History
I bought this car to replace one I already had, an imported E34 520i Auto, that when I got it was an M20 2.5lt Manual and was hit hard in the rear and a write off, back when they were worth around $20,000, I bought it for $3000.Late '90's I think.
Being a Panel Beater I fixed it and owned it for 16 years!
Around 7 years ago I wanted more power and was looking at buying an M5 Engine to put in,or buying an E34 M5, but they were way too expensive, and I only on a Panel Beaters wage....so I went about buying a second hand E34 M30 engine, I then went about sourcing every part I needed to convert M20 to M30, where I ended up finding from all over the place,even USA, an E34 M5 Drive line throughout. (oh , I even purchased and installed an M5 interior along the line)
Great! Started first pop! and plus a noticeable power and torque increase! The only downside was that the G280 had a notchy 2nd gear from day 1, which no combination of fluids could help.
A year later I wanted more, and talked to a local business about Turbo-charging. The main problems being location of Charger,Tuning, and Compression.
They ended up doing a x-under pipe to locate Turbo, Rising Rate regulator and only running 5-6psi. It started with factory 130rwkw, and ended up with 185rwkw, but with near 460nm! and it felt like an extension of the normal engine.
During the next year I purchased an MLS Head gasket, Miller "Turbo Package" software kit and had a Head built by an absolute BMW guru in Sydney.
I installed the Head and MLS, and took to shop to tune the Miller, Whoa! what a PITA! No live tuning ability made it very hard, and support....hmmm.
It ended up with 220rwkw and 580nm @ 12psi. Not too bad, but weren't really impressed.
Oh yeah, by now I had left Panel Beating behind, and had a much better paying job!!
You would be surprised where I use to drive this thing to work- mud, dirt, rain, massive pot-holes, kangaroos, emu's sheep and cattle.
The vacuum hose controlling boost rattled loose, I don't know when, all I knew was that sometimes it was like a firecracker! spinning the wheels well over 100kph! but then as meek as a mouse other times.
It ended up pushing through the MLS and pressurising the Cooling system, ahh no...! Warped head-pull apart!
It sat for well over a year, as I had a very bad health problem happen to me. Eventually I got it all back together, and I bought a more practical car to drive to work in, a Rodeo!
So, I decided to give it a "birthday" take it off the road and do everything properly, motor , body, steering , suspension, wheels, re-spray etc.
But on pulling it apart and having removed the steering x-member, it revealed a bent drivers side chassis rail! This explained a gap between bonnet and guard that I could never ever get quite right! It really annoyed me. Plus all the bumps from 1000's of km's on dirt roads, and oil leaks etc.
So, upon weighing up the options, it was time to put the old girl "to sleep", and I gave the shell away to a local Gumtree user.I couldn't sell it. It had been with me through a lot!!
I bought this "new" E34 unsighted, and being from NSW and regularly serviced and RWC'd every year,I was confident that it would be better than my old car, WoW!! was it what! You could almost eat off the underside and engine bay, very happy!!
A great base to begin again with!
Where I live it get's to almost 50c in the Summer, I bought this from the Snow Country, where they told me it might not have even seen a high 30c day!!
It just had shopping dents on most panels, and the paint a bit tired, it has high K's, but you wouldn't know, and it won't matter. Interior is clean, and all the options on the VIN# match, add up, and even surprise! Some "M" options! :))
Very unlike my Imported Euro 520i auto 3.5lt manual! haha!
It is already in primer, and I am delaying painting it until most of the heavy works are done, new motor, installation etc.
There is so much to do, and I can't wait until it's all done, but I won't be rushing it, I don't have to, I have an old reliable Diesel Rodeo to putt-putt around in! ))
Modifications
Fully rebuilt M30. Block bored and machined , pressure and crack tested. Oil squirter mod. VAC MotorSports Oil Pump mod. PPM 135mm I-Beam Connecting Rods, PPM Billet Hub.OS new Ceramic Coated Mahle 8.2 pistons .Goetze rings. Race Coated bearings. PPF Stud Girdle, Fire ringed block with custom Copper Head-gasket.
Alpina spec head. PPF HD rockers, PPF Stage 2 Valve Springs, Enem M7 Turbo cam,300/300, distributor delete, LS1 knock sensors, individual D585 coils, Haltech 2000 Elite.
PPF Stainless Steel T4 Turbo Exhaust manifold, Precision 6466SP Turbo, RHD Racing Flywheel, Twin Plate ZF Racing/Sachs organic clutch.
Deatschwerks DW400. PPF Custom Intake Manifold in progress.
Evans Waterless , Royal Purple.
Bilstein shocks, 18'Speedy's.
To be tuned on Haltech, and then run in normally aspirated. Adding Charger after any bugs are sorted.
