Success! Trany's fixed, back on the road . . .

[gale]

My son & I did a "Winfred" (again, many thanks for your post) on the A-clutch pack & seals on his "new" 89 535ia. All went well & we've been driving it all afternoon. So far so good. Should pass smog without any problems by virtue of my "sniff test". I gave him my old bottlecaps with near new Yokohama's. It came with a nice set of factory BBS cross spokes but they have Blizzaks mounted on them. She's pretty much 100% stock except for a stero upgrade. Here's a couple picks, not bad for $1500 + $50 or so for parts:

http://www.nmia.com/~dgnrg/gman1.jpg

http://www.nmia.com/~dgnrg/gman2.jpg

The hard part is gonna be figuring out how he's gonna cough up the $ for insurance once he makes it his daily driver.

[Martin in Bellevue]

Nice ride for the kid. & a nice opportunity to bond, fixing things.
That muffler is hangin' kinda low.

[Robin-535im]

She's pretty much 100% stock except for a stero upgrade. Here's a couple picks, not bad for $1500 + $50 or so for parts.
That Rocks Don! Heck... so much car for so little money. It's hard to fathom why anyone would spend $3000 on a POS cavalier or caravan when you could get such a nice BMW for that price.

[Denton]

That isn't a Montana plate, is it?

[gale]

Yep, Montana. The former owner was stationed in Great Falls. That explains the Blizzaks & 2 sets of chains in the trunk. Must have spend alot time on dirt/mud roads from all the crud caked in the wheel wells & undercarriage. I need to put it on a lift & have it pressure washed. We spent 1 whole evening scraping & cleaning just to get it ready to drop the trans.

[Denton]

Ah, so you don't live in Montana then?

We're in Bozeman, and it's rare to see another Bimmer.

[Alexlind123]

Just go through a car wash and get the one with the underbody wash.

[Brandon J]

Good deal and good fix.

[George M]

That is awesome. What a lucky young man to have such a great dad.
Congrats,
George

[gale]

That is awesome. What a lucky young man to have such a great dad.
Congrats,
George

Hi George,

Thanks for the kind words. It's my goal to expose him to as many facits of car repair that I can. Can you believe as old as I am (well into my 50's), this is the 1st time I've been inside an automatic? Good to have you stop by for a visit now & then, long time no hear. How's that bike doing (the "motored" one)? ;) Post some more pic's when you get a chance -- sweet ride!

Cheers!

Your evil twin

[bigtisas]

$1500 is a really good deal. The car looks nice.

[BigKriss]

How long did the repair take you?

[ILoveMPower]

That is awesome. What a lucky young man to have such a great dad.
Congrats,
George

This guy has the right idea

Such a gorgeous car for the money, nice one!

[George M]

Hi George,

Thanks for the kind words. It's my goal to expose him to as many facits of car repair that I can. Can you believe as old as I am (well into my 50's), this is the 1st time I've been inside an automatic? Good to have you stop by for a visit now & then, long time no hear. How's that bike doing (the "motored" one)? ;) Post some more pic's when you get a chance -- sweet ride!

Cheers!

