Project Santa Cruz - schwartz ii '95 525i - by Botticelli

[botticelli]

Well here she is the 95 525i, flew up to Santa Cruz CA, so in M539 style, this is now Project Santa Cruz, and drove her back to Long Beach CA in July 2021, at 197k.

No issues on the drive home other than a coolant warning that I was warned about, oh yeah and the AC was out, luckily the drive was mostly at night so I didn't personally overheat.

Ill be using this thread as a build thread and maintenance log, lots to be done on this baby, as the PO was letting the car sit, and really not putting any $$ into it anymore, not totally neglected, but not to my standards by any means.

I totally appreciate everyone's help in advance, on all the questions and problems I'm sure to run into.

~Pete

[botticelli]

Quickly went on a work trip for a month, so when I got back in late Aug, it was time for a wash and to get all the tar (PO had it parked under a pine tree) off the car.

6 hours of washing, cutting and a polish and she came out beautiful, the trunk, hood, and roof are still problematic and will need to be addressed in the future, but I am very happy with how she cleaned up.

Also used my tripod to hold the trunk up while I replaced the trunk struts, whoa what a difference new ones made.

~198k

[botticelli]

Happy two hundred, 09.13.2021

~200k

[R Shaffner]

Looks great!

(I've worked on my brother's '92 525 that has now over 300,000 miles. Still no major engine or transmission work.)

[botticelli]

09.18.2021

Time to get the car on the lift for a full inspection, and add to the ever growing shopping list of parts.

Springs and shocks, H&R Springs over Bilstien that I was told were done at 185k, so pretty recent... not too sure I believe it, but we have more urgent matters.

Dog bones are not totally shot but close, and the exhaust hangers in the middle are invisible, the ones in the back are hanging on for dear life, so found the source of occasional metal on metal sound that happens on take off from a stop. Initially I thought it might be the center driveshaft bushing, but that looked good, so I'll start with the exhaust hangers. Engine, trans, sub frame, and diff bushings are all going in the cart, along with fluid for the trans, and the diff. Slight lips on all the rotors, its time despite good feeling brakes. Front suspension components were impossible to inspect because well....

Holy oil! Its everywhere. I sprayed brake cleaner in the common spots, and I'll revisit after some driving to determine if these are active or just a lazy past mechanic. (please no RMS)

While we are here, we drained some very black oil, that despite the PO's claim, there is no way it was just done before listing the car.

6 fresh quarts of conventional 20w-50, OEM oil filter, crush washer, o-rings.

New OE engine air filter for good measure, even though the one in there looked okay, the date code was old af.

Coolant topped up to the cold line, with the car cold, but the low coolant warnings continue, all be it only when the engine is warmed up, strange... but another problem for future me.

~200k

[theBMWbeast]

Honestly looks like a very good base to start with. What's the game plan?

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[cirrusblau]

Seems to me the rear is sitting too high for a lowering spring?

[botticelli]

Seems to me the rear is sitting too high for a lowering spring?

Yes and no, the tires are all wrong on the car, currently wearing 235/40 in the front and 245/45 rear, and it is adding a lot of rake to the car, also I suspect adding some squirmy tendency over high speed bumps. After fixing the tires, I'll re-evaluate, but as we have more pressing matters, the stance / suspension will likely be further along in the process.

Honestly looks like a very good base to start with. What's the game plan?

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First, get the car sorted mechanically to be a functional and safe, then the creature comforts like the fact that both rear windows are inoperable along with the sun roof, some cosmetic items like trim and interior, then its either up for sale or if I decide to keep it... it will be getting an engine swap, because as much as I love the chassis, this car is seriously down on power. (Anyone have as S50/52/54 swapped e34 I can drive in socal?) I have been really leaning S54, but the S50/2 is a much simpler affair. All that said, if I decide to keep it, the swap will be far in the future, as for the moment we have the easy stuff to contend with.

[dannyzabolotny]

Maybe I’m in the minority, but I find the M50 to be perfectly adequate for an E34… I’ve put over 30k miles on my 525i with an M50 non-Vanos and I really haven’t thought it to be super underpowered. You just have to rev out the engine to get every last drop of power from it. Triple digits are still easy to do.

Nice car, by the way! It’s rare to see an E34 with black paint that isn’t all faded/peeling, has it been repainted?

I agree, fix all the mechanical issues and make everything work 100%, that’ll make it a much more enjoyable experience.

[botticelli]

Triple digits sure, but man does it need more torque IMO, but hey I'm new to this chassis, with a lot of driving ahead of me, so I may change my mind yet.

The paint is original. From what I am told, the previous owners all had this as a pleasure vehicle, and with the exception of the owner right before me, everyone garaged the car. Granted the PO had the thing under a tree with constantly dripping tar, so the paint has seen better days on the hood and roof especially. Shes a beautiful five footer, and all tings considered, I'm happy with that, as long as the cc doesn't start to peel, the paint stays how it is.

~Pete

[botticelli]

~201k

Time for the wheels and tires to be addressed. Initially I was thinking of moving away from the Style 32's on the car but they really did grow on me, and I like the fact that they are 17s. I was able to grab a set of freshly powder coated staggerd with some alpina center caps, and ordered some new rubber, and got them on the car this weekend. Along with 20 new wheel bolts, a brand new set of hub-centric spacer rings, and replaced the hood struts which now catapult the hood open.

