Olaf

welcome back!

I did find this last night, which is very useful... https://bmweba.com/eba-01-29-9-784-599/

it's a trip! you'll be most welcome.

Yeah it was a tad precipitous! Tonight I’m working on HT leads and measuring fuel line lengths, I’ll make a point of taking dusk shots on the test drive. It’s a stunning day in Welly, today.

I mentioned that to Pete at the club pub night this week. Great minds etc...

that's how we did the XF 6 speed in my e60, drain and fill, drive for a week or two, then do the dry fill/filter change/mechatronics sleeve etc. Made plenty of difference. Enjoying your project journey, Kelvin!

wow, that's a score! one of just 332, according to https://www.alpina-archive.com/?page_id=201 according to Carjam it's pretty low kms too; has it been laid-up for some time? Tell us more!

sounds like you're with a guy who's going to do it solidly, no corners cut. painful but worth it.

Been too busy fitting in working on her to get very creative with my cameras, Kyu. It’s on my list, will grab some this weekend ??

1 Nov 2018. 258,191kms not so much success on the rear bar install. We had to retreat, will continue. We left the receiver brackets on the rear trailing arms. Having trouble with the bushing mount with the bar; can't get the bolt into the bodywork. We've chased the bolt hole through with an M8 tap to ensure it's clear. EDIT: more detail on the scenario. Car elevated, bar in position with some finagling. At the top (bush to chassis): Brand new genuine BMW bush shells, retaining bolts, 13.5mm bushes to match the bar. At the bottom (endlinks to subframe): Lemforder OEM end links, Genuine BMW brackets, nuts, and elected to use the included Lemforder bolts and nuts (higher grade than the Genuine BMW items I purchased). I used ATE Plastilube Silicon Brake Grease to lube the rubber parts for installation as it's safe with rubber. With the bar in position beneath the car, we placed the bushes around the bar with a thin smear of lube in place, and pressed the shells around the bushes. Then offering the top of the shell into the chassis slot, we'd then clamp the bottom of the shell against the chassis, and offer up the bolt. We tried using a pin-punch as a drift to locate the two holes (chassis and bush shell) together. Each time, unable to get the right location; the angle of the bolt was always off! How do you get this sorted? What trick are we missing? We did mount my new rear badge, after we'd packed the tools and parts away. Genuine BMW part 51141872969.

31 Oct 2018. 258,177kms ... more small stuff. I got the rear ARB and hardware ready for install, found my M8 tap (to chase out the factory holes), and got my tools ready for tomorrow. EDIT: A little more on anti-roll bar bar prep. The few spots of scab rust on the bar (to be expected of any used ARB) were treated as follows: clamp bar in vise with soft jaws strip rust using flap-disc in angle grinder, feathering out the edges treat rust (I used CRC Rust Converter) when ready (nice blue-black finish), paint. I used Rustolleum all-in-one Black Gloss spraypaint. About $20 at Bunnings. Thin coat, flash off, another thin coat. I repeated three times with about 15 mins between coats, in a warm-ish workshop (not following the instructions to the letter, mind). The paint flowed-out nicely, didn't run, and hardened nicely. It blends in well with the factory epoxy finish, too. Result! I hadn't even bothered to prep the bar with scotch-brite! I tested the used radiator Jon had kindly lent me (sale or return). My dreamt-up test rig worked, though sadly the rad failed. Leaking at the seam between LH side tank and core, at 15psi. Hey ho, perhaps I'll need to get a new 'un. My better half is now teasing me that surely I'd already exhausted the parts budget for this car? ? Question: Where's the best source in NZ, folks? 17111719024 for M40-powered Manual Trans e30? Here's an image of my test rig. Tyre Tube with hose clamps around apertures, pressure cap on tank, schrader valve on one inlet. Fill rad and test for leaks. Bicycle pump gentle part-strokes up to 10PSI, then slowly to 20psi (the cap's rated pressure - 1.4bar). It made it to 15PSI. Oh well, at least I didn't install in the car then learn. So I guess I should buy a new one. Wish me luck for tomorrow, rear bar install.

looks like the ideal car, Graham! score. and of course orientblau metallic is one of the coolest colours for an e46 ?

Oh, and PS: come to e30 Mega Meet!

very nice! consider a new sunroof seal, clear the drains and address any rust issues with the runroof now, as a priority. Kept stock, and serviced regularly, this will continue to rise in value. A great score.

