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Posted: Jun 16, 2013 5:55 PM
by tig
The driver's seat rocks backwards & forward and squeaks when I drive. Very annoying.

Since I had my son helping today (strong back and all that) I had him help me pull it from the car so we could see if we could tighten it up somehow.

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Sadly, it just appears to be old/worn as most of the play is coming from joints like where my son is pointing in this pic. We could not find any obvious location where something could be tightened down.

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Anyone have any experience tightening these things up?

This may accelerate my search for a set of E34 sport seats...

Posted: Jun 16, 2013 6:00 PM
by wkohler
There are pins (for lack of a better term) that tie the sliders to the actual seat frame. Both they and the holes through which they pass wear. I might be weird but I never really noticed that on my car.

Posted: Jun 16, 2013 7:07 PM
by tig
wkohler wrote:There are pins (for lack of a better term) that tie the sliders to the actual seat frame. Both they and the holes through which they pass wear. I might be weird but I never really noticed that on my car.
Yea, that's what we discovered.

On my car the rocking is pretty noticeable and most of the squeaks I get over bumps is coming from the driver's seat frame. Annoying unless the music is cranked.

Posted: Jun 17, 2013 8:19 AM
by unt0uchable
cek wrote:
wkohler wrote:There are pins (for lack of a better term) that tie the sliders to the actual seat frame. Both they and the holes through which they pass wear. I might be weird but I never really noticed that on my car.
Yea, that's what we discovered.

On my car the rocking is pretty noticeable and most of the squeaks I get over bumps is coming from the driver's seat frame. Annoying unless the music is cranked.
My last e28 rocked pretty good in the driver seat. It was quite annoying, however, I didn't get any squeaking out of it. I'm putting e34 comforts in the zinno. I expect they have a few years left before they start rocking on me...

Posted: Jun 17, 2013 11:54 AM
by tig
Wheels are being shipped by the seller today. He called me yesterday after I sent him an email letting him know that I'd be willing to pay him a little extra if he went overboard in packing them up safely. He described how he's packing them for shipment and I'm no longer losing sleep over it :-).

Tires (Conti DWs) are inbound to the place that mounts/balances wheels for me. As are a set of aluminum hub centric rings.

Vlad will be wearing new shoes RSN.

Posted: Jun 17, 2013 2:21 PM
by unt0uchable
cek wrote:Wheels are being shipped by the seller today. He called me yesterday after I sent him an email letting him know that I'd be willing to pay him a little extra if he went overboard in packing them up safely. He described how he's packing them for shipment and I'm no longer losing sleep over it :-).

Tires (Conti DWs) are inbound to the place that mounts/balances wheels for me. As are a set of aluminum hub centric rings.

Vlad will be wearing new shoes RSN.
Interested to see them!

PS: Just was looking over your OP in this thread. Our cars were produced the same month. Mine is just shy of 2 weeks newer. 9-22-86 build date. :alright:

Posted: Jun 17, 2013 3:26 PM
by tsmall07
cek wrote:
wkohler wrote:There are pins (for lack of a better term) that tie the sliders to the actual seat frame. Both they and the holes through which they pass wear. I might be weird but I never really noticed that on my car.
Yea, that's what we discovered.

On my car the rocking is pretty noticeable and most of the squeaks I get over bumps is coming from the driver's seat frame. Annoying unless the music is cranked.
I'm tall enough to drop my seat adjustment all the way down when driving. It doesn't rock when in that position. You might want to give it a try.

Posted: Jun 17, 2013 3:28 PM
by wkohler
That's probably what it was then.

Not only was my seat all the way down, but I took the feet out so it sat lower yet. I actually fit in that car with a helmet. A feat I haven't accomplished in any other BMW.

Posted: Jun 17, 2013 3:46 PM
by tig
tsmall07 wrote: I'm tall enough to drop my seat adjustment all the way down when driving. It doesn't rock when in that position. You might want to give it a try.
On the way in to work this morning I tried that and sure enough it stabilizes things.

I generally always run seats as low as possible because I got it in my head ages ago that it positively impacts lowering the CG of the car. At 6' I never have had a problem seeing over the steering wheel.

The problem is I need the front raised a bit for it to be comfy for me...otherwise my back is strained (I have a bad back). Maybe I'll see about shimming the front mounts up an inch or so as a temporary work around.

Posted: Jun 17, 2013 3:55 PM
by Kyle in NO
I've always wanted to drill out the hole and try a brass bushing to tighten things up, but never was motivated enough to take the measurements and locate a properly sized bush.

Posted: Jun 17, 2013 4:02 PM
by tig
Kyle in NO wrote:I've always wanted to drill out the hole and try a brass bushing to tighten things up, but never was motivated enough to take the measurements and locate a properly sized bush.
I looked at it pretty carefully and there's a lot of complexity in the mechanism. I immediately concluded that it'd just be a ton of work and probably not worth the time.

Posted: Jun 17, 2013 4:03 PM
by wkohler
All you need is something that fills the hole snugly but still allows the mechanism to pivot without binding.

Posted: Jun 22, 2013 2:12 PM
by tig
Bad news: I bought the wrong brake pads for my wife's 135i so the brake job is stalled.

Good news: FedEx just dropped off my 'new' BBS RX wheels!!! The seller did a great job packing them and they are in great shape. They'll get mounted on Monday.

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Posted: Jun 22, 2013 3:50 PM
by tig
Baked on brake dust on wheels can be a bitch to clean off...

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... if you don't have a steam cleaner:

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Interestingly only the left front wheel had it.

Posted: Jun 22, 2013 10:34 PM
by LarryM
Nice choice of period-correct wheels. They should look awesome, especially with the car slightly lowered.

