The new BleedsBlue moneypit: GD62389 '92 M5 3.8

[danespann]

Half of the danger of HPDEs is the addiction of driving at pace itself, the other half is the inevitable planning of endless upgrades that ensues A vicious cycle.

Man, these pics make me desperately want to hit the track again soon... And I'm definitely in the endless upgrade cycle lately so I feel your pain.

[TGreene]

Awesome pictures! I dig the body roll.

I understand your reasoning regarding a dedicated track car. For me, the math only works out if you really want a car at the track that you would not enjoy driving on the road.

[BleedsBlue]

Man, these pics make me desperately want to hit the track again soon... And I'm definitely in the endless upgrade cycle lately so I feel your pain.

Good!


It's pretty crazy. Just owning and street driving one of these cars always triggered this endless upgrade desire in me, but the track amplifies it so much louder.

Awesome pictures! I dig the body roll.

I understand your reasoning regarding a dedicated track car. For me, the math only works out if you really want a car at the track that you would not enjoy driving on the road.

Thanks Trevor! It's funny, the body roll in photos looks so much milder than it feels in the car. It feels like you're going to flip the thing, lol. Especially give the 5x 25min sessions on Saturday this time, I was pretty sore in weird places - mainly from bracing myself against the door panel, trans tunnel, etc, from the unsupportive seat and 3 point belt.

That's a good way to put it on the track car decision. This might resonate with you, but I've also had too many cars for years. They end up sitting and being a pain, so I'm not really looking to add super specialized vehicles to the fleet at this point.

[dannyzabolotny]

For me, a lot of what makes a car good on the track (like a stiff suspension) doesn't necessarily make it bad on the street. I don't mind a stiff ride if it means good handling— especially since I drive my car pretty hard in daily commuting and regularly drive twisty mountain roads.

It might seem like a silly thought, but I like the idea of the track car and the daily driven car being the same car, because then I get to learn the car very thoroughly in all situations.

[BleedsBlue]

For me, a lot of what makes a car good on the track (like a stiff suspension) doesn't necessarily make it bad on the street. I don't mind a stiff ride if it means good handling— especially since I drive my car pretty hard in daily commuting and regularly drive twisty mountain roads.

It might seem like a silly thought, but I like the idea of the track car and the daily driven car being the same car, because then I get to learn the car very thoroughly in all situations.

Well Danny, that's definitely the sane take on it - and what I'm trying to do. And honestly, M3s and M5s are some of the best vehicles out there for that very purpose. In my specific case, I just know I will hit a limit on wear and tear, risk factor, etc, with this M5. Make no mistake, I'm not the guy that can afford to rebuild an S38B38 every few years; not to mention, this is somewhat of a rare bird I'm interested in preserving!

[TGreene]

For me, a lot of what makes a car good on the track (like a stiff suspension) doesn't necessarily make it bad on the street. I don't mind a stiff ride if it means good handling— especially since I drive my car pretty hard in daily commuting and regularly drive twisty mountain roads.

It might seem like a silly thought, but I like the idea of the track car and the daily driven car being the same car, because then I get to learn the car very thoroughly in all situations.

I agree - I'd want to daily drive a car that I really enjoy, and then learn to push that same car on the track.

In theory I like stiff suspension, and the idea of a more rough daily driver that makes the daily commute more fun. In practice, stiff suspensions are terrible. Often times they make me more likely to baby the car because I never know what slight crease in the pavement might give me a concision. And honestly, body roll is fun. Rowing the gears and beating the life out a M50NV that wants to flip when you are only doing 25MPH is a good way to get a smile while not endangering the public.

- - - Updated - - -

Good!
This might resonate with you, but I've also had too many cars for years. They end up sitting and being a pain, so I'm not really looking to add super specialized vehicles to the fleet at this point.

Yes, I am learning also to not let my arm-chair appetite outpace my actual garage energy.

[BleedsBlue]

I agree - I'd want to daily drive a car that I really enjoy, and then learn to push that same car on the track.

In theory I like stiff suspension, and the idea of a more rough daily driver that makes the daily commute more fun. In practice, stiff suspensions are terrible. Often times they make me more likely to baby the car because I never know what slight crease in the pavement might give me a concision. And honestly, body roll is fun. Rowing the gears and beating the life out a M50NV that wants to flip when you are only doing 25MPH is a good way to get a smile while not endangering the public.

