45k miles: I just picked up this e34- 1989 535i :: Restore/ paint project thread

[ethirtydavid]

You can see from this picture that when I got the car it had a really nasty dried out and somewhat cracked window tint on all windows but the front:


In an effort to regain my viability, today I decided to remove the nasty window tint.
Maybe I got lucky, but it all came off surprisingly easy.
One large piece per window- but it left behind an awful 23 year old adhesive film.


There are a few options to get this adhesive off. Some people use a heat gun + razor blade / ammonia + steel wool:crazy: / Steamers / etc.

- While all these probably work, I don't understand why people put this much effort into it. Thankfully I Googled it and with some time I started hearing about people using oven cleaner.

This worked perfectly.

It is super easy to work with, doesn't drip with sprayed onto the glass and even when it gets on interior/exterior panels it wipes right off. It is seemingly not corrosive at all, but does wonders to the windows.

I sprayed on
wait a few seconds to half a minute
rubbed off
adhesive easily gone..
window cleaner

Here are a few pictures:






So easy. Don't waste your time with a razor blade and ruin your rear defrost- this is literally spray on, rub off.

[robert1700]

Nice find. I am picking up a 535i 5 speed in cali and driving it back. I will be parting it out if you are interested.

[ethirtydavid]

Sure, I can take a look at all the parts I'd be interested in. I could definitely use a crack free intake boot:

[richardM30]

The Zender kit alone is worth more than you paid for the car.
The low mileage is insane! One of the lowest I've seen.

One thing you NEED to check though: the damp carpet could mean a hole in the floor - ask me how I know :(

Thankfully, pulling the interior out in these cars are a breeeeeze.

There are welded over "drain plugs" on the floor pans that can rust through, and in the rainy NW, water will get in and literally stagnate under the carpet.

[ethirtydavid]

I'll check for that tomorrow. I think the rain gutters are clogged too because the sunroof is a complete mess.
I am sure that water is coming in through the sunroof, I will pull the seats and take a closer look at the carpet as well.

I've pressed hard into the carpet with a towel to absorb most of the water then spent about 45 mins heat blow drying the carpet with an awesome dryer. I've looked for specific instructions to gain access to clear rain gutters and have not quite found what I am looking for. The design is different than e30?

ps, yeah- the Zendr kit is rad. Second Zender car now. ;)

[smooth]

The Zender kit alone is worth more than you paid for the car.
The low mileage is insane! One of the lowest I've seen.

One thing you NEED to check though: the damp carpet could mean a hole in the floor - ask me how I know :(

Thankfully, pulling the interior out in these cars are a breeeeeze.

There are welded over "drain plugs" on the floor pans that can rust through, and in the rainy NW, water will get in and literally stagnate under the carpet.

Just found a similar problem under my cabrio's driver seat. Not quite sure what to do about it

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[richardM30]

I'll check for that tomorrow. I think the rain gutters are clogged too because the sunroof is a complete mess.
I am sure that water is coming in through the sunroof, I will pull the seats and take a closer look at the carpet as well.

I've pressed hard into the carpet with a towel to absorb most of the water then spent about 45 mins heat blow drying the carpet with an awesome dryer. I've looked for specific instructions to gain access to clear rain gutters and have not quite found what I am looking for. The design is different than e30?

ps, yeah- the Zendr kit is rad. Second Zender car now. ;)

If you don't have the time to pull the interior, see if you can get it up in the air and check for holes underneath.

Sadly though - to get it all dry, you're going to have to pull the carpet - there are (in places) up to 2 inches of sound insulating foam attached to the carpet that sucks up water. Regardless whether or not it's a hole in the floor or clogged gutters - if it's wet, it's wet all the way to the metal under the carpet - which means mold if you let it sit.

My E34T that I had stunk to high hell - it literally required pulling the interior, cleaning the metal below with disinfectant cleaner, leaving the carpet out to dry for a few days and then an ozone treatment. It worked great, but was a royal pain.

To unclog drains - open the sunroof and look for the little drain holes on each side - you'll need some compressed air to blow them out - if that doesn't work, some stiff wire can help.

Also check your A/C condenser drain - that can clog too.

[ethirtydavid]

^ the body looks very clean from the bottom. I don't see any sign of rust.

I started crunching the numbers along with time and effort to get this e34 back to tip top. While I know it would be a great learning experience for paint, I will be changing directions with this project and am moving to a full part out.
Pretty much everything on this car from the engine and drivetrain to the interior and body is in excellent shape. The paint and soaked carpet is a definite drawback but a bigger concern is the sunroof which has been inoperably rusted.

There are a lot of good parts here that would probably be better suited for your e34.
I've got a short video of engine start-up / idle. I will make a for sale ad soon with parts and prices. The car likely will not be parted for about 2 weeks though.
:p



PM me if you are local and are interested in the entire car - It does have current registration and is legal to drive. I have been daily driving it and it has no squeaks creeks clunks or any other abnormal sounds. Does not leak a drop of any fluid, very dry.

[smooth]

why would you part out a 45K original mile chassis?

[ethirtydavid]

I am willing to sell the entire car to somebody who is interested in taking on the project. I mentioned, I would be willing to spend all the time and effort to restore the paint, sort out any common electrical issues and deal with the wet carpet.

I agree with you though. Parting it is not my first choice, never has been. Just know that this isn't a 45k mile e34 that's been in a garage for 20 years. It's had a weathered life, and some of that weather got inside to sit.

Of course I am open to ideas- ..thoughts?

[ethirtydavid]

I'll spend some time thinking about all the options.
Meanwhile I pulled the carpet today. Carpet was soaked and there were trace amounts of mold/mildew, I was please to find no rust though. Love the way the front seats come out.. e34's interior are a pleasure to work with.

[smooth]

That's definitely cleaner than what I found in my cabrio last weekend:


:(

cross your fingers that it's just surface rust, please, and I'll do the same for you in regards to your sunroof

[Galactodactyl]

That car is worth double that, i'd say.

[ethirtydavid]

Paint cleaner - clay bar - polish - wax - holy shit..

I don't do a lot of body work, couldn't believe how well this brought back the paint.

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[smooth]

so you're talking yourself into keeping? props :D