Tithe to the ///M Gods
Discussion
Just had a car based weekend with my wife hoisting some friends so a chance for me to do my own thing.
Began the day at BMW Thames Ditton collecting some >£1000 of parts for the E34, including a radiator, water pump, some hoses, front pads etc. Parked up behind a LHD M5 that was in superb condition.
From there cut across to view a car near Southend. It's an M635csi although not in great condition having been stood for several years and needs significant investment.
Given it was my first time in the county of Essex, i had arranged to meet a friend who lives there, we met on the A1060 near Chelmsford and had a decent blat through the countryside towards the M11. He's got a GLE 450 which is a brilliant car, but a little too big for my tastes.
From there, got back to Surrey in time to start a few jobs on the E34. First up is the blower motor, which has been squealing since i bought the car. Quite easy to do other than getting it out of the slot. I held off buying the motor until i had the part number in my hand as i understand there are a few different ones it could be. Will order up a new one, no idea how i'll get it to fit back in the gap. The cavity was full of spores from a birch tree the car used to live under, but i was pleased to see there's no rot anywhere that i can see along the bulkhead.
I also took the opportunity in the fading light to whip out the injectors, in the hope of improving the CO2 readings for future MOT's. Having spoken to Steve at 'Mr Injector' will be sending them off to him this week for a refurb.
At a wedding abroad this weekend so further updates in Sept.
Began the day at BMW Thames Ditton collecting some >£1000 of parts for the E34, including a radiator, water pump, some hoses, front pads etc. Parked up behind a LHD M5 that was in superb condition.
From there cut across to view a car near Southend. It's an M635csi although not in great condition having been stood for several years and needs significant investment.
Given it was my first time in the county of Essex, i had arranged to meet a friend who lives there, we met on the A1060 near Chelmsford and had a decent blat through the countryside towards the M11. He's got a GLE 450 which is a brilliant car, but a little too big for my tastes.
From there, got back to Surrey in time to start a few jobs on the E34. First up is the blower motor, which has been squealing since i bought the car. Quite easy to do other than getting it out of the slot. I held off buying the motor until i had the part number in my hand as i understand there are a few different ones it could be. Will order up a new one, no idea how i'll get it to fit back in the gap. The cavity was full of spores from a birch tree the car used to live under, but i was pleased to see there's no rot anywhere that i can see along the bulkhead.
I also took the opportunity in the fading light to whip out the injectors, in the hope of improving the CO2 readings for future MOT's. Having spoken to Steve at 'Mr Injector' will be sending them off to him this week for a refurb.
At a wedding abroad this weekend so further updates in Sept.
E34 M5 Update.
Blower motor now replaced and whirring silently once again. Cost of the motor plus anciliary clips and screws was around £350 from BMW.
Following some advice from here i removed and sent the Injectors off to Mr Injector. He's just posted them back so will hopefully fit back on the weekend. I also have the radiator and water pump to do but i've misplaced my 32mm spanner so until i can locate that that job is on hold. I'd love to finish it all this weekend and attend the Munich Legends gathering on the 11th if i can.
I popped into the Sunday Service at BMW HQ in Farnham this weekend. Great metal on show and enjoyed the M1, E30 M3's especially. Took some great photos but my usual site Tinypic.com is no longer accepting any uploads. Does anyone have any recommendations?
Blower motor now replaced and whirring silently once again. Cost of the motor plus anciliary clips and screws was around £350 from BMW.
Following some advice from here i removed and sent the Injectors off to Mr Injector. He's just posted them back so will hopefully fit back on the weekend. I also have the radiator and water pump to do but i've misplaced my 32mm spanner so until i can locate that that job is on hold. I'd love to finish it all this weekend and attend the Munich Legends gathering on the 11th if i can.
I popped into the Sunday Service at BMW HQ in Farnham this weekend. Great metal on show and enjoyed the M1, E30 M3's especially. Took some great photos but my usual site Tinypic.com is no longer accepting any uploads. Does anyone have any recommendations?
sutts said:
First time I’ve seen your thread - unsurprisingly I love your fleet, especially the E34. Do you miss the E39? I cycle to work most of the time but otherwise my ‘daily’ is an E39 530i Sport Touring. Compared to the new 3 series I looked at on Sunday it feels so well built - doors are twice the weight and shut with a much more reassuring thud I am also not bothered about having the latest tech in a car (except Bluetooth) so it suits me perfectly.