I agree about overly-stiff suspensions, and the line is a pretty fine one/easy to cross. One thing I'm adamant that Angry Ass solves when we address coilovers, is the reduction of suspension travel that comes from current coilovers and lowering solutions for these cars. That only exacerbates the harshness.

Plus, speed does not naturally come from a stiff suspension. We're going to measure the springs one day, but the KWs on my white car (from some east coast track car) had very soft springs for coilovers, and the car handled mostly roll-free and absolutely wonderfully.

Slow car fast >>> fast car slow

Yes, I am learning also to not let my arm-chair appetite outpace my actual garage energy.

Well put, LOL.

[sugaki]

Stiffness and comfort and necessarily mutually exclusive--it's possible to have a reasonably stiff suspension that doesn't get wobbly in corners that's comfortable, it comes down to how well they're valved. Never liked Bilsteins on E34s for that reason--they're very crashy even with decent amount of suspension travel.

[danespann]

suspension travel

Plus, speed does not naturally come from a stiff suspension. We're going to measure the springs one day, but the KWs on my white car (from some east coast track car) had very soft springs for coilovers, and the car handled mostly roll-free and absolutely wonderfully.

I've been of the mindset that soft=fast for a good while, but after adding swaybars to the mix, my 7k/6k setup seems too stiff in combination. Been contemplating moving those to gold car or selling them and speccing new coilovers with a longer stroke and longer, softer springs for a while. Looking forward to seeing what you all do at Angry Ass with your coilovers. Massive travel and lots of room in the wheelwells for it is one of the E34's best traits.

[moroza]

Regarding suspension stiffness, driving style matters. If I'm in chauffeur mode, I want soft everything. If I'm in track mode, I want stiff everything. My in-between mode involves lots of throttle but little braking, high cornering speed but relatively gentle and infrequent transitions. For such a mode, swaybars make by far the biggest difference with the least cost to ride quality. The combination of stock or mildly firmer springs (Eibach and 530iT), stock or mildly firmer shocks (Bilstein HD), and significantly firmer swaybars (N'Ring) felt pretty close to optimum.

[BleedsBlue]

I've been of the mindset that soft=fast for a good while, but after adding swaybars to the mix, my 7k/6k setup seems too stiff in combination. Been contemplating moving those to gold car or selling them and speccing new coilovers with a longer stroke and longer, softer springs for a while.

That's an interesting data point; I consider 7k/6k to be pretty soft in the off-the-shelf spring rate options for these cars, especially for a car at close to stock weight (I know you've got seats and maybe a few other lightness adders?). It makes me wonder if swaybars induced harshness or otherwise compromised the setup.

I say that because A) I've never played with sways, but have heard they can worsen ride quality and B) those old (mid-2000) KW V2s on my old car were pretty soft rates (we need to measure them to know, but I bet they were similar to yours), and that car had stock sways; yet the way it drove was universally loved by any who tried it.

It'll be interesting going to a lowering spring + Nurburgring rear sway setup as I plan to, and to compare to the other cars I've driven. I'll do a write up for sure, and we can compare on-track photos in 2021.

Looking forward to seeing what you all do at Angry Ass with your coilovers. Massive travel and lots of room in the wheelwells for it is one of the E34's best traits.

I have been looking over current E34 coil over options a ton - not just for Angry Ass, where our ideas are much more disruptive, complicated, and longer term goals.

• Ground Control is a good baseline setup at about $2200, and I've ridden in GC cars with streetable rates, that felt alot like my exquisite KW car
• I've also recently found commonly available KW V1s for about $1500, which is a very interesting option when you consider that Konis and springs can typically crest $1,000, and KW is offering really nice, new hardware; an expertly paired spring and shock combo for each chassis; and ride height adjustment. Plus very few actually adjust their coilovers after the fact (V1s are only height adjustable)
• Beyond that, you get into more advanced damping with Ohlins, MCS, etc, but at closer to $4,000, you're also in the territory of buying another (or several) additional E34s...
• There is a bottom tier of coilovers I'm not interested in, including CATuned, BC, etc. I'd rather have Bilstein or Koni shocks and off-the-shelf springs than these options, because I prioritize ride and quality over low

Regarding suspension stiffness, driving style matters. If I'm in chauffeur mode, I want soft everything. If I'm in track mode, I want stiff everything. My in-between mode involves lots of throttle but little braking, high cornering speed but relatively gentle and infrequent transitions.

I think you just made the point for EDC!

