E39’s-different flavours & a ST Fiesta
Discussion
After years of different cars ranging from Mk 1 GTi’s, Mk1 MX5 BBR turbo, 106 Rallyes, GTi-6, e36 Tourings, Volvo wagon, SAAB Aero wagon, Brabus E class wagon, Porsche 944S2, TVR Cerbera & Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT (6.4 litre).
The SRT and Cerb were sold for a house project, had the Cerbera 4 years & the SRT 2, loved them both and great fun in completely different ways.
I already had a Mk8 Fiesta ST 2, so thought that would do for fun and added some Dreamscience & Mountune goodies to it. It was frozen white and a 5 door, after 25k miles I found a Silver Fox 3 door with the performance pack from the same local dealer and just 7 k miles. As was then with mad car pricing the white one had hardly lost anything, quick deal done, un screwed DS & Mountune bits, traded in and spent a day bolting them onto the Foxy one. Still have it and now over 22k miles. A lot of Fordy fans don’t like the Mk8 as much, less tuneable (to a certain extent) or they prefer the 4 pot. Me? I really like a characterful triple, the interior is far nicer than any previous Fiesta I’ve ever seen and who doesn’t like to park their arse on a Recaro! It drives a little like an old skool hot hatch, it can move around quite a bit (even with the diff) under power (up to an alleged 265 bhp) with the DS map but great damping in the style of proper old Peugeots and very quick steering with just 2 turns lock to lock (same as the Cerb) make it just bloody good fun when you are in the mood. Thing is, it also settles down quietly when needed on a schlep, gives 40 mpg, i.e, proper hatch.
But once the house was finished….well you know what happens next….smiley face etc.
Didn’t know what I wanted and just kept looking through the classifieds. It needed to have 4 proper seats as all the hooligans were too big for daft stuff and after the Jeep I’d told myself I wasn’t allowed the top rate of rfl and it need to be older-ish, classic insurance, at least 6 cylinders and so on.
Flicking through C&C on my phone one afternoon waiting for a client and there it was, 1998, Alpina B10 V8 in Oxford green with gold deco stripes. Great spec for its age including double glazing, biscuit hide, rain sensing wipers, power mirrors. Lots and lots of history. Dealer was friendly and helpful. Negotiations began with work to the sills, some interior trim fixes, wheels refurbed, mot and oh yeah delivery (bought unseen….) over 550 miles away. Have done lots of little jobs to it over the last 3 years (and some big….) and I really enjoy having it around.
A year or so later and a 2001 low miles (46k miles) 525i se Touring came up, 1 owner, full history. I needed a tow car. Phone call, haggle, single ticket to Huntingdon, tax & drive home. It had been given a cheapy oil change and an mot so I could drive it home. Over the next few weeks it was serviced to within an inch, new tyres all round, tow bar and ceramic coated as it has to live outside unfortunately. It is now nearly on 52 k and we have done lots of other titivations to it. Dunno if much interest in any of these but happy to share if anyone wants to know!
I am biased, love the E39s… 
It took a few weeks to get all the pre-sale prep done but it arrived looking not too bad at all for a then 22 year old car with 115k. All the usual stuff then took place, big clean inside and out, I refurbed the steering wheel which made a huge difference, cleaned/treated all the leather & then off to the Man for a big service including new brakes all round, pollen filters, BMC air filter, oil & filter, new sump gasket, new front under tray, top coolant hose and general nosey around underneath to confirm everything good. The a/c decided it didn't want to blow cold. Took it to another specialist where it consumed £183 quids worth of gas......had a whinge at the dealer who without any fuss sent me £250 to cover the cost so can't complain.
Looking much better;
Looking much better;
stickylabels said:
Due to being crap on't computers you'll need to excuse my laborious efforts here!
This is the ad that caught my eye, bit blurry as its a screen shot but this was the hook...
Use postimages.org, sign up (it's free) - upload your pics and use the 2nd link from bottom 'hotlink for forums' to host your pictureThis is the ad that caught my eye, bit blurry as its a screen shot but this was the hook...
It'll appear like this (keeping it relevant with an E39)
stickylabels said:
It took a few weeks to get all the pre-sale prep done but it arrived looking not too bad at all for a then 22 year old car with 115k. All the usual stuff then took place, big clean inside and out, I refurbed the steering wheel which made a huge difference, cleaned/treated all the leather & then off to the Man for a big service including new brakes all round, pollen filters, BMC air filter, oil & filter, new sump gasket, new front under tray, top coolant hose and general nosey around underneath to confirm everything good. The a/c decided it didn't want to blow cold. Took it to another specialist where it consumed £183 quids worth of gas......had a whinge at the dealer who without any fuss sent me £250 to cover the cost so can't complain.
