Danny's Japan Rot 540i Touring Thread

[XAlt]

BMW v8s are crap compared to the american offerings or even some other companies out there. Let's not get into that issue, cause people may get offended around here!!

S54 -
Rod bearings - can be bulletproofed with multiple diff brands
VANOS - can be bulletproofed w/Beisan. Easy install.
Valve Adjustments - 30-40k miles, which is about 3-4 sometimes

I think you need a dose of S54 in your life to show you to the other side of BMW. The S54 is not torqueless, just a different experience - one that has made BMW a racing an.

The S54 is a work of art, provided something is done about the lung cancer. I just want an S38B38 Turbo + 4HP E32 and I'll die a happy man.

The M60 came right before 4V Modular and offered great perfomance for the time, producing the same (underrated) power down .6L, HP/l was in fact more than the LT5. But that gradually degraded into a mess like like the N63 and the castrated V10 that spins rods every other week.

S62 has no valley pan, just a pipe running under it that can leak. Actual VANOS failure is rare, but they're all going to cough up guides in a few years time.

[sooch]

The S54 is a work of art, provided something is done about the lung cancer. I just want an S38B38 Turbo + 4HP E32 and I'll die a happy man.

The M60 came right before 4V Modular and offered great perfomance for the time, producing the same (underrated) power down .6L, HP/l was in fact more than the LT5. But that gradually degraded into a mess like like the N63 and the castrated V10 that spins rods every other week.

S62 has no valley pan, just a pipe running under it that can leak. Actual VANOS failure is rare, but they're all going to cough up guides in a few years time.

Sorry for the valley pan gaff, but the VANOS I have seen the soldering go on quite a few, and those hubs are not cheap to replace to keep down noise...

S38 is a sweet sweet piece of engineering, from what I have seen it is not the most reliable of the S-engines? Maybe I'm wrong.

[XAlt]

Sorry for the valley pan gaff, but the VANOS I have seen the soldering go on quite a few, and those hubs are not cheap to replace to keep down noise...

S38 is a sweet sweet piece of engineering, from what I have seen it is not the most reliable of the S-engines? Maybe I'm wrong.

M30 block with very nice heads more or less, all the owners I've talked to are the "adjust your valves and fix it when it breaks" type.

Their successes with slapping on stuff to the wheezing 4-banger ended up in the M12, M88 and so forth. The S5x series came in to replace the S14 (torqueless describes this engine) and it did a great job at such. M division limped along with the Super Big Six until 1995, and by then they realized the M60 was the future.

BMW's motto at the time was "more cylinders please"

[dannyzabolotny]

BMW v8s are crap compared to the american offerings or even some other companies out there. Let's not get into that issue, cause people may get offended around here!!

I think you need a dose of S54 in your life to show you to the other side of BMW. The S54 is not torqueless, just a different experience - one that has made BMW a racing and household name.

I've never really had any interest in a high-revving engine, so perhaps I got into the wrong brand. Looking back, I probably could have gotten into American cars with V8's for a lot less money with far less issues, but they wouldn't have been as good of an all-around car as an E39 540i. I still like the BMW interior, the handling, and the torquey V8 in my touring so I can't imagine getting rid of it, though I have been itching to do an American muscle car build after getting a taste of it in a Mustang GT. I want to build a Chevy small block at some point, or maybe a big block. Something with a carburetor and at least 7L of displacement. I don't need anything to rev past 5k anyways, I just want tons of low-end torque so I can go to the drag strip and crush some quarter-mile times.

[purplecty]

I've never really had any interest in a high-revving engine, so perhaps I got into the wrong brand. Looking back, I probably could have gotten into American cars with V8's for a lot less money with far less issues, but they wouldn't have been as good of an all-around car as an E39 540i. I still like the BMW interior, the handling, and the torquey V8 in my touring so I can't imagine getting rid of it, though I have been itching to do an American muscle car build after getting a taste of it in a Mustang GT. I want to build a Chevy small block at some point, or maybe a big block. Something with a carburetor and at least 7L of displacement. I don't need anything to rev past 5k anyways, I just want tons of low-end torque so I can go to the drag strip and crush some quarter-mile times.

That's why i have one of these laying around for that american muscle feel and sound Excuse the old crappy cell phone pics. Rarely gets driven...

[sooch]

I've never really had any interest in a high-revving engine, so perhaps I got into the wrong brand. Looking back, I probably could have gotten into American cars with V8's for a lot less money with far less issues, but they wouldn't have been as good of an all-around car as an E39 540i. I still like the BMW interior, the handling, and the torquey V8 in my touring so I can't imagine getting rid of it, though I have been itching to do an American muscle car build after getting a taste of it in a Mustang GT. I want to build a Chevy small block at some point, or maybe a big block. Something with a carburetor and at least 7L of displacement. I don't need anything to rev past 5k anyways, I just want tons of low-end torque so I can go to the drag strip and crush some quarter-mile times.

