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Thread: It's ALIVE! Alpina B12 5.7 restoration.

  1. #26
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    Quote Originally Posted by toomanyparts View Post
    Outstanding (as expected).

    If I may chime in with comment - the hood (at least on driver's side) on every other E31 that has not been apart seems to extend slightly past the fender edges so the rubber sealing is uniform with the ones on the fender. You likely already know this and just haven't got to it yet.
    It's lined up. Just the light makes it look that way. Don't forget that there is actually a BMW part that goes on the top of the bumper that fills in the space between the fender and the hood. It doesn't "really" fill it in, but it makes it look that way. It is actually made of the same material that the black filler applique is made of for the CSI Spice Shelf rear spoiler. But - the "on the cheap" method is to simply use black electrical tape and cut a piece about 1 inch long, cut the ends on the diagonal, and line it up with the black rubber seals, and put it on the top of the fender.

    Here are pictures from the 5.0 restoration with the OEM BMW tape and number. Believe me, you cannot tell the difference between the BMW tape and a piece of black electrical tape cut the same. Many cars do not have this piece on them. Its just a little something to make them as original as possible.

    tape1.jpg

    tape2.jpg

    tape3.jpg
    Last edited by rogbmw; 12-04-2018 at 08:21 AM.
    CSi #18 - Car & Driver Magazine 1994 actual test car
    -- Hellrot/Black-Gray (1 of 1 NA CSi color combination)
    BMWCCA E31 Chapter International Clubs Liaison
    North America Representative, 8er.or Board of Directors




  2. #27
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    Roger-- Congratulations on both an extraordinary undertaking, and an extraordinary job!
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  3. #28
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    Quote Originally Posted by rogbmw View Post
    It's lined up. Just the light makes it look that way. Don't forget that there is actually a BMW part that goes on the top of the bumper that fills in the space between the fender and the hood. It doesn't "really" fill it in, but it makes it look that way. It is actually made of the same material that the black filler applique is made of for the CSI Spice Shelf rear spoiler. But - the "on the cheap" method is to simply use black electrical tape and cut a piece about 1 inch long, cut the ends on the diagonal, and line it up with the black rubber seals, and put it on the top of the fender.

    Here are pictures from the 5.0 restoration with the OEM BMW tape and number. Believe me, you cannot tell the difference between the BMW tape and a piece of black electrical tape cut the same. Many cars do not have this piece on them. Its just a little something to make them as original as possible.

    tape1.jpg

    tape2.jpg

    tape3.jpg
    What I was saying is that the hood itself goes slightly past the fender's edge as the rubber sits further inward on the hood than the fenders. Perhaps I did a poor job of trying to say this.
    What "thumbs up" really means




  4. #29
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    Are there other posts relating to this car? I would like to see it at the "before" stage. Where did you get it? Sorry if I am coming late to this.

  5. #30
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    Here is the very abbreviated shortened Reader's Digest version on the car:

    I purchased the car in Latvia in eastern Europe in 2014. The purchase process was almost 10 months long. I had to send a representative to represent me at a bank where the car had been repossessed. Bank 1 was then taken over by bank 2. Long...long...long process. I had to obtain a Power of Attorney for EU countries - called an Apostle for Gerry to represent me. Lots of paperwork and 2 trips were required to Latvia. On the first trip Gerry went over the car carefully and signed the documents on my behalf. I then had to wire the money to the bank - I still remember sitting at our bank here and the lady asking me if I was sure I wanted to send the money, because after she hit the send button and the money was gone...it was gone. Plus, with all the stories around about eastern Europe...well you get the idea. But, I had extensively vetted the bank the process and steps and was confident it would go as planned. But, I did have my fingers, toes, arms, legs and everything else crossed that I could cross!! After the bank received the funds, Gerry made a second trip to finalize everything accompany the car to the port, and personally watch as it was put into a container and sealed. Then the car was container shipped to the US where it entered the country in the port of New York/New Jersey. The car was then trucked across country to Washington state where Bill Fox/101 Innovations federalized the car. Following the 6 month federalization process, it was shipped from Washington to me here in Florida. Then the 3 year restoration process began.

    Here is a car as it arrived in the container and photographed by the shipping company:
    20140206_124250 (1).jpg

    Here is a photo Bill took while federalizing the car. You can see the paintwork:

    Alpina B12-57.jpg

    The car had quite a paint job on it when it was done in Latvia. It was done by an artist, who signed the car. The paint was incredible to say the least. On the hood was a painting (not wrap) that looked like you could see the engine through the hood. It was so detailed that you could even make out the direction of the phillips head screws. The side had paint similar to when a car sits in the heavy dew in the morning, then is driven. The dew makes water streaks down the sides. It also reminded me of the Mercedes Benz commercial several years ago where a driver was driving a C class through a tunnel, and the old car started to peel off and reveal the new C class. There were elements like that. But, even as phenomenal as the paint was, in my opinion it was not what the Alpina was meant to be. I had someone suggest that I remove the hood to keep the outstanding paintwork and replace it. B12 5.7 hoods are made of Carbon Fiber, and Ultra Expensive (last quote almost 10 years ago was $10,000 plus!!!), so that was out of the question!

