jeffbebe

Boootiful.

E31 has them too but definitely not E39.

I don't mind testing (in a controlled way so the car doesn't drop suddenly!). I almost bought some steel ones from a US fabricator recently who was doing a limited run for the 8er crowd on Bimmerforums.com... But at $150 a pop landed I couldn't justify it at the time.

If that was the case then I'd expect the ticking to be louder,?especially on start up until the oil was properly lubricating everything. But not the case. Significantly quieter now and maybe placebo effect but the engine seems smoother. Regular oil changes with the recommended oil seems a better plan than second guessing.

Replaced the plastic covered rust front and rear windscreen trim with some black from a wrecked fl e30. Looks infinitely better. Before After It's the little things that count!!!

But does it really matter?

Looks peachy, Martin. Looking forward to your Kawakawa pics!!

She's a pretty special car. The owner is a forum member and has an incredible collection of 8ers (including the M8 replica you may have seen racing and both Alpina variants). The car you saw has also had Jeremy Clarkson's fat arse in it.

Manual says 15w-40 or 20w-50 both mineral. I used the latter since we're going into summer and felt thicker would be better with worn lifters, etc.

Thanks Andy, I'll check though water can't have got in after the glued it up. No idea why you'd bother. The OE gaskets were $20 apiece and make a perfect seal. Changed the oil and refilled with the correct viscosity... Ticking much quieter now. I'd like to say it was my valve adjustments but evidence suggests the right oil has made the bigger difference. Doesn't solve the leaks though so will check the plugs again soon to see if it was residual oil orbit there is a current leak from the valve seals or head gasket.

Adjusted the valves and reassembled. Ticking's still pretty loud but not quite as bad. Plugs had a fair bit of oil on them at the business end so something else is wrong. Head gaskets were apparently done 4-5 years ago so unless it was done badly it's most likely worn valve stem seals. At least the bay looks a bit tidier now.

Up to about 150 Celsius, so plenty high enough for valve covers. I managed to scratch the finish this morning being clumsy. As mentioned it's not the most durable finish. Nothing a quick respray won't fix.

I think they were James' for his old 850i and they sold. Cheap too. There was another set listed for nearly $3k not long after!!!

Rust-oleum paints are generally excellent. Though some of the 'innovative' nozzles leave a bit to be desired. The wheel looks good though... Love style 32s.

Laugh it up, Dave, and you can keep your Winkle paint to yourself!! Haha But in all seriousness, wrinkle paint is seriously good stuff for tidying up an ageing engine bay. It's not as tough as powdercoat though so you have to be more careful when reassembling.

Lifters are typically noisy, though the vid sounds worse than it actually is. And not surprising for an engine with almost 360K kms on it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ms1uaTPWHV8 And clean as a whistle inside... Degreased, primed, and wrinkled... I'll let the wrinkle paint cure overnight then tackle the valve timing tomorrow and see if I can do something about the ticking, refit the valve cover with new seals and give the bay a good clean.

I guess it was inevitable that a near-30 year-old car with more than 350K kms has become a project. Aiming to keep it a maintenance project and doing my best not to allow too much mission creep. Anyway, got stuck in today literally... Starting with replacing a cracked left hand tail light that was glued in with a couple of kilos of sikaflex: Used replacement cost $80 and brand new OE gasket $25 (E31 equivalent would have been $100 just for the gasket!!!).

Hasn't been on TradeMe and it's definitely a CSI. Colour is Fjord Grey, the owner brought it from the UK when he emigrated year a few years ago.

Vanos... Which I had overhauled thanks to HellBM but didn't (though should have) done guide rails.

I think there are around 70 8ers (of all types) registered in NZ currently. That blue one has also been for sale for some time... Months rather than years though.

That one's been for sale for the best part of 3 years. The ad hasn't changed though they have softened on their asking price by $3-4K over that time. Still about $10-12K more than the market for careworn V12s is prepared to support.

Not flack! Just a warning based on personal experience of insurance vs 'illegal' mods! The rule is pretty ridiculous that a factory tinted with potentially lower light output is fine and an aftermarket tint is not, but insurers will use what they can to avoid paying out!

While the big ol' wheels and stance don't rock my boat, I can't fault your attention to detail. Nice work and such a beautiful colour.

I'd love the RSIIs back!!!! haha

Yep, they're 18 months+ old. Last time I saw it was at the end of March. It had lost its good looks (see photo above) but it's possible he's repaired it, though new CF splitters will be hard to come by. He's put some 15K kms on it since I owned it as well so not sure where he dreamed up the price? I sold it for $11.5K, I think. On Msport II suspension so perfect ride height but not super low.