E30 from Ukraine - "Shadow of Intelligence"

[The_Glory]

Outstanding! Congratulations - nothing like the feeling of that first start.

Thank you! I completely agree!

[Northern]

Congrats on the first start! It's been an impressive journey

[The_Glory]

Congrats on the first start! It's been an impressive journey

Thank you!
It doesn't seem like there's much left, but with this war, the further it goes, the harder it gets... I'd like to finish it by spring so the car can finally drive, but I'm not so sure about that anymore...

[The_Glory]

Assembly_184_Additional BSC options - OVERHEAT

I have long written about the fact that I installed a top-of-the-line on-board control system unit for the Japanese market, with four additional options, and added wires for them to the interior wiring harness. I will not repeat myself about this.


Now it is time to fully complete their functionality.
Now we will talk about an additional option that was available only for the Japanese market - OVERHEAT. This lamp signals overheating of the catalyst. For this, it has a temperature sensor and a special relay. I have not had the catalyst for a long time, respectively, and there is no point in looking for that sensor and relay.
Therefore, I decided to use this lamp differently - connect it to the temperature sensor, which at a temperature of 99 degrees turns on the air conditioner fan at second speed. That is, the lamp will warn in advance about possible engine overheating. I also wrote earlier that I added an additional button to the fan wiring diagram for manually turning on the second speed. I connected the button to the corresponding contacts in the fuse block. And the wire from the lamp, without thinking at the time, was laid all the way to the sensor on the radiator. Now I realized that it was useless - it would be logical to connect it to the same contacts as the button. But there is a nuance. The relay (K6) of the second fan speed is activated by the "plus" of the power supply, and the additional lamps of the on-board control system are activated by the "ground". So, I had to install an additional relay that converts the "plus" to the "ground". I drew the connection diagram of the button and the relay on the diagram of the ETM electric fan.


Connect pin 86 to the button connector that goes to pin 86 of relay K6. Connect pins 30 and 85 to ground at point G104 behind the left headlight. Connect pin 87 to the OVERHEAT lamp wire.


Install the yellow relay in the standard relay location on the fuse block.


This is a regular relay, the same as all the orange relays in the fuse block. I just had yellow. They are also orange or brown. Yellow is the prettiest! :)


Now, when you manually turn on the second speed of the air conditioner fan in the cabin, the green button and the OVERHEAT lamp of the on-board control system light up.




If the coolant temperature reaches 99 degrees, the OVERHEAT lamp will turn on the temperature sensor together with the fan. In this case, the button will not light up.
Everything seems to be logical, useful and convenient!
In my opinion, this functionality of this lamp is even more useful than the standard Japanese one! ;)

P.S.
If anyone noticed, there is another additional purple relay installed in the fuse block - K9. I have also already mentioned it in the relevant section about relays, but I will repeat it again. This is a relay that, when the high beam is turned on, automatically turns off the rear fog lights, if they were on. This option was available for the French and Swiss markets. Probably because there is often fog there. On other cars, instead of a relay, there is a metal jumper. I don't understand why this relay was not installed as standard on all cars. After all, it is logical - a normal driver will not turn on the high beam in the fog. And if it turns on, then it is logical that there is no more fog, so the rear fog lights can be automatically turned off (if the driver forgot to do it himself) so as not to blind the bright red light of drivers driving behind. I am even more surprised by the complete absence of rear fog lights for the US market, especially given that there were stricter safety requirements than in Europe. Strange.
So, I consider this a useful option that is very easy to install. Just remove the metal jumper and put a purple 5-pin relay in its place. The same relay is used as the comfort relay for power windows.

Sometime later I will write about another additional lamp of the on-board control system - the driver's seat belt. And so far it is not working for me yet.

[The_Glory]

New Year's gifts

I didn't do anything to the car during the holidays, so I'll write about "gifts" for myself and my "thirty"! :)

By the way, before the New Year I met such a cool "New Year's" E30 - with a Christmas tree on the roof and garlands! ))


In the evening of December 31, I arrived home, and in front of the gate is a set of wheels with MIM 1900 rims!