For such a mode, swaybars make by far the biggest difference with the least cost to ride quality. The combination of stock or mildly firmer springs (Eibach and 530iT), stock or mildly firmer shocks (Bilstein HD), and significantly firmer swaybars (N'Ring) felt pretty close to optimum.

I'll be testing a similar setup soon and will report back!

[5mall5nail5]

That's an interesting data point; I consider 7k/6k to be pretty soft in the off-the-shelf spring rate options for these cars, especially for a car at close to stock weight (I know you've got seats and maybe a few other lightness adders?). It makes me wonder if swaybars induced harshness or otherwise compromised the setup.

Yeah I agree - here I am putting 12k/10k in my E30

[danespann]

That's an interesting data point; I consider 7k/6k to be pretty soft in the off-the-shelf spring rate options for these cars, especially for a car at close to stock weight (I know you've got seats and maybe a few other lightness adders?). It makes me wonder if swaybars induced harshness or otherwise compromised the setup.


It'll be interesting going to a lowering spring + Nurburgring rear sway setup as I plan to, and to compare to the other cars I've driven. I'll do a write up for sure, and we can compare on-track photos in 2021.


I have been looking over current E34 coil over options a ton - not just for Angry Ass, where our ideas are much more disruptive, complicated, and longer term goals.

• There is a bottom tier of coilovers I'm not interested in, including CATuned, BC, etc. I'd rather have Bilstein or Koni shocks and off-the-shelf springs than these options, because I prioritize ride and quality over low

I actually have the Nurburgring bar setup on my car and I love it. But... combined with bucket seat, they sort of toss the driver side to side in the bolsters when going over the garbage roads in my town. IDK if softer springs would even help with that.

With over 50k miles on my BC's, I will say they actually ride very well... Better than Koni's and H&R's with the same sway bar combo. On par with Bilstein B6 and M-Tech Springs on harshness.
I never expected them to last this long and have absolutely abused them a ton. But it's time for something nicer in 2021.

[BleedsBlue]

I actually have the Nurburgring bar setup on my car and I love it. But... combined with bucket seat, they sort of toss the driver side to side in the bolsters when going over the garbage roads in my town. IDK if softer springs would even help with that.

With over 50k miles on my BC's, I will say they actually ride very well... Better than Koni's and H&R's with the same sway bar combo. On par with Bilstein B6 and M-Tech Springs on harshness.
I never expected them to last this long and have absolutely abused them a ton. But it's time for something nicer in 2021.

Good to know, on the N'ring bar! We went ahead and grabbed a few to resell on our website, since the sources we found stateside were sketchy on stocking it as a Euro part. ECS seemed to have it, and wanted $300+ in shipping cost alone! We can beat that.

I'll definitely update the thread once I put the bar in. Since I have way more work to do on the front end, I'll separate the swaybar install job from the other refresh work so I can drive the car a bit on all fresh stuff for comparo's sake.

Lots of people are super happy with BCs! No doubt. I will say you have had some impressive longevity on those things, especially for hard use. That's tough to beat, especially at the price.

A small but satisfying fix - winter job updates to come

This car has always been an interesting combo of qualities: middling mileage (bought @ 108k), but well-used and not mint. A great runner/clean Blackstone bill of S38 health etc, but trashed and hacked suspension. A Euro car federalized, but with some interesting USDM parts thrown on that were not on all federalized cars. Like a box of chocolates, when I open up a new system of this car, I never know what I'm gonna get.

Overall, the car is super solid, don't get me wrong - and each surprise offers an opportunity to set things right, which I relish.

93FIM5 and I wanted to swap driver side trunk panels. My car was specced with a car phone, with the requisite larger trunk panel, and his car was phoneless, with the regular M5 trunk panel. I don't want any of my non-functioning phone stuff, and I want the nice compartment. Greg wants to mount a Bosch Motorsport variable PS pump back there (more on that another time).

The extra bracketry for a phone-optioned car is impressive, but it came out easy - the surprise came when I had to remove wires. This was not what I wanted to find...



Apparently the giant aftermarket Motorola phone module needed more juice, so wires were coming in from the trunk harness, and also from the taillights.



Splices galore, and even a local relay bolted to one of the tail light studs! Yeesh. Now most of this mess was pretty easy to remove and repair, thanks to the installer (I think this was probably a pro audio shop) using these puppies:



All these leave behind are small gaps in the insulation, which are easily re-wrapped:



I was a lot more annoyed by whomever, as part of federalization most likely, thought that this was the best way to wire in corner lights:



(It's not)

So the rear corner lights were "wired" by stripped insulation from the requisite tail light wires, coiling bare wire on bare wire, and wrapping it with electrical tape. Pretty piss-poor.

