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Thread: Belle, the Diamond-Black 535i

  1. #1
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    Belle, the Diamond-Black 535i

    Hey guys, making this thread as per danespann's suggestion. This is my 535i, purchased in Pasadena about 2 months ago (Dane picked it up for me) while I was still in Okinawa, Japan, for deployment. Imported from Spain, with about 185K on the clock.




    Excuse the handprints on the back, a bunch of dudes helped me push the car a couple days before I took these because the fuel pump died.




    Nothing done to the car quite yet, aside from maintenance/fixes. Flushed coolant, changed oil, cleaned ICV, "new" heater valve, sword, voltage regulator, fuel pump, dog bones.
    Next things are fan clutch/blades, blower motor, and an actually new heater valve. I also wanna switch the newer 535 badge to the correct one since it's currently crooked and ugly.

    Overall, the car is in great shape, aside from typical old-car issues. The clear is peeling in some spots, but oh well. Plan on getting new wheels, BC coilovers, and new muffler within the next 12 months or so.

  2. #2
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    Heck yeah, glad to see you on here! The car is a super cool spec— slicktop with manual leather seats and automatic climate control. Plus it’s Diamondschwarz which is a very cool color that we didn’t really get much here in the states.

    I look forward to seeing how this car evolves under your ownership. Hopefully we can all go on some drives in the near future!
    1995 525i 5-speed - Thread

  3. #3
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    Love the good old slicktop 535i. Very interesting that this car has a factory large case diff and servotronic steering along with rear headrests. Europeans got all the cool options. One of the best e34's I've driven. In to see what you do with it.

  4. #4
    moroza's Avatar
    moroza is offline MORΩN ΛABIA BMW CCA Member
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    Oh my. That is a fine-looking specimen, and well-specced (though I hope you have better luck with IHKA than I have). Can't tell - does it have wood trim?

    Quote Originally Posted by dannyzabolotny View Post
    manual leather seats
    Curious if they're heated and/or have lumbar adjustment?

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by moroza View Post
    Oh my. That is a fine-looking specimen, and well-specced (though I hope you have better luck with IHKA than I have). Can't tell - does it have wood trim?


    Curious if they're heated and/or have lumbar adjustment?
    Thank you. The IHKA has been treating me pretty well surprisingly. Sometimes the in-between settings for fan speed don't like to work, but rolling it back and forth a couple of times gets it back. No wood trim, non-heated seats, and no lumbar.

  6. #6
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    Looks great.
    I feel like I'm in the minority when I saw that I love the taller stance of the stock E34.

  7. #7
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    I'm in love, that's an epic spec! Japanese delivery cars always have very unique specs compared to us (and even Europe).
    - Brent
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    Quote Originally Posted by danespann View Post
    Every E34 needs the same things in the end.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by BleedsBlue View Post
    Japanese delivery cars always have very unique specs compared to us (and even Europe).
    Car is actually from Spain; Kent was just stationed in Japan himself. I love this car and will be interested to weigh it at some point to compare with a US spec 535.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by danespann View Post
    Car is actually from Spain; Kent was just stationed in Japan himself. I love this car and will be interested to weigh it at some point to compare with a US spec 535.
    That is very obviously stated, sadly LOL - thanks for pointing that out, Dane. That's then the 2nd slicktop E34 I've seen come out of Spain, but the overall trend is as we know - many more overseas cars were specced sans sunroofs. I will always be jealous of them!

    Definitely interested to hear the comparo between yours and this one.
    - Brent
    www.angry-ass.com

    Quote Originally Posted by danespann View Post
    Every E34 needs the same things in the end.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by E34Driv3r View Post
    Looks great.
    I feel like I'm in the minority when I saw that I love the taller stance of the stock E34.
    I've grown to like it more now. I used to think it sat monstrously high, not the case anymore.

    Quote Originally Posted by BleedsBlue View Post
    That is very obviously stated, sadly LOL - thanks for pointing that out, Dane. That's then the 2nd slicktop E34 I've seen come out of Spain, but the overall trend is as we know - many more overseas cars were specced sans sunroofs. I will always be jealous of them!

