My E53 overland build has been hit and miss over the past few months since the swap. Much more hit than miss thankfully though, and the couple misses have been self-induced by the average mechanic who did the work. The latest issue was the poorly routed hose from the rear manifold to the aux pump...the one with the metal hardline swedged into it. I didn't catch this hose in the many photos I took during disassembly so I wasn't quite sure how to route it when I put the car back together again. RealOEM wasn't too clear either.

At any rate, the steering shaft eventually wore a hole in it after it broke the zip tie holding it to the frame rail and out dumped $50 of zerex. No worry though, as I should have replaced that hose anyway (didn't want to spend $150, and it loooked fine) and I did have a new double joint to put in as my steering was making a nice clunk every 45 degrees or so. Making expensive lemonade out of X5 parts. Flash forward a few weeks and she's running fine, staying cool in the Louisiana heat, and with smooth steering. I have to admit I took it to a local indy again for this work as my normal job has been all consuming this summer.

I did order 4 meters of very nice looking anthracite Uberkaro fabric for the pending front seat rehab from Graham at BMW Fabric (AKA BimmerBreaker on the forums). I'll yank the seats this fall when it cools down (AC is long gone in my 1993 grand cherokee bomber) and have the centers done in the Uberkaro and the tan/sand leather outers recovered, and the bottom and back bolsters redone.

I spent some quality time rejiggering my oil cooler bracket a bit, which allowed me to really think about how I might attach an unobtrusive brush/bull bar. It hit me that the holes where the tow hooks screw into the front bumper/frame would be an ideal place. In fact I could hold the brush bar on with two tow hooks maybe. Now I've just got to sketch something out and take it to my friend who can fabricate it. Definitely a work in progress with more to follow.

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Current
Original owner 2002 E53 X5 4.4i to 4.6i swap
2026 G80 M3 6 spd
2025 G06 X5 50e
Former
1972 Audi Fox
1986 Saab 900S
1996 BMW Z3
1998 BMW E36 M3 Sedan
2004 BMW E46 M3
2006 Audi A3 Quatro
1993 Mopar 318 Jeep Grand Cherokee
2015 V6 Jeep Grand Cherokee