I received such an unexpected New Year's gift from a neighbor who was raking through old junk in his garage! :) Once these wheels were on an Alfa Romeo, regardless of the fact that there is a PCD of 4x98 ) And for the last 15 years they have been lying in the garage. MIM 1900 wheels with parameters specifically for the E30 - 7J15 ET13 PCD 4x100. Although, I don't really need them, because I already have three sets of wheels, but I decided to take them anyway - let them be! Especially since the price was symbolic, really - a gift! ;)


Of course, there are scratches on the rim, but the overall condition of the rims is good. I tried them on - they look good! )


But the 205/55 tires are too wide! )


My OZ rims with similar parameters and 195/60 tires in width are getting better.




So, for the holidays I covered the car with an awning so that it would get less dust.


And off I went to celebrate! :))


And after the New Year, two more "gifts" arrived - two boxes for cassettes with vertical boxes.


Surprisingly, both are completely intact and in working order!




I've mentioned them before, and I'll write more about them later.

P.S.
There's also news about the assembly, but there are no major problems with the power steering pump. I'll write about that next time.

[The_Glory]

Assembly_185. ETK_32_Power steering pump

So, let's move on to the last section of the ETK on steering:
Power steering pump


Finally, I bought a new power steering pump. I'm not sure if this pump is really new, most likely it was refurbished at the factory. I chose the manufacturer Meyle, although in fact, in appearance this pump is no different from similar cheaper options.






But it looks pretty good. I hope it works well. )




120bar declared. The original pump was 110bar. Let's see how it pumps...


Now I decided to change the tank too. I put it new once, but that was a long time ago. The tank has a built-in filter, so it's better to replace it. I chose the Febi tank.




The lid shows the ETK number (83 29 0 429 576) - Hydraulic fluid CHF 11 S. That is, the tank for Pentosin lubricant.


The lid is ordinary.


The filter looks similar to the one in the old ZF tank for ATF lubricant.


I bought a new hose for the tank again because I lost it somewhere, I don't know where it went.


Since I use ATF, I installed the old cap on the new tank so that there would be no confusion with the lubricants )


The tanks look the same.


I already wrote about installing the tank and hoses, so I just replaced the old hose and tank with a new one.




New tank with old cap for ATF


Back to the pump. The kit included a mounting bracket, most likely for the E36. I also wrote about the mounting brackets earlier, they are already installed on the engine. But two brackets need to be installed on the pump.


Unscrew the fasteners that were included in the kit and install one bracket in the following position:


On the other hand, screw the second bracket:


The pump is ready for installation.


Power steering pump installation kit:


Part #1 - power steering pump 110BAR (32 41 1 133 969). I use a Meyle pump (314 631 0001) 120BAR


Part #2 - pulley (32 42 1 730 371) - 1 pc.
Part #3 - bolt M8X12 (07 11 9 913 616) - 3 pcs.
Part No. 4 - spacer washer A8.4 (07 11 9 900 052) - 3 pcs.

Part #5 - V-belt 9.5X825 (32 42 1 706 5970 - 1 pc. I use a Continental AVX10x825 belt

Part #6 - repair kit for ZF pump (32 41 1 135 880), or VICKERS pump (32 41 1 133 023). My original ZF pump was very worn out and could not be repaired. Therefore, it was replaced with a new one.

We fasten the pulley to the pump with three bolts.


I also wrote about the hoses earlier. It remains to screw two fittings to the pump. The thread diameter in them is different, so the inlet and outlet hoses are physically impossible to mix up.


We fasten the pump with two bolts to the brackets on the engine. We put on the belt.


An additional double pulley for the power steering pump and air conditioning compressor is already installed on the motor pulley. The front pulley is used for the power steering pump.

We tighten the belt using a special bolt and gear and fix it with a nut. Then we tighten the other bolts of the pump and the tensioning bar.


We screw the supply hose fitting from the tank, and the high-pressure hose fitting to the steering rack.


The power steering pump is installed. You can fill in ATF and bleed the system.


BUT there is one nuance!
Here is such a gap between the bolts of the pump pulley and the radiator drain plug...


A large radiator with a built-in expansion tank from the M40/M42 turned out to be great. But, only now it turned out that its drain plug was right opposite the pulley! It's scary to leave it like that - so that the pulley does not break the plug when the engine vibrates. And what to do now - I don't know ... I have one idea, but if it works out, I'll write about it next time.
On this "optimistic" note, the installation of the power steering pump is stopped! :)

[The_Glory]

Assembly_185. ETK_32_Power steering pump. (continued)

I will remind you that last time the installation of the power steering pump was stopped for this reason - a gap of 1 mm between the pulley and the radiator drain plug.


