Project E34 535i Restoration
Discussion
I suspect it will at that price and go to a collector or serious BMW enthusiast who recognises the 'value' that has gone into the car keeping it away from the thrash and trash market which have culled the herd down to a handful of good cars.
No question marks on reliability and well out of the box you could use it everyday - as a new car.
Not desperate to sell. I have seen several really loved cars sell for decent prices.
I have also looked at another car which looked terrific, but getting it on the ramps its different story and you can quickly tot up £5000 worth of work just on reliability bits, suspension, brakes and cooling. I am actually still amazed how easy going MOT's are and I would not fancy driving a car like that at 100 plus. This was a nice original car, not a nail. I am getting quite good at spotting non-genuine part from China with some pretty dodgy casting.
If you can think of a collector type that wants the best please circulate.
No question marks on reliability and well out of the box you could use it everyday - as a new car.
Not desperate to sell. I have seen several really loved cars sell for decent prices.
I have also looked at another car which looked terrific, but getting it on the ramps its different story and you can quickly tot up £5000 worth of work just on reliability bits, suspension, brakes and cooling. I am actually still amazed how easy going MOT's are and I would not fancy driving a car like that at 100 plus. This was a nice original car, not a nail. I am getting quite good at spotting non-genuine part from China with some pretty dodgy casting.
If you can think of a collector type that wants the best please circulate.
All this talk of M30 engines is making me nostalgic!
I love these stories of 'my dad's mate had a 535i' as well. I remember going out in BMW's of this era as a child.
If my F10 530d behaves itself I would like to think I could keep it for 20 years, hope to not be proven wrong but complexity and 'software' will probably conspire against that plan!
I love these stories of 'my dad's mate had a 535i' as well. I remember going out in BMW's of this era as a child.
If my F10 530d behaves itself I would like to think I could keep it for 20 years, hope to not be proven wrong but complexity and 'software' will probably conspire against that plan!
Well it's all done, at last.
A bit of a marathon getting parts from BMW. Taxed it yesterday. Lumpy when cold with higher performance cam and slightly upped compression, smooths out to a crisp M30 sound when warmed up and is still tractable around town and revs beautifully.
Anyone have any experience with chipping apparently an easy 30bhp gain?
A bit of a marathon getting parts from BMW. Taxed it yesterday. Lumpy when cold with higher performance cam and slightly upped compression, smooths out to a crisp M30 sound when warmed up and is still tractable around town and revs beautifully.
Anyone have any experience with chipping apparently an easy 30bhp gain?
Bogracer said:
Well it's all done, at last.
A bit of a marathon getting parts from BMW. Taxed it yesterday. Lumpy when cold with higher performance cam and slightly upped compression, smooths out to a crisp M30 sound when warmed up and is still tractable around town and revs beautifully.
Anyone have any experience with chipping apparently an easy 30bhp gain?
I found it was essential with a cam in a M30 engine to run an adjustable fuel pressure regulator. Being able to fine tune the fuel pressure makes a big difference in smoothing out flat spots and the quality is higher, they are also quicker to respond to vacuum, so help the engine feel perkier.A bit of a marathon getting parts from BMW. Taxed it yesterday. Lumpy when cold with higher performance cam and slightly upped compression, smooths out to a crisp M30 sound when warmed up and is still tractable around town and revs beautifully.
Anyone have any experience with chipping apparently an easy 30bhp gain?
I used an FSE Powerboost valve on my 635's.
As for chips I ran mine on a genuine Alpina B9 3.5 brain, but after a water leak from the scuttle flooded it I put in a standard Motronic 1.1 brain and it made no difference.
Edited by Stick Legs on Monday 24th February 08:44
Hello, I need your collective e34 brains to solve a rattle.
At idle the there is an annoying mechanical rattle.
I have been told this is a 'trait' of a manual gearbox and live with it.
It's not getting any worse but for me it sounds awful and spoils the rest of the effort and expense gone into the car.