Funny that you replaced the blower motor in your M5 recently - mine obviously came out in sympathy with it. I’ve not pulled it out yet but the plastic cover is stamped Behr so I presume that’s the one to order from BMW. RealOEM indicates it will be about £300?
Thanks! Tbh no don't miss the E39 at all compared to the E60 and i really loved my E39 (and the E39's i had before that one!). Agreed, not a huge amount of the newer stuff appeals, although i suppose i could get an F10 if my arm was twisted and i badly needed the boot space. I found the E39 was just getting a little tired / rusty, how's yours looking underneath?Funny that you replaced the blower motor in your M5 recently - mine obviously came out in sympathy with it. I’ve not pulled it out yet but the plastic cover is stamped Behr so I presume that’s the one to order from BMW. RealOEM indicates it will be about £300?
re the Blower motor, it cost £300 excluding VAT but on the E34 you need to remove the wiper arms and associated trim so need to budget for all the broken plastic clips + the 5 rusty 7mm bolts on the covering panel too. I had heard there were several iterations of the motor so removed it and took it to BMW, but they only seemed to have one on the system for a AC equipped car, which was indeed, a Behr,
Mixed weekend.
Started Saturday by refitting the injectors having had them refurbed. All went smoothly and drama free, other than losing one of the tiny clips that hold the injector electrical plug to the loom.
Then began on the radiator. For someone whose owned and done this smae job on numerous E34's and E39's it's all pretty straightforwards. I'll amid i spent quite some time on the power steering cooler that slots into the bottom of the rad, wasn't sure if it was attached tot he rad and undoing the two large nuts on the pipes was a pain.
Once out it was clear the rad has seen better days, bowing at the bottom and leaking in several places. took the opportunity to change the top and bottom rad hoses for fresh ones while it was out. I'd been repeatedly warned about how hard these are to bleed, but i found it ok and it's nicely bled.
Taking it for a test drive i've then noticed it is running slightly roughly until 2k rpm, revving higher than that clears it a little. Spent ages working round all the connections and things i might have disturbed but can't solve it for the life of me. Given it's due an inspection II i'm sending it off to my indi this week to let them try and solve it and do a thorough service and shim pads at the same time.
Slightly sorry that i won't have it for the ML gathering this week, but will take the E60 instead.
Took the time to roll the MX5 over the mechanic pit to examine the underneath, it is well and truly rusted. Sitting in the drivers seat i can see daylight along the floor edge running along the sill too which is bad news. Given it's co-owned by 4 of us , we discussed and agreed it's time to let her go. The GCF fabrications roll cage is worth more than the test of the car probably.
Bought tickets to the Bicester Sunday Scramble too for Oct 6th, hoping for one final run out this year in the E34.
Started Saturday by refitting the injectors having had them refurbed. All went smoothly and drama free, other than losing one of the tiny clips that hold the injector electrical plug to the loom.
Then began on the radiator. For someone whose owned and done this smae job on numerous E34's and E39's it's all pretty straightforwards. I'll amid i spent quite some time on the power steering cooler that slots into the bottom of the rad, wasn't sure if it was attached tot he rad and undoing the two large nuts on the pipes was a pain.
Once out it was clear the rad has seen better days, bowing at the bottom and leaking in several places. took the opportunity to change the top and bottom rad hoses for fresh ones while it was out. I'd been repeatedly warned about how hard these are to bleed, but i found it ok and it's nicely bled.
Taking it for a test drive i've then noticed it is running slightly roughly until 2k rpm, revving higher than that clears it a little. Spent ages working round all the connections and things i might have disturbed but can't solve it for the life of me. Given it's due an inspection II i'm sending it off to my indi this week to let them try and solve it and do a thorough service and shim pads at the same time.
Slightly sorry that i won't have it for the ML gathering this week, but will take the E60 instead.
Took the time to roll the MX5 over the mechanic pit to examine the underneath, it is well and truly rusted. Sitting in the drivers seat i can see daylight along the floor edge running along the sill too which is bad news. Given it's co-owned by 4 of us , we discussed and agreed it's time to let her go. The GCF fabrications roll cage is worth more than the test of the car probably.
