Mad_Max

4 hours ago, Herbmiester said:

Its a road car so yes diff ratio  will change. Clutch seems easy but still unsure what flywheel to get but M30 seems like an option. I really feel I should replace the G220 but as I have one still tempted.

 

Yep heap of options with the flywheel/clutch combo. If it was me, I'd chuck the 220 in for now, and drive it as you normally would. Change the fluid before you do lol. If it lasts, job done. If it starts making any noises or gives any troubles, then start hunting for a replacement, and it's then just an easy swap of the box, in and out within a day.

24 minutes ago, Gaz said:

Prob more reliable than an S85....

That's blasphemy right there ???

May also be twice as unreliable as an RX7 though hahaha.

1 hour ago, Herbmiester said:

I have all the parts so its just time and playing with engines is fun time in my books; and to be fair the parts cost is minuscule compared to what an S50 would cost. oh an I am stroking an M52B25 so much bigger potential gains. 

Basically what I have planned for one of mine too.....

Thing to remember with the Getrag boxes is that the number is the theoretical "safe" amount of torque they can handle, so you'd be better off with a Getrag 250 over a 220. Having said that, I had a 220 in my 328i sedan (small mods, nothing super serious) and it withstood the abuse I gave it. Weak point was the M4X clutch which would occasionally slip.

For a daily driver with the occasional abuse, the Getrag 250 box should be more than enough, gear ratios almost identical to the ZF, and they came factory in some E36's (I've pulled one from an early 325i, and there's one in my 316Ti). Clutch/flywheel combo I'll leave up to you as there's a stack out there that can be made to work, the only other thing to think about is your starter may actually need changed to suit the flywheel, and you'll want to swap to a manual diff ratio - assuming it's not a track car that is.

My eyes hurt...... not sure whether to cry at the destruction of an M6 or laugh at the idea. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for people doing different things, and the level of engineering and detail that's gone into this is amazing, along with the $$$'s spent..... I'd hate to see the total cost for the build. A 6 rotor? I've heard tell of billet 4 rotors setting people back around US$85k but this is next level.........

Oh and yes it actually runs

On 8/15/2019 at 3:24 PM, BM WORLD said:

ok hopefully pick it up next week , let you know , 

Hi Brent, just wondering if you've heard anything yet?

There's been a few pop up on TardeMe but none are really catching my eye. Graham's one seems well looked after so it's an option being considered. I saw the E30 Touring in the For Sale section, it would've been perfect but it's out of my price range unfortunately. So the search continues.....

18 minutes ago, C-130 Hercules said:

From what I have learnt, Gull buys on the open market - whatever sells at the right price at the time. BP refines their own product and guarantees its octane rating. With Gull, sometime you can get lucky and get good quality, sometimes a bit average. 

Sounds just like the local brothels down here...........

6 minutes ago, Driftit said:

My race car has been sitting stored with E10 in its tank for 4 years.

Planned to drain and replace all fluids.  But I wonder if it will be ok.

Na the car will be completely toasted and not worth the cost to repair. Best to just give it to me, I'll dispose of the whole thing for ya ?????

That's good info and a good science lesson all rolled into one.... thanks for the info, much appreciated.

3 hours ago, Olaf said:

I understood the greatest risk with fuels containing ethanol is that it emulsifies on contact with water, eg the condensation in your fuel tank.  The emulsion sinks to the bottom of your tank, and f#%ks up your fuel system.  Very bad news for boaties of course, frequently with large alloy underfloor tanks.  How fast can you say 'expensive outboard rebuild'.

Our old inboard with it's 351 Cleveland and 60l alloy tank used to sit parked up for 8 months of the year. First thing we used to do was pour a litre of methylated spirits (which is ethanol) into the tank before towing to the caravan park (over an hour away of shaking the tank) before starting it. Never had a problem once we learned that trick.

1 hour ago, 325_driver said:

But water is soluble in ethanol, so i poured like 5l of ethanol in, it dissolved all the water, and then poured the fuel in and just like that, the e30 was back in action.

I was told not so much water being soluble in it, rather the ethanol bonds to the water and absorbs the compression in the motor so the water molecules didn't cause any damage when they didn't compress. I'm not a science teacher so could very well be wrong lol (and would be interested to hear the science behind it if I am) but either way, ethanol/methylated spirits has been known for years to work like that.

Just a thought as I had it happen in my old 280ZX many years ago, it could also be the input shaft bearing on the gearbox, it had the same symptoms. Knocking rattle when in neutral that would go away when the clutch pedal was pressed in enough. Boss drained the gearbox, found metal chunks come out of it. We put new gear oil in it and I kept driving it lol, waiting for the day the gearbox blew up........ but it never did.......

