My 94 540i "My project car" SOLD to Budleigh

[rick540]

Aw gee... I sold it....

I wish Budleigh many years of happy motoring and joy this fine BMW will bring him.

Have fun!



This is my favourite car of the two 540i (E34 and E39) I own, I will update this post as I have the new pics. Some of these are before the color coded bumpers, have been focussing on the interior and mechanicals so far.

Seeing as everybody here likes pictures so much, here's a few.

The mods are a plenty, but include a mild porting job, reshaped valves, custom exhaust, mustang fuel injectors, And a chip developed by a BMW motorsport partner.

And of course the custom leather done by myself.

I will be doing some more "four or so" (One of a kind each dashes this December) I owe it to certain people that have complimented me so nicely on my work, and would really appreciate one for their own special projects, besides I enjoy doing them, now that I have learned how to after doing my own.

 

[Gerhardm32]

Stunning! :clap:

 

[E39 Ian]

Absolute beaut!!!!!!! :excited:

Leather work is fantastic!!!!!!!! :thumbsup:

I have same rims on my car, wonder if someone would want to swop, I reckon its time for a change

 

[rick540]

Im looking for a set for the E34, those rims look fantastic on the E34, would need spacers.

What style rims are you looking for I may be able to arrange?

 

[Gerhardm32]

Absolute beaut!!!!!!! :excited:

Leather work is fantastic!!!!!!!! :thumbsup:

I have same rims on my car, wonder if someone would want to swop, I reckon its time for a change

I would swop but I am in PTA, sorry.

 

[zaleonardz]

Rick... dude I am in awe... That is some awesome work

Tell us a bit more on that exhaust..

I was considering dropping out the 2 middle resonators/boxes as mine are shot, but leaving the rear in place... just for that sound, but I see you put a big box at the back, I am worried about clearance issues and scraping...

 

[rick540]

The exhaust.

Well the original was some handmade stainless artwork (Dunno where it came from, but it sounded like a bloody Corvette or something when I bought the car, indescribeable) part of it is still there in the rear two mufflers, and I kept the bad ones so I can re fabricate that sweet sound oneday.

The centre two mufflers sadly got holes in, and and I had to change them out, car has never sounded as good since, but we discovered it was the crappy tuffex dual pipe mufflers. Those two single mufflers (My idea for low end breathing after some research) were fitted by Powerflow here and really made a difference in the torque and a much deeper sound. No clearance issues, there is lots of space, it just doesn't look so.

The sound is still not right, but I have learned that for top end you want two short dual pipe mufflers in the centre of the car, it really screams at high revs.

For a deeper softer sound and more low down torque, use two single mufflers going into one dual in the centre.

The V8 engines have very strange firing orders (two cyls sequential on one side during the routine, giving them that "burble") There are lots of tricks one can play with both sound and power on a V8.

I am after a really deep V8 rumble sound and will eventually get there (Swapping perfectly good mufflers in and out every few months for fun is rather expensive) But I WANT that recepie :cursin:

 

[zaleonardz]

Well,

I am cheap at this point, cause i blew the budget and need to build up some cash, I am going to cut out the middle two, with just the big one at the back (stnadard and in good condition)

Well let ya know what the sound is like.

I am also after that deep V8 rumble, but still civilized enough to use as a daily drive..

Will one day replace it from front to back, and I am still not sure if I am going to turbo, or supercharge, so that holds in a factor, I am leaning towards SC though

 

[rick540]

Zl, No, don't cut them out if you can avoid it, you will loose power everywhere!

The volume inside the front mufflers is needed by the V8 to absorb the exhaust pressure waves of gas and basically ease the exhaust breathing.

But then again, my E39 has straight tubes instead of cats, and it's got a quiet "american" muscle car sound to some extent.

How about an X or H pipe as well when you cut them out?

 

[zaleonardz]

Problem is that the current ones are rotten, the rear is fine.

Perhaps X/H will not be a bad idea.

Issue is I just want a fix short term until I decide on what route I wanna take with the final system, but I hear you, that is a very good point...

Hmmm....

 

[rick540]

The round ones in mild steel are about R350 each at Poweflow.

And their guys actually know how to weld and bend pipe properly unlike most places I went to before.

Nobody else wanted to do it either because the second they are faced with actually having to fabricate something their brains shut down. I am going to finish this system before their welder leaves or something. Good reasonably priced exhaust/metalwork guys are few and far between out here.

 

[zaleonardz]

Ok thats not too bad, but then I am stuck with that huge power robbing box at the back....

What you say makes perfect sense... perhaps a new system is in order... but first... suspension.

I was so disappointed when I put the exhaust back after the manual convert, and it did not leak...

 

[james]

:dropjaw:CLEAN!!! Great specimen of the one I wish to own one day. Just have to figure out a way to get around the wife.

 

[DonovanPorter]

:dropjaw::dropjaw: that leather work is amazing

 

[Uber Soldat]

Can't stop drooling over these pictures...:drool::drool::drool:

Wanna swap?

 

[rick540]

Swap your baby! You are a terrible father

LOL, you mean the dash

Everybody likes so much I'll making several in December, each one numbered.

 

[zaleonardz]

dude, if you turn that into a production line with templates, you can make some serious tom overseas with that stuff

 

[rick540]

It's the time, it's the time, and you literally have to be in the correct frame of mind to be patient enough but what the heck, will make some, #1 is mine so it's still unique to me.

 

[Jandre]

#2 has my name on it please.

 

[clutchplate]

haha, and so ideas get born.