P_Roloff

Last Wednesday I took a drive down to Chicago and finally picked up the car!

The dyno tuning had been done a week and a half prior to that but they wanted to further dial it in on the street and work out any little drivability issues it had. As for power numbers, on pump gas it made 401 whp (not sure on torque numbers for that). As for E85 though, the numbers were a bit more shocking... in a good way

I did end up driving it back from Chicago and besides the 105 degree weather I baked in, it was a pretty enjoyable drive home. The car felt great and the engine didn't skip a beat. I will say though that the clutch is a little more difficult then it use to be. Especially when getting the car rolling in first gear. The one in there is technically only rated for like 480 lb ft torque so we'll see how far that gets me. There are a few things I wanna take care of on it like an oil change and address a few small things but other then that very excited to have the car back to enjoy the little bit of warm weather we have left. 

Don't worry, I will keep an eye out for that fourth cover. 😉

Thanks to @Jdesign for the tip on these! Snagged three turbine covers from a guy here in MKE the other day, now I just need the fourth to complete the set (and provide the motivation to finish them lol)
 
Let me know if any of you ever find a spare single one, I need a left side cover and fan (3611-2226273 and 3611-2226275, respectively). I have four genuine center caps so I’m good there.
Condition isn’t bad at all, the center caps are beat up but all functional, and the paint on the fans is actually quite good. Same for the black fan pieces. Even got the OEM hardware with them!
Pics:
 

Thanks to @Jdesign for the tip on these! Snagged three turbine covers from a guy here in MKE the other day, now I just need the fourth to complete the set (and provide the motivation to finish them lol)
 
Let me know if any of you ever find a spare single one, I need a left side cover and fan (3611-2226273 and 3611-2226275, respectively). I have four genuine center caps so I’m good there.
Condition isn’t bad at all, the center caps are beat up but all functional, and the paint on the fans is actually quite good. Same for the black fan pieces. Even got the OEM hardware with them!
Pics:
 

Thanks to @Jdesign for the tip on these! Snagged three turbine covers from a guy here in MKE the other day, now I just need the fourth to complete the set (and provide the motivation to finish them lol)
 
Let me know if any of you ever find a spare single one, I need a left side cover and fan (3611-2226273 and 3611-2226275, respectively). I have four genuine center caps so I’m good there.
Condition isn’t bad at all, the center caps are beat up but all functional, and the paint on the fans is actually quite good. Same for the black fan pieces. Even got the OEM hardware with them!
Pics:
 

What the title says - looking for a left hand side cover and finned piece for style 20 m-system turbines. I know it’s a long shot here, but maybe someone has a friend of a friend. I don’t explicitly need the center cap but will certainly buy one with the cover if available to have a spare. 
 
Pic for attention:

 
Help me make my threesome into a foursome!

Thanks to @Jdesign for the tip on these! Snagged three turbine covers from a guy here in MKE the other day, now I just need the fourth to complete the set (and provide the motivation to finish them lol)
 
Let me know if any of you ever find a spare single one, I need a left side cover and fan (3611-2226273 and 3611-2226275, respectively). I have four genuine center caps so I’m good there.
Condition isn’t bad at all, the center caps are beat up but all functional, and the paint on the fans is actually quite good. Same for the black fan pieces. Even got the OEM hardware with them!
Pics:
 

Did the full transmission service a few weekends ago now and got about 2500 trouble free miles on it since. I haven't floored it yet but very happy with the improvement on the 2-3 shift. Overall the job looks more intimidating than it was but it certainly was a full weekend project. This is pretty well covered in these videos but I'll share my tips. 
I did end up pulling the transfer case cross member. People buy or fabricate a shallow Torx wrench to get at the rear pan bolts blocked by the cross member that takes 10min to remove. I unbolted the exhaust as well to get additional clearance for the passenger side center bolt, no issues with that leaking afterwards and my flange nuts were in good shape. 

