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Here we go again.. E38 M7 project. Alpine white/38k

149K views 537 replies 103 participants last post by  TexaZ3 
#1 · (Edited)
I was going to do this to my estoril car but ended up selling that one before anything happened. Have pretty much regretted the decision ever since. I tried to keep a stock car again by buying an 07 E63 AMG with 34k miles but I quickly got bored with the stock'ness and refused to mod that car. It was the nicest stock car I had ever owned but I just wasn't satisfied. Anyone who knows me knows my obsession for modding cars.

So Friday I picked up the latest project car. 2001 BMW 740i M sport one owner Alpine on tan with 38k miles!!!!

The car was transported to Paul (blackknight530i) yesterday and he will be swapping the carpet to black, installing the NBT retrofit along with his black 750 dash, lower, console and front door cards. Brian (Redshift) will be dying the lower dash, door panels and seats caramel.

I ordered Apex ARC-8's in 19x9.5/10 with Bridgestone Potenza S-04 pole positions in 255/40 and 285/35/19. Got H&R spacers, wheel stud conversion kit and will be doing H&R II springs. Also bought a used Brembo GT BBK for the front with 355x32 2 piece rotors and silver Brembo 4 pot calipers. Same kit I have on the wagon.

Paul has built me a grey faced M5 cluster with white LED's. Apparently I am the first to request that combo :)

Ordered gloss black kidneys, new passenger headlight lens, cowl panel and both engine bay seals.

Waiting on Adam to find me a nice S62/6 speed/diff and then eventually, will do an ESS supercharger. It's going to be epic!





















 
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#325 ·
The car will be going on the dyno next week. Will post up all the details. Anxious to see what my AFR's are.

Other vehicle update: I have been spending most of my wrench time on the DD lately. My 95 Nissan D21 hardbody XE-V6. Just ticker over 75k original miles. Bilstein HD shocks, Nismo 40 and 50mm studs to fit the Toyota specific Stealth Custom Series F5 16x8" wheels with Toyo Open Country 265/75/16's, 87 Pathfinder front end conversion and Go Rhino light bar. I hope to swap the supercharged VG33 in from the 02 Nissan Frontier I bought soon.

Before and after.



 
#351 ·
#330 ·
Great output, especially given that you have a restrictive exhaust, 6 psi boost, and the base ESS tune! One thing to check--a perennial issue with the ESS kit--is whether the intake tube is collapsing at higher boost levels. Sometimes, replacing that tube with a hard silcone setup will show a not insignificant power increase at higher boost levels.

--Peter
 
#336 ·
I am going to leave them on the car for a month and see how I feel. Such a shame that they looked so much lighter in the photos on the site. The finish is incredible and will be hard to replicate in a lighter shade. I definitely must keep the brushed clear (either lighter or no tint) if I get them refinished. Regardless though, the wheel is a keeper! I absolutely love the detail and quality.
 
#339 ·
They have grown on me more and more by the hour. In person they look quite different than the photos. It's hard to capture it. I was surprised that even my dad loved them when he came over for brunch yesterday. The highlights really pop in the light.

I definitely need to pull the window tint. It will look even better with clear windows revealing that bold interior.

I need to get some perfect lighting/exposure photos with the DSLR. These are two shots of front and rear I just took with the Galaxy. It looks so different depending on the light etc.



 
#347 ·
Clamping strength is a function of the modulus of the material, the dimensions, and the tensile load placed on the fastener. Assuming identical load (i.e. elastic fastener stretch), identical diameter and threads, and identical materials, I don't see how one has any advantage over the other in terms of clamping force?
 
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#348 ·
Not an engineer, Chuck, but my understanding is that it has to do with how a nut on a stud is tightened (pulling wheel toward clamping surface with stud already installed into threads) as opposed to a bolt (which clamps as it screws into the threads). Where is Raza when I need him?!

--Peter
 
#349 ·
Ignoring the effect of thread fit and wear, the material properties will determine the strength of the fastener.

Clamping force is determined by the stretch of the fastener and the modulus of the material. Theoretically a stud and a bolt of the same material should be able to achieve the same clamping force, yield strength and shear strength.

The problem is that the length of threads engaged with a lug bolt is not consistent throughout the tightening process. The more you tighten it the more threads are engaged. This produces variations in torque required to achieve the desired clamping force, more threads have more friction requiring higher tightening torque to achieve the same stretch.

When using studs, once the lug nut threads are fully engaged with the stud the length of thread engagement is the same throughout the tightening of the lug nut. This should theoretically produce more consistent results.
 
#359 ·
There's always the normal non-bullet studs you can use. I switched mine over to these as the tips from the bullet types kept rusting in Chicago winters. Using closed lug nuts looks better as well (IMO).
 
#362 · (Edited)
I had always noticed that my shifter was quite notchy. Almost like a gated Ferrari shifter. I actually thought it was kind of cool but turns out it was the welds on the lengthened aluminum shift rod rubbing the UUC DSSR. It finally broke one day and the shifter went limp. Finally had a new one made and had the time to re-install. All is well again. Edit: if you ever have to work on or install the EVO short shifter, the easiest method is to first remove all exhaust nuts, support the trans and loosen the crossmember bolts so that only a few threads are left. Then lower the jack etc. This allows you to get the shift linkage out and over the transmission. Then to install the devil allen screws that hold the bushings in, start with only the aluminum shift rod only installed (before you install the DSSR or stock rod) and then start the screws by hand after hours of cursing and bleeding. Then cut the end of an allen wrench down to tighten them. It's really an awful process no matter what but that is the only way to get it done.

After driving the car following a period of bad weather and then the broken shifter (about 3 weeks), I have fallen in love all over again. Oh how I missed the car!! It is the perfect driving machine. I have to say I am most impressed by the suspension/ride quality lately. It's absolute perfection and feels like a brand new car. Not too stiff or too soft. Just the perfect balance for a spirited DD. Now I just need to tackle the awful stereo sound quality. I find myself itching to do exhaust too and am torn. Simple muffler delete, replacing all the post M5 stuff with 2.5" SS, X pipe and twin Borla XR-1's or 2.5" post M5 cats with X pipe to reducers welded to the stock E38 mufflers with E-diverters right in front of the rear wheels.
 
#367 · (Edited)
Bilstein HD struts/shocks with H&R II springs and UUC front and rear sway bars.

Yeah, I kind of miss it at times, but generally happy to be back to a "base" model M5 wagon.
I am happy with the stock tune/boost and will likely leave it that way. Fully built N/A would have been the best build but the cost just wasn't worth it to me.
 
#368 ·
My powdecoater finally had some time available so I dropped off the damaged wheel for him to do the barrel in brushed clear and the face in brushed with a much lighter tinted clear. I will decide which finish based on those two and figure it might even look cool with 2 tone.
 
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