1995 540I Cashmere Beige on Beige on Beige

[okmike540i]

I have been working on restoring the style 5's for the last week(s) and they are now done. With some peer pressure from a friend they are now color matched to the car and I can't wait to get some tires on these and see them on.
Before: gross, ding'd, rashed, thrashed.
Wheel before.jpg
Busted them apart, used a file to get the worst of the rash, and then sanded from 220g on the bad spots up to 3000g wet. For polishing I used a small buffing wheel on a drill to get the mounting ring of the hoop and a buffing wheel on a grinder motor for everything else with blue polishing compound followed by mothers.
polished.jpg
I sanded the centers as best I could up to 320, then shot primer, base, and clear. Made a 2x4 rack to hold the centers so I could flip it and get them from every angle. Worked well. Also bought new center caps and masked around the "nut" to keep them silver. It has been in the 40's in Oklahoma, so kept them in front of the space heater to cook them, then brought them into the warmest room in my house after they had out-gassed a bit. I bought my paint from O'reilly and was surprised at how decent it is, beats using rattle cans and the color match is pretty spot on.
painted.jpg
Assembled them after a few beers last night and all the work seems worth it now.
Done 2.jpg

I am leaning toward the Yokohama Advan A/S + in 245/40/17. Seems like a good all around tire and I have had good luck with Yoko's in the past.

Replaced the thermostat housing o ring yesterday and for the first time in my ownership, this car is not pissing on the garage floor or driveway.

Cheers,

Mike

[moroza]

Pretty!

Having run both sizes, I preferred 245/45 over 245/40. The latter is just a bit small.

[sbeckman7]

Great looking wheels! I'm sure they will transform the look of your car. Beige FTW!

[okmike540i]

Pretty!

Having run both sizes, I preferred 245/45 over 245/40. The latter is just a bit small.

Thanks! Any fitment issues on the 45's up front, or is that pretty standard? Still new to BMW land.

Great looking wheels! I'm sure they will transform the look of your car. Beige FTW!

Thanks, beige to the fourth power...

[moroza]

The chassis was designed for 235/45R17 (25.4" OD) or 225/60R15 (25.6). In 17", I've also run 225/50 (25.9), 245/40 (24.7), 245/45 (25.7), and briefly drove a lowered E34 with 235/60R15 (26.2), whose owner said it occasionally rubbed. No clearance issues with any of the others. 255/40 (25.0) and especially 255/45 (26.0) starts to get iffy, where some specific tires just barely fit, and others of the same nominal size almost fit.

[okmike540i]

The chassis was designed for 235/45R17 (25.4" OD) or 225/60R15 (25.6). In 17", I've also run 225/50 (25.9), 245/40 (24.7), 245/45 (25.7), and briefly drove a lowered E34 with 235/60R15 (26.2), whose owner said it occasionally rubbed. No clearance issues with any of the others. 255/40 (25.0) and especially 255/45 (26.0) starts to get iffy, where some specific tires just barely fit, and others of the same nominal size almost fit.

Got it, thanks!

[okmike540i]

Weekend update... Went with the Yokahoma Advan A/S+ in 245/45/17 per Moroza's size advice... they ride great, handle well, and fill up the wheel well very nicely. Much better than the hard rubber from 2004 that was on there (but they got me back to Oklahoma without failure and did a few burnouts before being relegated to the side of the house until I figure out what to do with them). Also did the dogbones while she was back up in the air. The rims look killer on the car. Beige to the 4th:
Wheels.jpg

I picked up a Racing Dynamics deck spoiler. Got it prepped for beige (of course) paint tonight and fixed the the cracks in the fiberglass. Drilling holes in a perfectly good trunk lid scares the piss out of me but oh well, it is for the greater good. I might need to add a touch of white to my paint to get it to match perfectly, but I feel like even if I took it to body shop it still wouldn't match the patina of 25 years.
rd spoiler.jpg

Cheers!

Mike

[sbeckman7]

Love the wheels! Are you going to put new springs on it at some point?

[Cactuar]

The beige centers tie everything together nicely, well done!

[okmike540i]

Love the wheels! Are you going to put new springs on it at some point?

Thanks! Yes, planning to do a 1" drop spring and new shocks while I am in there.

The beige centers tie everything together nicely, well done!

Thanks!

[moroza]

Even to this not-fan of beige, that does look good.

(OT: both of your suggestions - MEK and heat - worked, thanks! The latter is tedious but effective, while the former looked like it was useless for a few days of soaking, and suddenly all the clearcoat is neatly eaten away a week later where it was submerged. The stuff's nearly 1mm thick! Meanwhile, experimenting with finishes and finding tung oil way too dark for burl walnut. Will try Danish oil on some test pieces, straight satin or semigloss spray clear on others)

[okmike540i]

Even to this not-fan of beige, that does look good.

