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As I'm not that well versed in electronics, I took my sweet time sorting the wiring. Wanted to make a tidy job of it and pretty happy with how it turned out. Started with dissecting the EGS wiring, using the donor car harness as a guide to what's safe to cull. Cut off the plugs going to the old transmission and got rid of the excess wires by pulling them through the tubing, leaving only a few that I reused for the reverse switch wiring. Crimped on a generic plug that I'd lifted off a temperature sensor and shrink wrapped it in place. Took me a while to figure out the fuse box side of it. There seemed to be two different ways of doing it - hooking up the two reverse switch wires to Pins 2 & 6 of X6325 according to this guide OR tap into the black/brown wire (Pin 4) and ground the other as shown in ShopLifeTV's & 50skid's videos. Had to educate myself on how relays work to figure out that both ways will work. Decided to go with Pin 4 and ground, retaining the relay so as to not run the main current through the light switch. The black/brown wire was the last one remaining on a EGS plug after getting rid of all the wires going to the transmission so that got spliced together. For ground I just plugged into the one of the other abandoned EGS plugs. Will do for now, will tidy the remaining loose ends after I've gotten the car up and running. On the inside I ended up also removing the steering column as I noticed the steering angle sensor being a bit too loose for my liking so wanted to check it out. Not sure how much play is normal but did notice the plastic bit on the column where the end of the pin is held in place was slightly cracked. Strengthened it with a bit of epoxy which seems to have solidified it a bit. Also fixed the annoying orientation of the column where the positioning slots on the end of the column and the steering wheel would end up on opposite sides. PO's attention to detail is a joy to behold. https://www.dropbox.com/s/ec2uskchmfbs6w9/2022-11-04 12.11.18.mp4?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/bmg6ngv6po6y1h8/2022-11-04 13.04.49.mp4?dl=0 Clutch switch wiring was pretty straightforward. Also did the reverse light dip wiring as per this guide. Reused the discarded wires from the auto transmission looms. Had two to play with so managed to string longer runs together with matching colours. Also disconnected the previously run cruise control wire to route it more properly. Fished the wires along the factory wiring routes wherever possible, using an old wire coat hanger to route the wires through in behind the heater core. Blue - cruise control to DME Pin 27 Green - clutch switch Pin 2 to DME Pin 23 Yellow - reverse dip X11176 Pin 7 to X428 Taped together the loose wires previously going to the auto shifter and cable tied them out of the way. Also tidied up other wiring where the tape had come loose over time with some new OEM-looking cloth electrical tape. The shift cable hole got plugged with an OEM blind plug (Part #07147140849 but and 35mm plug should do) and threaded some short bolts I found to the other shifter mounting bolt holes. Figured out why the wiring around the steering column had looked pretty hectic previously. While digging through the newest parts car I noticed the black plastic channel bolted to the side of the steering column - on Barbara it was missing completely. Lovely. While in there... I also took out the heater core for a thorough flush and some fresh O-rings. Getting the pipes back in is an absolute prick of a job, would recommend a second set of hands when tackling this. Ripped out the dash from the parts car that, underneath all the filth, looked in better shape than the old one. Gave it a good thorough clean with a steam cleaner and applied 2 coats of Aerospace 303 protectant to make it look nice and crisp. No more footprint or phone holder dildo smack in the middle of it. Love it. Dug out the armrest-less center console bit and set of cupholders I'd picked up from the wrecker's some months ago and spent a good few hours rubbing off the scratched up rubberised coating to expose the clean plastic underneath. Those also got a couple of coats of 303 to freshen them up. Cut a hole in the underside dash panel for the clutch pedal and pretty much put the interior back together. All that's missing is the shiftknob. Three pedals at last.

