Long 740

[Lamer321]

Some of you may have seen my other thread on this site titled "Road trip from Sacramento to Houston....". well now I have completed that road trip, and am ready to start bringing this beauty back to 100%.

The timing chain guides were done by the previous owner 3 months before I bought it. fresh oil, filters and hoses.

Thankfully there were no drive-train or suspension issues found during the trip (I am very happy about that)

So my list of repairs/changes/upgrades consist of mostly aesthetics and a few mechanical items listed below in no particular order:

(GREEN = fixed/replaced)
(BROWN-ISH - upgrades)

Click the hyperlinked number to go to that installation detail.

1: Spare Key
2: Reupholster headliner and A/B/C-Pillar(s) in Black Suede (new/used pillars and lower 750 B-pillar, $220)
3: door Gutter seals needs replaced
4: left rear quarter window shade (need one) and that little gold snap tab that holds the shade in place
5: Rear cup holder has been fixed
6: touch up paint. Mr. Colorchip. tried it out, just colors the chipped area, doesn't fill the chipped area
7: Drivers exterior door handle light bulb is burnt out.
8: back left interior door lock cap is missing
9: headlight washer spray nozzle (1) is missing
10: Front lip (not sure what happened but its cracked in the middle and needs to be replaced)
11: Windshield spray nozzles need to be replaced
12: Front cup holders (pulls all the way out)
13: Trunk light is broken and needs new bracket
15: Navigation DVD for Houston ($30)
16: Seat back pockets do not spring closed
17: driver's side mirror shakes at high speed
18: Rear bumper trim (has the parking sensors in it) is loose. its also a slightly different color than the rest of the car
19: Front bumper passenger trim is loose (the part that has the headlight washer nozzles)
20: Ski bag trunk door is not secured on one side
21: Front sway bar end links and bushings($80)
22: Back up Camera ($230)
23: Replace bad thrust arms, ball joints and bushings are blown ($644) (had it done at a shop so no hyperlink to the installation)
24: Push pins that hold down the vent trim on the top of the hood 3 of 4 missing. (used panel retainers to secure for now)
26: Blinker Module? (LINK for reference)
27: Timing Chain Tensioner replaced ($113 for Genuine BMW replacement)
28: Non return Check valve replacement ($56)
29: e38 Sport 3.15 rear diff
30: Stealth wipers
31: Two tone door seals ($18)
32: Monsoon Speaker upgrade courtesy of Mr. Dville ($260)
33: 3.5mm Aux-in through 4:3 tape deck plus USB charging port (LINK for reference) ($20)
34: Super expensive VANOS rebuild to get rid of the cold start click?
35: Tie Rod and rod ends replaced ($240)
36: Headlight/hood seals ($94)
37: Windshield upper molding ($25)
38: Bilstein B4 Touring struts F/R, B&G S2 Springs with all of the parts to make a clean install ($690) (3rd picture in this post shows the difference)(might go with BR Series Coilovers in the near future)
39: Zionsville e38 Super Duty Cooling kit (LINK for reference) ($1353.35) plus new hoses ($108)
40: G2 Brake Caliper Paint in red (LINK for reference) ($38.87)
41: Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3PLUS tires 255/45/18 x3 (spare tire) and 285/40/18 x2 ($1,245)
42: LED rear tailights
43: LED interior lights
44: Rear upper control arms ($216)
45: Front Control arms ($260)
46: OEM Bosch Starter ($744 installed)

Running total:
Repair/Replace: $5,371
Upgrades: $1,506


anyways, here are some pictures of the car:

IMG_4176.jpg
IMG_4525.jpg

B&G spring drop = 1.5" down in each corner

sus drop.JPG

[Lamer321]

I did decide to look into the lower B-pillars to see if I could fit them back into place a little better...this is what I found:

screws to hold it in place...
IMG_4196.jpg

because the tabs were all broken off! the tabs were missing from the top of the driver's b-pillar too...
IMG_4199.jpg

I was able to fit both b-pillars much better then before but I think over time they will just wiggle/shift/shimmy out of place, may look into JB welding some replacement plastic into the original tab locations and just have the uppers re-upholstered...

This evening I am going to try and fix the pesky seat back pockets (rumor has it that the springs tend to un snap from their normal position).

[clarkitect]

Very nice! Congrats man!

IMG_4196.jpg

Good old drywall screws. What would the world do without them?

My B-pillar trim is messed up too. Dang broken tabs.

