Project Dingolfing E28 520i - Drop the hammer and step back!

[Steve79]

Gumtree is the devil's portal when you really shouldn't be spending any more money. Especially when you already have two cars on the drive.

 

Doubly especially when your wife has promised faithfully to kick your nuts into the middle of next week if you bring another car back home.

 

Ummm... yeah soo I kinda bought another car! She's not happy but a nice meal out smoothed it over

 

Its getting collected by a local recovery guy on sunday as it's just failed an MOT on two busted shocks and a massive fuel leak.

 

In the meantime, just a little hint

[gm]

I'd say it's some sort of beemer, oldish 5 series maybe ?

 

(Edit) but why did you take the clock out ?

[Sigmund Fraud]

Isn't that an E30 clock ?

[BavarianRetro]

E28 or E30 clock. So based on clock, and Dingolfing it's an E28.

 

A 535i might have the OBC in place of the clock, but the clock out suggests a possible obc retrofit? Or it's a very early digital clock getting an analogue "upgrade".

 

525e?

[gm]

fuxake - half ten on a Friday night and you got two answers within five minutes !

 

(Edit) four answers in under ten minutes !

[Schaefft]

Another Autoshite 5-Series owner, excellent

[Jim Bell]

Its 5 past 3 on the clock so it must be a 3.5 litre straight six.

[Steve79]

Clock is still in car, just used a stock pic from intraweb.

 

Properly excited about getting it

[Jim Bell]

Its from the era of great BMWs. How can it be anything but amazing?!

[Steve79]

Plus it's was properly cheap!

[Jim Bell]

Eeeeeeven better.

[Schaefft]

Plus it's was properly cheap!

 

I'm curious to know how cheap...

[Lacquer Peel]

Hope it's that diesel one.

[Guest VicN]

518 for proper shite miserableness.

[HMC]

Hope it's the 525e long stroke.

 

Efficient Dynamics before it was a BMW thing.

 

Nearly bought one but made the mistake of taking my (German) father in law along who frowned the whole time and I just wasn't in the zone.

[spartacus]

Fellow e28 owner here very excited, I love these cars. Hurry up with more info and pics please.

[carlo]

Glas 2800 V8?

[Steve79]

Was out shopping today in the torrential rain with the wife and little un at the Swindon Outlet (i hate shopping). The plan was the car was getting collected at 1pm from N.Somerset, so thought if we left around then, i'd be there by the time the recovery bloke arrived.

 

I get a phone call at half 12 from the previous owner to say that the recovery bloke was in the process of loading up. I spoke to the recovery bloke to say that i wasn't going to be home till at least 2pm and would feel bad if he had to wait around. Turns out he is a top bloke and despite never having even met him and only speaking to him for a total of 5 minutes on the phone said that he'll be happy to drop the car outside of my house and post the key through the door. "Just drop the money round later today or tomorrow, whenever suits you"

 

So the full story.....

 

About a week ago, perusing Gumtree at about half 11 at night, i decided to see what the car parts section would yield for my Rover and/or see whether anything had been mistakenly listed that was relatively car shaped and cheap as this was where i found the Saab. Up pops this

 

 

Hmmm..... BMW 520i,1985, 1990cc 6cyl - INTEREST PEAKED? CHECK

 

However, the advert does mention that its being broken for spares, but worth a call right? Phone call made and owner answers, who was a really nice guy called nick who said that it was his fathers car and when he had passed away in 2008, nick had taken it on. It had just failed the MOT on two very knackered front shocks and a leak from the fuel tank. He was willing to sell the car complete, but with the caveat that it wasn't banger raced or pineappled! Wouldn't talk about prices on the phone but advised to come and have a look and then talk shop. Fair enough as its was under 30 miles from me so would be a quick drive down.

 

Upon arriving, i was greated by one of the most honest cars and owner i've come across (camera on phone was busted at the time so no pics). The car had been his fathers car since new when registered on 01/05/1985 from the BMW main dealer Western Counties Automobile ltd in Bristol (pre-dating Dick Lovett) and had been in the family ever since. Nick had taken the car on in 2008 but was in garage storage until 2016 when it was put back on the road.

 

I said he had mentionned a price, and this is where he struggled as the car clearly held many fond memories of his father (we found his dad's AA International Drivers Permit with photo ID in the glovebox which stirred a few emotions) he couldn't decide a price. Not wanting to push the issue, i said that i would be happy to take the car on but that he would have to contact me the following day when he felt ready with a price that he was happy to let the car go for. I then thanked him and left.

