LUCKE28- My 1985 Bronzit 535i 5 speed

[tig]

Really awesome work.

On that pic of the shifter... Is it in gear or neutral in that pic. If neutral you have probably discovered why I ripped out the UUC kit and went with Autosolutions in Vlad, and just did a z3 shifter in Maytag.

[Bonsaibacker]

Really awesome work.

On that pic of the shifter... Is it in gear or neutral in that pic. If neutral you have probably discovered why I ripped out the UUC kit and went with Autosolutions in Vlad, and just did a z3 shifter in Maytag.

Thanks Charlie. I am enjoying the process- I know you understand.

it is in 3rd gear. Tighter pattern but not obnoxious.

[Bonsaibacker]

Gonna take care of the diff today (well start at least- it's chilly for Coastal GA!).

Over the past couple of days I installed the carpet and swapped the tan console pieces for black. F'in LOVE the results!!!

As I posted in the parts for sale sections, the original carpet was the pad less but it was stained (including rust) and had a worn spot.



The floorpans and everything was in generally good shape except for around the gas pedal- crusty and getting the pedal out was a battle. Cleaned and treated the area with OsPho and started to work on installing the cut carpet I picked up from Krautnotrice. I was opposed to the idea of a cut carpet, but as you will see there is absolutely no way of telling it is cut after installed (provided the PO cut properly and he did).









The results after carpet and console swap:



The one frustrating thing about the carpet swap is the little pieces stapled to the footwell vents under the console. Will be painting as I did not snag those pieces.





Add some fresh seats-

[BDKawey]

black interior swap looking real good. i love seeing interiors get transformed be it intense carpet cleaning or full swaps. keep it up

[Bonsaibacker]

black interior swap looking real good. i love seeing interiors get transformed be it intense carpet cleaning or full swaps. keep it up

Agreed. Doesn't add horsepower or improve handling, but I am confident the driving experience will be sweeter.

[BDKawey]

I fantasize about building my next e28 black interior with corbeau gts ii seats. ive seen a few e30s with them but i dont know about an e28

[Bonsaibacker]

Differential- Done. I tested the clutches and they didn't release until 64lbs/ft. Not replacing. I did replace the shaft seals and o rings as well as the dust covers. While I had the core out I wiped down the inside of the housing and it was in exceptional shape as were the races and bearings. Gears were clean and looked new. A really great score from Spen- THANKS!







Eye Candy!!!

Cleaned up the output shaft, bearing cap and the cover I poached from the one that came with the car.







I decided not to paint the differential because I am in love with the "S". I wiped oil over the exposed and slightly oxidized spots. I know it will collect dirt, but I really want to preserve the original look.

installed and about to be connected to the drive shaft and axles.



With that done, I got to button up the underside and install the new magna flow muffler.



Will be driving and hunting down the power steering leak. In the mean time I am putting the E39 in to swap drive shafts and then dismantling a parts car because I think I want to swap engines for a rebuild down the road. In its current state, the car will make it to the Vintage, but I plan on pushing to see how much more I can get done- just cannot dedicate the garage to this one exclusively til then!

My bullet list has made it to this point. Will be erasing and revising this afternoon.

[boomvader]

Eric! Great build thread! Keep the updates coming, brother!

[Bonsaibacker]

Thanks Boom! It has been 6 months since I last posted. In that time I have completed most of my original list and have added new bullets...

In late January I went to Charleston to meet dsmith. He was at a car show reppin' with his M535. Beaut!!! After admiring his car an getting the low down on the M30 and its points of vulnerability, we went for a drive. He was encouraging and pointed out places to check for my concerns. I duly followed his advice. For anyone on this forum who doesn't realize the resources available, you are sorely missing the opportunity! Thanks David!

Next order of business was to address the engine bay, leaking valve cover gasket and clean up in general.

Replaced the battery to alternator wire with one I pulled from the parted Z3.





Dirty engine-









I really slacked off in documenting the progress and have no after pictures of the engine bay. I will shoot some tomorrow and post- spent some time under there doing the hood insulation, vacuum lines and general cleaning.

Here are some wheels I picked up- from a 2005 545i. The car needs some stance work but I really like the simplicity- very hot wheels-esque.





You will notice that I installed the euro valance on the front as well. Did not enjoy the process but was too deep before I learned the intricacies. It is a tight squeeze for the fog lights- had to reshape the battery well and the box for the ABS components. Also felt like a dick cutting and gluing the turn signals. Will probably go back and clean all of this up down the road. Was hell bent on getting presentable for the Vintage...

The glued up turn signal-





Also- VERY dirty behind the grills-





Will post more progress and a catch up video soon. Let's close with some choice shots I find while sifting through pics from the last 6 months.

[tig]

@dsmith IS good people.

Nice work.