Project Dubai: Restoration of 2000 Titanium Silver E38 750iL

[sreten]

Here's how she sits now. Like an SUV in the front.
































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[Old525i]

Did your ride height go up in the front suspension? It seemed lower with the stock shocks ....

[sreten]

Yes, it's a lot higher in the front. And these are stock standard springs. Previously it had EDC springs installed which are shorter and completely wrong for Bilstein as they can't even sit on the strut properly. EDC springs only fit on EDC struts.

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[CPHES]

Yeah - Bilstein Yellows are awful. Swap the stock edc from your black car.

[Old525i]

Well, even the black touring Bilsteins seem to have just too much gas inside. In my E38 with a V8 engine, they raised the height by 1 inch (2.5 cms). My car has the stock springs as well.

[sreten]

Yeah - Bilstein Yellows are awful. Swap the stock edc from your black car.

The more I look at the car, the more ridiculous it looks. It's too high in the front and too low in the back, I really don't like it.

That's on my mind since I bought the black one but I can't in good conscience just put those rusty old shocks on this car, they are certainly worn out and the front ones are leaking. I'd have to send them for refurbishment to Poland but that's another $1.500-2.000 cost and given how much money this thing has eaten so far, I can't justify it yet.

Well, even the black touring Bilsteins seem to have just too much gas inside. In my E38 with a V8 engine, they raised the height by 1 inch (2.5 cms). My car has the stock springs as well.

That's a bummer, are you planing to swap them out? The ride seems good but I just don't like the way it sits. This is my first time dealing with Bilsteins.

[Old525i]

I probably will. I bought them at FCP Euro, so they are warranted for life. I just need the time to do it.

[racer2086]

Just put lowering springs on the front. The B&G progressive springs are pretty comfortable to me. Staying stock in the back will keep it even softer. You will lose the wheel Gap in the front and keep the heavy duty Bilsteins.

[sreten]

It crossed my mind, but IMO the rear is sitting too low now, there's probably a reason why all 750iL's came with SLS. I'll try to pass TUV like this and I think ultimately, I want to reinstate EDC and SLS. That way I'll 100% original and sorted E38, but we'll see.

[Old525i]

Just put lowering springs on the front. The B&G progressive springs are pretty comfortable to me. Staying stock in the back will keep it even softer. You will lose the wheel Gap in the front and keep the heavy duty Bilsteins.

Thanks for the tip. Do you have a part number for these springs? Are they applicable to the 750 only or will they work on a 740?

[Logicsystem360]

There are no universal part number for our bimmer. That depend on the motor, options, etc. All that you give some weight added from the base.
If you increase the number of options, your e38 will be heavier and need differents spring than the basic e38.

To look out for the right number part for your e38 you can find it with the ETK software.

There is what I'm talking about (sorry the software is french but no need to understand french to figure out
Basic e38 :


Heavier e38 :

You can see the number part are different.

Back to the subject, I'm jealous of your garage. I would love to have a greater one ! Keep the gook work

[racer2086]

It crossed my mind, but IMO the rear is sitting too low now, there's probably a reason why all 750iL's came with SLS. I'll try to pass TUV like this and I think ultimately, I want to reinstate EDC and SLS. That way I'll 100% original and sorted E38, but we'll see.

Much easier to drop $200-300 on springs to try them out first before reinstalling that whole system, including the hacked up piping. There is a member on here with a 750il that kept all his stuff except installed these springs on the front edc struts. He reported great ride and the drop was perfect. For you, I would keep the stock spring in the rear and add the front lowering spring, which drops 1.4 inches. The Bilsteins are designed for drop springs, the EDC struts are not.

Thanks for the tip. Do you have a part number for these springs? Are they applicable to the 750 only or will they work on a 740?

Here is the webpage: http://b-gsuspension.com/products/me...prings-bmw-e38

They have springs for SLS and non-SLS cars. No mention of EDC. Same springs for 740 vs 750 but different based on SLS (probably different strut mounts; btw 740 had SLS as an option)

[CPHES]

OP is in Germany - look up eibach pro kit for non edc cars - 30mm drop - leave the rear stock. It should run him in that $300 us range. Eibach pro kits for e38 are harder to find in the US. Buck Clifford is the guy mentioned above - I’ll try to find his id. He’s not active here much, but has a very nice 01 750iL - BG lowering springs in front - that are edc compatible.

[sreten]

There are no universal part number for our bimmer. That depend on the motor, options, etc. All that you give some weight added from the base.
If you increase the number of options, your e38 will be heavier and need differents spring than the basic e38.

To look out for the right number part for your e38 you can find it with the ETK software.

There is what I'm talking about (sorry the software is french but no need to understand french to figure out

You can see the number part are different.

