E28 Alpina B7 Turbo/1 #0083

[GaAlpinaOwner]

There is a story to this car....The only problem with this being a private matter is that several of us here on this board, including me and others not on this board either knew about this car 5+ yrs ago (when the previous owner to the seller abandoned it, never to be heard from again) and were waiting for it to go up for sale and/or were also interested in buying this car when it went up for sale this year....so it was already semi public knowledge even if Chris did not want it to be.....I was going to buy it as soon as it came up for sale to add to my stable and came within a hour of closing the deal the day it went up for sale before anyone else, but my wife literally would have cut my, you know what off....
I had just bought a mint 30k mile E30 M3 right before this Alpina came up for sale....and even though I had the cash and was even going to split it with another Alpina owner from here, I decided child support and alimony was not worth a 2nd alpina... hell the M3 almost cost me dearly anyway...

And besides all this, Chris does not strike me as the type to wanting to keep a Alpina or the progress on restoring it, silent....Chris is a perfect owner for this car and he will give it all the attention to detail it needs to make the car perfect...as you can see from the gas tank...Chris thanks for posting updates and please keep them coming. You have a very very special car as you know and I look forward to seeing it.

David Frankel
Alpina B7 Turbo/1 #116 owner

[ScottWL38]

Chris is a perfect owner for this car and he will give it all the attention to detail it needs to make the car perfect...as you can see from the gas tank...

+1

I think Chris's gas tank is nicer than most of my car.

[SD45T-2]

I got a title and plates today!!!

Turns out the "invalid" VIN was from the database that gives them the original list price. They also have BOOKS that cover that, so I had a trainee today that decided to look at the BOOK and I getted a title and my copper plates.

Did you go to Chandler DMV?

[wkohler]

I did. Thought I sent you a PM thanking you for the tip. I was at the window for an hour, but just elated to get this finished finally.

Huge weight off my shoulders. Plate is on the car and the registration in the glovebox. Wishful thinking, I guess.

[SD45T-2]

I did. Thought I sent you a PM thanking you for the tip. I was at the window for an hour, but just elated to get this finished finally.

Huge weight off my shoulders. Plate is on the car and the registration in the glovebox. Wishful thinking, I guess.

Glad it worked out for you, I really am.

[wkohler]

There is a story to this car....The only problem with this being a private matter is that several of us here on this board, including me and others not on this board either knew about this car 5+ yrs ago (when the previous owner to the seller abandoned it, never to be heard from again) and were waiting for it to go up for sale and/or were also interested in buying this car when it went up for sale this year....so it was already semi public knowledge even if Chris did not want it to be.....I was going to buy it as soon as it came up for sale to add to my stable and came within a hour of closing the deal the day it went up for sale before anyone else, but my wife literally would have cut my, you know what off....
I had just bought a mint 30k mile E30 M3 right before this Alpina came up for sale....and even though I had the cash and was even going to split it with another Alpina owner from here, I decided child support and alimony was not worth a 2nd alpina... hell the M3 almost cost me dearly anyway...

And besides all this, Chris does not strike me as the type to wanting to keep a Alpina or the progress on restoring it, silent....Chris is a perfect owner for this car and he will give it all the attention to detail it needs to make the car perfect...as you can see from the gas tank...Chris thanks for posting updates and please keep them coming. You have a very very special car as you know and I look forward to seeing it.

David Frankel
Alpina B7 Turbo/1 #116 owner

Just saw this and the other posts about it, etc.

David - I wasn't trying to keep the car private. I had not yet finalized the paperwork on the deal and didn't want to say anything as I've had deals in the past fall apart despite thinking they were a sure thing. Until I had the thing settled, etc, I didn't want to say anything. I put a lot of money out just to buy this car (I know to some it isn't much, but being 5x more than I've paid for any BMW aside from my 535is, it's a big purchase/risk - and on the other side of the country). In fact, it wouldn't have been a big deal if Jon had said it. I just decided it was best to keep quiet about it - at least for the time being. It was never intended to be a secret. God knows I need all the help I can get.

The problem came when the person who made everything public insulted both me and the car I put up for sale. It turned sour quickly and ended up putting a bad taste in my mouth on the whole deal, greatly reducing my enthusiasm about the car, which I know seems ridiculous, but it happened, I'm over it and I don't care to discuss it any longer. I've tried hard to get other lingering issues taken care of so I can devote my "spare time" to this car.

