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Oct 29, 2023 11:08:51 GMT
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I decided to not change the brake fluid and coolant at the time of servicing as this will be done anyway when the car goes in for paint... But the most urgent items otherwise got the attention needed, oil/filter and air filter changed, the Malpassi regulator obviously has a filter as well so I don't need to actually keep the old plastic filter before the pump anymore so I'll delete that once I get some more fuel hose.  After completing all of the above I enjoyed driving the car for a few days, then without warning on the way home - luckily only about 200m from my house, I pulled away from a stop street and then the pull just stopped, engine revving but no power going to the wheels. A quick inspection revealed a loose side shaft. After a quick rescue by my neighbour Pierre, I set about the task of removing the drive shaft from the trailing arm to get it checked for damage and thought it wise to remove the other one too and get the boots replaced while I'm at it. Seeing as one pair of the fasteners was missing I was off to the scrap yard to pick some off my usual source an e12/8 which had served me well previously. Sadly they had cleared it out so I had to make do with a set off an e39 (I think)  With new boots on the drive shafts and some fasteners in hand I refitted them and then I got the cv shop to torque them properly so it wouldn't happen again! In the process of all this I noticed that there was some play in the rear stabilizer support mount so I tightened that up. I also noticed that I had previously installed the stabilizer mounting rubber with the gap facing backwards instead of forward facing as per the manuals instructions, so off with the brackets and back on with the rubbers turned around.   Now all is well again in the back end.  |
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Last Edit: Oct 29, 2023 11:11:43 GMT by BM-Jonny
1980 e12 518 Facelift
1983 W123 230e
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Oct 29, 2023 11:37:25 GMT
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While at the cv shop I asked them to check out the clunk I've been hearing when driving into my driveway. It seems to be coming from the tie rod assemblies or perhaps idler arms so I've been trying to find replacements. I only managed to find outer tie rod ends but still no inners or idler arm. There's a good write up on first fives for replacing the bushing in the idler arm only but I still have to see if I can find the bushing somewhere. www.firstfives.org/faq/idlerarm/idlerarm.htmlThe issue with the indicators initially set me on a bit of a wild goose chase - When I switched the indicators on the relay was buzzing which made me think that the relay was the problem. After chasing up every parts store in town and scratching through many parts bins at the scrap yards with no luck I went over to Bens place to see if he had a used one or another trick to make the indicators work again. Turns out it was not the relay, the fuse was just not seated well so with a small tweak of the holder the flickers are alive and well again. Thanks Ben! So if sourcing tie rod assemblies and a new idler arm wasn't difficult enough I had to start getting my head around the body work chapter. I've made my lists of parts and possible suppliers and after a few phone calls and shop visits, I've found a body shop that looks like the right place to get the old girl her beauty therapy. That takes us up to about two weeks ago when the car was dropped off. A last few shots of the before.    |
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Last Edit: Oct 29, 2023 11:39:00 GMT by BM-Jonny
1980 e12 518 Facelift
1983 W123 230e
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Oct 29, 2023 14:31:28 GMT
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Here's the first shot of the stripping getting underway, Monday two weeks ago...  I had dropped off the golden bonnet and doors which came off of an imported 78' 525 e12. The plan was to remove the drip tray from the golden bonnet and replace the blue one which is rusted through pretty badly. Otherwise most of the panel corrections have been dealt with it seems. I am also following the progress from far away so its not an ideal situation but considering that I am quite particular about how I like things done perhaps its better that I am not there everyday! These were fresh off the press on Friday morning...    The doors have been fitted and it seems we're already starting to run into problems, they don't fit as well as the blue ones. Seems they are a bit narrower than the blue ones resulting in a fairly large gap at the front fender. Fingers crossed they can work this out. If anyone knows more about this please share? Were the dimensions slightly different on the German built e12's to the one made in SA? |
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1980 e12 518 Facelift
1983 W123 230e
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Oct 29, 2023 14:57:05 GMT
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So while the car is getting treated to some much needed body tlc I'm going down the rabbit hole with the parts search. Parts List: Rear Tow plate - Received Front & rear emblems - Received New set of door, boot, fuel cap and glove box locks - received Front and rear window rubber trim inserts - received Handbrake handle - received Handbrake gaiter - received Fuse box cover - ordered Engine compartment stickers - ordered Window guides - I have only been able to order front left, none of the others are available anywhere Outer weather strips - all four ordered Fuel tank filler neck surround seal - ordered Brake fluid reservoir pugs ordered Brake fluid reservoir - Still searching Wiper arm fastener caps - searching Cover plate battery compartment - Still searching Engine compartment light - Waiting for feedback Tail light lenses - still searching Headlight replacement - At least the high beams only, still searching Fender plastic inserts in the wheel well - undecided on these Door lock pins - searching Window winder - searching Power steering components - Still researching And then I'm going to try something different... I've always loved the lines of the e12, especially the rear, but I've been very undecided on the front because the valance design just seems inadequate. The spoilers on e12's also just don't do it for me, so when I recently saw an e12 with some e28 finishes it made me think a little. So I've ordered an e28 valance. Its going to be an interesting puzzle because it will most probably mean I have to ditch the e12 bumper and that opens a whole different can of worms which I am not too keen on. I have a few ideas to make it work but for now I just want to get it test fitted to see if I like the lines better. If not I'll have a brand new e28 BMW OEM valance with inserts for sale pretty soon!  |
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1980 e12 518 Facelift
1983 W123 230e
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Nov 18, 2023 10:42:00 GMT
