes, so there are probably four or five electrical plugs that appear to be part of the engine harness that are not connected to anything, there is a green coloured vacuum switch on the intake that is part of the purge evap that has nothing going to it. I'm not sure if that should be plugged or what.

I've ordered a number of parts to hopefully get this recommissioned.

The main issue I have at the moment is actually the fact that the person who swapped this bodged the throttle, and the original parts from the E12 chassis that I need to hook up the throttle cable and make it work are missing.

Namely "lever" Part #: 35411113233 and "rod" Part #: 35411107644

Don't hold your breath on those parts fitting that intake, the E12 rod went up thru the intake between the runners.

Oh no, it's the rod and linkage that came from the accelerator pedal in the cab to the fulcrum that is on the engine mount that is missing. The way that the throttle is hooked up on e12 swaps based on the article on the firstfives site uses these missing parts.

also, nothing electrical works except the power sunroof.

Windows might be as simple as the circuit breakers that are located on the kick panel below the steering column.

The breakers are not blown but I'm not too worried about the troubleshooting of stock electrical system stuff. I ordered a copy of the e12 shop manual with the wiring diagrams so it should be just a matter of diagnosing and replacing or repairing those parts.

My main question for you kind-hearted forum users would be to pursue my photos and see if you can eyeball anything I might not notice that I should be paying attention to. I would also love some wiring diagrams for this engine, so I can trace down this rat's nest, otherwise it will never be reliable.

Your pics aren't bad, but bigger would be a big help. Yes the photos became compressed and you can't see anything, I'll post direct links later and take more photos.

Wiring diagrams for many E28 and newer cars are located here, http://wedophones.com/BMWManualsLead.htm If a price is listed it's usually still available, but the prices are not at all accurate.

A valuable resource that lists most every part is here, https://www.realoem.com/bmw/

Thank you!

https://www.firstfives.org/ is a forum for E12s. I'm there also. Not very active these days, but it's pretty slow here too.

Yes, I joined that site but I have not received an activation email.

[Theotherotter]

Congratulations (I think?!) and welcome. Looks like it has the makings of a nice car if you can tackle all the hacked stuff.

I also have an E12 with a B35/5-speed swap- in my case it was a well-done swap, done about 10 years ago in California and BAR legal.

I cannot offer nearly the input that Mike W. did, but I will say a few things.

It should have an engine-mounted fan, whether using the original E12-style pump nose and clutch (that requires you to remove the radiator in order to remove the fan) or the later E28-style pump nose and clutch. Confirm tight clearance; I don't have a shroud on mine, and as long as the cooling system is bled it's never run hot, and that includes long stretches of doing 80-100 across Montana and South Dakota in the summer.

Oil filter is older style and install looks like a cluster.

Photos of underside of trans should help identify, but I'd probably trust Mike W.

Don't take any indication of a part being available on a web site at face value if you have reason to believe it's been NLA - call and have them check. My water valve failed this spring and I found sites that showed it in their inventory but I doubted that - rightfully - and when I called and had them check they confirmed it was NLA all the way back to BMW in Germany. I did find a NOS one and it's a whore to replace, which is why I've been putting it off.

[mewherman]

Congratulations (I think?!) and welcome. Looks like it has the makings of a nice car if you can tackle all the hacked stuff.

I also have an E12 with a B35/5-speed swap- in my case it was a well-done swap, done about 10 years ago in California and BAR legal.

I cannot offer nearly the input that Mike W. did, but I will say a few things.

It should have an engine-mounted fan, whether using the original E12-style pump nose and clutch (that requires you to remove the radiator in order to remove the fan) or the later E28-style pump nose and clutch. Confirm tight clearance; I don't have a shroud on mine, and as long as the cooling system is bled it's never run hot, and that includes long stretches of doing 80-100 across Montana and South Dakota in the summer.

Oil filter is older style and install looks like a cluster.

Photos of underside of trans should help identify, but I'd probably trust Mike W.

Don't take any indication of a part being available on a web site at face value if you have reason to believe it's been NLA - call and have them check. My water valve failed this spring and I found sites that showed it in their inventory but I doubted that - rightfully - and when I called and had them check they confirmed it was NLA all the way back to BMW in Germany. I did find a NOS one and it's a whore to replace, which is why I've been putting it off.