Had an ex-engine builder mate come round one evening with his set of micrometres to check over the bearing clearances. All seem to be sitting towards the upper end of the spec. Not ideal but she's also not a drag racer so happy enough. Main bearing clearances sat around 0.050-0.055mm - spec is 0.020-0.058mm. Con rods were around the same. Also rechecked them with plastigauge later on and all sat bang on 0.050mm. These are the piston rings I ended up using, as recommended previously, complete with M52TU-style bottom rings. Checked the ring end gaps with a feeler gauge and to my great relief no grinding was required. Spec is 0.20-0.40mm, both top rings were bang on 0.40mm in all 6 sets out of the box. The oil control rings were between 0.60-0.75mm but they're also a 3-piece instead of the stock 2-piece so probably fall under some other spec. Gave the block a last clean and blast through wish some compressed air, wiped down the bores and got to installing the crank. Bearings went in with a little coating of assembly lube. Sacrificed a brand new detailing brush to oil duties and painted a bit of oil on all the journals as well. Main caps went on and torqued to spec - 20Nm + 70 degrees. Made sure to remember to put the brace plates on the first time around after watching 50skid step on that rake. Piston rings got clocked to different sides and not to match oil openings, brushed on some oil onto the bores, piston & ring compressor and gently tapped the pistons in place. Caps torqued to the same spec as the main caps, with brand new oiled up bolts. All turns over beautifully without much effort. Happy to have gotten to this point. Called it a day at nearly 11pm on Wednesday with a great sense of accomplishment. Best sleep I had all week. Another weekend of wrenching ahead, hoping to get her up and running before Christmas ✌

I have posted a few times about problems with this car's immobiliser but it's all fixed now and everything is back to factory normal. As described I now want to sell this car. It's a 1994 540i E34 with about 80K on the clock. Imported from HK. Excellent condition for its age with only a few scratches on the body work and bumper that are not that obvious. Paint work is in excellent condition. Will also throw in a pair of brand new Bilstein front shocks that I ordered in error from FCP Euro (I actually needed rear shocks but I misheard the mechanic when he told me what shocks to get :- ( ). They are these https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw-strut-insert-e34-touring-pne3119bg I posted my VIN a while ago and somebody looked it up and retrieved all the details which I am attaching to the posting. The car came with an after-market Alpine and Pioneer stereo system (tape deck!) which I have since replaced with new power amp and Pioneer DVD player (single DIN but it slides into the dash and slides out and pops up when powered on) which I use primarily for its reversing camera. It also has bluetooth for handsfree calling. Car located in Wellington but if for say Auckland people interested, if you are serious I am prepared to meet you half way, say Taupo. I will send over any photos or documentation I have for those who cannot view the car locally.

Great day today, with a new Left-hand steering knuckle upfront the car is aligned to Spec again. probably the first time since I've had it (3 years) that has it been this "true". Big thanks again to @Eagle for the mechanical assist. The car is also sporting new sway bar bishes and brake lines. Few more maintenance items to replace before a big south island trip next year as well as completing the Xenon project

Three Tech Twos

Well , I must admit I’m very happy with “Fritz” ( my little E30 project) E30 1983 320i Coupe Still far from perfect nonetheless he is starting to look good 😊 He will be attending Beachhop in 2 weeks (all going well) Hope to see other BMW enthusiasts there

