Schaefft's Bargain Barge Extravaganza - MG ZT-T190+ Clean-up

[dollywobbler]

Beautiful. Love the colour. It's been a monumental downhill slide for BMW since the E46/38/39 era.

[Schaefft]

My 1999 530d touring has crumbly jack points and despite being told not to use them a tyre place rammed the drivers front up into sill in Feb. As it has 265000+ miles I almost scrapped it before manning up and getting on with it. The repair panels that came from Germany were 100mm x 130mm, by the time chopped the grot out I had a hole 27 inches long..... I didn't attempt to rebuild the jack point, just left the sill blind and bought  £21.99 trolley jack to leave in the car. The passenger side plastic covers were long gone and that side ok. 

I will need to get this done properly, I'll never find another one of these again and want to keep it forever. I'm currently just exploring my options for the rust repairs. I'm pretty sure I can get the sill replaced for fairly reasonable money, but I don't want it to look like this in another 5 or 10 years again, so it needs to be done professionally. Any tips for where in the general North East area I can find a very good body shop that won't bankrupt me are very much appreciated!

 

 

Looking like a proper Q car as it stands, lovely!

 

If you're ever getting rid of the grey leather & they are electric/heated give me a shout as my heated seats have been disconnected by the previous owner after they apparently got hot enough to burn a hole in the leather.

 

Unfortunately they aren't either. Otherwise it would make the job of retrofitting these features much more enjoyable. I swore I would never do this again after the 528i...

 

 

Beautiful. Love the colour. It's been a monumental downhill slide for BMW since the E46/38/39 era.

 

I agree. You can like BMWs from the Bangle era and beyond for their own reasons, and some of them I do. BMW has not yet built a car like the E39 again though, and will most likely never again. Thats what is making these cars so special to me and many other people all over the world, there just arent many cars out there that combine all these different areas that make a car enjoyable so perfectly like the right model E39s do. Obviously some of these areas are getting compromised by age, but if you have enough money and a little patience that can be rectified fairly easily. That's what I'm trying to do with this one.

[spike60]

The front jacking point sits on the edge of a panel that lies vertically between  the inner and outer sills and is also welded to the inner, on mine the panel edge had rotted away so it collapsed up tearing the inner sill right next to a shit load of wiring and electronic gubbins inside the car.. I repaired the inner sill which led to repairing the back of the front arch. To do the rear jack point properly the tank will have to come out, it's only about 25mm from the inner sill. I did it without removing it using the wet rag and hold your breath method!

I can see the case for repairing yours properly, mine doesn't really justify it. Good luck getting someone to do it properly, keep us posted. I could show some poor pics but don't want to alarm you....

Someone on the M5 forum has put some pics up from when he got his done.

[Schaefft]

Yeah, I expect things to look pretty horrific down there. But in the end its probably not much more work than you'd need to put into any other E39 of average condition at this point, so it didn't alarm me too much.

[Schaefft]

I finally got the Lincoln back from the garage today, about 20mins before I had to leave Newcastle to catch the ferry in Hull to Rotterdam... No more noisy AC compressor and the new control arms make all the difference, so much more comfortable now.

 

Of course there is a reason for this trip. If the car doesn't blow up (it's running a little hot at 70mph right now, even with the heater at full blast...) I will take it to the famous Nordschleife tomorrow. This will only be the first stop on a trip through the south of Germany and the Alps.

 

WCPGW

[Schaefft]

I feel like I should really update this thread.

 

The car went around the Nordschleife and didn't blow up! Being the first Mark VIII on there, it did raise rather much attention on the internet a few days later.

 

 

It also did brilliantly on our trip through the Alps!

 

 

After that it passed its German TUV inspection with only minor work done on it. I don't think it gets much better than that!

 

After getting back to the UK I somehow screwed up my back and later both legs, resulting in me barely being able to walk anymore. Right before I moved into my new house... I can now walk again!