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a small update... I've found a replacement door off of an e12/8 which will hopefully be a better fit. It's been dropped off at the panel beater so I'm still waiting for feedback on the fit.    Along with the door (from the same guy) I got these power steering bits, they just need a bit of a cleanup...  And then a few extra pieces were thrown into the deal, I'm not really sure if there will be anything in there to use as it looks well aged but having a few spares around wont hurt either...   |
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1980 e12 518 Facelift
1983 W123 230e
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Nov 18, 2023 10:52:44 GMT
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Then this also arrived...  and test fitted,     Not the best pics but I'm not there to get the perspective I need. Seems ok, I'm still waiting to hear if the e12 bumper will fit over this valance. The indicators are my biggest concern because unlike the e28, the indicators on the e12 are mounted on the bumper and not the valance. I suspect they wont fit, in which case I'll buy some e28 indicators and get creative with the e12 bumper. |
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1980 e12 518 Facelift
1983 W123 230e
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Nov 23, 2023 16:50:38 GMT
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Progress has been painfully slow and I have been incredibly busy at work. At least these arrived today... 1x Steering column boot, 4x Rear light fitting nuts, 1x Window winder 2x tie rod assemblies.  Hopefully better progress from next week onwards with the actual body work. |
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1980 e12 518 Facelift
1983 W123 230e
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A few more bits arrived this week… 1x fuse box cover 4x window exterior weather strips Several engine compartment stickers 1x rubber grommet set for the replacement brake fluid reservoir 1x window channel (front left only) … and a complimentary parts catalogue with loads of super handy exploded parts diagrams. Very cool. Thanks WallothNesch!  I finally went to see the car this week but there are only 3 weeks left before the shop closes for the year so I don't think the car will be done by then. At least the windscreen came out in one piece this week. I'm in two minds about replacing it as it has a few scratches right in the drivers field of view.  I could finally get a better feel for what the e28 valance looks like on the car and I think it looks really good. The e12 indicators will work if we cut a small recess in the valance but I decided to order some e28 indicators instead and will modify the e12 bumper slightly to make the picture come together.  Definitely getting excited for the end product!😎 |
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Last Edit: Dec 2, 2023 12:16:59 GMT by BM-Jonny
1980 e12 518 Facelift
1983 W123 230e
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Dec 14, 2023 11:30:34 GMT
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So after taking the windshield and rear windows out I thought that its best if everything just gets stripped to give it all a good clean and make sure everything that cannot be seen is in good condition. I may as well replace the headlining and upholstery now, I can always deal with the seats later. For now lets just get everything paint related sorted. I was not happy with the window removal that was done as some of the trim was bent in the process. And so this time I started stripping the rest myself. At least these other ones I have should clean up nicely. The shiny ones are the ones that were bent in the process of taking out the windscreen.  Seats out and carpets out...   Engine out...  Blower and Vent system out...  Pedal box and brake booster out.  Roof lining out.   Wiper motor and dash...  Through all of this I am just amazed at the build quality in general with little paper fiber washers in weird places and foam of all sorts in varying layers and densities to achieve certain qualities. I hope to match it fairly carefully when I start the rebuilding process. The ventilation system will also need a complete overhaul to make sure it functions as new when this is all over. I've got a gazillion pictures so hopefully that will help but this is not going to be a one month build anymore because the parts list just had babies. |
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1980 e12 518 Facelift
1983 W123 230e
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Dec 14, 2023 11:38:58 GMT
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Then these also arrived yesterday, more freshness.   I also dropped the power steering box and pump off to get checked out and serviced, the guy recommended I pickup a ZF can at a scrap yard so I got this one from an e90 as the other metal one was toast.  I'm going to finish the strip down today as the shop is closing this week so I want to tidy up the last bits before the body work can resume - next year... |
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Last Edit: Dec 28, 2023 19:14:28 GMT by BM-Jonny
1980 e12 518 Facelift
1983 W123 230e
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Dec 27, 2023 15:16:55 GMT
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Some more bits arrived from Germany, to my surprise their not completely identical. I am a bit dissapointed but what can you do when you’re stuck on the  end of the world… Back order parts cant be returned. I'm not sure if you can see it in the pics but the one surround almost looks like it has been painted while the other one definitely has not.  v  In other news… when i took the engine out i noticed the block and steering unit area all being covered in oil… I’m not sure what that means… There has been a light knock coming from the engine aswell which I think may be a worn gudgeon pin so I think I'm looking at replacing pistons before this engine goes back and thats quite pricey considering Id still like to cam this and replace the carb with either dual or single DCOES’s… the costs vs performance gain don't make sense so then the consideration is there then to replace this with an M30b35 instead which opens a whole can of worms… Manual swap, radiator, sub frame, diff, console and I’ll probably find out a few more things need doing along the way. So more questions than answers at this stage. Would an e 34 or e28 subframe for a 6 cyl engine fit the e12? How simple is the radiator swap when going from 4cyl to 6cyl? Can the EFI bits easily be wired into the 518 e12 harnass? I’m pretty sure I'm swapping to manual at this stage because it was at absolute mission to remove the pedal box so it’s something I don't want to repeat later again. So I'm looking for that as well, from what I can see a getrag 265 looks like the right thing but I'm way out of my depth when it comes to this so any input is welcome. Are the alternator, power steering pump and ac compressor brackets the same on M10 vs M30… And off topic, does anyone have a pic of the parcel shelf as mines been cut up pretty badly…  |
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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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Dec 27, 2023 17:45:28 GMT
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Re: "And off topic, does anyone have a pic of the parcel shelf as mines been cut up pretty badly"
Hi! I'm still lurking in the background, I'll send you some pics of mine later today.