You should drive an 18wheelah or something. You could always drive your 7L truck with buttloads of torque....

[dannyzabolotny]

That's why i have one of these laying around for that american muscle feel and sound Excuse the old crappy cell phone pics. Rarely gets driven...

Oooh! Specs pls. With those giant rear tires I assume you've taken it to the drag strip, right?

You should drive an 18wheelah or something. You could always drive your 7L truck with buttloads of torque....

Haha but then it would be so heavy that it would feel slow. No, I'm thinking of large displacement in a relatively small car, like a C3 Corvette. The 1978-1982 years go for about the price of an E39 at this point, mostly because they were total dogs from the factory. They still have the good old Chevy 350 small block though, which means it's pretty easy to get lots of power out of them. 350ci means 5.7L, and those can easily be stroked to 383ci (6.2L) with a stroker kit. Or I could go balls-out and throw a 454 (7.4L) big block in. I've wanted to build something pretty extreme for a while, because while my BMWs are quick enough, they're far too practical and sensible. I want something with a ginormous engine, an extreme cam that barely allows the engine to idle, a giant blower with a really obvious hood scoop, huge drag slicks in the rear, a full straight pipe with side exits and no cats/mufflers/resonators of any kind, and a 4.11 (or higher) diff ratio. Basically I want a barely-streetable drag car.

This has been my inspiration for the past week:

[TxDarth]

Fastest, most impressive car I have ever owned was a new "67 Chevelle 396 ci 375 hp. That car was a torque monster!!!

[XAlt]

Fastest, most impressive car I have ever owned was a new "67 Chevelle 396 ci 375 hp. That car was a torque monster!!!

How did it end up?

[TxDarth]

How did it end up?

I don't know really - I drove it 38 K miles in 2 1/2 yrs. and while stationed at Pt Mugu Ca. I sold to another sailor and bought my first house in Oxnard CA. I heard that he totaled it several yrs later - lost control and hit a telephone pole head on. I was already gone from the area and out of the Navy.

[XAlt]

I don't know really - I drove it 38 K miles in 2 1/2 yrs. and while stationed at Pt Mugu Ca. I sold to another sailor and bought my first house in Oxnard CA. I heard that he totaled it several yrs later - lost control and hit a telephone pole head on. I was already gone from the area and out of the Navy.

And know you know why the day before yesterday's beater fetches 40 grand.

[TxDarth]

And know you know why the day before yesterday's beater fetches 40 grand.

Add to that story - I special ordered and bought that car in Memphis TN. The sticker was just over $3500.00 as I recall but I paid just under $2900.00 plus TTL.

[dannyzabolotny]

I can't wait to learn about carburetors haha, every car I've owned so far has had fuel injection.

[TxDarth]

I can't wait to learn about carburetors haha, every car I've owned so far has had fuel injection.

I went from Stromberg 97 thru Quadrajets and Carter AFB's - I never found one that I liked that much - FI is much better...

[geargrinder]

Carbs... Interesting technology how they work... Kinda fun but the big ones are complicated and take a while to get to know. And tweaking them is fussy and time consuming. Get your head around main jets and idle jets and float valves and emulsion tubes and primaries vs secondaries...

Instead of "click - type - enter" ok now I have more fuel. Oh and I can adjust for if the motor is hot or cold or on boost or off boost etc.

Fuel injection is 1000x better. The best thing are these retrofit throttle body injection kits that let you have easy fuel injection on an old carb style motor.

[dannyzabolotny]

Carbs... Interesting technology how they work... Kinda fun but the big ones are complicated and take a while to get to know. And tweaking them is fussy and time consuming. Get your head around main jets and idle jets and float valves and emulsion tubes and primaries vs secondaries...

Instead of "click - type - enter" ok now I have more fuel. Oh and I can adjust for if the motor is hot or cold or on boost or off boost etc.

Fuel injection is 1000x better. The best thing are these retrofit throttle body injection kits that let you have easy fuel injection on an old carb style motor.

I'll probably start with a simple mechanical carb and then upgrade to something like a Holley EFI carb. I want to learn the basics of carbs before I try to modernize the engine. In any case, I'm excited to do stuff like upgrading cams and installing a stroker kit. That's something you never really get to do with a BMW engine because of how prohibitively expensive it all is.

[geargrinder]

Don't use the term "EFI Carb", thats for retards who don't know any better. It's not a 'carb' if its got fuel injection, period. Its only a carb if it uses venturi effects to make the fuel flow and meter it. It's 'throttle body injection' (vs port injection), even if they make it look like an old fashioned carb to make the rednecks happy.

