Alpina B6 2.8 restoration

[Layne]

I thought I should post here for anyone not following along on facebook. Apologies, but I think the photobucket fiasco has caused me to completely lose interest in forums. Anyway, so a couple years ago I started doing BMW restoration work professionally. Early this year I had the good fortune to land the job restoring this Alpina. And after some long delays finishing my old house, selling it, buying a new one, and getting my new shop setup to work, I've started tearing into the Alpina.
At first glance, you'd probably think someone ruined a good Alpina with a pearl white paint job and full blue leather interior. But I discovered the interior was actually done by Gemballa in Germany, probably immediately after it left Alpina. Gemballa is now a tuning company, but they actually started out doing interiors in 1979. So probably some of their earliest work. And disregarding all the wear and tear, and personal taste, the work is expertly done. Gemballa is probably best known for the yellow E24 belonging to Uday Hussein. It's a bit much, but it features the exact same seats that are in this car (Recaro Original C). So really, the Gemballa modifications are just as correct and original as the Alpina modifications are. And since the current owner bought the car already this way and has owned it this way since 1991, he wants to keep it this way. I don't know if Gemballa did the paint, but the paint and interior work were both done with all the glass removed, so it's safe to assume both happened at the same time.
It's going to be a long and fun project. I'll try to post here occasionally. Here's my facebook page if you want to follow along there too: https://www.facebook.com/LCWylieAutomotive/

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Sorry, I thought I took a half decent interior pic before tearing it down, but I didn't.

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[gsumzzz]

good luck with it layne

[320iAman]

Indeed a collectors car, will keep your hands full.

Randy

[jaredmac11]

As soon as I finish my E21 I need to come visit your shop Layne. Looking forward to the build.

[Layne]

As soon as I finish my E21 I need to come visit your shop Layne. Looking forward to the build.

You're welcome to. But I moved since we last talked. I'm in Weatherford, TX now.

[jaredmac11]

Ah man! That's quite the move. Congrats on the new shopm you're closer to new money. Better for restorations haha

[hotdish]

Wow, that's an interesting piece of automotive history. There's definitely worse color combinations than blue and white, I guess. At least they didn't follow the 80s trend of painting the trim and grills white too. How did you decide to get into this professionally, if you don't mind me asking?

[Layne]

Wow, that's an interesting piece of automotive history. There's definitely worse color combinations than blue and white, I guess. At least they didn't follow the 80s trend of painting the trim and grills white too. How did you decide to get into this professionally, if you don't mind me asking?

Oh, they did. Haha. The bumpers are white, the chrome part of the side strips is white (no easy thing to mask those off), and the grille was once white but someone painted black over it. The wheels are chrome plated and then painted white all except the lips (blech! That part has to go).

Kind of an accident really. I had just quit my job because the commute was too far, and a friend of mine was desperately trying to find someone to 'finish up' the restoration on an E9 that a friend of his owns. He introduced me, and I ended up putting over 1000 hours into making it a really kickass car. I actually found the Alpina job through this forum.

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[Thecatmilton]

You're welcome to. But I moved since we last talked. I'm in Weatherford, TX now.

That's a bit closer to me. If you need anything, let me know. I need to thin out my parts hoard.

[duuder]

That's awesome!

Oh, they did. Haha. The bumpers are white, the chrome part of the side strips is white (no easy thing to mask those off), and the grille was once white but someone painted black over it. The wheels are chrome plated and then painted white all except the lips (blech! That part has to go).

Kind of an accident really. I had just quit my job because the commute was too far, and a friend of mine was desperately trying to find someone to 'finish up' the restoration on an E9 that a friend of his owns. He introduced me, and I ended up putting over 1000 hours into making it a really kickass car. I actually found the Alpina job through this forum.

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[hotdish]

Oh, they did. Haha. The bumpers are white, the chrome part of the side strips is white (no easy thing to mask those off), and the grille was once white but someone painted black over it. The wheels are chrome plated and then painted white all except the lips (blech! That part has to go).

Kind of an accident really. I had just quit my job because the commute was too far, and a friend of mine was desperately trying to find someone to 'finish up' the restoration on an E9 that a friend of his owns. He introduced me, and I ended up putting over 1000 hours into making it a really kickass car. I actually found the Alpina job through this forum.

I wonder how much weight got added to that car just in paint, leather, and chrome. The side trim looked like faded stock chrome in the picture. Whoever owned my car must have given up trying to mask them off and just put some badly trimmed vinyl on them. Also, I can't believe you actually got a career benefit from E21 forum cred. That's gotta be a first.

[Layne]

I wonder how much weight got added to that car just in paint, leather, and chrome.

Ha! Good question. I should have weighed it before I took it apart. The M30 adds about 200lbs, so really adding some weight to the middle and back of the car isn't such a bad thing. It also has power steering, bumper and door bars added upon US importation, used to have power windows (I suspect they broke), the recaro seats are pretty heavy, etc, etc.

[2002jm]

This is going to be fun; looking forward to seeing what you do on the Alpina
jm

[BMWonly]

Good luck with the project, a proper B6 is definitely worth saving!

I had an Alpina C1 until a couple of years ago, that also received a questionable treatment in Germany before it got here in 1985. Fischer Design did some weird diagonal stripes, painted the bumpers and side trim, interior was pretty stock though. I then restored it to what an Alpina should look like.
Dieter

[2002jm]

Good luck with the project, a proper B6 is definitely worth saving!

I had an Alpina C1 until a couple of years ago, that also received a questionable treatment in Germany before it got here in 1985. Fischer Design did some weird diagonal stripes, painted the bumpers and side trim, interior was pretty stock though. I then restored it to what an Alpina should look like.
Dieter

What ever happened to your alpine?
jm

[BMWonly]

First sold it to a friend, he then passed it on to a collector in Los Angeles. I am still in contact with the owner, just in case... :-)

What ever happened to your alpine?
jm

[Layne]

I remember that one being for sale a couple of different times when it still had the diagonal stripes.

[2002jm]

looks 100% better without them
jm