Last 7 of the VIN: 9889297
We can call it a 535i but it's a 528e. It came from Arizona to Colorado through the dealer I bought it from, and I purchased it as a rolling shell in 2021 after someone took the drivetrain for another project. Since I already had most of the important stuff to put it back together as an M30 car, I spent a couple of years doing just that.
Here are the highlights:
- M30B34 Euro 10:1 bottom end from my 635CSi (8171719) re-ringed with genuine BMW rings, new coated rod and main bearings from VAC, new chains, tensioner parts, chain guides, head bolts, etc.
- M30B35 cylinder head, new guides, 3 angle valve job, new standard B35 cam, new rocker shafts
- Supersprint headers into twin catalytic converters, then E28 M5 center and rear exhaust
- Megasquirt conversion with brand new wiring harness installed in factory wiring enclosure
- B35 gear reduction starter, custom 2 gauge positive cables from the battery to the starter and alternator, as well as 2 gauge engine and battery grounds
- Factory “lightweight” 533i flywheel
- New Sachs M5 clutch kit
- Getrag 265/6, resealed, with new SGF flex disc, driveshaft centering bushing and center support
- 3.46 Limited slip, resealed
- Manual Recaro seats, currently mismatched - Drivers side is a black "Fittipaldi by Recaro" with adjustable kidney bolsters, passenger side is red like the rest of the interior
- M-Tech steering wheel and weighted shift knob
- New Euro headlights, grilles, foglights and turn signals from Dogabon on MyE28
- New Euro bumpers, brackets, trim and front license plate mount from Blunt Tech
- New Spax springs with Bilstein sport shocks, strut mounts and spring pads
- Front strut brace (BMP maybe? I can't remember where it came from)
- MWrench steering box reinforcement pin, rebuilt power steering pump
- New Nissens radiator, genuine BMW hoses, thermostat, thermostat housings, fan blade and water pump
- New genuine BMW engine and transmission mounts
- Lots of new or re-plated original hardware, pretty much anywhere something was bolted onto or into the car
- Vacuum booster instead of hydroboost, braided brake lines
- Rebuilt power steering pump and new hoses
- New cap, rotor and spark plug wires
The body appears to be wearing its original paint and the VIN tags, and the odometer shows a little over 204,800 miles. That said, the gears were bad when I got the car, so who knows what the actual chassis mileage is. I put about 500 miles on the new engine before I replaced the gears, so I figure it's got about 800 - 850 miles on it now since the rebuild. It was broken in on Motul 10w40 break in oil and the oil has since been changed a couple of times. I've cut up the filter both times to search for scary bits and have been pleased by their absence.
Lots of time and effort has gone into getting everything dialed in. The Megasquirt really woke this engine up. I have not run it on a dyno but it's very strong and feels like it gets up to speed about as quickly as my M5, but with less drama. The idea was for this car to be my daily driver for the 9 or so months out of the year that you can get away with it in Colorado, so I addressed anything that might give me trouble.
There are some cosmetic things that you might expect for a body with over 200,000 miles like some little dings and chips but overall it looks pretty good. There's a small area on the trunk lid where someone polished a bit too aggressively at some point. I never worried about that because a trunk spoiler will cover that area up completely.
Being a US car that was converted to use the Euro bumpers there is some evidence of the conversion. I never got around to covering up the bumper shock holes on the rear end. The front valance is the original US spec part that was cut to accept the Euro fog lights and turn signals.
The mismatched seats are a bit of a negative, but it comes with the matching red Recaro that needs to be repaired. Ideally the front and rear seats would be done together since the upper portion of the rear is a little crispy as well. The dash has the usual cracks but it's not nearly as bad as some I've seen. Otherwise the interior is pretty nice. Carpets and headliner and door panels are all in good shape. The fuzzy material on the door seals is in various stages of coming off as you go from door to door. It's probably not easily salvageable at this point but I have not had the heart to rip it all out.
Lights, windows, wipers and heater all work as intended but the AC does not. It doesn't even have an AC compressor but the other components are still in the car. The kit from AC Solutions would be ideal if the next owner wants good AC.
It could use an air dam. I nearly bought an Alpina replica from tschultz (it looked really cool) but there are so many options, it's probably best to leave this to the next owner. The right wheels* and air dam will really set this car off, but you already knew that.
A list of other things worth mentioning:
- Drivers door lock is stiff so I use the trunk lock instead
- RR window is a bit slower than the other three
- Door mirrors do not adjust using the switch but the switch seems to work
- Rear window lockstrips are ugly
- No cruise control actuator
- 14” wheels with black center caps (I didn't do it, looks weird but whatever), tires have lots of tread
- Has an aftermarket radio that is not wired up, will also come with original that I don't have the code for
- Megasquirt is not wired up to give a signal to the fuel economy meter under the tach
It a good example of an E28 and I wouldn't hesitate to drive it long distance. I had planned on keeping this car and selling my M5 but that plan has changed. A couple of my cars need to go and this is one that makes sense.
If you're still here, thanks for checking my car out. I have to believe that it's got the right combination of cool parts to make somebody say "dang, I always wanted to build one like that". If you're that somebody, you'll love it.
Now the photos. I have lots. The photos near the top are from this weekend. Further down are some from when the car was going together. If there's something you want to see there's probably a photo of it that I can share, and if not, I'll take one.
*On the subject of wheels, I have a few sets that can be bundled with this car:
- 16x7 Rial mesh (straight but in need of refinishing, one or two caps)
- 16x7 / 16x8 Mahle BBS RA (straight but not pretty, will include metal center caps)
- 16x7 / 16x8 BBS RS (paint on the centers is a little sun burnt but they look decent)
- 16x8 Style 5 (Fundo, decent condition, will come with caps
I can get tires at wholesale prices too, if a full wheel and tire setup is desired.