 
6HP26/28 how to video. I followed this along with the TIS instructions. I would highly recommend marking the mechatronic sealing sleeve with a paint pen as I had a hell of a time getting that lined back up properly and that would've saved me the headache like the TIS suggests. 
This is a E53 mechatronic rebuild but similar enough procedure with good assembly tips. 
Mechatronic unit after removal and splitting. Split the plate this side up so the accumulator pistons and check valves don't fall out, those are reused along with the filter. 

I let the transmission drain overnight too with the mechatronic unit out and I ended up needing the full 9.5l capacity, luckily NAPA does stock the Liquid Moly Top Tec 1800 so I was able to get what I needed to finish the job. 

Just to reiterate, my E-Shift 6HP28X with with main parts list 1068-050-045 did indeed use the ZF 1068298047 mechatronic service kit as confirmed by California Transmission Supply and Automatic Choice. I even wrote to FCP Euro Support asking them about their product listing comparing to these sources and wrote back to me after a month stating that their BMW Catalog team confirmed this was not for my vehicle and to check with my local BMW Service Center. The dealers only sell the complete mechatronic unit so guessing thats why this "doesn't match my vin". Again not sure why FCP and ECS don't have as complete main parts list compatibility as those transmission sites do but I would reference those. I didn't have any luck getting into ZF's official catalog. 
Also if you are going to do the Sonnax Zip-Kit, remember that the valve body separator plate needs to be replaced as well which in my case was the A065 plate also available through Sonnax. I just ended up doing all the end plugs, pressure regulator sleeves and Clutch A & E control boost valves since I had this out and given the mileage instead of diagnosing what it might just need. Only issue I did have was having to redo 1 or 2 o-rings during assembly as they got cut on the valve bores that were still tight tolerances. Just takes time and make sure everything is well lubricated. Again it's just a tedious job but glad I did it and saved a bunch of $$$. 

So I was working on my basement over the weekend and went to move the original seats from this car. As I carried them across the basement at an awkward angle a coin fell out from somewhere deep in the seat and went pinging across the floor. I figured it was a quarter or something. Nope. It's a 1988 Austrian 1 schilling coin. 

 
I did some googling and Austria switched to the euro at the start of 2002... so either someone went on a European vacation and lost a coin when they got home, it's been in the seat since the car was built, or the car spent some time in Europe. Either way it's pretty neat. 

Car has been pretty solid since the last update, I did end up making a (crude) mount for the  MS3 to get it out of the way in the glovebox 
Finally got the car out to an HPDE at USAIR.  So glad the new management is cool with these events. There was a morning and afternoon session, we only signed up for the morning. It was a total of 4, 15 minute sessions for $125 (afternoon would’ve been an additional $125) - autox out there is usually $55 for 8 runs-  Ended up being about 36 miles of laps.
Car exceeded expectations as it didn’t break lol. Temps stayed in check the entire day. Coolant temps maybe peaked around 210/215 and came down very quickly on a cool down lap. Oil temps were maybe around 230 or so at their peak
The chase bays power steering reservoir with their “spill proof baffled design” did just the opposite, had to wipe that up between sessions.
Had one weird issue with the expansion tank cap, seemed like the orings/gasket had the worlds smallest leak and it would mist the intake pipe during the session. New cap will be here soon & expansion tank just in case. This was the quick fix trackside

 
car used maybe 1/4 tank of fuel, GFs evo x went through like 15 gallons of e85 lol
Nankang CR-1 were also a casualty, this event finished them off after 2 years of service, no complaints there—might try their updated 200tw compound “CR-S”

i only ran the racebox gps on 2/4 sessions, borrowed it out to a few cars on the other sessions-still need to get those laps overlayed but here’s some footage from the day
this was one of the last sessions so tires were pretty smoked 
Next lapping day is in September. This one actually still had open spots, definitely recommend.  
 
next on the list is to order up some tires and change all the fluids

Havent taken a trip through the ol' c-list in awhile.
Nice E34 540-6
https://minneapolis.craigslist.org/wsh/cto/d/lake-elmo-bmw-i-6mt/7643768844.html

