Hello from Canada.

[jhayregz]

The name's Jhay.

Philippines born, Canadian raised.

Currently living in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Smack dot in the center. Above Fargo North Dakota.

This is my first BMW.

My list before hand were
1991 Nissan 240sx coupe, Silvia conversion.
1986 200sx turbo
2002 Jetta tdi
2007 Jetta 2.0t
2008 Golf Gti
1984 Ford Ranger
2008 Honda Ruckus, 150cc engine swap, 8feet/stretched.

I have to give thanks to the Ruckus. For selling it, was able to provide me enough money for a plane ticket and the car.

I flew to a different province to pick the car up. Scary thing was, I never had seen or touched the car. I had 2 friends luckily where the car was and were able to check it out.

Here's a little tribute.

http://i30.tinypic.com/e6vxb6.jpg

http://i45.tinypic.com/b656r4.jpg

My last ride video (http://tinypic.com/m/b67nzd/1)

well thats that.....now to the present.

http://i33.tinypic.com/ayu36e.jpg

http://i36.tinypic.com/s112yd.jpg

http://i35.tinypic.com/4ztc0x.jpg

http://i37.tinypic.com/2eba15u.jpg

http://i35.tinypic.com/n52bmp.jpg

1989 BMW E34 525i
Mint interior(cig burn on passenger seat)
Manual sport cloth seats
132,xxxkms(when purchased)
17 ACS rims(not sure if its real? how do i tell)
Sunroof delete
Eurospec bumper trim(no side marker on rubstrip) and rear windshield(no 3rd brake light)
Aftermarket deck, 6 disc CD changer.

Im pretty sure there are more things I haven't added.

Came with some problems. Alot of the electrical wasnt wired up....brakes were't tightened...brake pedal set to far in..etc.etc

I have yet to get the car up and safetied to run around legally. So to wait till next year.

Got plans of lowering it, my friends parents have an E34 as well but don't need the suspension. So gonna do a trade in the spring. Also remove tint and new paint job.

Oh and I just picked up a set of OEM E39 Style 65's for under 600 cdn! Is it gunmetal?

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1360.snc4/163222_482873241480_504326480_6393484_4327967_n.jp g

I just took it out today to get the lips machined. So hope to see it before the weekend. Guess that's my Christmas gift to myself this year.
Next 2 rear tires since the previous owner auto-crossed them.

Anyways I'll be on here often to ask, lurk and post.

Thanks guys.

[Bimmer Nut Ed]

Hello Jhay,

Welcome to the site. I hope you find value here and have a whole lot of fun.

Great post by the way. Crazy Honda you got there. I'm never seen anything like it. Not at all familiar with it, but it does look kinda cool.

Nice new e34. I like the sunroof delete, more headroom.

[tim eh?]

Alright! This forum needs more canucks!!!! Welcome and nice ride.

[jhayregz]

thanks guys.
december. too bad i didnt have a gf to buy me the things i want for the car :p

Called the place where my rims are getting the lips machined. Won't be done till probably next week, they just got started cleaning the rim today.

damn these canadian winters :p

[BigKriss]

hi mate, is canada RHD or LHD or both?

[jhayregz]

Hello hello. Well its LHD in North America.
But here in Canada. For like over the past 5 years. We have been able to import vehicles from overseas as long as they are 15years or older.
But seems laws keep changing. They've banned a few rhd's from some provinces. So you are unable to safety and register it for the road.

[Bo525i]

Welcome to the club.. Nice car you´ve got! :)

[BigKriss]

Okay thanks for that.

[genphreak]

I that 525i a Japanese import? Those colours, rims were common in Japanese market. The rims aren't ACS, htey are Italian, and very good. I have a set- but they are probably from e39 and may need concentric rings to centre probably. If you get wobbly at some speeds, that could be it... Great post- you have picked a car where the results of 'project work are very rewarding indeed. And it has all the right stuff.

If you want to make it better, one day, when you are done fixing the little things and your gf no olonger tries to compete for time away from the 'other' (Eg. your BMW), your could easily update to an M50/M60 engine from e36, e46 or e39- should you care to replace the engine management at the same time...

