1982 628CSi rebuild

[Nullified]

Bigcoupe is slowly declining, although a good source of information.

Looking forward to this build continuing. Have you thought of a V8 from an E39? That would go down well. I've seen the 4.4l V8 in an E30 so it should fit.

Hi Shipper,

I am thinking about the 4.4 V8 but I won't, there are no real power gains to be had with that engine. It has 286hp off the shelf and I want more than that.

Picture: This boxy contraption is to place the axles/subframe etc. of the E39 on and to roll it under the E24 body to make it fit. For instance, the four mounting points of the rear E39 subframe will be cut out as a whole from the donor E39 and placed into my floor. This deletes the spare wheel well and probably means the exhaust cannot run through the middle any more and it will lose some OEM look on this subject. Another part to look into are the track width as the hubs from the E39 are 4 to 5 cm wider per side, front and back. The OEM wheels lie back in the wheel wells quite a bit so that should not be a massive problem to fix, especially as I've decided to use my three piece OEM 16" M6 BBS wheels even though that means converting to 17" to house the calipers of the E39. Bonus is that I can make the ET-value as desired. The brake calipers from the donor do not fit in a 16" wheel which is okay for me as 16" looks a bit feeble and where 18" may be on the edge of acceptable anything larger is not as it is not period correct. Read: it makes an E24 look like a Donk verhicle and even though it's interesting to look at, it's not my style.


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[Nullified]

I have some more pictures of the frame to support the drivetrain of the donor vehicle whilst it will be fitted into the shark. It has metal bars on the top to keep the drivetrain from moving all directions and creating a fishtailed drivetrain.

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The donor E39 is visible in the back, this Wednesday it'll be picked up by the buyer and traded for another shell in lower spec as we only need some parts such as the subframe mounting points in the trunk as visible on the picture.
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Overview picture. Next time the drivetrain will be on the frames.
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[Nullified]

Now we are really getting somewhere with the jig, take a look: it is ready to accept the drivetrain of the E39.

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[Nullified]

And some more pics

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[Nullified]

And more:

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The drivetrain is now on two moveable dolly's to be able to incorporate it into the shark, as far as sharks go unnoticed this one will definately not stick out from a frenzy of sharks, at least, that is the idea.

[jmpower]

Is that engine and gearbox e39 M5? Is that what you intend to use? They have become scarce now, and expensive. If you are going with that combination it will be interesting to see how you get on.

The e24/28 front chassis rails are narrower than the e30. The e30 is 790mm between the front crossmember mounting bolt holes. The e24/28 is 728mm. It was quite a surprise to me when I measured it. The top suspension mounts are wider than the e30. The e30 is 930mm centre to centre of the top mounts. The e24/28 is 990mm.

The engine I would like for a conversion is the V10 as it is the last naturally aspirated MPower engine before the turbo engines.

[Nullified]

Is that engine and gearbox e39 M5? Is that what you intend to use?

You've guessed correctly, thats what it is. And I bought it at a reasonable price.

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Is it some kind of art destruction that I'm doing? Sure, but the result will be better art, and better performance too. Just short of 400hp in a total package weighing in at 1450kg is better than 1795kg (M5). I sold the chassis and it will be picked up today by someone who had an M5 block lying around, and he just bought a 540 to supply the drivetrain parts from.

[Nullified]

And its gone.... Now my 6-series can be put back on the column bridge to get the drivetrain to fit into the chassis.

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[Nullified]

The e24/28 front chassis rails are narrower than the e30. The e30 is 790mm between the front crossmember mounting bolt holes. The e24/28 is 728mm. It was quite a surprise to me when I measured it. The top suspension mounts are wider than the e30. The e30 is 930mm centre to centre of the top mounts. The e24/28 is 990mm.

The engine I would like for a conversion is the V10 as it is the last naturally aspirated MPower engine before the turbo engines.

The space is too tight between the chassis rails and need to be slightly adapted to make place for the V8 engine, what's nice is that the engine rests on the mounts which are affixed to the crossmember, which is mounted to the chassis rails which need to be changed to have the crossmember pickup points. And maybe the tops of the suspension mounts need some changing, then the parts from the 540 will be welded in. Maybe some caster/camber manipulation needs to be done within the axle/hub mounts (how are the parts called where the brakes are mounted to, where the hub is mounted in etc?) to correct the top width of the suspension geometry. If it can't be fully corrected I will end up with some unvoluntary 'stance'. At least I know the cornering will be spot on.

The V10 is nice too but I'm a V8 guy, also I dislike the raspy sound of the V10. And for some reason I think the power will be identical of the engines in my chassis.

[jmpower]

The engine you picked would have been my first choice for my six but I would have wanted a complete car like you have. The e39 M5 reached rock bottom a while ago and the e60 is probably on the rise now. I have found by experience that if you just buy parts as you need them you pay too much. Most people who sell parts from crashed cars want to recover all their money plus a profit from the engine and gearbox alone. Buying a complete car is the way to go.
The front track can cause problems with the suspension top mounts. I had a problem before where the top suspension mounts had to be moved outward to get the correct camber. Can you narrow the front sub frame of the e39 to change the width of the front track. I did it with an e34 front cross member for my car.

[Nullified]

I really don't want to narrow the front trackwidth down as it will change the handling of the drivetrain, I chose the E39 M5 for it's superb handling and don't want to change that. I'd rather place the suspension outward tbh if needed.

