E34 restoration job

Pfw28

New member
:sleep: Hi everyone, sorry so quiet, but nothing to report, really. Paint stripping continues, seems fine, then you find more gloop. The driver's door is knocked out, filled and sanded, ready for 1st coat primer. @ Raybimmer- it's the M 50 engine, 6 coil packs, oil cap at the back. No sign of vanos sensors, but I'm no expert, so it could be hiding in there without me knowing it! @ Adi, many thanks, will pm you. Many thanks also for all the good wishes, keeps one on the toes knowing that the world is watching! :biglol:
 

Raybimmer

New member
The M50 came out in non vanos and vanos versions .The vanos version will have the vanos on the front left of the head , the tappet cover will not be straight at the front .
There is a 530i in a scrapyard in East London , they are scarce down here .
Shout if you need help :thumbs:
 

Raybimmer

New member
Oops got a pm from Ashley the car is now at Clutchy's workshop in E L , going to put the 5 speed manual box in Ashley's auto 540i .:thumbs::thumbs:

Ash , I did not know you were serious , you could have used my car for a week to see how the manual goes ....it stands here and only gets out some weekends !!
 

Pfw28

New member
Raybimmer said:
Oops got a pm from Ashley the car is now at Clutchy's workshop in E L , going to put the 5 speed manual box in Ashley's auto 540i .:thumbs::thumbs:

Ash , I did not know you were serious , you could have used my car for a week to see how the manual goes ....it stands here and only gets out some weekends !!

Oh well, found a good use at least. Would have liked to do the same job, the box is our only concern on this vehicle. Anyone got a box and the clutch system laying around, both of ours are/were auto, so no pedal etc. Not a major issue, but would be nice. Thanks for the heads - up. :thumbs:
 

Raybimmer

New member
Ok are you looking for the box to fit the M50b25 motor ?
I think the manual box is the same as the e36 325i gearbox , the rest of the items will be e34 520i and 525i . Pedals may be the same as the 535i . Give me a few days to go through realoem and check .

I want to go look in Butterworth one day to see what is in their scrapyards .

You can pm Gizmo on the forum about details .
I know Clutchy here in East London put a 5 speed box in his 540i auto .
Will wait till Ashley is done with his conversion.....then see how much slower it is compared to the 540i 6-speed ...:roflol::roflol: Jokes Ash , we are too old for that ...:roflol::roflol:
 

Pfw28

New member
Raybimmer said:
Ok are you looking for the box to fit the M50b25 motor ?
I think the manual box is the same as the e36 325i gearbox , the rest of the items will be e34 520i and 525i . Pedals may be the same as the 535i . Give me a few days to go through realoem and check .

I want to go look in Butterworth one day to see what is in their scrapyards .

You can pm Gizmo on the forum about details .
I know Clutchy here in East London put a 5 speed box in his 540i auto .
Will wait till Ashley is done with his conversion.....then see how much slower it is compared to the 540i 6-speed ...:roflol::roflol: Jokes Ash , we are too old for that ...:roflol::roflol:

That's what we need, would the M5 box not work there then? I presume the pedal buckets are common to both auto and manual bodies, so mounting shouldn't be a hassle, just need the hardware. Nothing special in the way of a gearbox either, not a racing car, this one, that comes later (the donor body). :rollsmile: i don't know the Butterworth scrapyards, but will touch the "bush telegraph" and see what comes out. Worth looking in Mthata too, I'll investigate. Are you looking for specific things or just looking?
 

Raybimmer

New member
M5 box - I dont know the S36 motor compared to the M50 if the mounting points are the same .

Its good to know where there are spares , I must get a sunroof , my cars roof lining was redone by the previous owner and as he drove the lid flew out so a total replacement is best .

I have fixed the telephone cradle , it was all glued up inside yet lying loose on the centre console where the tape holder normally goes , I got it clean and will screw the mounting bracket back and refit the cradle . The phone works !! , it takes the whole simcard in the cradle or put a simcard in the module in the boot . ( Same as e38 7 series ) .

The M50 motor likes revs and can be heard when revved , maybe a M50B28 crank and a few mods then with 170/180 kw you have a nice cruiser ( drop down a gear or two and fly past anything !! ) .

How far is Mount Frere from East London ?
Good luck .
 

Pfw28

New member
Hi there, been a busy week in the workshop, so the project had to take a back seat, no work done. At the moment we don't want to open the engine, it pulls well with no smoke, so let sleeping dogs sleep. A standard gearbox will be fine, more than quick enough on these roads. Will look into the gearbox conversion, mountings etc. manifold and cam once the body is done, ready for top coat. Mt. Frere is about 350km from E. London, half way to Durban on the N2. You can't miss it, you drive through the town (very slowly). One of the Transkei's traffic horror stories, drivers who just go, or stop, (Other traffic? What other traffic?) and pedestrians worse than sheep. All this on a national road, it's wonderful! :yuck:
 

Raybimmer

New member
ok . The gearbox should be ok to do , the pedal change is a schlep , then its hose to the box and bolting everything up .
Sounds easy but .....takes time . The box is heavy , I did my 328i clutch last year and I sweated with the box on my own .

The road test s of the e34 in Car magazine had the 525i not far behind the 535i , the 24 valve motor is strong when revved , these cars handle quite good for their size .

Must take a drive past there one day .
 

Pfw28

New member
Ok, have a sunroof for you, complete with the rest of the roof, cut off at the pillars. Guy says he'll take R1500 for it, take away. :ty:
 

Raybimmer

New member
Ok thats great , was it working and what colour is rooflining ?
I can see if I can lend a trailer , maybe take a days leave , maybe week of 23 July . Is he in a hurry to sell ?
 

Pfw28

New member
Raybimmer said:
Ok thats great , was it working and what colour is rooflining ?
I can see if I can lend a trailer , maybe take a days leave , maybe week of 23 July . Is he in a hurry to sell ?

No problem, no rush to sell, he's had it lying around for a year or 5. Not sure about the lining, will check tomorrow for you. It was a working unit, cut from a BAD front smash, as a spare for our donor car, but never got used. When you feel the itch to travel, feel free, come and visit, you're more than welcome.:rollsmile:
 

Pfw28

New member
Ok. Have your roof out and in one place. Turns out the lining is grey, but VERY dirty, it will need cleaning before you can install it, the lights are there and intact. The motor is missing, but we have another one in the donor car if that one doesn't show up, so no problem.
 
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