Installing thin washers and flat-head bolts did not solve the problem - the gain on the bolts was only 2 mm, but the pump axis remained in the same place. There is no place to move the radiator either - it is already close to the body. So, the only option left was to move the pump. It was not possible to move it up, because it rested against the generator. Therefore, you only need to move it down. And then new problems appeared - a short tension bar, a belt and a hose from the tank.
For the tension bar, I made an "extension" and screwed it with a bolt.




I wanted to screw it with two bolts, but the second bolt interfered with tensioning, so I left one. Thanks to the sides on the bar, the plate is fixed well with one bolt.
I ordered a hose for the tank for the third time :)
I measured the length of the belt with a rope and calculated it using some formulas :) I calculated 838mm. The standard is 825mm. The difference of 13mm immediately seemed too small to me... but mathematics is an exact science! I ordered it.




The belt arrived, I tried it on - it's short! ))) The pump remained practically in the same place.
The second time I took measurements more accurately - with a rubber cord, with a similar cross-section to the belt. I fixed the pump in the desired position. It turned out 880mm. This is already something similar to reality. I found an 875mm belt. This time I decided to "save money" and buy the cheapest belt that was available at the local auto parts store - just for trying on. Suddenly it won't fit again... And it did! :)


Well, now I'm ordering a good belt - Continental AVX10x875. This is a generator belt for M10 and S14 engines. Now there will be at least one part under the hood that matches the VIN code of the car! :)
Belts in stock! :)


By the way, the cheap 10x875 belt, judging by the inscription on the package, is for the engine of the AZLK "Moskvich" car! It's probably no coincidence that that engine looks so similar to the BMW M10 engine! ;)


So, I install a new belt, tighten it and fix it on the bar with an extension.


I screw the longer hose from the tank, and the high-pressure hose to the steering rack. The pump is installed.


Now the gap between the pulley and the radiator drain plug is a little more than 1 cm. I think this is quite enough.




But now the pump is very low - level with the engine oil pan.




Maybe it's not very good, but it's not critical - the main thing is not lower!
I tried on a protective plastic shield - it gets right up to the pump, but covers it.


The restyled air conditioning panel has special ventilation holes - they are located almost under the pump.




The pump is closed.


I will install an early plastic panel that does not have ventilation holes. I was going to cut them in the same place, but it's a good thing I didn't have time to cut them. Now I'll move them a few centimeters so they're exactly under the pulley so it doesn't rub against the shield.
But I'll install the shield later, after I install the air conditioning compressor. I think everything will be fine.

[The_Glory]

Assembly_186. ETK_61_Wiper lever / wiper blade

I was going to order wiper blades for a long time, but I kept forgetting about them. And finally, when I was ordering a belt for the power steering pump, I somehow accidentally remembered about the brushes! :) I ordered it. So, the pump works fine, the system was shaking, everything is OK. Therefore, I return to the ETK section
General electrical equipment of the car

Its last subsection
Wiper arm / blade wiper





Original wipers can be from two manufacturers - SWF or BOSCH.

Part No. 1 - left wiper arm (61 61 1 372 551) and right (61 61 1 372 552) - 2 pcs. In my case, these are BOSCH arms - left 66577 and right 66578. The left arm has a greater bend in two planes, and a shorter length than the right one.





SWF levers differ from BOSCH in a shorter spring and the absence of a rivet on the body.

In the photo, black - SWF, gray - BOSCH. By the way, I do not advise clicking with a spring on the removed lever - I broke the lever mounting bracket like that. Then I accidentally bought a SWF lever, and realized that they are different :) I had to look for a BOSCH lever.
Part No. 2 - left wiper blade (61 62 7 140 965) and right (61 61 8 353 297), or a set of brushes (61 61 9 069 196) - 2 pcs. In the original, SWF brushes are most often used. I ordered them by the number of the analogue SWF 116112, - so much cheaper.


The brushes have a replacement schedule indicator - a black circle near the brush mount. When the circle turns yellow - the brushes need to be replaced.

The brushes need to be installed with this circle facing up so that it is visible.

