Subject: Got some more. Now have 12 units remaining. Author: DavidC (moderator) : member since December, 2003 : 11918 posts Posted on: 2009-08-17 23:41:17

Yes, your car and mine look almost the same. Mine has the dark blue interior and matching carpet. I've got a few good size dents on the body, too (sigh).

As far as tools go, you can't go wrong with any of the Craftsman wrench sets. They've got a 155-piece set (metric and SAE) that's usually priced around $100. That's what I started with and still use. Getting the ones with laser etching on the sockets makes it MUCH easier to read, too.

The e23's are actually pretty easy to work on. I've accumulated lots of tools over the years but, really, all you need for most projects on this car is a good socket wrench set and some screwdrivers. A hex socket bit set is useful, too. And a good torque wrench for the wheels and a smaller one (inch-pounds rather than foot-pounds) if you're going to be working on the engine and valve cover.

I didn't have the powder-coat kit when I did the valve cover several years ago. Instead, I had it done at a local powder-coating company when I lived in Atlanta. It was something around $100, as I recall. Not too bad, but now that I have the Craftsman powder-coating system I'll be using it for such things in-house.

For your car, I'd recommend concentrating on all the important mechanical things first. The brakes, the engine, the cooling system, etc., followed by the interior electrics/electronics (e.g., the instrument cluster, the dash controls and the infamous HVAC system), followed by the interior bits and trim. However, the interior bits and trim do make great weekend projects and the satisfaction is immediate, so I wouldn't fault you for tackling them first, too! You car looks like it's already in great shape.

Please go ahead and post updates on your progress on the E23 Forum, too. We'll look forward to hearing about your work.

David Cecil
Lexington, KY
Titanium silver '01 750iL, 92k miles
Oxford green '97 740iL, 182k miles
Alpine white '92 750iL, 95k miles (for sale)
Charcoal gray '86 735i, 101k miles (for sale)

Visit e38.org for everything technical about your BMW



E38 mods: Factory nav retrofit, widescreen display, XM satellite receiver in place of CD changer, custom Valentine1 stealth interface to instrument cluster, BimmerNav bluetooth, factory xenon headlights retrofit, heated seats x4 retrofit, StrongStrut tower brace, crystal clear taillights and corners, M aluminum pedals, stainless steel brake lines, billet aluminum throttle bushings, staggered 18" M-parallel wheels with Kumho Ecsta LX rubber, quad brake lights conversion

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The Group Buys Forum | Message Thread:

• Great buy on a Craftsman powder coating system (pic) (url) - DavidC 2009-04-27 19:31:36 (1852 views)
  • Re: Great buy on a Craftsman powder coating system (pic) - jdw928 2009-08-16 11:50:06 (124 views)
    • Got some more. Now have 12 units remaining. (url) - DavidC 2009-08-17 23:41:17 (110 views)
      • Re: Got some more. Now have 12 units remaining. - spongcake2000 2009-08-20 06:20:40 (86 views)
  • Re: Great buy on a Craftsman powder coating system - calcatscakes 2009-06-21 19:57:12 (133 views)
    • Yes, I have about 10 of them remaining. (nt) - DavidC 2009-06-30 03:56:40 (142 views)
      • I just bought one Hopefully, you still got one for me... (nt) - bofessional 2009-07-17 16:45:47 (108 views)
  • OK... why not use the oven in the kitchen? - johnhstein, 85-M6CSi, 85 745i 2009-05-05 06:59:33 (253 views)
    • Re: OK... why not use the oven in the kitchen? - manta69 2009-06-27 15:46:11 (208 views)

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