Mad_Max

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........

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. 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.

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.

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

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.

Brilliant, thanks heaps. 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.

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.

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?

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

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

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...........

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. 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.

Hahaha I never noticed that...... bad bolt placement at a guess.

Just thrown some photos and some info up about the E3 for those that are interested, done it in the Projects section:

A few pics of the latest addition for those that are interested. Carjam tells me it's done around 137k, was originally NZ New and has had a few owners over the years. I picked it up off a guy after it had been sitting in his shed for 10 years or so, it came with another parts car that may or may not be too far gone to restore, but we will see. I haven't confirmed numbers yet but believed to be the matching numbers original motor. Body is straight with one small dent in the front right guard, and one small patch of rust in the boot - not a hard fix. The rest is just surface rust. Drives seat definitely need recovered but everything else appears in good condition. It has no brakes or exhaust as yet, again not hard to sort these out. And will need tyres, some lights replaced etc. But all in all hoping this won't take long to sort out and be another classic to be enjoyed on the weekends. Now just need to build my f$%#*@g workshop to store all these toys in hahaha

Had a little fun in the paddock on Friday night with an E36 sedan, ran into a small cooling problem (surprise surprise) and slightly overheated it. Think I need to replace the fan belt then should be good to go a bit longer. Or can anyone else suggest what else could have caused the temp gauge to rise so high?

@M3AN was gonna put another post up about spotting yet another E3 on a trailer behind a Landcruiser..... and how it was the same Landcruiser lol. But thought I'd just show you a couple of pics for now, picked the good one up tonight. Pics taken on my phone in the dark, so will post better ones in the daylight when I can. Oh and before anyone says anything, that tie-down over the front is just to hold the bonnet shut, don't freak and think I towed the car with just that on it ???

Ok, just cause you asked so nicely, and I happened to be out at the farm yesterday, so I managed to grab a couple of pics of the parts car for you

Just measured mine, it's approx. 1565mm from flange to flange. Can get more specific measurements if you'd like but I'm positive it's the E30 driveshaft, the centre bearing is too far back to be an E36 one (and I haven't kept driveshafts from any of the others I've wrecked). Let me know if it's the right one and we can go from there.

Do you know what the overall length of the driveshaft is? I've got one here that I think (from memory) came from en E30 318 with a 245? box. Might've been a 240 box. I can't remember exactly which one sorry.

Thanks man, will definitely throw pics up once I've got it. Haven't seen any others up for sale other than that red one on TradeMe to be honest, then again I wasn't actually looking for another car....... and truth be told I wasn't wanting to buy any more but couldn't say no at the price lol...... Scary bit is looking at parts prices on Fleabay last night...... $300 for a tail light lense........ $300 for a headlight or driving light....... $400 just for the light housing........ $1k for the centre grille.........

No, I did see that, and that led me to these two..... I scored two from the same guy, who also happens to have a third one in decent condition that's had a 351 Windsor and 4 speed fitted, his daily is a manual E34 520i........ Oh and an 850CSi tucked away..... More shall be revealed once I collect the second, much better example ?