Oh I am excited and optimistic about the car, I think most of it is very fixable with regards to what has been poorly done. The main work is accomplished, no looking for a rare (around here) old engine and transmission and the body of the car is really solid, not a hint of rot in the rockers or arches. The suspension and brakes look like the were redone before the project was abandoned and it has a lot of newer poly bushings. Someone clearly cared about the car at some point.

So it should have some kind of fan up there I imagine. Perhaps I will simply installed a larger or additional electric fan. It did come with a new water pump and old fan clutch and pully but no fan. The engine seems to run really well and doesn't smoke or make any unusual noises.

The main issue for me will be redoing the poor electrical work and finding some NLA missing parts. I received an email as I kind of assumed I would that they didn't actually have the missing parts I was looking for. So it is going to be down to me either making versions of these myself or finding used examples. I think I could make the rod with parts from amazon but the linkage at the throttle pedal with the splined shaft would be difficult.

What does the throttle set up look like on your e12? How has it been done? If you could provide me with some photos I would be very grateful or perhaps what parts were used instead of the stock parts. Same goes for the clutch fan, which part # fan clutch, blade, and pump do I need?

Some of the other missing parts are the heater cover that screws to the firewall is missing and it is missing the under dash pad on the driver's side.

Thank you very much!

[mewherman]

Congratulations (I think?!) and welcome. Looks like it has the makings of a nice car if you can tackle all the hacked stuff.

I also have an E12 with a B35/5-speed swap- in my case it was a well-done swap, done about 10 years ago in California and BAR legal.

I cannot offer nearly the input that Mike W. did, but I will say a few things.

It should have an engine-mounted fan, whether using the original E12-style pump nose and clutch (that requires you to remove the radiator in order to remove the fan) or the later E28-style pump nose and clutch. Confirm tight clearance; I don't have a shroud on mine, and as long as the cooling system is bled it's never run hot, and that includes long stretches of doing 80-100 across Montana and South Dakota in the summer.

Oil filter is older style and install looks like a cluster.

Photos of underside of trans should help identify, but I'd probably trust Mike W.

Don't take any indication of a part being available on a web site at face value if you have reason to believe it's been NLA - call and have them check. My water valve failed this spring and I found sites that showed it in their inventory but I doubted that - rightfully - and when I called and had them check they confirmed it was NLA all the way back to BMW in Germany. I did find a NOS one and it's a whore to replace, which is why I've been putting it off.

Oh I am excited and optimistic about the car, I think most of it is very fixable with regards to what has been poorly done. The main work is accomplished, no looking for a rare (around here) old engine and transmission and the body of the car is really solid, not a hint of rot in the rockers or arches. The suspension and brakes look like the were redone before the project was abandoned and it has a lot of newer poly bushings. Someone clearly cared about the car at some point.

So it should have some kind of fan up there I imagine. Perhaps I will simply installed a larger or additional electric fan. It did come with a new water pump and old fan clutch and pully but no fan. The engine seems to run really well and doesn't smoke or make any unusual noises.

The main issue for me will be redoing the poor electrical work and finding some NLA missing parts. I received an email as I kind of assumed I would that they didn't actually have the missing parts I was looking for. So it is going to be down to me either making versions of these myself or finding used examples. I think I could make the rod with parts from amazon but the linkage at the throttle pedal with the splined shaft would be difficult.

What does the throttle set up look like on your e12? How has it been done? If you could provide me with some photos I would be very grateful or perhaps what parts were used instead of the stock parts. Same goes for the clutch fan, which part # fan clutch, blade, and pump do I need?

Some of the other missing parts are the heater cover that screws to the firewall is missing and it is missing the under dash pad on the driver's side.

Thank you very much!

[Aldo525]

Hi, nice car, not too much e12's left here in my country....just curious about the color name/code??....engine bay is "yellow" but outside is "white". Maybe a full color change outside but the original color is the old fashion way....no colors like that today, just silvers, greys, black.....

