Body work / Paint on the 'ole girl

[Bimmer0111]

Janos, this thread is truly amazing i just read the whole damn thing and wow, are you sure you don't want to make this a career

[Jamos]

Haha thanks a lot, as far as careers go... this may very well have been my career as of late! =D

I'm excited to be back to work on the project, the only big thing holding me back is my physical health lately. Muscular dystrophy's a real PITA, just walking up the stairs kills me for 10 minutes now - let alone trying to bend over in to the engine bay and use BOTH hands at the same time. It's all possible still thanks to my father helping out as much as he can afford these days. The whole, "33 and living at home with the parents" thing could be a lot worse, and they're responsible for me being able to do much with this project recently.

With the snow finally leaving (except for this dump we go tthe other day) I'll finally be able to walk back and forth to the garage without the whole, "I've fallen and can't get up" nonsense haha!

I've said it too many times by now, but the compliments and encouragement in this thread are my sole driving force in this! I love coming up with new ideas or ways of doing things, and this forum and the wealth of knowledge available makes it super easy to do!

Good community we have here =)

[TxDarth]

We can all admire your spirit Jamos! Keep at it and you will see the light at the end of the tunnel. And it is not a train, that would be too cruel!!!

I for one am inspired by all your successes!

[noahabel]

We can all admire your spirit Jamos! Keep at it and you will see the light at the end of the tunnel. And it is not a train, that would be too cruel!!!

I for one am inspired by all your successes!

+1. You're a stud and a half.

[Hueristic]

That's why I took it apart in the first place, but THIS laptop has the db9 on a bloody ribbon, shared with an SVGA and an LPT1 port. So that was a no go. I'm looking at buying another junker from eBay right now, what a bloody mess this is. My concern is that getting a new laptop won't solve anything anyway, the error I keep getting is software related it appears, not hardware anymore - as I can use that shift+f9 function of finding all the modules just fine, but when it comes to ACCESSING them it's as if I don't have the files I need. I have no idea at ALL where to find them, I've tried looking for three days now. - - - Updated - - - And thanks for the suggestion BTW =) - - - Updated - - - WELL I just finished researching every bloody laptop that has come out since 2001 to 2010ish. I ended up buying a Dell D630, 2GHz, 2gb Ram, 160gb HDD, and.. SERIAL port! 14" screen, and it looks brand new! Sure beats my Pentium III 650Mhz 10gb hdd and ... 64mb ram system heh. ANYWAY, fingers are crossed that it is somehow the serial port on my laptop causing these issues, but it is so incredibly unlikely. I'm begging you guys, if you know anyone who has these E38 files on their system to help me out =D I just want to get back to work on the car itself hahaha

Post a pic of that cable, it should be easy (relatively) to find. Also I run my diags on a brand new laptop with a usb cable with a serial port emulator. http://www.ftdichip.com/Drivers/VCP.htm And just run a XP VM. To hell with that maintaining old hardware sheet. :P


Edit: guess I should have caught up with the thread before posting. Doh

[Jamos]

I got the laptop FINALLY!

It's GORGEOUS! Whoa, $55 and this thing came with the HDD, Battery, AC Adapter, oh and the laptop haha. Installed XP in 15 minutes, downloaded the latest drivers, updated the BIOS and it runs as smooth as my main PC - cost more than 100x the price :|

Anyway, I have two version of INPA, both didn't work on my last laptop with the wonky serial port. I'm not sure which one to install on this laptop first.

Any recommendations for my 1995? I have 5.02 and 3.01. I've got one vote for 3.01 so far.

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OH, and also.. cut up and installed some shelving finally! It's starting to be a real garage again =D

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[purplecty]

3.01 with ediabas 6.4.3 is best for the e38

[Jamos]

Sounds good to me, thank you!

Will test it all out when I finally wake up tomorrow (5am right now and I'm hardly tired, what is this madness!?)

[purplecty]

Sounds good to me, thank you!

Will test it all out when I finally wake up tomorrow (5am right now and I'm hardly tired, what is this madness!?)

Crack? ;p. Reminds me of when I started building my first computer 4 BMW Diagnostics

[Jamos]

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Shows the old one vs the new one:

648_zpshdomykfi.jpg

Old one was at max range vs new one at max range, quite a difference!

As for me always asking if you can just replace the spring and ALWAYS getting, "EW WHY JUST SPEND THE $50 AND DO IT RIGHT" .... the springs are very different in the old style vs new style, but both similar strenghts - not strong at all. I wouldn't have any issue putting in a $1 spring if I was ever in a bind in the future, nor should anyone else for that matter.

Ah well, it was done correctly regardless =)

[daniels635turbo]

M60 sounds Wicked! Nice work neighbor.

[kulgan]

Awesome. Been waiting for this thread to get back to the E38.

[Jamos]

Hah you and I both!

Been ordering goodies for my garage for the past few days.. I can't stop! I have a serious problem with amazon and eBay hahaha

[Jamos]

Picked these up

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001D..._st_dp_summary

They're awesome! Always taking my air intake bits on and off so these will save lots of trouble. They are quality parts I expected they would just snap but nope!