Now, how did I just KNOW that you had a steam cleaner lying around somewhere? ;)

Posted: Jun 23, 2013 10:20 PM
by Drew in NYC
LarryM wrote:Nice choice of period-correct wheels. They should look awesome, especially with the car slightly lowered.
It's news to me that the BBS RX are period-correct to the E28 -- I would have pegged them more as early-'90s wheels. In any event, I agree that they will look great on this car, period-correct or otherwise.

Posted: Jun 23, 2013 11:18 PM
by tig
Uh, Vlad is male. He doesn't menstruate.

Posted: Jun 23, 2013 11:48 PM
by tsmall07
The RX is one of my favorite wheels. I'm looking forward to seeing them on the car.

Posted: Jun 24, 2013 10:08 PM
by tig
Ta-da!

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Car details:
  • 1987 BMW 535is - Built September 9, 1986
  • WBADC7401H0964420
  • Zinnoberrot (Cinnabar) on black
  • Delivered to first owner in Orange, CA February 27, 1988
  • Sold to 2nd owner in Santa Barbara, CA October 6, 2000 @ 87,525 miles
  • Sold to 3rd owner (me) in Bellevue, WA April 5, 2013 @ 171,000 miles
Updates/Tweaks:
  • Conforti chip
  • 740iL calipers (painted red), ATE power rotors, 740iL master cylinder, Akebono ceramic pads, stainless hoses
  • 3.23 limited slip differential (from a 2003 M Coupe)
  • Style 8 wheels (16x7.5" ET15) from an 840ci - 225/50-R16 RE760 tires
  • BBS RX223 (16x8" ET15) wheels - Continental Extreme Contact DW 225/50-R16 tires
  • Rolled rear fenders
  • Cibie headlights, H4 80/100w, H1 100w, with upgraded wiring, relays and fuses
  • Motorsport Series strut brace
  • H&R Springs
  • Bilstein Sport shocks
  • K-MAC Stage 1 street front adjustable camber kit
  • K-MAC Rear camber & toe kit
  • Powerflex rear subframe bushings
  • Custom installed 2-port USB power plugs
  • Custom hard-wired Valentine 1 radar detector install
  • Pioneer CD/MP3/Bluetooth head unit, big ass amplifier, and subwoofer (PO)
  • ///M shift knob
  • Shadowline conversion (in progress)
  • Bavarian Auto ceramic coated headers
  • Ireland Engineering exhaust
In progress or planned:
  • M30B35 motor from an '88 735i (acquired, currently rebuilding for funzies).
  • Pelican Parts clutch kit (incl. Sachs clutch; acquired; will go in with M30B35)
  • Lightweight flywheel (Inbound)
  • E34 Sport seats; will recover with black & red leather (WTB)
  • Upgrade of dash, center console, etc... with black leather and red stitching.
  • Euro bumper conversion (WTB)

Posted: Jun 24, 2013 10:17 PM
by wkohler
Looks great!!!

Posted: Jun 24, 2013 10:22 PM
by OcCoupe
Looks great! What dealership did your car come from?

Posted: Jun 24, 2013 10:28 PM
by tig
OcCoupe wrote:Looks great! What dealership did your car come from?
Saddleback BMW, Irvine CA

Posted: Jun 24, 2013 10:37 PM
by OcCoupe
cek wrote:
OcCoupe wrote:Looks great! What dealership did your car come from?
Saddleback BMW, Irvine CA
A friend of mine works their, (now Irvine BMW). I was curious because mine came from Sterling in Newport Beach. Same scenario 2 owners I bought it with 73,xxx miles.

Your car is looking fantastic.
Mike

Posted: Jun 24, 2013 10:41 PM
by tig
OcCoupe wrote:
cek wrote:
OcCoupe wrote:Looks great! What dealership did your car come from?
Saddleback BMW, Irvine CA
A friend of mine works their, (now Irvine BMW). I was curious because mine came from Sterling in Newport Beach. Same scenario 2 owners I bought it with 73,xxx miles.

Your car is looking fantastic.
Mike
It's fun knowing the provenance of a car. Thanks for the kind words. I'm quite happy with how it looks. The 17 year old in me wishes they were 17" wheels and it was 1/2" lower. But the 46 year old in me loves driving it every day on the rough streets around here.

Posted: Jun 25, 2013 3:27 PM
by jay
New wheels look great!

Posted: Jun 25, 2013 5:43 PM
by leadphut
Looks good. Prefer the style 8's.

Posted: Jun 25, 2013 6:51 PM
by LarryM
cek wrote: The 17 year old in me wishes they were 17" wheels and it was 1/2" lower. But the 46 year old in me loves driving it every day on the rough streets around here.

I think a recent article in Car & Driver, comparing the new GTI to the Focus ST summarized it well:

"Part of being an adult is knowing when not to overdo it."

Posted: Jun 25, 2013 7:24 PM
by bigjay973
Now that's serious.

Posted: Jun 25, 2013 10:49 PM
by 5280 JB
I was in Seattle all last week - was hoping to see this beauty prowling the streets. I would have pulled a "Counts Kustoms" and pulled up next to you saying "Dude, got a minute to talk about your car?" :alright:

She's looking great on the RX's.

Jim

Posted: Jul 06, 2013 5:21 PM
by tig
Dropped by a muffler shop this morning and had them take a look at the exhaust alignment. We concluded a little bracket would be the easiest fix.

The muffler/tips needed to move down away from the valance and to the right towards the gas tank. This bracket did the trick, but may be a bit too low; I might elongate the bolt hole and make it sit a little higher (closer to valance).

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But much better...

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The exhaust is still not straight, but fixing it would require heating and bending tubes and I got out of there without them charging me anything, so I'm declaring it good enough.