    The interior was redone in a similar fashion to the Alpina B12 5.7 #22 in Europe. Black leather was changed to cream leather and beautifully done. It had very light beige carpet, which I thought was impractical and unfortunately got soiled by a guy moving the car out of the container. Plus - I just did not care for the light carpet. All of the Alpina B12 cars I have seen had dark carpet.

    I believe that the car was owned by someone who owned a large stereo company but we were never able to precisely trace that down. An extensive stereo was installed, all with very high end equipment. The trunk installation was quite something, but again, was not what wanted in keeping with the Alpina theme.

    Trunk pic with the Stereo:
    pict0048.jpg

    So, after receiving the car from federalization, I set about to return it, for the most part, to something more in keeping the Alpina's theme. Originally #52 was silver, but when redone in Europe it was changed to Alpina Blue (note: several Alpina B12 5.7 cars have undergone paint color changes, which seem to be well accepted within the 5.7 community). The color change was excellently done. I am pretty damn picky, and unless I would tell you it was changed, you could look around and never see evidence of the change. Patrick (the local shop owner) and I decided to strip everything to metal as we did not know what was under the paintwork done in Europe. The exterior was stripped to metal. We found the body to be in really excellent condition under the paint. All doors, hood, trunk, bumpers, etc were removed. The repaint which took several months. After Patrick finished, I was very pleased with the work. The only glitch was that as the car was on stands for some time, it developed a leak in one of the front struts, so new Bilsteins were sourced for all 4 wheels after contacting BMW and Alpina.

    Here is the car in it's original silver before the repaint:
    SD20052_20050613_001.jpg

    #52 originally came from Alpina with no markings or designations, and it was ordered with the CSi front spoiler. Again, for the restoration Alpina designations and stripes were ordered. I have gone back and forth as to if I wanted to place the Alpina side stripes, but have decided to do so after reviewing most of the other B12 5.7 with owners. Alpina stripes were originally made in either silver or gold, and almost all Alpina Blue 5.7's had the gold stripes. An original Alpina lip spoiler was ordered from Europe to replace the CSi front spoiler. The CSi spoiler was repainted at the same time as the restoration so just in case it was ever wanted to place on the car, it would perfectly match the metallic Alpina Blue paint.

    Original interior with white carpet and contrasting airbag/glovebox:
    20140206_165637.jpg

    The interior was stripped and a custom dark blue carpet set was made as the OEM dark blue is NLA. The carbon fiber sub-Wuffer horn was removed (I still have the center arm rest with it installed) and another center arm rest was custom redyed to match the existing interior leather. The passenger side airbag cover and glove box cover which had been redone in contrasting beige leather were removed and replace and dyed to match the rest of the dash leather similar to original Alpina B12 5.7 interiors. The GPS Map second head unit was removed as its maps were no longer supported, and the A/C HVAC control unit relocated to its original position in the center console from the hole just behind the ash tray. The opening in the carbon fiber console behind the ash tray was redone and lined with matching dark blue carpet. The temperature wheels on the AC/HVAC unit were changed from C to F readings. When the dash was out, the defrost vent surrounds below the front windshield which were laminated in Carbon Fiber was removed and replaced with an OEM original defrost vent surround due to a defect in the Carbon Fiber which was causing a delamination. An Alpina Pedal set was placed.

    A trunk set was ordered from England without the CD changer bump-out. The Stereo system and amps were rearranged and the stock gray trunk trim placed. Matching gray carpet was found. A false bulkhead was fabricated which decreases trunk space, but - instead of removing everything, I found that an acceptable alternative to retain the stereo and in keeping with the Alpina's intent.

    The engine compartment was gone through, with new plugs, plug wires, rotors, distributor caps, belts, hoses, tensioners, radiator, and replacement of some of the plastic shields. Airboxes, Aux water pump cover and fuse box covers were refinished. All the HID units were removed, and updated with updated original bulbs to remove all the extensive wiring from the HID units. This gave a much more original look to the underhood area, as there were HID lights in every light position. Of course, hours of cleaning were done while everything was out. The line between the brake master and slave cylinder was noted to be cracked so the hose was replaced along with the clutch master cylinder and slave (getting my big hands in there was a hole experience in itself!).

    Along with replacing the Bilstein's, the front and rear fender wells were cleaned and detailed. Old cracked plastic fender liners and shields were replaced. Calipers were detailed and painted. Brake lines were changed to stainless steel brake lines with associated brake fluid flush.