Might be a simple check to drain the box and check the oil, see if it's something let go inside the gearbox?

7 hours ago, coop said:

What is the weight of a car trailer, most tandems are 6-800kg. Add a car and that is no doubt breaching the abilities of a 3 series and pushing an E39 to it limits. 

You can pick up E53 diesels pretty cheap now. 

Yes agreed completely, it is rare that I would need to tow that sort of weight and usually use the Landcruiser to do those missions.

Hmmm haven't seen any on TardeMe that are within my price range at the moment, it is another option too........

20 hours ago, coop said:

How much weight? Can’t be that much if a 3 series is a consideration. You’ll find that any decent weight will be just as much strain on the torque less N/A bmw 2.5-3.0 straight sixes as well.

Look to Oz where it is currently caravan season and all the double cab utes are pulling big vans all over the country no doubt breaching the max combined weight at 6 tonne. 

Couldn't give an exact weight as I don't know the weight of the trailer, but it is used for vehicles. I do have access to an old 70 series Landcruiser for towing heavy loads such as these if needed, hence why a 3 series can be considered, I'm just thinking of the odd occasion where I'm stuck and have to use that vehicle to tow something that heavy.

FYI Aus has no weight restrictions like that when it comes to towing, it's all whatever the manufacturers specify. Only NZ has a "blanket rule" weight restriction.

7 hours ago, kiwi535 said:

look at the torque figures for a 320d and even a a e39 540.320d would fill both roles imho

Yes @gjm's E46 is one of the two I am considering right now for those reasons, the E39's though is a personal preference, I'd like to see what alternatives there are other than an E39.

2 hours ago, lord_jagganath said:

graham's cars are in good nick, don't think you'll go wrong getting it.

Yeah I'm just a little nervous about towing with a 4cyl diesel, it's a lot of strain on the motor. Though it is one I will definitely consider and worth checking out as a possibility, it would be a better pick in my eyes than an E39.

2 hours ago, Palazzo said:

There was an e36 328i touring with tow bar for sale for ages in Taranaki, $3750ono.

 

Seems to have disappeared off both FB and TM, so might be too late.

Damn, always too late on the scene....... that would've been worth checking out.

41 minutes ago, gjm said:

Our E46 320d could well be available... OK, 4 cylinders and automatic, but it'll do the around town bit very economically.
Well within budget.
Needs a WoF as it's not been used for a while. One of those 'I'll get around to it things' but until it's needed, it's not happened.

And someone throws a wildcard into the mix ????. It's an option I am kinda considering too, can you pm me some more info? Any known issues with it? Is it likely to need much for a WoF? Heard about the swirl flaps and turbo issues which may have been blown out of proportion, but I'd definitely have a look and think about it as an option thanks Graham.

7 minutes ago, Eagle said:

Fold down sedan seats are very useful in a E39 sedan, one of the reasons i kept mine.

Fuel economy depends on your traffic situation, but my experience driving them around Waikato, the 540i's average 2-3L more than the 528i\530i per 100km. I agree the E34 535i has terrible economy but all the other advantages outweigh that for me.

E34 is probably the way to go if you want to keep costs down with decent reliability. I like E39's but they far more expense to get back to good mechanical condition when worn.

Yes agreed, plus the advantage of a 525I and a 530I parts cars are leading me towards the E34 lol. 2-3L over 100km isn't a huge amount and wouldn't kill any deal at the end of the day. 

1 hour ago, BM WORLD said:

ok hopefully pick it up next week , let you know , 

Brilliant, thanks heaps.

1 hour ago, rxsumo said:

I wouldnt dismiss the E39 540i - there isnt much difference in fuel economy between the 528i and the 540i (around town in the touring is currently showing 21mpg) - and its significantly better than the E34 535i sedans (manual and auto(around 17mpg around town) , and 540i sedan (auto) (around 15mpg around town) that we have owned prior to the E39s.

On a trip we were seeing around 32mpg at a constant 100kmh in both the 528i and the 540i - whereas none of the E34s got over 26mpg - the worst being the 535i manual

Only thing you need to be wary of in the E39 540i - is the timing chain tensioner issues, which you dont have in the E34 engines.

Owning an E39 535i sedan, yes open road fuel economy is pretty good, better than the Primevil is,  there's no argument there. Personally though, I prefer the styling of the E34's, never really liked the front end on the E39's. Very nice cars to drive and ride in, agreed. But just not to my liking for the styling. 

Having said that, I haven't completely ruled out getting a 535i/540i if it's the right deal, only just started looking really and seeing what options are around.

5 minutes ago, BM WORLD said:

got a cheap 95 black e34 540i touring coming in soon , with towbar  less than $3k 

Now that I would definitely be interested in checking out even if it is a V8. When could you get me more info Brent? I was eyeing up an E34 down here for ages, then it disappeared...... Would love to get more information as soon as you can do it.