[dk500]

^

[amancuso]

While I respect American cars, and that's where I got my start. They are just not the same in feel or spirit at all when compared to German cars. For the extra amount of money it would cost me to run my BMW it's just worth it (to me) I realize it's a personal choice. That being said, I've never really been one to have horsepower just for the sake of it, surrendering handling, comfort etc. The full packaging on the e39 just makes it well worth it. Even when you go down to the "economy" range of cars IE: Chevy Cruze vs. VW Jetta, the Jetta wins on driving feel alone.

[dannyzabolotny]

Don't use the term "EFI Carb", thats for retards who don't know any better. It's not a 'carb' if its got fuel injection, period. Its only a carb if it uses venturi effects to make the fuel flow and meter it. It's 'throttle body injection' (vs port injection), even if they make it look like an old fashioned carb to make the rednecks happy.

Got it. I'm still learning the basics haha, I've only ever had port-injected cars. The most old school car I've driven so far has been my 95 750il which still used distributors.

While I respect American cars, and that's where I got my start. They are just not the same in feel or spirit at all when compared to German cars. For the extra amount of money it would cost me to run my BMW it's just worth it (to me) I realize it's a personal choice. That being said, I've never really been one to have horsepower just for the sake of it, surrendering handling, comfort etc. The full packaging on the e39 just makes it well worth it. Even when you go down to the "economy" range of cars IE: Chevy Cruze vs. VW Jetta, the Jetta wins on driving feel alone.

I don't like most American cars, especially the economy ones. I just like the muscle cars and sports cars. My 540it is a much better all-around car, but I'm chasing after horsepower here. It's a lot cheaper to get big power out of an old Chevy small block than it is to get power out of an M62tu, where the only real option is a supercharger or an S62 swap, both of which cost a fortune.

What I want to build is a C3 Corvette with a focus on horsepower and nothing else. I already have a practical daily driver so I can go pretty extreme. I'm talking a full straight pipe with no cats, side exit pipes, a giant air intake that pops out of the hood, giant rear tires, a super aggressive cam, and line locks for good burnouts.

[amancuso]

Got it. I'm still learning the basics haha, I've only ever had port-injected cars. The most old school car I've driven so far has been my 95 750il which still used distributors.



I don't like most American cars, especially the economy ones. I just like the muscle cars and sports cars. My 540it is a much better all-around car, but I'm chasing after horsepower here. It's a lot cheaper to get big power out of an old Chevy small block than it is to get power out of an M62tu, where the only real option is a supercharger or an S62 swap, both of which cost a fortune.

What I want to build is a C3 Corvette with a focus on horsepower and nothing else. I already have a practical daily driver so I can go pretty extreme. I'm talking a full straight pipe with no cats, side exit pipes, a giant air intake that pops out of the hood, giant rear tires, a super aggressive cam, and line locks for good burnouts.

I agree with everything you've said here.

[douglawrence42]

I do not miss carbs! I went through just about every version of failure there is, and even when you "win", it's just a matter of time before something else goes out of adjustment. Ever notice on roadkill how they always replace the distributor with a modern controller right of the bat? And these are guys with good ears for hearing what a carb is doing. I like your project idea, and big, cheap power is going to be a blast. But there are things that a micro controller can do so much better than a rats nest of vacuum lines. Steer clear of the mechanical carb.


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[dannyzabolotny]

Alright, ladies and gents, this is the update y'all have been waiting for:

I finished touching up the bumper earlier this week. My friend and I laid down some more base coat and two very good coats of clear. The paint looks fantastic after some quick wetsanding and buffing:





Considering how fubar'd the bumper was initially, this result exceeds all of my expectations. Yes, there is some orange peel, and yes, we got some minor contaminants in the clear coat, but considering that this was done in a garage shack with Home Depot-grade tools, I think we did very well

And now, for the grand reveal, my 540it takes its old prefacelift mask off...

*drumroll*

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Oh yeah. The only missing now is the lower grille. I bought one and tried to mount it, but the little mounting pegs on the back of the bumper were all broken off at some point so I'll have to modify that grille and mount it in a different way. That's a pretty minor issue though.

I then went to the local QT to get a cold drink (it was like 1am at this point). The lighting there was a little better, and I took some pictures to show the excellent fitment of the bumper.





And that's why I went with a used OEM bumper, versus a brand new replica. I spent like 5 minutes installing the bumper and the fitment was pretty much spot-on!



The color match is pretty good too. It'll look even better once I wash the rest of the car to look as clean as the bumper. These pictures don't show it, but there's a pretty thick layer of dust all over the rest of the car.

I also took some pictures of it this morning when I rolled into work:





Overall, I'm extremely happy with how this all turned out!

[philly98540]

Looks very good Danny! Bumper was toast, so impressive save. Ton of work tho, but learning along way so all good.

[dannyzabolotny]

Looks very good Danny! Bumper was toast, so impressive save. Ton of work tho, but learning along way so all good.

Yeah, it was a lot of work for sure, but it was one heck of a learning experience. It's a lot more satisfying than just handing it over to some paint shop, even if they might have done a better job.