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Thread: story of an old diesel...

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
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    Latvia
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    My Cars
    1989 524tdA

    story of an old diesel...

    so here it is! when just bought






    bought just to be a daily driver, 1989, 524tdA, some 100hp, real rocket

    the MOT got passed quite well, and obviously the first thing to do - wheels



    this was at least better than the steel ones

    also a parts car with lot's of nice bits was acquired



    also 1989, but a 535i


    didn't quite fancy the 17inch wheels was lucky to get theese style 32s and 18" this also meant that front had to be lowered a little, the end result was better


    then the m-package front bumper was repaired and resprayed in the needed color.


    this changed the car a lot, and so the other bits were also installed


    exhaust tip also recieved an upgrade



    did have a slight accident, that bent the hood, but as it was starting to rust, had to be changed anyway, so I got myself some nfs style paint job


    then the car looked like this for aprox a month, gave the fenders for respray


    then one of the funniest moments in my car owning experience, having heard some legends that diesels are less afraid of water, after some heavy rain, I thought that crossing a small puddle would be no big deal...

    yeah right

    some suv was pasing by at a much higher speed, that created a wave of water and the car stalled, yess right there

    but there was a surprise to follow, pushed the '''failed tank'' out of this "river" and went to the nearby garage, borrowed some basic tools from them (leaving my driving license) screwed out the glow plugs, and cranked the engine by hand several times, to push the water out of there, put the plugs back in, and...


    it started drove away from the scene

    as the car was a bit wet, and it was summer took apart the interior, found out some pleasant things, no rust at all



    however this was not without any consequenses a week later went to a music festival some 200kms away from home and the temperature of coolant started acting strange - rising all the time

    head gasket was blown 200km in a towrope, at night and we're home, dont want to repeat that


    the head was back on again, cleaned up the bay, and did some nice touches to the rocker cover etc, and a new belt also


    while at it, did one significant upgrade, the drains from the sunroof were let out from the sills, why is that so, I don't understand, the drain holes usually clog up and the sills start to rust, saw that on the parts car.


    after some while the front was also back from the paint shop


    some will have questions on why the indicators aren't white? here's the answer, as the car is already grey, needed something to liven it up, so I bought those new, comparison to old ones



    the upgrades also included new fog lights


    the wiper blades also got rid of the loose ratling
    they don't hit against the hood anymore

    also the rear spoiler was added



    the interior also became some features, stock radio, stock phone that is pretty rare over here, and ///M technic steering wheel, also dark wood trim.


  2. #2
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
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    Latvia
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    My Cars
    1989 524tdA
    the car recieved some other upgrades, I know that most don't like the rebadging thing, but please keep this in mind, this will have a serious point in the future



    this is how the car stacked up in the end








    the color code is the same, here it can be clearly seen how it has got darker over 20 years without polishing etc.

    next thing, managed to find the underside protection


    the car had a diesel leak, started looking for the problem, found out that the fuel ventilation lines were throughrusted so fixed this as well


    another lucky find, the original e34 M5 front bumper, note that it is a bit different from the m-package bumper


    fixed the phone as well, connected it to the car rather then fixed, was and is in working order



    time for new wheels




    then there was snow


    aaand a bit more snow


    after a long and cold winter, the car already had a manual transmission, the automattic didn't fancy the snowdrifts for long
    also new summer wheels were found, these stayed for good



    but with the wheels it was time to respray the body completely



    the end result was lovely






    another autumn sunset photosession






    next up is the party piece, stay tuned
    Last edited by riddlerLV; 12-18-2011 at 04:34 PM.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
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    E34 525it, e30 318is
    Nice M5, I bet that S38 and manual transmission is a real treat!
    E34 525it/5 S52
    E30 318is slicktop M50T
    F15 X5 50i M Sport

  4. #4
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    1989 524tdA
    Quote Originally Posted by Analog View Post
    Nice M5, I bet that S38 and manual transmission is a real treat!
    read more carefully

  5. #5
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    ALPINA B10 BITURBO
    That is what i call ,,, taking care off

    really impressive..........
    Sveinbjörn Hrafnsson

    E30 CABRIO V12 M70B50 ///
    ALPINA B10 BITURBO 346 @ 507
    ULTIMA Evolution
    Contacts
    http://alpina.123.is/pictures/

  6. #6
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    Nov 2009
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    NJ USA
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    Bmw E38 740i
    Nice transform. What kind of radio is that?

  7. #7
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    norcal
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    a few e30s
    mm, pictures! so whats up with this, "I know that most don't like the rebadging thing, but please keep this in mind, this will have a serious point in the future"? Do I see a swap on the horizon?

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
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    Brisbane, QLD, Australia
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    1990 M5, 1988 535i
    I don't mean to sound like a party pooper....

    but why the hell would you put "M5" badges on the slowest E34 ever made before you'd done anything to actually justify it? Wouldn't you put them on in the end....


