Just (re)joined BFc, figured I'd introduce myself and my '84 745i

[DesktopDave]

B35 units. 735iL E32 and 535i E34

I use them exclusively on builds. Stud the block! Remove lower plenum support to make R&R easier

Cool! I'll keep an eye out for the right parts. I know where an E34 535i is sitting right now.

[Hit Man X]

Just know you have to change that silly spade terminal on the solenoid exciter wire (black/yellow) to a ring terminal. 10-12awg terminal is what is needed.

[DesktopDave]

Got a little time to work on the old girl. Call me a masochist if you must, but I've been curious about what kinds of bodywork the car had in the past.

So I dug a little with my trusty screwdriver, and guess what I found? There was a little hole...it's kinda dark in there...what is that?


Yup, foam. I think it's Great Stuff brand. Great for sealing stuff up...and that's a no-no with cars. I started digging a little further, and then water literally gushed out of the car. I know you're wondering...from where? The driver's rear sunroof drain is no longer blocked. Mission accomplished!


Here's my results so far:

That big tube in the foreground is the bottom of the drain. The rusty bracket is an inner frame member.

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The day started out pretty badly, to be honest. I started out attempting to resolve my reverse switch problems...total fail. The switch tested OK, but once it's in the tranny it leaves the reverse lights on continuously. I'll head back to that sometime.

In other news, does anyone have any idea what the heck all this is?

It's above the fuel tank, just dangling there. It looks like some sort of add-on vac-operated valve for the vapor containment system. There's a disconnected brake line up there too, WTH?

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In other news, it turns out I have a 2.93 open diff. At least it's a large case. I felt it was shorter, to tell the truth.

[Hit Man X]

Flared pipe fitting is for the SLS. Runs to a pressure switch too.



That valve is for emissions crap when imported, not factory. These just vent to atmosphere...MB used check valves like that back in W126s (and other models). They crap out eventually and cause vacuum in the tank as it cannot vent. I just have a piece of 5/16" vacuum hose hanging there.



The Getrags have nearly a 4:1 first gear (3.85:1 area) so much more rear gear is pretty much useless. I do not think I would use more than a 3.25:1 rear with a manual turbo M30.



Going to check out that 745i from CL?



Any new vids ripping through the gears?

[DesktopDave]

I've been taking advantage of our beautiful weather to get a bit of work done. Here she is, freshly cleaned:



The blue stuff on the trunk lid is painter's tape to keep the water out. I had pulled the rear spoiler to get at the hidden rust. There was a surprising bit of corrosion there, but it's more or less been removed. My usual method is a drill-mounted round cellulose body brush at high speed to remove paint and rust bubbles, then a few generous coats of rust conditioner. Sometimes I'll spray it in primer to seal it up, then some POR-15. I've had mixed results from this technique - anyone else in the rusty part of the country have some favored rust encapsulation/removal tips?

I also made a new discovery with the aftermarket wastegate installed on the car. The lower chamber is plumbed from the intake before the TB, like it should be, but it has a spring-loaded ball in a threaded coupling. Originally, I had thought it was just an adapter, but now I find out that it's to adjust the WG opening signal. I'm going to upgrade it to one of the popular 'dial-a-boost' valves. The normal WG magnetic control valve is hooked up to the fuel tank breather line...I'll be restoring that to the original spec as well.

I've also found that the gas tank is not venting at all, so I'll be opening that up to atmo as HitManX suggested.

[SHOoff11]

Looks very nice all cleaned up!

[DesktopDave]

Looks very nice all cleaned up!

Thanks! If the weather clears up later, I'll be doing a bit more work on it. The storms are unusually strong here today.

[DesktopDave]

Guess what showed up today? The next project car! Apologies for any non-E23 content...




It's a 1986 635CSi. Zinnoberrot over Llama leather (power memory sport seats too). 73K miles, Florida car, zero rust, un-cracked dash. Bilsteins too. Just needs a motor/tranny & diff! PO spun a bearing in the old motor. It's a shame too, it had been an M88 from an E28 M5 donor. More or less an M6 without the rear SLS and champagne chiller.

[offroadkarter]

Are you gonna toss the M106 in this?

[gunner50718]

That interior looks fantastic!! I spotted an M6 on CL not too long ago, it was only 4 grand!! But it needed a blessing from a Rabbi to get it back on the road.

[DesktopDave]

The interior is excellent except for the driver's seat. There are a few small holes, the usual bolster wear. The left lower bolster was repaired with a Natur panel that looks a bit odd on the Llama seat. I'm kicking myself as I had a useable Llama bolster from an E28 set that I sold a little while back! Such is life, eh? I'm not complaining in any way...I can't believe my luck finding a rust-free E24 despite all the work it needs.

I did get to see a few of the M88 parts, that's some nice hardware! One of these days I hope to have one, although a Euro S50B32 likely does everything better than the old dopple-nocker M88/S38.

To be 100% honest, I was lukewarm about a swap...it'd be a great combo if I could make it work. Unfortunately the M106 isn't a very good fit for the E24; the frame rails are a good bit narrower than the E23. The intake plumbing would have to be redone. I'm keeping an eye out for a nice M90 or a high-compression Euro "dirty" M30.