X5M's are getting cheap!
https://chicago.craigslist.org/wcl/cto/d/aurora-2011-awd-bmw-x5-44-litre-twin/7634386770.html

Z3 track car
https://racine.craigslist.org/cto/d/franksville-bmw-z3-race-car/7643853073.html

@P_Roloff this one is for you..
https://milwaukee.craigslist.org/pts/d/milwaukee-bmw-e34-throwing-star-turbine/7638985866.html

Refinished the headlights this weekend!
Went with a box kit instead of the 2k clear this time, I decided to see how long it lasts and make a decision from there. Initial impressions are that it turned out great though!
Before:

After:

I will note, I wet sanded from 1200 up to 3500 grit on the passenger side light instead of starting at 2400 on the drivers side, and it turned out way better. Highly recommend getting some extra paper in coarser grits if you use a kit like this, it really makes it turn out much nicer. 
 
Reslly cleaned up the front end look, I love the way this car looks when it’s clean. 

129,393
Power steering fluid flush completed. I initially tried to flush by disconnecting the return line and directing into a catch bottle, capping the reservoir nipple, and filling as I turn the wheel back and forth, but stopped when I couldn’t get the hose off of the reservoir. It was stuck on there pretty good and I didn’t feel like cracking the reservoir wrestling with it. 
 
I’ll try that method again when I buy a replacement reservoir; until then, I just drained and refilled the reservoir 6ish times with a quick drive around and some lock to lock turns in between each. It took the fluid from “used motor oil” to “slightly dirty green pentosin” so I’ll call it a win. Not going to let perfect get in the way of improvement. I have a spare liter still so I’ll probably burn that at the next oil change with a few more drain and fills. 

Oh, there was rock climbing too. Here's our old friend Ben on pitch 8 out of 11 on a climb called "Prime Rib".

This pitch was my first outdoor lead, and the climb in general was my first multi-pitch adventure. I've wanted to do something like this since I started climbing, so it was pretty cool. Fun, but long.
On to the next challenge...
PS: Here's a picture of a lake:

Refinished the headlights this weekend!
Went with a box kit instead of the 2k clear this time, I decided to see how long it lasts and make a decision from there. Initial impressions are that it turned out great though!
Before:

After:

I will note, I wet sanded from 1200 up to 3500 grit on the passenger side light instead of starting at 2400 on the drivers side, and it turned out way better. Highly recommend getting some extra paper in coarser grits if you use a kit like this, it really makes it turn out much nicer. 
 
Reslly cleaned up the front end look, I love the way this car looks when it’s clean. 

Thanks!
Yep, putting my order in today. My first real ride over the weekend exposed how not great they were. No panic stops needed but I don’t want to have to rely on them as they currently sit. 
 
That’s kinda what I’m thinking, it’ll be a good chassis to grow into as far as ability while still keeping it reasonable as far as price. Were your eagle setups problematic out of the box or is it more of a wear over time issue that they can be fiddly with?
I stopped at wheel and sprocket the other day and they said they can order one in for me anytime when I want to test ride, so once the e28 is running and ready to get gone I’ll have them bring one in. 
 
I did see a 2020 X-Caliber 8 for $800 on marketplace this morning though, which is tempting 😂 I think I want the Roscoe geometry though

Make sure to aim for the bushes by the front porch, they could use a good water! 

Reviving this thread!
Finally replaced my old Trek 3700 hybrid (ridden hard and like 4 sizes too small) with a still slightly small 2009 Trek 1.2. I’ve wanted a road bike for awhile now for the rail trails around here, and combined with a really nice 4-bike Thule hitch mount carrier (FB marketplace score for $80), I’m now set to get some miles done. For $350 for the bike, I’m pretty happy. Shifts smooth, rides nicely, really clean for the age, it seems well taken care of and hard to beat for the cost. Even has a carbon front fork!