[Lamer321]

Very nice! Congrats man!

Good old drywall screws. What would the world do without them?

My B-pillar trim is messed up too. Dang broken tabs.

if I find a means of plastic welding new tabs on I will be sure to let you know.

i have tan c pilars in good condition with no broken tabs and door seals for an i if u mean the ones that go on the bottom of the doors

hmmm, PM'd you. I may be able to have them re-upholstered in grey

- - - Updated - - -

so here is another issue... the left rear quarter trim is no longer adhered to the clips/tabs that hold it in place. (also missing the rubber seal the goes between this and the car)

I think I can just epoxy/glue them back onto the trim piece?

Attachment 568535

[Lamer321]

bought a backup camera kit from NavTV

chat with them for probably 40 mins asking wiring questions and set up, seems to be straight forward. I have bought products from them in the past. good stuff and good service.

Capture.JPG

[Lamer321]

Links: OEM 31351095695
Bushings: 31351091555

So is this what I was hearing from my front end?!!
IMG_1459.jpg

Or was is this one on the drivers side?!!
IMG_1461.jpg

New bushing on the left, two old ones on the right
IMG_1463.jpg

all buttoned up!
IMG_1464.jpg

So I went for a test drive and unfortunately I dont think I am free and clear of the this "clunking" I am hearing. Although I am happy I swapped out the end links and bushings.

it was not the end links making the noise. Found the thrust arm bushings and ball joints are shot. I am having them replaced next week from a local shop that honors their work (endless warranty pretty much)

[Lamer321]

Found this behind my drivers side front tire. Not sure where it came from. any thoughts?
IMG_1457.jpg

While I was working on the sway bar end links I noticed the drivers side wheel well area was covered in some sort of strange black stuff. it started just aft of the dic brake cooling air passage. the second picture was all of it that I could manage to reach. there isn't much more left. but i'm not sure what it is?
IMG_1465.jpg
IMG_1468.jpg

while I was in there cleaning, I noticed my shock boot was torn, so I was feeling around and felt something strange inside the boot. and I pulled this out! I then tried to feel around the passenger side shock boot for anything similar, and there was nothing.

Anyone have any idea what this is and why it was inside the shock boot?
IMG_1467.jpg

[Whistl3r]

The white plastic thing looks like one of the suspension blocks from the factory. They are used during shipping so the suspension does not bottom out. Should have been removed when PDI'd. Its proper location is File 13. =)

[Lamer321]

got my "new" B and C Pillars, and rear cup holder from forum member "mooll" in the mail on Monday. was able to open them up and have a look last night. all are in great shape (plastic tabs are all present and accounted for!), had some free time so I decided to remove the beige/tan vinyl/fabric from the pillars....believe it or not 409 all purpose cleaner worked wonders on that orange glue! spray, sit, spray, sit, and then wipe away! it was a pleasing surprise to say the least.

here is the aftermath: (all that remains is the black cloth that seems to be impossible to remove.) The little white boxes on the window sill are the NavTV camera and module which I plan to install next weekend.
image2.JPG

Ill be changing the pillars and headliner to a black suede over the next couple of weeks. I have also since been tickled by the idea of some 750il lower B-pillars, grab handles, porn lights and cigarette/accessory doors to get some more Vavona wood in the back of the car. I think it will go well with he black top half and grey lower half.

[Lamer321]

Realigned the ski bag trunk access panel so it would secure fully in the open and closed positions. I doubt I will ever have to use that but it was an eye sore to be misaligned

Cannibalized two rear cupholders into one fully functional holder! was able to use the two arms in the front and both little springs which keep the button in position (I didn't know I was missing those) very pleased
IMG_1474.jpg


while inspecting the loose driver's seat plastic with all of the buttons (which is barely one piece), I discovered some loose items under the seat:

Does anyone have any thoughts as to what these are and where they go? I looked around for anything that looked uncovered, or missing but no luck.

the top two have "ABS+PC" written on them, the bottom one has "ABS". FOUND IT!!
IMG_1476.jpg

THOSE PLASTIC PIECES GO ON THE ENDS OF THE REAR WINDOW SHADE. SEE PIC. I WILL HAVE TO REMOVE THE DECK TO GET THEM TO FIT PROPERLY AS I WAS HAVING TROUBLE GETTING THEM TO SIT RIGHT. LOOKS LIKE THEY JUST SNAP IN...
image1.JPG

[Lamer321]

"Jet Black Suede" headliner material ordered....should arrive next week in time for some pillar upholstering next weekend.

its more a dark charcoal than black. I sampled some black next to the dash and door panels and it just didn't quite match as well as the charcoal "Jet Black" material. should come out nice. I am also looking into re doing the panel behind the back seats in suede or just using some fabric spray paint.