My car also came to me with a knock-off spoiler with integral 3rd brake light, which I believe also to be a part of federalization. I don't like the look, the spoiler caused some ugly damage to my trunk lid (though no outright holes, thankfully), and now I know the wiring for the 3rd brake light went through that hilarious relay.

It's all gone now. I don't really want US sidemarkers on my Euro car, so for now I coiled the unused, dead wires from the sidemarker lights in the trunk until I source Euro trim (suuuuper low priority). I fixed the passenger side up as well, just didn't get photos.

The mess removed:



Good thing we stock some great wire harness tape! All bare wire was insulated first with proper electrical tape, btw.



A few (3x?) of these connectors were already unused, so I just rewrapped them for abrasion resistance, and coiled/zip-tied them out of the way. They look related to OEM phone or stereo.



I neglected to snap a shot of the trunk panel once done, but it's not particularly clean and looks like every E34 M5 trunk panel. I'm surprised this car had no errors/everything worked, AND zero electrical draw! But I still feel a million times better knowing that wiring is restored to factory routing.

The subsequent update should be all suspension-related, likely after Xmas.

[5mall5nail5]

While the stripped insulation is lame, that does meet a mil spec lol

[BleedsBlue]

While the stripped insulation is lame, that does meet a mil spec lol

Bahaha, good point. And it worked!

[5mall5nail5]

Bahaha, good point. And it worked!

Yeah I mean I am being generous, supposed to use lashing, and then obviously heat/insulation wrap, but, hey... they were on the right track

[a777fan]

Jeeze. Its amazing what aftermarket audio shops charge for. Makes me cringe every time I drive by em!

Excellent work ripping out all of that junk.

[BleedsBlue]

Oh lord, it's been 6+ months! I'm guilty of the same principle Danny and Dane and John have noted; when the car doesn't break I forget to update the thread. In this case, half of it is because the car hasn't been driven enough, but now that the suspension is sorted to an acceptable baseline (see below), it's far more enjoyable to drive!

The nitty gritty - skip for fun stuff below

Pushing the car at the BMWCCA track weekends (totaling three full track days in 2020) only worsened my opinion of this car's ride and handling, so I'd been accumulating parts to do an overhaul - something I've done with similar parts on 3x different cars now. Since the first weekend when the dual mass flywheel let go, I haven't had an issue with the car beyond burning a bit of oil, so the suspension is all for upgrade's sake - nothing was broken.

However, early this year on my way to visit CaneDVM (~200mi trip each way), about 20mi from my destination I got an overwhelming fuel smell after filling up on some tasty Shell V-Power 93. I gave it a few min, thinking it was someone else, but eventually pulled over at the next gas station and hopped out. Sure 'nuff, just aft of my differential, a bucket of fuel had just finished dumping on the ground.

I poked around and could tell the fuel was not hitting my exhaust, and was obviously not leaking anywhere else (like the engine bay), so since I was so close to the destination, I set out. I lost about 30 liters of V-Power in that last 10 miles, but made it safely, pulling up to 93FIM5 gawking at the fire hose of fuel pissing underneath - the biggest fuel leak he'd ever seen.

No photos of this situation, as thankfully we were able to put the car on the lift and immediately note that the hose from the tank hardline to the filter had a split in it. So that was a quick repair, although I made a note to replace all the rubber fuel lines and do a fuel filter at the same time in the near-term future. While there, we also installed our Angry Ass S38 Intake Vacuum kit in the car, as well as one of our Angry Ass intake actuators. We used the opportunity to update our install guide on the former kit for the S38B38, so there are no sexy photos of this - only those in the install guide.

I didn't take this on to replace failed parts, either (my actuator was working and is now on the shelf), but replacing the vacuum kit pieces made the car idle even smoother, and an intermittent off-throttle, barely noticeable surge went away! We also spent a solid 2 hours rerouting wiring and making sure the vacuum kit was routed correctly. This is a mess on many cars.



Onto the fun stuff



I had a ton of chores to get done before June, and my next track weekend was the last weekend in May. To that end, I set about addressing the biggest suspension weaknesses left: soft, unknown brand front strut inserts, stock front strut mounts w/o camber adjustment, and stock front EDC springs.