Looking much better;
That is lovely Looking much better;
Kept the Alpina like that for the next few years then this summer it went off for 'a small refresh...' Every suspension arm & bush was replaced, the springs were already very recent and as I know most read Barry's threads on the M5 wagon etc the dampers are currently (dunno if still are?) NLA from Alpina.
This all made a huge difference as most bits were by now almost 25 years old, there was the odd drop link and arm that were not original. However, last xmas I managed to get a deal on a full set of Supersprint extractor manifolds. We all know the V8's including the M5 & Alpinas used the standard factory stuff that are somewhat compromised. These proved a real pita to fit but after a couple of months and some fab work to allow them to join to the factory cats and Alpina system we got there.
and then finally fitted;
This all made a huge difference as most bits were by now almost 25 years old, there was the odd drop link and arm that were not original. However, last xmas I managed to get a deal on a full set of Supersprint extractor manifolds. We all know the V8's including the M5 & Alpinas used the standard factory stuff that are somewhat compromised. These proved a real pita to fit but after a couple of months and some fab work to allow them to join to the factory cats and Alpina system we got there.
and then finally fitted;
stickylabels said:
d_a_n1979 said:
That is lovely
Cheers Dan, we spoke ages ago about your subframe bush tool, in the end managed to get one for bargain off the 'bay.Cheers
Yeah; both sold soon after I think. A great tool but one you only need to use once really
Maybe I should have had more patience with my 540i; but I was missing the capabilities of a touring!
Small world eh?! The 525i isn't fast (at all), but it's a lovely way to smooch around. After towing the caravan up to the Highlands in the summer we decided that we needed to add some improvements if we were going to keep it. Plan was suspension which although only just over 50k covered was 22 years old, some sort of blue tooth/music streaming/DAB, wheels and possibly some extra power. Plan was OE+.
After watching Streten's vids I went down the Sachs sports dampers, sports springs, new top mounts, drop links and anti roll bushes as they are effectively what a sports spec touring comes with from the factory, keeps good ride quality and retains the SLS that I need for towing. So, boot full of bits (ignore the tube sub, that was for testing);
Then onto the sounds. Gambled on an Eonon android unit and to fair thus far its been not too bad at all with DAB+, nav, streaming and you can add an amp unlike the boggo stuff the car came with. The bonus is it looks very OE if you specced the factory upgrade.
Upgraded the door speakers with some pretty Focal stuff. Put some of their speakers into an M135i we had previously and liked the sound quality so these were a no brainer. Extra sound matting added into the doors.
Then removed about 1 million plastic 22 year old clips in order to feed the required cables from the new HU down to the boot where a super small Vibe MONO block amp hides under the false floor and powers the Focal sub.
The HU has a DSP function so much faffing later and we had nice balanced sound with tuneful bass too.
After watching Streten's vids I went down the Sachs sports dampers, sports springs, new top mounts, drop links and anti roll bushes as they are effectively what a sports spec touring comes with from the factory, keeps good ride quality and retains the SLS that I need for towing. So, boot full of bits (ignore the tube sub, that was for testing);
Then onto the sounds. Gambled on an Eonon android unit and to fair thus far its been not too bad at all with DAB+, nav, streaming and you can add an amp unlike the boggo stuff the car came with. The bonus is it looks very OE if you specced the factory upgrade.
Upgraded the door speakers with some pretty Focal stuff. Put some of their speakers into an M135i we had previously and liked the sound quality so these were a no brainer. Extra sound matting added into the doors.
Then removed about 1 million plastic 22 year old clips in order to feed the required cables from the new HU down to the boot where a super small Vibe MONO block amp hides under the false floor and powers the Focal sub.
The HU has a DSP function so much faffing later and we had nice balanced sound with tuneful bass too.
Next up were the wheels. The original 16" ones really need a refurb. They are not damaged, it's just that the original factory finish is very tired. Put refurb money into decent rims and keep the originals for winter plan hatched!
Much better, genuine 17" BBS RC090's and some Falken rubber fill the arches much better but retain good ride quality.
So happy for the time being. I had considered a supercharger kit but after watching Streten's (M539 restorations) inlet temp issues without an intercooler that has been put on hold for the time being until he manages a solution.
Much better, genuine 17" BBS RC090's and some Falken rubber fill the arches much better but retain good ride quality.