[mewherman]

Hi, nice car, not too much e12's left here in my country....just curious about the color name/code??....engine bay is "yellow" but outside is "white". Maybe a full color change outside but the original color is the old fashion way....no colors like that today, just silvers, greys, black.....

The car has been repainted alpine white over original Sierra Beige. I think I prefer the white tbh.

[stuartinmn]

Besides the circuit breaker Mike mentioned, the power window switches themselves can fail - the electrical contacts inside them get dirty and stop making an electrical connection. Having said that, since all four of your windows aren't working the circuit breaker does seem like a more likely cause. I don't know about e12 cars but on the e28 the window switches can be carefully pried apart so you can access and clean the electrical bits inside. Some aerosol contact cleaner, followed by rubbing with a pencil eraser works well for polishing up the contacts so they're bright and shiny again, don't use anything more abrasive.

I don't think it was mentioned yet, but go through the Tech FAQ section here on the board. There are answers to many common e28 problems and I assume at least some of them also apply to an e12.

[Mike W.]

So it should have some kind of fan up there I imagine. Perhaps I will simply installed a larger or additional electric fan. It did come with a new water pump and old fan clutch and pully but no fan.

There's an early and a late fan clutch, which require a different water pump and pulley. The early one, which a '79 would have come with, has a 4 bolt flange. That fan clutch is just stupid expensive. The later one has a threaded hub, oh, about an inch in diameter and the fan clutches aren't cheap, but not outrageous either. Beware parts with the URO name, they seem to be getting a little better, but they don't have a great reputation. Both have the same minimal clearance.

[mewherman]

So it should have some kind of fan up there I imagine. Perhaps I will simply installed a larger or additional electric fan. It did come with a new water pump and old fan clutch and pully but no fan.

There's an early and a late fan clutch, which require a different water pump and pulley. The early one, which a '79 would have come with, has a 4 bolt flange. That fan clutch is just stupid expensive. The later one has a threaded hub, oh, about an inch in diameter and the fan clutches aren't cheap, but not outrageous either. Beware parts with the URO name, they seem to be getting a little better, but they don't have a great reputation. Both have the same minimal clearance.

I'll take some photos later when I'm off work but I don't see any way for there to be room for a fan clutch and fan. The snout of the water pump is literally 1 inch from the radiator.

[Foonfer]

Welcome! I also have a swapped M30B35 with a 265/6 trans. Didn't do the actual swap myself but I've had to familiarize myself with a few things, like getting the idle (mostly) under control, and properly supporting the transmission. Love the E12 platform, and I'm smooshing that "subscribe" button right about now!

[Theotherotter]

Oh I am excited and optimistic about the car, I think most of it is very fixable with regards to what has been poorly done. The main work is accomplished, no looking for a rare (around here) old engine and transmission and the body of the car is really solid, not a hint of rot in the rockers or arches. The suspension and brakes look like the were redone before the project was abandoned and it has a lot of newer poly bushings. Someone clearly cared about the car at some point.

So it should have some kind of fan up there I imagine. Perhaps I will simply installed a larger or additional electric fan. It did come with a new water pump and old fan clutch and pully but no fan. The engine seems to run really well and doesn't smoke or make any unusual noises.

The main issue for me will be redoing the poor electrical work and finding some NLA missing parts. I received an email as I kind of assumed I would that they didn't actually have the missing parts I was looking for. So it is going to be down to me either making versions of these myself or finding used examples. I think I could make the rod with parts from amazon but the linkage at the throttle pedal with the splined shaft would be difficult.

What does the throttle set up look like on your e12? How has it been done? If you could provide me with some photos I would be very grateful or perhaps what parts were used instead of the stock parts. Same goes for the clutch fan, which part # fan clutch, blade, and pump do I need?

Some of the other missing parts are the heater cover that screws to the firewall is missing and it is missing the under dash pad on the driver's side.

Thank you very much!

