MyE28.com

I think I have a spare ECU from an 79' euro 635csi if you need a spare.

Saw it up close and personal today...that thing is gonna be awesome...funny, as I stood there with Chris to pick up some stuff...I couldn't even make it into the garage. We stood there for about 15 minutes....then it clicked:

Is this car from Denver!? I asked.

Yup. (grinning from ear to ear)

Sweet.

My question is which car is gonna have to sit in the driveway so you can tear into this one??

Sweet find man, good luck!!

Kudos on the e12 m535i, Chris. Look forward to following your projects on this car though I'm guessing you'll be posting much of it on the First Fives site, right? Cheers, Tim

Oh boy....and you didn't have enough to do

Looks like a fun "project"... depending upon cash flow and available time and/or sub-contractors, probably about 18 months worth

Go get 'em, Chris!!

-RoyW

Way to go Chris.

Any other "Triple Crown" owners out there.
(I refer to those who currently own an e12, e28, and e34)

"My E12 makes me ."

What's going to happen when you get married one day?

BMWgiant wrote:What's going to happen when you get married one day?

I guess I'll no longer be single? Pretty standard stuff.

wkohler wrote:

BMWgiant wrote:What's going to happen when you get married one day?

I guess I'll no longer be single? Pretty standard stuff.

Yep, pretty standard stuff.

"The E34 makes my wife ."

i have a complete e28 ac system i dont know what to do with its probably going to find its way to the dump soon.

sexy! I can tell you (although you likely know this firsthand) that a 3.07, dogleg and an M90 is literally the most fun drivetrain combination ever. My e12 euro 6 is much more fun to drive than my e38 m5.

Make her beautiful!

PARTS ARE A PAIN IN THE ASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.

PARTS ARE A PAIN IN THE ASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.

Hey Chris, there is this guy doing business as "Phyver Industries" that has lots of parts for old bent BMW's. He is in your area too.

Been in contact with them, but I can't get anyone that speaks f*cking English. These 3 illegals just transfer me around and say "Que?" and then some jibberish after that which sounds an awful lot like Telemundo. Apparently, they only have E28 and E24 parts.

I charged the battery last night hoping to get some troubleshooting in today. After I got home, I put some fuel in the car since I was sure there was none. Hooked up the battery and for the first time since buying it, tried to start it. Nothing. Tried a couple more times and got nothing. So, I got out and said, "Well, he said he checked for fuel, but never got around to checking for spark, so let's check for spark." Then I got a hammer. I tapped the handle on the ignition control module and it fired right up. It didn't want to stay running at first, so I held the throttle at about 2k for a few seconds. Ran fine after that. I smelled fuel, though, and sure enough something on the #2 injector was leaking lots of fuel. I don't know if it's the hose or the injector itself. I quick ran to the yard and grabbed the ignition control box off of one of the E12s (the first one I went to had a motronic B34 in it, so that was no help).

So, before I can actually drive the car to see what else works/doesn't, I need to fix that issue and replace the brake master, as obviously, I have no brakes or clutch. Fortunately, the PO said he rebuilt the calipers a couple years back. Once I get the brake master, We'll see how everything goes.

Was talking today about the usefulness of hammers and duct tape.

I believe its called Hammer-shooting.
Whack it till it works or its so broken you need another.

I think I have an ignition module from that M535 if you need another Chris.

Missed this post until Stuart emailed me. But Chris and I have been corresponding offline about it and I'm helping where I can so I'm in the loop. The story from beginning until end is still a great read, especially to see a car like this saved by the right enthusiast owner.

Chris, what parts are you having issues with?

Adam

I can't wait to see it come together, very cool project, I'm jealous

Adam W in MN wrote:Missed this post until Stuart emailed me. But Chris and I have been corresponding offline about it and I'm helping where I can so I'm in the loop. The story from beginning until end is still a great read, especially to see a car like this saved by the right enthusiast owner.

Chris, what parts are you having issues with?

Adam

Adam has been quite the help so far before and after the car arrived. Well, he gave me more to "worry" about before it arrived, but of course, I really haven't started tearing into the mechanics of the car until a couple days ago due to time constraints.

