Let's Get Groceries | DD E34 Touring

[ArtFoodBMW]

Ultimate goal: A "responsible" daily driver.

I've desired a wagon for about three years, and as of Aug 2017 I found one.

Plans from the beginning:
-Adjustable Height
-Many Wheels
-Manual
-Improved Engine
-Winter Capable
-Road Trip-Ready

Plans updated as the project continued:
-BC Coilovers
-3.64 Limited Slip
-ZF 5 speed
-Euro Bits, trim and headlights
-MT2 wheel
-3.0 M50, or Poor Mans S50

Future Plans (For better gas mileage and better road tripping):
-6 Speed Manual
-Supercharger

I found this specific wagon via an auction in California. I live in Idaho. The final bid was great, but after fees and shipping just less than $1k was spent. From the pictures I could tell that the engine was missing some parts, and the car was otherwise complete. Perfect!

Here's what arrived. First step was a quick detail and some wheel changing.

[ArtFoodBMW]

The BBS RK's I had collected from a previous partout... I threw them on so the car could at least look good while it was parked, until I got the engine sorted.

What's on the grocery list?

Well, first things first. After looking over the wagon's condition, it appeared the previous owners were attempting a DIY head gasket repair. They probably didn't know what they were doing, and the first thing I found was that the HEAD WAS CRACKED. They had all the head bolts removed except the three tiny ones at the front of the engine, and I imagine them thinking "oh it's probably just stuck, let's give it some sledgehammer motivation".

That would be a good reason to get rid of the car especially if you didn't know its value.

So I needed to do a head gasket repair, and I needed a new head, and I knew I wanted it 5 speed swapped. Let's just do it all at once.

Engine rebuild - 3.0 M50 using M54 rotating assembly and intake cam.
Manual Swap - Whole ZF 5 speed swap acquired from the junkyard.

[ArtFoodBMW]

1) Take it apart

2) Clean it up

3) Buy a bunch of parts

4) Pull a junkyard m54

5) Discover a cracked piston

6) Return m54 #1

7) Discover your m50 block is rusted and pitted in the cylinder walls, from being exposed to the elements for so long.

8) Pull two more fucking engines. :hitler:

[ArtFoodBMW]

8) Clean up the block

9) Hone it out

10) Paint it up

11) Install rotating assembly with new rings and bearings

12) Rebuild the head, New valve guides, and m54b30 intake cam (timing has to be manual set on this setup. Timing blocks do not work)

13) Throw it all together and place in the car

14) Build an exhaust

15) Start it... or not.

[ArtFoodBMW]

Got the engine all put together and it ran like shit!!

A couple of things happened:

M50 timing blocks cannot be used to set timing on m54 camshaft.

The engine shook like crazy. Ran a compression test and had no compression in cyl 5. I adjusted timing and tried again. Better compression in all cylinders but still none in cyl 5.

Leak down test also showed that the cylinder wouldn't hold any pressure what so ever.

So fuck it, take the head back off and I discover two ever so slightly bent exhaust valves... Even though I replaced all the valve guides I didn't notice the two slight bends.

16) Take the head back off

17) Replace the bad valves

18) Put it back together

19) Drive it at last.

Note cam lobes when using m50 timing blocks








And Manually adjust timing





Just in time for snow!

[ArtFoodBMW]

Some other projects came up along the way.

Found a set of staggered ACS Type 2's and test fit. They need some repairs and powdercoating before they go on full time.

Found a set of working and uncracked fog lights. Threw some tint film on them to protect them from cracking like they all do.

The lady and I bought a fixer upper which meant the wagon got to haul 1000 sqft of flooring and many trips back and forth from the old house. Note - Shop

Started building a custom sub box.. haven't finished it yet.

And mostly just enjoyed driving the wagon around for a few months!

[ArtFoodBMW]

Back to the shopping list

20) Buy a parts car

21) Take the Parts (Euro bumper trim, MT2 Wheel, BC Coiovers)

22) Return parts car to stock, and fix many things.

[IRON-E]

Nice. Patiently waiting on updates

[dude8383]

Love that color. Put in some serious work into that thing. I'm not sure if I missed it but are you running the 3.0 bottom end? How does the E34 feel with a 3.0?

[KIRIEIW]

I want one of these things so bad but they never come up for sale for whatever reason. I guess most have been junked or maybe they just didn’t bring many of them to the states. Regardless when one does come My way I have a complete 5 speed swap from a e34 in my backyard..

Good work man that’s a clean ride you got.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[ArtFoodBMW]

Love that color. Put in some serious work into that thing. I'm not sure if I missed it but are you running the 3.0 bottom end? How does the E34 feel with a 3.0?

3.0L internals from an m54 in the m50 block.

At first I wasn't a huge fan of the motor, for all the effort it took to put it together. However, with a change in the diff from a 3.23 to 3.64, this thing is a blast around town. I wouldn't call it fast as the e34 ways a lot, but it can handle it's own.

Our local CCA group did a drive up to the local ski resort, and I let a friend drive the wagon while I drove my m60 e30.. We paced each other very well!

I want one of these things so bad but they never come up for sale for whatever reason. I guess most have been junked or maybe they just didn’t bring many of them to the states. Regardless when one does come My way I have a complete 5 speed swap from a e34 in my backyard..

Good work man that’s a clean ride you got.

Thank you! I had been searching and collecting parts for about a year before I found this one. I can't stand tan interiors so you can imagine how hard this one was to find.

Coilovers are installed, and the parts car has been returned to stock.


I love how clean the front of this car looks!

[straight6pwr]

sweet touring. love the color!(not biased)

[ArtFoodBMW]

sweet touring. love the color!(not biased)

Are you sure?;D

Threw some new wheels on for shits and giggles.

Also cleaned out the front garage so the lady has a place to park for the impending weather change.

[AC_Schnitzel]

You weren't kidding when you said many wheels lol