Gixxer's M-Sport REHAB thread (pics)

[gixxerboy63]

My '95 540i/6 M sport the day after I purchased it in December 2011









How I received it;
174,xxx miles
Nikasil block replaced by BMW recall at 122k (roughly 52k on alusil block)
Original paint; no body damage
Interior in good condition (7 out of 10)
some rust appearing on the bottoms of the doors
Dinan exhaust
Overall excellent cosmetic condition considering mileage on chassis
Front bumper needed attention

What I have done;
The biggest dilemma was that the EDC front suspension was completely shot.... I debated over whether or not to order new EDC components or replace it with conventional stuff.

After weeks of debate and discovery, I decided to replace the front EDC strut assemblies with Standard strut assemblies out of a regular e34 5 series, combined my M sport springs and KYB strut inserts so I could at least drive my car until I could figure the whole EDC thing out....

I ditched the T-stars (2 were cracked and they needed refinishing anyway ...) and went to 18" staggared M-Pars with new Continental Contacts.





Wheels looked great, but but the rust on the door bottoms and the front bumper was driving me crazy! I was also sagging a bit in the middle due to broken tabs.
So off to the paint shop we go.....





Instead of refinishing the original bumper, I was able to source a brand new OEM M-Sport bumper!



New M-sport front bumper installed and door bottoms refinished... door bottom trim pieces were also replaced with new ones from BMW.





I later sold the Dinan exhaust and bought a Stainless Steel Supersprint...



While R&Ring the exhaust system, we found that the original catalytic converters were totally shot and puking their guts out....

So we removed them in favor of an x pipe!



A new 3.15 was in order.... Here it is cleaned with new pinion seals and installed.



Then there is this beauty:





...installed along with a new OEM/Sachs clutch. Poly Engine and Poly Transmission mounts.



replaced with these; (photo courtesy of another BF.com member)



also added;
short shift kit
UUC DSSR
Turner Motorsports SS & teflon clutch line
new black mats installed...
new rear headrests and limo map lights (waiting to install)
new door handle gaskets (waiting to install)

Upon further review of the EDC system, I have decided to replace it with a conventional setup including Vogtland springs and New Koni Sports.

I will save all the EDC stuff for another day....



Call it a Msport - EDC, a 540/6 non-edc-m-sport or a 540i/6 with a bodykit.... I really do not care (I know what it is). In another few days, the Vogtlands and Konis will be on the car. It will then have the performance improvements and stance that I have wanted all along.

Special thanks to...
Shelbyz4u2nv
TGreene
DUDMD
GGray
Bloodhound
aktung

More pics to come.... stay tuned!

[DarkKnightM3]

wow that's a great find, I think you are setting up a great example of how to keep an E34 a classy car!

[mpaganr34]

Car looks great. Good to see you doing work on it. Have you considered coilover setups at all? Some of that action would make it look even meaner.

[darrenforeal]

nice

[Trasportador]

Holy Crap! That thing is Gorgeous Gixx!! Well Done Sir. Great colour, needs more low stat bro. Slap some 265's in the back for a better presence as well... Hope to see it in real one day man..

[Shoomakan]

Looks great.

[pennpen]

looks amazing, seriously. shame about the Msystems


*sell me your old bumper and Msystems *

[Ionz]

*sell me your old bumper and Msystems *

i was gonna say the same thing.

beauty

[racerbmw]

niiccceee

[gixxerboy63]

Car looks great. Good to see you doing work on it. Have you considered coilover setups at all? Some of that action would make it look even meaner.

Thank you. Yes I considered GC coliovers, but I wasn't comfortable with cutting and welding... maybe later. I want to see if my goal is reached with the Vogtlands/Koni setup.... ShelbyZ4u2nv's car looked amazing with Vogtlands....

This guide helped me with my decision
http://bmw4life.com/shocksSpringsGuide.htm

Vogtland
Vogtland springs have a highly progressive spring-rate which stiffens up very quickly. This allows for good cornering, w/o a harsh ride. These springs are slightly softer then Eibachs.
Drop: 1.8" (45mm) front and 0.8" (20mm) rear

Koni
The Koni product is adjustable and can provide both comfort and/or handling depending on your mood that day. The Koni's are adjustable from practically stock, to firm as Pamela's new boob job.....very firm.

In a nutshell; Vogtlands offer the most aggressive drop and Koni Sports are the ONLY struts that were recommended to handle the drop. Should be a pretty awesome setup.

THIS IS VOGTLANDS on Shelbyz4u2nv:


I am waiting on the Konis to arrive. As soon as we get them installed, I'll post more pictures....

Holy Crap! That thing is Gorgeous Gixx!! Well Done Sir. Great colour, needs more low stat bro. Slap some 265's in the back for a better presence as well... Hope to see it in real one day man..