Wish me luck tomorrow as I am participating in Houston's Annual MS150 bike ride from Houston to Austin. (150 miles)

[Lamer321]

Houston flooded so I had the day off from work. I was able to run the back up camera cable through the trunk lid and down through the trunk. (That was anticipated to be a big problem but a little WD-40 made things slide right though)

camera location, I may need to add a spacer to lower the camera. I imagine it will have the lip of the trunk take up half of the display...will now more after testing. The camera came with its own appropriately sized hole saw. made things easier to say the least.
image2.JPG

[MKIVJZA80]

51168169707

part number for the little quarter-shade support

http://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/sh...et-on-seatback
http://bimmerboard.com/forums/posts/609384/

fixing map pockets

nice job with the camera! was it all that hard to wire?

[Lamer321]

51168169707

part number for the little quarter-shade support

http://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/sh...et-on-seatback
http://bimmerboard.com/forums/posts/609384/

fixing map pockets

nice job with the camera! was it all that hard to wire?

actually the hardest part was removing the trunk lid carpet panel (I had never done it before) I definitely recommend using some sort of lubricant to run the camera wire through the rubber tubes with the stock wiring (I used WD-40 and it worked great, used a quick spray on the rubber flexible tubes, the straight plastic tube didn't need any.) ALSO REMEMBER TO RUN THE WIRE THROUGH THE CAMERA MOUNTING HOLE....I FAILED TO DO THIS THE FIRST TIME AND HAD TO PULL IT OUT COMPLETELY, FELT LIKE A FOOL! HAHA.

I still have to make all of the terminations and test everything, of which I plan to make a write up. can only find ones that tell you what wires to use rather than actually show you..

Oh wow that is great! Many thanks.

I like that second link...now to find the time!

[Lamer321]

So i've tried to communicate with the people at NavTV but they just don't follow through with my questions. so I come to the boards!!

I have mapped out the wiring for the reverse camera but have some questions: (GREEN is the mapped layout I came up with, BLACK circles mark my questions detailed below)
image3.JPG

#1: Am I able to split the video from the camera to both video inputs of the module? without any issue?

#2: Do I power the module with a relay? I feel like the module should have constant power from key position 1 and up......? the NavTv people say I may need to use the relay on the blue wire? (but why not directly connect the blue wire to the reverse light?)

#3: This mystery white wire has no label, and the only answer I get from NavTv is "you don't need to use that wire, it does nothing"

[Lamer321]

Had the thrust arms replaced, both the bushings and the ball joints were shot. once I get an alignment done hopefully the mystery bump noise will be gone.

(I couldn't get the alignment done because Houston started flooding. So I picked up my car to keep it in my garage and will go back to finish the job. ) nice part is I wont have to pay anything until I get the alignment done.

Last weekend I was sent offshore and wasn't able to do anything with the interior. and it looks like I wont have much time this weekend either... Oh well, I am still accumulating things via interwebs and have healthy inventory growing in my garage. should make for some busy weekends, hopefully.

MKIVJZA80 offered to take a list of items to a parts car he was looking at and hopefully will be able to grab most of what I am needing.

[NordmanMg]

Wow, you doing really nice works to your car,
let us know how it will turn out with backup camera

[Lamer321]

Wow, you doing really nice works to your car,
let us know how it will turn out with backup camera

hey thanks NordmanMg, really quite excited to finish installation, I'm planning on having a well photographed and detailed write up of the wiring once testing is complete. to hopefully allow an override switch for anytime camera function, and automatic reverse camera function. I just to find the time!! not looking good this weekend unfortunately.

I am still hearing a clunk on my front end though,

- new front sway bar end links and new front sway bar bushings
- just had the thrust arms replaced (new bushings, ball joints and arm) on both sides. (the clunk was there before I replaced the thrust arms)
- no shimmy at 40/50/60 mph
- speed bumps will cause the noise (unless I am going 1/2 a mph)
- pot-holes will cause the clunk
- smooth transitions into pot-holes will sometimes cause the clunk.
- full turn angle of the wheels and traveling backwards will cause the clunk sometimes,
- cant find anything when I shake the wheels at the 12/6 and 9/3 positions when on jack stands (I may not be wiggling them hard enough)

Does anyone have any insight as to what this may be? tie rod end links maybe although the steering feels tight with no shimmy?

