E28 M5: Bringing it back to life (UPDATED 8/14/16)

[MilanoFc]

Well first, I would like to intoduce myself since I'am new to mye28. Names Marc and this is my recent purchase.

I bought this 88 M5 from the auction in Sacramento, Ca. So after a whole month of wait, it finally got dropped off. When I first saw it, I thought it was only front and rear quarter oanel damage. Well when it got here I was in for a surprise.

Arriving





On the rack and getting ready to see the parts I will need first hand





After taking the front end off



The damages I didnt know it had

[









The beast's heart



So this is the as much as I have done to it. At the moment I havent worked on it because I'am waiting on some parts to come it from the dealer. So updates will be posted as I go.

[wkohler]

Holy crap! Good luck! I have to commend you for wanting to save it.

[KRsM5]

WOW - I hope you can save her! Some of those parts are gonna cost you a fortune...you might make more off it as a parts car...?

Good luck, we look fwd to seeing the progress!

[Kyle in NO]

Holy crap that thing is done for! It will never be structurally sound again. You would be MUCH MUCH MUCH better off swapping the good mechanicals to a nice straight shell....

[CSBolger]

Get a 535i/is for an S38 swap!

[wkohler]

Holy crap that thing is done for! It will never be structurally sound again. You would be MUCH MUCH MUCH better off swapping the good mechanicals to a nice straight shell....

Do you even know the condition of the motor? Hell, you could swap it all into an eta and pay nothing for insurance.

[Dinan e28]

Wow I hope you don't really plan on saving that car. Is the interior any good?

[shaunmlavery]

Congrats on your car and good luck with all of the work ahead of you. I have a project that is similar but no where near the cost of what you are about to encounter. I can pratically build my project from a catalog.

Good luck and thanks for saving it and not letting it get crushed.

[MilanoFc]

Thanks everyone for their comments and giving me alternatives. But I'am still going to go for it. I own a body shop so really the damage on the 5 is nowhere comparable to the cars/trucks that come in, so having a frame machine is a must.

As for the damage, really its only the firewall where the tires ended up due to the accident. The frame rails are straight and true believe it or not. The interior is is good condition except with the cracks on the dash, which is the least I'm worried about at the moment.

The car might not come out 100% but I'am trying my best to make it look the best it can. I have found a local M5 that has been rear ended, so that one will be pretty much the donor car.

[C.R. Krieger]

The car might not come out 100% but I'am trying my best to make it look the best it can. I have found a local M5 that has been rear ended, so that one will be pretty much the donor car.

Ach! Der Schpleiz!

You sure you got that donor-recipient thing the right way around?

[Adam W in MN]

Cool for saving her. If you're going this route already (and you own a body shop), might I recommend doing the euro bumper and airdam route? You'll have to paint it anyway so it's the perfect time to do the job right and fill in the US bumper holes.

You could end up with something like this:




Or this:

[MilanoFc]

The car might not come out 100% but I'am trying my best to make it look the best it can. I have found a local M5 that has been rear ended, so that one will be pretty much the donor car.

Ach! Der Schpleiz!

You sure you got that donor-recipient thing the right way around?

Translation please

And yes I said it right lol

[MilanoFc]

Cool for saving her. If you're going this route already (and you own a body shop), might I recommend doing the euro bumper and airdam route? You'll have to paint it anyway so it's the perfect time to do the job right and fill in the US bumper holes.

You could end up with something like this:




Or this:

thx, and euros are on the list to do for it. I will also get the holes filled in.

[crazy88]

Wow. You have a big project there. Have fun and take your time. Keep us posted .

[Scottinva]

Nice project, what does it have for suspension? It looks lowered (yes I know the tires are flat). I'm asking because I like the way the wheels look cleanly tucked into the fenders.

[MilanoFc]

Nice project, what does it have for suspension? It looks lowered (yes I know the tires are flat). I'm asking because I like the way the wheels look cleanly tucked into the fenders.

the suspension its on is billie sports with dinan springs

[Bavaria72]

Hi,

Are you interested in an almost new set of matching BMW M5 wheels? They are on ebay.

Let me know and i will send you the link!
Thanks!