(OT: both of your suggestions - MEK and heat - worked, thanks! The latter is tedious but effective, while the former looked like it was useless for a few days of soaking, and suddenly all the clearcoat is neatly eaten away a week later where it was submerged. The stuff's nearly 1mm thick! Meanwhile, experimenting with finishes and finding tung oil way too dark for burl walnut. Will try Danish oil on some test pieces, straight satin or semigloss spray clear on others)

Thanks and Good to hear that worked! If it were me, I would wipe on a thinned coat of shellac as a sanding sealer after sanding to 220 (the zinser stuff at the box stores is good, but I typically make my own from flake), it will really make the grain pop. Then sand with 220 to 320, another thin wipe on coat of Shellac, and finish with a spray (rattle can or gun) Spar Varnish that has UV blockers.

[a777fan]

Not sure how I have missed this thread, but welcome! It's going to be fun watching your journey. I also agree that facebook's got nothing on this place.

Like moroza, I am not a huuuuge beige fan, but it works well here. Especially with the now beige centers! I never would have had the balls to even try it! but does really work well.

Thanks for posting all the do-dads the car came with, its neat to see.

Small self-centric observation: the top of your oil pump appears to show small amounts of the same corrosion that mine has (mine to a MUCH more dramatic degree...). I have a theory that my cars early life had it running quick trips over small distances, and the resulting high moisture content of the crankcase was not friendly to whatever the pump is made out of. Your car seems to also fit that theory given the low mileage. Thanks for posting that picture.

[okmike540i]

Not sure how I have missed this thread, but welcome! It's going to be fun watching your journey. I also agree that facebook's got nothing on this place.

Like moroza, I am not a huuuuge beige fan, but it works well here. Especially with the now beige centers! I never would have had the balls to even try it! but does really work well.

Thanks for posting all the do-dads the car came with, its neat to see.

Small self-centric observation: the top of your oil pump appears to show small amounts of the same corrosion that mine has (mine to a MUCH more dramatic degree...). I have a theory that my cars early life had it running quick trips over small distances, and the resulting high moisture content of the crankcase was not friendly to whatever the pump is made out of. Your car seems to also fit that theory given the low mileage. Thanks for posting that picture.

Thanks for the welcome! I wasn't sure about the beige initially (my wife especially wasn't), but now honestly like it. With new cars all being shades of silver, black, or white it stands out.

The previous owner kept all of the brochures, window sticker, and service records (which stopped around 2010 and 75k miles). They even kept the business cards of the dealership manager and salesman in the owners manual. I will try to post some more pics of all that stuff when I get a little time.

[Petrolheadpilot]

What a great looking car. You definitely have the right mindset for what you want the car to be. Really looking forward to seeing the progress!

I’m so glad you have all the little bits and pieces of paperwork that came with it, I think that stuff is so important! I’ve been scouring eBay and junkyards for years looking for all that stuff haha.

[okmike540i]

What a great looking car. You definitely have the right mindset for what you want the car to be. Really looking forward to seeing the progress!

Thanks!

I got the Racing Dynamics spoiler painted with the leftover paint from the wheels, the color match is a little off at angles and when you paint in the driveway you are going to get a little trash in there. Still cheaper than paying someone else and looks good enough. The rack I made for painting the wheel centers came in handy again. After painting I wet sanded the wing up to 3000 grit to get the orange peel to match what is on the car and did a little buffing.
wing2.jpg
Mounting one of these is a 2 person job as the fiberglass does not hold the curve of the trunk lid. I started by trying to make a plywood pattern and to measure the holes, but that didn't work so well. So my buddy come over (beer was provided), I used 2" painters tape where the spoiler made any contact, we bent it to the curve of the trunk and marked lines on the tape where we thought it should be. I cut down some extra screws to about 12mm long and ground a point on the cutoff end on the bench grinder to use like dowel markers. We placed the one side of the spoiler without the spikes on the line, then firmly pressed down on the opposite side with the spikes to mark/dimple the tape, and then drilled into a perfectly good trunk lid. We then mounted the drilled side, and repeated the spikes for marking the opposite side. Once it was bolted on, I gave it a final buff with an extra fine pad, 3M compound, and a good coat of wax. Orange peel now matches almost perfect, just not the color.
Wing.jpg
I also clay bar'd the trunk, hood, and roof. Holy crap what a difference in feel and shine. The trunk lid felt like 320g sandpaper when you ran your hands across it but now is smooth as glass. I used the cheap Meguiars kit ($20) you can get at walmart and am impressed.
After Clay.jpg
Now off to clay the sides of the car...

