DAS VADR: Evan's E39 Touring Build Log

[jp5Touring]

How is the inner fender liner so clean ? Your attention to detail is impressive.

[ucsbwsr]

How is the inner fender liner so clean ? Your attention to detail is impressive.

Thanks! I just gave it a good scrub with some Purple Power and then power-washed it. I enjoy working on my cars but HATE doing so when they are clean so I usually clean as I go with whatever I am doing.

[ucsbwsr]

Since my E61 is now back in service and nearly 100% repaired the attention is shifting back to the E39 which will have some major maintenance items and mods addressed before it goes up for sale. I was assessing my investment into the wagon thus far and considering I have only owned it for a year, there has been a considerable amount of time and money invested in it and as it sits my ROI will be pretty low. The plan is to "see it through" and finish the build I had in mind, the manual transmission swap will make it a much more special and appealing vehicle to potential buyers; I will also address some of the shortcomings of the interior and exterior to make sure the vehicle is a well rounded and polished offering.


- 6spd manual swap
- replace chainguides & vanos seals
- complete custom 2-tone interior
- m-tech style rear bumper
- replace hood
- replace windshield
- misc small repairs




I tracked down a mostly complete manual swap kit being sold by a local BMW enthusiast.



Items were pretty dirty from typical grime so I spent some time with a wire wheel and sanding sponges to freshen everything up. All bolts, splines, and mating surfaces were restored.



Everything cleaned up



Annie approves



There is another wagon enthusiast in my neighborhood who lives ~ .5 miles away. He has fully concerted E46 M3 wagon, is in the process of building an E39 M5 wagon, just took delivery of an E61, and has an LS7 swapped E46 M3 that runs nitrous!!! lol SICK!
Here is his M3 wagon. I hope to collect some more pics of his cars and ideally our wagons together.

[QtheGenius]

sick M3 conversion! LEmme know when you start your engine rebuild, I"m curious on the process and can help out / watch what you do so I can repeat.

[ucsbwsr]

Finally got around to replacing front end links, they were not completed in the suspension kit I installed earlier and clearly these were long over due.



More manual swap parts continue to trickle in. New polyurethane shift arm bushing and selector rod washers. This is how BMW makes money BTW, these yellow washers are over $2 ea. Straight stealing.



E60 Short Shifter



Manual shaft from a 2002 car with 120k. I cleaned it up but it will be rebuilt with a new CSB, CV gasket, CV boot, and fresh grease.



My neighbor has a some cool wagons with one of those being an E39 M5 Touring build.

[dannyzabolotny]

Was that one built at 2M Autowerks? I was there a few months back with Graham and they had a prefacelift 540it being converted into an M5t at the shop... looked super similar to that one.

[ucsbwsr]

Was that one built at 2M Autowerks? I was there a few months back with Graham and they had a prefacelift 540it being converted into an M5t at the shop... looked super similar to that one.

Yes, 2M's mechanic did the mechanical swap although I think the wagon will be going back at some point since there has been no coding done.

[dannyzabolotny]

Yes, 2M's mechanic did the mechanical swap although I think the wagon will be going back at some point since there has been no coding done.

Right on. So I guess it's just running off the stock M5 DME and just throwing a bunch of errors? Pretty cool that it still runs though.

[ucsbwsr]

Right on. So I guess it's just running off the stock M5 DME and just throwing a bunch of errors? Pretty cool that it still runs though.

I can't comment about the DME as I have no idea but I would assume it is coding related and likely associated with the trans. Not sure if the wagon would run if it didn't have the right DME or DME related coding.

[ucsbwsr]

Good weekend for the E39 (and the E61). I was able to pull 95% of the interior components I need to complete the custom 2 tone interior. I did the same interior swap on my E61 and love the beige on black contrast. Black carpet and other peripheral trim keeps the dirt hidden and retains a sporty look while the beige pops and offers much needed contrast.


LKQ I love you.



Expanded view



Transferring the leather inserts isn't particularly enjoyable, lots of prying, dremeling, JB weld, nuts & screws, and repairing loose sections of the door card with 3M VHB. Hours of work but worth it IMO, a custom OEM interior really sets the wagon off.



Before



After



Details matter



Dash and console BEFORE




Weeeeeeeeee!





After some knuckle busting and close tracking of screws, still need center dash vents and a few other pieces.


Lots of black with the gloss black trim, I might consider wrapping it in a brushed steel 3M vinyl for contrast but haven't decided yet, part of me likes the gloss-matte contrast although it is very dark buuuuuuuut it's Das Vadr so there can't be too much black right?



What's in the box?



M-Tech rep rear bumper FINALLY! Fitment is good, I will have to fine tune the passenger side where it meets the quarter panel but it should be real clean when it's all done. For the exhaust I will probably cut off my current muffler delete and sell as is. Replacement setup will be a new dual 3" tip and the resonator will also be removed for added sound, since the wagon will soon be manual I can finally add some sound. Loud cars with sluggish auto transmissions are a No-No, I don't want to be mistaken for a 2004 Chevrolet Tahoe being driven by a high school kid.



I also removed my diffuser fins, reinstalling them is TBD.



E39 M5 clutch arrived, used but with only ~ 500 miles, visual inspection leads to me believe the seller was honest.

[smoulton0204]

Did you replace the blower motor or first stage resistor while dash apart?

[ucsbwsr]

Did you replace the blower motor or first stage resistor while dash apart?

Negative. While I have heard of those items failing, they don't seen as critical or as frequent as other E39 maintenance items so they fall into the "replace when broken" category. Removing lower and upper dash isn't that bad in my opinion so going back in for a repair is only a mild inconvenience.

