Caporegime
Better than any car acme has bought!
1986 M535i
- Thread starter DampCat
- Start date
That's all i needed to hear.
Addendum: Ive not seen underneath but im quietly confident. I've saved it from leaving the family for now, but if it turns out to be more work than reasonable, i can look to move it on.
Caporegime
If all the rust is just that wing. You have done very well. A full engine service, including a top end service (Tappets), Fresh brakes, shocks, deep clean and you will have a decent car there.
I am a bit envious tbh as it seems with very little work you are going to have a decent usable classic there.
I am a bit envious tbh as it seems with very little work you are going to have a decent usable classic there.
Soldato
That looks lovely. Bank holiday weekend spent cleaning that very thoroughly will help give you a good idea of what's lurking.
More pics when shiny please!
More pics when shiny please!
Don
Proper motor that. Doesn't look like it needs much to get it back to how it should be too.
I'd spend money making that right for sure.
I'd spend money making that right for sure.
Thanks guys starting to get excited with this feedback.
Looking to pick up a Haynes, I can see it on their site but it's LHD. Will that be fine to use or are there major differences?
Looking to pick up a Haynes, I can see it on their site but it's LHD. Will that be fine to use or are there major differences?
I’d have thought the main components will still be the same, they’re not overly complicated given their age.
I’ve just sent the pictures to my neighbour as he has just bought (I think he said an e28 525) to go with his e34 525 & M5 collection, it hasn’t arrived yet though. His exact words were: “nice, looks like a 535i, definitely (sadly) not a full fat M5, shame it’s in lachs silver too”.
Soldato
Looks promising! Yes, your first port of call should be to get on your knees with a decent flashlight and have a proper look at what's underneath. Externally, these things can look great – yet be absolutely wrecked underneath. It looks to have been relatively well stored and looked after at some point, so I doubt that's the case, but it's best to go in with your eyes open. Strip the boot, etc, nose around under the carpets... you'll soon find out what's what.
Otherwise, these things are mechanically pretty straightforward and the fact it's LHD (although odd) won't make much of a difference to the Haynes and workshop manual.
You mentioned that it runs; the M30 in these is a dead tough motor and will take all kinds of abuse – and has hydraulic tappets, so you've no valvetrain tweaks to worry about, but it's worth dropping the cam cover off and inspecting the oil spray bar bolts as they can back off, resulting in reduced lubrication and excess cam wear. No timing belt to worry about, either...
I'd do the following, as your starter for ten:
- Inspect underbody, hoses, lines and structure for corrosion, damage and leaks
- Sling a fresh battery in it/charge the battery and see which electronics work and don't (test all the switches, lights, etc)
- Drain the oil and put a new oil filter and fresh inexpensive oil in it
- Check/top up the coolant, trans fluid, brake and PAS fluid
- Put a little fresh fuel in it and some fuel system cleaner
- Check the air filter housing for debris
- Run the engine and, if nothing escapes from it, run it up to temperature and see what it does
- See if the brakes are there by standing on the pedal
- If all appears well on that front, see if it'll move under its own power (just to make sure the trans isn't junk) and steer/stop*
*you may have already done some of this, and I'm no doubt preaching to the converted, but just for reference!
My inclination then would be to, for safety's sake, rebuild the brakes – unless you can ascertain that they're serviceable and sound – and then change the ignition consumables, ancillary belt and every other fluid and filter (trans fluid and filter, brake fluid, PAS, rear diff, coolant, fuel filter, air filter, etc), pump up the tyres and get it transported to a garage for an MOT test.
If the brakes appear okay you could just otherwise service it and send it to the test centre; you could spend a fortune on fresh tyres, brakes, suspension parts and the rest – but if it subsequently goes in and fails spectacularly on something you hadn't spotted, it could get boring quite quickly. As a result, I'd try and stick to the minimum for the time being if everything appears reasonably safe and serviceable, particularly given that some bits can be quite costly.
Also, it looks like it's on E34 Basketweave wheels, which avoids the problem of costly TRX tyres (off the top of my head). Worth checking that, though.
The cost of the exhaust system might sting a bit, though. Have a proper gander at what the issue is and then go from there. I think an original is in the £900 range but at least that'd fit perfectly (but RHD and LHD systems might be different, so you'll need to look that up). Plenty of options, however, in any case.
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Sorry just in the way out the door, fantastic post and I'll take a proper look when I'm home. Just to confirm its RHD but I can only find US Spec LHD Haynes manuals
Soldato
Haha! Serves me right for flashing through the pictures and hooking on that element in the text. Yeah, I wouldn't worry too much about that. There might be some differences in component positioning but it hopefully won't have to come apart to that extent anyway.
An old Haynes should do you, however, and will cover the RHD E28. Look for the early '5 Series' ones. They'll have E34s on the cover but should cover the E28 as well.
If that is the only rust then this is awesome.
Soldato
Awesome looking car that, I'm sitting in the corner quietly quite jealous.
How many miles on the clock? Forgot if it was mentioned.
How many miles on the clock? Forgot if it was mentioned.
Soldato
People always appear out of the woodwork for things like this, when my late grandmother was in her 90's and stopped driving a 'helpful local' offered to take her car away for £200, it was a 1998 1275cc mini with only 42000 on the clock.. Luckily i ended up getting it myself.
I bet with a deep clean, an intensive detail and polish that car would be looking close to brand new.
Aside than the small amount of rust which would be a doddle for a body shop to put right (and inexpensive), you’ve really landed on your feet with this one. I’m sure your uncle would be glad to see you have the car and put it back to its former glory.
Aside than the small amount of rust which would be a doddle for a body shop to put right (and inexpensive), you’ve really landed on your feet with this one. I’m sure your uncle would be glad to see you have the car and put it back to its former glory.
Soldato
nice i would love to have the time to get a project like that
i would love to have the time to get a project like that
Soldato
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Soldato
It really wasn't, just to be fair to the guy.
The last M535i that went to auction, in similar condition, sold for £2860. That was in mid-2018, but prices haven't shifted dramatically in the interim.
An immaculate show-winning M535i, with the desirable manual transmission, will set you back about £15k.
Speaking generally, you could easily sink £10k into a £5k restoration project and still not have something as nice as the £15k example, so it always pays to be cautious with your initial outlay – even more so if it's effectively a complete unknown.
That's not to say you won't get lucky and end up spending less, mind, but it's always best to assume that you're going to spend far more.
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Soldato
It really wasn't, just to be fair to the guy.
Oh, apologies. I hadn't realised the thread had been updated. I was still working from an M5 rather than M535i.
That's not a bad offer, for the multitude of potential issues as you say.