E28-M5 Engine and Suspension mods

[Ratslaaf]

I've had the car with me for a few days, so while things have been a little quiet I figured I'd spend time and fix up some pending issues.

Because the MAF was changed to a more modern unit, it required fitment of a WAR chip to allow proper function of the ecu.



This is no good...



Better



The OBD module didn't work, upon removal two of the studs had broken away so this had to be repaired.



What the innards of the OBD Module looks like. Eish...



And, voila!



During this process, all the butchered wiring preventing the Rev counter from working was also repaired. The important thing here wasn't to simply get things working by adding new wires to the mess, but to repair the old loom back to OEM spec. This required that I strip the old loom completely in order to get it back to spec.



I found where some of the old OEM wires were chopped off at some point in the past. This had to be fixed



After all that work

 

[Clint@MMS AUTO]

Insane Build this, attention to detail and quality of workmanship is just amazing. well done Chaps, great job there.

 

[Peter@AEW]

I have been busy with another project so did not have the time to fully comment on Gert's work.

So that I may give you some insight I first started speaking to Gert on the Audi Fanatics forum (strange that) and our relationship developed over a period of time.

What struck me immediately was his easy going nature and willingness to help when asked.

I have now worked with Gert on a few projects and have had positive results with his input and expertise.

This particular undertaking really falls outside his focus area of complex electronic repairs, programming and he participated in getting the car started on the WAR chip (read that as He repaired the loom connected it found the damaged connections fixed them traced spark and fuel pump )and now resolving the last of the wiring issues we were challenged with.

Given the quality of his work I am of the opinion that his pricing is most reasonable as well as affordable(do not interpret as cheap) for anyone wishing a specialised person to sort out a rat nest of electrical issues.

In closing thank you for assisting us with the wiring which I know is an area you would rather not get involved in.

I have another project car that will soon require your attention and will confirm that this one was easy.

 

[Ratslaaf]

Hehe, thanks Pete.

Yeah, fixing up wiring isn't really my thing as you said. But in the case of something special like this and the other cars you get to play with I make an exception.

There's something therapeutic and fulfilling working on these cars and bringing them back to their former glory is pretty rewarding. Of late, I don't get to 'create' anything anymore as much of the work I do to pay the bills have become a little mundane. Being a part of a project like this is a nice change of pace hey.

Anyway, thanks for the kind words my man! And thanks to Elton for digging up these wonderful old cars!

 

[tyu333]

I would just like to add that I've seen Gert in action and all I can is is WOW!!! His soldering is on the same level as the robots at the factory in Germany if not better.

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[Peter@AEW]

Updates on their way......car is still with me

 

[Peter@AEW]

Previous owner had diped all the panels in faux carbon fiber which we replaced back to original.
Finding all the vents panels and covers was a mission that took 18 months.



Car is being collected tomorrow after having spent a few days on the dyno.

 

[Peter@AEW]

Love the way the the arch is filled.


Fuel and timing piggy back system.

 

[Rotinaj]

Was the interior redone?

 

[Clint@MMS AUTO]

Looking great there gents.... I really like this car... well done

 

[Peter@AEW]

Was the interior redone?

Some was sprayed and the seats were recovered.
However Elton tells me that he will get the correct colour napa and re do the interior.

 

[Peter@AEW]

Getting ready to hand it over so took it for a chassis wash

 

[Elton_LV]

Ooooooooohhhhhh
The anxiety and excitement
She really is looking amazing Pete

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[Peter@AEW]

I have been driving the car for a few days now so that I may attend to any snags.
We have installed a piggy back system to control fuel and timing,

Although the car drives great there are areas where it behaves in a peculiar manner and the following post came to mind
http://www.bmwfanatics.co.za/showthread.php?tid=52213&pid=1071149#pid1071149

It will definitely need to spend more time being tuned so that we can smooth out a few driveability issues.

The M88 engine even straight out the factory had marginal driveability on the highveld with detonation in summer being the norm as well as lurching when under high load and low revs.

 

[Peter@AEW]

A small update on what was ostensibly a build to attend to a few issues and improve the car as a fun toy and not anywhere near concourse build.

We have used the following on what was/is basically a pretty complete car:

Agent Parts 52 line items with 232 parts
Secondhand Parts 21 line items with 23 parts (mostly small cosmetic parts to correct previous ownership excesses)
OEM Parts 12 line items with 42 parts

Moral of the story...old is cool but it comes at a price.

Still needs a few things to be attended to with a diff leak that has sprung up on the front oil seal as well as a gearbox noise which is there if you listen for it and which I wish to have investigated now before it leads to any bearing failures.
As some will know bearings for these Getrag boxes are as readily available as chicken teeth and at an appropriate cost.

As an aside we have been contemplating the issue of "wheels" as both Elton and I think that the car needs a period correct rim however the way the car handles with the 19s is absolutely astounding for a 30y.o. chassis.
It is still tail happy but in a controllable manner and the front end grip is astounding with good high speed stability.
Credit for the suspension choices goes to Elton who was instrumental in the research for shocks and springs as the rest of the suspension components are standard with no polly bushes as he wanted a comfortable ride with good control. Take a bow Elton.
I would go so far as to say that we are now marginal on brakes with the current setup.

We need to give it some more thought and those of you who are old school feel free to chime in with some sage advise.

 

[Gizmo]

You did a fantastic job on the rebuild Peter, you can take a bow too.

IMHO those wheels do nothing for the car. A car of that vintage should have period correct BBS 2 or 3 piece rims with a polished dish to make the black paintwork pop.

Case in point:

Elton has a set of BBS BMW style 42's that would look fantastic on her.

 

[sash]

Great work Peter, I am in favor of old school wheels for this beauty, would even go as far as an Oem wheel widened to get the same handling characteristics experienced with the 19s

 

[444YYY]

Oem wheels -no modification on the wheel gets my vote
Nice high end tyres should give the 'best' possible grip for the tyre size!

Lots of man hours spent. Worth it on a car of this rarity. Well done to Elton and Peter and all other parties involved

 

[msm]

Awesome work guys raise:

Needs the correct "generation" of wheels though to complete the look.

My personal rule of thumb is one generation up (i.e. from a newer generation such as E34) or one size up (same style as original, but 1" larger). Skipping too many generations or too many sizes does not blend in too well. Looks are all subjective though. Ultimately, it's what the owner wants.

 

[xavier]

The e34 540i wheel would also look goood

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