I greatly appreciate all of the support and positive comments. I hope I can live up to the fanfare.

The current stage of the project is simply to get the car running and assess the mechanical needs of the car. I'm very much looking forward to hearing the motor run.

[Sleeper21]

Man...what a great find. That is such a special car.

Only seen one B7 before, driving through the streets of Tallahassee one thanksgiving a couple of years back. Uber rare. Cant wait to track the progress...

[GaAlpinaOwner]

Chris I never thought you were keeping this car private...although I was not aware of all the drama, insults etc...

Great job on the purchase, assessment and great success on the renovation. It is all time and money and it took me nearly 4 yrs and a bunch of $$ to get mine together.

[hubble1953]

Chris: Enjoyed seeing this car; the pictures. Those seats look so nice. Will be a great project, and fun to follow your progress. Keep up the good work,
jm

[E.rouzbeh.28]

This is the one with 300 something hp, right?

[wkohler]

Yessir.

[E.rouzbeh.28]

Oh lord, I can't imagine how I'd feel if I knew that in a couple months I would be driving a car that has a 100+ hp more than my other cars Have fun!

[SD45T-2]

Ive sat in this car,and helped with the fuel issue. Lol

[wkohler]

Eric helped me pull the auxiliary tank out of the trunk. Not sure how you'd do it alone since they used a bolt and nut and it comes in front of the spare tire well, so he was very helpful.

Anyway, tonight, I finished replacing all of the fuel hoses. I installed a new fuel filter (the one in the car has a BMW roundel and was made in W. Germany, so you know it's good...) and used a couple of barbed fittings and an NPT coupler to join the 12mm hose and the 8mm hose since I'll only be using a single 255lph pump in the tank. That said, I cut everything to the correct lengths (which is what I do). That will help if I decide to add an external pump (which I have). The pump/filter bracket wasn't the prettiest piece and the bolt sheared off. I was planning to use the one from my 535is anyway, as it's in excellent condition.

Once that was squared away, I moved up front. The fuel rail is backwards from a normal M30 car. Supply hose goes to the front and the return comes off the rear. The FPR is located next to the firewall as well. Both hoses had pulse dampers in them. I decided to delete them - at least for the time being. Nothing is being thrown out - not even the old fuel hose. Replacing the CSV hose in an M30 car is a chore, but this one is just a PITA. The placement of the CSV at the top rear of the manifold makes the job appear easy, but given you cannot see the clamp on the fuel rail, it's a real pain. I ended up using a combination of wobble extensions, a 3/8" to 1/4" adapter and a deep 6mm socket to undo the nut by hand. Once I figured all of that out, it wasn't bad. Damn good thing I changed that hose, though. It had already ruptured. Everything else looked and felt pretty good - just a bit stiff, but no signs of cracking, etc.

I also cut off the bolt added to hang the US Strömung rear muffler, so that's no longer an issue.

Tomorrow, I am going to pick up the pieces (without the Average White Band) I need to replicate the three pads that go atop the fuel tank and I'll hopefully get that back into the car.

[skip535i]

I'm loving this thread, Chris. I hope you continue to update us with your progress!

[wkohler]

Main tank is back in. Took longer to get it back in than to get it out. I covered all of the vulnerable areas with masking tape - multiple layers in a couple spots, but still managed to nick it in one spot. All vapor hoses replaced, etc. The auxiliary tank is ready to be secured, but I have to put the carpeting back in the trunk first. I also thought I had to go find a hose to go between the two tanks since it was pretty stiff, but turns out I got a nice, "fresh" one with the car.

Just waiting on the pump assembly and we should be good to go. The pump assembly should be installed before the aux tank gets secured just because it really limits access to the access hole in the trunk.

[1st 5er]

... 255lph pump in the tank.

My next pump change is going this route.
Which pump are you using, and any other details you'd like to share?

[1st 5er]

Saw the thread, "Search" is my friend.

[wkohler]

I bought a TRE 255lph pump based upon reviews by other members here and a few other things I've read. It appears very similar to the Walbro. The issue that I ran into is that the inlet on the pickup is 12mm OD and the outlet on the pump is 8mm OD. It appears the pump is more suited to installation on an E30 pickup, though some modification is still required for that. Paul (mooseheadm5) is fast-approaching a solution for the issues and I look forward to putting his idea in practice.

[cddallara]

Thanks for the updates!
Make sure Eric has gloves on, or a big ass bandage or something, he needs to heal up and get back to his real job!