Part #3 - rubber element of the wiper blade (61 61 1 372 747) - 2 pcs. You can replace only the rubber insert itself, but I'm not sure if this makes sense.
Part #4 - protective cap SWF (61 61 1 372 746), or BOSCH (61 61 1 376 313) - 2 pcs. In my case SWF.


Install and snap the blades onto the lever.


We put the levers on the axis of the wiper mechanism, align them and tighten them with a nut.


We insert a protective cap under the lever and close the nut with it.


The wiper blades are installed.




Close the hood - done.






So, on the outside, all I had to do was paint and install the front and rear bumpers. Technically, - restore and install brake calipers. I'm working on it.
The finish line is coming soon! :)

P.S.
I still need to fix at least one set of wheel disks. I've already started a little, I'll write about it next time.

[The_Glory]

Assembly_187. ETK_36_Steel wheel, design 1

According to my assembly plan, the last items in it were bumpers and wheels. The brake calipers somehow fell out of the plan - they should have already been installed, but something went a little wrong.. :) Now I'm working on bumpers, but in parallel I decided to pay some attention to the wheels. Although not all of them, but only the spare.
So, we will talk about the standard spare wheel. In all the time I had to use it no more than 2-3 times. Therefore, I decided to make it more like a "decorative" than a spare emergency wheel. :)

I'm starting the ETK section
Wheels with tires

The first section
Steel wheel rim, design 1




Maybe someday I'll buy a set of steel wheels with decorative caps for my collection, and for now I'm considering only one spare wheel. Before restyling, the steel wheels were silver, and after restyling, black. On early cars, there are silver steel wheels of "metric" size for TRX tires.

Part #1 - Steel wheel rim Silber 51/2JX14 ET:35 (36 11 1 125 686), Schwarz 51/2JX14 ET:35 (36 11 1 178 826), "metric" 365X150TD ET:35 (36 11 1 179 309). I have a narrower steel wheel Silber 5JX14 ET:35

Part No. 2 - tire valve L=42.5MM (36 12 1 116 326). When ordering this tire valve number, it comes complete with a spool and cap. Therefore, you do not have to order them separately.
Part #3 - valve spool (36 14 1 095 389)
Part #4 - valve cap (36 12 1 120 779)


In order to unscrew or screw in the spool, you will have to use an old cap with a special head. The original cap does not have one.

Valve assembly

Part #5 - Schwarz M12X1.5 wheel bolt (36 13 6 781 150). The original bolts have a black coating. I sandblasted and galvanized mine. When I get to the wheel kits, I'll probably buy a set of new bolts.

The following positions for the spare wheel, of course, I don't use, but I'll write them just for information.
Part No. 6 - decorative rim (36 13 1 120 543). Chrome-plated trim for the rim of a steel disc.
Part No. 7 - locking spring (36 13 1 122 301). Fastening the trim to the rim.
Part No. 8 - wheel hub cap (36 13 1 127 230). Chrome-plated decorative cap in the central hole of the disc.
Part No. 9 - emblem D=45MM (36 13 1 181 082). Sticker with an emblem on the cap.
Photo from the Internet:

Part No. 10 - wheel cap D=375MM for silver disc (36 13 1 178 778). wheel cap D=391MM for black disc (36 13 1 179 170). Photo from the Internet:

For the 318is and some Touring and Cabrio models, caps were available (36 13 1 180 667). Photo from the Internet:

Part #11 - emblem D=70MM (36 13 6 758 569). Sticker with the emblem on the cap.

To assemble the wheel, you also need balancing weights. Unfortunately, the "old-school" lead weights with the BMW brand have long been unavailable for order.
Balance weight, lead


So I ordered some new zinc weights. Unfortunately, they no longer have the BMW logo, so I could just install regular weights from a tire shop.
Zinc weight




Part #1 - locking spring for alloy wheel (36 11 6 766 311), or for steel wheel (36 11 6 766 312). Of course, I have it for steel wheel.
Part #2 - zinc weight. Different weight options are available. I ordered 4 pieces: 10G (36 11 6 766 315), 15G (36 11 6 766 316), 20G (36 11 6 766 317), 25G (36 11 6 766 318). By the way, the 10G weight is not zinc, but plastic. New technologies! :)

Part #3 is a zinc adhesive weight. These are modern weights. I haven't used them.

