The Project Pad

You bought an E39 M5? And drove it cross-country? We'll have to call you Alex Roy .

Those are great cars though - congrats!

The trip was fun, but not quite that fun

You must love big cars

Don't tell me it has cinnamon interior... because that would be the perfect specimen.

I know, I can't seem to get away from big cars! I did drive a 135i last week though and I LOVED it. There will be room in my life for a small car one day. To me those 1-series embody what BMW used to be about. That is a true driver's car. I'd call it the modern E30.

375-ish WHP on stock turbos for the older ones is very easily doable. That makes for a riot of a car, especially with some suspension/tire upgrades.

The M5 has two-tone silver/black interior with aluminum trim. I usually don't like the two-tone, but it is pretty nice on this car.

hta 3794

Chris,

Congratulations on the M5! Yours sure is sweet! I drool over those cars! My ultimate choice for an M5 would be a Carbon Black or Imola Red 2003 with black Sport interior, aluminum trim (eventually carbon fibre), Dinan 18 x 9.5 wheels with 275's at all 4 corners. As for suspension, either JRZ, Bilstein PSS9 coilovers, or a full Moton setup would be what I would like. Engine mods would consist of Evolve headers, software, and a better clutch. I would have to upgrade to a Brembo big brake setup on the front and the rear. As for cosmetics, I like the "sink drain" intakes in the front grill mesh opening, a carbon fibre hood painted body color, and a rear carbon fibre diffuser. I think that would be about it! Do you have any mods planned for your M5? I can't wait to see your progress on your 200! I'm following your thread with great interest!

I'd probably do some similar mods if I were to mod it, but it is quite nice as it is really. It currently has 19x? and 19x? BBMS LM (replicas :( ) and Bilstein coilovers. I can't imagine the car without those mods. It also has a muffler delete which is very nice sounding and very reasonable volume, but I could go for some more volume at times (it seems to change based on the weather). I also like the intake things in the lower front grill mesh and carbon hood/diffuser couldn't hurt! Clutch AND flywheel is definitely a nice upgrade to do. Mine is OK, but it could use a bit more oomph. The brakes are good enough for me for street use, but for track use, Brembos wouldn't hurt either.

The car is really so nice that (71k miles now) I'm just focusing on keeping it that nice and driving it the few times I get to drive it. I got used to the power quickly, but hopefully next time I go back home to drive it, I'll be happy with the power again. Otherwise, I fear I'll either have to supercharge it or sell it lol. Some people just can't be satisfied! Either I got used to the power, the heat makes it significantly slower, or something is wrong. I plan on dynoing to find out just how screwed up my mind is.

I'm looking forward to more progress on the 200 as well. Next up is going to be billet mains and a girdle.

Nice E39, I hope my coilovers will be in by the end of the week... I've been looking at superchargers too...

Also, awesome that you are going full-bore on the 200. I'm still playing with the idea of an audi for a 2nd car... I actually just messaged someone here with a 1990 90 20v...

Its funny how different the old Audis drive compared to just about anything else. When I hop in the 200, it is unlike anything else I've ever driven somehow. Also, they are absolute boats on stock suspension. Corey H. came by my house a few weeks ago in his 5k on stock suspension. I thought I was going to get sea sick driving that thing! On a nice coilover setup though, they are a dream.

One more pic of the M5

Chris,

May I make a few more suggestions for your already way cool M5? When I had my '99 540i/6, shifting it was like rowing a boat. It had ridiculously long throws which I found detracted from the driving experience. I found a shift lever for $40.00 from a E36 MZ3 coupe and installed it. You can pay much more for a short shift kit from many BMW tuners. I researched the options and found it to work quite well. It completely transformed the car! The shifting changed from the feeling of rowing the boat to short and enjoyable snicks of the shifter. I highly recommend this mod. There was one more mod I did to my car that I liked. I removed the kidneys and painted them body color. I am not a big fan of chrome and they are the only chrome item on the front of the car. Painting them really blended the kidneys well with the hood and it looked cool. By the way, switching the car over to a squared setup really helps with the understeer. Enjoy your new ride!

less bimmer more 200

Get the E60 545i shifter... the part number that ends with 373 is the shorter of the two, its what I have. I highly recommend the weighted ZHP knob along with it... it was nice with the stock knob but a little on the notchy side... the ZHP knob made it perfect.

Do you have the PSS9 (height only) or PSS10 (rebound and height adjustable) Bilstein coils?

I was hell bent on the PSS9 (because they are about a grand instead of $2500 for PSS10) but for the same price I got the BC's which are adjustable and come with camber plates built in.

You should start a thread for the M5... I'll probably visit here much more often if there were an influx of some BMW people... 034 has to break into that scene!

Did you sell the 530i?

I put the E60 shifter in our 540i and rebuilt all the linkage. The throws are nice, but it's seriously the biggest piece of crap trans I've ever shifted. I'm hoping a fluid change improves things.

I also agree with painting the kidneys black or body colored.

Busman, I agree. That is definitely considered a must-do mod on these cars. I will do it when I get around to it for sure.

Justin517 wrote:Get the E60 545i shifter... the part number that ends with 373 is the shorter of the two, its what I have. I highly recommend the weighted ZHP knob along with it... it was nice with the stock knob but a little on the notchy side... the ZHP knob made it perfect.

Do you have the PSS9 (height only) or PSS10 (rebound and height adjustable) Bilstein coils?

I was hell bent on the PSS9 (because they are about a grand instead of $2500 for PSS10) but for the same price I got the BC's which are adjustable and come with camber plates built in.

