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Feb 10, 2017 10:49:25 GMT
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Just a small update this week. I ordered some components from BMW that were missing from the strut assemblies, but once I get those then I can reassemble and get the car back on its wheels. In the meantime I have cleaned up the air filter pan that came with the Weber setup, I know its not original so a decent K&N unit would go nicely instead. However for my purposes right now to just get the car running again this will have to do. So here's the pan before, notice the home made bracket, a bit crude for my liking.  And After. I have replaced the bracket idea with a single longer bolt which sandwiches the two sides, it is fastened on the inside with two nuts for obvious reasons.  |
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Last Edit: Apr 16, 2017 17:56:04 GMT by BM-Jonny
1980 e12 518 Facelift
1983 W123 230e
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Feb 10, 2017 12:35:33 GMT
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You're winning Jonny, good man.
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Still learning...still spending...still breaking things!
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Bigdoors
Part of things
cherwelldoors.com
Posts: 176
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Feb 10, 2017 14:19:51 GMT
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PM'd
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Apr 14, 2017 16:04:34 GMT
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Right, time for an update. I haven't been able to do as much as I would have liked, which is how it usually goes... The aim was to get the bits I've got reassembled and get the car through the roadworthy this year. Unfortunately that hasn't happened yet though I am slowly finding my rhythm with this project. As this is all pretty new to me its all just figure it out as you go... I've come to realise though, the picture in my head will not be attainable on the first go at this. So I have decided to break it up into three phases, or at least that's how I'm seeing it at the moment. Phase 1: Reinstall engine, get the car on the road and mechanically sound. Phase 2: Replace/Upgrade certain components as well as body work prep/rust removal etc. Phase 3: Complete strip down, Paint and reassembly. Ok so with the goals set, we can get back to some pics, first up was getting the car back home so that I could continue working on it in my own time. The sub-frame and rear axle had to go back on the car so I could get it towed back home. First though a few minor obstacles. I received the sub-frame back from the shop doing all the bushes etc. They disassembled the parts from the frames before it went off to sandblasting. Unfortunately the reassembly seems to have posed one or two minor challenges to the chappy doing the work. So I had to rearrange a few components before it went back on the car.  The front stabiliser was probably the easiest to spot, though stupidly I also only realised this after bolting the subframe back to the car. So it had to come off again, turn the stabiliser the other way round and bolt back on. Then I also noticed when putting the shocks back in that the bottom of the struts weren't lining up with the holes on the tie rod levers. So I removed them and swapped the two round and the picture came together again... The bolts (in the pic) screwed into the steering pump bracket were also not meant to go there, those were strut to tie rod lever bolts. Of course one would know all this if you disassembled everything on ones own - lesson learnt.    Back at home! Now the fun can finally begin!  |
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Last Edit: Apr 14, 2017 17:41:32 GMT by BM-Jonny
1980 e12 518 Facelift
1983 W123 230e
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Apr 14, 2017 17:34:27 GMT
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1980 e12 518 Facelift
1983 W123 230e
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Mark
Posted a lot
Posts: 3,825
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Apr 16, 2017 12:36:10 GMT
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Great work fella. I regret selling my '72 520 m10 powered e12. Looking back it was a cracking car but I needed the space. Anyway, keep on with the updates!   |
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Last Edit: Apr 16, 2017 12:47:48 GMT by Mark
E36 BMW 318is saloon (rare as a hens false tooth)
VW Caddy Maxi 2010 (usually full of Labradors)
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Apr 16, 2017 14:00:41 GMT
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Last Edit: Aug 19, 2020 17:38:45 GMT by BM-Jonny
1980 e12 518 Facelift
1983 W123 230e
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Apr 16, 2017 14:08:54 GMT
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very nice to see this getting back on its feet. must be rewarding as heck!
great job on the suspension bits....seems to be the way of it sometimes, doesnt it?......taking it back apart just to put it back together again.
love this series bimmer
JP
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I know its spelled Norman Luxury Yacht, but its pronounced Throat Wobbler Mangrove!