9 minutes ago, lord_jagganath said:

there is a e39 '97 528i available in auckland on facebook, sub 3k. ctz438

Thanks for the tip, have you got any more info on it? I'm not on FB these days, only messenger. But might be worth checking out as a comparison to the TradeMe listings.

My current daily driver Primevil wagon is currently dying a long, painfully slow death, and is starting to develop too many issues to make it worth fixing, so I'm on the hunt for a replacement.

I've decided a wagon is definitely a handy thing to have, and have been looking at a couple of examples on TradeMe that I will probably end up checking out. Below is a list of preferences I'd like but this is not set in stone - I will consider looking at anything not on the list.

• Prefer a 3 series but will look at 5 series as well.
• Prefer 6 cyl, 2.5l minimum, 2.8l or 3l would be ideal.
• Prefer manual (yeah that I can't see happening ??) but am being realistic and prepared for an auto - not a deal breaker.
• Prefer with a towbar (not hard to fit one later if needed) - not a deal breaker.
• Prefer south island but can travel for the right deal.
• Ideally prefer something under $3.5k at this stage, especially if I have to travel for it but may consider more for the right wagon.
• Not too fussed on k's or "perfect condition" as the thing will get used heavily (currently doing a lot of travel).

I have seen the listing from @rxsumo for his touring, which looks to be a reasonable example, and while I'd love a V8, it's just not practical for me around town. And given the towing I do, a 4 banger won't quite cut it. 

So what's out there? Just the TradeMe examples?

5 minutes ago, dirtydoogle said:

I'd do anything for $20

Fly down and reline my entire house and I'll pay ya $20 ????

26 minutes ago, M3AN said:

Why can't I have all three? I read you can on the internet!

Oh, and I want to supply my own parts.

 

Hahaha dude, you pay me enough and you can have anything you want ?????

22 minutes ago, Eagle said:

Good majority of hack jobs are done because the customers wants the car back ASAP and wants to spend as little of possible. Id say most mechanics like using new parts and its easier and less change of call backs

As an ex mechanic, I agree completely with what you say there. We used to tell customers they had 3 choices:

1 - Fast
2 - Cheap
3 - Done correctly

They could only pick 2 of those options, for just this reason. Do it right the first time, it saves you more in the long run.

Same design as the old Phantom Grip, except for the addition of the friction plates. $200-$300 US for it? I bought one from offshore for $25 that is a very similar design, without the friction plates. I haven't installed it yet as have been thinking (and discussing with a mate who used to rebuild drum brakes and clutches) about putting a thin, organic compound on it for better grip, and a sacrificial surface.

Will it work? May see some benefits on loose surfaces, but I really doubt the springs will do enough to work on a sealed surface to work the same as a proper LSD. Will there be wear on the drive flange shafts? I'd just about bet there will be, how bad it will be, and how long it takes to cause damage, are the unknown. This set up though, I don't like the fact this guy is talking about using an angle grinder to clearance the spider gears and the flange shafts...... that's just asking for trouble if you don't get them flat.

But that's just my opinion, it may change when I get around to installing my cheap version and can evaluate it myself...........

4 hours ago, Eagle said:

The M52 is likely best all round option and is probably the cheapest and easiest to find. The M50 is certainly the strongest engine with a nice top end . The M54 is more complex and more work on install, has more problems and is harder to work on compared with the others. It's a nice daily driver engine, but main benefits are mostly lost on a track car unless you are going to modify it internally.

I'd beg to differ, as the design is the same for both. Just a question of if @Jardfish is boosting it or not. If he is, I'd say the M50BX block for major boost and HP, for sure stronger. If not, go the M52BX, far strong enough to handle 500 odd HP even when FI, and way more common. Agreed about the M54BX though, lots more electronics to sort out and not really worth the extra effort.

1 hour ago, Cammsport said:

G240 came on early 4 cyl E36s too

Yes agreed, this one being a 94 is far more likely to be a G220 or G250. 

Pretty sure it'll be a G250 box, not a 240. I thought the 240 boxes only came in the E30's. If it is a G250 box it'll bolt straight up no worries, and you can get the clutch upgraded with more clamping force, so the 4 cyl clutch and flywheel will work. If you do this you'll need to use the 4 cyl starter motor too. Front section of the driveshaft should work as well, mated to a 6cyl rear section.

There is a bit of work to be done, you'll need the complete engine loom to suit. Check out this thread by @adz 

 His own build doing just that, M52B28 and manual conversion. There will be heaps of others on here that have done it as well and will doubtless have a heap of good info for you.