TrapHouse's 528i??

[TrapHouse]

Hey everyone,

Figured this would be the appropriate place to show off my project car, to start it off it's an m20b28 stroker. Now, I know what you must be thinking - god damn, why does TrapHouse look like the sixth, missing member of One Direction? Yeah, I get that a lot, but it's really about the car. Now you might also be wondering - m20b28 in a e34? What? We'll get into that momentarily, my story gets better.
To start it off I bought it in May of 2016. It was my third car, third bimmer. Previous two were unsuccessful e36s which I never really liked, maybe except the coupe. This was the second one I had checked out and so far it checked out pretty good for the price and the fact that it had fresh TUV for a year (that technical inspection thing I'm sure you're aware of). Obviously it had a few problems like a squeaking shock mount in the rear which was finally replaced in July of 2016, because I got hella tired of it. Soon after a few minor things were changed before wheel alignment.
Brake pads were changed in 2016 as well and I swapped the steering wheel for a smaller, but sportier OEM one. It'll be seen in the pictures below.

Running on R17 Borbet As ET30, 235/45, 7.5j all around - incorrect offset for E34, but everyone was looking back at me at that time so ehh.


At this moment it was running on that old m20b25 engine which I was NOT thrilled about. I always wanted at least an M50 so I can sleep well at night.

The old steering wheel which I also despised a lot, the new one will be seen in shots later on.


Then came winter, originally I didn't plan on driving it through Latvia's salty winters. After sitting in a garage for 3 months I had to pull it out and get some welding done on it. Fix the jack points and a few rust holes in the floor itself.
Some might say "why couldn't you just get a new one, with a better body?" Well, my fellow, mostly American, friends we, here in Europe, have to work with what we've got. I've seen a few Americans throw out the bodies as soon as they see three brown spots on the doors, but we can't afford to do that. These E34 are now quite rare, most have been ruined by teenagers living in the country-side and so on.
So the welds on these spots are there for the time being, the work never stops.











Picking up my car from the mechanic in January of 2017 another lovely issue came up - the switch that controls the brightness of the speedometer suddenly started smoking, leaving me inside the car with the smell of burning wires.



Winter look with rear tinted lights.


The original interior of the car.





March 3rd, 2017: Acquired a full on black interior from my friend's E34 which he was parting out. I was lucky I was the first person he contacted about his sport seats, because I know everyone was drooling over them, especially me when I first saw them.








March 8th, 2017: Burned wires for the speedometer finally replaced along with a new switch, the speedo finally lights up in the dark after 2 long months of pure darkness.



March 14th, 2017: The engine gives up on me, later found out it was a broken rocker arm. I had plans to swap out the M20 for an M50, but at that time there were no lively M50B25s around which was devastating. I was forced to organize a full rebuild of this M20B25 which I never really liked. I had purchased a set of new rotors and pads and was pretty much on my way to change them before the engine died.


Juiciness begins in the next post...

[TrapHouse]

Around the mid March of 2017 the repairs finally begin, plus a little bonus seeing as I was stuck with this engine which never belonged in an E34 in the first place.
Huge shoutout to "Autovieta" who did all the work on the engine, I'm sorry if these pictures appear way too big, I figured the forums would resize them itself.


































































Professional shots of the engine itself, a fully restored M20 and stroked to 2.8.











Putting on the first kilometers on the new engine.



Center console along with the rest of the ugly gray pieces finally being swapped.





Acquired an LSD for a steal, can't believe I have been blessed by the BMW gods twice this year.



Swapped the 240km speedo for a 260km one, still trying to convince myself I have an M50 under the hood.


First 800 or so kilometers done on the new engine, changing the diff fluid as well as the engine oil.





Changed from style 5s to RH MBNs - 255/40 R17 10j ET17, 225/45 R17 8j ET10, hopefully will be changing them around soon for old versions of RH Topline R17 9.5J ET14 - R17 8.5J ET10.

[TrapHouse]

The last major job was swapping out the window wiper mechanism for a new used one. As some of you know the passenger arms tends to rub against the hood as the mechanism wears out and I, once again, was lucky enough to find one in a much better shape not only physically but visually as well as it appeared almost brand new.

