Brake upgrade on 518i

[BMtripleW]

Hey there guys, I just noticed my 518i E34 has unventilated discs upfont and I'm thinking of doing an upgrade. Can the caliper position be upgraded by a sort of spacer? Or does the whole wheel carrier need to be changed? Also as a second question I have changed the huge truck steering wheel with a three spoke one from an E36 coupe, it fits but I can't get the horn and airbag to work, I've noticed the contact behind the steering wheel does not make proper contact with the metallic surface. Can this be repositioned? I hope I've made the issue clear. Thanks!

[genphreak]

Hey there guys, I just noticed my 518i E34 has unventilated discs upfont and I'm thinking of doing an upgrade. Can the caliper position be upgraded by a sort of spacer? Or does the whole wheel carrier need to be changed? Also as a second question I have changed the huge truck steering wheel with a three spoke one from an E36 coupe, it fits but I can't get the horn and airbag to work, I've noticed the contact behind the steering wheel does not make proper contact with the metallic surface. Can this be repositioned? I hope I've made the issue clear. Thanks!

Probably you need to source 6 cylinder discs and calipers. The struts are different too, if you can find a dismantler with a 525i L6 or 530i V8 you could take the entire strut assemblies inc upper strut mounts however there are different lower parts so I doubt they'll actually fit without having to move over the rest of the front suspension parts. Probably just extra weight for not much gain. But the disks and calipers may fit. Check the parts manual and also be aware that any variance in (caliper) piston sizes will mean you have to change the master cylinder as well, else the pedal feel will be terrible.

The wheel may need an e34 slip ring rather than the e36 one you might be trying to use. Trouble is, it has to be a type that fits the wheel too- check out pictures of the wheels from behind and make sure you get one that looks like it will fit!

[BMtripleW]

Hey there and thanks for your reply! It's a wide market of BMW parts here. so it won't be an issue finding some parts for donation. I was just curious what are the exact parts required in order to perform a plug and play transplant. I'm guessing if you change the whole wheel carrier, you will automatically need to change the front suspension as well, because I'm guessing the shock absorbers will not fit *just guessing*. I will probably change the front assembly once I've bought a new suspension kit as well, although i don't know if the rear needs changing too *will need to check with the seller/shop etc. *. As long as the brakes stop for me it's just fine, I'm also thinking of buying a wrecked car and just taking everything from it *engine and transmission most importantly*.

For the steering wheel I think I'll try swapping the ring from my old one and sticking it on the new one, that should be failure proof. Although I'll be needing a new airbag socket...

[632 Regal]

I'm also thinking of buying a wrecked car and just taking everything from it *engine and transmission most importantly*.

I have a 96 328 for parts take whole thing 950. Good everything but ran into the back of a pickup, needs rad, bumper and grill. Can't tell but the fenders are not touched at all and the frame not either.. Where you at?

Here is a link to the car. http://knoxville.craigslist.org/cto/5775714682.html

[BMtripleW]

Thanks for the offer but sadly I live in Romania *Eastern Europe*, like I've said it's a huge market of bimmers here so it won't be too much of a hassle to get another car. Now I'm just exploring possibilities, trying to see what will bolt on with no issues to my car. The biggest question for me is what car could provide the easiest parts to swap on to my E34? Finding a good E34 could provide tricky. Engines from private sellers could be lottery, considering the fact that they are disassembled and you cannot test them properly. The best option remains an E34 with a bigger engine *maybe locking diff* that I could just swap everything, but maybe an E36 or E39 could provide the same stuff at a lower price *I'm talking brakes, wheel carriers, diff, prop shaft, electrics etc.*.

By the way I've managed to fix the steering wheel issue, that's a closed topic. If anyone cares to add anything else to the topic above, you're more than welcome, if not I think this could be a closed thread . Thanks!

[genphreak]

E39 is useful for the engine, ecu and loom only. Not much else fits.

Best option is a 525i with a decent driveline if you want to swap F+R brakes, drive shafts and suspension. Late model has single VANOS, nearly as good as the later M52/54 engines and a direct swap with the trans, loom and ECU. No trouble with autotrans or manual trans connectivity.

You could always get a later M52 or M54 B28 or B30 if you want to go the 'whole hog'. Get manual gearbox too, it is easier and makes the mod far more worthwhile.

Wouldn't it be nice to have a 518i that really moves ;-)