As I said, I decided to make an authentic spare wheel, although it will be more "decorative" than an emergency spare. I couldn't find the original BMW lead weights, but the tire is probably still original from the 80s, manufactured by MICHELIN. Of course, it's full of small cracks, it's scary to drive on it... I hope I don't have to! :) You should have seen the expression on the tire fitter's face when I showed him this tire and asked him to install it on the rim! )))
So, the rim was sanded, leveled, and powder-coated. They put the tire on, and there was a whole story about balancing it - namely, installing the weights. Apparently, the craftsmen were already used to gluing them, so there were some difficulties. :) But in the end, the wheel was assembled. It turned out so beautifully! ;)




Made in W. Germany


MICHELIN XZX


Old tire size marking - 175SR14






There is no modern marking of the production date on the tire. It would be interesting to find out the production date, but I don't know how...
The wheel looks nice and "old school" on the outside! ;)




I tried it on the car - it's cool too! :) Maybe I'll buy a set of steel wheels later ;)






But, its place is in the trunk.


Fix with a cap and nut.


Put a plastic support for the trunk floor trim.


Put the trim.


By the way, I already wrote in the relevant section on trim - usually the fixing cap has a slot so that there is no need to completely unscrew the nut to remove it and remove the wheel. But I installed an earlier cover, without a slot - to remove it and pull out the wheel, you need to completely unscrew the nut. We are not looking for easy ways! )))


We close the trim. Now the trunk is completely complete.


P.S.
Finally, I installed the moldings on the BBS pads. I had to file the lower edge of the molding a little.




So, all that remains to be installed on the outside is the bumpers. Now I'm preparing them for painting.

P.P.S.
I ordered repair kits for brake calipers. But they need to be cleaned and painted. I'm considering three options:
1 - electroplating. Complete and uniform cleaning and coating. Simple, reliable and not expensive.
2 - powder coating. Better appearance, but the problem with the threaded holes and inner surfaces of the cylinders - they will remain uncoated.
3 - ceramic coating. Beautiful appearance, but the same problems as with powder coating. A little more expensive.

If anyone has already done any of these options, I would appreciate feedback and recommendations.

[The_Glory]

Just a photo

There's nothing to write about yet, so - just a photo :)
I took down the awning, but there's still a lot of dust under it... I'll have to do something with this "temporary" sand floor in the garage... I wiped it down, washed it a little - it's beautiful! ;)















Externally, the car is almost completely assembled. Only the front and rear bumpers remain to be installed. The mounting is all ready, the plastic bumper moldings are also ready for painting.
The repair kits and brake caliper parts have all arrived, all that is needed is to galvanize or paint the calipers.

Painting is a thing, not very cheap, and for me this year, with this war, the "financial collapse" has probably already reached its peak (or maybe it hasn't yet...), so this process will take a bit longer... I'm waiting.

[mjweimer]

It looks so good! You have a lot to be proud of with this build and I have enjoyed your documenting the process. Keep the faith, you are almost to the finish line.

[The_Glory]

It looks so good! You have a lot to be proud of with this build and I have enjoyed your documenting the process. Keep the faith, you are almost to the finish line.

Thank you!
Yes, the finish line is near, but the last meters of the distance are always the hardest! )

[The_Glory]

S428 Emergency stop sign / first aid kit with built-in box for their placement

Well, so that the wait is not so boring, I sit and look through various flea markets... And it brought results! :)

I have already written about the option "S428 Emergency stop sign / first aid kit with built-in box for their placement".
I already have the original emergency stop sign for the E30. Its case for cars with a battery in the trunk has a specific shape - with a cutout on one corner. But there is another nuance - the case for storing it can be with the BMW logo and inscription, or without the BMW logo and inscription. I don't know why this is so - maybe the case was with a logo in the factory configuration, and with aftermarket retrofitting - it was already without a logo... But this is just my assumption... This is the only difference between them, but precisely because of this, the prices for them are not small, and differ very significantly from each other! ;) Then I decided not to overpay for the letters BMW, so I bought a sign without a BMW logo on the case... :)
And now, flipping through the pages of a flea market out of boredom, I see this sign in a case with a BMW logo! At a very attractive price! :) I bought it, of course!


Condition, practically new.




So, now I have three emergency stop signs. The very first one was a 1992 model, for a BMW E36. But it didn't fit the shape of the case for the original E30 box, so I bought the original sign then, but without the logo. Now I have a "correct" and "fetish" sign - with the BMW logo! :)




The upper one has no logo, has some number HWB 82 129 406 734.

