1986 M535i

Small update, should have some pics soon. I asked for some before and he sent me an uninspiring pic of some cables that arrived heh.

The engine is running wonderfully. Still struggling to find a fuel tank pump but holding the fuel tank above the engine using mavity to feed it results in a very nicely running M30 lump.

It's on the ramp for welding now, repairing the parts of chassis that have failed and the steel back end. After that all the fuel lines need doing.

I'm hoping to drop by soon and get some pics of my own. Picking up a new daily driver (Octavia VRS) that I need an excuse to wear in.

Sorry I wish I had pics to post. I do ask each time we speak.

Ps. Also found out from previous owners that apparently had a digger bucket through the back window at some point (????) so I'll let them know to check for anything bent back there
 
yes you'd have thought for welding in new metal they'd take pictures with everything cut away and then with new sections in, before priming, to proudly show client .. perhaps not at that point, yet.
are they buying in any preformed sections like sills
 
I'm broke and the wife will 100% divorce me but at least i can sleep in my non-leaky car.

Underside being sealed and painted body colour. All removed parts are being blasted and cleaned up/painted before refitting (maybe in future i will do proper powder coating but for now i need to be semi budget friendly). We're discussing copper-nickel brake lines, new fuel lines, polyurethane bushes all round. Waiting for an answer re: replacing the shocks since they're off.

I've definitely put the full stainless exhaust and body re-painting off. I'll do those next year as this is churning through my funds and we've got 2 holidays and an extension to pay for.

The team are working on a new in tank fuel pre-pump at the moment. There's also an issue with the front left steering mechanism that needs diagnosing as thats what failed the MOT in 2004.

I do have before pics but it turns out im terrible at taking pictures of rusty holes.

The old workshop manager left and the 2 guys that are now running the shop are fantastic, things are moving pretty fast and unless anyone can see something i cant, i'm really happy with them.
 
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CaptainRAVE said:
Lots of work going on, will it even be the same car at the end :p

Only Fools and Horses broom scene comes to mind :D
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Heh. So basically every regular e28 hot spot was rotten, including all the jacking points. They've repaired the front panel rather than replace it and it looks great, but I'll keep an eye out should any come along just in case. Otherwise all the other panels are in fine nick.

It might be a bit of a Ship of Theseus on the outside but the inside needs very very little work. Literally some repair to the fabric on the drivers seat. The dash is crack free, all the other common issues are lacking. So, I'll still be sat IN the same car. Kinda.
 
Malt_Vinegar said:
Great work, so glad you went through with it.
You will have a properly sorted motor which will surely only go up in value if you look after it.
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Yeah in mint condish these are peaking at 25k concours. I won't be hitting that level of restoration, or at least not in the next few years, so I'll probably never make back what I spend on it. So far I'm about £18k in and there's still a complete respray to go...

But that's fine. I knew that going in. Some things are worth spending money on and I don't think anybody else would have done it. They'd have butchered it for it's mint interior.
 
Still regret not buying the blue E28 M535i manual instead of my E30, I was a little put off by the 262,000 miles at the time, but it would definitely have still appreciated at a greater rate! :eek:

That being said, I love my E30 still.

Glad to see its still with you.
 
Acme said:
Still regret not buying the blue E28 M535i manual instead of my E30, I was a little put off by the 262,000 miles at the time, but it would definitely have still appreciated at a greater rate! :eek:

That being said, I love my E30 still.

Glad to see its still with you.
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I've been looking at doing a manual conversion. Probably around £8k to pull it off these days. I'm not ruling it out as the auto box needs babying a bit but it's not top of my list either. Its a "one day" job.
 
That seems excessively expensive. Thats how much it would cost to convert my 1JZ Crown to a BMW DCT with all the wiring and management included.
Is that cost mostly the gearbox..? I'm sure there are alternatives that would fit. :)
 
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im rubbish at taking photos.

Unfortunately im having to pick it up today as the workshop is unable to continue the work. So she's being bolted back together today and trailered back to my place. Ill cover her over in the garage and come back to her later in the year i think.
 
kamdeux said:
How come they cannot finish?
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I don't know what I can say because its a legal issue and it's high profile garage, but it's not their fault (the mechanics) and they're all pretty broken hearted by what's going on.

The workshop is often found on television, though, so you may have heard of it. As it happens I was winding up the work anyway for this year because I'm nearly 20k in and there's a long way to go so going to break until probably the new year.
 
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Stu999 said:
Is the wheel arch and floor all new? Looks really tidy.
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No but they've replaced chunks of the sills and all the jacking points, the spare wheel well had a lot of work done. The rest of it was just stripped of the old stone chip underseal, re done and resprayed in Polaris silver, obviously treating any rust as they went. It's spotless. Also repaired that gaping hole in the front wing from page 1 and it looks flawless. Thought that would be a new wing for sure.

They've done a fantastic job of repairing what was there without needing to replace full panels. I may not be so lucky when it comes to the rear window seals. We'll see.
 
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DampCat said:
I don't know what I can say because its a legal issue and it's high profile garage, but it's not their fault (the mechanics) and they're all pretty broken hearted by what's going on.

The workshop is often found on television, though, so you may have heard of it. As it happens I was winding up the work anyway for this year because I'm nearly 20k in and there's a long way to go so going to break until probably the new year.
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That's a shame. Hopefully, you can find a new place when you are ready to carry on the build.

It's scary how fast the bills add up on these projects though!
 
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