30 Oct 2018. 258,177kms ... more small stuff. 1. Clutch master cylinder cap. Jon Mechaniker had found the master cylinder cap cracked during his in-depth examination of the car. Today I replaced it with a Genuine BMW unit (21521119541). Simple job, a squirt or three of brakecleen and a wipe off, swap em over. Job's a good un. (SAE J1703 turns out to be DOT3). 2. Oil Filler cap. I found it cheaper to buy an OEM Febi unit (11121716993), than to buy a genuine rubber seal. Another simple yet satisfying job. ... and in other news, I've been having fun in my workshop. After clearing a little workspace! I've set the rear ARB up in my woodworking vice, and used a flap disc on my grinder to strip back the rust in patches. I've then used CRC rust converter on the bare steel, and this morning three coats of Rustolleum all-in-one gloss black spray paint. It's curing nicely. I've fitted Lemforder end links, and am prepping and building the rest of the mounting hardware, getting ready to install later this week. I'm having fun.

like Andy says, Tony's are a bunch of oxygen-thieves, I gave up. Lies, bulls#t and worse, you're paying for it. they're trying to get you to pay your highest price that day. you can get them trying to beat the fly on the wall, but it's akin to seal-clubbing.

I take my business to Kelvin at Bridgestone Torrens Terrace. His alignment work is consistently very good, he knows his onions, and takes a no bs approach. Be clear up front what you’re looking for, and expect the ‘why are you dropping runflats with no spare’ question. In NZ a hole in your sidewall won’t be helped by a can of slime and a compressor, when you’re between regional towns. HTH

Don't be afraid, Dave; It's my experience. I don't bother with travel insurance as it's included in my credit card (yes I have had to use it), and I've not found a comparable rental car deal that beats what Air NZ plonks in front of me as an add-on when I've booked my flights, despite scouring Expedia and rental car aggregation sites.

28 Oct 2018. 258,165kms 4. Radio Antenna. Ya'll recall the old antenna (earlier in this thread); I scored a NOS (New Old Stock, not Nitrous Oxide Systems ?), Hirschmann AUTA 2050 automatic antenna. Not perfect (the originals were AUTA6000's), though it was there and the price was right. I've fitted it this afternoon. Had to find my smouldering iron and some heatshrink. It's not a perfect fit, hopefully it's more weather-tight that the previous Alpha. I think I'll get some longer tube, I can route the drain to that outside vent... right then, the "lawns" are calling. Next jobs: testing the radiator, and taking care of a bit of spot-rust on the rear ARB.

I see the point you're trying to make, though it's not working for me. If I book direct myself with the airline on-line, I usually get the best price on my trip, including the additional stuff like travel insurance, rental car, hotel. I can buy the same thing from the travel agent, and may get the benefit of some local experience (if the agent has been on a travel-bookers junket), or even booking tours for me at the destination; though I now pay a premium to have the agent do something I can do myself direct with the airlines or with online aggregators like Webjet or Expedia. Thus the travel agent's offering these days is not such a unique benefit, and it comes at a cost which I don't need to pay as I can do it myself online for less. I think the better comparison re preying on the vulnerable and uninformed would be the pay-day loans shops; legalised loan-sharking IMHO.

28 Oct 2018. 258,165kms I've sorted a few things from the list already. 1. Windscreen Washers. I recently found this handy little bag that I purchased from the nearby BMW dealer in London (Milcars in Golders Green) in 2001. It had been in hiding in a box in the attic. Always knew it would come in handy. And I now have a spare airbox clip, for a 325i anyway. Not sure it's any good for the 316i airbox. Anyway, I did some fault-finding on the washers... the left one was completely non-functional. I disconnected the line at the tee-valve, and it cleared out... I got it working though it was a bit average. Decided to replace both washer nozzles, and the tee-valve. I had the parts, might as well fix it properly. Result. A proper sh*t of a job when you're just on average height, and doing it on the side of the road. Being 6 ft tall with long arms would make this much easier! The black plastic BMW elbows clip on to the nozzles, and the feed line clips into the bottom of the tee with the same kind of fitting. I used two of the jubille clips to replace the Oettiker clamps that I'd cut away. 2. Wiper Blades. I replaced the wiper blades, as the ones on the car were crusty and as much use as a chocolate teapot. Bosch units, nice. 3. Pedal Rubbers One of those "these are inexpensive and I've room in the shipment" purchases; I replaced the brake and clutch pedal rubbers. Safety first and all that. Before: After: Now I'm onto the replacement antenna, and may get to the fuel filter this afternoon, as well as cleaning and testing that radiator. The lawns are calling, though... update later.

you've both hit the nail on it's head. ? I'm enjoying driving a simple car, though it is a little more 'work' at the wheel. Some of that is down the just-about-worn-out clutch, old tyres, etc etc. The experience will significantly improve as each item is rectified/remediated.

I agree. And you don't need to pay, if you take advantage of the IRD system. Aren't we lucky, though, to have the choice here in Godzone? That you can engage a service if you want to. In the same way I can book and buy my own air travel, or use a travel agent to do it for me.

Howdy fellow bimmersporters I seek a 20mm front ARB for e30, preferably in good nick. And preferably in Wellington area. I've new rubbers and endlinks to go on, so just need the bar, really. What you got? HMU. cheers Olaf.

Are lawyers in the same category? I mean, you can get legal aid for free...