Cheers
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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nze12
Part of things
Posts: 193
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Dec 27, 2023 23:10:15 GMT
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Well my friend, you are now staring down the same conversion abyss as me! Let's answer your questions first: "Were the dimensions slightly different on the German built e12's to the one made in SA?"Basically no, as the SA assembly line up in GP received the panels as "TKds" (total knock down) and assembled them at the Rosslyn plant (photos below). There may be very slight variances between the series 1 E12 (mine is one), and the second series of which yours is. Here is an interesting study in doors: Do E28 doors fit an E12?Would an e 34 or e28 subframe for a 6 cyl engine fit the e12?How simple is the radiator swap when going from 4cyl to 6cyl?Can the EFI bits easily be wired into the 518 e12 harnass?
All of the above are best achieved by using a donor car, in my case an E24/E12 635 CSi. A useful article on the sparky bits: E28 Engine Wiring Conversion. Don't forget that going down the manual conversion route, the later Getrags don't have mechanical speedo outputs, another hybridization for you to consider! Generally the later BMWs had a common pedal box therefore a conversion would consist of a longer pivot bolt and the addition of just the donor clutch pedal. I've sourced a donor E28 for my gearbox/driveshaft combo. Note driveshaft! They are matched to the type of gearbox fitted in terms of length. On the subject of E28s, the South Africans love to tinker therefore the last of the E12s had a number of E28 bits substituted in such as dashboards and other interior bits. A nice set of leather E28 seats would certainly go well. Due to family and work commitments I am hideously behind on my conversion but have amassed a ton of parts ready to bolt on as I get time however if there is anything you would like to discuss or have photographed don't hesitate to reach out. Cheers Ken. E12 (series 1) parcel shelf:       E24 radiator surround for comparison:  E12 assembly at Rosslyn:      |
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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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Dec 28, 2023 19:12:56 GMT
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Ken, yes thanks for the info, as always much appreciated. A donor has crossed my mind but I'm quite limited for space at my place so I'm going to have to track down the bits from the scrap yards I think. I was wondering about the pedal box, thanks for the confirmation. The thought had crossed my mind that I'd possibly only need the pedal as my pedal box seemed to have the clutch pedal hole..   As far as the radiator fitting goes, surely its just a matter of cutting away the raised box section from the front wall, the 6 cylinders radiator fixing points seem to be there.  And for the parcel shelf, I might just settle on tidying that up a bit instead of putting the dimples back - not sure yet. But the metal work list is growing steadily so this may take a bit longer than anticipated. And yes I definitely do agree on the e28 seats - keeping a lookout for those, at least they'll be the last items to go in. My sympathies with all the scapings going on, I've had my fair share of that the last few years! Onwards! J |
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Last Edit: Dec 28, 2023 19:14:01 GMT by BM-Jonny
1980 e12 518 Facelift
1983 W123 230e
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nze12
Part of things
Posts: 193
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Dec 28, 2023 20:39:40 GMT
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"but I'm quite limited for space at my place"To all RR readers, this is secret code for... "my wife says if another car turns up at our place then there will be big trouble!"  "As far as the radiator fitting goes, surely its just a matter of cutting away the raised box section from the front wall, the 6 cylinders radiator fixing points seem to be there."Yes - but leave enough for the return-edge which will stiffen the panel.  All the best! K.
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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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Spot on, that she did!🤣🤣🤣
I see the flange, good advice thanks!
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Last Edit: Dec 29, 2023 4:50:14 GMT by BM-Jonny
1980 e12 518 Facelift
1983 W123 230e
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nze12
Part of things
Posts: 193
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Dec 30, 2023 21:43:04 GMT
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Just thought of something else, if you go down the M30/90 path, check what diff you have as the side-loaders that went in the 4 cylinder cars are smaller than the M30 cars.
K.
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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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