The lower one has a logo on the cover and BMW ETK number 71 60 1 129 747. But for some reason this number is not found by ETK...


The badge for E36 has a logo on the case and BMW ETK number 71 60 1 180 946


The case for the E30 states that the sign complies with the European ECE standard and must be installed at a distance of at least 30 meters from the car.


The case for the E36 states that the sign must be installed at a distance of at least 100 meters from the car. If I'm not mistaken, this is according to some regional standard for Germany.


In our country, apparently, if you install a sign 100 meters from the car, you will no longer see that sign! )))

Finally, we take the signs out of the cases.


The signs for the E30 are exactly the same. The legs are folded manually in different directions. The sign for the E36 has a different design, the legs are on springs, so they unfold automatically.


In the dark, all three signs reflect light equally.


Of course, I will put only one sign in the car in the case with the BMW logo.


I hope I don't have to use it! :)




And now a few more photos found on the Internet - just for information.
The factory options catalog for the BMW E30 lists two types of emergency stop signs.


The first one is according to the European ECE standard, which was mentioned above. And the second one according to the StVZO standard, - I don't know what standard it is, probably German, the same as for the E36, shown above.
The StVZO case is rectangular, does not have a cutout in the corner and the BMW logo. (photo from the Internet)


The signs are also structurally different. (photo from the Internet)


Another nuance - for cars with an engine capacity of up to 2 liters inclusive, the battery was under the hood, so another box was placed in the right niche of the trunk, which stored the emergency stop sign and first aid kit. (photo from the internet)


P.S.
Next time I'll write about another new rare "toy" ;)

[The_Glory]

Gifts

Today's post will be about a pleasant thing - about gifts! After all, everyone loves gifts! :)
So, recently I received a very nice and very unexpected gift from a colleague in the E30 club, whom I don't even know personally!

Blaupunkt Munchen SCD09


That's how it happens! :)
My friend, I am sincerely grateful to you for such a chic surprise! A very valuable (both literally and figuratively) addition to my radio collection!
This is the top CD radio in the E30 line. Although, it does not have the inscription "BMW BAVARIA Electronic CD II", but it is absolutely the same model, only "aftermarket". Moreover, it is not just a CD, but a CD-cartridge!


This is the first generation of car laser disc players that used special cartridge cases for listening to CDs. (photo from the Internet)


By the way, now I still need to find this cartridge somewhere - if anyone has it - I'll buy it. So far, I haven't found anything at local flea markets...

I'll write about installation and connection later, when I have the cartridge! ;)

And last week, a colleague at work gave me a BMW advertising booklet with the entire model line of the early 2000s.








Also a nice little thing! ;)

P.S.
I finally cleaned the brake calipers, sanded them, and sent them for electroplating today. Next week I'm going to install them, bleed the brakes and clutch, and finally, at least drive back and forth around the garage! :)

[The_Glory]

Repair of brake calipers and preparation for their assembly

As always happens when I plan something, everything does not go according to plan! This is what happened with electroplating - the process took a little longer, but during this time I managed to buy and prepare everything necessary for the assembly of the calipers (in fact, of course, not everything).
So, I sandblasted the calipers and brackets myself, because they refused to do it at a professional sandblasting shop, reasoning that they were afraid of damaging the inner surfaces of the cylinders and guides. Well, if you want to do something well, do it yourself. At the same time, my brother "upgraded" our garage compressor - instead of the Chinese compressor, a restored Soviet one was installed - now it stably maintains a pressure of 7-8 atmospheres, and you can sandblast even very rusty parts normally. The result is no worse than at a professional sandblasting shop.


At first I wanted to paint the calipers. Therefore, it made no sense to give only four bolts to electroplating, and I decided to try copper plating again.


The result was disappointing again. This is in no way comparable to electroplating, and looks more like old rust than a protective coating from it! )) I had to sandblast these bolts again.


Now the question is in the coating of the calipers. I considered three options:
1. Powder coating.
2. Polymer coating.
3. Galvanic galvanization.

