Bye Bye to the 735i

As with all good things, so must come the end. This is important, because without an end, good things can become nae sae braw.

With the MOT approaching, and some fettling required I had to make a decision re the future of the ’32.

Abacus oot, numbers subjected to crunching and decision made- time to sell. A quickly crafted advert was cobbled together after a beer for courage, and the car was foist upon an unsuspecting internets.

The enquiries were few, but swift, with the result that the barge is now away to a new owner.

So long, captain chaired commander of the highways!

e32 Fixxored! Now I know how my Dad felt..

Remember when you were a kid and got an awesome new present?

The shiny box

The anticipation

The slumped shoulders and battle worn look of you Dad.

 

Whilst you were looking at the box in amazement, your Dad was seeing stripped screws, flat batteries and crying wean.

Today I collected the shiny box, and marvelled at the contents- this blog tells the Father side experience of the story..

 

Firstly, collect 2x new rear dampers for your e32. To do this you need

1. A car with sufficient petrol
2. The ability to comprehend that a parcel sitting 20 miles away can be considered “Delivered”
3. A passport ( I was hitherto unaware of said border)

The ordeal over- I had this

 

Containing these

 

 

 

 

 

 

The initial strip down commenced with the removal of the rear speaker.

In the last car I did this job in, that was all that was needed to allow access to the topmounts. That car (an e34 5 series) had already had some other work done.

That work included taking the rear seats out, bugger.

The base lifts up fairly simply- revealing some need for a hoover.

 

Some swearing and figuring got the back off(along with the armrest)- meaning that the topmount could be seen. Judicious application of a 17mm spanner saw the damper nut loosened without any shock spinning shenanigans.

 

The bottom 22mm bolt and 3x 13mm topmount nuts came undone easily- allowing the tired shock to be “eased” out the hub with a handle mounted persuader.

 

A swift compressing of spring, with a liberal sprinkling of bumpstop and topmount lead to the delight of a reconstructed strut with shiny new damper.

Installation was the reversal of removal- pop the topmount in loosely with the 13mm nuts, then push the hub down and line up the collar on the bottom of the damper. Once square, insert the 22mm bolt and tighten.

Tighten topmount nuts

Apply wheel

Remove jack

Marvel

Let off handbrake

Marvel some more (correct ride height is a nice thing)

A final check for stance suggests its sitting fine.

 

It was at this point I did what Dads SHOULD do- left it as fixed and went for beer.

 

Likely do the other side next weekend- I’ve left the seat out in anticipation.

It’s done 50 miles since the repair, with no issues (Apart from the usual Oliver Reed like consumption).

 

Nae greetin weans here!

The e32- progress at last on rear suspension issues

In a rare moment of solvency, some of  the hard earned “petrol fund” (AKA wage) has been diverted into the “get the e32 out my brother’s car park” fund.

These reassigned funds have been allocated to 2x new rear dampers- replacing both seems prudent based on the condition of the one that failed- ETA for delivery is mid next week

.

Coming to a blog near you soon- the epic tale of spring compressors, skint knuckles and the damper bolt that just would not loosen..

De-PIMP mah Ride.

Starring:

“Da ’32” as pimp wagon

320touring as “Irate Grumpy Man in Glasses”

320touring’s Brother as “Long suffering brother wanting his parking space back”

As an aside- although the rear suspension on the32 7 series is the same set up as the e34 5 series, the rear dampers have different lengths of travel*

 

*Redeemable as a “Crap fact of the day” in any pub quiz you choose

 

 

Update and swearing to follow

 

Meet the Fleet- The BMW 735i AKA “the ‘32”

This is the ’32- don’t spill its pint!.

Since I had an xj40 4.0 at the age of 19, I’ve had a soft spot for big barges. Making progress along the motorway, cruise control on, arm rest deployed is a fine way to travel. Knowing you have plenty of power in reserve only serves to make it more enjoyable- so it has to have a large engine, and the ability to consume gallons with aplomb.

This car has both in spades. From the factory, this chariot was furnished with the venerable M30 6cyl in 3.5L form. The “big six” has all the classic BMW hallmarks- 12 valves, 6 cyls, 211bhp and a modicum of torque.

 

 

Additionally, this car has a fairly rare setup- being a 5speed manual. Instead of being a car to be driven in, it’s a car worth driving.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the first manual e32 I’ve had, and it totally changes the character of the car. The trademark growling idle seems all the more potent, and the progress more rapid. Even with the heft of the sizeable body, the car can be hustled down backroads at a surprising pace.

This is by far the best example of the breed I’ve owned- Bodywork is really astonishing- wearing its 25 years very well. Only one small dent in 1 front wing and 2 or 3 stonechips needing some work

With luck some polishing plus some wax should help keep it that way.

 

The interior needed a good clean, but came up well- and its now a really pleasant place to be. Electric front seats (inc electric headrests!!) make getting comfortable a doddle. Cruise control makes motorways a most convivial affair- even achieving approval from the Burd!

 

As is always the way, in achieving its current 187000 miles, a couple of things could do with some work.. the current list stands at :

1. Central Locking issue- auto locks when you open the drivers door (suspected Actuator fault- need to source replacement)
2. Blowing Rear box on the exhaust (replacement will be needed for MOT)
3. Boot Struts are weak- watch your head!(£20 buys new ones off ebay)
4. Tappets could do with adjustment
5. Computer shows “ tail light fault”- even though they all work- may be a resistance issue with the bulbs.
6. This just happened:

Suspect that either the spring has snapped, or the spring plate on the damper has failed.

 

Either way, It’ll need repaired before it turns a wheel again.

Happy days!

 

I’ll update once it has had some work done- just need to start sourcing parts.