aja540i

I bet none of them looked like the ones in those photos!!

Awesome, thanks.

What colour is the wire that goes to pin 7 in the older, round pin e39 stereo plug? Its the i-bus wire, and i cant find the old plug i cut off to check!! Thanks.

I was told it is there to make the hose o.d. bigger so they can use a standard end fitting, the same one one as a rubber hose, instead of making specific fittings to fit the braided line. I have seen hoses without the plastic bit, but most of the cheap ones have them.Like i said, i have no problem using them, and I'm just passing on what i heard, it could be sales b.s.!

I have heard that the braided hoses that have a small piece of plastic hose over the braided stainless where the ends are fitted aren't the best, the best ones are metal right to the braided hose. Having said that i have had a set of these on my 540i wagon for about 2 years now and i haven't died!!

I put an M5 front bumper on mine, you will need the mesh insert, fog lights, the brake ducts, and the flat panels underneath in front of the wheels, but should bolt straight on. Good upgrade!

Go mongrel, weld an old bolt to it and undo it!! Then put a new filter in cos the old one is melted!

Just get the 540! The difference in the economy on the open road will be small, and the 540 is just fast enough, especially with a 6 speed manual! They can be expensive to maintain, but worth the effort. I have had mine about 8 years and i have no idea what i would replace it with!! I have taken it to Wellington a few times and it gets from Auckland to Bulls before it needs gas, and when you get there it doesnt feel like you have been driving all day. Good luck

I thought the e36 M3 had red needles on the gauges and a little M badge in the dash? Could be wrong.

Sweet!

What are you doing with the guts of the original seats? I am keen to get hold of the air pump for the lumber support if you dont need it. Cheers.

I'll take the compressor. Let me know where & when to pick up. Cheers.

I think the main difference in the e39 wheels is the airbag, single stage or dual stage, they have different colour plugs. If your original wheel has a yellow airbag plug you need an upgrade with the yellow plug, if its orange you need orange. As far as i know there is no way to swap between the 2. Keep in mind e53 X5 and e38 7 series wheels may also fit, also some e36 and e46 wheels may be compatible. Sorry cant tell you what wheel you have there. Good luck.

Have you had the certifier around to have a look yet? If not, it might pay to at least give him a call before you start covering anything in. I would hate to see you have to rip stuff out again so he can sign off something!! Looking good, keep it up!

Most of my stuff is King Tony, never let me down, and you can buy it in sets or by the piece so you can build up a good collection without spending a huge chunk of cash at once. Most engineering places stock it.

I may know this car, if it is the one i think it is, it was garaged on a commercial property all its life and only used occasionally, it will be as mint as they get and has probably never been over 100km/h. If its this car i am also quite sad to hear the owner passed away as i worked for him for several years.

Another thing to consider is that any colour applied while anodizing, usually red or blue for fittings, is just a dye in the anodizing solution and usually fades badly with uv exposure so not really suitable for wheels (unless you only drive at night!)

Its putting down nearly twice as much power as my 540i!Still not sure about it though, nissan gearbox, why?

Or get a multi stage battery charger with a trickle charge mode and leave it connected.

Yeah, that bush should be pressed in, no way you should be able to slide it out! Is there anything to stop the shock sliding off the mount once its in? If not, its pretty dangerous.

Cams, head work, high compression pistons, all a good start and would cost more than the car is worth. If you are really lucky you might get 10 more hp. Im not saying dont do it, just be realistic about your budget and goals. Mine is also non lsd, i think it was still an expensive option on what was a relatively cheap BMW when new! If you are set on keeping the m44 you might be better off spending time making the car lighter and improving the handling! Good luck either way.

Start saving for an M3!

You could try heating it up, metal expands when it heats up and it may be enough to get it over the pipe.

I dyno'd my 540i at at 270ish km and it made 161kw atw, i dont know what it would have put down when new, but that seems to be in line withthe factory quoted power figure (210kw at flywheel) since then i have freshened the motor up and converted to manual, so my next dyno reading will be interesting! PS, my car gets 'cleared out' pretty regularly, with the odd bit of gentle driving, and seemed to be pretty well serviced before i got it.

Would be a lot easier to put in a second hand compressor.