Another daily driver thread: E34 525i

[P_Roloff]

wasnt m3 said:

If I were you, I'd spin the wheels just to make sure that they are true. Pretty soft wheels from my experience. I'd hate to see you spend a ton of effort on wheels that aren't round. That said, I'd never polish a set of those lips ever again.

Definitely will do this, they look straight but you never really can tell through visual inspection. 

Rekpoint said:

Before removing the bolts make sure to heat them. The guy who bought my style 42s told me that almost every one snapped, even with heat.

I'll probably start with PB Blaster or something similar first, I'd really rather not put heat into the wheels themselves if i can help it. Likely wouldn't measurably change anything, but I'd rather not play with the material properties of the wheel.

Now that I think about it, I might cut a sample off of the barrel and run a few little tests to see if heating with a torch has any effect on hardness, I could probably get access to the machines at school if I wanted to. Might be interesting to see what happens, if that short amount of time is enough to change anything.

[need4speed1299]

I never snapped any either. No heat or pb blaster. I zipped them off with a half inch impact and ground down an air chisel bit to this shape.

_/\_

[Rekpoint]

P_Roloff said:

Definitely will do this, they look straight but you never really can tell through visual inspection. 

I'll probably start with PB Blaster or something similar first, I'd really rather not put heat into the wheels themselves if i can help it. Likely wouldn't measurably change anything, but I'd rather not play with the material properties of the wheel.

Now that I think about it, I might cut a sample off of the barrel and run a few little tests to see if heating with a torch has any effect on hardness, I could probably get access to the machines at school if I wanted to. Might be interesting to see what happens, if that short amount of time is enough to change anything.

The style 42s I had were also heavily oxidized and corroded. That might play a difference. But its better to be safe than sorry.

[Jdesign]

I never broke any either. I used a solid chunk of ABS and an air chisel to remove them. I cut the ABS into a curve and it allowed me to zap out about 3 at a time.

[P_Roloff]

Update for personal reference:

Oil change, 76,806 miles with Castrol Edge 5w-40 full synthetic. Note to self to buy Bosch or Mann filter from FCP euro next time instead being stuck with the Oreilly’s Wix filter. Replaced reverse light switch while it was in the air, and replaced hood & trunk shocks within the last week. Broken headlight adjusters will be replaced soon and headlights will finally be aimed correctly.

[B C]

Does this M50 have VANOS?

I may be making stuff up but for whatever reason I thought the E34 never got the M50TU

[P_Roloff]

B C said:

Does this M50 have VANOS?

I may be making stuff up but for whatever reason I thought the E34 never got the M50TU

It does indeed, Vanos be kickin in all the time yo

I believe that 1993 was the changeover year from NV to Vanos. I should really replace the seals at some point this summer now that you mention this.

[B C]

I have a couple of the vanos tools that I dont need anymore in case you or anyone needs them, just not the cam timing blocks. It’s a fun little project

[YoungCR]

P_Roloff said:

Note to self to buy Bosch or Mann filter from FCP euro next time instead being stuck with the Oreilly’s Wix filter. 

Farm & Fleet May have the Bosch filter locally, no lifetime warranty though.

[B C]

Why no Wix?

[P_Roloff]

B C said:

I have a couple of the vanos tools that I dont need anymore in case you or anyone needs them, just not the cam timing blocks. It’s a fun little project

I’ll keep that in mind, sourcing the timing blocks is the biggest thing stopping me right now. Would you say it’s doable in a weekend?

I guess there’s no real reason to not use the Wix, but I’d personally prefer to use an OEM supplier like Bosch or Mann given the choice. Just a personal preference thing.

[B C]

Yes, easy weekend job. Better yet, buy a used VANOS assy, do all the anti-rattle, and seal replacement beforehand and the job will be better for a quick turnaround

http://beisansystems.com/procedures/vanos_single_procedure.htm

[KaiserRolls]

what issue are you having sourcing the blocks?

[m42b32]

I have a set of timing tools if you want to borrow them at some point.

[P_Roloff]

KaiserRolls said:

what issue are you having sourcing the blocks? 

That was poorly worded. I don’t own a set and am balking at paying the $100 for them to use once. I’ll do it if I have to, but I’d rather borrow a set. 
 

m42b32 said:

I have a set of timing tools if you want to borrow them at some point. 

I’ll have to take you up on that, thank you!

[KaiserRolls]

Makes sense, I thought you couldn’t find them online lol.

[P_Roloff]

Made good progress yesterday on the headlights. Finally got around to replacing the broken adjuster cup things (the little plastic sockets that the end of the metal adjuster rods sit in) so that the headlight adjustment could be corrected. Previously, the low beams did a great job of lighting the ditch and the first 30-40 feet in front of the car. 
Took a bit longer than expected, mostly because I decided to pull the full headlight units out and lubricate the adjusters on the bench, they were crustier than I expected. I’ve told myself this before, but next time I’ll buy new adjusters and save myself the frustration. 
Bumper is also off the car to get the holes fiberglassed and filled. I’m going to repaint the trim while it’s off, the PO sprayed all the trim gloss black and about half of it has lifted off, it looks pretty crappy. Grilles will either get plastic restorer or just painted with SEM trim paint to get rid of the faded out look they have now, haven’t decided which one I’ll do. Finally, the kidneys and headlight trim rings are gonna be polished before going back on. Should look really nice when it’s done!

I’m pretty excited about the next project on this car, I’ll update here hopefully within a week on it.

[straight6pwr]

careful polishing those kidneys, if there is an edge of the chrome paint starting to peel, and your rag catches it youll tear a chunk right off.

[straight6pwr]

P_Roloff said:

I’m pretty excited about the next project on this car, I’ll update here hopefully within a week on it. 

[P_Roloff]

straight6pwr said:

Don’t get too excited haha, it’s not crazy by any means but it’s something that will make longer drives much more enjoyable, and doesn’t seem to have a ton of documentation. I’ll post a lot of pictures when I do it to try to change that.