    Other than that, what a fantastic looking car. HOT. I actually prefer the idea of that car being a hotted up oiler than some sort of M5 swap. Boringgg.


    2000 530i Cosmosshwarz
    1990 M5 Alpineweiss

    1988 735iL Burgundrot Metallic
    1982 323i Polaris Silver
    1989 535i Cirrusblau Metallic
    1982 323i Helrot
    1992 520i Sterling Silver
    2004 330i Mystic Blue
    1990 535i Alpineweiss
    1988 535i Delphingrau
    1989 535i Royalblau

  9. #9
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    Denver
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    '91 M5
    Well aside from the M5 badge that is an amazing car.

    Keep up the good work.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Oct 2011
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    Toronto ON Canada
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    1995 540i 6speed
    my god. what a transformation
    1995 BMW 540i 6 speed with M tech goodies 1 of 5 Fjordgrau


    ... I hate my e46

  11. #11
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    1989 524tdA
    yeap the diesel became very nice and as the car whom to save was sold, this became numero uno

    here they were side by side, really gonna miss it, but that's the way it is...


    anyway, the winter was closing in and I had to do something in those dark evenings, so then out went the diesel

    so I decided to travel a bit, went to Denmark to earn bit more $$$ for the upcoming job as I returned, the winter had set in, yes those are 40cm of snow on it.




    so let's begin




    this is what will go there instead


    starting the measurements

    so far very good

    but here we encounter a slight problem, the stock heater will have to go as well


    as well as the ABS, and the brake vacuum booster or how it's called properly




    so it fits perfectly, but there's still a very long way to go from here...

    and.... and and and every thing is thrown out - again


    the car is all prepared to visit the paint shop again, I lost count for which time in a row

    while the fiver is gone I started work on cleaning up the engine


    don't know how many hours did I spend with all the cleaning


    the engine had a little surprise for me when I first removed the rocker covers there was a head bolt next to the camshaft, here is the reason why...


    meanwhile the cylinder heads were given to resurfacing, and the intake manifolds were sandblasted and powercoated, the valves also took very many hours to get them like this


    cylinder heads assembled, new valve seals valves surfaced to their seats, ready to bolt on


    and guess who's back

    so let's start putting it back together


  12. #12
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    E34 525it, e30 318is
    Love the idea of a M70! Assuming you are using the M70, what driveshaft are you using?

    Is fuel cheap in Latvia? That M70 will certainly be a thirsty beast
    E34 525it/5 S52
    E30 318is slicktop M50T
    F15 X5 50i M Sport

  13. #13
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    1989 524tdA
    it was time to order some parts


    first up, the old heat/sound screening had to be changed, so the dealer sent me this dusty a bit, but brand new




    also the engine required some seals






    brake lines recieved new three way conectors, as there will be no place for the abs anymore, the brake lines will have to be installed from a non abs e34 so ordered them as well


    the funny story about the piston rings, there was actually no need to change them, as the engine had done only 105000miles aprox, but I thought that to be on the safe side and change them as well, however this caused a slight problem, the car was eating up quite a lot of money, but nevermind, called all my local parts stores, noone could offer the set of aftermarket pistonrings, called the dealer, the answer - 1200$ for the whole set, don't get me wrong, I like to spend money on new parts but this was quite a lot so I found a set of new rings in USA, in ebay, it took a while to get them, but, that was in total 400$ including all the taxes and customs so they arrived as well, along with new bearing shells


    with most of the important bits recieved, the work on assebling the engine could begin, new gaskets on, pistons with new rings in


    the heads also installed, must say it starts to look as something



    and a teaser of almost a complete engine


    alright alright


    Quote Originally Posted by Analog View Post
    Love the idea of a M70! Assuming you are using the M70, what driveshaft are you using?

    Is fuel cheap in Latvia? That M70 will certainly be a thirsty beast
    0

    actually this is not an M70

    it's a 5,4 M73 from the e38 7 series, the m70 has lots of trouble with the nikasil coating, as the m73 has already the alusil coating, so it doesn't wear off that quick, those are of course legends, but some are definetely true

    and because it's 5,4l not 5,0 it was so hard te find the piston rings, as it has a veri specific size, in the 5,0 they fit from a m20b25 and are a lot cheaper, as they are produced more, and by many more manufacturers.

    the fuel is not cheap, 1,8 dollars a liter, in american mathematics it's around 7 dollars a gallon or close to that. so enjoy cheap fuel while you can
    Last edited by riddlerLV; 12-18-2011 at 07:48 PM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost

  14. #14
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    Scrap
    Awesome story. Great photos. And pictures of a third world country that I assumed was still reeling from the damage of world war two. All ruined by an m5 badge