 

Thats it.

 

Oh, the 540i is surprisingly fine as daily driver, even in its current highly neglected state. It'll be replaced by the Safrane (finally!) soon to handle the daily chores until the Lincoln is back from hibernation. The 540i will undergo extensive bodywork repairs as soon as I found a reputable place here in Newcastle I can trust with this.

[dollywobbler]

Was amused when someone tagged me on Twitter with that pic on the Nordschleife "Isn't that the one you drove?" Yes. Yes it is. I was very impressed.

[Schaefft]

Was amused when someone tagged me on Twitter with that pic on the Nordschleife "Isn't that the one you drove?" Yes. Yes it is. I was very impressed.

 

It might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I'm so proud of this car.

[Schaefft]

MAJOR UPDATE

 

I've cleaned the hood lever mechanism on the 540i since it was sticky. It now works perfectly again. I've also ordered some silicon spray to make sure it stays that way.

 

 

Another reason to look at this behemoth of an engine:

 

 

I've also recharged the battery in the Lincoln after it mysteriously went flat after parking it for about two weeks. I'll keep an eye on that. If it turns out the battery is junk I hope Varta won't cause much trouble with their warranty, its barely 2.5 years old...

[Schaefft]

The 540i is soldiering on like a champ, and proves to be the perfect example for why cars need to be driven to stay healthy. When I got the car it hasn't moved in quite a while, which resulted in sticky calipers, windows that wouldnt open and the ABS light to come on fairly frequently. All these issues seem to have disappeared now. Of course there are plenty of other things that need attention and wont just fix themselves (suspension mainly, the windshield washer pump seems to have clogged up as I could only use it intermittently for a very short time), and it still needs some major welding to pass an MOT, but none of that really stopped me from using this car as a great daily.

 

I will drive it for a few more days next week, and once I am back from my Christmas holidays the Safrane will take over as my dd and I will finally have the chance to find out how much I actually like this car, as I haven't really had the chance to find out yet with so many things constantly coming in between me and getting this car tested, most of the time that was my own fault... Hopefully the MOT will go smoothly without any surprises, we'll find out after New Year!

 

 

At the same time, the other E39 proved today that even long periods of being parked up don't have to be a problem for a fairly modern car. I cannot remember the last time I started it, but it must have been sometime in August, if not before that. The only thing it needed was a battery (the old one died long before) and some air in the tires. Driving it reminded me how much I love this car, and I still have absolutely no idea what I am going to do with it. Its one of those cars you have absolutely no use for, but at the same time don't want to let go and lose in some way.

 

 

Also we had the first snow tonight! Getting the Celsior on the road will be one of the big objectives for next year, I really cannot wait to drive this thing properly, and having my own driveway now certainly helps me getting to that goal a bit quicker than before.

[Schaefft]

Oh, do you have a link to it? Those wheels are indeed factory, my favorite ones that were available for it. It originally had 20 spoke chrome direction wheels, but 10 spokes are fitting it a bit better I think.

 

And the Mark VIII is actually quite different from the SN95 Mustang. It has an independent rear suspension where the Mustang still has a solid axle, its also a lot more powerful because of its DOHC engine. At the same time its probably also slightly heavier and uses a differently geared transmission/rear end, so that power advantage probably doesnt result in much better acceleration times  Thanks for the kind words!

[Schaefft]

Ah yes, I know this one. I've seen plenty of photos of it at car shows, and it might even be the one I looked at right before the owner showed me the car I ended up buying! There's a second facelift Mark VIII in the same color around, so it could be that as well.

 

The owner seems quite convinced that it has a Mustang Cobra engine, which isn't 100% true as the heads are different ones. Still a fantastic car though, and less than a dozen around in the UK. Continental is not part of the name anymore though, and the Mk 8 is spelled Mark VIII properly. No wonder I couldnt find it on Ebay.