[okmike540i]

Updates:
I went crazy with a $30 Amazon steamer after watching too many detailing videos on youtube. Engine bay, jambs, and trunk surround all cleaned up nicely. 25 years of dirt washed away.
Steamed.jpg
The fog light error on the dash has been on from long before the day I got it and the passenger fog was only attached by the harness. It was loose due to a broken screw tab, to fix that I bent some galvanized steel to bracket shape and used 3M Scotch-weld to fuse it on there. I also had to rewire it as the jackets of the original wires had disintegrated.
rigged.jpg
I found a receipt for "fog light repair" from the dealership in Dallas that the prior owner took it to. Her complaint was that it was leaking. Their solution was to completely encase the housing in black sealant and glue it to the mounting bracket. Getting it out was a struggle and it was still leaking. Once out, I found the reflector housing was cracked and would need to be replaced.
20210208_204358.jpg
I found a replacement driver fog and swapped the lenses as the old one was in better shape. Replaced both bulbs and tested with 2 6v batteries to make sure they lit up. Only one of them was working, so my eventual solution was to bend the male prongs on the fog light together so the harness fit tighter/kept contact. I have been running around without the lights in for a bit and it is satisfying to have them back in and actually working.
lit up.jpg
Cheers,

Mike

[a777fan]

Isn’t it nuts what passes for a ‘job well done’ in some repair shops?

[Desert E34]

I got the Racing Dynamics spoiler painted with the leftover paint from the wheels, the color match is a little off at angles and when you paint in the driveway you are going to get a little trash in there. Still cheaper than paying someone else and looks good enough. The rack I made for painting the wheel centers came in handy again. After painting I wet sanded the wing up to 3000 grit to get the orange peel to match what is on the car and did a little buffing.
wing2.jpg
Mounting one of these is a 2 person job as the fiberglass does not hold the curve of the trunk lid. I started by trying to make a plywood pattern and to measure the holes, but that didn't work so well. So my buddy come over (beer was provided), I used 2" painters tape where the spoiler made any contact, we bent it to the curve of the trunk and marked lines on the tape where we thought it should be. I cut down some extra screws to about 12mm long and ground a point on the cutoff end on the bench grinder to use like dowel markers. We placed the one side of the spoiler without the spikes on the line, then firmly pressed down on the opposite side with the spikes to mark/dimple the tape, and then drilled into a perfectly good trunk lid. We then mounted the drilled side, and repeated the spikes for marking the opposite side. Once it was bolted on, I gave it a final buff with an extra fine pad, 3M compound, and a good coat of wax. Orange peel now matches almost perfect, just not the color.
Wing.jpg

That spoiler is looking really good. I just got a Racing Dynamics spoiler myself for my M Sport, and am super excited to refinish and mount it. How warped was yours? The previous owner of my spoiler had mentioned it wasn't warped on his car, but when I set it on my trunk lid, it didn't touch down on the sides when the middle support was touching. Was it too difficult to bend back in place? Also, you mentioned that you used some spikes to dimple some painters tape to drill into the trunk. This is an excellent idea, and I will for sure be using that to mount my own spoiler. That said, how did you go about with the spikes? Did you just thread them into the spoiler? Were they hard to get back out? Thanks. The car is looking great, I've been loving reading through this thread.

[okmike540i]

Isn’t it nuts what passes for a ‘job well done’ in some repair shops?

Right???

That spoiler is looking really good. I just got a Racing Dynamics spoiler myself for my M Sport, and am super excited to refinish and mount it. How warped was yours? The previous owner of my spoiler had mentioned it wasn't warped on his car, but when I set it on my trunk lid, it didn't touch down on the sides when the middle support was touching. Was it too difficult to bend back in place? Also, you mentioned that you used some spikes to dimple some painters tape to drill into the trunk. This is an excellent idea, and I will for sure be using that to mount my own spoiler. That said, how did you go about with the spikes? Did you just thread them into the spoiler? Were they hard to get back out? Thanks. The car is looking great, I've been loving reading through this thread.

Mine came off of another car and then was shipped to me almost immediately after. I don't think it is exactly warp, but more that it has to be flexed into position due to the fiberglass springing back to it's molded shape? No expert here... Like you are experiencing, mine would only hit on the one side without bending.

As to the spikes: I used a cut off wheel on my hand held grinder, cut the heads off of 2 1 1/4" bolts down to about 5/8" while fixed in a bench vise, then used a pair of locking pliers to hold the screws and grind a pyramid spike into the end of the screw with my bench grinder. After taping off the trunk, test fit and mark, thread the spikes, have a buddy hold the other end on your marks, then press down on the opposite side to mark your holes. I don't think you can do this without said buddy, it is a two person job. After drilling, stepping up in bit size, mount that side, insert spikes on the opposite, and copy paste. I went to 1/4" on the holes and also used some 3/32" black rubber I found on amazon to make gaskets for the three contacting surfaces.