I’d be happy to take whatever photos you’d like, but it’ll be a bit - I’m in Vancouver on vacation now and will be home for all of a day and a half next week before taking my 911 on a trip, so it may have to wait til June. I don’t remember off the top of my head what the throttle setup is like on mine so I can’t describe it. My engine is from an ‘89 635 and running on Motronic 1.3

The water pump and fan clutch (and presumably the fan) were original to the B30 that came out of the car (mine is a ‘78.) My water pump failed with perfect timing, immediately after a 3000-mile road trip in my garage, and since the engine was later I just assumed the water pump and fan clutch were off the newer engine and order a matching pump, only to find when I went to take the fan off that it was the older one. I believe all E12s had the old-style pump. Despite your doubts about the clearance,a fan does fit there. The clutch fits inside the hub of the fan.

[Theotherotter]

I took a couple of photos of my throttle cable before I left on a trip for the weekend - I'll post them as soon as I figure out image links, which I never seem to not have trouble with here.

[mewherman]

I suppose I should update this, I've managed to get the car registered and on the road in much less time than I thought it would take. Mostly everything I've done has just worked out for whatever reason.

The first thing I did was make a throttle cable set up that functioned, I was unable to get any of the missing parts so I ended up welding up my own pull type cable on the fulcrum of the throttle pedal inside the cab, I moved the cable to go down through the firewall next to the wiper motor. I had to make the arm very long to get enough stroke to achieve full throttle, it is not pretty but it's functional.

I then did a full service on the car, put new ignition parts etc and changed all the fluids, funny story there actually was no oil in the transmission at all. I filled it will an ATF based gearbox oil because I could not find that 80wt gl4 oil anywhere and I read forum bs about using ATF, the transmission sounds exactly the same with oil in it as it did with no oil which I find a bit odd. I think I'll order some correct 80wt oil online and see how it sounds.

Oh and some goober who worked on it last had stripped out the oil drain plug and then poorly tapped it and made up for the fact by adding multiple copper washers, so I fixed that. I also tightened the loose bolts on the transmission mount.

I also repaired the following electrical items, turn signals, gauge cluster, speedo (not electrical but whatever) I did a few other things I can't recall now.

I also removed the back seats and took the driver's side rear door panel off because the door didn't open and was stuck shut, I found that the door lock mechanism had come apart inside the door, I was able to open the door, this had apparently been the case for many years as the door hinges were seized and had to be lubricated and worked back and forth to free the door up.

I also put fresh fuel in the car which really helped it out, anyway I drove it to work for a week or so, I live in the country so I drove the car about 800km. It worked fine for the most part. I got the electric fan working by fixing the corroded relays and I actually had no issues with hot running without the mechanical fan. I do however live in a cool climate.

I will say that I'm not a fan of the "boy racer" aftermarket steering wheel and found the steering quite heavy but that may be the bald 15 year old snow tires that are on the front of this thing, I found the car felt quite tight except there is a bit of a squeaking from the rear suspension, the car also doesn't sit level, it is about two inches higher on the passenger side than the driver's side.

Someone has also either shortened or installed a shorter shifter than stock (I think?) and this was quite stiff and the shortness made it hard to change gear quickly. I'm more of a long shifter grandpa wheel kinda guy.

I will also say although the engine sounds healthy and make a lot of pleasant noise, the car isn't fast at all, my partner could most certainly trounce me in the 1/4 with her high-milage 2010 Nissan Xterra. I imagine the 2.8 liter engine must have been really gutless for this to be a big upgrade.

I'm not sure how to get any trouble codes out of this thing to see if it has issues with could be causing it to be "derated" I did notice that it doesn't have an oxygen sensor and I think it is supposed to, it also seems to be running a bit rich based on the black residue in the tailpipe. I bought an adaptor to hook up to the large round connector under the hood but I couldn't get anything out of it with my code reader, and there is no engine light to use the throttle pedal procedure thing I found online.


I took the car back off the road to proceed with the body work and many other needed repairs.

I removed the wheels and had the tires dismounted, I have replacement center caps on the way for the 15 inch style 5 wheels the car came with, it is missing the original 14 inch wheels (excluding the original spare) and has some wheels which based on the part number appear to be factory fit on an e24 6 series from the mid 1980s. I'm respraying the wheels in a two stage silver I had mixed up (the paint shop didn't have "sparkle silver" in their system. Main issue is that the rims have been chrome plated at some point and this is peeling off. There is no one for 1000km who can remove plating for me so I'm stuck doing a lot of manual labour.