Since apparently it can be tricky to pull the strut insert out of an EDC strut, but this had already been done in my case, I planned to pull the unknown softstruts out and drop Bilsteins in, wrap it in H&R 50413 springsand then top it off with some Ground Control street camber plates I've had on the shelf for awhile. But once I had the front strut housings off the car, I backed off of that plan because the housings were so crusty...and because I had the original strut housings from my old car, BK06091 (RIP). They came with that car when I bought it back, since that car had KW V2s at that point using non-M strut housings (still the best handling E34 I've driven).

My old strut housings didn't even need new inserts - they have under 5,000 mi Bilsteins already. The one annoyance was the studs; ancient, crappy TMS studs had to be removed from the BK06091 housings, and my mint 95.5mm MSI studs had to be removed from the GD62389 housings... and put back into the BK06091 units. Ugh.



I was at least indoors and seated and comfortable, but that took awhile. The Ground Control plates and H&Rs went on quickly, and I adjusted the plates for max negative camber before cinching everything up. Since I didn't have to unbolt any control arms, I did not install any of the other arms during this weekend session...more on that later.

Next up was brakes, or at least front brake pads. On one of my warmer track days, when I started really pushing in the afternoon, I wasn't fully happy with the brake pedal feel - and I never planned to track much on OEM BMW pads. I used the opportunity to clean the Turbines, and swapped in some Ferodo DS2500s, which we now carry for a variety of cars!



It's hard to tell from the photo, but the OEM pads were pretty glazed and I had a lot to clean off of the calipers. This was definitely what I was feeling - the pads glazing. The Ferodos also don't have the pad "wings", which are to prevent rattle/noise - although I haven't noticed a thing.



Next, I needed an alignment - the main redundant work/cost I would have to eat if I did not install the other front suspension/steering arms beforehand. But I went for it, and furthermore took the car in to a real race shop. This was a blessing and a curse

I was able to talk with the shop manager and poke and prod the car's suspension while on the lift. This guy sets up GT3 RSs for a living, but he knew some local guys with E34 and E39 track experience. The end result was I ended up paying the shop to install the remaining suspension and steering links, prior to the alignment. They also charged one hour to do a brake fluid flush, which is easy for me with my power bleeder but I was so short on time. They offered me a fair deal compared to me sweating this out on my back at home (on the 4th car I would have done the job on), and ironically my time was taken up preparing my new-to-me first gen Tundra for a giant roadtrip!

The car was returned to me driving like new, of course. The alignment is pretty standard spec (very similar to my last car) and the main advantage is the -2 front camber. Here the car is sitting in the shop after the work, surrounded by serious metal. This was pretty cool for me as someone who has had to grind out every job on my old BMWs (and other cars) for 10 years. It was fun to have professionals fettle the car before it went on track, and gave me an unmatched confidence in the thing.



Wheels and tahrs

I had really wanted to wait until I had driven my square 8" M System and 235 Michelin PS4S setup with negative camber on track, before starting down the slippery slope of a set of track wheels. But, I could only hold off on the allure of wide, sticky tires for so long, and Apex ran their usual end of year closeout sale. Plus a local buddy was down to buy the aforementioned M System setup.

It doesn't take much searching to realize that light, affordable, and wide 17" wheels are hens teeth in today's market, at least for our cars. We have to use spacers (but that's what studs are for), but the ARC-8 is hard to beat if this is your goal. Apex will even replace any wheel you buy directly from them, for 50% off - no matter how you break it. Perfect insurance for track day wheels!

Since I used to run around in BK06091 on the same suspension and 17x9.5 OZ Mitos (see my old thread for reference), I took a risk and ordered 4x 10" wheels (ET25) from Apex. And after probably a dozen too many hours gawking over tire choices, I picked a very affordable and time-tested compound for heat management and longevity: the Falken 615k+, in 255/40. For someone learning, I think these are tough to beat @ about $600 installed; they handle heavy cars and heat well, and remain predictable and vocal at the limit.

I did hedge my bets on front fitment, so I only mounted two of the 10s and 255s so I could test fit. The FGT makes a cameo in the background here...I'm loving that truck.



The front was so close to fitting with a 25mm spacer (maxing out my stud length), that if I cared less about my fenders or didn't plan to drive 400+ mi to the track on this setup, I might have run it. A few ticks more negative camber and maybe 3mm less spacer would also have done the trick. But I backed off of the idea.



