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Some E30 gold from those Guten Herren at BMW Classic...

she is going to be even tidier after a repaint. I can't wait to have the kit on etc. I also have most of the manual conversion minus the gearbox that will come with the vehicle when I sell it

just realised there's some pics of the car on this thread

Looked it up... Extracted from NZTA public information...

*edited*

@coop @leichtbau Yes the iS was the 1996 hellrot one that popped up on Facebook Market Place for 5K. It is also an M Package car making it even more rare! Apparently other than the paint, the car was mechanically in good shape and so was the interior. Of course at 5K there was a huge bidding war because everyone (myself included) wanted the car. The guy selling it was overwhelmed with all the messages and couldn't keep up with what people were keen to pay for it. He had no idea what he owned. He almost sold it for 7K but then the first buyer reneged on the deal due to the state of the paint. I believe it sold for 8.5K in the end, and the new owner is spending more than that on a full glass out respray to restore it back to how it should be. It should look factory fresh once its done! Although I missed out on it I'm happy an enthusiast got it and is going to restore it, rather than someone who would use it for skids and just abuse it. Judging by some of the comments on the marketplace ad, there were a few people keen to do the latter with the car The silver one was for sale in November 2019 and was the last iS to come to NZ. Its a very nice example, I have seen it in person a few times.

Tidy!

Spent hours looking in one of my parts cupboards for some pre-FL bumper mounts I was sure were in there. Found one, only to realise it’s not suitable for what I wanted to use it. Then, just as I finished checking the last box, the cupboard fought back and threw a whole shelf load of glass bits over me! Lost one rear quarter window but luckily the rest survived. Repaired the shelf, put the glass back and swept up the broken bits. What a waste of time, luckily there is plenty of that available at the moment.

Diff make a huge difference to driveability?, that thing must be hilarious with an open diff in the wet (or dry)

Yes thats right I remember having it on my Watchlist when it was 8K. Seems like its a very nice low km example, which is getting increasingly challenging to find. When I was compiling my registry I found quite a few 540s have their registrations on hold or haven't had a WOF in a few years, so it seems there aren't a huge number being regularly driven anymore. Yeah the V12 touring is certainly an interesting one! Wouldn't mind owning it myself, would leave quite a few people speechless when they see that V12 under the bonnet of a station wagon.

Very little difference. Better fuel economy apparently. More of an experiment than anything.

I followed YT 2038 on TM when the last Dunedin owner sold, I think from memory it got down to around $8k. Yes to joining e34 Enthusiasts NZ fb page. That v12 Touring thread was interesting.

My money would be on the derv-burner!

EPS retrofit. Installed and coded to the car. Has a great feel. Dif ratio change from factory 335d 2.81 to a 3.08 LSD.

Facom / Toptul / Koken / Teng I've used professionally and rated. Ive got Toptul for personal use. I'm eyeing up the Milkwaukee digital range that can also measure to a torque and then an additional degree rating for things that require an angle after being torqued. More of a want than a need though.

Slow progress still lately tooling around with header mockups and getting organised to start learning to TIG weld (waiting on gas bottle in L3). Happy to report that header tubes are mocked up for both banks now at least and lengths all spot on ... on the downside they will be a nightmare to fabricate, on the plus side I will be able to put them in and out of the car without removing the engine Onto the pictures since this is basically a photo record of the build it seems ... Started on some parts for the jigs I will make for the header fabrication. This is a fake collector end and some slit 1-7/8" tube which will snugly support the 1-3/4" primary tube OD. I will cut this down into small segments as needed and weld upstands to attach to a base plate ... this will support the plastic tube at key locations. At either end will be a flange to simulate the head and the fake collector on the pointy end. Sounds confusing but will be clear once I get a picture up of the setup. Left bank all mocked up. This side was much harder as expected, mainly due to the starter motor, brake / fuel lines, LCA bush carrier, clutch line fitting and the body work where the ABS is located. Managed to get it all working without any panel work or relocation ... will need some quality head shielding however and removal of the sound deadening fabric. The view from underneath ... not super ideal but about the best I could do and the lengths are all spot on. Finally something looks familiar and not like some crazy guys arts and crafts project

This irritates me so much. And is why I quite like the Model S Tesla. It just looks like a car. Especially a few years since its release.

I'm in my mid 40s. Sold my 130i to get back into an E36

While I save for suspension refresh and collect pets for that. (Full set of New front control arms arrived last week) me and a mate who is an electrical whizz added an OEM tow bar loom to the car. it’s had a tow bar well before I purchased it but not any wiring. Doh. good project, lots to take apart to get it done and that’s what takes most of the time, about 5 hours including a bbq rib break for lunch. 😛 also, like most zealots when taking these things apart, the under side got a thorough clean the other half has seen the result and has now decreed I must test it at the nearest garden centre. 🤣 thanks to @hqstu for the loom positioning of control box and running loom along main harness. this poked throug under the rear seatbelt and was run along the main harness to the LCM, when it was installed using genuine BMW plugs for all LCM connections give the rear a good cleanb wehile bumper is out, degreaser doing its magic All buttoned up, trailer plug in proper place, doesnt look too bad. disassembly of plug to feed through the new chassis hole and for a thorough clean New hole drilled for loom