E34 - daily driven.

[Paltsu]

WTF is wrong with you?

No need to be cryptic, you can always tell me if somethings wrong and please, do tell. I do know, that the color doesn't fit for some people, but it's always worth a try. After all, those are just a reps.

G535, thanks mate, you think that clear coat could save the rattle can paintjob? I think i will try that, because i'm not into mismatched panels with stickerbombing or graffitis. If there's any way to get even close, i'm going to give it a try.

Zic, thank you also, it's more than needed.

[G535]

This is the point where i almost broke down. But today i'm getting a new inner plastic for the fender and actual fender from that same 518i, in gold-ish brown, don't know the color code. Now what? Any ideas for the fender? I still have some color coded rattlecan for alpineweiss II, but you know how "close" those come. And i have also shitloads of that turquoise also.

Hey bud, dont give up on this one! Id say give it a try with the rattle can alpine white. If you have access to a compressor with paint gun then shoot a coat of clear with that. It will come out much better than a rattle can job. You can wet sand with 2000 or 2500 grit and buff the whole fender (or the whole car) afterwards and the colors should match!

[PavelK313]

WTF is wrong with you?

[Zic]

ouch, good luck with the project.

[Paltsu]

Hello everyone,

i thought i could squeeze in with my beloved (*****) e34, now that i'm finally making more progress. So, in short form:

I'm from finland, land of all the unexplained and idiotic laws about cars.
E34 520i '89, driven about 450tkm/279600 miles. Alpineweiss II and had a blue interior.

Doesn't have anything spectacular, the very basic model (scandinavian version), seat heaters and electronic mirrors. And thats about it. Bought it when i was 20, so i have had it for 3 years. Got a set of BB RA:s with it and didn't realize the potential back then. First year went with basic look, not sure if i bought a set of 18" ACS Type-II replicas back then or half a year later.

And pics from the first year:

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/228048_1011515280913_1015928548_54914_4186_n.jpg

http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/227683_1011515320914_1015928548_54915_4440_n.jpg

Then started following finnish bmw forums and understood the potential in these. I have always admired the timeless lines in e34, but now i knew what to do with it.

First, BBS RA - 8x16 and made in west-germany. Had to clean them up. Never done this before and i really didn't know much about repairing cars either.

What i started with:

http://harril.net/fiels/pictar/images/IMG_4973.jpg

And how those ended up:

http://harril.net/fiels/revon/images/IMG_5664.jpg

Then bought KAW 80/20 set from the factory, M5 rear lights, black(?)optic front lights and redid the whole interior with a khaki interior from friends E34 518i and bought M5 half-leather seats. Also filled doors and back with dynamat and made a front splitter thingie. To be honest, this is the biggest thing i've ever done to this car, major up for my self-esteem back then. After all, i finally could do something to my car.

So, from that basic look with this interior...


...to this:

http://harril.net/fiels/bemer/images/IMG_0945.jpg

http://harril.net/fiels/bemer/images/IMG_0942.jpg

http://harril.net/fiels/bemer/images/IMG_0920.jpg

And when i got the RA's fitted, some brainfart hit me.

http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/37342_1433571152046_1015928548_1288937_1531711_n.jpg

http://harril.net/fiels/rota/images/IMG_9714.jpg

Later, cleaned it up a bit and... well, something.

http://www.harril.net/fiels/kummid/images/IMG_1752.jpg

http://www.harril.net/fiels/kummid/images/IMG_1750.jpg

http://www.harril.net/fiels/kummid/images/IMG_1771.jpg

And that is how the last summer went. Got too anxious about that wheelgap in early spring and got the car bit lower.





Thought i was missing out something and this is how it's been the whole summer.





And here we are now, had a week to make the car look nice and clean for the local show, ended up trying a bit different and just basically something out of my mind. How it started:

http://www.harril.net/fiels/upload/kaaret.jpg

http://www.harril.net/fiels/upload/taka.jpg

Pretty snug fit, pulled the fenders bit out, though i didn't have a friend with a right tool, so had to improvise a bit. It came out nice, had a 0,5cm gap in rear and of course had a bit of rubbing. The real problem was driveshaft and small noise it made. Called to local shop, the owner is friends friend and all that - he told me he could change bearings and flex disc as i had already bought those. I had two days before the show, so i thought i could finally make it. I pulled the whole thing together in hurry at my parents driveway, just to get it to the shop - two wheels still unpainted and bumpers at work for cleanup and partial repaint. Test drove it for 100m to asphalt and took these pictures:

http://www.harril.net/fiels/upload/before.jpg

http://www.harril.net/fiels/upload/before2.jpg

And this is what happened after the first and only roundabout that was in my way.

http://www.harril.net/fiels/upload/pohjaus.jpg.jpg

Seems that i was making too much hassle, all the bolts wasn't tightened properly. But nothing particular happened, fender was "rolled" pretty hard and one of the supports came 1cm thinner, but i don't mind. We put the wheel back on and drove it to the shop and it was already closed. This is the point where i almost broke down. But today i'm getting a new inner plastic for the fender and actual fender from that same 518i, in gold-ish brown, don't know the color code. Now what? Any ideas for the fender? I still have some color coded rattlecan for alpineweiss II, but you know how "close" those come. And i have also shitloads of that turquoise also.

http://www.harril.net/fiels/upload/tunk.jpg

http://www.harril.net/fiels/upload/after.jpg