Beemerlad's M52 Chromie

Thu Sep 17, 2009 9:24 pm

The clunk at the front has been sorted. The strut insert was just flapping about. I can't have checked the collar nut properly when building it up beforehand.

Thu Sep 17, 2009 9:28 pm

Sweet. Diff in in the morning and a big minging number 11 right down your street to celabrate

Thu Sep 17, 2009 9:48 pm

E30BeemerLad wrote:The clunk at the front has been sorted. The strut insert was just flapping about. I can't have checked the collar nut properly when building it up beforehand.

i've done this before. did you re-use the collar nut? mine had got nice and tight when it hit the built up rusty ridge on the threads. alas the new shock was 1mm shorter and it made a god-awful noise!

i cheated and bought a 18" long set of water pipe pliers from B&Q (best tool i've ever bought!) and just reached through the spring and gave it hell!

Thu Sep 17, 2009 9:59 pm

gareth wrote:i've done this before.

Me too.

gareth wrote:i cheated and bought a 18" long set of water pipe pliers from B&Q (best tool i've ever bought!) and just reached through the spring and gave it hell!

That's how I got 'round it too. Were we seperated at birth Gareth??

Thu Sep 17, 2009 10:18 pm

Must be a good MOT station if your strut is loose Lee... Well done on getting the VIC.
Hopefully meet you at the Pod... with the Touring...

Thu Sep 17, 2009 10:28 pm

StuBeeDoo wrote:
gareth wrote:i've done this before.
Me too.

gareth wrote:i cheated and bought a 18" long set of water pipe pliers from B&Q (best tool i've ever bought!) and just reached through the spring and gave it hell!
That's how I got 'round it too. Were we seperated at birth Gareth??

haha! great minds think alike. maybe less than great ones make the same balls-ups!

Fri Sep 18, 2009 12:45 pm

gareth wrote:
StuBeeDoo wrote:
gareth wrote:i've done this before.
Me too.

gareth wrote:i cheated and bought a 18" long set of water pipe pliers from B&Q (best tool i've ever bought!) and just reached through the spring and gave it hell!
That's how I got 'round it too. Were we seperated at birth Gareth??
haha! great minds think alike. maybe less than great ones make the same balls-ups!

How many long lost bruvva's does StuBeeDoo have?

Fri Sep 18, 2009 7:51 pm

Well she now has a LSD and is no longer howling at the rear end and no more front end clunking, so I think I am going to chance the pod with it. Will assess when I get there if I'll be running it down the strip.

Just been out for a bit of a thrash in it. It seems to pick and chose it's moments when it wants to really lift it's skirt and go, sometimes it really seems to go and others it seems to bog a bit.

Fri Sep 18, 2009 7:58 pm

congrats Lee well done sir

Fri Sep 18, 2009 8:03 pm

E30BeemerLad wrote:Well she now has a LSD and is no longer howling at the rear end and no more front end clunking, so I think I am going to chance the pod with it. Will assess when I get there if I'll be running it down the strip.

Just been out for a bit of a thrash in it. It seems to pick and chose it's moments when it wants to really lift it's skirt and go, sometimes it really seems to go and others it seems to bog a bit.

It could just need a good blast down the motorway Lee.

Fri Sep 18, 2009 9:35 pm

Mind out for the gestapo when you boot it...

The ECU will need to erm,'learn' your 'driving style'.....see you on the 25th?

Fri Sep 18, 2009 10:06 pm

best update yet lee

i hope the turd behaves and nowt else fails and you get to strip it up

Fri Sep 18, 2009 10:10 pm

probably worth a shot of redex to help clear the cobwebs from it as it's been stood around for a fair while. a nice motorway run up to temperature and a few sprints to get max injector duration etc will help too.

aka, the 'italian tune'. drive it like an italian would!

Fri Sep 18, 2009 11:21 pm

When my uncle fitted his m50 manifold an bbtb from alpina 271 (or somthing like that) he said he had to let it idle on the drive for xxmins for the ecu to adjust itself, maybe worth a try.

Sat Sep 19, 2009 10:03 pm

just heard from Lee that the old girl made the journey to the pod

lets see how it does up the strip tommorow

Sun Sep 20, 2009 10:03 pm

First car I looked for.

Mon Sep 21, 2009 11:42 am

was good to finally meet you mate, thanks for the lend of the socket

Mon Sep 21, 2009 1:25 pm

Indeed. Nice to meet you Lee, and well done on making it TO the strip, UP the strip AND home.