[ross1]

rotten E34 002.jpgWelcome aboard, nice to see an old M20 getting some love.
To be clear about us Americans. We typically don't throw away cars when some brown appears on the door bottoms. We also suffer from the rust issues you do, I'd wager worse in some areas of the US.
Seems you have good skills to fix things and a well equipped workshop, better than most here I'd also wager.
We also do the best with what we have so no need to cast aspersions as wasteful, okay?
I did "throw away" this one but many of it's parts carry on in other's cars.

[cirrusblau]

That'll buff right out! You americans are so wasteful!

[TrapHouse]

rotten E34 002.jpgWelcome aboard, nice to see an old M20 getting some love.
To be clear about us Americans. We typically don't throw away cars when some brown appears on the door bottoms. We also suffer from the rust issues you do, I'd wager worse in some areas of the US.
Seems you have good skills to fix things and a well equipped workshop, better than most here I'd also wager.
We also do the best with what we have so no need to cast aspersions as wasteful, okay?
I did "throw away" this one but many of it's parts carry on in other's cars.

Was kinda serious and kinda joking at the same time, but I did see some guy on YouTube tossing out a solid V8 E34 after like one winter, which was a travesty. That one in your picture looks like delphin metallic one, I'd kill someone for the rear bumper right now haha. We in Europe even restore rotten BMWs such as your old one, possibly even worse, like I said - we don't have a choice.

On a serious note: I've got some plans, but I don't want to disclose any of them just yet, but do know that I will try and take good care of the car as I've already spent thousands of euros on it. The body itself is what worries me, sideskirts need to be redone and most likey some bits of the floor as well.

[katit2]

That's why I got E34 from California to ensure no rust, this is something very expensive to deal with here in US (I'm from Belarus, btw). I know in Belarus for $2k I can get all rust(if any) taken care of and car completely repainted, not so in US, body labor is very expensive. That's why to all here who sees crazy bodywork done to restore old BMWs look very strange. And that's why to all not in US it looks like a waste when wrecked or rusted cars being parted out.

I really like E34 body style and intend to get it restored to "like new" at least on inside. With 99k miles on a car I _estimate_ it will take about $4k to get it to top notch running condition(my labor). I'm done with complete suspension overhaul and bought most of the stuff for interior, at $2500 as of now. I budget about $1500 for engine parts and bits.

[TrapHouse]

Won't go as far as to importing an E34 from West Coast, plus the US spec ones tend to be less well equipped, sometimes even lacking the rear fog lights. If I've put in so much money I'll just continue, it'd be wiser to sell it off in parts anyway if I would do such a rash decision, because LSD, black leather sport seats and a completely rebuilt and stroked engine like mine would get me at least 50% of my investment back. But no, I've always liked E34 for their boat like bodies. I'm keeping it.
As of now the car will be going in a winter/repair mode in the beginning of November when my insurance runs out, main goal right now is welding in new sideskirts, remove rust holes under the gas cap, weld back in missing air vent in the trunk seeing as the previous one was cut out for welding reasons - rear left corner had to be cut out and welded back in and other little annoying things that will pop up as the car gets disassembled. If I'll have any spare cash I'll also get polyurethane kit for the rear axle.

[katit2]

Won't go as far as to importing an E34 from West Coast, .

I live in US, no need to import for me, I just explained why people get rid of them with rust/body damage here..

[TrapHouse]

I live in US, no need to import for me, I just explained why people get rid of them with rust/body damage here..

Feel free to send non-critically damaged ones to Europe, hah. We'll get our best mechanics and restore them to their former glory. Seriously, I've seen rust bucket E30s getting diabolical TLC, the aftermath was astonishing and most likely expensive as well.
It's a bit funny how we kinda borrow ideas from one another across the ocean - Europeans mimic the US spec headlight setup with the daylights being in the blinkers and the US upgrading their headlights to "smiley" ones, installing rear fog lights and so on.

[katit2]

Feel free to send non-critically damaged ones to Europe, hah. We'll get our best mechanics and restore them to their former glory. Seriously, I've seen rust bucket E30s getting diabolical TLC, the aftermath was astonishing and most likely expensive as well.
It's a bit funny how we kinda borrow ideas from one another across the ocean - Europeans mimic the US spec headlight setup with the daylights being in the blinkers and the US upgrading their headlights to "smiley" ones, installing rear fog lights and so on.