[buc316]

Very jelous as always. Goood Find!!

[SD45T-2]

Thanks for the updates!
Make sure Eric has gloves on, or a big ass bandage or something, he needs to heal up and get back to his real job!

[wkohler]

Thanks for the updates!
Make sure Eric has gloves on, or a big ass bandage or something, he needs to heal up and get back to his real job!

Yeah, he held a wrench to keep a bolt from turning while he was over looking at the car back in July or something. I guess it qualifies as helping "with the fuel issue." That has been the extent of his involvement in the project, so I guess his hand should be okay.

Wednesday, I did a basic clean under the hood - just a few areas I could get to. Vacuumed the larger debris, and that turned into removing the hood insulation. Vacuumed it off the hood, then used 3M adhesive remover to remove the adhesive. Huge difference when you open the hood and I won't have chunks of foam falling on the motor all the time. Makes it a bit more pleasant working under there, that's for sure.

[wkohler]

Yesterday, I washed it, did my initial cleaning on the interior, wiped a few things down under the hood and put some rejuvenating oil on the steering wheel.

Today, I stole the battery out of the white E12 and decided to see if the motor would crank. It turns quickly and smoothly. Looking forward to getting the fuel pump in, some fuel in the tank and getting this thing started!

[cddallara]

[jimoreno]

Any updates on this? This is awesome!

[Amos830]

Amazing e28! Definitely a dream car to own.

+1 about the update I'd love to know if you've gotten it running.

[///MARINE]

Awesome car. Best of luck with everything.

[Pedi]

Waiting for updates here...

[wkohler]

It runs. I drove it today for the first time.

[John SCB]

YAY! Can we expect to see you in that car for St. Paddy's?

[Pedi]

It runs. I drove it today for the first time.

And no pics of some smiling faces???

[Das_Prachtstrasse]

Great news! That must be a good feeling. How'd it drive? Hold boost ok? I'm guessing you didn't give it the beans, but it's good to know the old girls back alive again.

[mooseheadm5]

We await further updates.

[dolomiti]

Fantastic car Kohler. I can't wait to hear more.

[wkohler]

Sorry for the lack of detail in the post. I was just sitting down to eat dinner.

Friday morning, my case of Knecht AG164 air filters showed up. I've got enough for the next 40 years. NOS. I changed that out. The filter is for a 924 Turbo. I guess stock air filters are so popular with those guys that they don't make them any longer.

Anyway, yesterday morning my fuel pump assembly arrived from Moosehead Engineering. I had to make a couple adjustments to the pump attachmentto get it through the hole in the tank which is considerably smaller than the US one for some reason. He did a fantastic job on it. We ended up going with a Walbro GSS-340 instead of the TRE pump.

I discovered I had routed the hoses incorrectly (I didn't have the pickup in front of me when I did that). Alpina put a funky bend and added some material to the return line, so I guess it's a good thing I decided to reuse this piece. So, I dropped the tank enough to get the hose through from one side of the elbow to the other. I was hoping to not have to put the car in the air again, but whatever.

I got that straightened out and ran the pump. At first, there wasn't anything getting up to the rail in the supply line, so I swapped stuff around in the rear. That pressurized the return. Swapped them back and it worked. Weird. So, knowing I had fuel, I pulled the relay and cranked the car for about 10-15 seconds. Pulled the oil cap and oil was getting to the top, so I put the relays back in and fired it up. It took a while of feathering the throttle to keep it running, but after a few seconds, it settled into a nice, smooth 750rpm idle. I let it run for a few minutes in the driveway, bled the cooling system (I had to remove the bottle to change the fuel hoses). Then, I decided it was time to drive it. I took it easy. Knob was all the way on the lowest setting. It still did a good job moving, though I didn't want to get on the boost. I will gradually work on that once the car is sorted mechanically. I just wanted to make sure things functioned. I have to say it sounded pretty cool without the rear muffler. Just two gigantic cats(one for each pipe - which will be removed) and a resonator.

I will post up a few photos later now that the car is a bit cleaner and the trunk is back together.

[mooseheadm5]

Here are a couple of pictures of the secret sauce to make the fuel pump fit.

[E.rouzbeh.28]

[Dinan e28]

Chris, good to hear you got her running.

[tsmall07]

Great news. I look forward toreading further updates. This and the silver M535i are my favorites of yours.