So happy for the time being. I had considered a supercharger kit but after watching Streten's (M539 restorations) inlet temp issues without an intercooler that has been put on hold for the time being until he manages a solution.
stickylabels said:
Small world eh?! The 525i isn't fast (at all), but it's a lovely way to smooch around. After towing the caravan up to the Highlands in the summer we decided that we needed to add some improvements if we were going to keep it. Plan was suspension which although only just over 50k covered was 22 years old, some sort of blue tooth/music streaming/DAB, wheels and possibly some extra power. Plan was OE+.
After watching Streten's vids I went down the Sachs sports dampers, sports springs, new top mounts, drop links and anti roll bushes as they are effectively what a sports spec touring comes with from the factory, keeps good ride quality and retains the SLS that I need for towing. So, boot full of bits (ignore the tube sub, that was for testing);
Then onto the sounds. Gambled on an Eonon android unit and to fair thus far its been not too bad at all with DAB+, nav, streaming and you can add an amp unlike the boggo stuff the car came with. The bonus is it looks very OE if you specced the factory upgrade.
Upgraded the door speakers with some pretty Focal stuff. Put some of their speakers into an M135i we had previously and liked the sound quality so these were a no brainer. Extra sound matting added into the doors.
Then removed about 1 million plastic 22 year old clips in order to feed the required cables from the new HU down to the boot where a super small Vibe MONO block amp hides under the false floor and powers the Focal sub.
The HU has a DSP function so much faffing later and we had nice balanced sound with tuneful bass too.
Haha; it is that pal After watching Streten's vids I went down the Sachs sports dampers, sports springs, new top mounts, drop links and anti roll bushes as they are effectively what a sports spec touring comes with from the factory, keeps good ride quality and retains the SLS that I need for towing. So, boot full of bits (ignore the tube sub, that was for testing);
Then onto the sounds. Gambled on an Eonon android unit and to fair thus far its been not too bad at all with DAB+, nav, streaming and you can add an amp unlike the boggo stuff the car came with. The bonus is it looks very OE if you specced the factory upgrade.
Upgraded the door speakers with some pretty Focal stuff. Put some of their speakers into an M135i we had previously and liked the sound quality so these were a no brainer. Extra sound matting added into the doors.
Then removed about 1 million plastic 22 year old clips in order to feed the required cables from the new HU down to the boot where a super small Vibe MONO block amp hides under the false floor and powers the Focal sub.
The HU has a DSP function so much faffing later and we had nice balanced sound with tuneful bass too.
More good work on the touring; the M54s a peach of an engine, smooth and enough power to keep up with modern day traffic easy enough. I loved my 530i Sport Touring; sold it because it was the right time to sell it to get the best money (more so as I'd literally rebuilt the damned thing)
But I do miss it and would have it back in a heartbeat TBHI did the same re the suspenion; Sachs sport spec shocks all round, Eibach pro-kit springs, Arnott rear bags, E39 M5 rear ARB and all new Lemforder/Moog & Meyle HD suspension arms etc. Made a hige difference to how it drove & handled, more so when I put it back on OEM 17" Style 66s with PS4s all round - a superb wheel & tyre
Sreten has done superb work on his E39 touring, same with his E46 too. I'd been in touch with him via Patreon re a few of his E39 bits as he'd been following my E39 build thread and wanted part numbers re the specific undertrays etc. Not sure if he'll be able to run them now with his manual conversion in mind etc; think they sit different to the ZF5 autobox
Yes, but the original has done such low mileage and that would be difficult to replace without having to re build a 3 litre. If I was going as far as changing the motor then I think I'd be more tempted with an M3 donkey as they more of everything but its all cost. The supercharger seemed relatively bolt on (and off) on the drive and would give potentially more torque too. Hopefully Streten with T21 will do the S58 I/C and cold air upgrade and then we shall see from there.
Got stuck in with Bill Hamber UB & S50 during the early part of summer. All wheel arch liners out, everything scrubbed (not that it need much) and clear wax into the arches and under the sills, cavity stuff into all the crevices where a straw could be stuffed!
Don't plan on using it much when the salt is down but there always that time when you need it to move something big.
Got stuck in with Bill Hamber UB & S50 during the early part of summer. All wheel arch liners out, everything scrubbed (not that it need much) and clear wax into the arches and under the sills, cavity stuff into all the crevices where a straw could be stuffed!
Don't plan on using it much when the salt is down but there always that time when you need it to move something big.
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