Sascha

[ldsbeaker]

Wow. Brave.
I'm in awe. (Although my piddly "is" has been under construction for two years now...) Owning a shop is going to help.

[Tucker]

I, for one, am glad to hear that you're resurrecting it. Make sure you get in the M registry ( http://www.bmwmregistry.com/ ), and buy Johnnye23's bits ( http://www.mye28.com/viewtopic.php?t=60405 ) for it . Good luck!

[Scottinva]

Nice project, what does it have for suspension? It looks lowered (yes I know the tires are flat). I'm asking because I like the way the wheels look cleanly tucked into the fenders.

the suspension its on is billie sports with dinan springs

Wow, I love the stance man.

[MrNic3Guy]

Buying parts from the dealer? Damn thats going to cost you tons of money. Look around and you can get the parts cheap. Trust me.

Example. I need a Ecu and the dealer charged me 2,000. And the next day found one for $25, and its never give me problems.

Its a nice car and I'm sure you got it for a good deal. Good Luck!

[MilanoFc]

Thx everyone. For the moment I have not messed with it due to time and well money. So far I already got the subfame which was one of my main concern to find.

Now Im looking for a oil pan so I can bring the motor down and change the valvetrain components. When I get that done I will be getting started on the body. And yea Iam getting quoted at the dealer, and if its a reasonable price Ill buy it, else I start to look around. lol

[MilanoFc]

*UPDATE*

Well after 6 years, the wait is finally over. I am officially going full force on the restoration. At the time of purchase I was 20 with no steady income. Well of course that has changed and well I will be getting married on Aug 2016 so my plan is to make the E28 my getaway car.

Since then I have actually changed the plans. I originally was going to use the original body, but after a tear down it was just not worth it. Best bet was to source a better shell and with the help of MyE28, I was sent to Sherman and picked up a euro shell he had. Now it wasn't perfect, but definitely something better than what I was working with originally. Being that the overall body was in great shape I went for it. Now it does have its normal rusted areas but again, all that can be repaired. My main concern with the body was the roof which was damaged by a hail storm in the original owners possession.That will be swapped out with the Ms roof panel, I attempted to purchase a new roof panel, but that was not looking promising due to availability. I started on it again in November which since I have gotten the vehicle blasted and primed. Current stage its on is getting the body straight and repaired from the rusted areas. As well as purchasing parts, refreshing and cleaning up the engine to have that out of the way.

Now I will let the photos do the rest of the talking. Updates will be as I go and feel free to ask any questions or to give me any suggestions.

Before ( side by side)



After ( getting it ready to send it to blaster)



Body in the blaster possession. ( Thanks to Terry at Precision Dustless Blasting in Booth, TX. Had the vehicle dropped off on a Saturday and he had it ready for pick up on Monday)









The rusted areas. I have a new tail panel for it and will be using the E28M5 floor section to repair floor













Getting it ready for Epoxy primer













Repairs started (Prior bodywork on door)









Since actual body work is getting done by a friend I'm taking the time to clean up the engine components and replacing the timing components as well



Work area













Throttle bodies were taken apart a set at a time and cleaned up. Results were worth the time.

And last but not least the goodies I have acquired so far





Thanks to Vincent at HRE for being able to rebuild the wheels with new barrels and lips!



Thanks to Trevor at Ground Control for helping me out getting the coilover set up!

Other parts I have already is full euro bumper set up, lower euro valance and spoiler, euro headlights, and Supersprint mid section.
Thanks for viewing and I will keep posting!

[tig]

Nice work!

With black M5s being so common, are you going for a color change?

[MilanoFc]

Nice work!

With black M5s being so common, are you going for a color change?

I will actually be going with lapis blue, which is what the euro shell color is originally.

[1st 5er]

Glad to see things progressing.

I need to pay you a visit.

[tig]

Nice work!

With black M5s being so common, are you going for a color change?

I will actually be going with lapis blue, which is what the euro shell color is originally.

Great color! I approve.

[MilanoFc]

Glad to see things progressing.

I need to pay you a visit.

Anytime! best bet would be Sat, since on weekdays I only work on it after work.