[SCRSUVS]

WOW on every thing, leave those diffusers off if I won on BaT its the only thing id change...

[dannyzabolotny]

Nice! I've thought about doing a two-tone interior in my 540it, but given how gross my current tan seats and door panels are (despite frequent cleaning), I'll probably go with all black. Being a car mechanic does not bode well for any light-colored interior pieces.

I keep wanting to do my interior swap already— I have all the pieces in my storage room... but my automatic transmission is pretty unhappy at 217,000 miles so the manual swap is a higher priority at the moment.

[ucsbwsr]

WOW on every thing, leave those diffusers off if I won on BaT its the only thing id change...

I hear ya, I removed them for ease of getting the rear bumper fitted, painted, etc. but they will probably stay off. If I was keeping the car I might explore reinstalling them since they would be able to sit further forward and be less obvious with the Sport bumper but I can see how potential buyers would view them as an excessive modification.

[SCRSUVS]

I hear ya, I removed them for ease of getting the rear bumper fitted, painted, etc. but they will probably stay off. If I was keeping the car I might explore reinstalling them since they would be able to sit further forward and be less obvious with the Sport bumper but I can see how potential buyers would view them as an excessive modification.

I don't think its excessive modification, I just think there ugly...lol...

[QtheGenius]

Is that a euro lower dash? Overall, everything look samazing, as always.

[ucsbwsr]

With the jump from stock bumpers to aftermarket M5 (front) and M-Tech (rear) there are some mild modifications needed to accommodate the new setup. For the front that means trimming the radiator shroud, buying an M5 belly pan, and lower front wheel liners. In the rear I needed a small center bracket to hold the diffuser and the exhaust system had to be modded as the openings were offset.




I took this opportunity to get a new tip, the 4" double walled Flowmaster tip was replaced with a Vibrant 1333, dual 3.5" outlet, single walled, angled tip. This was substantially larger than the opening in the diffuser.




Operation "make it fit" "just the tip" ...get your mind out of the gutter...



I used a cereal box which conformed to the wavy shape of the diffuser and allowed me to trace the exhaust opening onto it.



Opening had to be widened about 2"



I used a dremel to rough cut it



I used a sanding wheel + drill, a exacto knife, and sanding sponge to fine tune the edge, it came out super clean and it truly looks factory, much better than I was expecting to be honest, my goal was for it to not look hacked up like most modified diffusers.




Clean!




Here it is installed



Knowing the wagon was due for a paint correction I faced the usual predicament; pay someone $XXX or spend $XXX on tools + supplies and do it yourself. I already had a HF DA polisher so I invested in some quality Chemical Guys pads and some V36 & V38 mild cut polishes. My goal is to achieve the best "value" in paint correction which means minimal time invested with the highest relative product outcome. After watching a chemical guys video on one step polishing I was sold. Where using more mild cutting compounds might require more passes to achieve the desired result, the less abrasive compounds offer a nice cushion in not blowing through too much clear coat. This allows me to achieve "good" results with a safety net which is very welcomed being a beginner.


My hood has some major paint and metal damage in various locations and I will be replacing it eventually so it was an excellent subject to practice on. After a wash I placed tape down the middle. The right side was left alone while the left side received a clay bar and then V36 polish all over, I then taped the left 1/2 into 1/4s and did V38 on the upper left to compare the V36 and V38 results. I am happy with the outcome.



After

[ucsbwsr]

Battery failed and was replaced with a new unit.


A day was spent cleaning and polishing the paint, deeper imperfections still remain but a lot fo the haze and spider-webbing is gone.





Gauge cluster surround replaced.



Passenger door vent replaced




Center dash vent installed



OEM M5 front and rear sway bars.



Rear went in easily



TOP 540i BOTTOM M5



Front sway proved to be much more involved.



Essentially the front subframe had to be completely reomoved



TOP 540i BOTTOM M5



Front bumper installed



Installing rear bumper



Installed



DAS VADR

[dannyzabolotny]

Which aftermarket front bumper did you use? And how's the fitment? Always curious to see that, can't seem to decide between going OE or aftermarket... I had an OE M5 bumper but it lasted less than a year before it got destroyed by road debris.

[ucsbwsr]

Which aftermarket front bumper did you use? And how's the fitment? Always curious to see that, can't seem to decide between going OE or aftermarket... I had an OE M5 bumper but it lasted less than a year before it got destroyed by road debris.

Umnitza. Fitment is good, not perfect. The bumper is a little short (sides sit a few millimeters forward of the fender edge and it's a little wider than stock. I might play around or mod it to get the lateral fitment in spec. I don't think getting it to sit further back would be an easy fix.

[BimmrMeUpSnotty]

I just installed the satin chrome bezel rings in the cluster last night, the gauge cluster bezel cracked exactly like yours was. I do have a good one from my old wagon, just didn’t have it handy at the shop last night. But man! Those satin chrome rings do make a big difference in how the gauges look! That was a good waste of money

[NOmoreBLING]

Your interior mod looks sick I have a 525i, same color and now I am thinking about doing the same mod.

[purplecty]

Subscribed! Alot of goodness in here...

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

[ucsbwsr]

Here is a small collection of pics showing the wagon's current state.


Exhaust is too loud (slappy/raspy until cats are warm) so I will be adding back a Vibrant resonator. I need some small interior pieces like black seat backs, a black lower seat trim for the driver seat, black seat belts, and a steering wheel without as much wear but the inside is nearly done.


For the exterior I need a clean hood a new windshield. Still waiting for some front lower M5 splash shields to arrive and am considering some mild tint (35%).


Next up is the trans and engine refresh.