Grass is always greener on other side I like how everyone here being snobbish about American cars and in Europe BMWs is "regular" and Camaro IS a sports car

For my 525 I intend to keep it as original as possible, get it to perfect shape and it will give another 10+ years of service until it rusts out here in Midwest

[TrapHouse]

Since my latest update the car has been pretty much daily-ed, taken sideways a little and so on. Since last update I've sold my RH MBN wheels, because they were lacking lip in the front wheels. Happened to stumble upon R15 Remotec mesh wheels with decent parameters - 7.5J ET10. Trying to figure out what wheels I should put on - 195/65 or 205/60 for the summer. Gonna have to rock R15s for a while now. In early November I gave my car to couple of trustworthy mechanics and decided to get some body work done on it, like weld in new sideskirts, etc, but it seems like I've bit off more than I can chew and it seems like the guys are going to be quite preoccupied until spring or so. I know most of you would probably throw this one out in the junkyard, but here in Europe it's quite difficult to find a decent E34 and since the car holds sentimental value to me I've decided to restore it. It will definitely put me in debt, but hey, life's a bitch. There are some photos below, more should follow soon, like updates I'll get from my guys and I'll keep everyone up to date who will follow this thread.

[katit2]

since the car holds sentimental value to me I've decided to restore it.

Thats a key!

Btw, your pics don't show up

[TrapHouse]

Thats a key!

Btw, your pics don't show up

I upload them with imgur, what should I use?

[katit2]

I upload them with imgur, what should I use?

I just use forum attachment functionality for pics I post. Less likely to disappear

[atl530i]

Awesome rebuild. I like the attention to detail that went into the engine rebuild. A lot of people do throw away cars that need simple things but it's not everyone. I bought a wagon last year that many would have parted out because it had a blower motor fire. I ended up fixing it and haven't had an issue from it since. It was a lot of work though.

[TrapHouse]

Awesome rebuild. I like the attention to detail that went into the engine rebuild. A lot of people do throw away cars that need simple things but it's not everyone. I bought a wagon last year that many would have parted out because it had a blower motor fire. I ended up fixing it and haven't had an issue from it since. It was a lot of work though.

I still get ridiculed a bit, because I went in and got an M20 restored. To be honest, I believe these engines don't belong in the E34 platform at all. If I had the chance I'd go back and swap in at least an M52B28TU but for now I'll just have to stick with it.

P.S. uploaded pics directly on forums.
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[TrapHouse]

Fresh new pictures from the process below. Hurts a little to see my car getting cut up, but it has to be done.

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[TrapHouse]

#EasternEuropeanE34Problems #WeTryAndRepairOurs #FeelFreeToDonateCash
Things are slowly progressing, but the car does look like it has rotten out like hell. Here are some more pictures. All pics should be available here: https://imgur.com/a/3yoXQ

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[TrapHouse]

Recently acquired a set of new headlights straight from a stock 525i that was being parted out, will be turning them into Hella Dark replicas sometime in summer. And some more pictures from the restoration. The whole process should be done very soon and some minor paint work will be done in late March/early April. Planning on driving it around April, need to wait for all the salt to be washed away. Full on body repaint will be seen the next year or later, because I am not made out of money.
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[TrapHouse]

The project is in its final stages, all the welding has been done and the car should be out sometime this May. Here's some pictures for y'all. In non-chronological order, shame I can't post direct links from imgur.
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[TrapHouse]

Slowly reaching the finish line, lost count on how many times I've said it, but hopefully this time it's for real.
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[TrapHouse]

Hey, it's been a hot minute since I last posted here, but don't worry, the car is still with me.
Last time I updated you guys here I was in the midst of sorting out the rust issue the car had so I'll try and debrief you on what's happened since then post by post. To start it off, this is how the car looked throughout the year 2018 once the repairs were finished. Hopefully everyone can see the pictures as their being uploaded through imgur.


Before the annual technical inspection the front lower control arms needed to be replaced as well as the handbrake needed adjusting and that's about it.
The next upgrade that I really wanted to have was the Hella Black ellipsoid headlights. Unfortunately they cost a fortune brand new so I figured I'd cheap out on 'em and got a set of new headlights, refitted them with new glass and installed the crosshairs in the high beams - the end result.




The difference in the pattern can be seen - the old headlights to the left, the new ones on the right.


Then I figured I should try out the world famous K&N panel filters, two years in and my AFM is still fine for anyone asking.


Then I needed a set of new foglights because my original ones decided to say sayonara and despite pulling them apart and cleaning them thoroughly they still wouldn't wanna emit a normal light pattern, see the picture below. The brand I chose was the only one available and I'm not sure how familiar the States are with the TYC merchandise.





Replaced the bad blower motor with a brand new one, had pulled them shits out more times than I can count, hoping I could get by with a used one.


Replaced the janky Comline windshield wipers with new Bosch ones.



Retrofitted the M sports suspension sway bars, although the rear one is from a low slung touring with it being 16mm in diameter and not 18mm.



3rd throttle body broken.

[TrapHouse]

2018 Part II

Test fitted my friend's RH Mesh wheels, these ones are the very rare 8.5x17 and 9.5x17. I'm super jealous.



Suddenly the urge to install a turn signal stalk with the BC button came upon me. Seeing as mine's a 525i it came prewired for it. The only issue was finding the right 3 pin stalk that I needed, had to order one from Ebay.
















Installed a complete set of new speakers in all 4 corners. Now in 2020 they're no longer present in the car, more about that later...



Didn't very like the short shifter that I had in my car so I swapped it for the E60 one - best decision ever and the install took me like 15-20 minutes tops.





Stumbled upon a set of staggered Rondell 0053, took possession of them.



Changed the burnt out light bulb in the climate control panel.

[TrapHouse]

2019


Balloon style for the spring whilst the Rondells were being repainted.


Tried out Turtle Wax leather cleaner, not sure how I feel about it. Better than doing nothing, I guess.



Had a bit of a problem with the sunroof drainage, wasn't a hard fix, but to this day I still stand by these words - the next car I'm getting is NOT gonna come with a sunroof. The issue was that the clamp by the drainage had decided to come off, no idea why.



Me slowly installing the 10 speaker HiFi system, piece by piece. I'm aware that pretty much every car in the USA comes standard with 10 speakers, but us Europeans didn't get that luxury.






Fitted the rear white indicator tail-lights, definitely a much cleaner look with these Depo ones. OEM Hellas are super hard to come by.



With the Rondell 0053 - the wheels for summer of 2019. Super tight fit in the back.




The rear end of the car seemed very loose so I decided that I had to do something about it, slowly getting parts together for the rear subframe.


Fitted the smoked turn indicators in the front.



One day coming back to my home city at night I managed to get my first road kill, a goddamn deer. You can imagine how pissed I was. I should probably refrain from commenting, otherwise I might upset PETA supporters. The right headlight frame was broken beyond repair, but a day later I managed to find a spare and throw the high beams and the low beams over to the new frame.




Wanted better vision at night so I fitted 6000K 55W HIDs, later changed them to more OEM 4300K.



A little E34 meet here in Latvia. Won't post many pictures, pretty sure the topic already is eating up your mobile data.






After all these long distances traveled I decided that I need cruise control. I need it, I see it, I want it and I got it. Like once before my car is prewired for it so the install is straight forward and plug n play.




Rear top mounts needed replacing, but I didn't put my rear seat all the way back together until 2020, because I knew that I was gonna install a set of new shocks and springs. This cheap TA Technix doesn't do justice, steer clear from it.






Finally the rear end gets refreshed. Both dust shields needed replacing, because they were rusted out, one new bearing, new brake lines etc.



Due to a hack job being done to the exhaust system by the previous owner the last piece holding the rear silencer broke off from the chassis - FUN. Money has always been an issue so for the time being (from October until June) it was holding up on zip-ties. Plus a whole new exhaust was purchased.



Started the quest for the HiFi sound system, first purchase - the door tweeters and the wiring necessary for them. Then the whole wiring harness.







And once again the winter season hits which means back to the garage it goes.