Salty's 2005 330Ci ZHP Jet Black Coupe Restore

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Originally Posted by SaltyNC

Thanks, guys.

Well, I found another items that will need to be addressed. It looks like my passenger side strut tower has some mushrooming, and I'm seeing what appears to be a hairline fracture, or at minimum the paint has cracked (wishful thinking at play here). I had already ordered some reinforcement plates. I'm going to try the sandwich route and see if that takes care of it. I'll dead blow the top flat again and then put in the reinforcement plates, and top it off with a strut bar to sandwich the metal. I saw where Dane did that, and I'm assuming it is still holding. I love BMWs, I really do, but sometimes it gets annoying dealing with BMW setting tolerances so tight. It's crazy to think how many engines have been destroyed by broken bolts or popped pins or crumbling plastic parts.

Salty

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i found one of the towers on my Touring was mushroomed a tiny bit; i took a small section of 2x4 and a 5lb sledge and gently made it flat again. fortunately i didn't have any cracks... but if i did, i would do as rob did, and stop-drill them. you're on the right track with reinforcement plates underneath, and a proper strut bar on top.

it does suck, yes - this falls in line with the vulnerability of the RACP, where it seems to be a complete oversight on BMWs' part. and then you try to explain the issues to people - or your wife - in the same breath as, say, "the E46 is awesome" - and you get some people (or your wife) thinking you're a total nutcase. there's this critical oversight, yet you're still defending them.

but it drives great.

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Originally Posted by slater

i found one of the towers on my Touring was mushroomed a tiny bit; i took a small section of 2x4 and a 5lb sledge and gently made it flat again. fortunately i didn't have any cracks... but if i did, i would do as rob did, and stop-drill them. you're on the right track with reinforcement plates underneath, and a proper strut bar on top.

it does suck, yes - this falls in line with the vulnerability of the RACP, where it seems to be a complete oversight on BMWs' part. and then you try to explain the issues to people - or your wife - in the same breath as, say, "the E46 is awesome" - and you get some people (or your wife) thinking you're a total nutcase. there's this critical oversight, yet you're still defending them.

but it drives great.

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This feels like a very vague description, like you've never experienced it before.

Thanks for the tips on drilling the stops where the cracks have formed. I wasn't familiar with the technique. I found an interesting article that suggested an optimal shape other than a circle. It's not field usable (at least for me), but it was an interesting read:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/scienc...90447915000362

Now I have to order that strut bar. Darn. ;)

Salty

I haven't even looked at the subframe, yet. I'm almost scared to look.

These were bolts from my S54 vanos on my Z4M. Mileage: ~45K.

Attachment 31716

And I'm going to be doing rod bearings as soon as things warm up. 50K miles on the rod bearings.

Salty

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Originally Posted by SaltyNC

I haven't even looked at the subframe, yet. I'm almost scared to look.

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it's not the subframe that's the problem, it's the RACP (Rear Axle Carrier Panel); i.e., the rear floor of the car. the first place to show signs is the 'kink' in the floor just inboard of the left rear subframe mount.

that said, you have a 2005, and in 10/2004 they started adding extra spot welds and a 'reinforcement' piece that is sandwiched inbetween the top and bottom RACP layers - whether this does any good or not, i'm not sure - i do know that my 6/2004 ZHP sedan cracked in the kink, as well as had light panel separation evident in the left rear wheel well. my 10/2004 Touring had no signs of damage when i installed the VinceBar and VinceSkinz (the best reinforcement option, in my opinion), and my estoril blue 2005 ZHP coupe (now owned by spenser here on the forum - he's in charlotte also), which i believe was a 12/2004 build date (i forgot!), had no signs of damage when i sold it a year ago. so, there are two data points...

Thanks for the data, Peter. As luck would have it, I have an 05, but it was mfg on 09/04. I guess I'll pull out the trunk and see how things look.

BTW, when are you moving to NC? It's too cold in ON. :)

Salty

I have a 9/2004 build date on my 05 ZHP and I have the factory reinforcement. You can tell by pulling the rubber plugs in the trunk and looking in there. There is a thread that covers this extensively but I don't have time to look for it here at work...

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Originally Posted by SaltyNC

Thanks for the data, Peter. As luck would have it, I have an 05, but it was mfg on 09/04. I guess I'll pull out the trunk and see how things look.

BTW, when are you moving to NC? It's too cold in ON. :)

Salty

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haha... not anytime soon, although my sister would love that as she's in SC, about 2.5hrs from charlotte.

it's actually warmer in southern ON than where i grew up (VT), ironically. but it's still too cold. i'm tired of it - this year especially.

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Originally Posted by Sockethead

I have a 9/2004 build date on my 05 ZHP and I have the factory reinforcement. You can tell by pulling the rubber plugs in the trunk and looking in there. There is a thread that covers this extensively but I don't have time to look for it here at work...

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9/04? the plot thickens!

when in 9/04? towards the end of the month? :)

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Originally Posted by slater

9/04? the plot thickens!

when in 9/04? towards the end of the month? :)

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Wouldn't you know it, it was produced on 9/1/2004. I am going to pull the trunk floor out tomorrow and have a look down in the holes to see what I see. I sure hope it has been reinforced.

Salty

It's the upper holes towards the front on the left. I wish I could find that thread about it because they're pics that show you exactly what to look for...