Back to the subject, I'm jealous of your garage. I would love to have a greater one ! Keep the gook work

Thank you! I've never thought I would own an e39 M5 and 3 V12's at the same time but such is life.

Thanks for the links, the springs for the "heavier" model, ...540 & ...940, are the ones that I bought, they are listed for 750iL. As far as I know, all 750iL's came with SLS in the rear so BMW never made standard springs for them from factory, only aftermarket ones are available.

Much easier to drop $200-300 on springs to try them out first before reinstalling that whole system, including the hacked up piping. There is a member on here with a 750il that kept all his stuff except installed these springs on the front edc struts. He reported great ride and the drop was perfect. For you, I would keep the stock spring in the rear and add the front lowering spring, which drops 1.4 inches. The Bilsteins are designed for drop springs, the EDC struts are not.

Here is the webpage: http://b-gsuspension.com/products/me...prings-bmw-e38

They have springs for SLS and non-SLS cars. No mention of EDC. Same springs for 740 vs 750 but different based on SLS (probably different strut mounts; btw 740 had SLS as an option)

This is how it sits in the rear now with the trunk mostly empty. Imagine if 2 people sit in the back, it'll be even lower. In the front, it definitely needs a drop.



For now, it stays like this as I'm shifting my focus to get the intake gaskets done and then hopefully get it to pass TUV. Now that I have a donor car, getting EDC & SLS working again isn't that unrealistic.

OP is in Germany - look up eibach pro kit for non edc cars - 30mm drop - leave the rear stock. It should run him in that $300 us range. Eibach pro kits for e38 are harder to find in the US. Buck Clifford is the guy mentioned above - I’ll try to find his id. He’s not active here much, but has a very nice 01 750iL - BG lowering springs in front - that are edc compatible.

Eibach in Europe are around $200 for E38 which is a nice price, I heard good things about Vogtland as well which are easy to find here.

[CPHES]

This is helpful - from e38.org - lots of good stuff there http://www.bimmerboard.com/forums/posts/636513 It's eibach pro kit on EDC, but gives you an idea on results

[sreten]

Thanks for the link. That looks absolutely perfect.

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[sreten]

The garage is taking shape.



















Anywho, I'm editing part 2 of the E38 restoration. It's taking a tremendous amount of time to finish it and I just went over 20 minutes. It'll be 100% mechanical repairs and so far I included fixing some oil leaks and complete front/rear suspension overhaul. I was planning to include spark plugs, distributor caps, belts & pulleys, fuel filter, PS pump and oil pan gasket replacement but I'm afraid the video will go over 30 minutes so I still haven't decided if I should make it longer or leave it for part 3.

[a777fan]

Im a fan of long detailed videos! Bring it on!


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[sreten]

Then you're in for a treat.

[sreten]

Well, boys, part 2 of the E38 restoration is here!

I spent a tremendous amount of time on this one and decided on a certain format for which I'm very keen to hear the feedback. It is a long video, but I thought showing complete repairs with details while listening to ratchets, spanners, torque wrench clicking away and my heavy breathing would make for a more watchable video than to talk senselessly, time-lapse it and play some stupid music. Overall, I'm happy how it turned but there's always room for improvement.

I wedged complete suspension overhaul and sorting out oil leaks into this part.

[a777fan]

Excellent work!!

Very jealous of your garage setup. You truly have a ‘dream fleet’.


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[sreten]

Thank you!!

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[a777fan]

Question for you: I noticed you didn’t use your power ratchets to push out the suspension bearing with your tool. Was that a conscious decision? If so... why? I’m curious if there is a technical reason here other than not just ham fisting it.


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[SilverIris]

Fantastic work, very detailed and informative. It randomly popped up in my Facebook feed, so I clicked. Actually, I need to do my Power Steering Hoses and was wondering how. 2 Minutes into the video, you answered that question in humorous, clever fashion. Thank you!

[sreten]

Question for you: I noticed you didn’t use your power ratchets to push out the suspension bearing with your tool. Was that a conscious decision? If so... why? I’m curious if there is a technical reason here other than not just ham fisting it.


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Nothing in particular, you can tackle the job however you see fit. In most cases, power tool like impact gun won't fit in there. For example, the rear ball joint nut has a high torque spec and you need to use a long breaker bar to break it loose and then you can use an electric ratchet.

Mainly I didn't use one because I don't have it but I also like when I can feel it under my hand, it gives me an idea how tight it neeeds to be after if the torque wrench can't fit.

Milwaukee electric ratchet, air compressor and lift are my next purchase hopefully.

Fantastic work, very detailed and informative. It randomly popped up in my Facebook feed, so I clicked. Actually, I need to do my Power Steering Hoses and was wondering how. 2 Minutes into the video, you answered that question in humorous, clever fashion. Thank you!

Thank you! I'm glad to hear the video is well received.

I can go into even more details but then the video would be extremely long.

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