aja540i

I don't think they need a special battery, but, like every car, they do need the CORRECT battery! I don't have specific knowledge of the 'verts, but the owners manual should list it, if not try a friendly BMW parts department.

We have been a dumping ground for dirty end of life vehicles for decades, now we are becoming a dumping ground for end of life EVs, it represents an amazing opportunity to develop world leading systems for recycling these vehicles, but in typical fashion the government will be too short sighted to take that opportunity and our kids and grandkids will end up paying to clean up the mess. I hope I am wrong. And yes I am part of that end of life EV owners club, but I intend to repurpose the battery from mine for solar storage when it is due for replacement.

I currently use a charcoal furnace but I am in the process of upgrading an old electric kiln to use instead, I have done some stuff with steel moulds but mostly just use sand moulds and MDF patterns. To satisfy my own sense of humor I made sure I used some of the old suspension arms from the M5 in this casting!!

I am honored and amused that you think there are plans!! Its all out of my head and made largely from what I had kicking around the garage. If anyone is keen to replicate it I can post up some photos with measurements, and I have the pattern to cast the aluminium block so I could work out a price to supply that, the rest is pretty straight forward. A couple of points to note: 1)I used an E39 hub but that might not be the best option considering the odd bore size on the E39 hubs. 2)As it stands it has no ability to deal with dents on the outer lip of the wheel, it wasn't an issue for me as all the rims I have to repair are only dented on the inside edge. If a wheel is buckled on the outside edge I would question whether it is wise to attempt to repair it anyway given that it is probably cracked as well. 3)I have used a 4T panel beating hydraulic pump / ram kit so far, but I would recommend getting a 10T kit as I am getting to the limit of the 4T pump quite easily. 4) I have no problem with anyone using my design and making one for their own use, I will consider it a dick move if someone starts making them and selling them! 5) I am open to hiring this out in the Auckland area but I'm not keen to lend out my dial indicator so you would need to aquire one if you don't already have one, pm me if keen.

This one took a bit of heating, but still only the 4T pump, got it within 1.8mm of perfect, also removed 105g of balance weights that were probably masking the effect of the dent somewhat!!

finally got around to using the engine support i made in the last lockdown, dropped the subframe on the E21 to get the sump off and fix the oil leak, only to discover i don't have the correct sump plug crush washer, or any oil to put back in it!!

Sandblasted, powder coated, back together, Next mission is a bent style 66 that is part of a set i bought for the E39 530d touring...

get a Leaf!

Not possible in a diesel, looks like an age hardening failure, probably helped along by a bit of corrosion, aluminium tends to fail suddenly like this.

Thanks, I have a decent stack of slightly bent rims here already, but if I run out I'll get back to you!

When I did the clutch in my 540i the whole clutch kit and DMF was about 4k from BMW, they were a bit reluctant to supply it as it was manual converted and they couldn't guarantee it would fit, but it was all good.

I solved this on mine by popping out one of the plastic bungs in the drain holes in the bottom of the boot, I coated it with cavity wax and haven't had any pooling water in there since. I have also cleared the sunroof drains and removed the one way valves from the end of the tubes that clog up with crud over time.

1. Now, I don't have a lot else on today! 2. Once I have done a bit of tweaking and finishing off. Basically done, need to tidy up the front and trim it a bit to fit smaller rims, then powder coat it. Tested with my 4T pump and got this rim within 1.6mm of perfectly round without heat, I suspect a bit of heat and/or a larger pump will take care of the rest!

one of many projects I am finally getting time to work on in level 4 is a wheel straightener that I am putting together. I started about a year ago but have actually made some progress now. Starting point was a front hub from an e39 at pick a part, then a 5mm aluminium spacer to take the place of the absent brake disc, the frame is 150 x 75 PFC ( parallel flange channel) and this holds a small hydraulic ram from a panelbeating kit, I think it is a 10T unit. I cast an aluminium block with a radius to suit about a 14 inch rim, and drilled it to fit the end of the ram. At the back of the ram I have a series of coach bolt heads to hold the ram in place while allowing for vertical adjustment, the front of the ram is held in a pipe saddle clamp that will move up and down in 2 vertical slots and be secured with plastic hand nut things. Behind the back of the ram I have a flat steel surface to attach a magnetic holder for my dial indicator so I can check progress as I go. I am hoping to straighten 3 rims from 3 different sets that I currently have in my driveway, including the one I am using for testing (in the photos) and I am hoping to be able to do it without having to apply heat, but that remains to be seen!

I'm very happy to be in that sub section, it means I tend to prefer more interesting cars, not necessarily better, but more interesting.

What else would you get, really?

I have one on mine, its from a wrecked E60 and bolts straight on, its the Westfalia detachable type and the polystyrene foam inlay in the boot has a slot for the tongue so I assume its meant to have a towbar!! It tows fine if you use manual mode, mine burnt up a bit of clutch but it was moving away from a stop up a steep driveway with a 1.8 tonne digger behind it, its absolutely fine with my small trailer with half cubic metre of builders mix in it.

I would say this is good buying at that price, assuming it is as described. BMW only made 222 of these in rhd so its an opportunity that may not come along again for quite some time, and it is not beyond saving ( get rid of that terrible looking towbar and replace the front bumper) Yes it is more expensive than a sedan, it should be, it is a lot rarer, and yes you could get other arguably better cars for the money, but what you can't get is another naturally aspirated 500hp V10 rear wheel drive station wagon!!

You will need a flywheel on it to start it, i personally wouldn't run an engine on a stand not designed for that (like most cheap engine stands) it is likely to tip over and do some serious damage! You will need a starter motor, ECU and AFM and loom to connect coils etc, it should start and run without an alternator. It will be cheaper to use a standard ECU but is that what you want long term? If you are going to upgrade to a standalone ECU anyway, save the money and use it towards that.

There are design compromises in these motors that contribute to the short lifespan of the bearings, it makes correct servicing and carefull running a bit more important than usual but that won't totally prevent the issues from occurring.

I think mine was about 160k when I had them done, would have been damaging the crank if I had left them any longer.

I have my connection point in the engine bay, a bit easier to do without cutting anything.

Lets say for sake of discussion that the usable life of the battery pack is 15 years, how much would you spend on an old fashioned petrol powered car over that time frame, factoring in all servicing, running, and repair costs? Now how does that compare to the cost of a replacement battery? The difference is that the battery is one big cost, borne by the owner at the time, the petrol running costs are a lot of smaller costs, possibly borne by several different owners. This is one of the things to consider when thinking of going to an EV, but it is not a reason to never do it, although I will forgive anyone for not choosing this particular EV, there are nicer looking KIAs!

Sport suspension and LSD were standard on these i believe.