You should start a thread for the M5... I'll probably visit here much more often if there were an influx of some BMW people... 034 has to break into that scene!

Did you sell the 530i?

Yes, I will definitely do the E60 shifter. Do you know exactly which parts to order? Is is just the shifter or what (and the knob too of course).

I believe they are PSS9, but to be honest I haven't even looked. I like how they ride and handle, but they could do with a bit more bump and rebound honestly. For an executive rocket though, they are perfect. I'm honestly not a big fan of Bilstein at this point, so I think going with BC isn't a bad idea. I refuse to buy anything from Bilstein again. If I was going to do coils, I'd probably have gone thru Ground Control with Koni struts.

I'd start a thread, but it wouldn't get much action, and I don't want to muck up the forum with a thread about a non-project. I hate to muck this thread up too, but oh well lol.

I didn't sell the E34, I just loaned it to my friend who has the turbo E30 because I like the car and what am I going to do with the $900 it's worth? He has it registered and insured in his name (and has the title in his name) and will drive it because his E30 doesn't have AC. In return, he'll keep it from rotting and will maintain it (for example, it needs a "new" diff like yesterday). Luckily our junkyard is infested with E34s! If he just keeps it running, I'll take it back someday when he doesn't want it anymore. The dream plan though is for him to make a rear-mount single turbo setup for it. If that happens, then we'll be partners in it

Pelican sells a complete shifter rebuild kit. It really sucks to do in the car. You need tiny midget hands. It took me 1.5 hours to get it apart and about 15 minutes to put it back together.

PEL-SKSBE39-03N

M5 specific writeup.
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showth ... p?t=546591" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
E36 writeup (very similar) with better pictures.
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showth ... p?t=546591" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Yeah, I did one of these in my E34, but with the UUC lever. I got a little mad while doing it, but it turned out pretty nice. Should be about the same level of aggravation on the E39 I think.

At your mileage i wouldnt worry about a whole shifter rebuild... I just did the plastic ring that goes around the ball when I installed in mine at 112k miles and everything else was all still tight... you are at what? 70k? I wouldn't bother... do a full rebuild when you have the tranny out for a clutch.

The expensive rear bushing that supports the rear of the shifter bridge and the eyelet that is actually on the transmission are what wear the most and they are impossible to get to without dropping the exhaust, or at least I could never get them with my meat-hooks though the tiny shifter hole... but like I said, all my stuff is still pretty darn tight and I'm at 128k now.

@ 123quattro... I disagree with the transmission being a piece of crap to shift... did you delete your clutch delay valve? THAT makes it awful, also, are you on the original fluid... I put royal purple in mine and its great. Its a little notchy when cold but after going through the gears a few times and getting it warmed up a bit its smooth like glass. If you or a PO was ham-fisted with it it may have bent shift forks.

I got the rear shifter support in. I could not get the front mount on the trans. It's impossible to get to.

I'm the second owner of our car and have never beat on it. First guy babied it and all the miles (171k) were highway between Detroit and Vegas. I guess he didn't like flying. Yes, it's the original fluid. The shifter itself is fine. The shifting just sucks. All the gears are stiff...3rd is the worst. Sometimes when it's cold it's physically impossible to get 3rd. Once the car has been driven for about an hour the trans loosens up and is still stiff, but tolerable. In the cold it just sucks. I'm really looking forward into getting back into my A6 4.2 next week.

my2000apb wrote:less bimmer more 200

:stupid:

Also more pics of that dry sump setup! DAYYYUM...

loxxrider wrote:...One more pic of the M5

That is the best color for that car!

Those LMs...

123quattro wrote:I got the rear shifter support in. I could not get the front mount on the trans. It's impossible to get to.

I'm the second owner of our car and have never beat on it. First guy babied it and all the miles (171k) were highway between Detroit and Vegas. I guess he didn't like flying. Yes, it's the original fluid. The shifter itself is fine. The shifting just sucks. All the gears are stiff...3rd is the worst. Sometimes when it's cold it's physically impossible to get 3rd. Once the car has been driven for about an hour the trans loosens up and is still stiff, but tolerable. In the cold it just sucks. I'm really looking forward into getting back into my A6 4.2 next week.

ah... original fluid @ 171k? def change it! made a noticeable difference for me at 115k or so and the fluid didnt really look that bad at all.

I bought it with 171k. Now it's at 182k. I change that when I replace the center driveshaft bearing and parking brake cables this winter.

ChrisAudi80 wrote:Those LMs...

Im with this guy, I dont care if theyre reps. I love that wheel and will have them on my 80q

looks amazing Loxx, that car must be a load of fun

When your 200 is done the M5 will feel wimpy -insert supercharger- :dur:

Thanks! I like the LMs too.

Sadly, it already does feel wimpy. OK, not wimpy, but I'm very used to the power. I'm hoping that since I only get to drive it every few months, it will be back to feeling spectacular again (power-wise) every time I come back.

On another note, I've been thinking about turbo selection some more. To that end, I've created a spreadsheet which can tell me CFM vs pressure ratio, VE, engine displacement, and RPM. It looks like 1400 CFM at 11k RPM is what I need to be able to achieve. I'm just learning to properly use the compressor map now, so I should be able to get a better idea of turbo choice as soon as I can get my hands on a **DECENT** compressor map for the Pro52. The one I have (comparing it to HX40 and Super40 is crap).

I'm still working on it, but if anyone wants to see the spreadsheet, I'll attach it.