Excellent effort, especially with the timescale of the last bits and the paperwork issues.

Thu Sep 24, 2009 7:49 pm

Picked up the cam sensor from the dealers lunchtime today, so fitted that when I got home, bit of a fanny on needing to remove the back part of the vanos unit and the oil filter housing top to get the allen key in there.

Went for a quick drive and what a difference! I was beginning to think what all the fuss was about with the M52 as it seemed to really be lacking in low end grunt and was a bit hit & miss at the top end. As I went to pull away in a sensible manner the thing just wants to go, got a really solid bit of torque from no revs and this is with the M50 inlet manifold that does kill the torque on these a bit.

Very happy indeed!

Going to go to York Dragway on 11th Oct and see what it does down the 1/4, but the arse dyno is already telling me it will do far better than the 15.2 I managed at the pod.

Thu Sep 24, 2009 8:37 pm

^^ Good news Lee. ^^

Thu Sep 24, 2009 9:56 pm

Nice one Lee. Dan too the rescue again. I was starting to worry about my project. Happy birthay for tomorrow mate. Your old block is in the machine shop getting 2mm taken out the bores. Glad your happy with the car

Mon Sep 28, 2009 10:37 pm

Just a wee update on this now it's been on the road a couple of weeks.

I've done about 500 miles in it so far and it's been a good tool, no leaks or overheating dramas. I'm quite impressed with the punch it has now.

Got the buckets in and have given the interior a good clean now and I'm very pleased, will get some pics as I think it looks the shizzle without being tacky. Tech 1 wheel feels like a bus wheel and the steering does feel a bit slow but the exhaust manifold won't allow me to get away with an E36 rack (at least I don't think). Going to get hold of a Z3 shifter to reduce the throw a bit.

Looking forward to seeing what it will do down the strip at York on 11th Oct.

Going to have to sort out some 55 profile tyres for it though as the 60's are a bit "squidgy" and rub at the back on roundabout hooliganism

Mon Sep 28, 2009 10:49 pm

If you want new lee I will pm you some prices tomorrow. If you come up I with through them on for you.

Mon Sep 28, 2009 11:01 pm

yeah, PM me some prices dude, 205/55/15, I don't want ditch finders but don't want £100 a corner stuff either if you know what I mean

Mon Sep 28, 2009 11:06 pm

Understud mate. Send you some options to tomorrow

Mon Sep 28, 2009 11:54 pm

I'm pleased for you Lee. I knew that car was better than a 15.2. Looking forward to the York results. 14.7-8 is my guess.

Wed Sep 30, 2009 1:07 am

First time I've checked in here since the pod. Glad the sensor seems to have transformed the beast Lee. Nice easy fix too.

How much of a legend is Dan?

I was glad to watch such a defining moment in the project that was the first quarter too. Cool as fook mate!

fitted the skirt yet?

Wed Sep 30, 2009 2:29 pm

E30Gheko wrote: How much of a legend is Dan?

Almost as much as the bloke (me) who told Lee what the problem was without a scanner, eh Lee?

Cam sensors are a service item on these.

Wed Sep 30, 2009 5:39 pm

Aye, Mr E was correct with his diagnosis and also the recommendation not to buy a non-OEM sensor. I did a bit of digging around on t'interweb and found other M52 victims with running problems similar who had replaced the sensor with an aftermarket brand, only to be left with the same running problems and error codes, then replacing this with an OEM sensor which cured the problem.

Happy days

Wed Sep 30, 2009 7:22 pm

I took a couple of pics of the interior now that it's had a "man clean". Her indoors still reckons it needs a woman's hand to clean it up properly, but it's looking a lot better than it did at the pod with missing trim and mis-matching discomfort front seats

Be time for some bodywork soon. Got the Breyton rear valence for it to fit too which will hide the bum cancer. Satin brown is big on the agenda once more

Wed Sep 30, 2009 7:28 pm

Those seats look tidy Lee

Wed Sep 30, 2009 7:31 pm

mmm for once a bucket that looks nice lol

they look a bit wider than most i like em

Wed Sep 30, 2009 7:35 pm

yeah I like them, kind of lets you get away with buckets but without looking too chavvy (i.e. no reds or blues like the usual fodder), nice black alcantara and vinyl instead. I got them off Spadge and they were in Colin's V8 touring beforehand

Wed Sep 30, 2009 8:54 pm

Looks boss mate. Really tidy

Wed Sep 30, 2009 9:15 pm

dazleeds wrote:
they look a bit wider than most i like em

just as well with a physique like Lee's