[DesktopDave]

Anyone know what the part number is for that little bracket that keeps the lower coolant hose from rubbing the water pump pulley? You know, like this:

That's the top left side of the lower hose, if it was mounted it'd be right next to the water pump pulley. Glad I caught it in time...seems like a good way to get stranded.

RealOEM told me I should get part # 11 53 1 717 091, #2 in this diagram. I bought the one they suggested, but there is no place that it fits. I figured it'd mount on the bottom of the distributor cap or on the upper cam cover somewhere. I'm stumped, no luck with BFc search or Google Images either.

[bigperm206]

Desktop, I'm doing that install right now on my '84 euro and the piece you are asking about attaches to the lower part of the thermostat cover. It hooks over one of the lower bolts. Good catch on the hose. I've been there, done that and am now replacing a head gasket. Also, there is a slight difference in the shape of the hose between the US spec and euro spec hoses. Make sure to check the part numbers.

[DesktopDave]

Desktop, I'm doing that install right now on my '84 euro and the piece you are asking about attaches to the lower part of the thermostat cover. It hooks over one of the lower bolts. Good catch on the hose. I've been there, done that and am now replacing a head gasket. Also, there is a slight difference in the shape of the hose between the US spec and euro spec hoses. Make sure to check the part numbers.

I must have ordered the wrong part then...or the bolt is incorrect. I'll take another look to be sure. I wonder if the hoses are a different number to suit the thicker 745i radiator? My radiator was replaced a few owners ago with the standard 735i part, but that's good to know.

[Hit Man X]

Swapping to the 130mm water pump pulley should prevent this lower hose suicide too. As a side benefit, the pump moves a bit more coolant.

[DesktopDave]

I keep forgetting to grab that pulley off the later M30 cars. It'll happen sooner or later.

[SHOoff11]

I love e24's and I can't wait to see what happens with this perfect example of one! Every time I see one this song starts playing in my head...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdqoNKCCt7A

[8991XJ]

That ?-bracket (question mark bracket) attaches to the center bolt of the distributor cap.

When I ordered one years ago it was a plastic piece that has a stump to attach to a hole in a motor lift bracket like on an e-bomb (eta motored car). I couldn't use it but haven't worried about returning it. It was labeled with the number I wanted but the part was wrong.

[DesktopDave]

That ?-bracket (question mark bracket) attaches to the center bolt of the distributor cap.

When I ordered one years ago it was a plastic piece that has a stump to attach to a hole in a motor lift bracket like on an e-bomb (eta motored car). I couldn't use it but haven't worried about returning it. It was labeled with the number I wanted but the part was wrong.

I haven't seen anything like that Eta bracket, LOL. Thought I'd seen virtually every E30 part at least once!

I figured that lower dist bolt would be a good place to attach a fabricated bracket. While I prefer OEM solutions, I'll temporarily re-purpose an A/C fender clamp.

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I love e24's and I can't wait to see what happens with this perfect example of one! Every time I see one this song starts playing in my head...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdqoNKCCt7A

That is a good tune - really takes me back. Once I get the car under its own power I could blast Simple Minds and other selected tunes at classic car cruises...let them know that the mighty 80s are now (unfortunately) middle-age music.

On a more serious note, I've been very tempted to return to the OEM Becker Mexico to play cassettes. I'm sure the superb OEM cassette storage rack would be pretty easy to find. But then I recalled this activity:

[DesktopDave]

Just got back from the notary...car is sold and paperwork is all finished up. I was on the fence for a long time about selling this car, even considered it as a billboard for a business venture. That fell through, but I got an excellent offer out of the blue. So my lil' white whale is off to a new owner. I'll sure miss the old gal, but for her to get to the next stage she needs some new blood. I made sure he was aware of this forum; hopefully he'll join for the great fellowship, teamwork and excellent documentation (and to see what he's gotten himself into).

I'll be sticking around too, with some updates from the E24 world. I'm sure another E23 will turn up that needs a little rescuing. These old battlewagons are great all-round cars. Even the E23 peculiarities aren't that bad. I've cut my teeth on the moody HVAC, frangible turbos, weeping hydro boosters(...I could go on...).

[offroadkarter]

.....dammit

[DesktopDave]

I'm sure another E23 will turn up that needs a little rescuing. These old battlewagons are great all-round cars. Even the E23 peculiarities aren't that bad. I've cut my teeth on the moody HVAC, frangible turbos, weeping hydro boosters(...I could go on...).

Guess what happened this weekend? I bought this ratty old POS:

Resized_20170724_195539.jpg

It's a bit of a horror show, still picking it apart. Runs OK once it's warmed up, and the engine seems OK.

[offroadkarter]

What the hell is going on with that intercooler?

[DesktopDave]

LOL, I know! It's actually the heat exchanger for an eBay A/W intercooler. Check this big ugly thing out:
IMG_20170802_192004.jpg

The PO's "tuner" deleted the oil cooler and much of the OEM intake to install that disaster. It's a horrorshow, no doubt. I only bought this car for the transmission, the rest is a bonus.

[kojo96]

LOL, I know! It's actually the heat exchanger for an eBay A/W intercooler. Check this big ugly thing out:
IMG_20170802_192004.jpg

The PO's "tuner" deleted the oil cooler and much of the OEM intake to install that disaster. It's a horrorshow, no doubt. I only bought this car for the transmission, the rest is a bonus.

What is that Blue piece that the IVC is connected to?