'91 M5 Project

[jint45]

great progress, keep it up

[91e34M5]

I'm needing some M5 love...any updates?

[nirvana19]

rear headrests = win :-P

[TGreene]

I'm needing some M5 love...any updates?

No, not yet. I have a long list of leatherique products to buy including dye for the carpet and door gaskets. I have a full set of A/B/C pullars that I am ready to start recovering in black. I have the glue and everything.

I am not in too much of a rush with the car. I have been driving it for weeks with the rear seats out and most of the console and front trim out. I don't mind it. When I am driving all I care about is waiting for the oil temp. to warm up so I can start wailing on it. The car is still making trips to the grocery store fun.

[Sneezy]

Have you forgiven mum yet?

[TGreene]

Have you forgiven mum yet?

I was never too upset about it. I have a nice fender in the garage and plan on repainting it eventually.

Or maybe I never will repaint it. Shinny paint can't make 7kRPM feel any better or the lumpy idle any more satisfying.

[fronton]

nice work, is your plenum flap working yet on start up? Mine quit for some reason and I can't get it going again.

[TGreene]

nice work, is your plenum flap working yet on start up? Mine quit for some reason and I can't get it going again.

I need to double check it. I now know that a proper self test will have it raise two times, but I think it only goes up once. I also need to hook up the vacuum guage and make sure all is where it should be.

5.5kRPM hits you in the face pretty hard so my gut tells me that the resonance flap is not working as it should.

[Sneezy]

I was never too upset about it. I have a nice fender in the garage and plan on repainting it eventually.

Or maybe I never will repaint it. Shinny paint can't make 7kRPM feel any better or the lumpy idle any more satisfying.

Watchagonnado? Mom walks in crying...game over.

I seriously love that colour.

[fronton]

I need to double check it. I now know that a proper self test will have it raise two times, but I think it only goes up once. I also need to hook up the vacuum guage and make sure all is where it should be.

5.5kRPM hits you in the face pretty hard so my gut tells me that the resonance flap is not working as it should.

It should cycle twice within 5 seconds of start up. Have you checked your TPS to see if it clicks right when you nudge the throttle from idle? Car should be off to test this. Also, put a glob of vaseline on the tip of the flapper backstop screw so you can confirm that it opens at all after cruising around

[eurokitsch]

nice!~

[TGreene]

When mine was working it only ever cycled once. Have you checked your TPS to see if it clicks right when you nudge the throttle from idle? Car should be off to test this. Also, put a glob of vaseline on the tip of the flapper backstop screw so you can confirm that it opens at all after cruising around

Good tips! I will come back here with what I find and do once I get around to focusing on the resonance flap. For now I need to replace the belts, look into the A/C and keep working on the interior that is currently bathing in leatherique inside the house.

[gixxerboy63]

Nice work! Love the color! Looking forward to watching this come together

[TGreene]

Some progress teasers as I have time to work through the Leatherique program:

[RVAE34]

Wow!!! What a difference. Great work sir.

[91e34M5]

What an improvement!

[staystackin]

That interior is going to be so awesome when you're done with it's resto.

[clevertd]

Nice!!

[dohcdoh]

The difference a little time+elbow grease makes is stunning! great work

[Grim Reaper]

Inspiring work... great to see you are enjoying bringing a hand built back to its former glory.

Sub'd.

[Steve547i]

wow. thats awesome.

[Aradaiel]

I destroyed a vader in my e36 with leatherique. The dye didn't soak in the leather, it went on like paint. It peeled 3 months later.

Their conditioner is pretty awesome, though.

[TGreene]

I destroyed a vader in my e36 with leatherique. The dye didn't soak in the leather, it went on like paint. It peeled 3 months later.

Their conditioner is pretty awesome, though.

Yeah. I am worried about that too. After each coat I am going over it with a damp paper towel to remove any excess dye. Worst case scenario is to sand it all back down and try another dye. Even after my final coat of dye I will probably wet-sand it with 1000 grit sand paper.

On the Nappa leather (earlier E34s - maybe until '93? It seems to correlate with having french stitching) the dye/gunk on top of the leather is much thinner than the stuff on the later leather. It leaves the leather less protected, but the feel is much better and it is very easy to remove.

[Sneezy]

Looking beautiful so far Trevor.

[TGreene]

Well if we back up a bit this is what has been happening with the interior after I pulled the console and rear seats out a few months ago.

As I have had time I have been soaking it in Leatherique's rejuvenating oil. The leather was like cardboard, so most pieces have recieved multiple coats.



Last night I finally felt ready to start prepping some of the parts for dye, so I used the Pristine Clean on them to clean all of the Rejuvenating Oil up. Once all of the residue from the oil was wiped up, I used the prepping agent they supplied me and some 320 grit sand paper on get rid of the old dye. I found that most of the old dye was already gone, so I did not same much. Time will tell whether or not I should have sanded more - but better to be cautious with such rare pieces.

I poured out the dye into a tupperware container and grabbed an old sponge. I dipped just the edge of the sponge in the dye, and was sure to stir the dye each time I went to pick some up with the sponge. The dye goes on very wattery but starts to be absorbed quickly. It is pretty easy to keep the application of the dye even.

The rejuvinating oil really brings out the small cracks in the surface of the leather, so believe it or not this is how the rear seat looked with very little sanding.



After a first coat: