DoubleJC's E34 M5 Build Thread: an AUTO-biography

[atl530i]

So many aesthetic choices here.
Which combo would you prefer?

• Solid or contrast painte lowers?
• Chrome or black kidney grilles?
• Amber or clear turn signals?
• Smoked projector lamps or clear non-projector lenses?
• 17" or 18" wheels?
• Black or grey interior?



But for me, the combo has to be:
• Sterling silver lower contrast (instead of the darker graphite silver)
• Chrome grilles (for darker colored cars so it stands out - black kidneys for light/white E34s for contrast)
• Clear turn signals (on everything for that euro flair! but I could go either way as long as ambers are not on red cars: too much clash in color)
• Smoked projector crosshairs (c'mon, it just looks meaner!)
• I could be swayed either (18s that are multi-piece since the face looks a little smaller and 17s if they're monoblocks- so they don't look like 16s when they're multi-piece)
• Black interior > grey

I've always like the contrasting lowers on the M5's. Black should have silver or even gunmetal lowers.
Chrome kidneys. I've rocked the black kidneys before. I guess it depends on the color of the car.
Again, depends on the car. I have amber on my red car but clear on my white wagon.
Never been a fan of smoked anything. It detracts from the rest of the car. Hella euro lights would be fitting, not a fan of the non projector lights. I do have non projector fogs on my car and do not mind those though.
Either or, I rock both. If the roads suck in your area, 17's may be the way to go.
Black, not a fan of any other color.


Keep the updates coming, really liking the pics. Also good to know that my RD strut bar will clear the S38

[doubleJC]

Discussion Topic: Weight Reduction

Since it's been brought up many times might as well address this, right?
I've highlighted some of your responses in orange in order to reply to them.

There are a lot of ways to lose weight and maintain civility, but they do increase exponentially in cost (just like S38 tuning!). I'll only talk about current options here,

• Wheel and tire (and, brakes!) loss is big due to the obvious unsprung factor
• Exhaust can be big - like 50-100lbs big but if you aren't careful, it'll be too loud or droney for street use. We are developing a few options here
• SAP delete, and full removal of all SLS components/replacing the PS pump with an M30 unit etc are easy
• LI battery (we sell the mount) is expensive but drops 40+ lbs, and we've tested ours through winter street use for years and dozens of thousands of miles. It's more weight reduction than a CF hood!
• Empty the trunk stuff, at least 40lb items like a spare tire
• Replace the front seats! They are superfat. In your case, manual Sport seats might be the ticket, or a street-focused reclining Recaro

Weight reduction is the best! Especially without stripping things and losing comfort.

I appreciate the importance of weight almost as much as that of aero (...which is why I drive a 3470lb .34Cd car, yes... ), and would love to see an E34 with less unsprung weight in particular, partly because of the overlap with a rack conversion. I got a 3880lb 530iT down to a 3750lb 544iT without trying. The biggest loser was the slushbox, but other notables were seats (~30lb difference for the pair), flywheel (~25lb), ASC delete (~20lb), and sunroof delete (~~30?). Some weight ideas that might be feasible for a light industrial facility (that is, not a whole new CF body):
- Billet magnesium diff case
- Alu or CF driveshaft
- CF roof center section
- Front and rear suspension retrofit from something more modern and alu, plus alu or mag subframes if not already part of the conversion. Hell, the steerbox and linkage alone are roughly 20lb over a rack.
- I saw some shop in... Bulgaria? machine a custom block out of solid aluminum billet, for a Mitsubishi Evo with "is that a typo?"-level power. Just how insane of a project for your facilities would an alu S38 lower block be?

I'd have to say these are all quite good ideas to shave weight in our 3,700lb./1650kg cars. Although, for me, at the end of the day these E34s are inherently luxo-sport sedans and I can only shave weight where I could see fit. I'll explain below.

Going off from Brent's list:

• Wheels / tires / brakes: are a great spot to make the car feel lighter/more agile while increasing comfort. Take a 17" lightweight forged wheel with a nice sidewall compared to the 18s counterpart. The 17s would be great for fuel economy, ride, and even feel. But I'm torn too because I do love the look of 18s on the E34s as well.

• Exhaust: YES! Stock units are so incredibly heavy and I can't stress that any more. You're right Brent, going all out could cause you your ear drum and sanity with the heavy drones these cars (L6s) can produce. There's a medium to be said here! But any custom stainless system beats the weight of the stockies. Granted, you have to be careful as your wallet may not be happy with some off-the-shelves solutions! IE: SuperSprint stuff.

• Secondary Air Pump: To me, it's another that has to be deleted for the M5s. Heaps of weight! I was actually planning on taking this all out and using an M30 AC pump bracket / AC lines to have the pump back at a normal height (instead of it hanging so low).

• Self Leveling Suspension: Agreed. Old tech, too costly to keep, weighs a ton. Saves a lot of headache without it! So off to the bin it goes!

• Lithium Ion batteries: Here's where it can also get very expensive. Like you said Brent, 40lbs saved here. But at a cost. This would still be on my list but it goes to the bottom for now--- I'd like to convert my motorcycles to LI first (smaller and cheaper LI) and gather the proper chargers prior to using it on my car.

• Empty the trunk: I honestly have a tough time with this. Super easy to keep the trunk empty and shave quite a bit of weight here!
But I NEED to have my essentials.

Which are:
- The Spare wheel. I just can't go about driving the car without a spare (I dislike newer cars without them) as it would come in handy on those rainy days.
- My "Go Bag" (duffle bag): with an extra set of clothes, blankets, toiletries, etc. so I'll be prepared to stay at a friend's overnight for whatever reason. I found this to be very nice over the summer months. I guess it's my lifestyle.
- 1 qt. of oil (because you know, just in case)
- Wheel bucket that sits in the spare: this contains misc. jumper wires, extra fuses, relays, parts, etc. (godforbid) that I would possibly need when broken down.
- Complete tool set: never know when I'll need this for myself or others (it has come in handy at times)
- Subwoofer / Amp: Kinda needs to stay back there, right?

• Front Seats: Yes, I would LOVE to get a pair of manual sport seats! It may or may not be in the works

All in all, there'll be some weight savings but I can't justify losing some stuff that I like to keep in the car.

As for Moroza,

I thought the E34s (sedans) had a drag coefficient (cD) of around 0.31? Unless you're speaking of the touring?

Your ideas of weight reduction are also valid albeit can get you into a very deep rabbit hole when talking about using more exotic materials and workmanship to make it happen. To me, this is just not feasible for the type of build that I'd like. For others making it into their personal race cars without money being an object? By all means!

When in doubt, a manual swap is definitely the way to go. More fun, engaging, and don't have to go on a diet to save weight?! Perfect! Haha!
But good points on the use of a LWFW since you're in there anyway. Also, who needs ASC with a proper LSD anyway! As for the panoramic sunroof, I loved using it and showing it off the people when I had my touring!



John

[doubleJC]

Individual Tastes!

1. Tossup, but the contrasting lowers have to match some other color, or it gets too busy.
2. On an E34 with its perfectly-proportioned front, chrome. Even on a murdered-out or white car. Silver might be an exception.
3. Clear hands-down. Or blacked-out like mine (best to start with clear).
4. For function, clear projectors. For form, it's tossup, but smoked add busyness, which may or may not be too much.
5. For function that still looks good, 16 or 17. For pure form... still 17, though some 18 (MPars and MK1) look very right on an E34.
6. Black as long as there are accents (chrome, wood). Lighter grey with large sections of contrast can look good too. Darker grey never looks good inside, IMO. I miss 80's/early 90's Whorehouse Red interiors, too; no US E34 came with Karmesinrot, though it'd be too much if not for the black and wood

I can see what you're trying to say here Moroza. There definitely needs to be an overall theme and a sense of cohesiveness with the contrasting lowers. The silver/grey lowers can be tied to the use of the OEM roof racks for the sedans (can be seen on Jael's M5 here) Which ties in with the use of clear lenses and chrome grilles as well.

The smoked could add complexity but thats what keeps it intriguing (for me at least).
For the black interior, contrast is nice with a light Poplar wood grain for sure. But I also love the black birds eye maple wood trim over black leather. It's a bit monotone but the sheens between materials makes it less boring. Add a splash of Tri-Color stitching for some pop and it's golden for me!

I do miss those crazy colors the 80's/90's offered! That Karmesinrot would be overkill without the black headliner! There is something as TOO MUCH color! I'm typically not the biggest fan of wood over red interior but that grain is luscious and deep in color. It's very nice!

I've always like the contrasting lowers on the M5's. Black should have silver or even gunmetal lowers.(1)
Chrome kidneys. I've rocked the black kidneys before. I guess it depends on the color of the car.(2)
Again, depends on the car. I have amber on my red car but clear on my white wagon.
Never been a fan of smoked anything. It detracts from the rest of the car. Hella euro lights would be fitting, not a fan of the non projector lights.(3) I do have non projector fogs on my car and do not mind those though.
Either or, I rock both. If the roads suck in your area, 17's may be the way to go.(4)
Black, not a fan of any other color.(5)

Keep the updates coming, really liking the pics. Also good to know that my RD strut bar will clear the S38

Justin, I'll keep this one short in reply per highlighted stuff:

1) Yes. But more partial to the lighter sterling silver (see Jael's M link)
2) Agreed
3) Non-projector lenses look too peasant spec. Clear Hellas fit all E34s. I dislike smoked turn signals (F&R) except for the Smiley Crosshairs.

Check this M5 video out here. It's a great watch (although some errors with the E34) but watch the E34 closely during the B rolls and hopefully you guys can see where I'm coming from with the smoked head lights!

4) I'm in Chicago, I definitely should be using 17s LOL
5) Black never goes out of style.

And I'm glad you're enjoying the photos Justin! Glad I could enlighten you with the strut bar haha

John

[moroza]

Discussion Topic: Weight Reduction

Since it's been brought up many times might as well address this, right?
I've highlighted some of your responses in orange in order to reply to them.






I'd have to say these are all quite good ideas to shave weight in our 3,700lb./1650kg cars. Although, for me, at the end of the day these E34s are inherently luxo-sport sedans and I can only shave weight where I could see fit. I'll explain below.

Going off from Brent's list:

• Wheels / tires / brakes: are a great spot to make the car feel lighter/more agile while increasing comfort. Take a 17" lightweight forged wheel with a nice sidewall compared to the 18s counterpart. The 17s would be great for fuel economy, ride, and even feel. But I'm torn too because I do love the look of 18s on the E34s as well.

• Exhaust: YES! Stock units are so incredibly heavy and I can't stress that any more. You're right Brent, going all out could cause you your ear drum and sanity with the heavy drones these cars (L6s) can produce. There's a medium to be said here! But any custom stainless system beats the weight of the stockies. Granted, you have to be careful as your wallet may not be happy with some off-the-shelves solutions! IE: SuperSprint stuff.

• Secondary Air Pump: To me, it's another that has to be deleted for the M5s. Heaps of weight! I was actually planning on taking this all out and using an M30 AC pump bracket / AC lines to have the pump back at a normal height (instead of it hanging so low).

• Self Leveling Suspension: Agreed. Old tech, too costly to keep, weighs a ton. Saves a lot of headache without it! So off to the bin it goes!

• Lithium Ion batteries: Here's where it can also get very expensive. Like you said Brent, 40lbs saved here. But at a cost. This would still be on my list but it goes to the bottom for now--- I'd like to convert my motorcycles to LI first (smaller and cheaper LI) and gather the proper chargers prior to using it on my car.

• Empty the trunk: I honestly have a tough time with this. Super easy to keep the trunk empty and shave quite a bit of weight here!
But I NEED to have my essentials.

Which are:
- The Spare wheel. I just can't go about driving the car without a spare (I dislike newer cars without them) as it would come in handy on those rainy days.
- My "Go Bag" (duffle bag): with an extra set of clothes, blankets, toiletries, etc. so I'll be prepared to stay at a friend's overnight for whatever reason. I found this to be very nice over the summer months. I guess it's my lifestyle.
- 1 qt. of oil (because you know, just in case)
- Wheel bucket that sits in the spare: this contains misc. jumper wires, extra fuses, relays, parts, etc. (godforbid) that I would possibly need when broken down.
- Complete tool set: never know when I'll need this for myself or others (it has come in handy at times)
- Subwoofer / Amp: Kinda needs to stay back there, right?

• Front Seats: Yes, I would LOVE to get a pair of manual sport seats! It may or may not be in the works

All in all, there'll be some weight savings but I can't justify losing some stuff that I like to keep in the car.

As for Moroza,

I thought the E34s (sedans) had a drag coefficient (cD) of around 0.31? Unless you're speaking of the touring?

Your ideas of weight reduction are also valid albeit can get you into a very deep rabbit hole when talking about using more exotic materials and workmanship to make it happen. To me, this is just not feasible for the type of build that I'd like. For others making it into their personal race cars without money being an object? By all means!

When in doubt, a manual swap is definitely the way to go. More fun, engaging, and don't have to go on a diet to save weight?! Perfect! Haha!
But good points on the use of a LWFW since you're in there anyway. Also, who needs ASC with a proper LSD anyway! As for the panoramic sunroof, I loved using it and showing it off the people when I had my touring!



John

Yes, mine's a wagon. The aero's not bad as such (and could be improved, a topic for elsewhen), but once you've driven things like an 18 GTI, 2g Prius, 1g Insight, or even an 18 Chrysler Pacifica, you start to notice what a drag it is.

Weight reduction (technically mass reduction, because there are ways to reduce weight without reducing mass, but they don't serve our purposes anyway; it's mass we care about) happens only two ways: 1. replace parts with lighter equivalents, which usually means different materials, and 2. remove parts altogether. The former is a deep and expensive rabbit hole, as you point out. The latter implies reducing or eliminating some function of the car; whether deleting something keeps the car satisfactory for its use case depends on the use case and the user. We pretty much all agree on SAP delete, most of us agree on manual seats and transmission, but spare tire and sunroof? Far from unanimous.

My suggestions would have practically no loss of function, all luxo points retained (and in the case of aluminum suspension, the ride would improve). The only cost is money. Such a degree of adding lightness (quoth Colin Chapman) need not be for a racecar; you could take the weight savings and eat them with thicker or double-glazed glass, more soundproofing, and gadgets like a fridge, picnic tables, or weighted curtains for further soundproofing of the rear compartment.

[BleedsBlue]

Well said, John, sir. I'm happy to take this discussion into a separate thread - there have been older weight reduction threads, but it's time for a new one now that we at Angry Ass are pioneering truly livable weight loss, and not just stripping. Some of it is via more exotic materials and some via using modern components to replace old pieces (both of which Moroza called, haha!).

The key decision point on this topic circles back to a goal we both have for these cars, John, which is really one car to do it all! Weight loss without compromise is tricky, and never cheap... I am happy to continue on this topic in this thread, but am wary of taking over and diving into a tangent. Just let us know, John.

Back on this car:

On the aesthetic front, and this is very informed by my wife/partner of 11 years, contrast and complimentary colors are key! A black car, particularly with a dark tint (which is totally a functional feature in certain states), needs anodized window trim and chrome kidneys and at least silver features in the wheels.

On these M5s, the contrasting lowers are a must IMHO. And I also favor the later (post-9/92 cars in NA, or 3.8s in RoW) Granite Silver lowers. Do you think you'll get your lowers contrasted, John?

[moroza]

one car to do it all!

I am emphatically on board with this goal. My 544iT was supposed to be a toy, and surprised me by how versatile and just damn *useful* it turned out to be. There's always room for improvement, but I'll refrain from derailing this thread any further.

+1 on contrast and complementary (not complimentary) colors, and I'll add two more C's: coordination and cohesion.

[doubleJC]

Update #7: Lucky 7evens

Lots of life things happened since my last update but I'm back! I'll be slowly (but surely) updating this thread for more E34 goodies.
(all shot with an iPhone X)

November 3rd, 2019
Mileage: 220,466 miles.
On this day at 0000 hours (12AM, for you non-military timed peeps), my car wouldn't fire. It would crank endlessly but nothing. After a few minutes of diagnosis the car in my work parking lot in the dark, I came to the conclusion that the motor was not getting any fuel. I was forced to leave my car there and go home after a long shift at the hospital.
Thank you Kyle for driving me home!

The next morning Kyle and I went back to try to get the M5 back home - with tools and spare parts on hand, we went straight to work.

It was definitely ... ABUMMER
... sorry, I had to.

Anyway, we started of with the easy stuff:
We replaced the relay, fuel filter (thank you PO for providing me a new spare!), and checking for loose fuel lines.


Marked with the date, mileage, and initials. Always.

The relay was good although was still replaced.
The fuel filter only had a few thousand miles on it as I found out going
through the car's service records but decided to replace it anyway.
Lastly, I found a loose fuel line - to the left of the fuel dampener - I moved it a little so you could spot the one that was loose.
All these small fixes were not the issue. The car still did not run well or hold an idle.

Next up: Fuel Pump


McGyver'd Me Home

I had a spare TRE-340 255LPH fuel pump laying around from my previous car, the Sclywag.
Decided to jerry rig it with some wire and zip-ties within the cradle to get me home.
But before we put everything back together, we decided to use the lengthy wires and the terminals in the engine bay to test out the original pump. I don't recommend this at all lol. But the ol' pump worked! Albeit it definitely sounded tired - so I planned to replace it anyway.

All in all, the car ran but it ran like utter poop. It was just enough for me to limp it a few miles home.

December 22nd, 2019Fast forward a month or so... I finally got a replacement fuel pump!
Fortunately I brought the car back home before the first snowfall here in Chicago so don't worry! It's safe from the salty roads!

NEW PUMP!

Here you could see I've disassembled my temporary pump fix in the first photo.
The second is with the newer stile pump, smaller in diameter and with the accompanying cradle.

December 23rd, 2019
Scored an OEM anthracite set of floor mats for the M5! Got them for a steal and couldn't pass it up!
I could finally remove the M3 driver side mat that the PO put in place.

MOAR OEM GOODIES
to tickle my fancy.



Looked Back at it & Snapped a Photo

I was running some errands and turned around while walking away. I liked the lighting enough to snap a quick pic.
Who else does this?

This does it for now! I've got my photos all lined up to the most current project.

Stay tuned!
John

[doubleJC]

Update #7: Transitioning into 2020!

Another small update!
(all shot with an iPhone X)

December 23rd, 2019
Continuing my errands 2 days before Christmas, the girlfriend and I went to our local BMW dealership to pick up some my brother's present.

"For Parking"
This is the only time I pull into the service bay is when I pick up OE parts.
I still can't fully trust anyone working on my cars unless it's myself or my friends.


Right at Home.
It was pretty neat to see the car in such an empty bay that's usually filled with modern BMWs.


Still Needs Chrome Kidneys.
This shot is reminiscent of a hospital room to me - working many hours at one is getting to me now haha.

December 28th, 2019
Picked up a little present for myself. Hope you guys enjoy this as much as I did!

Can You Guess What's in the Box?
No?
Scroll down!



CLICK THE PIC!
Trust me, it's cute - you'll enjoy it!

It's my car but in 1:18th scale (sorta)!
I've always been a fan of scale models but never really had my own. I guess I've always lived vicariously through my friends and dad that do collect them.
I figured since this car is a keeper and is quite special to me, I bit the bullet and got one for myself.
My FIRST ever model car actually. Surprising, I know!
It's an OTTO Model of an E34 M5 with the turbines and contrasting graphite silver trim/water line.

P.S. I still Turbines in my life.

February 19th-23rd, 2020
Got some goodies and decided to swap out the wheels for the M5. The Throwing Stars went back on the car since the 18" Style 5s were going to its new owner.

Anthracite Everything.
For those nerds, later model E34 M5s (and perhaps optioned ones) got the anthracite door sills and I HAD to have a set.
They tie in with the Black on Black theme much better than the grey ones too.

Thank you Luther at Velocity Motorsports for working with me!

Time for some wheel swapping below:


STYLE 5s OFF.



STYLE 21s ON.
Which style do you prefer?


S38b36
Just wanted to show case the Bavarian Big Six since we got this little cool light bar for the garage.
BMW sure did know how to dress up their Motorsports engines

Thanks for looking!
John

[moroza]

I was running some errands and turned around while walking away...Who else does this?

It's not uncommon for me to spend more time turning around and staring at my E34 in a parkinglot than in the actual store...

[Petrolheadpilot]

Man, just found this thread and I am absolutely loving it!
you’re basically building my dream car. What you’re building is the perfect car, that one car you could own for the rest of your life and never get bored of.
Great stuff man.

[doubleJC]

It's not uncommon for me to spend more time turning around and staring at my E34 in a parking lot than in the actual store...

I'm glad I'm not the only one! haha

Man, just found this thread and I am absolutely loving it!
you’re basically building my dream car. What you’re building is the perfect car, that one car you could own for the rest of your life and never get bored of.
Great stuff man.

Petrolheadpilot, such kind words my friend and I'm super happy that you've been enjoying this thread thus far!
I sure hope that I'll be keeping the car for a very long time - it is being built to suit my taste as any caretaker should do!

Thank you guys,

John

[doubleJC]

Update #8: COVID-19

This one's a doozy. I'm sure you all are well aware of how our lives have change ever since Covid-19 had spread at such a blistering rate. But I'm not here to rant about how people should / don't wear their masks to prevent the spread.
But I'm here to share some photos I took during self-confinement, or during quarantine as some may say.
(all shot with an iPhone X)

March 21st, 2020
This day served as Chicago's first day of implementing the stay-at-home order. Restaurants, bars, barbers, and many businesses deemed "non-essential" closed for business then. The city officially shut down. Many of us were not allowed to travel but fortunately for me, I have my hospital badge to show just in case I were to be pulled over. Essential workers were still allowed to travel to and fro of course.
And luckily the city did not strongly enforce this and saw almost no one pulled over on the streets.

But I took advantage of this anyway and the experience was mind boggling.

See below!

WELCOME TO CHICAGO

I couldn't believe it. I have always tried to get this shot without people, without other traffic, and without other nonsense with my previous cars and it finally happened!

Shortly after this, I noticed more and more car enthusiasts decided to seize the day and do the same - I couldn't blame them!

This was definitely a once and a lifetime shoot for me.







Emptied Streets, 1.

Here you could see the CTA bus doing its rounds but completely devoid of any humans inside or out.
The plaza was also vacant where it would normally be so filled with the hustle and bustle of Chicagoans.


The Federal Reserve: Closed.

Another one of my dream shots - I've always seen other guys take photos of their cars here but always at night.
But in broad daylight, the middle of the day, with the roads emptied was the perfect moment.







Details Details Details.

Some of my favorite angles of the E34 chassis here.



The Media: Closed.



Emptied Streets, 2.

This was incredibly odd to me. CBS Chicago's station seen above is usually riddled with newscasters and people watching from the sidewalk. Yet here we are in an empty street.



~ Quarantine Blues ~

I find this photo quite pleasing in composition.
There's an interesting parallel juxtaposition between the Skyscrapers and the Evergreens, very different structures and yet quite similar in the way they're standing.


Emptied Docks.
err.. They've been emptied because it was off-season

There were plenty more taken but I believe these were my favorites from shoot.
I hope you all have enjoyed my amateur iPhone photography and I hope you and your family have stayed safe and healthy during this pandemic - stay strong and do your part!
Hopefully we'll be back with more car shenanigans in the near future.

Thanks for viewing!
John

[a777fan]

[E34Driv3r]

Great photos. Your car looks amazing too.

[BleedsBlue]

The hero the people need right now! Awesome shots of a very clean car, but also tough to play down the epic locations! I think where we can, we have to make the best of these unique situations, and in this case that created unusual/once in a lifetime photo ops. Well done.

[Petrolheadpilot]

Absolutely unreal!! Definitely making the best of a bad situation, those are truly some once in a lifetime shots.

[doubleJC]

Update #9: QUARANTINE CONTINUES

I've really been slacking on these updates but here we are again, finding time to slowly chug it out!
This update consists of a general view of the state of my interior since I realized I haven't quite shared what it looks like currently. Nothing much has changed and this will just serve as a "before" set.
I've also figured out the fix of my engine running poorly and a teaser of what's to come in the future!
(all shot with an iPhone X)

March 21st, 2020
When I got back from my Chicago shoot, I decided to open up the M5, like you would with a die-cast car, and see what I typically have with me when I drive.

There are little things to address here and there but overall they haven't bugged me. I have yet to order Euro goodies anyway before changing the interior up.

It's a toy, but for adults!


Yes, I actually use my trunk

I've gotten the "ARE YOU MAD!?" look from a friend when I showed him that I willingly used my trunk and get it occasionally dirty.



Yes, I have that trim piece.

No I haven't put it back on because of the broken plastic insert (dash side)
and also because I have a pistol glove box waiting overseas


That Bus Wheel really has to go

Soon...


OH NO! SOME DIRT GOT ON MY CARPET!

It's not always 100% clean nor perfect. Don't let people's Instagram posts fool you!


Benjie always rides along

Ultimate Klasse M Rain pillow & BMW M Cross zip up also featured.


GOT BASS?

Surprisingly looks clean for an aftermarket setup.
This houses 2 12" open air subs as posted before.
Pretty period correct and not overwhelming at all when setup right.
It just doesn't have that THUMP as a closed unit though but that's okay.

I'll be redoing the parcel shelf with alcantara suede one day along with the headliner and pillar trims.


NEEDS:

B38 valve cover: in order to convert to COP
B38 Individual Throttle Bodies: because bigger is better in this instance
Airbox delete: in order to replace with individual air filters for OPEN STACKS
Cams
Headers
Standalone

=

at least 300WHP?

One could hope and that's still the plan!

March 27th, 2020
FINALLY received my MAF sensor from the U.K.! I believe that this was the culprit to my poor engine performance. I tried the whole "unplug the MAF while the engine is running" trick and it ran somewhat better at idle. Also tried to scan for codes and only the Intake Air Temp sensor code came up. Which was odd since the P.O. had replaced it with a new unit already.

Always Feels Good to Open Boxes of Parts

This unit is an OEM Bosch P/N: 0 280 214 001 which was shared with another car: Porsche's 1985-1995 928
Which funnily enough, this exact unit came from one with exactly 63,539 miles on the clock! (Picture verified when I bought it of course)
This low mile example should last me long enough until I go full standalone.



BEFORE

Check this out! Has anyone seen this happen to a MAF before? You could see tiny rings of rust(?) around the ends of the filament wires.
I suspect water had gotten into the intake system at one point or the filament ran incredibly hot at one point as well which caused the failure.
Another thing to note is that the middle of the filament wires looked a bit 'off' in color as well. It's incredibly hard to see but I was able to snag a couple videos of it. I assumed that was another point of failure.



AFTER

This looks much better, a bit dusty but it should still do the trick.
I've marked the MAF of the last noted mileage on it with the date and mileage on my M5 when it was installed.
(I have the photos of this but figured not to spam too much on here)


Check it out and listen to that induction noise!

BOY WAS I GEEKED!

April 1st-2nd, 2020
Had the girlfriend drive me around which was a nice change. Fortunately I did not have to worry so much about her shifting as she daily drives a 2001 Toyota Rav4 with a 5 speed!

Also got some goodies from Das Mutterland, check below!

Da GF

Who else lets their significant other drive their prized possessions?!
Takes a lot of trust for sure! haha


Das Bon Bons

Some of the Confettis came in and I was super excited!

This marks the start of the:

CONFETTI PROJEKT

Thanks for reading!
John

[oekundar]

Keep the updates coming...I’m assuming this isn’t your daily.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[moroza]

Cars are meant to be driven. Trunks are meant to be used. Floormats are meant to get dirty. Drive, use, sully, clean, maintain, and enjoy! And keep the photos coming.

Would open stacks increase power, not just intake sound?

[doubleJC]

Keep the updates coming...I’m assuming this isn’t your daily.

Will do good sir! And the car is actually daily driven on non-snowy months without salt on the road as much as I can! Keeps everything nice and lubed and working!

Knock on wood but it has been a trooper so far!

Cars are meant to be driven. Trunks are meant to be used. Floormats are meant to get dirty. Drive, use, sully, clean, maintain, and enjoy! And keep the photos coming.

Would open stacks increase power, not just intake sound?

Yes they are Moroza! You speaketh the truth!

From what I've researched, going open stacks will increase top end HP but suffer with lower end torque. Although this could be addressed with different length trumpet runners. Although open stacks are more susceptible to induction of hotter engine bay air.

Deleting the airbox and especially the resonance flap will definitely cut down on torque. Which is pretty important on street driven vehicles. This doesn't bother me too much as I feel that the 3.91 gearing is already so aggressive in the correct gear and that massive induction noises is more than worth the trade off!

John


- - - Updated - - -


Update #10: Making New Friends
(Waaat?! Back-to-Back Updates?!)

One thing is for certain in the E34 Community: friendships.
There have been countless interactions on this very forum, the sister-group on Facebook, and even on Instagram of other E34 enthusiasts.
Without fail, many of us met up because of these cars and blossomed a new friendship out of them.

This update consists of just that.
And some little nerdy shit too.
(all shot with an iPhone X; except for night time shots: Sony Alpha 6300)

April 19th, 2020
Long-time online friend Ish from California decided to take a little trip to visit his family here in Chicago which ultimately called for a little hang out sesh.

We met up at my house and took him around the neighborhood which naturally led him to whip out his Sony Alpha 6300 for some vlogging content for his channel here on the YouTubes.

Later that evening we met up with my good friend Dakota (who, I've you've been reading my posts, is another E34 bestie local to me).

It was a good time! We logged a lot of miles under our belt and go to see different areas of the city. Here's a few shots taken!

Left or Right?

M5 vs. S50 Swapped 525i.
Honestly, if I hadn't gotten so lucky with mine, I would heavily consider swapping an S50/2/4 (if I had budget of the S54) into a 525i without a doubt.



Hello, It Me.

A nerd.



Good hangs, good food, and especially good people.

This is what it's all about



Bird's Eye

Got a little artsy-fartsy with some lines and perspective. Thought it was cheesy but cool.


Check out our adventure here!
Start @ 1:45!!!

May 6th, 2020
I did a thing.
I bought this 1983 BMW 320 Turbo project. Non-running.
But it didn't take long for my brother and I to get it started (actually immediately when we got it home we got it running!)

The plan was to use it as a track rat- that's why I didn't mind the mismatching wrapped/non-wrapped nature of it.

This car had a slew of work done to it with some proper parts as well!

It was M20 swapped and was refreshed with a new MLS head gasket, ARP studs, main bearings, all engine seals/gaskets
The car also came with an eBay CXracing turbo kit, entire E30 driveline from trans to differential, the subframe was swapped in order to accommodate the E28/E30 diff and diff mounts were reinforced as well. The P.O. also had a MegaSquirt PnP unit installed (which was nice because we're very familiar with this system), and had a nice UUC Evo3 SSK, poly bushes everywhere, custom Bilstein coilover setup, re-dyed E30 sport seats etc. etc.

The Toys



Obligatory Engine Bay Photo

Reminded me of my good ol' Sclywag build. I was instantly familiar with what I had to work on!



Cockpit

The P.O. didn't even have the cluster in place or the gauges working when I got it.
It was addressed for sure.

If you peek close enough you could see the SpeedBox unit under the dash. This was a cool little thing as it converted GPS (or VSS from the diff) signal to a mechanical one in order to work with the cable-driven speedo.



Farewell

Unfortunately, by the time I am writing this (10/18/2020) I have long sold the E21. As much as I wanted to keep it, I quickly realized that it is not a chassis that would be financially the best.

The car was quickly coming up on 40 year old and parts are incredibly scarce and incredibly expensive.
It was a super cool car and gave me some awesome experiences with the short amount of time I've had it.

(ie: I couldn't help but chuckle when I took it to a local Cars&Coffee and this thing turned more heads than your Ferrari or Lamborghini that would show up.)


May 17th, 2020
I stuffed 4 20" Rolls Royce wheels that came with my E61 535XI daily driver that I recently bought and brought them over the border to Wisconsin IN MY M5.

This is where I met Jared and Jeff with each owning an E34. A 525i and 540i M-Sport respectively.

You could see the DONKS on the 525i in the background, it was a funny sight. LOL. Fortunately it was not staying on that car.

But the reason being for this post is not only a continuation of the New Friends Theme within this thread but to showcase the differences between the M5 and M-Sport front fascias.

Narrow or Wide?

This is a never ending debate. But I stand by my, "narrow looks more classic and period to the chassis," and "wide tries to look newer and looks like a pig snout." comments.

Also since the new 4 series grilles came out- I blame the wide nose E34/E32s for starting this growing kidney grille trend that ultimately led to the new 4er!



Look Closely

Lets start off with the lowest part of the fascia.
The lips. The M-Sport's bumper lip is definitely more pronounced and more aggressive
(this is also exagerrated by broken support tabs that make the lip sag down more on Jeff's car).

The ducts on either end of the lips for the M-Sport are both real ducts that feed into the wheel wells of the car for brake cooling.
Unfortunately, the M5's passenger side duct is closed off with a little hole for the ambient air temp. sensor. (Why BMW?)

Now look at the tow hook covers adjacent to each fog lamp. The M5's is more block-like and squared off whereas the M-Sport's has the vents extended/molded into the piece to give a more wide center mouth piece section.
(If I were to have it, I plan to graft the M-Sport's lip onto the M5 bumper to keep the tow hook covers as they are not interchangeable).

Continuing upwards, we all know about the kidney grilles so lets skip that.
But above the grills are the hood lines, they follow the edges of where the grille ends but the interesting design cue is where BMW integrated the lines from the front of the hood to the back corners for the M-Sport.

The M5's hood lines are very squared off complimenting the entire car, especially the "Elephant Ears" wing mirrors.
Where the M-Sport's flow towards each corners and follows the profile of the Aero Mirrors; giving more of that aerodynamic element to it.

I thnk this is why the aero mirrors on a non-wide nose hood doesn't really work out quite well but still doesn't look terrible.
Although oddly enough it works for the E31 and E36 M3's.

June 1st, 2020
Met up with E34 friends once again for a local meet. I was with Tim, Jared, & Jeff (along with others that didn't bring their cars).

But this was a cool sight to see: 2 genuine M-Sports and my M5 together and 2 pairs of Throwing Stars and M-Parallels together.

Also, don't forget to check out the YouTube video I posted below. It finally shows which car, the M5 or the 540, would win in a race!

Which combination would you choose?

Narrow / Wide
Chrome / Black grilles
Throwing Stars / M-Pars
Aero / Elephant / LCI side mirrors
Ambers / Clears


THE LONG AWAITED BATTLE

with proof and witnesses!

The reason why there's only 1 video of the M5 vs 540i pull was because it was spontaneous and this one was the 3rd and final pull we had done.
(In Mexico of course).

These cars were very similar in mileage (200k+) with very little to no modifications.
I believe that Jeff's 540i only had an intake and muffler delete on it in regards to engine 'mods'.

I did not think that either car had a terrible driver mod either. All 3 40-to-120 pulls were met with similar results:
The M5 and 540 being neck and neck from 40-70ish and from 80 and beyond the M5 would pull away 2-3 car lengths away.
(depending on who got the better start)

So, stock for stock, the M5 b36 from a 40 roll will win against a 540i.

But lets just put out that we all know that BMW themselves had to handicap the 540 with the super long gearing so not to tread into M5 territory.
A 2.93 vs a 3.91 / 3.73 is a dog of a diff ratio.

A 540i with the 3.15 LSD on the other hand would make for a very interesting battle.
More so my friend Yon's M60b44 frankenstein motor paired with the 420g and 3.15LSD.
I believe at either modifications, the stock M5 would definitely lose out on the race.

I speculate that BMW always wanted to have this M5 with a V8 but did not have the sufficient tech to make a legendary motor until the late '90s/2000s.
This is why they had to bore out the S38 to 3.8L for its last hurrah.
Too bad we never got the best iteration of the S38 here in the states.

The 540i has always been the thinking man's or the poor man's M5 (sorry to hurt feelings).
And this is seen to be true with the E39 generation as well. Running costs of the M5 is significantly more expensive than the 540 (S62 vs M62)
But both cars offered great enjoyment.
The 540 has always been the better "Daily Driver" / "Commuter Car"

But to me, coming from an '03 E39 540i M-Sport

The E34 M5's inline 6 reigns over the V8.

And it's all a matter of preference.
I prefer the song-line revs of the S38 and wringing it out for all its power than the forceful V8 torque at the low end.

Miscellaneous:
I'm quite a nerd when it comes to BMW Memorabilia; I started to collect some vintage brochures, magazines, and posters pertaining to BMW's Motorsport division, the E34 M5, and other BMW cars that I own.

They're a cool piece of history to share and look back on whenever.

Here are some that I've recently collected

Hope you all enjoyed these lengthy updates,
John

[Gregarious7]

What a lovely thread! Looking forward to seeing more of your fantastic photography.

[doubleJC]

What a lovely thread! Looking forward to seeing more of your fantastic photography.

Thanks good sir! Can't wait to show yours off too

John

[doubleJC]

Update #11: MORE low!

You can probably already guess what this one's about!
Check it out below!
(all shot with an iPhone X)

June 16th, 2020
Mileage: 221,770 miles.
COILOVER TIME!

I received these lightly used BC Racing coilovers from my friend Eric from GA (who you've seen on this thread). These only have about 12k miles on them. They have the upgraded Swift springs with the rates of 10/12k. A bit on the stiffer side but it's what I preferred- they'll be even more planted around the corners and compliment the rest of the suspension and steering upgrades well.
I saw no need for the fancier GC stuff as this car rarely sees the race track.

Along with the coilovers, I've also installed brand new wheel bearings, dust caps, and some hardware. Not to forget I've also installed the 1" AKG bump steer spacers with new matching hardware. These are a MUST when lowering the car > 1" as they correct the roll center geometry and keep the control arms within spec. The difference is definitely felt!

Unfortunately they are not direct "plug and play" as the grooves are an incredibly tight fit or too small for them to accept the knuckle. So some Dremel work is needed to shave some material off.

Anyway, here're the progress pics!

FCP Delivery!

Always a great day receiving that box with the blue packing tape wrapped around it!
(Reboot Eng rad mounts & BC extender not part of the delivery)



*DROOL*

Just so happens these BC's with Swift springs compliment the car's black & gold theme haha



Differences

Here you could see the difference in height of the front and rear strut assemblies.
Also note how the AKG bump steer spacer works- they've dropped down the control arm lower so it's leveled with the car.



BEARINGS

Marked and ready to go!

For those with keen eyes will notice that these are not the early-M5 specific bearings.
You'll find that you're correct. I chose not to use them since these will accept newer style rotors and make my life much easier in the future. These will open up many more options than the ones with the dowels on the bearings.
Plus, fun fact, late model M5s used these style bearings too.



Yes.

Anyone else take a second to stare at the transformation post coilover job?
I definitely did!
Made me fall in love with the car all over again!



Roller on the Low

(needs more spacers or new wheels )



Low Enough or More?!

Jokes aside, I'm pretty happy with its stance.

June 21st, 2020 - Father's Day
I knew we were a BMW family through and through but didn't realize how many black cars we had. Kind of ridiculous and monotonous but it was a pretty bad ass sight.
Next time I'd like to have all our white ones in a similar formation haha

For anyone interested the list of cars is as follows:
E34 M5 (mine)
E90 M3 (my dad's)
E90 335i (my brother's)
F30 335xi M Sport pack (my cousin's)
F10 535xi M Sport pack (my brother-in-law's)

A Family Reunion

Wanted to cap off the update with a little family photoshoot.
This was my favorite photo.

Hope y'all liked this one!

Thanks,
John

[a777fan]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[dannyzabolotny]

I dig the new ride height, BC's are always a solid choice. I've installed them in quite a few customer cars and I've always been pleased with the way they ride. They're definitely stiffer than a traditional shock and spring combo, but you get so much more control and precision with them that it's worth it (IMO). Bump steer plates are an absolute must for sure.