Bought tickets to the Bicester Sunday Scramble too for Oct 6th, hoping for one final run out this year in the E34.
Just saw all the photo links are dead which is a bummer, will have to fix that at some point.
Since the last update i spent quite a bit of time and money on the E34, new injectors, distributor cap, rotor arm, leads and an inspection II including having the shims checked.
All the above solved the slight misfire and she's been running great since, i took her to the 80's Goodwood Breakfast, the drive down from London through Petford was glorious and the marshals ended up guiding me into the paddock even though i hadn't signed up (and technically its a 1992 car).
I've also used the time to sell the Mx5, the plan has always been to use the space for something else, so after a view viewings i'm 99% sure i'll have an M635i sat there by Christmas, which i'm very excited about.
E60 M5 just ticked over 100k miles and has done sterling work in daily duties, recently went to Newcastle and back for a wedding over a weekend and the 5h30 drive was a pleasure, despite the weather.
Bye Bye MX5...
Hello E24...
Will update in a few weeks
Since the last update i spent quite a bit of time and money on the E34, new injectors, distributor cap, rotor arm, leads and an inspection II including having the shims checked.
All the above solved the slight misfire and she's been running great since, i took her to the 80's Goodwood Breakfast, the drive down from London through Petford was glorious and the marshals ended up guiding me into the paddock even though i hadn't signed up (and technically its a 1992 car).
I've also used the time to sell the Mx5, the plan has always been to use the space for something else, so after a view viewings i'm 99% sure i'll have an M635i sat there by Christmas, which i'm very excited about.
E60 M5 just ticked over 100k miles and has done sterling work in daily duties, recently went to Newcastle and back for a wedding over a weekend and the 5h30 drive was a pleasure, despite the weather.
Bye Bye MX5...
Hello E24...
Will update in a few weeks
Edited by mumbojumbo1 on Monday 2nd December 10:30
Woke up on Saturday with a sore head from a boozy Friday / Xmas drinks, packed a bottle of water and the paper, and went off to get an early train, destination: Retro Engineering in Evesham. The aim of the day was to collect the M635 which i've spent the last couple of months building up to buying.
Nigel was good enough to pick me up from the station and we completed the handover back at the unit. Here it is on collection,
|https://thumbsnap.com/96TgcaER[/url]
The drive back down to London via the Cotwolds was great until is started pissing down and didn't stop till i had got her back and into the garage.
It's a 1987 M635CSI, with 126k. I had originally gone up to the Silverstone Auction where it was up for sale to have a look around and found it to be a straight looking car but it was on last and i had dinner plans so had to leave for London before it came up. It didn't sell and just as i was hoping it might get listed privately, lo and behold it came up on carsandclassic, so i went to Retro Engineering to take another look.
They have been looking after it for the owner who also has a 2002 racing car and a CSL, the sale of the e24 is to fund restoration on the CSL. Major things like the sills and pedal area have been welded with a nice photographic audit trail, wings are fresh and generally the exterior looks good, as does the underneath. It drives nicely, brakes well and sounds awesome when above 3.5k rpm.
Sadly due to the rain i've not had a chance to really do much with it yet but needless to say i'm chuffed to own a car i've dreamed of owning for years, i have a mint set of metrics in the garage that i'll put on and then off to Sunday Scramble on the 5th weather permitting.
Merry Christmas to you all!
Nigel was good enough to pick me up from the station and we completed the handover back at the unit. Here it is on collection,
|https://thumbsnap.com/96TgcaER[/url]The drive back down to London via the Cotwolds was great until is started pissing down and didn't stop till i had got her back and into the garage.
It's a 1987 M635CSI, with 126k. I had originally gone up to the Silverstone Auction where it was up for sale to have a look around and found it to be a straight looking car but it was on last and i had dinner plans so had to leave for London before it came up. It didn't sell and just as i was hoping it might get listed privately, lo and behold it came up on carsandclassic, so i went to Retro Engineering to take another look.
They have been looking after it for the owner who also has a 2002 racing car and a CSL, the sale of the e24 is to fund restoration on the CSL. Major things like the sills and pedal area have been welded with a nice photographic audit trail, wings are fresh and generally the exterior looks good, as does the underneath. It drives nicely, brakes well and sounds awesome when above 3.5k rpm.