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Apr 16, 2017 14:09:45 GMT
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Hey Mark, What a beaut! Yes they are fantastic cars. One always has this feeling though where you wonder if another car with a slightly more M30 heart wouldn't satisfy you more... On the flip side I'm loving the simplicity of the carb M10 setup and the fact that there is so much space to tinker with stuff, its great to work on, and besides it packs enough punch for the old 3 speed automatic in there as well.  |
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Last Edit: Aug 19, 2020 17:40:29 GMT by BM-Jonny
1980 e12 518 Facelift
1983 W123 230e
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Ok So some time has passed now, and not that much has happened. Finding time in between the usual life commitments has been quite a challenge. I've managed to get a few small bits done but it is seriously going against my grain to fit new and old parts together, or rather, refurbed and non-refurbed. Just a few pics of the progress so far. Distributor/leads connected:  And Some plumbing and intake manifold:  Also having a real nightmare with these:  These coolant pipes are an absolute curse word to reconnect. I set aside half an hour to connect them up (should be easy right, they came out of there so they should just connect right up) and it took me six hours and still no luck. Then again I was crawling in under the car with it slightly angled up on the ramp into garage, no trestles. Perhaps I should invest in some of those first. Anyway these pipes have been refurbed, or at least the rubber section was replaced. The metal section should be as it was when it was disconnected from the car but I just haven't had any luck - so still a few more hours of wrestling and bending to be done there... Here you can see tight spot they are supposed to pass through. Connect perpendicular to underside of gearbox then head right and up around bell-housing, allowing enough space to clear the exhaust pipe. Then along the engine block below the exhaust manifold and then via two 90 degree elbows connect up to the underside of the radiator. I've managed to get one connected but as you can see, it doesn't leave any space for the exhaust pipe to be fitted. The coolant hose needs to move closer to the bell-housing still.  I am also wondering about this, the prop shaft isn't going in as far as it did before. There is a good section of it in so it's not just hanging on by the nails but it just bothers me... Input welcome!  |
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Last Edit: Jul 1, 2017 15:28:59 GMT by BM-Jonny
1980 e12 518 Facelift
1983 W123 230e
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I also sourced one or two other bits in the mean time to be cleaned up and fitted at a later stage. 'New' handbrake boot, the old one is all torn up:  And a front anti-roll bar off a M535i - Its a slight bit more chunky than the one currently fitted to the car. And also a rear anti-roll bar which the 518 does not come out with. Hopefully they will make some difference.  And then one of these...     |
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1980 e12 518 Facelift
1983 W123 230e
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Sept 2, 2017 16:45:10 GMT
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Right folks, so some time has passed now and not a whole lot has changed. Some pics below of things that have..  I had started to run out of patience with the project as I don't have the proper space to work on it at the moment and were also busy renovating our house at the same time, so I am just throwing things back together to get the car started. That way I wont have to push it up and down the ramp all the time when I need my work space in the garage for other things. Having attempted that, several times, the result was as follows:  So a few issues are raised. Starter sounds terrible, it will need a good clean up or perhaps replacement with a modern unit if possible? Alternator is all wobbly so mounting needs bushes. And it needs to be tidied up/serviced or replacement. The fuel is seven years old, so i'm not sure if its still ok to use. but I reckon I'd better change it before I attempt another start. - Though now the fuel cap wont come off. So I wonder if there is perhaps a vacuum in the fuel tank.  The carburetor seems to leak fuel, so that'll need attention too. My ignition switch also needs replacement as the wires are all bare and starting only happens by means of hot wiring at the moment. |
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1980 e12 518 Facelift
1983 W123 230e
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nze12
Part of things
Posts: 193
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Howzit Jonny - Nice progress being made here. The brake master looks unusual, is this an early evolution of the E12/E28 hybrids that came out of Gauteng? As for roll bars, E24 ones will (should) fit as well. I can fully relate crawling under cars being a pain, this is why my E12 project has stalled but stay tuned folks as progress is about to resume! forum.retro-rides.org/thread/163104/bmw-e12-time-capsuleCheers Ken. |
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1986 BMW E30 refreshed to original spec
1973 BMW E12 520 converting to Motorsport 530
1982 XJS V12 converting to 5 speed manual
Many landscaping projects overriding above!
Cogito cogito ergo cogito sum!
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Sept 8, 2017 11:52:12 GMT
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Hey Ken
Thanks, I've done some digging on what year and spec the car is but come up with various interesting bits. To answer your question though, it is not an early e12/8 but yes it is a later model Series 2 518. Series 3 saw then end of the carburetor 518 and I suppose they would have naturally upgraded parts like the brake master in the later models. My understanding is that when BMW changed the 520 model to 6 cylinder in 1979 the 518 was upgraded to the 2.0L engines that were produced for the 520's. So from the VIN registers, my Vin no. actually corresponds to a 1980 520 VIN but the car is a 518.