[jhayregz]

I that 525i a Japanese import? Those colours, rims were common in Japanese market. The rims aren't ACS, htey are Italian, and very good. I have a set- but they are probably from e39 and may need concentric rings to centre probably. If you get wobbly at some speeds, that could be it... Great post- you have picked a car where the results of 'project work are very rewarding indeed. And it has all the right stuff.

If you want to make it better, one day, when you are done fixing the little things and your gf no olonger tries to compete for time away from the 'other' (Eg. your BMW), your could easily update to an M50/M60 engine from e36, e46 or e39- should you care to replace the engine management at the same time...

Thanks alot man.
So if these aren't ACS rims what are they then? It would be nice to know since I am putting on a different set in Spring. I might need to get rid of these rims.

Yeah no GF so I'm good. Just afraid by spring when the car is out..they will flock to it :p

I have been offered many engines already here locally. But to swap it out, wont work as well. Since they are N.American engines and are LHD. Might be a problem with my car being RHD.

It would really be nice to do a swap and manual conversion. But I would have to either order overseas or do a whole LHD conversion. Unless you guys know other things I dont. Please share :)

Thanks everyone!

[BMWDriver]

It's definitely an AC Schnitzer wheel style, could be replicas though. Only way to figure it out is to take one off and have a look at the back of it. They are supposed to be stamped with specs and manufacturer. The fact that the centers say nothing could hint at a replica.

Nice ride. Love the "no rust" issue. That's a pretty funky Honda... what is it ? Never seen that before.

[jhayregz]

It's definitely an AC Schnitzer wheel style, could be replicas though. Only way to figure it out is to take one off and have a look at the back of it. They are supposed to be stamped with specs and manufacturer. The fact that the centers say nothing could hint at a replica.

Nice ride. Love the "no rust" issue. That's a pretty funky Honda... what is it ? Never seen that before.

Alright I guess I have to wait till Spring hits, when I get my car out of storage. The car has NEVER touched snow before. There is a tiny bit of rust forming around the rear wheel well now. But still not bad for its year.

The Honda is called a Honda Ruckus. It's a scooter. 49cc. But I swapped it out with a 150cc engine and stretched it an extra 4.5ft. Added disc brakes on the front. Tons of mods.

Reason I sold it was due to the fact that having anything over 49cc, you would need a motorcycle license and would have to register the scooter as a MOTORCYCLE!! Here where I am...that is friggen expensive. Perhaps close to 600CDN a month!!! Plus where I lived, I had no parking spot so I would have to park 2 blocks away. Where it takes just 2 people to lift up a scooter and put in a car....not a good idea. So I needed a car.

As a scooter...I paid 150CDN dollars to register for 1 whole year!! And I filled up with premium gas(baller!!) every 2 weeks(3dollars)

[genphreak]

They are good rims. Not real, but they are strong. may even be forged alloy. Just make sure they are true and put decent rubber on. Michelin Pilot Preceedas

Sizes Width Ratio RIM Load Speed
235/40ZR17 90Y 235 40 17 90 Y

are ideal on e34) but you can find wider (rare) 245 width tyres (Continental, Kumho, Falken, etc)

IIRC, these rims have a 13mm offset (ET13) and are allow wider tyres on e34: Not sure if they are really for e39 (mine need the hub-rings but came on my japanese e34). If you try to go 255 or more, you will get problems. I suspect 245 is pushing it at the front and may well cause trouble as it is.

I think the 13mm offset narrows the track of the car (E.g. more similar to M5) which helps accept wider tyres at the back. Not sure if it helps at the front though...

Re Engines, NA ones are fine. No difference in the engine bay L to RHD except for the location of the steering box and pitman arm. Just wait for the right 540i/6 to come up (beware thrashed gearboxes and engines that have been gone unmaintained). The components are very strong and will far outlast the length of time it remains valuable in most second hand car-markets these days, so replacement of worn/abused items is all that is necessary to get it back to factory performance if you resist modding.

