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Hello All - It's been a while since I posted here! I realised it's been 18 years since Ollie & I started the site. (I wish I was still 17) I love the community still keeps it running - you are badasses. I'm pretty keen to get an Australian version of Bimmersport going now I live in Sydney. How many aussie members are on here? I'm joining the BMWCC NSW, any one have any contacts? Update on cars. Still have the race car, it's very well sorted now - I just don't get to use it in the series much. It's got ITBs now and chucks out 290 rwhp, not bad for an M20. Given the engine is such large displacement and was reasonably restricted, it actually gained a significant amount of torque with this mod. I'lll do my best to get back from some rounds assuming the border opens up to Australia sometime soon. For those that don't know, I have an open class E30 with a 3.2 litre M20 with just about everything done to it. It weights just under 1000kg and is pretty hilarious to drive. Usually race on slicks in A. Attached is a video of my surprise hearing it actually idle properly with it's 304 cam and new ECU. It seems to rev a lot faster than it did with the stock intake. VIDEO-2020-04-22-07-05-45_1.mp4 I've got an M2 Pure in Australia - decided to do some road trips now we can't really travel anywhere. These are fun - it reminds me of the 318iS turbo I had? Does anyone on here own my old turbo? PK8952? I've still got the M325i cabby in Auckland, it lives in storage mostly. When I moved to Sydney I went a bit rogue and got a 987 Boxster a M235i and a Kia Picanto. I was confused. Sorry. Good to talk to you all again!

Collected this today.. was advertised on here with a failing transmission. 2000 540i pre facelift motorsport, ex Japan. Drove it 25km home from Cambridge. Transmission gave me no trouble at all, although I was gently cruising... Generally a well looked after car with plenty of maintenance including chain guides and all the usual suspects. There are a few things going on with it however, and I'll document its progress here as we go...

Hey Team Long time since last post, got heaps done since the lock down, also with other small little projects going on too. But finally got the custom radiator bracket made, all plump in. I had to customize the AFM sensor to have a little bung to feed air to the ICV i tried to do a ICV delete but it ran like rubbish. Also put a DME with a custom tune for a m62b44 non vanos that i had spare into the car which works perfectly with the m60b44 motor currently in there. So car is running good now and drives as it should, the intention was to enter it into at least one drift day, but since hearing there have been a few rule changes which requires drives to wear/have more safty gear which i agree with, but is just going to cost way too much to justify one drift session, so that wont be happening now. But i found a lovely Estoril blue e46 msport sedan with a blown auto, my intentions was to change the auto out and flick it off but its just too good of a car to get rid of. So change of plans im stripping all the running gear from the wagon and putting it all into the sedan now. But will be making a few changes like using a 320z zf 5 speed box with a v8 bellhousing, so gone with the adpater plate also the detents needed changing in the diesel box. I will be getting a full face clutch plate made as the puck is just a tad rough for driving, and to fix some small oil leaks in the braided lines from the dry sump. Bonus too that the sedan is a 2002 where the wagon is a 1999 so finally get the yearly wofs. Fun times ahead.

Hey Team been a while since last post, so while in lockdown i got quite a bit done. Managed to change most of the gasket on the motor that leaked oil, intake and few other little things. Motor is back in the car now, i managed to get the wiring sorted to get the car running. flywheel and clutch all in but yet to test. Front half of driveshaft made and perfect fitment. Electric fan from e46 works a treat and cools the engine enough. Got the Pedal box in with new rubber fed line from reservoir and new braided clutch hard line to slave cyclinder. Currently have a rebuilt e92 m3 diff at Kayne Barrie's getting the flanges changed over to suit the x5 drive shafts. So not much left to do once i get the diff back, will most likely need the rear half of the drive shaft shorten as well, move the whole car to my engineers shop. Get custom gearbox x member, length gear selector rod then ill be able to drive it. Braided clutch line x5 diff on the left and 330i lock diff on the right front drive shaft taken out and just the outer cv case left in. custom steel flywheel reusing the auto ring gear e46 M3 centre modified to accept a nissan 250mm puck plate Nissan pressure plate 3000lbs clamping force All most done team.

No tape deck either... bastards.

The rise in asking/sales prices for this is relative to other hero models from the same era (including E34&E39 M5s and E30 m325i). Look at the asking prices of any turbo charged Jap car, 993 and 996 Porsche or 1990s HSVs in good original condition. $40k or so for this M3 doesn’t seem unrealistic after all.

He's a nice guy actually. $37k - call your insurers folks! Holy crap.

Not bad! Grant at GT Refinishers has done a great job. Next up the custom wing brackets onto the factory bootlid and fit the rear diffuser when it arrives. And the M5 wheels once they're back from the repairers!

Yeah, to be honest, if I was in the market for a relatively rare car and had a bit of coin, I would over-pay for the colour I wanted.