    Definitely interested to hear the comparo between yours and this one.
    I like the slicktop, but I sometimes wish I had the sunroof for certain cruises, and it can look kinda cool when popped-up for photos.

    Just bypassed heater core today, new heater valve was DOA. Idle issues are back, and now I'm overheating at idle too (woo). Finally got the car registered and the A/C is ice cold now, so it's drivable. Gonna take it to dannyzabalotony in a few weeks because I'm getting tired of sweating my ass off in my garage. Also trying to figure out this electrical issue that causes my stereo to not turn on and locks my OBC to the clock.

  11. #11
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    Been a minute since my last update, car has been sitting patiently, waiting for parts at Heritage Motorworks in Tempe. Expansion tank stem snapped off and dumped coolant, had to ship the car to the shop from Twentynine Palms, CA. Attempted a parking lot repair but the replacement tank had a pinhole leak near the stem, so we scrapped that idea. Car will get a full cooling system refresh.

  12. #12
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    29 Palms? You mean 29 Stumps?

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by DGNR88 View Post
    29 Palms? You mean 29 Stumps?
    Yeah, that poophole excuse for a town. (There's no profanity on this forum right?)

  14. #14
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    Lol I was never blessed with the chance to explore the town. I remember the cell phone service being bad tho

  15. #15
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    I don't update this often enough, yikes.

    Lots of bits coming for the car. Currently have a shifter rebuild with Turner carrier, CSB, guibo, wheel bearing, and exhaust (really just a muffler) all waiting for my back home. Just ordered US front plate bracket, delete, new trunk struts, and window regulator clip things because my front passenger window doesn't wanna roll as of today.

    After the cooling system pooped itself a couple months ago, FPR went out next. Car idled terribly (somehow) and ran ridiculously rich. The fuel rail shot gas like 5ft when I popped the FPR out.
    Girlfriend also got me a couple early Christmas gifts of a ZHP shift knob and a CSS shift boot made from some reproduction M-Tech fabric.
    20201030_180433.jpg
    EDIT: jfc the image uploader sucks.

  16. #16
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    Wow, a 535i without a sunroof is a rare beast indeed, nice car.
    All of them in Australia had sunroofs, rear headrests, OBC and most of the options to justify the high local pricing, even most 525s and 520s
    Last edited by fo3; 11-06-2020 at 06:15 AM.

  17. #17
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    Well, big day for the car last Wednesday, thanks to dannyzabolotny. Threw on the plate delete, the drivetrain stuff, shifter rebuild. Muffler got welded in, as it turns out (and I also forgot), there aren't any flanges behind the cats, so I couldn't bolt on danespann's old midsection, so we decided to sawzall my old muffler off, and I got his welded on the next day. Skipped putting in the new wheel bearing and trunk struts due to time. And also, as it turns out, window regulator/motor went out and wasn't just a failure on the retaining clip.

    Pile o' parts





    CSB was in wonderful shape.



    Old trans mounts were a little smushed.



    Interesting little bit, we found out that there's no O2 sensor, and the hole is capped off. Danny said Euro-spec probably left them out, as with the cats. Not sure if that's the reason for my terrible idle (might be messing with the Dinan chip), but I'm not sure if my DME even is wired for the sensor.



    Danny toiling away.



    Fully rebuilt.




    You can see my lack of flanges here. I understand this muffler is somewhat blasphemous for this car. Oh well.

    by



    I'm gonna be taking some new photos of the car once I give it a good decontamination wash and detail in a couple weeks. Also bought some rough Style 32s from a buddy a couple weeks ago. Saving up some cash to get them refinished in Hyper Silver and wrap them in some decent tires.

    - - - Updated - - -

    Thank you again to dannyzabolotny for the work. If you're in the Phoenix Metro area, head over to Heritage Motorworks in Tempe for whatever you need. Extremely knowlegable and reliable dude.

  18. #18
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    Great updates, keep em coming!