Sadly due to the rain i've not had a chance to really do much with it yet but needless to say i'm chuffed to own a car i've dreamed of owning for years, i have a mint set of metrics in the garage that i'll put on and then off to Sunday Scramble on the 5th weather permitting.
Merry Christmas to you all!
Mr Tidy said:
I'm surprised I've only just found this thread, but so glad I have!
E34, E39 and E60 M5s - wow! Then you top it all off by getting an M635Csi - one of my all time favourite BMWs.
I've been a serial BMW owner since 2005, and earlier this year actually followed an E60 M5 for a few miles out of my way just so I could listen to that amazing V10 - I might have followed it further, but it pulled in to refuel.
As a newbie M owner (I only got my Z4M Coupe on Thursday) I'm just learning how addictive M cars are.
Looking forward to your updates.
Cheers, the sound of the E60 M5 is really something. E34, E39 and E60 M5s - wow! Then you top it all off by getting an M635Csi - one of my all time favourite BMWs.
I've been a serial BMW owner since 2005, and earlier this year actually followed an E60 M5 for a few miles out of my way just so I could listen to that amazing V10 - I might have followed it further, but it pulled in to refuel.
As a newbie M owner (I only got my Z4M Coupe on Thursday) I'm just learning how addictive M cars are.
Looking forward to your updates.
Really like the Z4M's, there's something really attractive about the shape. Also prices of their predecessor the Breadvan Z3M's seem to be really going up, not that you'll ever finish up net positive with an M car and the associated bills.
Hope everyone had a good Christmas.
Managed to grab a bit of time in the garage yesterday with the E24.
I've always had a thing for the metric 415 alloys that come with early E34 535's and some E24's, i think it was BMW's first attempt at run flats or something but i think certain cars just look right with them on.
Knowing how much tyres are, i've been stashing a small collection for days such as this. I have a mint set of 4 with matching MIchelin GT tyres which i've always felt have the better tread pattern than the original one.
The wheels and tyres on the car are in 'good' condition, but my spare set are much better, so i changed them over. I drive quite conservatively but do enjoy to push on when the conditions allow, TRX tyres generally seem to perform much worse than conventional modern technology tyres so i might try to source some OEM BBS wheels in the future, but for now i think it looks perfect. No pics as rain prevented me from taking it out.
Having the car up on axle stands i was able to take another good look underneath, i think the quality of the welding is excellent, everything looks very neat and the underside has been liberally waxoiled.
Next up was the radio, a Blaupunkt Windsor SQR which i think must be the original one. The arial still goes up when i turn it on, but reception is poor and the only cassette tape i have left is Too Unlimited's 'No Limits' which, while being a great driving song, won't really do for Saturday blats. Before buying anything i wanted to check the pins layout etc... think i'll need a special connector for this one. I'll keep the radio for when i sell it as it's a lovely original touch.
Weather looks decent for this weekend, looking forward to going for a spin.
Managed to grab a bit of time in the garage yesterday with the E24.
I've always had a thing for the metric 415 alloys that come with early E34 535's and some E24's, i think it was BMW's first attempt at run flats or something but i think certain cars just look right with them on.
Knowing how much tyres are, i've been stashing a small collection for days such as this. I have a mint set of 4 with matching MIchelin GT tyres which i've always felt have the better tread pattern than the original one.
The wheels and tyres on the car are in 'good' condition, but my spare set are much better, so i changed them over. I drive quite conservatively but do enjoy to push on when the conditions allow, TRX tyres generally seem to perform much worse than conventional modern technology tyres so i might try to source some OEM BBS wheels in the future, but for now i think it looks perfect. No pics as rain prevented me from taking it out.
Having the car up on axle stands i was able to take another good look underneath, i think the quality of the welding is excellent, everything looks very neat and the underside has been liberally waxoiled.
Next up was the radio, a Blaupunkt Windsor SQR which i think must be the original one. The arial still goes up when i turn it on, but reception is poor and the only cassette tape i have left is Too Unlimited's 'No Limits' which, while being a great driving song, won't really do for Saturday blats. Before buying anything i wanted to check the pins layout etc... think i'll need a special connector for this one. I'll keep the radio for when i sell it as it's a lovely original touch.