Back up for sale (decided to keep it a little longer last time) One of the tidiest in the country. Runs perfectly, enquire with confidence it’s been a dream. Specs: 2002 UK Import (no rust etc) Full service history since brand new with all manuals, two keys 160,000km Factory 6 Speed Manual (Not SMG, not a manual conversion) Reinforced Subframe Recently replaced clutch Recently replaced brakes and rotors LED Headlights / Taillights Extras: 18x9.5" Sportline Wheels BC Gold Coilovers ($1,600) Recaro SR7 Alcantara Seats ($4500 NZD landed for the pair) Alcantara wrapped steering wheel Alcantara handbrake and shifter boot Samsona heavy duty short shifter with reverse lockout (over $1000 worth) Agency Power Exhaust Setup ex USA ($2,500) Carbon Fibre CSL Style Boot ex USA ($3,000, colour matched) Carbon Fibre Rear Splitter ex USA ($600 colour matched) Stage 2 AFe Air Intake Kit ex USA ($600) Tinted Headlight / Side Indicators Blackened Side and Front Grill Gloss Black Mirror Casings 20% Rear Tints, 35% Front Duraseal Paint Protection Approximately $18,000+ in extras Vehicle is certified Recently updated WOF and rego. Recent service. Showroom condition. Comes with original seats and a bunch of spare parts. $40k ONO

Hello Guys, I'd like to share some photos of my first ever bimmer, an E91 335d.. Best daily so far! I'm based in AKL and has finally managed to have some free time go through the forum.. Already found heaps of awesome stuff & supportive forum members so far... Hope to find some more DIY tips to keep me busy over the lockdown period and share some as well. - Andrew

We are considering selling the family sedan to swap it out for something newer so posting it up here first to see if anyone is interested and also to get an idea of what it's worth. 2003 E39 530i NZ New M Sport Automatic Black Sapphire Metallic 98,700kms New oil and filter done start of the year at around 95,000kms so not due for another 5-7k Wof due 09/20, Rego due 04/21 Mechanically and cosmetically excellent, some minor scratches in line with the age but overall one of the best examples Doesnt need anything, car is running amazing, very quiet engine, powerful straight 6 3L with plenty of power and smooth gear shifts Widescreen dynavin style headunit installed which allows bluetooth music/phone, usb, aux, etc Grills and wheels painted gunmetal grey, FM7 35% tints all round, original BMW towbar, parking sensors etc. Dunlop Sport Maxx tyres with plenty of tread on all 4, staggered wheels/tyres. Plates and roof racks not included. SOLD

"Sold"!

Bolt straight in using e46 inner and e36 outer tie rod

If so, perhaps we could start a valuations thread? If the values were high enough! ? I could start an auction with a $1m buy now and "low ball offers accepted, post number in comments", see what came in. Bit of a Dutch auction.

gone to the right home, Stu!

Good idea, done. Will advise.

Looks like you're doing well in Aus Andrew. Kerry is building a 3ltr+ E30 M20 at the moment. Was just reminiscing our trip down to Manfield with our Black E39 540's and Ollie's Black E34 540 with the race cars towed behind. Someone's Navman took us the scenic way home over that narrow bridge.

i agree man , you have vested interests in some sweet cars bro. Don't sell, don't sell !

^^ Same! TBH I’ve been toying around with idea of selling mine for a while. Now I might just hang on to it, I don’t know. The thought of owning a car that is appreciating is pretty cool haha

Who does this?

Still on the hunt

F*%k - I've been here almost as long - 16+ years.

At the end of the day it is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it - if it sold, it sold for market value.

Looking a hell of alot better Can see a few tiny grooves with the primer on. Not long to sign off on this side

Thanks I saw that. I did have a chat with the owner before writing this post but I had to let it go - couldn’t get Phoenix yellow over the line with the missus!

Love that colour! Yeah baby, keep climbing! ? (admitting that I have a vested interest in the e36 M3 market haha)

Progress! engine mounts being made today!

