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Update: I have norrowed down the power loss to the maf as the biggest contributor if not the only one. Symptoms included After 3500rpm the car would just lose a lot of power, like going from 8cyl to a 4 banger but still smooth running on all 8. On colder mornings sometimes the problem was barely noticable Holding throttle at about 5 - 10% in neutral would make the rpms surge between 200-1500 but at 20% or more would hold constant rpm OBC set on l/hr on a wot pull would show it increase steady untill the power loss then drop off considerably and sit around 40l/hr I checked the fuel pump and made sure all connections were tight, done a smoke test to ensure no air leaks from when i done the valley pan and timing chains etc. and also as i mentioned earlier unplugged the maf which is what made the obvious difference. Whatever you do when looking for a maf DO NOT buy a no name chinese knock off.... i know i know. Its been said many times before but i thought what the hell its only $30. When i put it in, my baby wouldnt even start, just fired and died. I bought it knowing this might just happen so i got one with a warranty so at least i got my money back and no harm in trying right? Anyway new bosch one installed and WOWZER! This thing throws down some power, i was expecting an improvement but not the "stick you in the seat" kind. Moral of this long winded story, take the advice from other people that have had the same issues and dont cheap out on chinese copies, they are NOT the same. My 540 is knocking on the door of 300k now and i have no history on it apart from what i have done and seen so it will be a long road yet before im completely content.

Head Completely Rebuilt She hauls ass now Thinking of adding a few more HP by painting the rocker cover and timing belt covers "Regal Red"

All the bolts and nuts must be replaced - they're single-use. The strut bearing - definitely. The bump stops, spring seats etc - yes. You can probably skip the perch - number 9. And save some money on some washers. But hey - you get it apart, and find a couple of the bits you were scrimping on are knackered, what do you do - wait another week? Or put it back together and tear it down again? Good luck with your search!

What do you mean about the coil spring seats being pointless here? I am clueless on this point. EDIT: I do totally buy bits and bobs I don't need. Usually any bolt I am touching gets replaced. Any washer, etc... Smaller parts too. If it adds relatively negligible costs, it's getting replaced as collateral cost/damage as it were.

Definitely get the strut mounts, whilst the rubber is usually passable the bearings are typically rough gone at those k's. New bump stops and rubber boots are probably needed in this case, maybe the lower spring pads if they are deteriorating but the rest of that kit isn't typically needed in my experience

Can’t really comment on the gas bit, but you won’t need a rib rack for short ribs, they’re a pile larger than pork ribs so just elevate them on a wire cake rack or the like. The challenge will be keeping the temperature low and consistent enough for long enough and/or getting smoke over a long period.

which springs and shocks did you go for?

the 3.0 six was already 50:50.

sorry Christian, I was catching up on your thread, was referring to earlier post with the CF inserts for your steering wheel/?

I bought a manual E39 for well under 5K, do I have to leave this discussion now

^ good luck trying to find a decent one these days.. prices skyrocketting for nice ones and the cheap ones are.. well cheap for a reason. thrashed to death vtec all day

Went on a date.

Yup, people keep trotting out the same stories - all UK cars are rusty because of salt, all Singapore have electrical issues, all Japanese have been stuck in traffic all their life, etc. etc. Treat every car on it's merits, check for known issues, every car / owner / history is different. Take the car for how it actually is, not how all the sooth sayers on the Internets suggest it will be. As for NZ New being a bonus hmm, not so sure on that one.