The first option looks beautiful, you can even make "racing" red calipers! ))) But the thickness of the coating is quite large, so all the docking and contact surfaces of the caliper and bracket need to be covered when painting. As you know, cast iron rusts very quickly after sandblasting, so all these unprotected surfaces will very quickly become rusty, and spoil all the beauty.
The second option, in principle, is similar to the first, although the thickness of the coating is much less. Smaller choice of color options. Slightly higher cost. Looks beautiful.
The third option - the thickness of the coating is minimal, so absolutely all surfaces of the caliper and bracket are evenly protected from corrosion with zinc. The color and appearance are as close as possible to the factory one. Looks very nice. The cost is much lower.

So, the choice is obvious - galvanic galvanization. At the same time, I galvanized several "spare" parts.


I really like the appearance of the calipers after galvanization.


The inner surfaces of the cylinders are not damaged.




The threads in the holes are also protected from corrosion, there should be no problems with unscrewing hoses and fittings.


The surface around the piston and the inner surface of the guides are also coated with zinc.


Contact surfaces on the brackets


Thread and inner surface of the guides.


So, in my opinion, galvanizing is the best way to protect the calipers from corrosion.
If bright colors are needed, then perhaps after galvanizing they can also be painted with powder, covering the already protected surfaces.
But I am quite satisfied with their external "standard" appearance.

As I said, I have prepared all the necessary spare parts and materials for assembling the calipers.


Repair kit Frenkit 248918 for front brake calipers Girling (TRW/Lucas).


Repair kit Frenkit 233003 for rear brake calipers ATE.


Looking ahead, I will say that later I had to order original ATE repair kits for the rear calipers, and now original TRW repair kits for the front calipers. But I will write about that later.

Brackets, plugs, clips. Rear pistons and guides are in good condition, so I left them.


Bleeding nipples and rubber caps for them.


The Frenkit nipple is similar in size to the original BMW nipple. The Quick Brake 0088 nipple is larger in size under the key of 9 mm, and in length.


The Quick Brake 0126 cap is similar in size and design to the original BMW cap.
The Quick Brake 0125 cap is similar in size and design to the original ATE cap.
The cap from the Frenkit kit is just a cap.


I will be using the Quick Brake 0088 fittings and the Quick Brake 0126 caps.

You will need to use several special lubricants to assemble the brake calipers.


In many stores, any grease that mentions brakes in the name is sold as "universal caliper grease." In fact, this is not so. There are three types of brake caliper grease, and each of them has its own purpose.


1. Assembly grease for brake caliper cylinders and pistons. I use ATE 03.9902-0511.2 grease for hydraulic systems.


It is compatible with DOT 3, DOT 4, DOT 5.1 brake fluids and is used to lubricate the surface of the cylinder, piston and their rubber seals when assembling the caliper. Other lubricants cannot be used for this, because they can be dissolved by the brake fluid. This is indicated on its packaging. By the way, the packaging is very large, - 180 g. It will last a very long time.


2. Grease for guide calipers. I use TRW PFG110 grease for guide calipers. The package is 25 g, it is quite enough for two front calipers, there is even some left for the next time.


The packaging indicates that this grease is used for guide calipers, their protective rubber "dusters", and for the internal areas of the handbrake.
The back of the packaging also indicates that this grease cannot be used for hydraulic systems (for cylinders and pistons).


An important nuance - TRW PFG110 grease is used ONLY for Girling guide calipers (TRW/Lucas). ATE guide calipers do NOT require lubrication at all, as they work in rubber bushings.

3. Anti-squeak grease for brake pads. I use BMW 83 19 2 158 851 grease for brake pads. The package is 3 g for one caliper. That's why I ordered 4 pieces.


The package says that this grease is used ONLY for brake pads.

At the same time, I also bought a similar anti-squeak grease ATE 03.9902-1002.2 for disc brakes for the future. The package is 75 g, it will be enough for several brake pad replacements on all calipers.


The packaging states that this grease is for contact surfaces of brake pads and caliper pistons, and for contact surfaces of brake pads and caliper brackets. It also states that it cannot be used for friction surfaces of discs and brake pads, and for rubber parts.


I hope that everything is clear with caliper greases now and this will be useful to someone.

When installing brackets and calipers, you need to apply a separating thread lock (blue) to the bolts. I use ABRO separating thread lock.


The package says how to use it - apply to the thread, tighten, and after 20-30 minutes it fixes the thread.


I will use copper grease in an aerosol can for the threads of the brake hoses and fittings, so that they can be easily unscrewed if necessary.

So, now I can start assembling the brake calipers.