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Rontgen's 1990 325iS Build Thread

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    #46
    that aerospace 303 seems pretty nifty


    1991 325i
    flickr
    @sambhaskins

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      #47
      Not much new to report, but did potentially solve some off-idle hesitation that we have been getting. The car runs great while driving, but seems to bog fairly badly when you stab the throttle from idle. I did some reading and found something that I missed during the air flow meter maintenance: the idle mixture screw.

      This 5mm hex under the blue plug controls how much air bypasses the AFMs flap. It's essentially a controlled vacuum leak and the meter is calibrated using a CO emission monitor, which I don't have access too. I ran across a post on an E28 forum which mentioned that the factory- adjusted depth of the bypass screw should be stamped on the meter and after some clean-up, I was able to see ours: 17.7mm (0.697"). While this may not be a perfect adjustment per a CO meter, it should at least be in the ballpark.

      I initially took a measurement to see where we had been since there was some evidence that the blue plug had been removed before. Sure enough, ours was set at 18.9mm depth. I've adjusted it to 17.7mm and the off-idle hesitation seems to be vastly improved. Picture below where the depth should be marked, zoomed in and circled for clarity:



      In other news, I attempted to get the exhaust leak fixed at a local muffler shop with no luck. I also discovered several smaller leaks from the catalytic converter body and a rattling heat shield. I've ordered a new Magnaflow section 1, which should go in this week.

      Interior resto is next!
      - Darrell

      2001 BMW M5
      1990 BMW 325is - Build Thread

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        #48
        Interior Resto! This started off as a dash replacement and as usual, turned into a way bigger project then we'd expected.

        This is where we began:





        We pulled the interior and found a surprise left by the previous owner - the ignition switch had been previously broken and was held together with packing tape. [emoji849]



        Dash out!

        - Darrell

        2001 BMW M5
        1990 BMW 325is - Build Thread

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          #49
          After pulling the rear parcel shelf, it was obvious how much UV fading and fabric damage there was.



          We cleaned it up, removing all the fabric that had been reduced to dust and then dyed the remaining fabric black. It's not perfect but it looks much better than before.

          - Darrell

          2001 BMW M5
          1990 BMW 325is - Build Thread

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            #50
            At some point long ago, a previous owner had installed an aftermarket alarm system. That had evidently failed at some point, so the alarm modules were removed by the previous owner, but he left the rats nest of wiring behind. We pulled all of this out



            We also rebuilt the VDO cluster, replacing the odometer gears and SI board Ni-Cad batteries



            - Darrell

            2001 BMW M5
            1990 BMW 325is - Build Thread

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              #51
              We removed the carpets and thankfully found clean floor pans. The drivers side had a little bit of surface rust, which was wire-brushed to remove and hit with protective paint as a precaution



              Dash in and dyed the carpets black after a pressure-wash cleaning. We'll get some black floor mats to prevent further wear of the carpet.

              - Darrell

              2001 BMW M5
              1990 BMW 325is - Build Thread

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                #52
                The leather in this car was in good condition, but was very dry. I used some Leatherique conditioner I had and let them bake in the sun to allow the leather's pores to absorb the conditioner.



                - Darrell

                2001 BMW M5
                1990 BMW 325is - Build Thread

                Comment


                  #53
                  Both front seats had a considerable amount of slop in the mechanisms and didn't always like to latch after an adjustment. After looking closely, I saw a lot of dirt build up in the hinge mechanisms and decided to clean it up in hopes it would resolve the slop.

                  While that helped, it didn't resolve the issue for either side. The passenger side was an easy fix - the 2 Phillips-head bolts that secure the backrest to the hinges were very loose.

                  The drivers side wasn't so easy:



                  The previous owner was a big guy and the seat bottom frame definitely showed that. I found major damage in the back right corner and another 4 areas where the frame was cracked. After a trip to a professional with a TIG....



                  - Darrell

                  2001 BMW M5
                  1990 BMW 325is - Build Thread

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                    #54
                    Still have a couple small things to do (HVAC panel is broken, door sills both broke during removal, and stereo install), but it's at least drivable for now! I'm out of the country for the next month, but when I get back - it's suspension time!

                    - Darrell

                    2001 BMW M5
                    1990 BMW 325is - Build Thread

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                      #55
                      Yet another long overdue update. More progress - slow and steady! lol

                      The suspension on the car was a mix of original 28-y/o pieces and some unknown aftermarket ~10 y/o parts, so we decided to change it all and start with a clean slate. The parts list:

                      - H&R Sport Springs (50406)
                      - Bilstein B4
                      - Meyle Front Control Arms
                      - E36 FCABs
                      - Lemforder sway bar bushings & end links
                      - Lemforder Subframe Bushings
                      - Lemforder RTABs
                      - New strut mounts, spring pads, etc

                      Car up:



                      Subframe Out:



                      Had some trouble with the right rear brake line. It absolutely refused to loosen up. These were lines that we installed <1000mi ago, so I can only assume we over-tightened them. It turned into a nightmare but we eventually worked through it. Needed to create a new Copper Nickel rear swingarm hard line, though



                      - Darrell

                      2001 BMW M5
                      1990 BMW 325is - Build Thread

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                        #56
                        Subframe Bushings coming out:



                        Definitely time for replacement:





                        New Bushings going in:



                        RTABs:

                        - Darrell

                        2001 BMW M5
                        1990 BMW 325is - Build Thread

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                          #57
                          Time for an alignment:



                          The finished product:





                          I'm very, very happy with how this turned out. The drop is just right, handling is factory fresh+, and the ride is very compliant for what will be a daily driven car. Still lots of little things to finish on this project, but this is the last big item! We can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel! haha
                          - Darrell

                          2001 BMW M5
                          1990 BMW 325is - Build Thread

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                            #58
                            really nice build, looks awesome!

                            Did the Leatherique conditioner soften up your seat leather? i tried a few products on my seats that did absolutely nothing...

                            RICHTER MOTOREN

                            1987 e30 325is Zinno - Restoring
                            2004 e46 325xi Alpine - Daily
                            2003 e46 330ci Topaz - Sold
                            1988 e30 325is Zinno - RIP
                            2007 Honda Ody - Family Truckster



                            '87 325is Restoration Build


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                              #59
                              It did to some degree, but the leather is still very firm. I guess the difference is that it doesn't feel like it's going to crack and self-destruct like it used to. I think the key is heat - the leather needs to warm up to really absorb the conditioner.
                              - Darrell

                              2001 BMW M5
                              1990 BMW 325is - Build Thread

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                                #60
                                Looking really good!!
                                Euro Delivery Thread///E30 Project Klaus///COTM August 2021

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