    I am finally down to the last few details, and as I stated at the beginning of this thread, I was able to start the car last weekend for the first time in quite a while. I even called Wuffer while the car was running - I was like an excited little kid.

    Several people have helped me quite a bit through the process. Wuffer and Steffen have been on speed dial and speed text. Gault has really enjoyed taking my money - Charlie, and now Scott know my number and I believe credit card number by heart. Marcia had been so understanding - well for the most part. She has an official name for the Alpina - she calls it the ALEXPENSIVE.

    Anyway...more details to follow...….
    Last edited by rogbmw; 12-05-2018 at 12:02 PM.
    CSi #18 - Car & Driver Magazine 1994 actual test car
    -- Hellrot/Black-Gray (1 of 1 NA CSi color combination)
    BMWCCA E31 Chapter International Clubs Liaison
    North America Representative, 8er.or Board of Directors




  6. #31
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    All in favor me making a documentary film about Roger's amazing story and adventure... raise your hands. IT"S A MUST
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    1991 BMW 850i. Automatic. Red On Black and 1996 BMW 850Ci. Automatic. Midnight Blue on Gray.
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  7. #32
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    Wow Roger, quite a task, even before you got the car! I remember seeing this paint job years ago, didn't realise this was yours.

  8. #33
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    Hand Raised Alec!

    Very impressive. Quite the task Rodger. Do you have pictures of that original paint work? I agree that it doesn't belong on an Alpina, but would be nice to see.
    My Cars - 1991 BMW 850i - mine for fun, 1993 Saab 900c - mine for fun, 2008 Lexus is250 - my daily driver, 2003 Dodge Durango - my wife's, 1994 Acura Legend - gave it to kid

  9. #34
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    Thumbs up

    Yup Agreed. Be good to see!

  10. #35
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    Quote Originally Posted by PabloRock View Post
    Hand Raised Alec!

    Very impressive. Quite the task Rodger. Do you have pictures of that original paint work? I agree that it doesn't belong on an Alpina, but would be nice to see.
    Here you go.
    It was interesting reading the old comments regarding the car, especially after I purchased the car but no one knew where the car had gone. I have to admit when I decided to pursue the car the paint was a factor, but then I decided that even though it was very well done, it could be returned to what I think Alpina intended, plus the opportunity at the time to purchase a 5.7 ended up as the deciding factor. I am really pleased on how it has turned out. It's funny - I picture something in my mind as how I want the something to end up after a project, and I have to admit that the 5.7 has exceeded my expectations.

    pict0301.jpg

    pict0286.jpg

    pict0105.jpg
    Last edited by rogbmw; 12-05-2018 at 07:30 PM.
    CSi #18 - Car & Driver Magazine 1994 actual test car
    -- Hellrot/Black-Gray (1 of 1 NA CSi color combination)
    BMWCCA E31 Chapter International Clubs Liaison
    North America Representative, 8er.or Board of Directors




  11. #36
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    That is quite the paint job. Would be nice to see work like that on something else. Looking forward to seeing a full photo shoot of the new beauty.
    My Cars - 1991 BMW 850i - mine for fun, 1993 Saab 900c - mine for fun, 2008 Lexus is250 - my daily driver, 2003 Dodge Durango - my wife's, 1994 Acura Legend - gave it to kid

  12. #37
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    Wow, nice artwork but yes at the same time, can fully see why you opted to have it repainted. Just not right on an E31 Alpina IMHO.

  13. #38
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    No need for a show of hands, Alec....that's a given!
    Looking forward to seeing the new doco....
    Quote Originally Posted by Alec Cartio View Post
    All in favor me making a documentary film about Roger's amazing story and adventure... raise your hands. IT"S A MUST
    Current:
    1994 E31 850CSi Sterlingsilber/Anthracite Buffalo

    Previous:
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    1986 E23 M745iA Arctic Blue
    1986 E24 635CSi Polaris
    1976 E3 3.0 Si Arctic Blue

  14. #39
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    I did exactly the same 'repair' on my silver CSi last year.
    The two factory original tapes were torn/damaged, exposing the silver paint and breaking the visual continuity of the hood seal lines.
    I replaced the damaged tapes with genuine BMW replacement tapes, just as Roger did on his silver B12.

    Of course, the visible painted gaps resulting from damaged/missing tapes are really only noticeable on lighter-colored cars.
    If my car had a dark body color, I probably wouldn't have bothered with this.