I also received an original bmw dealership manual from ebay so I've started working on the wiring, after testing some of the basic aspects of the power windows I took the driver's and rear driver's door panels off and found that both windows are just rusted and seized on the regulators, after lubricating and freeing up the mechanism they both work fine.

I'll post some more photos later as I'm typing this from my work laptop, but this weekend I hope the respray the rims so I had have new tires fitted. It had 2010 vintage snow tires on the front and some 2004 dated dry rotted Michelin's on the back.

[Mike W.]

I will also say although the engine sounds healthy and make a lot of pleasant noise, the car isn't fast at all, my partner could most certainly trounce me in the 1/4 with her high-milage 2010 Nissan Xterra. I imagine the 2.8 liter engine must have been really gutless for this to be a big upgrade.

While cars have gotten quite a bit faster, even with the 2.8, at least with a manual tranny, they were good performers. 1/4 mile in the low 16s and top speed around 120. With any 3.5 they are quite quick. Timing and restricted/plugged cars are a couple of things that can have a dramatic effect on power.

[mewherman]

I will also say although the engine sounds healthy and make a lot of pleasant noise, the car isn't fast at all, my partner could most certainly trounce me in the 1/4 with her high-milage 2010 Nissan Xterra. I imagine the 2.8 liter engine must have been really gutless for this to be a big upgrade.

While cars have gotten quite a bit faster, even with the 2.8, at least with a manual tranny, they were good performers. 1/4 mile in the low 16s and top speed around 120. With any 3.5 they are quite quick. Timing and restricted/plugged cars are a couple of things that can have a dramatic effect on power.

whoever installed the engine has welded the dual downpipes into a single 2" exhaust pipe which goes to a factory style single rear silencer in the original position. There are no cats nor is there an o2 sensor.

[Galahad]

...
I also repaired the following electrical items, turn signals, gauge cluster, speedo (not electrical but whatever) I did a few other things I can't recall now.
...
I'm not sure how to get any trouble codes out of this thing to see if it has issues with could be causing it to be "derated" I did notice that it doesn't have an oxygen sensor and I think it is supposed to, it also seems to be running a bit rich based on the black residue in the tailpipe. I bought an adaptor to hook up to the large round connector under the hood but I couldn't get anything out of it with my code reader, and there is no engine light to use the throttle pedal procedure thing I found online.
...

The big round connector isn't OBD2 so the adapter isn't going to help you out all that much. It's the old OBD1 serial interface. I'd try to get a check engine light hooked up (even if just in the engine bay) - how is the engine harness connected to the car harness?

[mewherman]

Here are some updates on the car with better photos of what I've been doing and so on.

I spent many hours with the sandblaster and refinished the e34 wheels the car came with and shod them with fresh tires.



I repaired all the power windows in the car, this was not a simple fix and infact most of the windows were seized in place from sitting. two of the motors required repairs but I was able to get both working thankfully as replacements didn't seem cheap or easily avalible.





Something not so important I did, but it bothered me was repair the clock in the dash. It was just kaput, but fortunately it is a direct swap with an early model Volvo 240 clock as a Volvo 240 fan I have about three of these clocks so It is easy to swap the movements between them.





The volvo clock looks different but is the same exactly inside and can be substituted directly.

I also did a quick clean of the interior just for fun even though I will have to remove it most likely to paint the car.



horrible tinting job on the back windows, the original tint had damage and they put another layer of tint directly over top of this! as well, the tint had been subsequently partially removed, and then someone had hamfistedly tried to scrap the glue off with a razor blade.





Here are some "beauty" shots this morning:







I think a previous owner saw the m535i centre fold picture and wanted to make this beige 528 into it, since they have rather ruined it doing that I figured I'll just make it a bit of a replica of one of those, keep the air dam and delete the US spec markers and signals. I hate the stupid euro plate too, but it's like glued on or something. I have a 1976 533 parts car on the way for it which will propel the project forward significantly with an infusion of impossible to find e12 parts

[stuartinmn]

Looks like it's cleaned up pretty well, good work!

[Theotherotter]

That Momo Alpina wheel is nice.

What’s the bolt on the tunnel behind the shifter for?