Anyway, as for the parts issues, I'm having a hell of a time finding ordinary chassis parts, etc. For example, Autohaus doesn't even have the actual control arm. Just the bushings, and they don't even have "good" parts. If I wanted to drive off a cliff, i'd put new Karlyn control arm bushings in. I'd rather keep it off the cliff. I want to replace the whole arm! Pelican doesn't even list E12 parts. RockAuto lists stuff like Quinton Hazell and AC Delco. Sure, they might be great for Morris Marinas and Chevettes respectively, but not for an M535i. There are some things I can get easily, of course, but others that are confusing. I guess it just comes down to needing to adjust the way I look for parts. Of course, like I said before, if we find E12s in the yard, they're knackered. The only nice one I've found was sadly a Polaris over Marineblau cloth '81 528i. Unfortunately, that was in late 2009. I'd give a [rather dented] kidney to have that for a parts car. straight, rust-free and a gorgeous interior sans dashboard.

I think much of it also is just how different the car is. I have virtually no experience with L-Jet and my troubleshooting skills amount to a lucky hit with a $2 hammer.



In due time, it will all come together.

Very nice. I passed up one of these (albeit slightly less.. um.. 'loved' than yours), and have regretted it since. Well definitely be a test of patience :P

On the parts, I guess I haven't ordered from anyone other than the dealer in quite some time. From that perspective, everything is still available for the most part. But the price increases are really starting to piss me off.

Last year there were 3! One in the 1st half of the year, then a 10% surcharge on anything coming from Europe, and then another one in the Fall.

I do think BMP Design has quite a bit of parts and Bav Auto, but in my experience some of the things you get are not of oem quality standards. So I go right to the dealer (I have a good price worked out with them).

To be honest, if I were you, I would start going through Blunt for parts because he gets his parts through my dealer and has even better prices than I get. Sometimes I use him for orders, sometimes I go right to them. I did get my master cylinder from him.

If you're chasing smaller bits and pieces that are too hard to find up north, the majority of e12's i see these days are in wreckers, and are relatively un-raped. Could always have a hunt for you.

wkohler wrote:PARTS ARE A PAIN IN THE ASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.

It appears that, with the exception of wheel bearings,
all of the major front suspension and steering pieces are
available from Maximillion.

If you are ever inclined to give up on this one, let me know.

As of yesterday, I have now driven the car.

I was surveying the brake master cylinder region and upon removing the cap from the reservoir, noticed that there was a wee-bit in there. When I bought my Touring, it had a can of Prestone brake fluid suitable for all DOT 3 and DOT4 applications. So, I filled 'er up and had a very nice clutch pedal and a pretty good brake pedal. Put the car in reverse, clutch in and started it up. Released the clutch and pulled out of the driveway, went down my street and turned around. then came back and put the car back in the driveway facing the other way.

The driveline feels quite good and the transmission shifts VERY smoothly and is quite quiet. It took a couple of seconds to get used to the pattern. So, this means that I can get a 3-day permit sometime this week and take it over to my friend's shop.

I didn't have the chance, but I'm going to get out the inspection mirror and see if I can see the grommets between the reservoir and the master. I have a sneaking suspicion they're what's doing the leaking.

Wow, that's awesome news!

Good news Chris !

Great News!

It's not about the Dacia Sandero, but that's okay.

That's good to hear Chris.

Today, I had the title put in my name and got a 30-day registration. I'm not getting an emissions test until I have replaced all of the pertinent parts under the hood and given a valve adjustment, etc.

I put my new tag in the rear window, as well as my insurance info in the glovebox and went to fill up with some petrol. Sure, I've got oil leaking out the back of the head and a wet fuel injector, but I needed some fuel. Damn this motor pulls pretty well. I didn't beat on it for obvious reasons, but I could tell that it's pretty damn strong. They also weren't lying when they said "close ratio" for the transmission.

Tomorrow morning, I'm heading out for Denver, so I'm going to drop the car off at my friend's shop and have him go through it, do the fuel lines, etc. I figure it will save me some time and he can keep telling me what a mistake I made buying this car.