Worlds longest Resto, my C2 2.7 19/3/18 Vent guage action

[Sanchez]

You can tell your a daddy now, very little updates but you still manage time for a e46 engine rebuild.

Thats good spannering time for a dad im my book.

[brettski]

Any updates on this Si?

[assassin]

Looking nice! BTW, is that Heatherside?

[Simon13]

not really I've got money saved but too much work on as i've got a big project on round my parents place which is taking up the weekends till the summer at a guess.

Saying that i'm seeing all these threads like the green alpina touring that has just surfaced is getting my mojo for it back a little.

I've had it 8 years next month and driven 3000 miles in it. I'll ring the machine shop get the head back. Maybe i'll have to find the time after the babys gone to bed to get this going

Powelly is making headway with sorting out the front discs. Sad thing is there isn't much to do bar the engine to get it on the road

[brettski]

I was looking through your thread last night Si and some of the pics of the bodywork have gone. Just thought I'd let you know!

[bss325i]

Ah that was me that posted all them using image shack back in the day. Some of the early pics have gone from my sport thread as well.

I could reload the pics to photo bucket and edit the posts at some point.

[dimebag_from_hell]

When will the car be finished?

[Simon13]

God knows

[Royalratch]

Bit the answer we want.

[Jesus325iTouring]

With children involved in the equation it could be a looooooooooong time, my Touring has been waiting 4 years this year!

[Split_S]

Man I have three of them.. tell me about it... But, it won't be long before the garage is your "happy place" again... screaming kids can be quite motivating!!

[Simon]

Had my Hartge nearly 7 years, and not driven a single mile in it!

Bloody kids haha!

[Split_S]

Ha! And i felt bad because I've had mine a few months and haven't completed my full resto yet!!

Be atleast another 15 months before she is done... That's my official"bullshestimate"...

New word...mine...
Bullshestimate:
v., To bullshestimate: to give a bullshit estimate, an estimate based on nothing but bullshit....

[Andyboy]

There's no rush to finish the C2 is there? It's not eating or drinking anything and the value of this stuff is only going one way. Summer 2015 seems a reasonable goal.

My white C1 2.3 has been off the road since 2004. The shell was completed 5 years ago and is now being top coated ready for a very slow build up - I can't see it being on the road for another couple of years.

You can't rush leather.

[bss325i]

You can't rush leather.

Man!

[Gert_8]

You can't rush leather.

Man!

What are you doing, raising the cow?

[bss325i]

You can't rush leather.

Man!

What are you doing, raising the cow?

It's an old joke. Ask pacer.

[pacerpete]

Cooonts !

[Gert_8]

Cooonts !

Spill the beans Pete!!

[pacerpete]

Cooonts !

Spill the beans Pete!!

It was a sad tale involving a Cadillac Eldorato with Rotty spec white leathers that George the 75 year old Jamaican trimmer was supposed to fix. After three months it was obvious George was not one to rush things, after six months I was getting bored. By this stage he was ignoring my calls and I was now really bored After several hours of stalking I collared him and he was shocked and a bit flustered, I politely informed him that he had had my seats forever and the car was advertised and I needed the seats if I was to have any hope of selling it. In his finest Jamaican Patois he bleeted " You cun't rush ledder mon"

He promised me he would get them sorted . I promptly advertised the turd and victims were on the case, still no seats ! GGGRRRRR In spite of this minor issue I reeled in a victim who came, loved it , even with no seats ! and paid me the full asking price and told me to call him when I got the seats next week........

A month later , I finally got the seats and the victim his turd with fresh white leatherzzz !

To this day, if ever a job becomes a drama and drags on , I just point to the leather seats / steering wheel/ gear knob and tell them " You cun't rush ledder mon"

[bss325i]

[Gert_8]

[Demlotcrew]

[Andyboy]

You can't rush E34 535i's, esp when you have issues and the bus windows have been licked clean.

[minimatan]

OMFG. After 3.5 hours of speed browsing this epic thread following Barry's mentioning it to me the other night - the Alpina isn't on the road yet!

It's so weird reading through the last 5/6/7/8/9 years, wherever it started and watching history unfold - it feels like cheating! What an unbelievable journey this has been so far...