  15. #15
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    Kansas City,MO
    Voted cool.
    Quote Originally Posted by pimped525 View Post
    Heater stays on and think water pump is. Leaking also smell of fuel after caneing it about any ideas guys

  16. #16
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    Too many/Not enough
    That's gonna be one SWEET 554i!
    Current Garage:
    91 e34 M5 - spoiled & demanding 27 y/o -glanzshwarz
    91 850i/6 -another spoiled & demanding 27 y/o- schwarz-gone but never forgotten
    06 325i - undeserving, spoiled & demanding 27 y/o daughter's DD-hellrot
    03 MINI Cooper S JCW -spoiled & demanding, yet deserving wife's DD - Chili/Panther
    05 X3 3.0i -family workhorse - diamond schwarz
    12 X5 3.5d - torque monster - space gray metallic
    86 GMC Cabellero - Old Faithful 32 y/o DD BMW Support Vehicle
    08 Cub Cadet 19HP 46" hydrostatic- yard vehicle
    88 Schwinn Sierra - 1WD Off Road Vehicle
    e31 & OHC BMW CCA #385540

  17. #17
    Join Date
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    Latvia
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    1989 524tdA
    as all this was moving on, some last gaskets had to be installed...


    meanwhile the car was pushed out of the garage, so some other stuff could be prepared


    the rear axle of stock 524 wouldn't handle the punishment of the v12, so another axle was bouht somwhere in the middle of winter...


    it was from an e32, pulled it in for a defrost


    also an accessory that actually was a nececity, an LSD


    just yet I found a picture describing why I started all this, the 524 powersliding out on the track, well it could manage, hardly but could


    anyway it was time to get the bay ready

    here it can be seen what is used instead of vacuum reservoir and the climate control from the e32 is also in place


    also some last bits coming in, spark plugs tensioneer dampers etc

    new engine mounts as well


    so with the bay ready


    the car was ready to be pushed back in to the garage


    and let's get it finally where it belongs


    and it's in place


    the bits around the engine are also installed


    so almost a complete look, llllove it

  18. #18
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    Holy crap M73 in an E34 :O

  19. #19
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    Nov 2007
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    Seattle
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    95 540iA M-Sport & 525iT
    Love all the work put into this car. And the sight of the M73 after you cleaned it up and rebuilt it is stunning.

    But the M5 badges are just wrong. The rear one isn't even an E34 specific M5 badge, it's from a newer M5.

    God I wish I could have that kind of work put into my M-Sport...
    Cosmos Black/Black 1995 540iA M-Sport
    BMW Individual Exclusive Edition, 1 of 65 total, 9/25/95 Build
    OEM additions include Euro trim, passenger seat mounted first aid kit, tool kit warning triangle, clears all around, black chrome exhaust tips, spare tire well gas can, and rear armrest fridge.

    Waiting for install is an adjustable lumbar support, & drivers side glove box...

  20. #20
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    1989 524tdA
    the idea was to build something at least as fast as an m5, but as I managaed to get all the exterior things from real M5 then I don't see anything wrong with it, yess the rear badge isn't oem, maybe it will be changed. never had an M car, so decided to build one, the way I like it, from the means of power it's just the same

  21. #21
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    You still havent built an M car. I could see just running the M badge as most wacky euro guys proclaim they came from the factory with the badges and the body kit.
    Besides. A 554i badge is way cooler.

  22. #22
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    '11 Golf TDI+Porsche 996
    Is it weird I would rather have a 525TDS than my 540i/6?
    I own mostly junk. Except the Porsche, that's kind of cool.
    All the motorcycles are trash which you can read about at
    http://oneguytwowheels.blogspot.com/

    I'll update it eventually

    Thansk

  23. #23
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    MTown
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    2002
    jesus, this is beautiful - do whatever you want with the M5 badge.. shietttt.

    Badge it as a lamborghini, man - it's your car do what you want.

    I wouldn't personally put any other badge on there.

    It would be funny to slap a 550i badge on there to indicate the motor

    Awesome work.

    How is Latvia?

  24. #24
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    Definitely not my engine of choice, but still cool none the less. Good work.

  25. #25
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
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    Brisbane, QLD, Australia
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    1990 M5, 1988 535i
    A 554i badge would be a hundred billion times cooler than a dodgy fake M5 badge on such an amazing car.

    I WANT PICTURES OF POWERSLIDES AND BURNOUTS.


    2000 530i Cosmosshwarz
    1990 M5 Alpineweiss

    1988 735iL Burgundrot Metallic
    1982 323i Polaris Silver
    1989 535i Cirrusblau Metallic
    1982 323i Helrot
    1992 520i Sterling Silver
    2004 330i Mystic Blue
    1990 535i Alpineweiss
    1988 535i Delphingrau
    1989 535i Royalblau

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