 

The following morning, Nick phones me and makes me promise that i will give the car a good home and give him first refusal if i ever sell it, which i gave the affirmative. He then gives me a price. Lets just say it was about a 1/4 of the price of the lowest i've seen on ebay. I ask him if he is sure he is ok with that price and yep, price is fine to a good home!

 

HAND IS DULY BITTEN OFF!

 

Which leaves us here today.

 

 

The exterior needs a bit of work as i think parking by touch has been a regular occurence

 

 

Underneath the bonnet needs attention to the drains

 

 

Engine is healthy but probably is due a rocker cover gasket, water pump and cambelt as the sticker on the cover says it was due in 1995!

 

Interior

bolster needs repair

 

 

All of the original mats are still fitted and carpet is like new underneath. Even the heal pad under under the drivers feet is unmarked

 

Condensation due to humid day

 

I'll live with this

 

Works but coming straight out as no FM but i've got an old alpine head unit virtually the same as this going in)

 

Apart from this, the rear strut towers are solid and it should need very little fettling for the MOT. I'll get under the car tomorrow to investigate the fuel leak which i'm sure is a perished hose (£20 per metre from BMW) TADTS

 

Plans are to get bodywork in a more presentable condition and change the steelies for alloys (anyone got a non metric set?)

 

Edit - Colour is

[Tadhg Tiogar]

Don't forget to join the BMW 5 Forum. Loads of good help there.

[Jim Bell]

Holy shitsnacks, thats amazing. Proper BMW colour too. Well bought man. Chances like that dont come up very often.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

Looks a straight old thing. The bonnet rot is standard and you'll struggle to locate a decent one so bollocks to it. Cam belts are a piece of piss of these, just mark the rotor arm to the distributor body. Being an '85 it hopefully won't have both vacuum advance AND retard, just advance. Idle speed problems on these are rife and can be a bastard to sort out. There is a fair chance the front spring cups on the strut bodies will be rotten. They cannot be repaired but I am told that Schmiedmann (Google) sell new steel cuts that you can weld to the existing struts once the old ones are cut/ground off. At least it's not got ABS.

Rear struts tops rarely rot on these. But the rear inner sills and all around the rear axle bear outer mounts can, along with the front 'lifting' pads and jacking points. This might have rear discs as opposed to misery drums.

 

I cut my teeth on these 20-30 years ago and remember all the tricks. 

[Steve79]

Have run it up to hot yet but idle speed at cold seems to be around 1300rpm.

 

It's had new rear shoes and cylinders replaced less than 100 miles ago in 2016 along with anti roll bar links, welding to o/s/f strut body, a tyre, battery and a full service totalling just over £800 ????

[cort16]

Very nice ! One of these was my first ever bmw in about 1998. I couldn’t believe how well it was put together compared to the fords And stuff id had until that point.

Not fast but makes a good noise.

 

Rear axle mount rot was what killed my m535i . Not that easy to find until you drop the rear axle.

[HMC]

Great find! Good detective work and happy buyer and seller. I'd probably stick with the placca trimz if it were me- the modest spec is what makes it special IMO. Love the colour combo. Bloke down the road had one ( 528i auto) where I grew up and I loved the sound of it passing every day. Class.

[spartacus]

Fantastic! That's really nice, you'll love it, I'm sure. I've got a pair of heavily surface rusted but sound front struts if you're desperate. Mine has had lots of MOT welding and is really scruffy but it still got positive comments before I hid it in my lock up.

Well bought.

[cort16]

Bavarianretro on here used to have quite a good stock of parts for e28s. Trimz or bottle top alloys they can look rubbish on modern wheels. Mine looked good on e38 wheels saying that .

[HMC]

I remember being taken with my mate by his dad in said 528i ( to watch hot shots part deux no less) and being blown away by a sort of diagnostic display of red warning lights in a cluster (maybe bulb out etc?) mind you I was only 12, and our escort popular had non of that and sounded shit too. #envy

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

 welding to o/s/f strut body

 

 

 

That is an absolute no no.  So it needs at least one strut - I've seen these go bang over a pothole. 

[Steve79]

The garage where the PO had the work done did make an advisory comment on the paperwork noting that various vacuum and breather hoses were perished.

 

They can't be that bad as it didn't fail the emmissions test. But I'll still look at these tomorrow.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

 I've got a pair of heavily surface rusted but sound front struts 

 

I used to get these sandblasted and powder coated. The trouble is the small drain holes that block, and the cup fills with wet mud. 20 years later.......