[jmpower]

I understand your reasoning. I have found that when I modified cars they were made to my specifications. Some I did not go ahead with because they would not have ended up how I wanted them. What I have learned is that you have to make choices and compromise on some things to achieve a completed project. So if you want the complete drive train then other things have to be changed to allow it to fit. Will be interested to see how it goes.
It gives you an insight into car building. The manufacturer is making lots of changes to the designers vision to make the car. Now we have BMW M cars which are just badges and accessories.

[Nullified]

My car will be a compromise too, I like the sleeper style of cars where as much as possible is original, no badges, spoilers, skirts and crazy big wheels for me. It will come down to adapting the shell to accept the drivetrain and if the trackwidth ends up being too wide I can correct with my three piece BBS rims by ordering barrels and lips with different widths to change the offset. If this isn't enough arches may be widened, but as the OEM BMW/Mahle wheels and the OEM bottlecap wheels are recessed at least 50mm this will be hardly noticable. Exhaust will probably be like the M5 on both sides as there is no space in the middle and whatever is changed under the skin is invisible anyway.

My car will be all M and the only badge will be on my M steering wheel and maybe the shifter knob, but I might use the original stating five gears instead of six.

[jmpower]

You seem to have a similar approach to mine, which is the car looks quite normal but has performance well above a normal car. The term "sleeper" I cannot remember when it first appeared.
Like a lot of people of the time the Porsche Turbo was the ultimate car for me. In 1983 I saw a car which had an effect on me, it started me modifying cars that looked normal but had bigger engines, the "sleeper" look.
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If you have not seen it before it is a mark 1 golf with a Porsche 911 Turbo engine. If you google "Franco Sbarro Golf" you will find more. He also did a Golf with the Porsche 928 V8 engine

[Nullified]

I grew up watching The Dukes of Hazard, Knightrider, A-Team and all kinds car based action shows, cars have always been a huge part in my life. For work I drive a cheap reliable car to maximise my bank-account and for fun this will be my ultimate dream car.

My first 'real' car was a Golf 1 when I was five years old, it had a wired remote and I loved it! And I had a look at the Franco Sbarro Golf, that is a mad thing, widening a car as it's really a Porsche with a Golf on top.

I chose for the E24 as I wanted one since I was a kid, the car was introduced when I was one year old and I probably first saw one when I was 8 or 9.

[Nullified]

My shell is returning to the garage as the E39 chassis is sold which opened up a slot on the lift. Soon afterwards the drivetrain will be initially mated to the E24 body and the first horror and shock will appear of the differences between the two cars, anyway, nothing a hammer can't fix.

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[Nullified]

The original axles have been removed from the chassis and the time to put the new drivetrain has come.

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[Shipper]

Very impressive. Noting the E39 M5 V8 engine. What do you expect it to make?

[Nullified]

Thanks Mate!

It should make just under 400hp / 500Nm, the engine has already had new crank bearings but the Vanos needs a rebuild, and the headers will probably not stay in favor of a set of spaghetti headers. Evolve has a set priced at GBP 2950 which I won't buy but they claim changing from the restrictive stock headers which are also used in the 540 to their headers it will gain 30hp. I guess it will have 420 hp / 510-515 Nm. If someone lobs a bucket of cash at me (or a turbocharger) it will be a lot more!

Evolve supercharger kit: GBP 8.400, plenum GBP 2.000

Evolve header kit: GBP 2.950

[Nullified]

Lets play puzzles:


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[Shipper]

I like the look of that supercharger kit. But $$$$$$$$$$. To be fair, a stock E39 M5 engine should be thrilling in an e24. Absolutely. I've seen one or two LS3's in e24's and they rocket along. I'm hoping for 420hp/450nm from my hot S38B39. I think that will be plenty of tickle for my 1480kg 633.

[Nullified]

A naturally aspirated M5 V8 should be enough to have fun, but adding a supercharger would surely be fun, just the price isn't. Their products are of high quality and it reflects in the price.

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[jmpower]

That rear axle looks very wide in the photos. How much wider is it than the e24? The cost of those manifolds is very high, a little bit to high to start cutting them up. I doubt you could get them to fit. Normally LHD cars have an easier time as the exhaust does not interfere with the steering. With the V8 you have exhaust on both sides. You can see how narrow the e24 chassis rails are. You will need so many modifications to the body to fit all that. That gearbox is very wide compared to a six cylinder, 6 speed box.
How does it work in the Netherlands with regard to the finished car. What are the regulations?

Space frame e24 maybe?

[Nullified]

Axles are 4 or 5 cm wider per side compared to the E24 axles. I certainly don't want to spend that much on headers/manifolds, just like you say. At this point the existing 540 header will stay on, maybe in the final phase that we build something. You're right about the modifications, there will be many. There is no exact plan to adhere to as a build like this comes with surprises and each one needs to be addressed and solved. Maybe even a space frame for the front part of the car.

To get the car roadlegal I have to do an individual assertation on a test track where dimensions, braking and noise will be registered and if the vehicle is safe to drive. Testing will be done against regulations of the era of the car. Also I have to prove I procured all parts legally with purchase contracts and having a build thread or a compacted photobook certainly helps.

Regulations: click and use Google translate

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[jmpower]

Had a look at that. It seems very straight forward. There is provision for most circumstances even the "Historic" vechicles.

Looking at the photos the engine needs to go in from the top as the engine is a "V", wider at the top narrow at the bottom. What is the plan with the installation?, or are you further along in the process than the pictures in the thread?