Sunday was a friends birthday in San Diego, and the drive down and back (200 miles) was absolutely fantastic, they really did transform the car, and the squirmy loose steering wheel, and vague front end, when the front is loaded at high speeds is gone, what a difference!

8ET20 Front with 245/45/17
9ET26 Rear with 275/40/17

Tires are Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4

The square set that was on the car will be going to the same powdercoater for a back to factory silver, as they have definitely seen better days.

[theBMWbeast]

Style 32s are simple and classy. Those tires are great by the way. I personally run the S4 vs the AS4, for that extra performance, but the all seasons are still great. More tire than car for sure (which is a great safety factor).

[johan750]

Nice example you found there. Even with the work needed it seems like a solid base!

Wouldn't be bothered about the power either. Its not fast, but its enough for me. Then again I'm more of a high speed cruiser then a traffic light sprinter and that it does well.

Not sure about the black wheel though...don't know why really. I think it makes the car's lines less visible.

[circuit.heart]

First, get the car sorted mechanically to be a functional and safe, then the creature comforts like the fact that both rear windows are inoperable along with the sun roof,

I swear I saw the listing for this car and didn't remember that being written on it. Weird. Sunroof sucks, but the windows are straightforward enough to fix. Good luck!

If the car doesn't feel like it has 200hp, make sure the engine is running properly. The DME for these engines is pretty conservative and will pull timing for a multitude of reasons, making it feel gutless. A healthy M50 should be really rev-happy and that "masks" the low power:weight.

[botticelli]

Yes, it was listed for sale for a long time on and off, but I fianlly said screw it and flew up there to buy it. Lots more things came up that didnt make the ad, like motor mounts, shot. AC compressor... shot. Belts, shot, alternator, was just replaced, and apparently he took the ad down to fix it / get the car running, then put the ad back up. Interior... ripped. Trans mounts, diff mounts, rotors, pads, trailing arm bushings, you get the idea the list goes on.

I'm not complaining, as I was looking to buy a project, and oh boy I have one. The PO was very nice and honest about all of the cars quirks when we chatted in person, but I cant say that if they were all listed in the ad I would have made the flight and the purchase.

Re the engine, it seems to be running correctly, does not feel like 200 however my butt dyno has been wrong in the past, as I continue on the journey of fixes and maintenance, we shall see. It does indeed rev quite well, but I'm eager to drive another for comparisons sake.

I swear I saw the listing for this car and didn't remember that being written on it. Weird. Sunroof sucks, but the windows are straightforward enough to fix. Good luck!

If the car doesn't feel like it has 200hp, make sure the engine is running properly. The DME for these engines is pretty conservative and will pull timing for a multitude of reasons, making it feel gutless. A healthy M50 should be really rev-happy and that "masks" the low power:weight.

[dannyzabolotny]

I mean, all of that stuff sounds like normal E34 stuff… to put it into perspective, you could have bought a nice E34 from BaT for $10k-$15k and still had to deal with all the same issues.

[botticelli]

201,700

The trim on the rear bumper was really bugging me as the side pieces were all sorts of grey and faded, while the center one has a very small crack, so I ordered a replacement left, right, and center rear bumper trim, along with a new M license plate frame because racecar of course.

In my removal of the side markers, I dropped the electrical connector into the rear bumper, could not recover.

Off comes the rear bumper, what was supposed to take an hour, turned into all afternoon, but a blessing in disguise, as I was able to clean so much dirt mud, and road grime from the inside of the bumper and off of the car's exposed back end.

While the bumper was off, this was a good time to replace the exhaust hanger donut things, along with install the currently non existent rubber rings for the middle of the exhaust.

All in all not to bad, but now the rear end of the car looks so fantastic with the refreshed trim, making me need to the rest of trim on the car.


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[circuit.heart]

Gentle suggestion - SEM trim paint. New trims may not be made to the same quality as the original 90s stuff, we've seen this pattern repeat over and and over again in the last few years. The trim paint is very close to the original color and finish and lasts quite a while. Will save a lot of headache down the road as you can make a quick afternoon job of popping trims off, prep, paint, dry, reinstall.

[theBMWbeast]

The bumper is two bolts, hidden behind the center trim, and two turns of the side screws, in case there was any difficulty. The front operates the exact same way. Should take no more than 10 minutes

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[botticelli]

~203,150

Front Bumper left right, and center trim along with the left and right lower bumper plastics, and a new front license plate delete. The existing plastics were at the point of bubbling, meting, clearly releasing some sort of chemical/oil.

Yellow foglight lens tint installed, a brand called Lamin-X, very nice kit with all the needed tools included. Took all of 5 minutes, the removal ans reinstall of the fogs took longer, ha!

What a difference, the headlight surround, center kidney grill, and chrome are up next, When I finally get off my but and change my cracked low beams.

Also did the trunk strap things, the grommet for the trim next to the steering wheel(rattle was driving me nuts), door gaskets, and the driver-side washer nozzle.

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