Thanks for the heads up re the roll bars.
Looking forward to have my new garage built next year - so working under the car on the floor will be a thing of the past real soon and progress should be a bit quicker!
I always enjoy pics of cars like yours, it is such a valuable resource when trying to put the puzzle back together. Its seems the brake booster in yours is quite a bit larger - almost similar to what was used in 2002's if i'm not mistaken?
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1980 e12 518 Facelift
1983 W123 230e
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nze12
Part of things
Posts: 193
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Hi again I pulled the air intake off to get a shot of the brake boosters. .  They look identical to the E24/E12 donor car I have, albeit the 635 has them facing each other.  I think it's the same setup in the later 528/535 cars as well. Couldn't agree more about detailed photos, I have a complete set of factory build photos for my XJS. For the E12 I was able to pick up an original E12-520 workshop manual (the big ring-binder type) from ebay.de. Right, must get back to the wiring, below is some SA history for you. Cheers Ken.      When I posted these pics I couldn't remember the source; here it is... e12.de/palette/za/02660l20.htm |
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Last Edit: Sept 10, 2017 20:05:58 GMT by nze12
1986 BMW E30 refreshed to original spec
1973 BMW E12 520 converting to Motorsport 530
1982 XJS V12 converting to 5 speed manual
Many landscaping projects overriding above!
Cogito cogito ergo cogito sum!
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Sept 16, 2017 7:26:25 GMT
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Hey Ken, yes that's quite a setup. I wonder if it's the heavier cars or just earlier cars with that setup...
Thanks for the pics. I am aware of e12.de - such a valuable resource. I have spent quite a bit of time on there figuring out exactly where my car fits into the bigger scheme of things. I chatted to Ulli loads when I just got the car to figure out how the chassis numbers and vin matched up as initially they seemed not to - then he explained the whole complete knock down kit situation to me etc...
A little more progress this week on the car, updates to follow...
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1980 e12 518 Facelift
1983 W123 230e
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Sept 16, 2017 14:36:34 GMT
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Ok, so I had one day set aside this week to work on the car.The plan was to get the starter and carburetor off for a clean and a service, but that is not what ended up happening. I also wanted to spend a day just cleaning up the fenders to put them back on and start dressing the car up again bit by bit so it looked a bit less naked, and in preparation for my garage needing to be emptied in a few months time I thought it makes most sense to store all the car parts where they belong, back on the car. My wifes' folks used to have their hands in cars quite a bit in their spare time back in the day, So her uncle, Flip - ex panel beater of 40 years, offered me some help with the body work. So this is what we ended up doing on Thursday: Pic shows before, before and after shot of the rough work on the LH fender. I'll still tidy it up of course.  RH fender before, with quite bit of filler.  Then:  The bonnet also received some attention. It has basically been decided to keep the original and just make the repairs necessary instead of using the donor bonnet... I don't have the best before shot of the dent on the top side, like something had been dropped on it.  It seems that it was then attacked with a grinder and filler which I had removed a few months ago:  Now with dents removed and a quick run over with the da sander. All the little grinder cuts of whoever attempted body work are now easily seen.  And removed with the wire brush:  Quick coat of paint to prevent any further surface rust.  Then there is also still the issue of the doors which are badly rusted through, though we only concentrated on the dent that came about a couple of years ago when a tow back to George went wrong. Coming down a mountain pass on the last few kilometers home the A-frame broke loose on one side and sent the BMW into the ditch, pulling us (towing) into a rear end to back door T-bone sort of position - if that makes any sense at all.  Dent improved: Though the skin still needs to be shrunk back a bit if I understood correctly, and then obviously finished off.  Fenders and bonnet refitted so-so and shes looking less naked already  |
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Last Edit: Oct 27, 2017 18:13:57 GMT by BM-Jonny: Replaced a pic with a better one.
1980 e12 518 Facelift
1983 W123 230e
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Sept 16, 2017 18:37:48 GMT
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You're still winning, nothing like progress. And oil catch tank looks great, must be good for another 10 BHP... |
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Still learning...still spending...still breaking things!
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Sept 16, 2017 21:04:42 GMT
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Just curious, did you sort the prop length issue and the fit into the box?
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Sept 17, 2017 1:01:57 GMT
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I agree with woof, you are still winning on this project for sure...repairs look very good and I'm glad you are using original metal where you can...
JP
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I know its spelled Norman Luxury Yacht, but its pronounced Throat Wobbler Mangrove!
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