I kept the extra pair of 10s for future use, but scooped a replacement pair of 17x9 ARC-8s in ET30, the lowest offset 9J wheels Apex makes. Not an ideal offset, but it works! What really blew my mind was how different the tire widths ended up being on the 9s versus the 10s... and I'd prefer to be able to rotate of course, but it's kinda fun running square tire sizes on staggered wheels, something BMW has been specifying on their cars going back to 1995 at the latest on the final edition M5.



I will do a shoot on this setup, but it worked well for me - here's a quick and dirty snap in the pits at the track day.



Because the front has such a high offset, now I've got fender room to spare, but oh well - something I'll fill in the future.



On track

I'm grateful to report another flawless performance at this third BMWCCA HPDE weekend! This time I was able to switch to in-car instruction, and I have to say, this made the previous two lead/follow events feel almost useless. I learned far more this time around! Though I am eager for more.

The Ferodo pads made a huge difference. I did a lot more threshold braking, late into my sessions, and the pedal feel and consistency was 100% linear and predictable.

Not as many useable photos this time around from the pro @ Lightspeed Images, but it's all good. The difference in composure on-track was night-and-day, and the reduction of body roll is totally noticeable. Grip was obviously up big time, and the Falkens held up well - although sessions were back down to 20 min versus the 25 min units last time out. That last 5 min can make a big difference.







Up next are some maintenance and tasty upgrades I will cover in the near future - from rear brakes, to exhaust, to the rear sway bar I can now confirm I still need for the low-speed corners. I've already got everything on the shelf, just need to get things done!

Thanks for reading! Here's a parting shot at the same shop, in for smaller job involving a welder (something I can't do)...

[a777fan]

!!!

off topic curiosity… your clear tails… what brand, and are you happy with them?

The track shots are awesome btw. That e34 booty looks good scootin.

[circuit.heart]

The front was so close to fitting with a 25mm spacer (maxing out my stud length), that if I cared less about my fenders or didn't plan to drive 400+ mi to the track on this setup, I might have run it. A few ticks more negative camber and maybe 3mm less spacer would also have done the trick. But I backed off of the idea.

It's a good thing you did, because a few more ticks of camber and 3mm less spacer is how my car is set up, and that barely clears at full corner loading + bumps. I used to see melted rubber near the front corner of the fender when I only had -3deg camber in front.

You can also play around with more 17x9's in the rear. Max tire width on ground is good for grip, but half the track equation is the driver being able to hold the car on the grip limit comfortably. Less tire stretch gives more progressive sliding behavior

[JThomp33]

!!!

off topic curiosity… your clear tails… what brand, and are you happy with them?

The track shots are awesome btw. That e34 booty looks good scootin.

Off topic response: I have had a set of DEPO's on for roughly 10 years, they seem to do the trick:

On lift.jpg

[a777fan]

Off topic response: I have had a set of DEPO's on for roughly 10 years, they seem to do the trick:

On lift.jpg

[danespann]

Oh lord, it's been 6+ months! I'm guilty of the same principle Danny and Dane and John have noted; when the car doesn't break I forget to update the thread. In this case, half of it is because the car hasn't been driven enough, but now that the suspension is sorted to an acceptable baseline (see below), it's far more enjoyable to drive!


However, early this year on my way to visit CaneDVM (~200mi trip each way), about 20mi from my destination I got an overwhelming fuel smell after filling up on some tasty Shell V-Power 93. I gave it a few min, thinking it was someone else, but eventually pulled over at the next gas station and hopped out. Sure 'nuff, just aft of my differential, a bucket of fuel had just finished dumping on the ground.

Suspension is always what makes or breaks any car for me. Glad to see this car of yours finally coming together. And glad for few updates because of the car working.

And the fuel line thing... I've been there, at a gas station in the middle of nowhere in California with the very same pump-to-filter line burst. Luckily I carry extra fuel line and such so I was able to do a roadside fix. But my point of every e34 needs the same things still seems to stand true.

[dannyzabolotny]

Glad to see you're still enjoying the car! I gotta say, Apex wheels on an E34 is certainly a look that's starting to grow on me. It's probably the only "easy" and relatively affordable way to get a good spec, lightweight 17" wheel for the E34 nowadays, otherwise you have to hunt for good deals constantly. The 17" wheels that used to be cheap like style 5's have gone up in pricing to the point of where they're not worth it anymore for a relatively mediocre spec.

Makes me want to do some HPDE days in the near future... now that I have a job again and a consistent source of income, I might be able to actually attend a few.