It's been like Christmas around here, with all my individually boxed RockAuto parts arriving for the Mini. The good thing about common cars like these, that were basically the same in all markets, is that parts can be had for cheap. RockAuto stocks heaps of R53 parts at really good prices, so I went to town ordering a bunch of things I knew the car needed. The obvious things I needed was a replacement hydraulic engine mount, as the old one had dumped its guts, a torque mount as I noticed it was a bit thumpy when I picked the car up, and a full ignition system refresh due to misfires. I started with the ignition system refresh first, as this was easy and should have a pretty noticeable difference. Started with a pretty OK looking system Don't be fooled though, there be horrors lurking beneath. Two cylinders had their leads wrapped in insulation tape (and rusty, despite being dry). The spark plugs were well worn too. These are weird ones with a tiny little center electrode that is basically flush with the ceramic. Well, should be flush... a couple of mine were recessed, but all were looking very end of life. The coil wasn't doing much better either. These are well known for the terminals corroding, and mine was no different. One of the first things I did when I got the car home was to clean the corrosion of the terminals, and I noticed a big reduction in misfires, but the terminals still didn't look good. I decided to go with NGK BKR6E plugs gapped to 0.8mm as they are easy to get, easy to get to, and are cheap, so replacement in 10,000km isn't too much of an issue. 27NM is the correct torque for the plugs. The new leads and coil were fitted, and a quick test start showed everything was working as it should A short test drive, in the rain, showed that I had oodles more torque than before, and the misfire/shuddering was gone. The engine was very punchy in the mid-range. Traction was now suddenly an issue. Next on the list was the thumpy old engine mounts. This is all pretty straight forward, with the only small catch being the need to support the engine when the RH engine mount is removed. The car was jacked up and supported on an axle stand. it still amuses me that these are so rigid and short that both wheels are off the ground on this side Off came the wheel, and the jack was repositioned under the engine, using a block of rubber to spread the load. There are a few bolts to undo up the top. Obviously the big main nut on the top, but there is also a little nut and bolt holding the ground strap to the mount (this is not a captive bolt, once the nut is off the bolt will fall out too). I didn't do anything with the black valve next to the ground strap bolt, this comes off once the mount bolt holding it on is removed. There are two bolts at the front of the head And two around the back The last one up top is holding the mount to the body Once they are all loose, the engine will no longer be supported, it will float around freely on the jack. Now, move into the front RH wheel well, and remove a couple of clips from the liner. You don't need to remove the whole thing, just free it up so you can get your arm behind it The bolt you need to access is behind the liner, on the underside of the chassis rail. It's an E12 E-Torx bolt, and located about here, going vertically up into the underside of the mount. I found cracking it with a bar and then using a cordless ratchet was the easiest, as its a very long bolt and quite tight. They can rust in place, and are torque to yield, so have a replacement ready. Be aware that if the mount is leaking, a bunch of smelly oil is going to decide it wants to pour out of the hole where the bolt is coming out of and all down you tools/arm. With all the bolts out, the top mount bracket can be removed, as can the mount, leaving a whole bunch of mess to clean up. Installing the new mount is basically the reverse of removal. Just leave everything finger tight until all the bolts are in place, and then torque them up together. The four bolts that hold the bracket to the head are 74 ft-lbs And the engine mount bracket to engine mount nut is 50 ft-lbs Next was the lower engine torque mount. Apparently you can get away with just undoing the two main bolts holding the mount in, but I couldn't seem to slip it out, so had to also remove the 4 smaller bolts holding the bracket to the sump. With it out it was easy to replace the mount, and bolt it all back together. A quick and easy job. The two large bolts are 74 ft-lbs, whilst the little ones are about 28 ft-lbs. It's clear to see why the old mount was due for replacement With the major work done, I carried on with a couple of smaller things. I wanted to check the air filter since I wasn't too confident on the rest of the servicing, and sure enough, it was absolutely packed with dirt. The good thing though, is its a reusable K&N filter, and I happen to have a cleaning kit, so that got a thorough clean and oil before refitting. Score. I also fit a boot light with LED, since for some reason that was completely missing, as well as the storage tray that should live in front of the cup holders in the center console. No photos, they aren't exciting, but are very useful. The last thing I tinkered with was the headlights. They were yellow and cloudy, which ruined the projector beam and made the terrible blue bulbs work even worse. Using a foam ball on my drill, and some PlastX polish, I went from this To this BIG difference. The other side got a polish too. They look almost new. A great result from this little guy After all this work I took the car for a good drive over some twisty roads. The thumping and banging is 90% gone, I suspect the only way to completely remove it is with poly bushes, but I'm not going down that track. The misfire is also completely gone, and the engine pulls smoothly, and strongly no matter the RPM. It's now a fight with DSC when driving hard, trying to keep the wheels from spinning. All in all, some good maintenance. I suspect it's been a while since it last had anything more than an oil and filter change.

Update... The E46 has left home with my eldest lad who is of course now in the military! Our Mazda's leak was the repaired trans seal not being in place properly - Driscolls re-seated it and all good F30 was brilliant on the winter run to Castlepoint - just love the turbo 6!!! Finally got around to cleaning it today... Jon at Auto38 is making great progress on the M5 and I look forward to having it back soon... "it's an awesome engine to work on! Thoroughly enjoying it!" I've just ordered some extra bits from TurnerMotorsport - both accessory belt tensioner pulleys and belt, a new bonnet badge with grommets and a set of 10 NGK plugs. The old vanos line wasn't holding pressure - so the new one should make a decent difference new bearings are in and clearances are spot on (phew)

I only go there to check the obituaries to see if my names in there

I also started / finished wiring up the engine in preparation for its first start up. A good mate had supplied a patch harness, so with that in hand, a spare accel pedal and the ECU I began to wire it all in. Once done I trimmed the E39 530i loom back to remove the rear O2's (coded out on DME) and the auto trans components of the loom. I'll tidy the loom further and tuck in behind the M3 wiring hardness covers (sitting on the windscreen) once the engine is running. Also put more assembly lube on the cam lobes in preparation and (SHOCK) oil in the sump. Winning.

Just touch it.