Yea, I think we will be able to connect at some point.... How about Bimmerfest East?! Come to think of it, our cars are nearly twins... except you got the better interior color!

looks amazing, seriously. shame about the Msystems
*sell me your old bumper and Msystems *

i was gonna say the same thing.

beauty

Sorry guys! The bumper and M-systems are already sold. I am going to source some new one's at some point...

[DUDMD]

Loving This, keep us updated.

I think I too need to start a build thread, and I will soon.

[cornflakecwl]

Love the car, great work getting her back up to snuff!!! As much as I can't wait to refinish my style 5's, i LOVE me some M-Pars!!!!

[gixxerboy63]

In regards to the exhaust; I made a pretty radical change to the exhaust system all at once, so I'm not sure what particular change made the biggest difference; I went from the standard setup with a Dinan muffler to a cat delete/x-pipe/resonator delete/supersprint muffler. Overall it has a really nice ballsy rumble, but I would like to eliminate some of the rasp that is occuring between 3000-5000 rpm in 1st, 2nd and 3rd.... Right now, the exhaust system is down while we figure out the DSSR issue. Maybe the center resonator or the cats need to go back on? The exhaust installer is going to help me with this when I begin putting it back together...

Right now, the engine sans exhaust sounds like a NASCAR engine when we fired it up to back it out of the garage....

[BDR]

WOW nice restoration! Glad to see more of these cars getting revamped.

[Sneezy]

Car is coming along splendidly, isn't it?

[shelbyz4u2nv]

Happy to see things are coming along! Hope you like the new ride hight with the springs, glad I could help. They will drastically improve the overall look of the car, enjoy!! Keep up the good work

[gixxerboy63]

Love the car, great work getting her back up to snuff!!! As much as I can't wait to refinish my style 5's, i LOVE me some M-Pars!!!!

Thanks! There are several good wheel choices that complement our cars; M-pars, style 5s, style 32s, M-Systems... Another personal favorite is the MK2s that are on BruinBimmer's car;



The M-Pars came on the Canadian M540i and the Euro M5, so I thought it was a good fit for my mine. I will eventually grab a good set of M-systems with throwing stars (to save for another time along with the EDC parts)

Happy to see things are coming along! Hope you like the new ride hight with the springs, glad I could help. They will drastically improve the overall look of the car, enjoy!! Keep up the good work

Absolutely! I'm glad you chimed in, Keith. Your official 540/6 build thread is the primary inspiration/motivation for all the things I'm doing to my car now. It's a fantastic guide and I think I at least owe you a beer!
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum....php?t=1548409
I also "borrowed" a picture of you poly mounts to show what went into mine. Thanks again and I want to see your shark and 540/6 in person very soon!

I received the rear Koni shocks today.... Still waiting on the fronts.

[shaytanabyad]

I have H&R/Konis (front) Bilsteains (rear). Love the setup. Great ride comfort and can still eat up the corners.

Looking forward to seeing it in person at Bimmerfest East.

[gixxerboy63]

Other than the obvious cosmetics and suspension upgrades, I think it is important to note that I have replaced the following in February 2012;

upper and Lower control arms
tie rod assemblies
front brake pads
brake sensors
power steering hose
cam sensor
New black floor mats
valley pan gasket
valve cover gaskets
intake gaskets
upper timing cover gasket
oil vent valve plate
hood shocks
injectors cleaned
intake cleaned
water pump
drive belts
hoses
Bosch plugs
air filter
fuel filter
rear main seal
oil vent
misc. orings
etc, etc...

Now there are no leaks, drips or errors! Engine compartment is totally clean and the valve covers have been sanded and refinished.

This thing should be as healthy as a horse!

I am making it all happen for Bimmerfest East!
I'm looking forward to meeting you guys and your cars there!

[EVOLONE38]

Well done, it looked good before and now you know it looks, runs and rolls even better due to your diligence. Congrats on your fervor for the classic e34.

[gixxerboy63]

I have H&R/Konis (front) Bilsteains (rear). Love the setup. Great ride comfort and can still eat up the corners.

Looking forward to seeing it in person at Bimmerfest East.

I also have a set of H&Rs, brand new in an unopened box.... I was going to put them on until I saw Shelbyz4u2nv setup with the Vogtlands, then I had to have the Vogtlands. The H&Rs are part of the backup plan for now, but they may be up for grabs in a few weeks...

Just bought a set of OEM Hella red/clear tails from Garrett, so my DEPOs (also new in the box) may be up for grabs too!

[E34nication]

Great work man. The rust used to hurt my eyes every time I looked at this car... It's looking flat out awesome now. Well done.

[clevertd]

North Carolina: the super secret base of well done E34s

[Sneezy]

[Justin6745]

WOW, great work!
Love the car and what you have done to it.