[daniels635turbo]

Picked these up

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001D..._st_dp_summary

They're awesome! Always taking my air intake bits on and off so these will save lots of trouble. They are quality parts I expected they would just snap but nope!

Cool, just ordered some

[luauboy]

Jamos - great job on the rehab of your 7er!! I've tried to catch up on all the postings and replies today ( whew - what an active thread ). I was curious to know whether you had some ideas on whether creating a mold for your rear diffuser made sense? Almost everyone on the e38 board prob has the same understanding you do - that there aren't really that many 'good' rear diffuser / valances on the market. Have you (or anyone on the thread) ever created a mold for something like this?

PS - were 80+ days away from Ofest in New Jersey - and I for one - plan on being there since it's a pretty 'short' drive for me - here in Charlotte. Here's hoping your salon is there for everyone to enjoy in person.

[Jamos]

Hah that would be a great drive! I was waiting for better weather to finish my garage and it seems to have gone from 20f to 120f in the span of a week!

Built my projector screen so I can get the speakers mounted so I can get the wiring done so I can get the painting done so I can get the garage spotless so I can PAINT my car finally hah. Poor girl hasn't moved more than 100ft in a year. Horrible realization just now.

Rest assured I'm back to focusing on this project and can't wait to drive out of my driveway asap.

As for a bumper mold... It wouldn't really work because of the shapes and sizes. The diffuser is all built from 1/8" ABS sheets so I don't see how it could be made in to a workable mold.

In time we'll see =)

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.... And I just realized, my license plate expired TODAY. oooohhh dammit. I need to etest it before I get new plates and I have the two cats sitting beside me waiting to go back on.

[xboss]

I feel you on the guy trying to do custom work with ailments jamos. I have a long list of them myself and it gets hard sometimes.

[luauboy]

Jamos - I think everyone on this thread realizes what you are up against with your health, and we all appreciate your dedication to our beloved 7's. If there's anything that any of us can do to help you realize your vision (which of course implies that you have a 'snapshot' of that vision at a specific point in time !!!!) - then let us know. I for one - would love to see your car at Ofest this year. Let's make it happen !!!

[Jamos]

Thanks a lot for the support and understanding guys, it means a whole heck of a lot! =)

Went out there today, did a bunch of wiring for the speakers for the projector screen - coming along, I'm pretty stoked! Couple more wires to route tomorrow, another power outlet to place in the wall, and then the ceiling lighting and that room is almost ready to paint - which means the garage is almost complete, and I'll be able to get to work full time on the car!! However . . I'm zonked for today hah

[luauboy]

Thanks a lot for the support and understanding guys, it means a whole heck of a lot! =)

Went out there today, did a bunch of wiring for the speakers for the projector screen - coming along, I'm pretty stoked! Couple more wires to route tomorrow, another power outlet to place in the wall, and then the ceiling lighting and that room is almost ready to paint - which means the garage is almost complete, and I'll be able to get to work full time on the car!! However . . I'm zonked for today hah

Every man needs his 'man cave'. FYI - < 80 days till Ofest in New Jersey. Have you estimated the work you have remaining to insure you can get the car to Ofest? I'm serious - there will be a lot of attention to your car by then. Satch and the group at BMW CCA will be very interested in seeing what's been happening ....as will the rest of us ...

[Jamos]

So man has almost come to completion! Just as I was about to install the projector I thought, "I want to sand blast stuff"

Researched everything, now I have a compressor, with copper lines running through the garage! Haha, yay.

Bought all kinds of new tools as well, this little stubby 1/2" impact wrench is a beast!

652_zpskuxzyv2g.jpg

That hose is incredible too, it's called "FlexEel" and it weighs NOTHING, way more flexible than those big'ol rubber or pvc lines most shops use.

Picked up a bunch of sockets and drill bits and taps as well, here's my fancy new IMPACT socket set:
653_zpsziowkkut.jpg

Was $260, got it for $60!

The man cave part is come along as such:
(really hard to get a good picture with that bright window right there in the camera)
650_zpsysfbscdm.jpg

Tires are filthy in that picture, didn't even notice until I saw it hah!
649_zpsxpb2oqyz.jpg


As for the air lines in the garage, I have two exits on either side of the garage with quick connects:

651_zpswc9mhomh.jpg

Running an Ingersol Rand filter tied to a pressure regulator on either side as well, keep that air clean!

SO.

ALMOST time to get back to work on that car. . . . . . . .

[purplecty]

Can I move in? Im coming to the 6!

[TxDarth]

Only thing I would do is go to 1/2 air hose on your impact - that 3/8 will not give you the full rated potential of the impact.

Otherwise look'n good!

[Jamos]

Yeah I was thinking about going larger on the air hose, but I have 1/2" TO the connections now, and the hose itself is actually only 1/4" hose, BUT it zipped my lugs off (11k rpm tool) in less than a second. I'm not worried for more air after seeing that =)

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Haha Purple :P Don't say THE SIX, damn you Drake, damn you.