The clutch was replaced as was the release bearing, this rattle was there before. Depressing the clutch makes no difference to the noise.
I have been looking around on the internet, and it could be the flywheel?
Any pearls of wisdom?
I could post a video I guess of the noise.
Cheers,
James
At idle the there is an annoying mechanical rattle.
I have been told this is a 'trait' of a manual gearbox and live with it.
It's not getting any worse but for me it sounds awful and spoils the rest of the effort and expense gone into the car.
The clutch was replaced as was the release bearing, this rattle was there before. Depressing the clutch makes no difference to the noise.
I have been looking around on the internet, and it could be the flywheel?
Any pearls of wisdom?
I could post a video I guess of the noise.
Cheers,
James
Fantastic restoration, I once owned a very early "E" Reg E34 manual 535i in Dolphin Grey & without doubt it was one of the most enjoyable cars I've ever owned. When I bought it, it was 10 years old & had done 142,000 miles with a full BMW service history. At 150,000 miles I did have a problem with a valve guide (which had previously been bodged surprisingly) but whilst the head was away getting rebuilt I got a look at the bores of the engine. There was no wear at all & the original factory crosshatching was still present on every bore. What a superb machine it was. Sadly I lost my job after 5 years with the car & had to get rid of it so my dad took it on for another 18 months before selling it on with 192,000 miles to some numpty who didn't retax it when the tax ran out so I assume it was scrapped.
One other thing that did happen with me was that once when I was out driving I got a grinding noise when the clutch was fully depressed & I could feel it through the pedal. I nursed the car slowly home & got a local garage to order up an oe clutch kit & explained the problem. Like me they thought it might be a release bearing or something similar but replacing the complete clutch didn't solve it. It ended up being a small spigot bearing in the centre of the flywheel causing all the trouble & once replaced all was well. It doesn't sound like your fault though but it is still worth checking/replacing if you do get your gearbox whipped out to investigate. You have a truly superb car there, & even though it's been over 10 years since I had to let go of mine I do still miss it & feel sad that I couldn't keep a hold of it.
Almost six years ago I decided to start looking for an M50 engined E34, preferably a 525i thinking it would be reasonable performance with decent economy & with the low budget I had, I ended up buying sight unseen a 520i with full BMW history but sadly it wasn't as described. It does have a decent engine for its age & is ok on fuel & has that e34 solidity but nothing will ever compare to the superb torque & power of that glorious m30 engine.
I wish you the best with your car & don't be too quick to ever sell it
One other thing that did happen with me was that once when I was out driving I got a grinding noise when the clutch was fully depressed & I could feel it through the pedal. I nursed the car slowly home & got a local garage to order up an oe clutch kit & explained the problem. Like me they thought it might be a release bearing or something similar but replacing the complete clutch didn't solve it. It ended up being a small spigot bearing in the centre of the flywheel causing all the trouble & once replaced all was well. It doesn't sound like your fault though but it is still worth checking/replacing if you do get your gearbox whipped out to investigate. You have a truly superb car there, & even though it's been over 10 years since I had to let go of mine I do still miss it & feel sad that I couldn't keep a hold of it.
Almost six years ago I decided to start looking for an M50 engined E34, preferably a 525i thinking it would be reasonable performance with decent economy & with the low budget I had, I ended up buying sight unseen a 520i with full BMW history but sadly it wasn't as described. It does have a decent engine for its age & is ok on fuel & has that e34 solidity but nothing will ever compare to the superb torque & power of that glorious m30 engine.
I wish you the best with your car & don't be too quick to ever sell it
Having a consolidation, I drive it as I am doing today I don't want to sell it.
The extensively refurbished and loved 535i - It's on EBay!
Hi! I found this on eBay and thought you might like it! Check it out now: http://r.ebay.com/FrxxTU
Sent from my iPhone
The extensively refurbished and loved 535i - It's on EBay!
Hi! I found this on eBay and thought you might like it! Check it out now: http://r.ebay.com/FrxxTU
Sent from my iPhone
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