Cupid's 1987 535iS Euro (Conv) Build Thread: "The Executive"

[Cupid]

Hey all!

I've been a lurker for years. I finally got into an e28 last year after "At the Vintage." I flew to Texas and drove it back to Virginia and have been wrenching on it ever since.

I probably should have built this thread a long time ago. I'll do what I can to retroactively show you guys what I've been doing. I'm super excited as I build my daily driver.

Tim
@bluecollarmotorheads

[1st 5er]

Welcome.

Hate to see that one go,
but glad to see it's in good hands.

Feel free to drive it back for TexFest in October.

[gwb72tii]

Well that's one good looking car! What front airdam is that?

[stuartinmn]

That's the smallest Waffle House I've ever seen. Welcome!

[Mdreamer]

Hello, Cupid. I love your car. I look forward to seeing and reading whatever you share here.

[Cupid]

That's the smallest Waffle House I've ever seen. Welcome!

Right!? Waffle House is certainly one of my (and my friends) all-time favorites! Thanks for the warm welcome!

[Cupid]

Hello, Cupid. I love your car. I look forward to seeing and reading whatever you share here.

Awesome! Thank you. It took me a looooong time to find one. Just happy I did.

[Cupid]

Welcome.

Hate to see that one go,
but glad to see it's in good hands.

Feel free to drive it back for TexFest in October.

Never heard of TexFest, but my wife is from there. May have to add that to my bucket list!

[1st 5er]

Welcome.

Hate to see that one go,
but glad to see it's in good hands.

Feel free to drive it back for TexFest in October.

Never heard of TexFest, but my wife is from there. May have to add that to my bucket list!

Here's last year's link:
https://www.mye28.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=160008
Our FakeBook page, if you're bent that way:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/TexFest ... ?ref=share

[Cupid]

The story begins with me wanting a "red" E28 some 10 or 12 years ago. I wanted something to stuff my family in and drive to any car show. I was super close to buying two during that time, but for whatever reason, I either balked or the deal fell through. I definitely wanted an IS. (I mean....I'd take an M5, but I kinda have a thing for red BMWs.)

Bottom line is, we found this one and I was in love. I almost balked at this one as well as the CarFax listed accidents.

My heart sank. I talked to my wife about it. We prayed about it. We talked to my inner circle about it and ultimately came to the conclusion that if the car was put back to factory specs, how would you even know the car was in an accident?

This was a critical shift in my thought process.

There I was, on Southwest airlines... I had a flying, buying, and driving mindset.

Met my guy. Super nice. Super forthcoming with as much info as he had. He was an engineer and I liked him. I couldn't ask for a better person to purchase a car from.

My buddy Dan always told me. You shop the "seller" first, then consider buying the car. I did just that and it worked out flawlessly.

Pics from my travels home:

First stop: Get keys made.

Bonus was this kitty observing me and the E28


Second stop: Harbor Freight Tools for an emergency road bag.


Off I went...


The car ran decently. The A/C only worked in the "high fan" position, but I was thankful not to burst into a ball of flames coming through central to east Texas.



Stopping in Arkansas for the night.



The biggest issue I had was a "hard start" problem. I could drive somewhere and stop for 3 minutes and the car would fire right back up. If I stopped for 10 minutes, it would take forever for it to start up. It would just turn over and turn over and....nothing. I called the PO and he hadn't had that same problem. My pucker factor went up significantly, but I pushed on...





I saw some craziness on the trip back home!



I tried to keep it together, but between having to take work calls, and troubleshooting this "hard start", I was tiring out....FAST!



She made it! I finally made it home and let me tell you...it was a huge relief!



I must have slept for 18 hours after the trip.

The bottom line is, we ended up with a 5 series that I can fit my family in! #PARTYOF5



Now the real work begins...

[stuartinmn]

Nice pictures of a happy family.

The a/c fan working only on high speed sounds like a bad resistor pack. It's a fairly easy fix - it's located inside the heater duct, behind the blower. You remove the panel on the firewall inside the engine compartment, wiggle the blower fan out of the way and then it's right there. It simply unplugs and then you install a new one.

If the car came with a Bentley repair manual, the step-by-step procedure should be covered in there. If a manual wasn't included, get one as it's a valuable resource for maintaining the car.

[Foonfer]

That first shot (with the tiny Waffle House) is fantastic.

Surprised to see how many characters Louisiana allows for personalized plates... NY is 8 maximum

[Cupid]

That first shot (with the tiny Waffle House) is fantastic.

Surprised to see how many characters Louisiana allows for personalized plates... NY is 8 maximum

Oh, that’s totally fake. It was a gift from a buddy of mine.

[Cupid]

Nice pictures of a happy family.

The a/c fan working only on high speed sounds like a bad resistor pack. It's a fairly easy fix - it's located inside the heater duct, behind the blower. You remove the panel on the firewall inside the engine compartment, wiggle the blower fan out of the way and then it's right there. It simply unplugs and then you install a new one.

If the car came with a Bentley repair manual, the step-by-step procedure should be covered in there. If a manual wasn't included, get one as it's a valuable resource for maintaining the car.

Thank you!

*Added to list


A manual was the first thing I bought!

[Chimi-Changa]

Welome! especially with an Eagle Rare hoody!

[Cupid]

Welome! especially with an Eagle Rare hoody!

Thanks. Whiskey, cars, fishing, & guns (which...I lost all in a boating accident) ... In no particular order!

[gwb72tii]

Great looking family!
As someone else mentioned, "family is the best".

[Mdreamer]

My 5er is also part of my family, Cupid. Here are a couple of pieces I've written over the years that attempt to capture that sentiment:

http://thisfastlife.com/nostalgia/last- ... milys-car/

http://thisfastlife.com/uncategorized/t ... -car-pt-2/

She's went in for paint in April of 2022, and I'm doing my best to get her back in my hands by the end of this month (April). It's been a complete saga and, if you were to see the boys pictured in part two now, it would really drive home the point of how much time has elapsed. At any rate, I hope to have her back in my garage soon (pun intended).

[Etip]

Great adventure and great looking car!!!

[tn535i]

Nice Story. Hope you enjoy and visit here with updates.

[Cupid]

Kicking it off!

After I got home and threw the kids in, the car scraped drastically on the driver's side. If I hit sweeping right hander by myself it would rub as well. A quick visit to Amazon and I found this:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BNM ... UTF8&psc=1

DNA Motoring Tools Fender Roller. At the time, it was $45. It was money well spent.



I had a Stanley heat gun. I made sure the paint/fender was really warm so I didn't get any cracks. I will say, it worked pretty well.



I took my time, giving several rotating passes before tightening up the tension knob to continue bending the fender in.

All in all, I definitely think purchasing the fender roller and doing things myself increased my confidence and saved me from paying somebody else to do it. Not only that, it was a quick job! No more rubbing!