WIBIMMERS

Finally got around to getting the car paint corrected and detailed. 

Headed over to Accumoto for a suspension consultation. Ended up raising the car 1 inch all around for a more comfortable daily ride and less twitchy backroads experience. Car is feeling much better and just needs to go back for an alignment next week. 

Two small projects down:

Got the car back on the road after upgrading the pressure accumulator and coolant reservoir. 

IMG_8958.mov

Spent too much time on BRZO, craigslist search app, and ended up buying a car sitting in California. 

Details:

• Year - 1988
• Mileage - just rolled over 152k
• Exterior - Alpinewhite
• Interior - black w/sport seats
• Origin - California = no rust!!
• Modifications.maintainance when purchased:
  • Ground Control Coilover w/camber plates
  • Garagistic X-Brace
  • Garagistic Strut Brace
  • Cross drilled rotors with hawk pads
  • K&N intake w/custom heat shield 
  • New catback exhaust
  • 3rd brake light delete
  • Ireland engineering sway bar bushing with reinforcement weld on tabs
  • 16x7 BBS replicas w/BFG Comp-2s
  • Raceland windblocker
  • LED headlights
  • Bluetooth head unit w/speakers and amp - not period correct
  • Engine has been fully gone through maintenance wise

I drove the car in California for two weeks while out there and its finally being shipped back to WI.

Planned Maintenance /Modifications:

• Fix minor dent on hood
• Roll fenders
• Raise car up a little
• Replace rear bumper rubber strip
• Mark D chip and 19lb injectors
• Fabric spray paint the shifter and e-brake boot
• Clutch stop
• Rear shock mount reinforcement
• DRIVE!!

Pictures:

It is finally here!  @YoungCR - I'll post shippers info and experience comments in the services section

New pedals and windshield washer pump! Pretty simple but taking off the wheel well liner can be a pain.

Its time for the next big project on the M5 due to a loose rear end which is likely caused by bad bushings given that some of them have 100k on them. 

Plan:

• Center support bearing
• Drive axle minor refresh including guibo
• Engine mounts
• Transmission mounts
• Differential bushings
• Rear subframe bushings
• Dinan rear sway bar
• All rear control arms and integral links
• Center exhaust hanger
• Rear ball joints
• Hawk HPS and 5.0 brake pads
• High temp brake fluid
• Oil change

Big thanks to @patsbimmer1for helping me source the parts and @jcw0101 for making it happen.

Finally got a hold of some OEM wheels. Still cant believe I ran through the rear tires in 6k miles. 

Hit a mileage milestone. 8000 miles under my ownership which I'm realizing now is over $1/mile in just maintenance ‍️

Looking forward to it. Bringing my 88 vert.

At the request of @YoungCR I am putting up information about my recent GREAT experience with a transport company. I always buy used cars from non-rust states so transport services are becoming more necessary. 

In full transparency, I went through a broker for this one but plan to go direct and save money next time. It cost me $1000 (most companies quote $1200) to ship a car from the Bay Area to Madison WI. Going direct I was told the price would come down to between $800 and $875. My driver, Alex, makes California <--> WI runs every week and I really appreciated that he was a fellow enthusiast, see Instagram. 

Their trucks appear to be newish and can support lowered cars w/o damage. The driver was professional, polite & kept me informed. I'm not 100% sure they have enclosed trailers but it's worth asking them. 

Contact Information:

GIGI LINE INC

2719 Seiler Dr
Naperville, IL 60565
MC Number: 895783
Phone: 847-378-8901
Email: [email protected]

Very excited to be a part of this WI based BMW community. Thought I'd share a little about my car and some of the recent work. Its no garage queen but I like to keep it in good shape 

Details:

• Year - 2001
• Mileage - just rolled over 100k
• Exterior - Carbon Black
• Interior - 2 tone black and grey
• Origin - Colorado = no rust!!:
• Modifications when purchased: Tubi Style Exhaust; ipod integration

Since acquiring the car about a year ago I've been doing some preemptive & required maintenance and modifications. Luckily Kelly Moss is right around the corner and they have a BMW master tech so anything I cant do in the driveway gets taken to them. 

• Suspension refresh - control arms, integral links, bushings
• PSS9 coilovers - stock struts were starting to go out. Wanted to make this a weekend backroads beast with occasional autoXing mixed in. More to come on these.
• E60 shift lever + F10 Shift knob - love the shorter throws while still maintaining a stock look and feel
• Upgraded steel sway bar brackets - lets see how long they last. E39 M5 are known to rip the stock ones apart
• Camshaft sensor replacement - If you have done this before you know how much this sucks. Spent ~10 hours for 4 sensors since BMW puts them between the engine and firewall behind a metal bracket. 
• VANOS solenoid refresh
   

This summer was a little testing due to all of the above maintenance but I fell back in love with the car on weekend drives

Next up:

• Get the PSS9s adjusted to provide a better ride
• Shark Injector Euro tune
• Minor cosmetic things
• OEM wheels - Anyone have Style 65 wheels for sale?

patsbimmer1 said:

I'm coming from up from North Prairie and coming through Waukesha so depending on where the burritos are I'd be up to get together in the morning.  I haven't had diarrhea in awhile.

Holy shit dude. might finally meet you in person.

Minor update: Replaced the ECU with a 173 unit so that I can chip/tune and upgrade the injectors. 

Odometer stopped working so replaced the OEM gears w/Garagistic gears. Pretty easy fix that doesnt require removing the steering wheel but blew out a bulb in the process. 

Jdesign said:

I'm down for driving from the Madison area.

My shop is on the east side and is always an option as a gathering spot if that sounds like a good idea to anyone else? I would say arrive between 8:30-9am and we can head out at 9am.

 @P_Roloff @vbhargava @cpandrewschmidt @AlpineE30 @MattY @YoungCR 

Thanks for the tag. Gonna miss this year due to another trip. We should do something in June in Madison.

ProjectCoCo got some serious love this weekend. 

1. New passenger fuel sender unit
2. New drivers fuel sensor o-ring
3. Garagistic rear shock mount reinforcement
4. M-tech 1 steering wheel with new M color band
5. New headlight knob
6. New glovebox lever/handle
7. New windshield washer reservoir and pump
8. New cowl grates

First time at the picnic and it was great! Soo much diversity within the e30s and lots of personal touches.

Summer plans:

• rear subframe bushings
• coolant overflow reservoir
• bluebus bluetooth module (https://www.bluebus.dev/)
• accumulator upgrade

Finally had a chance to drive and take care of some minor maintenance items.

Tune: Wow, its freaking amazing. I wish I had done this 2.5 years ago when I bought the car. The tune/injector combination provide increased power throughout the rev range but especially below 4K. Its better everywhere without adding any harshness or reducing daily drivability.  (cant say the same for the M5 tune)

Battery replaced: Finally I dont have to jump the car every time!

Coolant Reservoir: 32 years is old enough for that plastic.

Finally got both Bimmers out at the same time