Your evil twin
Your son has a huge head start to the hobby because his old man is a guru.
As to the motorized bike...great fun. We are having some frightful weather in the Detroit area for the last month or so...record cold and now getting hit with that snow storm sweeping the country. Wrenching is my therapy as there are very few things I like to do more...especially when the weather precludes being outside and riding. I love regular bicycles as you know also Don so posted a couple of pics of a carbon fiber racing bike I just completed. I built this bike from scratch...every part chosen for what I like. Most pieces are carbon fiber. I have only ridden it once but it is something to behold. I like cycling about as much as motorcycling...perhaps a bit more....a different kind of high really...an endorphin rush. As to the motorbike...lighting was the theme for modding this winter. Removed the cheesey plastic incadescent turn signals and replaced them with 2 stage turn and running LED lights. I like to wire a bit and the installation turned out clean. Can't have too much visibility when riding at night so I wanted running lights on the bike. In the back I modded the ABS rear license plate to remove the old plate and relocated to a LED lit vertical side mount which symmetrically offsets the drag pipes on the riight hand side. I lowered the bike a bit as well to give it a more aggressive if not gangsta look which I like on a cruiser. This bike is very fast and could be a lot faster but don't really need any more power. It will do smokey burn outs and even with heavy weight of 620 lbs will make the front very light when into the throttle all the way. Its a rush. The way this big twin sounds stirs my soul...nothing like it. It gives me the same level of excitement as a big block Corvette. I ride it with ear plugs...lol.
Lastly, just got done installing a HID headlight including ballast to help my aging eyes see the road at night. The thing is ready to go when it stops snowing. On the BMW front, don't sell your E-32 or you will regret it. I like my E-46 but honestly, I liked my E-32 better. There was a certain something about how the E-32 made me feel when driving it that I don't get with the E-46. I love the performance, look, ride and everything about the E-46...but there was a certain something about that E-32...maybe its size...not sure.
One of my all favorite cars is an E-34 M5 however. Can't believe you don't own one.
Anyway...here are some pics of the stuff I have been working on. Can't wait for spring.
My Best from your evil twin,
George

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c122/biker7/Look555RHSOblique.jpg
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c122/biker7/Look555Front.jpg

[George M]

Here are pics of the Vegas:
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c122/biker7/1inchspacer.jpg
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c122/biker7/FrontTurnSignalVegas2.jpg
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c122/biker7/VegasControls.jpg
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c122/biker7/VegasTopLHS.jpg

[Dave M]

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c122/biker7/Look555RHSOblique.jpg
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c122/biker7/Look555Front.jpg

Nice to see you poke your head back in.

Don't meet too many other cycling aficionados round here, so its nice to see a bike photo posted without a headlight and fuel tank. I’ve been provided a beautiful Look 595 (full Dura-Ace, carbon bars, post, Zipp wheels etc.) to race in some local events. It is one of the nicest bikes I’ve ever been on, and I’ve raced quite a few. You’ll enjoy that for a long time.

Hope you get out riding at some point during this chilly winter. I’m likely waiting for April ;)

Racing the old Trek in Ottawa-2004
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/dave_macisaac/Misc/Break_4.jpg

[George M]

Hi Dave,
For those that don't know road bikes...the bike that Dave just mentioned is a Tour de France level bike. Mine, while nice is its little brother by comparison.
Dave...post a pic of your bike if you get a chance...would love to see it.
Don't know if you have ever raced Campy but the new Chorus or Record Carbon Fiber Gruppo is outstanding. I built my bike with Campy Chorus and since that is what I have ridden, my preference. The new BB design with outboard bearings is very elegant, simple and stiff. But if you cut your racing teeth on Shimano, Dura-Ace is the snizzle to be sure. You look very strong fast and aero brother. I have decent speed for an old guy but no racer like you are. Love to ride with racers like yourself but only on sub 20 mph recovery rides...lol. Can only hang with the real fast guys like yourself for a few miles and then I start coughing up valve springs...lol.
Glad you are still around and congrats on your new bike....as good a bike as there is out there, no question. You know about that integrated seat post on the 595 no doubt...want to err on the high side of saddle height 'till you get your fit dialed in...lol. We won't tell anybody what country Look frames are made will we? :)
Looks like it will be April for me as well...winter is in full tilt.
Safe riding bro.
George

[gale]

How long did the repair take you?

It takes me a solid evening to pull an auto trans. Once we had it out it only took about 10 minutes to take the bellhousing & A-B clutches apart. I machined a mandrell to press the new torque converter bushing into the oil pump. Spent alot of time cleaning the various pieces before putting them back in. Once I had everything ready it only took about 45 minutes to put the trans back together. Then we spent a couple hours here & there over a few days putting the trans & everything back in. All in all it was down for a week plus the time we were waiting on the new trans parts. I suppose one could do the job in a weekend if they had the parts, maybe in a day if they really busted hump.

If it takes a dump, I have a spare Getrag 260/6 & most of the pieces for a conversion. All I lack is a flywheel & clutch kit & a few hydraulic parts.

[Gayle]

Ditto what everyone else is saying about some great fathering.