    "Big Red" 9/88 Build 535i/5: E.A.T. Chip, 24lb Bosch Design III, 3.46 LSD, 4x Clear corners, DINAN-style 750i muffler, Racing King Subframe Inserts, Koni/Vogtland suspension, E34 M5 swaybars, Brembo/Porterfield brakes, Turbodiesel grills, 16" Style 8 rims, Euro front plate, M5 rear filler plate.
    Save
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  19. #19
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    Photos! Car was a little dusty so the paint wasn't looking as spicy as it could've.




    Interior shots coming soon.

  20. #20
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    Get outta here with the dust, man, those are wallpaper worthy! Love it.
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    Quote Originally Posted by danespann View Post
    Every E34 needs the same things in the end.

  21. #21
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    I love our little Arizona E34 club, makes me proud!
    1995 525i 5-speed - Thread

  22. #22
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    Moon

    Hey y'all! It's been far, far, far too long since I've touched this thread. The car is alive and well, and hasn't been too much of a headache since I posted last. Gonna split this into 2 posts so I can keep everything organized.

    So in the past year and a half (it's really been that long already, wow), not too much has changed with the car. Money has been going into a bunch of other things, and life just kinda got in the way a bit. From what I can remember, it's only been maintenance up until March of this year, where I finally got around to having @dannyzabolotny do an M50 eBay clutch kit. I went with Chinesium partially due to cost. The other economical option was a Valeo kit, but according to Kurtis, the pedal becomes too light and vague. With the reassurance from a couple of friends that it wouldn't blow apart my bell housing, I went with it. My dual-mass was definitely on its last legs and after a roadtrip up to NorCal and crawling around the streets of SanFran, so I didn't want to wait any longer.

    The new kit is a "stage 1", with a sprung organic disc, a supposedly 14lbs FW, and new pressure plate.

    The pedal feel is close to stock and grabs sooner because there's actual friction material now. There's a small amount of chatter and is slightly harsher than the stock DM as expected, but nothing too crazy. I think the worst part is just the starter noise, since the teeth aren't meshing well.

    Photos!:


    So glazed.









    @dannyzabolotny ft. me holding the FW in place








    Added a little bit of art before the bell went back on.













    Last edited by ibob4tacoz; 09-04-2022 at 08:23 PM. Reason: Photos didn't work

  23. #23
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    Here's the second.
    Wheels! My Michelins were drying out and I used that as the perfect excuse for new wheels and tires. I initially wanted Style 19s for the retro aesthetic, but the only guy who had a set in the area didn't want to budge from $800. Oh well. Found a pair of Style 66s near Burbank for $500. The wheels aren't in the best shape. Some rash, the finish on rears don't match the front, and the one mounted on the FL is very oxidized. The FR is pristine, though. Might switch the fronts around so I can see the nicer one when I get into my car. Snagged a set of 235/45 and 255/40 Firehawks off TireRack and got them mounted a couple of days ago. I was on the fence about how the 66s would look on the car, but they've been growing on me. Still hard to beat for $500. Gonna use these to hold me over until I find a set I like more.
    The front wheel gap looks monstrous, so coils are coming sooner rather than later.

    by

    Also ran to a yard nearby and copped some E39 door seals. The FL was a little chewed up so I rotated that towards the front so it's less noticeable. Still better than the meltybois though.




    by


  24. #24
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    Good update! Nothing wrong with maintenance. Glad to see this cool Euro spec still running around and being loved.
    - Brent
    www.angry-ass.com

    Quote Originally Posted by danespann View Post
    Every E34 needs the same things in the end.

  25. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by ibob4tacoz View Post
    Also ran to a yard nearby and copped some E39 door seals. The FL was a little chewed up so I rotated that towards the front so it's less noticeable. Still better than the meltybois though.
    Car is looking great!!!

    What's the deal with the E39 door seals? Are they longer/more pliable/better material? In my E34, mine are so shrunken that they won't even fit up into the corners at the top of the doors. I got a price on new ones and it was like $700 for all 4 doors so if there is a better recycled option, I'd be all for it.

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