Weather looks decent for this weekend, looking forward to going for a spin.
Edited by mumbojumbo1 on Friday 27th December 08:57
Took advantage of the extra time to use the car this weekend, i'm absolutely loving it. Had grand plans to wash it etc but ended up just driving it, taking a spirited drive to Boxhill and back. The change to fresher tyres has lowered the road noise and grip levels were 'ok'.
As previously mentioned i'd like to improve the audio a little, these cars seem to come fitted with 6x4 speakers as standard with very shallow speaker wells, so no room for massive magnets etc.
Made a start on the rear speakers.
Old ones.
And the new ones to go in.
Still waiting on the new headunit and will need to order up some speakers for the front.
And a few gratuitous pics. I've also ordered up a new rear number plate as the existing one is cracked and is bugging me.
[url]
|https://thumbsnap.com/16AWinKJ[/url]
Looking forward to the Sunday Scramble this weekend
As previously mentioned i'd like to improve the audio a little, these cars seem to come fitted with 6x4 speakers as standard with very shallow speaker wells, so no room for massive magnets etc.
Made a start on the rear speakers.
Old ones.
And the new ones to go in.
Still waiting on the new headunit and will need to order up some speakers for the front.
And a few gratuitous pics. I've also ordered up a new rear number plate as the existing one is cracked and is bugging me.
[url]|https://thumbsnap.com/16AWinKJ[/url]Looking forward to the Sunday Scramble this weekend
TheAngryDog said:
That 6 is lovely Clem! I really like a good shark nose!
The scramble is only down the road from me but I won't be going unfortunately, hopefully go for the warmer one!
Cheers Mike. Yeah it'll be hat and gloves weather that's for sure. Hopefully catch you at the next one.The scramble is only down the road from me but I won't be going unfortunately, hopefully go for the warmer one!
Took the e24 up to the Sunday Scramble. It’s a great day out with a great range of cars, although the drive up the m40 is a bit boring, might try and find a funner route from Kingston next time.
Some parts i’d ordered from BMW also arrived.
Firstly on the e34 i was getting tired of the boot lid collapsing onto my arm, so i bought Two new struts. Unfortunately while on my back in the boot, as soon as i popped one strut off the boot lid dropped onto my knee basically giving myself a dead leg.
I’d also recently changed the gaskets to the windscreen and headlight wash pumps as they were weeping but the actual headlight washer jets were all gummed up and leaking too. Unfortunately the drivers side is NLA but pass side was grand so dismantled the assembly and changed it over. Looking much nicer now. Will have to find a driver side assembly somewhere.
Somehow forgot to take of it all back together.
Moving back onto the e24, i’d noticed the temp needle hovering a little low at motorway speed so had ordered a new thermostat. Unfortunately the 3 10mm bolts holding the housing on are quite corroded on the threads so will need to order up some new ones before i reassemble everything
Stat says ‘made in West Germany’ so safe to assume its been in there a while...
Called it a day there, will take the e34 for a spin next weekend weather permitting as i’ve not used it really since October.
Some parts i’d ordered from BMW also arrived.
Firstly on the e34 i was getting tired of the boot lid collapsing onto my arm, so i bought Two new struts. Unfortunately while on my back in the boot, as soon as i popped one strut off the boot lid dropped onto my knee basically giving myself a dead leg.
I’d also recently changed the gaskets to the windscreen and headlight wash pumps as they were weeping but the actual headlight washer jets were all gummed up and leaking too. Unfortunately the drivers side is NLA but pass side was grand so dismantled the assembly and changed it over. Looking much nicer now. Will have to find a driver side assembly somewhere.
Somehow forgot to take of it all back together.
Moving back onto the e24, i’d noticed the temp needle hovering a little low at motorway speed so had ordered a new thermostat. Unfortunately the 3 10mm bolts holding the housing on are quite corroded on the threads so will need to order up some new ones before i reassemble everything
Stat says ‘made in West Germany’ so safe to assume its been in there a while...
Called it a day there, will take the e34 for a spin next weekend weather permitting as i’ve not used it really since October.
