MyE28.com

unt0uchable wrote:

DangerWillRbnsn wrote:Finally got my euro headlights & HID's installed. Crappy garage/cell phone pic, but hey... everyone loves pics.

You got those hella tight wheels back on yet or are they still are marred up?

Man, thanks for asking - I've kinda been putting off restoring them because I'm still a little bummed (and busy). I'll get to work on them this week. Hopefully they'll be done in time for bimmerfest.

Replaced the water pump, flushed the cooling system and replaced with BMW blue stuff. I don't know how old the current pump is so I decided to play it safe and replace it.

Finished putting it back together after the respray.

Finally getting to work on the M5 and after sitting for almost 3 months, it wouldn't start. Traced to no spark, jumpered everything and still no luck. Of course, I had just finished ripping out all of the aftermarket radio wiring and alarm, so I was a little worried.

I started simple and cleaned the carbon off of the cap and rotor and replaced the plugs and it started right up!

Now to put it on stands and make a list of what to replace to make it to Vintage.

found this grill in a junkyard in oakland yesterday, mine old grill was held together mostly by jb weld and superglue. the trim on this grill is metal, so thats awesome, mine was all plastic, had no part numbers on it, and was otherwise janky.

saw a sweet old 280sel 4.5 out there, got myself a hubcap to put on my wall. there was only three hubcaps there, or i would have grabbed all of em.. for as cheap as the yard wanted. there was like 6 e28s, 2 535i, but those were pretty stripped...

I broke the antennae off. I am a real dumb ass.

L_N_Love wrote:I broke the antennae off. I am a real dumb ass.

Aren't we all at times.

L_N_Love wrote:I broke the antennae off.

since my antenna still worked, and i dont listen to the radio, as i prefer the sounds of stahl and stebro, i unplugged my power antenna. much better haha!

oh yeah, also installed the junkyard interior temp sensor, dejankified my shifter for the third time (locitite and locknut this time) and it feels like its working now! yay!! hand is still sore from tightening that nut.

Changed the oil a few days ago for the first time since I bought it (I know, stupid to wait), PO was running 5-30 synthetic probably because AutoZone has that in their computer. The manual says that 5-30 is what you need in like Antarctica, of course the car was in SoCal

The M20 feels much happier, quieter, and better lubed with some non-synthetic 20-50 in it, I had to fight the dude at the store who was against selling me such heavy oil (I'll trust the user manual and this forum thx).

Also I'm telling you guys, the armrests I put in last week are the TRUTH. They are leatherette and don't EXACTLY match but its close enough for me. Chill-mode activated

Also adjusted the throttle stop a little tighter and it cleaned my idle up tons. It idles a little higher 800-850 but it rarely stumbles anymore, and when it does its much less severe.

Tightened the throttle cable a little at the same time and now the car is smooth and much more responsive. I'll have to see if it kills my gas mileage but I'm enjoying it for now.

I made a to-do list for this week since I have tons of free time:

1. Timing chain tensioner.
2. Oil change.
3. Valve adjustment.
4. Throttle body sync (optional).
5. Radio knob cleaning (optional).
6. Detailing.

I should have all the necessary parts... wish me luck!

Painted the hood louvre grills black. They were looking a bit faded.

I traded it plus cash for another E30 on Sunday. =\ It just needed far too much work for me to handle as my only vehicle. It went to a good shop, and will be repaired eventually. I might buy it back when that day comes.

Re-listed the oil pan bandit in the for sale section for Doug III

Worked on removing the timing chain tensioner. I have the diaphragm off but its looking like I'm going to have to loosen the A/C compressor to really get the rest of it out. There's not a lot of working space in there to begin with and I was just hoping that it was loose like others' cars have been... oh well. Oh and there was a lot of dirt and grime up in there. That place is really a black hole to collect junk.

painted grille, hood grille, windshield wipers, re-shadowlined around the windshield, polished the kidney...

Timing chain tensioner upgrade complete. Oil change complete. Shall I start the valve adjustment tomorrow? I dunno.

On the tensioner I needed two 32mm sockets to complete the job- one deep one and one shallow one. Since I opted to not remove any other components there is a lot in the way. I needed the shallow one to remove the old tensioner and then the deep one to install the new one. I used the 70 N-m spec for the S50B32 tensioner and was gratefully able to use my torque wrench to obtain the proper spec. I was worried it wasn't going to fit in there but it worked out fine if you loosen the bracket that holds the one insulated A/C line down tight. But be careful not to mess up your A/C system either.

Truth be told if I had the experience and confidence I'd probably have dropped the A/C compressor out of the way to complete the task and was about ready to do it until I got the old tensioner loose.

1st 5er wrote:

I'll take that. It was a significant project for me. As pathetic as that sounds, I know.

I remember my first time.

Replaced the faded trunk Roundel with a new shiny one.

ACHTUNG wrote:Replaced the faded trunk Roundel with a new shiny one.

I did that two weekends ago and forgot to post...

Also last week I had a new Boysen exhaust (muffler section) bolted up...got rid of that old rusty Bosal POS!

And discovered a transmission leak and a misfire. One step forward...two steps back... Such is life with an E28.

I removed the valve cover and started to prep for a valve adjustment. I measured the intake valves on cylinder #1 and one was in spec, but the other one wasn't. After patiently working with the compressed air, screwdriver and magnet I was unable to break the first shim out from the oil seal.

So I'm taking a break as I'm really tired now and frequently find a nice break allows me to re-group my thoughts. Preliminary measurements of the ones I could measure without rotating the engine indicate that its looking like about half of them are off by one shim thickness.

Hopefully I'll be able to make more progress tomorrow. Its always the first time that takes the longest...

Busy evening (sorry wife). M5 trans, clutch, flywheel, plenum and starter removed. New throttle cable and diff mount installed. Noticed that the driveshaft has been replaced (happy day!), but the newish guibo has some cracks.

I feel slightly ahead of schedule for Vintage.

Time to order some more parts!

dsmith wrote:Busy evening (sorry wife). M5 trans, clutch, flywheel, plenum and starter removed. New throttle cable and diff mount installed. Noticed that the driveshaft has been replaced (happy day!), but the newish guibo has some cracks.

I feel slightly ahead of schedule for Vintage.

Time to order some more parts!

You could come pay us a visit.

1st 5er wrote:You could come pay us a visit.

I didn't even break a sweat. Probably because it was only 35 degrees! Most of this stuff can be done in a day, so if I'm down there and you need help, I'll see what I can do. I assume you have air tools, cuz I don't like manual labor.

Jimmie James is quite handy also, and single!

Bled the air out of my coolant system (what a mess) last night.

I was driving around the area between bleeds, took a corner and punched it.

Wellll, I spun the tires all the way around the corner, took off with the engine roaring, and earned a Police Crusier tailing me for the next half hour until I got back onto the island

After nearly 5 years and 6,000 miles, I sold it.

wkohler wrote:After nearly 5 years and 6,000 miles, I sold it.

Which one?