Goose

Lots....... I am in the process of doing this with my e39 540 sedan (although tempted to abort that and buy this!) I'm up to about 5.5k in parts already and I haven't started the job yet. I have pretty much everything I need to get started, 420g 6speed gearbox, shafts, sub-frame, pedal box, D/M flywheel, clutch, bunch of consumables etc. but I'm sure there will be other bits I come across during the job. I wouldn't expect much change out of 7k by the time your done. Parts availability isn't super challenging, however expect to be buying a lot from overseas and paying a lot for freight. Kinda tempted, but the red doesn't do it for me....

Removed, sanded and repainted the “clip-in” roof rails on the 540i this weekend. All the clear coat was coming off, amazing how one tatty component can lower the town of an otherwise tidy(ish) car. Also replaced rear windscreen rubber gasket, used a cheap eBay one but not super happy with the fit, might need to pull it out and replace with genuine.

Ok, that’s good to know. I recently looked at a 2016 320d Xdrive wagon for my wife, but ended up going for a 2017 Passat Alltrack TDI as we are up a gravel road and I felt the Passat would handle the abuse a little better.

Good looking wagon in all the right spec, however the bonnet / front bumper / right headlight panel joins look a bit odd, or do I need to go to spec savers?

Finally had a chance to road test the rocker cover gasket replacement I completed a couple of weeks back. No more oil dripping onto exhaust manifold so I’d call that a win! Rocker covers also look a lot better in wrinkle black too, not 100% perfect (due in large part to my skills with a paint can) but a lot better than they were. As mentioned before, I have a set of new non-vanos m62 rocker cover gaskets free to a good home.

I passed you between Opua and Kawakawa (opposite direction, not overtaking) and your car is looking and sounding great, an absolute credit to your time and effort that has gone into it! And yes, gota watch out on our Northland roads, there is what I can only describe as a motocross jump in the middle of SH15 at the moment!😳

https://www.odt.co.nz/news/national/nz-navy-vessel-runs-rocks NZ Navy are well practiced at this………

So…. Turns out the M62 and M62tu have different rocker covers, and gaskets. Thinking about it now, this makes perfect sense as the tu has Vanos and it’s predecessor does not, meaning a different shape at the front of the valve cover. End result, I need to order the correct gaskets (M62tu) and I have a brand new set of M62 non Vanos valve cover gaskets that are free to a good home.

Slow progress...... Decided to go with a paint stripper, primer, wrinkle coat combo, not 100% perfect, but a big improvement on what was there. Hoping to reassemble this weekend, just waiting on a new set of fuel injector plug clips. I managed to drop / lose one somewhere so might as well replace the lot. I'm also on the hunt for an engine bay firewall panel (the piece that sits against the firewall between the two cabin filter boxes) in reasonable condition, part number in photo below. Mine has gone brittle and nasty. I see them on ebay etc. but they are an odd shape and shipping is crazy, plus would rather buy local where possible.

Must admit, I had never heard of this. After checking out some videos, it looks like a good option. I have found a powder coater in in Whangarei that will do the work, hopefully get onto that early next week. I have found a few other engine bay bits to tidy up while I have things apart so not in a big hurry to get this done.

Pulled the 540i out of the garage for its WOF (passed @ VTNZ) check a couple of weeks back and noticed a few drops of oil on the ground under the engine bay. As the M62's are notorious for valve cover oil leaks, I thought Id start there, and sure enough, good leak from right hand side. Ordered a new gasket set and began work on replacing this over the weekend. Once I had got everything out of the way (and there is a lot of everything to get out of the way) it was obvious where the issue was. Someone had been there before me and instead of replacing the gaskets, they had emptied a tube of gasket maker onto the old gasket and hoped for the best.🤯 Anyway, now that I have identified the issue and have have the new gaskets to sort it, I thought I might as well give the valve covers a clean up and repaint while I have them off. Has anyone had any experience with soda blasting magnesium valve covers, or am I better to use a paint stripper on them? Also, painting vs powder coating? They are in reasonable condition, certainly better than some I have seen. Cheers.

49minutes of my Sunday morning gone, but totally worth it!

Welcome Paul👍 I’m also in Whangarei and come from a long line of 4x4 vehicles, and various bmw’s. Also considering joining BMW Car Club NZ. PM me if you wish to wish to catch up / discuss further.

Don't be sorry, this is all super useful info that will make testing and troubleshooting the completed conversion so much easier, keep it coming! My 540 is a Japanese import, so will need to work through that at the time, and will defiantly be deleting the "clutch to start" setting.

Vass, thanks for the useful insight and advice. Thanks for the heads up on the diff flange, this is something I will be checking as it hadn’t crossed my mind. I have watched a few of the ShopLife videos already, very helpful. I should be able to manage the wiring side also as I’m a registered electrician, although not working in the trade any longer. Programming still seems a bit beyond me at this stage though!? I was planning on installing a new master cylinder. I have one that came with the gearbox, but it looks like a rite pain to access, so would rather not find out its no good after fitting everything up! On the clutch switch, am I correct in assuming the purpose of this is to prevent the car starting unless the clutch is depressed? If my assumption is correct, can this option be bypassed / coded out?