What was meant to take 25mins on the e24 has turned into a month. You may remember the car was running slightly cool... As i was tightening everything back up on doing the thermostat, the jubilee clip on the main hose running from the stat to the radiator failed. Taking a closer look at the hose it felt really hard so i ended up ordering a new one plus a bunch more jubilee clips. I can only get to the garage on the odd weekend so this ended up taking an age.
With it all back together, i took it for a spin but it's still running cool, so i wonder whether the viscous fan clutch is failing and locking more than it should.
I also took the E34 out for a spin and a wash while the weather was decent. Nothing new to report with her other than 4k rpm in 2nd is still a real joy.
The E60 had it's MOT in Feb too which it passed with no drama. I'm now thinking about another trip to the Ring in early summer if i can make the dates work.
With it all back together, i took it for a spin but it's still running cool, so i wonder whether the viscous fan clutch is failing and locking more than it should.
I also took the E34 out for a spin and a wash while the weather was decent. Nothing new to report with her other than 4k rpm in 2nd is still a real joy.
The E60 had it's MOT in Feb too which it passed with no drama. I'm now thinking about another trip to the Ring in early summer if i can make the dates work.
Social distancing means two thing. 1. Roads are significantly quieter and 2. I’m no longer at the Pub on Friday and Saturday nights. The outcome of this is that i’ve found more time for driving, and what a pleasure its been without the traffic.
On the e24 i changed the viscous fan which has solved the running cool, glad thats solved
To celebrate i went for a spirited drive around the Surrey Downs. The M88 engine really sounds wonderful at 4k rpm. Even found time for some pics.
Might do a repeat performance next Sunday if the weather is as good as it was today.
On the e24 i changed the viscous fan which has solved the running cool, glad thats solved
To celebrate i went for a spirited drive around the Surrey Downs. The M88 engine really sounds wonderful at 4k rpm. Even found time for some pics.
Might do a repeat performance next Sunday if the weather is as good as it was today.
Having a very productive lockdown with some well overdue jobs at home. It's also given me some perspective on the cars and jobs that really need attention, mostly with the E34. The sunroof recently seems to be sitting lower than the roof, Having left it out one day in Feb it absolutely pissed down, water came in through the roof and leaked down onto the rear seats. Now there's a stain where the damp has bled through. The whole SilverGrey interior need a proper clean and in some places a retrim, so i've been talking to some different people based on recommendations to get a durable, quality job.
It also means i've slowly started dismantling all the trim etc so i can catalog the parts and make it easier for whoever i go for for the retrim to get it done.
Another issue i've had is after opening the sunroof when at speed last autumn most of the headlining came down over my face with a dusting of that awful orange ahesive going everywhere. I spent a leasurly afternoon taking it out, together with the sunroof and trim.
Here it is with the cloth. The trim literally fell off leaving me with this orange, sticky mess
Armed with adhesive remover and a rag i'm inching my way around removing the old glue. Would have made better progress if my oline purchase of more adhesive failed when they send me 15 (?) tins of adhesive rather than the remover. Once all the glue is off i have a roll of trim lining i bought from an auto trim retailer which seems to be a pretty close match to OEM.
With the sunroof out it was also a good opportunity to check the sunroof itself...
Noticed some rust on the underside of the sunroof panel. Luckily i have a diamond black panel in much better condition in the loft somehwere (and my wife says i hoard car parts) so will check the colour match and most likely use that one when i reassemble. I now need to order lots of seals for the assembly and work out why it wasn't raising to the full height and sealing.
That's it for now, stay healthy everyone
It also means i've slowly started dismantling all the trim etc so i can catalog the parts and make it easier for whoever i go for for the retrim to get it done.
Another issue i've had is after opening the sunroof when at speed last autumn most of the headlining came down over my face with a dusting of that awful orange ahesive going everywhere. I spent a leasurly afternoon taking it out, together with the sunroof and trim.
Here it is with the cloth. The trim literally fell off leaving me with this orange, sticky mess
Armed with adhesive remover and a rag i'm inching my way around removing the old glue. Would have made better progress if my oline purchase of more adhesive failed when they send me 15 (?) tins of adhesive rather than the remover. Once all the glue is off i have a roll of trim lining i bought from an auto trim retailer which seems to be a pretty close match to OEM.
With the sunroof out it was also a good opportunity to check the sunroof itself...