[Simon13]

A block and head! well head number 2, but rebuild no.4 i think thats right. Fear not the block is original For this attempt i've reverted to the standard head that was fitted to the car when i bought way back when. For the analness in us the head is a 1988 casting which matches the car!

The block has had a hone as we're onto another set of pistons and rings from last time, the head has also had some work at the machine shop where its been for maybe the last 18 months, but not sitting in the shopwindow like the block was. I've not been in a hurry for it all





Its had 6 new valve guides on the inlet, if you remember they were sleeved like below






Which people say is a repair thats acceptable, I myself would rather it how it came from the factory





Then the seats have all been re cut





Then i've run a tap through the threads, all the threads are ok exhaust side which is unusual, i only found one heli coil on a thread for the thermostat housing. They're lovely now the studs wind in freely. Which well help when it comes to fitting the 6 branch.

The pistons are at my old mans workshop at the moment so thats all thats stopping some reassembly work
So next up is getting the headwork re done, so a call to Ike Flack is on the cards again, i guess its going to be a bit slow but if i can keep myself from buying cars we might make it.........I've realised thats the main problem


If anyone has a e34 540i manual to sell drop me a PM


Also if anyone has some good sport seat base mechs they'd like to sell i'm in need to sort out my red chairs.

[suchy]

The gears of progress grind into life once more

[gareth]

Still tinkering away with this despite a family... good man!

I've just rebuilt my drivers seat using a good passenger seat base frame. I have a few leftovers that may be useful to you but not a lot. Have a right hand passenger seat side mechanism that's in fine fettle, never welded on the angle bracket part which seems to be a rare thing these days! Also have a decent left hand bolster foam too.

It's refreshing to have everything working top notch again, nearly no play. Luxury! Mine had got very bad and upon inspection i found the frame had actually split right through halfway along on both sides!

[Kedge]

Good to see you're still grinding away at this Si.

[Simon13]

Grinding away is just the right term, can't say there is much love enthusiasm to finish it tbh

[suchy]

Grinding away is just the right term, can't say there is much love enthusiasm to finish it tbh

Too much grief history or just fed up with it? Will be an epic chariot when you do finally finish it though so keep going

[Simon13]

True will be how i wanted it if i'd ordered new with lots of monies, but time and familarity build up mental barriers

The engine f**k up took the wind out of the sails a bit, it would of been on the road by now.

There is but isn't much left to do, most of the hard bits are done i guess. Engine and refurb wheels, exhuast But just the engine itself to get it going and up the MOT station i can sort the rest later

RE seats Gareth, the passenger seat has trouble sliding back and forth on the runners, drivers seat won't tilt forwards to get in the back, also the top half you can rock it sideways?! I'm sure theres more but i can't remember

[gareth]

I have the runners from my donor passenger seat, can check them out for you if you're interested.

Drivers seat... I've only ever had 4-door / touring seats apart and they only tilt with a handle on the side of the mechanism at the bottom, the 2 door seats also have a cable for the lever on the backrest that flips them right forward. That's probably broken / popped off.

The back rocking sideways is almost definitely either the screw that holds the backrest onto the side mechanisms missing or the little angle bracket cracking in half. They either go on the bend or along edge of the hole for the captive nut. The part that breaks is what you can see wrapping around the gas strut in this pic:

I've welded them back together before. It's an easy job once the mechanism is off, or just find a fresh mechanism. They are handed and seat specific though.

Have a read through here:
http://e30performance.info/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=1147
It shows it pretty clearly None of it is hard to do

[Simon13]

Thanks G i'll have to get tinkering when Powelly has finished borrowing them

Today i phoned the guy who did the headwork originally on the now f*cked head. Hes turned it down as he is too busy for the next 4 months. hmmmmm not sure what to do as i don't know anyone else who can do this sort of work.

I guess there are other jobs to do on it but i'm not really interested in doing anything else bar the engine running in the engine bay. More patience!

[polsta]

its definatly that little bracket broken, you can weld although its better to replace the whole mechanism , i recently did the job on an old seat and also new (from bmw) cables in the back for the tilting