[MilanoFc]

Nice work!

With black M5s being so common, are you going for a color change?

I will actually be going with lapis blue, which is what the euro shell color is originally.

Great color! I approve.

[MilanoFc]

So far I only have a small update. 3 out of 4 doors have been completed of body work, removed the wiring harness from the shell, and also took off trunk area parts from the M5









Received my IE rear camber/toe kit and placed an ordered on a new trunk and lt fender

[MilanoFc]

Removed the tail lamp panel off the M5 body to gain access to the floor pan. Will be cutting and welding the a floor section into euro body for the rusted area that needs replacement

[MilanoFc]

So I took advantage of the days off and started the cutting and trimming on both car. I also received the spot welder for when the new tail lamp panel and the roof goes back on.

On order I have the driver fender and trunk that I should be getting soon. On the roof, I figured that trying to remove the one off the M5 would be a hit or miss. So I went ahead and ordered a new one. Dealer told me that it would take 3-4 weeks, so now to play the waiting game for it to come in. But I will go ahead and use that down time to move on with other tasks. Planning on having the rear floor/ tail lamp panel completed this week hopefully so I can start the underbody process

[MilanoFc]

Got some action today. Got the right side of the floor welded in. Not bad for a Monday!





Plus I got the M fabric reproduction that a fellow member is selling.

[MilanoFc]

After the floor and side reinforcements were welded in, I decided to hold off on welding the tail lamp panel into place. Being that I did not have the trunk I did not to move on because I wanted to make sure on the fitment of the tail lamp panel, lights, and quarter corners that we will be welding in place. So after waiting 3 weeks I get the trunk and the fenders that were on order. Now all I have to wait for is the roof. And while I was waiting on that, I went ahead and removed the rear subframe as well to get it prepped for the camber/toe kit so I can send it off to the powder coat.

[MilanoFc]

Back for an update! Finally got the tail lamp panel, quarter inserts, side marker holes, and quarter gutter welded in. Have to clean up the welds to get going on the rest of the body work. Finally looking more like a E28. Will let the pics do the rest of the talking!


















Lastly, got the valve cover and penlum from Carl at Korman. Thanks for the great work!

[leadphut]

holy thread revival. forgot about this car.

great to see you're back. looking forward to progress. love the new engine pieces; they'll look great.

[Hffvdbl]

Very cool project, can't wait to see it at TexFest!

[MilanoFc]

Thanks guys!.. So far I have finished welding in the tail lamp panel. Its brazed in like the factory and seam sealed up the openings, all that needs to be done is file in the line on the tail lamp panel for the OE look to finalize it. Also decided to take apart the rear subframe to remove all the bushings and add the alignment kit so I can hopefully send it in to powder coat next week. I also got the missing piece to the puzzle by surprise! Time to really get this going since i don't have an excuse to say I can't move on.

[MilanoFc]

Got the rear subframe ready. Now just need to remove the trailing arm bushings and hub bearing to drop them off for PC. Bodywork has started on the quarter panels so its starting to look more like a E28. I will be attempting to have roof panel installed by Sunday, but I also have engagement photo shoot that day so who know now

Measuring and welding





Grinded and slotted

[MilanoFc]

Well it has been a busy week. Roof is done! Let me just say that it was a PITA to remove the roof panel. I counted 53 spot welds on the driver side gutter, which I had to carefully grind all spot welds to separate the panel since I wanted to leave the inner sheet metal intact so I could spot weld the new panel in. Other than that the install was a breeze with all thats left is to mig weld the 6 sunroof brackets and braze the 4 corners. Finally its a true shell.






















Other progress that was done was sending in the suspension parts to powder coat. Removing the trailing arm bushing was a royal pain. Attempted several ways to remove them and none would budge. Final we just decided to burn out the rubber and air chisel out the outer sleeve. After 2 tips it was done. Second set was done in 20 mins compared to the 2 hours when we tried the first arm. Special thanks to Mark @ Royalty Medal Finishing. Overall finish is outstanding and the turnaround time was superb.















I also got my E31 calipers in, so thats in the works as well. Still debating what color/ finish to go with.