Any suggestions for modifying '88 535is???

[WhiteFox535is]

I've owned my '88 535is for almost 5 years now, I was in school until recently so I only did the necessary maintenance to keep it running.
There's about 240,000 miles on it, but the engine was rebuilt at 190,000 because it overheated. Many other things have been replaced along the way. More recently I put in a new rear diff.

I had to replace my master/slave cylinders about 3 years ago, and now my clutch is crapping out on me (again) and my mechanic tells me I need a whole new clutch assembly and master cylinder because the throwout bearing is worn or broken. I read somewhere that the steel pedal bracket can fatigue and bend or tear, causing the pedal to go in at an angle, which in turn tweaks the angle of the master's rod...so I'll check that out.

My goal now is to restore and modify my car. I've been reading a lot of posts about modifications and slight alterations made to the 535is, but is there any way to modify it into an M5??? Has anyone ever done this? Can I put an M5 clutch kit in place of my old one? Will this make any difference at all? What other body/parts alterations can I make (short and long-term)?

Any suggestions and input welcome!

Thanks

[xatlas0]

Honestly, if you want a good performer, don't go get a S38, (the M5 motor designaton) as that will cost an arm and a leg. Rather, go FI. Turbocharging Dynamics has an excellent kit for your car that nets far greater numbers than almost any m5 engine, even higher than an e39 M5. (depending on how you get it tuned.) Cheaper, too.

[WhiteFox535is]

Thanks X!
I know I should also get a chip, but there seems to be a lot of debate between which one is best....any experience and preference with those?

[gol10dr1]

Turbocharging Dynamics has an excellent kit for your car that nets far greater numbers than almost any m5 engine, even higher than an e39 M5. (depending on how you get it tuned.) Cheaper, too.

my car dyno'd at 25 more rwhp than an e39 m5, god i would love to roll up to one of those on the highway and just dust him from a 40 roll!

[xatlas0]

Thanks X!
I know I should also get a chip, but there seems to be a lot of debate between which one is best....any experience and preference with those?

Actually, it depends. If you go the FI route (the only way to get major power fromt the engine without doing a stroker) then a chip would simply be a stopgap measure, as your turbo kit will come with a new chip anyway. So, you need to plan what you want from the car before deciding what to get. Do you want a fire-breathing, c5 stomping, rear tire spewing, asphalt munching beast, or, do you instead want moderate power increases, better driveability, better fuel economy, and other things to make the car more refined? The two are mutually exclusive unless you have a lot of time to tune the crud out of the car every weekend. Once you decide what you want, an upgrade path will be easy to plot out for you.

[WhiteFox535is]

Well, I don't have 5K to get an FI right now....plus my car needs some more basic things taken care of before I get to anything major like that. I'm going more for driveability but also want to regain some of the oomph the car had when I first got it. My priorities right now are:

1. New clutch and short shift kit (the UUC EVOIII is on it's way! All should be in place by next wed)
2. Replacing all the old rubber parts/hoses/etc.
3. Body work (got side swiped by a jerk with road rage back in June), new hood, new paint job (should I keep the white, or go silver or red?)
4. EAT or JC chip
5. new sway bars
6. new springs/shocks
7. e34 M5 brakes
8. fix AC

After I've got all that done I'll get Hella lights, new injectors, 17" wheels, sideskirts, and rear apron.

My interiors are really worn (cracked and faded, but no tears), any advice for bringing back the leather to better condition?

[xatlas0]

For the leather, Lexol cleaner and conditioner works wonders.

As for the paint, a good color change costs around 5k at least, for a simple color. They have to make the car a rolling chassis, then take off the suspension and put the body on a rotisserie, grind all the paint/ primer off everywhere, and finally apply your new primer/paint/clearcoats. It is extremely labor intensive. Plus, I'm partial to white myself.

As for the chip, they both produce about the same power output. As long as it is chipped in general, you'll be fine. However, in these times, something of note is chipping it will require you to run premium (91+) gas. Your current car is designed to run on 87.

Sways/Springs/Shocks are an excellent purchase. I'm partial to Racing Dynamics Sways, Eibach Pro springs and Bielstein Sport shocks.

For the brakes, the largest (if I'm not mistaken) are from the 850. Off the top of my head, I'm not sure if they will fit, but from the e34, 540 brakes are far more readily available and just as good as e34 M5 brakes.

For the lights, I just put dual H4s and H1s on my CS, and those things are bright! I think you'd be very pleased with them.

On a side note, if you are doing all this upkeep at once (since I'm guessing you don't want anything to muck up in the meantime) why not swap out all the pumps? (water, oil, fuel) All of them are pretty easy to switch. Heck, the water pump takes 30 min tops. A new thermostat would also probably be a good idea.

If you want better acceleration, a diff swap would be your easiest/cheapest way to go. The problem is it limits your top end by making the car rev higher at a certain speed than before the swap. A 3.64 LSD would make the car handle better and make it go significantly faster.