Thought I would write a little piece about my latest toy. I've been wanting a Porsche for many, many years. However, even before I got my learner license back in the day I would watch the prices of basically anything Porsche climb. First it was older 911s, then nice 928 S4s and 944 S2s and then it was just everything else. Currently there is a 20K 924.... umm wtf. Anyway, over the last year I came to the realisation that the best way for me to get a decent first taste of the Porsche life was going to be through a manual Boxster. I narrowly missed a bargain (for the time) 987 Manual at the start of the year when the market was still quite hot, but since then prices have come back a little bit. Although that said, I am rather grateful I sold my D3 Audi S8 when I did, as I saw a really tidy looking NZ New example similar to mine go for 9.7K recently... I got double that for mine in March this year. Anyway I digress. I was torn between 986 and 987 Boxster. 986 has the bonus of the detachable hardtop, but the regular 2.5s are apparently a bit gutless, and the S variants or 986.2 2.7s are hard to find at a half sensible price in manual. Plus, the interior is a bit uninspiring and while I actually don't mind the fried egg headlights on a 996, I'm not completely sold on them on a Boxster, especially pre-facelift. Then a month of two ago a high ks 987 rolled across my screen. I'm sure a few of you will recognise it. Seller had it listed as an auction, and had some excellent photos of it in the rain with the interior absolutely filthy. Furthermore, it had faded headlights, stickers on the doors and plasti-dipped wheels which generally just made it look a bit tired, BUT had a NEW Soft Top (which cost $8K apparently). Unsurprisingly no one bid on it, and I was the highest bidder some $8K below what he wanted for the car. Car was re-listed two more times and while the final bid increased from the first auction, it was not hitting reserve. As I was the highest bidder every time I eventually negotiated with the seller to a price I thought was fair. I then made the trip to pick it up. Of course I generally do not have normal car buying experiences. Whether its my Subaru Legacy E-Tune blowing up on the way home, the clutch packing up in my Manual W8 on the test drive, or getting a flat tyre in my newly acquired Boxster at 10pm on a Sunday night in rural Hamilton, there's generally something. So yes, flat tyre.... 10pm at night.... rural Hamilton. Obviously the car does not have a spare and is missing its stud key, excellent! The letter box at the driveway I pulled into was 1126 from memory - just to put into perspective how I had absolutely no idea where I was. Only reason I was on that road in the first place was because the motorway had been closed 😕 Went to two nearby houses to ask if they had an air compressor I could borrow (as the car's one is rubbish and slow) just to try get the car somewhere safer such as a petrol station, but of course: young, Aucklander, driving a Porsche - Do you think I got any help? First house I went to I was ridiculed for not buying a ute, and then ridiculed for buying a girl's car. Second house I went to I was asked if I go to spastics school for being younger with a Porsche. Anyway, luckily the lady at the AA centre had done a good job upselling me to be a premium member with extended towing allowance so I waited with the car for a couple hours and got the tow truck to flat bed the car to a tyre shop on the North Shore in Auckland. Great 19 hour day that was. The next day I set about sorting the tyre. Of course the Pirelli DragonSport it had on it was apparently out of stock nationwide, so naturally I put on a new set of Bridgestone RE003s for $1.3K. Would have preferred Michelin PS4s but the RE003s were ready to go at the shop it was at so its whatever. So finally I got the car home and set about its deep clean. I don't think the interior had been cleaned since the previous owner bought it. It was super dusty and full of rubbish and food crums. Luckily not the hardest to clean, just a little time consuming. Then I set about removing the hideous aftermarket "Porsche" script from the bootlid (to be replaced by a Boxster badge when I find one), and also stripped off the stickers and the plastidip on the wheels. Headlights had a tidy up at Renew Car and already the car looks alot tidier. So anyway, how does it drive? The previous owner upgraded the rotors and put performance pads on it so when you get on the brakes hard it stops like nothing I have ever driven - its SUPER impressive. I think it may have a different intake on it - sounds incredible, like a baby GT3. Has that intoxicating Porsche flat 6 howl when you rev it out. Gearbox is lovely, clutch weighting is nice, steering is awesome - probably the best car I've driven. (I actually think it sounds better than my Mum's 997.2 C2S) The previous owner asked me when I was paying for it - "Is this your first Porsche?", "Yes" I replied. "Well you're screwed then, all you will want to drive from now on will be these". And so far he's been right. I've driven it everyday. Drove my W8 on the weekend and hated how light the clutch was and how high up the car felt. But of course, after excitedly telling everyone I got my first Porsche, someone from my extended family has offered me their manual 987 Cayman S for essentially trade in value so this 987 will probably go up for sale within the month (as passing that deal up is insanity) because there isn't much point having two and under 25 insurance is already an unpleasant experience with the 540i, Manual W8 and the Boxster. P.S: The car has a silly Hikeit throttle controller in it which I hate - a Boxster is obviously not a diesel Mitsubishi Triton, and surprisingly Porsche know a thing or two about making a nice, reactive throttle. Who would have guessed? Anyway, if anyone wants the Hikeit, if you know what you are doing and can remove it from the car you can just have it. Anyway, here's a couple photos of how it's looking now.

Continued assembling the block but stumbled onto an issue with the chain sprocket. Noticed that the rubber/plastic parts on it are visibly cracked and chipped away. I assume they serve as additional vibration dampeners so don't feel comfortable reusing it in this state. Have put an order in on a new one that will hopefully arrive beginning of next week. Will get onto other tasks in the meantime. Picked up this cheapish ultrasonic cleaner from Jaycar on sale that I've been using for cleaning up all sorts of bolts and smaller parts. Works a treat. Not industrial grade by any means but does the job. Using it with warm water and Simple Green concentrate for 5-8 minutes at a time. Eats away all of the lighter stuff and the rest of the varnish comes off easily with a little scrub. Time consuming process but well satisfying. Will put the lifters through the same treatment and get onto cleaning up the intake manifold whilst waiting on the crank sprocket.