And final side note, I emailed Racing Dynamics asking if they had mounting instructions for these old machines and sure enough they do! Of course this was after I put it on... Their instructions are fairly similar to mine and in the pdf below. PM me if you have any more questions.
RD Instructions.pdf

[okmike540i]

Greetings Gents (and maybe ladies? but doubt it)

Never posted a good pic with the spoiler, so here you go:
With Wing.jpg

Been plugging away on this thing and have a box of parts ready to go for the top end of the M60. Picked up a set of valve cover gaskets, pcv, new heater core hoses, and everything else my parts guy suggested I should do while the coolant reservoir and covers were out of the way. Any suggestions on any other "while I am in there" projects would be appreciated. Will also do plugs while it's all apart.


Did the throttle cable/pedal bushings finally and holy crap what a pain. The plastic firewall clip was the absolute worst and both bushings on the pedal were toast. No more squeak and the pedal feel is great now. Finally did my fuel filter as well today, converted from the goofy dual setup to a single and in the process replaced all of the rubber from tank to hardline while in there. Lord knows how old these were, they were crusted in road debris and drained the darkest nastiest gas. I have been stalling on harder stops in "sport" mode and hopefully this cures that.
filters.jpg
Being an Okie with no state inspections or the like, I cut the muffler off a few months back. Crackle tune schmakle tune, cut your muffler off and listen to the fantastic burbles and pops. It's fan-effing-tastic. I finally had an exhaust shop weld up the "delete" yesterday for under $150. Dude did a good job, but now I want some of the V12 square exhaust tips, like in pic 3 below. Anyone know where to find similar? Have found plenty of single inlet to duel square, may have to cut them up and weld them on... Still sounds knarly, no regrets, maybe a little droney, but turn up the stereo.
new tips.jpgtips.jpg
Found a local 530IA parts car about an hour from me this morning. Interior was roached, but bought up what I could that I wanted. A few extra ignition coils, DME, keyless entry for a bud, A FACTORY FLASHLIGHT, and grabbed all of the relays/fuses I could find. Again, being Oklahoma, dude who was parting the car was kind of like "these bimmer guys, wtf you weridos?". I told him what was worth selling and he gave me a pretty good price on stuff. I can share info if anyone is looking.

Finally, anyone trying to do events this summer in the mid-west? I am definitely hitting the Ozark Euro Rally late August in Eureka Springs, AR. Also hoping to hit TX Fest. Would like to meet some of yall, have some beers and check out your cars!

Cheers,

Mike

[a777fan]

Damn! A flashlight!!! Way to go on that one.

[moroza]

Been plugging away on this thing and have a box of parts ready to go for the top end of the M60. Picked up a set of valve cover gaskets, pcv, new heater core hoses, and everything else my parts guy suggested I should do while the coolant reservoir and covers were out of the way. Any suggestions on any other "while I am in there" projects would be appreciated. Will also do plugs while it's all apart.

Valley pan gasket, under-manifold coolant pipe O-rings, PCV vent tube O-rings, intake manifold gaskets. Sparkplugs should be NGK BKR6EK.

replaced all of the rubber from tank to hardline while in there.

Excellent preventative maintenance. What hose did you use? 150psi fuel injection hose, I hope, Not 50psi or heater hose? I never got an adequate explanation for the twin filter setup, and have always converted to a single filter.

[a777fan]

If you are ripping the intake off, I’d do injector o-rings and perhaps think about having the injectors cleaned professionally. Mine were totally gunked after 187k.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[okmike540i]

Damn! A flashlight!!! Way to go on that one.

I saw it and was like "that will be coming home with me..." Pretty sure the battery is long dead so may gut it as a "show piece" and save the innards. I was most excited about all of the original fuses. Now I can get those garish clear plastic ones out of there!

Valley pan gasket, under-manifold coolant pipe O-rings, PCV vent tube O-rings, intake manifold gaskets. Sparkplugs should be NGK BKR6EK.


Excellent preventative maintenance. What hose did you use? 150psi fuel injection hose, I hope, Not 50psi or heater hose? I never got an adequate explanation for the twin filter setup, and have always converted to a single filter.

Ummmm.... So just replaced my replacement (51 PSI fuel hose) with 220PSI hose and couldn't respond back to you in good conscience until after I switched it. Thanks for pointing that out, I do appreciate it! When I looked under there to see the the dual setup it was a WTF moment. Your answer on an old thread convinced me to delete the second and with 2 there are 2x as many failure points.

If you are ripping the intake off, I’d do injector o-rings and perhaps think about having the injectors cleaned professionally. Mine were totally gunked after 187k.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Good tips on the manifold items from both of you, that will likely be the next round of parts I order. Was planning to do plugs this round, then on to replacing what I haven't already on the suspension and refreshing brakes/flushing fluid. My truck is now paid off as of last month so I have what the wife is referring to as a "budget", whatever that is...