I plan on picking up some channel-lock pliers and putting her up on stands at the next opportunity to find this mystery clunk. any ideas will be greatly appreciated.

[spetsnaz55]

Center steering link and pitman arms that attach to it.. check em for play

[Lamer321]

Center steering link and pitman arms that attach to it.. check em for play

ooh good call. I dropped the car off at the shop that did the thrust arms to have a look, they are checking it out for free so why not. But I will check that out should they not find anything. Went for a test drive with the owner and he couldnt hear anything, I swear there is something moving down there! (maybe i'm losing my mind)


I picked up my suede headliner material for the headliner and A/B/C Pillars....feels so smooth! now to pick up some India Ink for the rear speaker deck...
IMG_1516.jpg

and found some easy panel retainers to keep the hood vent in place (I only had one rivet holding it on....discovered that when I closed the hood and the entire thing popped up!) I might be getting some original rivets from MKIVJZA80 in the near future....or maybe i'll keep these and cut them to fit in that groove, would make for easier removal than those rivets...
IMG_1514.jpgIMG_1512.jpgIMG_1513.jpg

also picked up some adhesive spray as per my uncle who is a 3M rep. I USED THE RED CAN.

RED CAN: specifically made to adhere to FOAM BACKED MATERIAL.
GREEN CAN: designed for "heavy" headliner material such as vinyl, and other liners that will not seep through. THIS WILL EAT THROUGH FOAM IF SPRAYED ONTO A FOAM BACKED HEADLINER.
IMG_1511.jpg

[Lamer321]

Bought a new Timing Chain Tensioner because I started hearing a clatter/click/tap noise upon cold start up, maybe 1.5 seconds in duration then would go away. I know the guides were replaced just before I bought the car and I do not believe this was changed out. I plan on installing this afternoon.

Tensioner Part#: 11-31-7-531-813 $113
(Autozone, Genuine BMW part: it is the longer design.)

Gasket Part#: 07-11-9-963-355 $0.99
(it will show up as a "Differential Drain Plug Gasket")

----------------UPDATED----------------------

Replaced the Tensioner, only to find that the PO had already done so.....darn. The two are identical in every way. Still put the new one in (keeping old one as spare) and I still have the 1.5 seconds of tapping at cold start up. I am starting to think about changing the oil return check valves behind the VANOS solenoids..

[Lamer321]

I went ahead and bought two new non return check valves from BavAuto, along with two gaskets.

Valve part#: 11-12-1-706-921 ($25 each)
gasket part#: 11-12-1-706-927 ($1.95 each)

This is the procedure I'll follow for the installation: http://www.bimmerboard.com/forums/posts/720836/

--------UPDATE--------

After replacing the chain tensioner, the start up clicking has stopped. I will hold onto these parts should I need them however I will not be installing them right now.

--------Update---------

Cold start click came back, so i installed the non return check valves....hoping for the best!

--------Update---------

Click has returned...dam.

[shenofjo]

nice work! for backup camera and video recording, ive gone with rear view mirror display

[Lamer321]

Made some progress on the suede interior last night.

So far I have the B and C pillars complete. using the adhesive spray mentioned above. I plan on getting the A-pillars done when I do the headliner.
IMG_1525.jpgIMG_1528.jpgIMG_1527.jpgIMG_1530.jpgIMG_1526.jpg

This weekend I aim to complete the reverse camera wiring.

[Lamer321]

had unexpected free time (because I couldn't figure out my backup camera) so I decided to install some 750 wood

Cigarette boxes on doors, 750 seat back panels on front seats (the entire panel, not just the wood strip, wooded rear console handle and wood reading light up front.

IMG_1536.jpgIMG_1542.jpg

So I discovered that there are already mounting points in the 740 seats that are made for the 750 panels, as the panels have the springs slightly more inward than the 740's, happy accident!


- - - Updated - - -

Finished the A-pillars today in suede! looks sharp, also got the home link panel and the ultrasonic sensor panel.

IMG_1545.jpgIMG_1548.jpgIMG_1547.jpg


So far I have everything accept the sun visors, actual headliner and sunroof panel done in suede. Need a long weekend to tackle those then all will be complete. (maybe some black leather visors?)

Oh and I have 750 wood c-pillar lights and wood trimmed lower B-pillars to put on. but those will come at the end. I'm excited for this!