Project Lessmeister: 91 318iS Restomod w/ MTech2 and modern drivetrain

[goskidmark]

Jordan, this build is nothing short of phenomenal. It almost makes me want to delete my thread, crawl into a hole, and chew on a piece of crap whilst looking angry.

[faujijatt]

Never said I would, but I certainly never said I would not. Its a great car. I'm not a one-vehicle household :-)

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Yeah, saw your other thread about your coupe and your vert, hence I was wondering. Cool, man. This kind of cars should go to old timers for their preservation. Cheers!

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[0-60 freak]

Yeah, saw your other thread about your coupe and your vert, hence I was wondering. Cool, man. This kind of cars should go to old timers for their preservation. Cheers!

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Old timer....lol....im 45, not 85

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[faujijatt]

Old timer....lol....im 45, not 85

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Old timer here as in older than the median age on R3V respectively. I'm 35, and I consider myself old SOME times... Lol. No offense, brother. :p:p

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[Jordan]

I imagine most of the OG's here are well into the 30's and 40's. I'm pushing 33 now.

Not much to report this evening, just a newly arrived box of new lugbolts.

[Jordan]

Lots of progress today, and some set backs.

I got the entirety of the rear suspension assembled as a unit and setup on the furniture dolly for easy moving until its needed.



I finished installing the ABS pump with new brackets, and plumbing all of the lines.



I finally found a dye that matched the leather perfectly and dyed the seat backs to match. I installed them after letting them dry overnight.



and now for the set backs....

I can't find where I read that the E32 735i booster works straight up with the M54 but it sure as shit does not. Major interference issues attempting to drop the manifold back on.



I'm hoping I can remove the booster and flip the angled aluminum bracket between it and the firewall. With luck it will not hit the strut tower, and it will give me another half inch or so along with removing those 2 nubs on the manifold that I can do without.

[0-60 freak]

That rear suspension unit is a beauty

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[smooth]

I used a VAG booster for my M50 swap. I don't know the clearance differences between the M50 and the M54.

[kronus]

I'm running the E32/iX booster without the spacer and have a decent amount of room to an M50 intake manifold. You have to do some firewall modifications, though.

[Jordan]

Having done 6+ M5x/S5x swaps I can tell ya the M54 manifold definately intrudes into the booster space more in some ways but less in others. The way the underside runner goes a single stack booster likely would have a better bet at fitting, like a P944 unit or something of the like.

I'm going to try flipping the aluminum bracket and shaving the nubs on the manifold, and if that fails I will find a different booster.

[dude8383]

I was actually going to suggest the 944 booster. I prefer them over the ix booster for swaps anyways. Lovely build man. I'm in the process of building a sedan for a customer that is following the same path as yours. I come here for inspiration haha. 👍

[JeLani]

I haven't skipped one page of this build. Very nice


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[mcm185]

Do you mind pm'ing me the vendor that you ordered the seat belt material from please.

I'd also like to know!

Progress looks awesome!

[Jordan]

Here is the link to the seatbelt material I used:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EQ82ANC?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00

I cannot stress enough though, so not venture down that road unless you are SURE you know what you are doing. Seat belts are a vital safety system and they should not be altered without care.

Today was another one of those assorted odd jobs days where I didn't take many pictures.

I got the best pair of used B-Pillar interior trims that I could find installed on the car. Each is missing a half inch of plastic above the little hook, but with the black alcantara headliner behind it honestly.. you are hard pressed to notice looking right at them. Its a shame I can't get them new but it is what it is.

I got the parking brake and shift boots installed.



I got the new coolant expansion tank installed, not plumbed up yet though.

I replaced both short hard lines and the brass tee under the car because they were too excessively corroded for this build. I also installed the UUC stainless steel flexible lines awaiting the subframe install.



The task that took the longest today, by far.... was cleaning the fuel tank. I wish I had taken a before picture because the tank was so so dirty and the entirety of the bottom and sides was covered with thick cosmoline. The interior of the tank itself is thankfully spotless, I was concerned there could be some rust in there not knowing how long the car sat but I got a small gift here.

I started with basic purple power cleaning with a stiff brush to remove the actual dirt, then moved to a plastic scraper and lacquer thinner to lift the cosmoline off. The lacquer thinner does flatten the paint a bit, so I then cut & buffed the tank and finished it up with a nice coat of wax.

[Cha Ching]

This dude^^^ polishes and waxes his fuel tank! Amazing attention to detail, sir. On another note, I appreciate your public service announcement about not messing with your seat belts.

But as someone who would like to upgrade his belts, what sort of shop is qualified to do this?