[jhayregz]

They are good rims. Not real, but they are strong. may even be forged alloy. Just make sure they are true and put decent rubber on. Michelin Pilot Preceedas

Sizes Width Ratio RIM Load Speed
235/40ZR17 90Y 235 40 17 90 Y

are ideal on e34) but you can find wider (rare) 245 width tyres (Continental, Kumho, Falken, etc)

IIRC, these rims have a 13mm offset (ET13) and are allow wider tyres on e34: Not sure if they are really for e39 (mine need the hub-rings but came on my japanese e34). If you try to go 255 or more, you will get problems. I suspect 245 is pushing it at the front and may well cause trouble as it is.

I think the 13mm offset narrows the track of the car (E.g. more similar to M5) which helps accept wider tyres at the back. Not sure if it helps at the front though...

Re Engines, NA ones are fine. No difference in the engine bay L to RHD except for the location of the steering box and pitman arm. Just wait for the right 540i/6 to come up (beware thrashed gearboxes and engines that have been gone unmaintained). The components are very strong and will far outlast the length of time it remains valuable in most second hand car-markets these days, so replacement of worn/abused items is all that is necessary to get it back to factory performance if you resist modding.

Sounds good, I still have alot to learn with BMW's since this is my first one.
Its kinda hard when I can't be hands on. Car is sleeping through the winter at my uncles garage waiting for spring.

Currently I have those E39 M5 rims getting the lips machined so it should look sweet by next week. As far as tires, I'm searching for 265/35/18's, just for the rears. The front tires are fine. The guy who sold it to me said that those tires for the rear, shouldn't have a problem with the speedometer being off, due to the size of the rim/tire.

So I CAN use the N.American engines? So how would one get around the steering box and pitman arm problem? Would it have to be done as custom work or are there things I can buy out there to help this along?

Thanks for the help and replies guys. This helps me out in my never-ending quest of knowledge.

[genphreak]

Those 8.5"/19mm M5 rims will rub with 265s. Not sure **how** dangerously, but BMW wouldn't do it...

Also, 18s are only good for smooth roads. E34 was not designed for it. put em on and see how they go, but compared to the stock 15 and 16" rims, ride and handling are compromised. 17s are only for smooth roads. IMHO, 18s would be 'smooth track' rims only.

the steering gear doesn't change during the conversion. Only problem can be the exhaust manifold, if you find they will interfere, a cheap fix that adds power is simply to install RHD extractors/headers when you do it. There are some awesome stainless ones available atm...

[tim eh?]

There is a tiny bit of rust forming around the rear wheel well now. But still not bad for its year.



You might want to check the plastic splash guards in the wheel wells for cracks... if crap splashes through those it gums up around the inside edges and creates a breeding ground for rust!

[Dave M]

Welcome. You're probably the closest member to me (Thunder Bay, ON - ~7 hours east). Not sure where you get parts, but if you need advice or want some ideas, let me know, I may be able to help.

Enjoy the ride,

Dave

[jhayregz]

Welcome. You're probably the closest member to me (Thunder Bay, ON - ~7 hours east). Not sure where you get parts, but if you need advice or want some ideas, let me know, I may be able to help.

Enjoy the ride,

Dave

Hey Dave!! Yes you are the closest to me....and just FYI.
My company ships out to you. GARDEWINE NORTH.

If you ever need anything from Winnipeg let me know. I can get things out there for cheap.
There isnt much here. But we have an official BMW club in MB and a forum.

BMW Club of Manitoba - Winnipeg BMW Club (http://www.bmwpower.ca)

Its a dead forum but one of the guys on the site has a few M's and other Bimmers in his garage.

[Dave M]

Cool,

I'm a forester and we use Gardewine to ship tree cones to MAN for extraction and storage. I also used it to deliver an M50 engine block when replacing mine.

I do very well purchasing almost everything I need from the US. I have it all shipped to the border (~60km) and basically just pay CAN taxes 'where applicable'.

I'll look into the BMW Club website.

Dave