Noticed some rust on the underside of the sunroof panel. Luckily i have a diamond black panel in much better condition in the loft somehwere (and my wife says i hoard car parts
) so will check the colour match and most likely use that one when i reassemble. I now need to order lots of seals for the assembly and work out why it wasn't raising to the full height and sealing. That's it for now, stay healthy everyone
Hope everyone is staying healthy.
With extra time progress on sorting the e34 interior has been creeping along. I needed to sort the leak from the sunroof, make the interior watertight and find someone to refurb the silvergrey leather.
Cue a big order from bmwclassic for a bunch of seals. I decided to use the original sunroof so ground back the bubbling on the underside, degreased it, rust killed it then liberally applied POR15. Handily the seal covers the rust treatment so no sign of the work being done.
In parallel was working on the headlining i usually love working on cars but really didn’t enjoy this job. Removing the old adhesive is messy, the adhesive remover made me high and applying the new trim was fiddly. I did an ‘ok’ job, it definitely wont fall down but if i did it again which i hope never to, it would be tidyer.
I retrimmed the sunroof trim too which on its own took a week on and off. Headlining, sunroof and sunroof trim all back in. Also took the opportunity to wash all the grab handles etc.
I have found a recommended firm to do the leather, he is coming this week to collect it so i had a dead line to get all the leather trim out (which adds up to about 30 different pieces).
I also wanted to give the wetvac a go with the seats out, needless to say it was absolutely filthy after 30 years of abuse. I tried a before and after pic...
And did half the carpet to show the difference
Car now looks like this, all the bits are ready to be collected for a leather refurb which i should have back by the end of the month or so.
Just heard from Boris that we can now go out a little mote so looking forward to some hoons in May, although not in the e34 while this work goes on.
With extra time progress on sorting the e34 interior has been creeping along. I needed to sort the leak from the sunroof, make the interior watertight and find someone to refurb the silvergrey leather.
Cue a big order from bmwclassic for a bunch of seals. I decided to use the original sunroof so ground back the bubbling on the underside, degreased it, rust killed it then liberally applied POR15. Handily the seal covers the rust treatment so no sign of the work being done.
In parallel was working on the headlining i usually love working on cars but really didn’t enjoy this job. Removing the old adhesive is messy, the adhesive remover made me high and applying the new trim was fiddly. I did an ‘ok’ job, it definitely wont fall down but if i did it again which i hope never to, it would be tidyer.
I retrimmed the sunroof trim too which on its own took a week on and off. Headlining, sunroof and sunroof trim all back in. Also took the opportunity to wash all the grab handles etc.
I have found a recommended firm to do the leather, he is coming this week to collect it so i had a dead line to get all the leather trim out (which adds up to about 30 different pieces).
I also wanted to give the wetvac a go with the seats out, needless to say it was absolutely filthy after 30 years of abuse. I tried a before and after pic...
And did half the carpet to show the difference
Car now looks like this, all the bits are ready to be collected for a leather refurb which i should have back by the end of the month or so.
Just heard from Boris that we can now go out a little mote so looking forward to some hoons in May, although not in the e34 while this work goes on.
Small update. Picked up a crack on the windscreen of the e60 a few weeks back. Had a few friends tell me horror stories of non working rainsensors and issues with the HUD when Ftermarket screens are fitted. Had Autoglass come via my insurer and they fit Pilkington glass which is the OEM glass, i have to say they did an excellent job and im very happy with the new screen.
With the e34 all 37 parts of the interior went off to Jamie Cornish at Trimline systems for a few weeks for a refresh and some panels repaired. He dropped it all back over the weekend
Chose him based on feedback from work he had done with friends and i’m very happy with the outcome, colour match and service overall. Fingers crossed its a durable job.
Now spending my evenings slowly piecing the interior back together now.
Also been enjoying the e24, which is still a hoot on song.
Fingers crossed i’ve had an offer agreed on a house with a garage ( i currently use a garage 20min away) so looking forward to being able to spend more time on the cars once thats all wrapped up.
With the e34 all 37 parts of the interior went off to Jamie Cornish at Trimline systems for a few weeks for a refresh and some panels repaired. He dropped it all back over the weekend
Chose him based on feedback from work he had done with friends and i’m very happy with the outcome, colour match and service overall. Fingers crossed its a durable job.