[Ian_Fearn]

There's one of these languishing on a driveway in a Derby suburb. Looks like it hasn't moved in a few years.

[Schaefft]

There's one of these languishing on a driveway in a Derby suburb. Looks like it hasn't moved in a few years.

Oh, can you send me the address via PM? Maybe thats the other white facelift one I was talking about. I think by now I should know every single one of them in the UK.

[Schaefft]

Bit of an update!

 

The Safrane is with Scaryoldcortina now to get an MOT, hopefully it won't need much and he'll be able to do it next week. Even though the car wasn't moved much over the last year or so (and probably much longer before I got it), it drove really well so I'm looking forward to finally put some miles on it now.

 

This weekend something else kept me busy though. I moved into my new place about 2 months ago, one of the main reasons why I decided to buy the house was the large back yard thats part of the property and a driveway that let straight into it. At least if there wasn't this old garage. The ultimate goal is to construct a proper 3 or 4 car garage all the way in the back of the garden and have the driveway leading to it, that would give me potential space for a total of 8 cars which is kinda mental but oh well.

 

 

I made the first step over the weekend by dismantling the garage. The small workshop that was constructed right next to it will stay for a little bit longer until I have alternative storage but will eventually go as well. Both are built on top of a concrete foundation that levels out the slight decline in the ground, so this will need to go next to get rid of the step at the back. The greenhouse behind the garage will be removed as soon as its sold (surprisingly people are willing to buy these) so the driveway can be extended all the way to the back.

 

Started by removing the internal boarding and back wall:

 

Backwall gone:

 

Next was the roof which was a bit of a pita because of the asphalt roofing. My 30 quid reciprocating saw I picked up at B&Q on that day made it short work of it. Not sure why you'd pay more for one especially with it being under warranty.

 

The result at the end of day one:

 

The rest of the roof and doors were removed today:

 

And that was it, all done:

 

 

I'm not sure yet what options I have regarding the driveway extension. It will be temporary for now until I have the finances to afford a decent block pavement job (at that size anything but cheap), maybe gravel is an option as I don't want to park any of the cars on the grass?

 

Garage plus overgrow all piled up. Not sure if I'm gonna rent a van to bring it all to the skip, renting a skip is surprisingly expensive. Maybe the Safrane will see some skip run action soon...

 

 

In case anyone needs some firewood, let me know!

[Jim Bell]

Good work fella. Definately don't park cars on the grass! Its a great way to make rust. The hardstanding under the old garage looks like a great place to jack a car up.  And now theres no walls, theres far more space to work around a vehicle.

[Schaefft]

Good work fella. Definately don't park cars on the grass! Its a great way to make rust. The hardstanding under the old garage looks like a great place to jack a car up.  And now theres no walls, theres far more space to work around a vehicle.

 

It definitely helps to have more space, the old garage was just big enough for a Morris or Mini. But even with the walls gone there's still not much space on either side. The pavement right in front of the garage is flat enough to jack a car up and has slightly more space. I'm not sure how much of the concrete surface needs to go so get a smooth decline into the soon to be "driveway" down the garden. I guess I'll find out next weekend! Also need to figure out how to get the bush/tree trunks out of the ground.

[Jim Bell]

 Also need to figure out how to get the bush/tree trunks out of the ground.

 

Dig dig dig. towing eye, rope.  Pop clutch................................... Tree trunk and roots pop out of ground and catapult through windscreen.

[HillmanImp]

Get one of those fire bin thingy's (incinerator sounds a bit fancy), you'll get through all that stuff in an evening. Especially at this time of year as everyone has their windows closed at night anyhow and no washing out so you won't piss people off.

 

I cleared my entire garden that way. Just give it a little bit for the actual live wood to die off a bit and you'll be right as rain.

[Schaefft]

Get one of those fire bin thingy's (incinerator sounds a bit fancy), you'll get through all that stuff in an evening. Especially at this time of year as everyone has their windows closed at night anyhow and no washing out so you won't piss people off.

