Kit

My 520i is a late model and came with vented discs and the bigger callipers from the factory so luckily they don’t need to be swapped from the donor. I spoke too soon as far as the engine goes, had a call saying it’s not starting and after an inspection the crankshaft sensor may have an issue - so a little extra work to do still.

The engine is in and has been tested over the weekend, apart from a faulty temp sensor the install has gone to plan. I know the 525i has a different diff etc but I’m keeping my 520i running gear. What if any difference will that make to a full 525i setup? Hopefully it’ll just feel more powerful and the other differences will be marginal. Will be able to drive it post lockdown.

My Danish oem rear exhaust isn’t so oem it turns out, not only have the front pipes been cut short so have the back. Bit of extra work for the Buchanan brothers...

Dropped the car off today so hopefully this time next week it’ll be running smoothly with 0.5L more than it started with. Obviously needed to get some oil so went for Castol Edge 5w-40 fully synthetic as got a good deal. Out of interest what do you guys use? Guessing a decent 10w-40 semi will be popular choice?

The used oem 525i rear box arrived from Denmark. I’m a factory spec man so hoping the rear AC Schnitzer tip comes off cleanly. If anyone is in the market for one let me know.

Had to source a new rear box as the donor’s was rotten, found a used but sound oem one in Denmark so it’s on its way. Question - how painful is it changing the details on the V5 once the conversion is completed? Guess it will still be labelled a 520i but with 2494cc cylinder capacity and a change of engine number. Also guess I will have to inform the insurers...

80’s drone delivery. https://www.instagram.com/p/CG5KP4aJRIM/?igshid=hc9dzugej0of

Incase Northern Ireland is a possibility for you these guys have a few e34’s. https://www.willswheels.co.uk/dismantled-cars-2019.html

Angus BMW - flipping heck!

A slight tweak on the theme here but... https://www.imcdb.org/vehicles_make-BMW_model-E34.html (And other models... https://www.imcdb.org/vehicles_make-BMW.html)

Thanks, yes it cleans up well, but so it should after the money I have spent on it in the last 4 years! Talking of cleaning, amazed at how well the once oil marked and generally dirty boot carpet cleaned up with a bit of elbow grease and Autoglym interior shampoo.

Taking it here to have the work done - https://www.angusbmw.co.uk/conversions/

Ohh, and here’s the beneficiary.

After much deliberation I decided to go for the simplest option to get a little more grunt in my 1995 touring - upgrade to the 2.5 lump. This was helped by both this forum and finding a car that ended up being at a friends brothers garage in the north east. A one owner 525i saloon with 112k on the clock. Failed it’s MOT on rust but runs well. After some haggling it was put on a trailer this morning by a tow company I found on Shiply (see below). It’s off to Angus BMW in Colchester where we will asses the car then take as much off it as possible to improve mine. By the end I hope to have more power with the same reliability I have enjoyed with my current smooth and trusty 2L engine. A lot of this car (including the 525i auto box) and my old M50b20tu will be for sale so please message me if interested, could do a deal on the main parts or sell it all as a job lot. Thought I would do this project during these strange times as it’s both interesting and quite exciting. Sure it won’t be plain sailing and a bit costly when all is said and done but hey, that’s to be expected. I love my e34 touring and want to keep it long term, don’t see many on the road anymore!

What website / service did you use to get this info? Would love the spec sheet for my e34.