MyE28.com

Alright Chris... approaching the starting line

That car will soon (relative term ) be awesome under your care. As others have said, take your time and do her right!

-RoyW

It's worth saying again: You are the right owner for this car.

Special cars like that need and deserve stewardship, and it couldn't be in better hands. Take your time and enjoy the process - it's part of what owning these cars is all about.

Jim

GETRIEBE: BMW 5ER 5-GANG GETRAG 265.0.0

Factory 5er eh? I never knew those existed. What is this they speak of?

Full turbo high five. Cool car, was it down in Washington for a while haha?

Chris welcome to the club as I said before when you got her...take your time and have fun with the restoration. Hopefully one day we can get all of them together for a photo shoot....mine was also built from a 535i.

David Frankel

Well, work has started on the car - albeit slowly. That said, figured I'd post an update.

I finally got the fuel tanks out of the car. The auxiliary tank wasn't a problem, but the main tank was, seeing has how someone fabricated a mount for an aftermarket exhaust using a bolt protruding through a beam under the trunk floor. They attached the mount welded to the muffler to the bolt using a nut, but welded the nut to the bolt, so I cut the mount off of the muffler after much screwing around with the bolt. I'll cut the bolt in two and that should solve that.

Fortunately, the muffler has a flange where it joins the resonator, so I just undid the four bolts for that - no cutting needed.

I worked the tank out, which is very tight, careful work because the tank extends all the way to the rear valance, which is also deeper, has a taller filler neck and a 90° elbow protruding from the access panel. Keeping all of these areas in mind adds frustration, but it was sorted in short order.



I took both tanks in to be cleaned. a good portion of the paint came off of the main tank, which they covered up with some black paint, but it looked horrid. I had the tank powder-coated, and picked it up yesterday.




I bought a TRE Performance 255lph pump which will be installed on the factory pickup assembly. Paul (mooseheadm5) has all of the parts at this time and has come up with a solution to the plumbing issue.

I am STILL WAITING for the fuel hose I ordered October 21, and have pretty much decided I'm done with Pelican Parts. First order I've made with them and I'm quite disappointed to say the least. Once that shows up, I can start changing out all of that. In the mean time, once I get some free time, I'll be working on cleaning the rear area under the car seeing as the exhaust and tank are out, which will make that easier.

So, that's it for now.

A great start. I'm a bit jealous.

That tank looks fantastic. It is so nice to see someone put effort into doing these things the right way. Many people wouldn't put the time and effort into these aspects of a car.

Whore.







Perhaps you'll have it "road-ready" by July 21st.

pldlnr wrote:That tank looks fantastic. It is so nice to see someone put effort into doing these things the right way. Many people wouldn't put the time and effort into these aspects of a car.

And that is why I'm glad that someone like him bought this car vs. one of the bottom feeders like me.

mooseheadm5 wrote:

pldlnr wrote:That tank looks fantastic. It is so nice to see someone put effort into doing these things the right way. Many people wouldn't put the time and effort into these aspects of a car.

And that is why I'm glad that someone like him bought this car vs. one of the bottom feeders like me.

+1

I can't wait to see more of this as it gets more love...great pickup!

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.

Excellent news Chris, I know that was a worry. Did you get the fuel line mess sorted out yet?

wkohler wrote:I purchased this car in April. Everyone knows that because someone had to tell everyone. But, that's beside the point.

What's wrong with everyone knowing? Just curious.

I love Alpina's of the vintage type, and this one would be awesome to have, and I am sure you got it at a good deal. LOVE IT!

Bacause it's no one's business but Chris if he doesn't want to make it public.

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

GaAlpinaOwner wrote: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.

wkohler wrote: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?

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.

wkohler wrote: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.

GaAlpinaOwner wrote: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.

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...

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.

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

This is the one with 300 something hp, right?

Yessir.

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!

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

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.

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

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.

wkohler wrote:... 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?

Saw the thread, "Search" is my friend.

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.

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!

Very jelous as always. Goood Find!!

cddallara wrote: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!

SD45T-2 wrote:

cddallara wrote: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.

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!