 

I cleared my entire garden that way. Just give it a little bit for the actual live wood to die off a bit and you'll be right as rain.

 

I think I need more info about that fire bin thingy!

[Schaefft]

Little more progress on the property, not the cars (Safrane is still with Scaryoldcortina).

 

Today was very successful in clearing out the back of the garden where I'd like to build a large garage eventually. I had someone come around who planned to use most of the tree trunks to build a garden feature, in exchange he basically chopped down everything I couldn't get done with my B&Q bargain basement 30 quid saw (which still is brilliant for what I paid for it). The resulting pile of material is pretty huge, it'll take a while to clear this up even if I burn it all. We really lucked out on the massive tree in the corner, it was easily as tall as the house and right in the corner of two neighboring properties. We didn't have a ladder, nor a rope, we really didn't expect this would work out in the end.

 

 

The greenhouse is gone, too. I advertised it on FB marketplace and gumtree for 75 quid and the response was incredible, I can't believe how many people want to buy a crappy old greenhouse. A guy showed up today and dismantled it himself, so not only saved me the work of taking it down, I even received decent money instead of paying for getting rid of it.

 

 

Hopefully another guy will show up tomorrow to buy most of the wood that came from the old garage, the next step is smashing the concrete base of it to get a nice even decline for the driveway into the garden. I'll actually be looking at another car tomorrow that's been long on my must have list and popped up 20mins from here (already seen it in the ebaytat thread) so the space might be badly needed...

 

Before/after from above:

 

[Schaefft]

Well, the car I was looking at today, it was so good that I put a deposit down... Reveal coming sometime next week!

 

That means one car needs to go! And since the Safrane will very soon have a fresh MOT, and I feel like this is the only car I can justify selling to a fellow shiter (unless someone wants to buy a decent but left hooker BMW 528i), this is the one that will be up for sale!

 

 

I will put a proper sales thread up soon, but should some have a craving for a lovely bit of unusual french barge that you can have a conversation with (the car will talk to you!), including super comfortable electric/heated cloth seats, V6 and automatic, all in pretty good condition with a huge stack of history, this one might be for you! There are a lot of positive things to say about this example, and not that many negative things once it has a full ticket again. I do aim to get my money back though, so it will be a highish 3 digit sum I will be asking for on here.

 

Feel free to ask away!

 

 

[bramz7]

Holy friggin Christmas. I've sent you a PM, this is right up my alley!

[Schaefft]

Reply sent!

[chaseracer]

Safrane... will be up for sale!

Holy friggin Christmas. I've sent you a PM, this is right up my alley!

 

Eight minutes?  Disappointingly sloooooooowww...... 

[25v6turbo]

SAFRANE V6!!!!

come on I,ve already missed buying this once before,surely this time it can join my V6 RXE???

If it does my Safrane RN will be for sale with 11 months MOT and a working heater,that will be cheap to make way....

[Schaefft]

Or bramz buys both and has Renault Safranes from both ends of the spectrum!

[bramz7]

Somewhat oddly that is my old RN Safrane.... no frills but it still had the best seats.

[Schaefft]

SAFRANE V6!!!!

come on I,ve already missed buying this once before,surely this time it can join my V6 RXE???

If it does my Safrane RN will be for sale with 11 months MOT and a working heater,that will be cheap to make way....

 

Look what I have found in Practical Classics today! I knew it must be about your RXE auction when I saw the word "Safrane" in the contents column.

 

 

Somewhat oddly that is my old RN Safrane.... no frills but it still had the best seats.

 

I feel like every single piece of content about Safranes in the UK is linked to the same 4 people in this country lol

[25v6turbo]

Oddly I sent an email to Danny Hopkins about Safranes.it was longer than the one published asking about doing a possible future article on the Safrane range,i didn,t hear anything back then this article appeared in Practical classics!