What a Transformation

Well done Wayne!

I'll my own thumbs up for Gerry and Simon, great work they do and I have had a similar rejuvenation process carried out on my M73. Highly recommended

Sounds great Wayne!

Has the handling improved much?

Did they do the reprogramming too?

What is 'wadding'?

And lastly, what are Black Alloy tensioner pulleys?

Sorry for all the questions...

The tensioner pulleys are made by Phoenix from anodised alloy rather than plastic which means that they have the advantage of not failing in an explosive, shattering fashion as the BMW OEM ones may do. Look for radial cracking on the inside of the plastic BMW ones, there are documented cases of them failing and taking the fan with them as they die causing amusing mayhem under the bonnet - like Wayne I opted for the alloy replacements from Phoenix, I've yet to fit them but I can tell you the construction / manufacturing quality is excellent, a first class product - just what I've happily come to expect from Phoenix!

I also had the camber plates fitted earlier this year at Phoenix, the handling improved dramatically, thoroughly recommend this tweak - M5 bushes make a big difference too.

Cheers,
Jason

Sorry Wayne - I don't mean to hijack your thread, just getting enthusiatic about Phoenix products and services.

Thanks Wayne; that youtube link has certainly whetted my appetite to get the same things done on mine...when funds allow . Can I ask how much you paid & how long it took them to do? Did you go to Camberley all the way from Swindon and leave the car there?

Sorry, I wasn't clear; how much did you pay (and how long did it take) for all the work you just had done (incl the service).

thanks!

Zitat von wayneblackwell1000;51284

Wadding is the sound insulation which is in the 2 back boxes, basically cut open the boxes take out some of the sound proof wadding, weld close and refit.
I will try and get a sound file or video together but this is what it sounds like on a 540, if anything it sounds better on the 8 as its got 2 boxes.

There is a fair bit more to the silencer mods than just removing the wadding. The mod involves a fair bit of internal metal surgery to the internal structure of the silencer and on Waynes car, there was no wadding left to remove! It had all broken up and been blown out over the years. They end up 10lbs lighter too. As usual, new hangers were required.

With this mod you end up with an OE fit, quality and appearance but with aftermarket sound and performance.

Hi Gerry,

can you do that mod on OEM V12 rear boxes too? (The ones with the "squarial" end pipes)

Cheers,
Jason

sounds great there Wayne. Look forward to seeing and hearing the difference at Tatton Park next weekend !

Really want to get my exhausts 'done' to, and have found a place near me that will do it - just want to hear yours first to be sure.

Zitat von wayneblackwell1000;51353

No probs, its certainly awakened the V8

and all your neighbours......

Zitat von Argonaut;51319

Hi Gerry,

can you do that mod on OEM V12 rear boxes too? (The ones with the "squarial" end pipes)

Cheers,
Jason

Yes Jason we can. from our viewpoint it is the perfect solution for drivers who love the quality, look and fit of the stock exhaust but want a more sporting sound and less weight. The cost is favourable too.

Gerry.

Zitat von wayneblackwell1000;51328

Cheers for clearing that up Gerry

Wasn't trying to correct your post mate, just didn't want people thinking they could get a can opener on their rear boxes, pull out some fibreglass and job done. It's all double skinned in stainless and the internal pipework is a nightmare as it both baffles the boxes and holds them together.

If the INSIDE of the silencers are badly corroded, you are already past the point of no return once they are opened up so you MUST be prepared for new silencers in this case.

Nice when it's done tho' eh!!

Zitat von 8Tech;51357

..the internal pipework is a nightmare ...

Our mate Fredi opened his can of worms a while ago. This is what it looks like inside:

Reinhard

Wow that is scary! Quite how the gases ever make it out is a mystery

Zitat von wayneblackwell1000;51271

Over the past couple of months my car has under gone a total transformation,

I have just finished most of a similar task on our M62 1998 840 ci Sport. We did the bushes a few weeks ago but used the 7 Series ones. Last weekend the rear subframe was dropped out, rust killed where it needed to be and painted with POR-15. At the same time we dealt to some very small patches of surface corrosion on the underside. But the most importand part of the exercise was to replace the diff, (Marked 2.81 on the tag that surprised me, I thought they were 2.91), with an ex M5 3.64 with LSD. Also the rear shocks were repalced with a pair of Bilsteins with a Sport setting along with a pair of Gerry's reinforcement plates. At the front we installed Gerry's camber plates and a pair of Bilsteins. Wheel alignment was done today with a new pair of tie rods. There is no doubt the suspension mods transform the handling, the tyres are more of a limitation now... The diff makes a huge difference and although I have not had a chance at a long run yet all the signs are there.

Last on the list is a dyno visit primarilly to remap and get as smooth as possible torque curve and also set the lean burn back in to the normal cruising RPM range as of course the car now revs about 4 - 500 rpm higher at 100 KPH.

Somebody once said on this site the 8 was a "lazy" driver, I can assure you the above makes it a much sharper driver.