Brakes kinda suck though (common complaint when it was new) so I’ll probably toss some more aggressive pads on it and see what that does. I put Kool Stop’s on the afrementioned hybrid and it went from mushy to tossing me over the bars if I wasn’t careful, so we’ll see if that does it.
 
I mentioned it elsewhere, but I’m also thinking I’m going to sell the e28 (zero time to use it or wrench on it) and dump the funds into a hardtail MTB, likely a Trek Roscoe 8. I’d like to go new on that to save the hassle of buying someone’s abused or worn out stuff. If anyone has any alternative recs to that bike, I’m all ears. I’m definitely a noob when it comes to bikes but I’d love to learn more. 

Let’s take a ride on the bugline trail and water balloon JOEBD2’s house 👍
Cant go wrong with Trek. Don’t overlook Giant or Marin as good budget options. As the worlds largest bike frame producer Giant makes frames for Trek and many others. They usually end up having slightly higher end components at the same pricepoint.
W&S has become a Giant dealer within the last few years so they are easy to come by.
 
Checkout www.99spokes.com
it has a great comparison tool which helps you understand where on the totem pole certain components rank.

Reviving this thread!
Finally replaced my old Trek 3700 hybrid (ridden hard and like 4 sizes too small) with a still slightly small 2009 Trek 1.2. I’ve wanted a road bike for awhile now for the rail trails around here, and combined with a really nice 4-bike Thule hitch mount carrier (FB marketplace score for $80), I’m now set to get some miles done. For $350 for the bike, I’m pretty happy. Shifts smooth, rides nicely, really clean for the age, it seems well taken care of and hard to beat for the cost. Even has a carbon front fork!

Brakes kinda suck though (common complaint when it was new) so I’ll probably toss some more aggressive pads on it and see what that does. I put Kool Stop’s on the afrementioned hybrid and it went from mushy to tossing me over the bars if I wasn’t careful, so we’ll see if that does it.
 
I mentioned it elsewhere, but I’m also thinking I’m going to sell the e28 (zero time to use it or wrench on it) and dump the funds into a hardtail MTB, likely a Trek Roscoe 8. I’d like to go new on that to save the hassle of buying someone’s abused or worn out stuff. If anyone has any alternative recs to that bike, I’m all ears. I’m definitely a noob when it comes to bikes but I’d love to learn more. 

I had a friend do the NH oil undercoating and really like it, but it requires a spray gun (which isn’t the end of the world but does complicate things). I haven’t done a ton of research yet but I trust liqui moly’s stuff, we’ll see what I find when I enter that internet rabbit hole. 
 
Creaking, interesting. If it’s not control arm bushings, maybe top mounts?
That one is a Trek Roscoe (the 8 in particular), I figured I’d spring a little and get a step up. I’ve never bought a new bike and really want something I don’t need to tinker with and will do what I need out of the box, and the Roscoe seems to fit the bill and be a good bike to grow into as I MTB more. I’m picking up a road bike tonight as well, going to replace my old hybrid with two more dedicated bikes. 

A friendly reminder that your bike is taller than awnings
Found that out the hard way once haha

Now you can shred trails with the rest of the WiBimmers crew!

Just been enjoying the car and driving it a lot lately. Not too much more has been done unfortunately. Still working on custom interior work too.

I guess I do have a little update here. Earl told me last week that he plans on moving the engine for this car to my shop as he is tight on space with moving. So having everything in the same spot again is forward progress! 

Finally got the VANOS unit installed and the car buttoned back up. Decided to forgo the anti rattle kit and just do seals because it wasn’t making noise and I just wanted the car back together. Idled rough on the first start, but then shut it off and restarted and was much better. Powerband is now smooth again without the rubber band effect when VANOS kicks in, yo! and overall drivability is way, way better. Hoping to see some MPG improvements too!
 
Going to start driving this to keep miles off the E91, this still needs some things here and there but mostly minor stuff. Rear suspension work will probably continue to get put off, but 🤷‍♂️