Now spending my evenings slowly piecing the interior back together now.
Also been enjoying the e24, which is still a hoot on song.
Fingers crossed i’ve had an offer agreed on a house with a garage ( i currently use a garage 20min away) so looking forward to being able to spend more time on the cars once thats all wrapped up.
Still here!
A year has flown by, around Autumn / Winter on an evening covid walk my wife and i spotted a nice house in the area for sale (with a garage most importantly) so the E34 had to go to free up some money for that. Weirdly i wasn't that upset to see it go although thats perhaps because the money was going to good use.
One of the first jobs we did was to have the front garden and uneven block driveway replaced, the drains had failed so all of that was done and replaced with a nice thick concrete bed with some sandstone laid on top.
We went from this
To this
We've now got space for 5 cars which is great even though we'll rarely have that many on there. I'd always wanted some lighting for my climbing roses and some driveover lights so had that wired into a Steinel motion sensor, so now as you drive onto the drive, the lights illuminate, albeit discretely.
The M6 has been running fine and i've had the odd morning run in it, although not recently with all the rain. The list of small jobs is building up, i need to tidy some of the seat trim, i have a new drivers door lock barrel to install and im planning a suspension refresh for Winter 2021.
I bought a 2006 Volvo V70 estate to smoke around in and use for DIY / Tip runs, so the E60 has been getting less use and mostly in the garage. I did manage a nice run out with a friend who recently get an F10. We exchanged cars on the run and the F10 was phenomenal, although felt bigger and a little more detached. The gearbox was much better on the F10 than the E60, its when you drive them back to back that you can appreciate the little improvements.
In the long run we're planning a big house renovation, loft etc and part of that will be to enlarge and rebuild the garage to fit a car more comfortably, so i'm doing lots of research into that. We're also expecting our first child in July so expecting to be distracted with that, in the meantime, i'm taking every chance of going for drives as possible while i'm still free! I also can't stop looking at Porsche's in the classifieds, i saw a couple of 996's but after testing a friends 997 GT3 i'm much more excited by the 997.2, so have been looking closely at the market for those. The only issue is lack of time to view them, and the good ones seem to go quite quickly.
In the meantime looking forward to the Bicester Sunday Scramble in June, maybe see some of you there.
A year has flown by, around Autumn / Winter on an evening covid walk my wife and i spotted a nice house in the area for sale (with a garage most importantly) so the E34 had to go to free up some money for that. Weirdly i wasn't that upset to see it go although thats perhaps because the money was going to good use.
One of the first jobs we did was to have the front garden and uneven block driveway replaced, the drains had failed so all of that was done and replaced with a nice thick concrete bed with some sandstone laid on top.
We went from this
To this
We've now got space for 5 cars which is great even though we'll rarely have that many on there. I'd always wanted some lighting for my climbing roses and some driveover lights so had that wired into a Steinel motion sensor, so now as you drive onto the drive, the lights illuminate, albeit discretely.
The M6 has been running fine and i've had the odd morning run in it, although not recently with all the rain. The list of small jobs is building up, i need to tidy some of the seat trim, i have a new drivers door lock barrel to install and im planning a suspension refresh for Winter 2021.
I bought a 2006 Volvo V70 estate to smoke around in and use for DIY / Tip runs, so the E60 has been getting less use and mostly in the garage. I did manage a nice run out with a friend who recently get an F10. We exchanged cars on the run and the F10 was phenomenal, although felt bigger and a little more detached. The gearbox was much better on the F10 than the E60, its when you drive them back to back that you can appreciate the little improvements.
In the long run we're planning a big house renovation, loft etc and part of that will be to enlarge and rebuild the garage to fit a car more comfortably, so i'm doing lots of research into that. We're also expecting our first child in July so expecting to be distracted with that, in the meantime, i'm taking every chance of going for drives as possible while i'm still free! I also can't stop looking at Porsche's in the classifieds, i saw a couple of 996's but after testing a friends 997 GT3 i'm much more excited by the 997.2, so have been looking closely at the market for those. The only issue is lack of time to view them, and the good ones seem to go quite quickly.
In the meantime looking forward to the Bicester Sunday Scramble in June, maybe see some of you there.
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