Nice. Oof the nostalgias generated from this thread. I'd love to get a new old TA03 kit. I had one as a teenager and it was super cool with the front mounted engine. Love/hate relationship with these things though as I would always kill the brushes in the motors and never be able to get them to go well again, or have the money to sort it out.

Xenon light project kickoff today. Separation aided by Vidal Sassoon.

Rattling off what I've bashed out in the meantime. New shift shaft seal - thanks @Eagle, definitely needed it. Had cleaned all the leaks up so never noticed the thing being completely shot until looking at it closely. Just a $3 part too so definitely worth doing. New foam washer thingy for the selector rod joint. Very tight going on, which is no doubt a good thing. Cut that steering lock cable off right at the base at the steering column. Still locks the key in place with it turned but doesn't get stuck anymore so works as it should I guess. This happened. Again. Couldn't for the life of me figure out how to fit the clutch hard line through. Probably OTT but wanted to do it properly. Got the carpet out and pulled the remaining bit under the heater as far back as I could to create a bit of an opening behind/under the heater core. Even still, it's hella tight, was an absolute bastard to fish through but got there in the end. Not at all surprised that people opt for custom made flexible lines instead. Also realised I missed the other grommet for the hard line. I thought it was just the bit dangling on it already but there's another one that attaches to the body, part number 21521163894. I'd looked at this stupid diagram a hundred times and never noticed it mentioned in the bottom right corner... Have chucked an order in. Removed the brake booster and DSC module to properly get the other clutch line through. Not sure if it's even possible to seat the grommet properly without doing it. Again, OTT and will have to re-bleed the brakes afterwards but wanted to do it right. I'd also stupidly pushed out the other big grommet under the brake booster, thinking that's where the hard line was meant to go originally so wanted to rectify that too. Don't be like me. Took the pedal box apart, cleaned and re-greased the plastic bushes, installed new master cylinder. I'd gotten new pedal covers as the ones that came with the conversion were falling apart, but blindly got the ones listed on FCP without checking. Turns out, the RHD pedals are a different shape to LHD ones, for some bewildering reason. The RHD ones are smaller and pointier at the bottom so the LHD ones I got don't sit tight and slide around all over the place. Stupid. Dissected the throttle pedal to get rid of the kick-down clicker. Had to get a 5-point security torx bit set to get it open but was cheap enough from SCA. As was mentioned on e46fanatics, it's just a mechanical clicker on automatics and not an actual switch. Took apart the cluster to change over the fascia to switch it from km/L to L/100km. Also installed the front cover off a 330 with the silver rings to make it more legit. At some point might get that other small fascia in the bottom right corner that blocks out the window with the auto gears completely, as it does on manuals. Some more stupid OCD stuff but with the carpet out, replaced a couple of air vents with ones I'd pulled off the donor car way back when. One was cracked all the way through and taped up, the other had a patch of glue that would not come off. Will finish up the clutch switch and reverse light wiring during the week, then box on with the engine. Picked up another shitty parts car a few weeks back, will try and rip the dash out of that before putting the interior back together on this thing. Will finally get rid of that stupid footprint if that dash is in as good a shape as it looked on first glance.

Drove from Kapiti to Hastings yesterday with car transporter in tow, only to find a car a lot rougher than pictured / described and seller only willing to drop $100 so turned around and drove home. Day on the road yay. Was to be my son's first project car to motivate him to get his licence. He's gutted but proud of him for knowing to walk away. Lots of farmers pushing 3 waters and jesus propaganda out that way (ironically, also council signs saying to 'conserve water' lol) and pot holes ffs!! If I dodged them with the truck, then the rental trailer would line em up perfectly. Surprised it's still in one piece after the trashing it copped. 😆

I have Apple TV 4k on both TVs, and Amazon Fire TV 4k on both TVs. In both cases, the boxes outperform the built-in TV apps for picture and sound (TV is the latest sh*t-hot LG G2 65" from which I should rightly expect stellar performance, or a 3 yr old Sony that is a UI nightmare with decent picture, don't ask me about apps on it). The Amazon box is marginally better (than the ATV) on some content, it's got more grunt in the hardware. I have no issues with the Apple TV. It plays stuff easily from my NAS, as well as the apps that I use like numerous News apps, AppleTV+, Disney, Netflix. Seems the only people having issues with Apple are folks that expect to be needed under the hood to make things work. As soon as one accepts there's rarely any need to roll one's sleeves up with Apple, life is a great deal easier. It just works.