Olaf

Thanks, lads. In case you've not already done so, you might consider 'following' the Wellington thread ? in which case you'll get a handy notification when a new event is posted. Until the end of lockdown. Or Valhalla. Whichever occurs first. Terms and Conditions apply. See your BMW service person for those niggly leaks, or your health professional if they're yours...

When we're all allowed out to play again after Covid-19, and it's okay to go to the pub, you guys (@IainR and @Haggisman) should join us for monthly pub night (BMW Car Club NZ with Bimmersport - all welcome), and the meets/cruises/drives/trips that we organise. Pub night is first Thursday each month in Johnsonville, though understandably on-hold at the moment with the lockdown. The Welly crew are pretty active in the Lower north Island and the club is active Nationally and re-igniting in the south island too. Your car looks like a bundle of fun, @IainR. Jon at Auto38 will be pleased to see you after the lockdown. See also details in my sig about the club, if you've not already been nudged elsewhere. Cheers!

I have little direct e34 experience, so take this with a grain of salt, and investigate widely. Many BMWs have (common) locking issues - eg e46 door locks... you revert to key operation, and then the barrel craps out as they're not designed to be worked by key all the time. e36 touring, e46 touring, e39 touring, e60 sedan boot... all suffer from wiring issues between body and tailgate or boot lid, leading to the symptoms you mention. I'd suggest a BMW specialist to resolve your e34 touring woes; someone who knows where to look and how to resolve, will save you time. You'll want to get this done soon, lest your lock barrel malfuntions too. Some of the Auckland crew should be along shortly to recommend! Hope that helps.

holy crap!

How much are they from the US of Eh?

@Funkyflynz this is an area of expertise for you, mate

Sounds cool. You going to run one of those E-body K-frame front ends? http://www.magnumforce.com/magnumstore/shop/item.aspx?itemid=2

Excellent, John! Is the bodywork mostly done? I see it has a half cage in it. What's the drivetrain going to be - and what are you going to build it as? If you don't already have a copy, Gary Bridger's 'Hey Charger!' will be required reading. I met Gary a couple of years ago at a swap meet near Pukekohe, we was a very nice bloke. More pics required.

... not much has been happening on my e30 lately. I took Barry's barn-find 635CSi 'Barney' to the British and European Car Show at Trentham. Cleaned the number three HT lead at the cap (again), which improved some rough running. I've sourced some parts. I drove it for most of the day on Friday 28 February, and really enjoyed it. Then I had to urgently head to the land of Oz the next day, and the car has been in the garage since then. On my return to NZ, I was strapped-in to 14 day self-isolation due to my travel risk (contact with family members arriving from other countries), and symptoms. I've just emerged into 'general lockdown', so at least can plan some work on the old girl when this Covid-19 thing eases a little. Meanwhile, here's a couple of pics I made on 28 February. These were test images for a shoot I had planned for the sunday. A friend's ///Msport 325i Tech 2 coupe needed some pre-sale shots, so I was scouting locations. Accordingly, my car is as it came from the garage, with a bit of dust on it. Ah well, back to planning. Might get it out for a grocery shopping essentials trip soon, at least keep fluids circulating.

2.0 and 2.5 six cyl e30 have same calipers (two different manufacturers hence two different rebuild kits, though same pads irrespective of caliper manufacturer) and rotors. What are you looking to acheive with brake upgrades, and where's your system at currently? General consensus is that the stock e30 braking system is fine for ~220bhp with careful choice of rotors, pads, fluids for application (road, fast road, track days). HTH.

Have you any empirical data to underpin your assertion? For those actively using the cert process, yes, road safety improves for the rest of us. However, given the prevalence of discussions on FB and on forums such as this of people either actively avoiding the certification process or simply making mods that would require certs (“got some spacers bro?” “How low can I go?”, “How much stretch can I get?”) or indeed “got greenie for red stickered off the road, Bro”; or cars falling to pieces on the side of our roads, your claim just isn’t holding water.

Yeah, that's working for the public at large isn't it!

I use ATE Brake Lube similarly. It's reasonably priced, goes a long way, doesn't dry up.

That's e30 race-series dedication for ya, if a little extreme in terms of committment to racing weight loss!

Hey Jon @E30 325i Rag-Top hope you heal well, and soon. And get back into the shed onto your racecar!

There's a 'late for work' ticket if ever I saw one! Fixed camera too, that's the one after Horokiwi just before Petone offramp. Bummer. Great result mate, this car's really coming together for you. I saw your 'ex-girlfriend Jane' the other day, still looking sharp though in need of a good wax. ?

it's been a long time since I saw it. I buy little on trademe these days, and sell even less due to their outrageous fees.

Just 5% bids until you get the “within 5% of reserve” indicator - or does that no longer exist as a TradeMe feature?

Our Privacy Commissioner will have a differing view.

Yeah there was a Rotary Mazda mid-70’s that was decorated with their vinyl wallpaper demonstrating how tough and washable this revolutionary product was. I mean, if it stuck to a rally car, dealt with dust, mud, wet, washing... surely it could withstand cocktail parties/fondue parties/kids with crayons? brilliant marketing I always thought.

crispy!

interesting!

Bonnet options: Satty-B Camo wrap Ashley Vywall (or similar) wallpaper (a-la 1970's rallycar) Decoupage Strip, Salt, Seal

Thanks Greg @treone! It's already mostly better than new ? I'm planning on taking the e30 this year. Would you like to join us? 0915 at the park on the day. Be great to see you.

I had a MKII GTI 1.8 16v US-spec from mid-'94- late '96, did a lot of work on it (clutch, water pump, loads of maintenance), knew it well. Also drove a friend's 8V GLi Jetta, and a friend local to me had an 8v GLi (The GLi was the Jetta version of the GTi). They're a fun drive, quick, light, and handle reasonably. Aerodynamics of the hatch run out at 190kmh, after which they become brick-like. My learnings: Boge Turbo shocks work much better than KYBs. You don't need 17's. A shifter repair kit and new engine and subframe mounts transform the experience. Best exhaust is the one from Euro Sport accessories in California, not showy but more flowy and more go-ey, yet not pricey. They're good in the canyons and on the freeway. By contrast, the MK3's I drove at the time (GL, GT, GTi) were nice, but duller. Looking at it clinically, I'd take a 1993 318iS any day of the week, thank you very much. Way better chassis. And probably wearing its years better than the VW, too. HTH.