    Quote Originally Posted by rogbmw View Post
    Here are pictures from the 5.0 restoration with the OEM BMW tape and number. Believe me, you cannot tell the difference between the BMW tape and a piece of black electrical tape cut the same. Many cars do not have this piece on them. Its just a little something to make them as original as possible.

    tape1.jpg

    tape2.jpg

    tape3.jpg
    Current:
    1994 E31 850CSi Sterlingsilber/Anthracite Buffalo

    Previous:
    1987 E28 M5 Delphin
    1986 E23 M745iA Arctic Blue
    1986 E24 635CSi Polaris
    1976 E3 3.0 Si Arctic Blue

  15. #40
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    Wow - what a weekend. #52 saw the sunlight for the first time in over 3 years. Some may remember that at the end of last year I rebuilt the fuel pump with new Bosch pumps. Well - both failed within 2 weeks. So, a new OEM BMW pump assembly was purchased from Gault and installed. I reinstalled the stereo head unit, but it worked interruptedly, so 6 hours was spent doing electrical chasing. The problem was finally traced to a faulty fused resistor and plug. After all that and everything buttoned up back together, #52 was removed from the stands and backed out Sunday. I still have to align the headlight covers, put on the covers for the jack points, then wash the thing for the first time since starting the restoration to remove all the dust that gets under the cover, but here are some shots taken Sunday. Better pictures will be taken when the car is cleaned up, but I was a proud papa having it running and out in the sun. By the way - you can see CSi #18 in the background of one of the pictures awaiting it's turn.

    20190224_134604.jpg

    20190224_133717.jpg

    20190224_134632.jpg
    CSi #18 - Car & Driver Magazine 1994 actual test car
    -- Hellrot/Black-Gray (1 of 1 NA CSi color combination)
    BMWCCA E31 Chapter International Clubs Liaison
    North America Representative, 8er.or Board of Directors




  16. #41
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    Amazing work.
    Congrats on the result!!!

  17. #42
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    Congrats!!!

  18. #43
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    Amazingly beautiful roger. Great work!
    Board Member of SoCalEights (Marketing, Web Development & Social Media), Vice President: BMWCCA/E31 Chapter, www.cartiologyfilms.com
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    1997 BMW 840Ci. Black On Black Nappa, but changed to Dakar Yellow on Black Nappa and 1994 BMW 850CSi #27. Red On light Silver.
    1991 BMW 850i. Automatic. Red On Black and 1996 BMW 850Ci. Automatic. Midnight Blue on Gray.
    1994 BMW 850CSi. Black On Blak #107, Black/Black 97-840. White/White CSi. Silver/Silver 97-840

  19. #44
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    Stunning restoration work, Roger....good to see her out in the sunshine!
    Current:
    1994 E31 850CSi Sterlingsilber/Anthracite Buffalo

    Previous:
    1987 E28 M5 Delphin
    1986 E23 M745iA Arctic Blue
    1986 E24 635CSi Polaris
    1976 E3 3.0 Si Arctic Blue

  20. #45
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    No further accolades necessary other than simply PERFECTION! Can't wait to see it in person.

    - - - Updated - - -

    Greg, are you going to SharkFest...sure hope so!

  21. #46
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    [QUOTE=silversunbeam;30213639]No further accolades necessary other than simply PERFECTION! Can't wait to see it in person.QUOTE]

    Plans are to drive it to Sharkfest. We are looking to seeing you and Sue there. Also, CONGRATS on the CSi at the Foundation!
    CSi #18 - Car & Driver Magazine 1994 actual test car
    -- Hellrot/Black-Gray (1 of 1 NA CSi color combination)
    BMWCCA E31 Chapter International Clubs Liaison
    North America Representative, 8er.or Board of Directors




  22. #47
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    First bath in 4 years. Now that we are up and running I wanted to finally wash off everything. Just a few more things to get done before Sharkfest!
    20190324_084349-1.jpg
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by rogbmw; 03-25-2019 at 01:55 PM.
    CSi #18 - Car & Driver Magazine 1994 actual test car
    -- Hellrot/Black-Gray (1 of 1 NA CSi color combination)
    BMWCCA E31 Chapter International Clubs Liaison
    North America Representative, 8er.or Board of Directors




  23. #48
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    Wow!
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  24. #49
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    Quote Originally Posted by silversunbeam View Post
    No further accolades necessary other than simply PERFECTION! Can't wait to see it in person.

    - - - Updated - - -

    Greg, are you going to SharkFest...sure hope so!
    George- Unfortunately not going to make this one. Family stuff. Pulled the TT out of trailer and washed it. Heartbreaking to tell the car you’re not going anywhere soon! But, it did get to park in the new shop.
    IMG_0417.jpg I'll do a separate thread when I get a chance to show off the new building!
    Last edited by TTTXGreg; 03-27-2019 at 10:56 AM.

  25. #50
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    Stunning absolutely stunning. I was on the board under a sm I forgot and I thought I had quite a list of mods it was a 95 840ci show car. But your just blows me away I'm stuck.between working on my cts vsport or pulling the 8 out

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