I bought a 46k mile e34 M5!??!

[6erWEBB]

I’ll actually only be using the cat and the muffler (center section is the only different part between the two cars).

And after I get the engine running I’ll be selling basically the entire driveline behind the engine and probably pedals if someone wants a swap kit.

we’ll see. Again the mileage isn’t truly a concern, just a fun fact. The coolant system in the engine is about the cleanest I’ve ever seen. I’m convinced it is low mileage and someone ran crap gas in if for years. When we picked it up the fuel system was the only thing that was disassembled.

[ross1]

An interesting thread here.
Looks a like big whack when new-ish and then fell promptly into the wrong hands. Second tier owners are usually bad enough let alone one that bought a bargain salvage car.
Mileage could be correct given a neglectful owner. I've seen 300k engines cleaner inside.
Good thing you decided to tear it down. Curious to see the bearings.
VERY jealous of this combo in an E32. I hope all the stars align for this project.

[6erWEBB]

Thanks! Yeah my plans have been to check bearing clearances when I pull the engine... I’m getting anxious though and ready to get rid of the shell so I may end up popping the bottom end out of the car sooner than later.

so, I don’t care to argue about mileage as the only thing I wasn’t planning to do was to have the block decked and honed. However, to double check my knowledge is there a way to know if the coding plug is from the car itself or rode in with the cluster? (I just realized the plug is in the cluster, not the harness)

So I did some reading about the plug, how to swap it, how to identify it... the coding plug looks like it’s never been removed? And it has the correct vin on it? So, thoughts?

[yerbs]

Here we go, took me a bit to find the first photo I took of the e32.



And the last one I took... actually a year ago!




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the e32 looks great, and with the s38 swap it will be a nice combo. Looking forward to seeing the progress. You mentioned the M5 was in Mississippi, any chance it was near Tupelo? If so I might know the previous owner. The car and its condition look awfully familiar.

[6erWEBB]

Yeah! Just outside Tupelo! The previous owner was a very nice guy, I tried to get as much of the story from him as I could but we were all preoccupied with airing up tires and getting the car to roll so I missed most of it sadly.

[ross1]

The miles look legit. The back half of the cluster could have been swapped which would explain the tach, etc.
Looks like you are the best thing to happen to this car. Revive that engine and bury that zombie body.

[6erWEBB]

Woot!!! I just found someone selling the fuel gauge for the e34 m5 cluster... here’s hoping he has all four!!

with the M logo on the face, I’m wondering if just the gauges themselves got swapped, if so why in the world would that have happened?!

[yerbs]

Yeah! Just outside Tupelo! The previous owner was a very nice guy, I tried to get as much of the story from him as I could but we were all preoccupied with airing up tires and getting the car to roll so I missed most of it sadly.

pretty cool, small world. That car sat a mile or so from my house for the past 20 years or better. Always hated to see it wasting away and it makes me glad to see someone putting it to good use. I'm not sure of the shop you purchased it from, but the guy who was responsible for the "repair" job, owned a body shop that was pretty well known in the area through the 80's and 90's for poorly glueing together wrecked euro (mostly jaguar and porsche) cars. He passed away several years ago and his son slowly filtered out all of the remaining cars. I think my brother might have a picture or two of the m5 at its former home. He might chime in at some point.
Great to see it's ended up in good hands and I look forward to the progress.

[6erWEBB]

What a small world!! I’d LOVE to see pics of it shined up! And that’s the basic story I got as well but I did not know that the “estate” that owned it previously was the same that fixed it up... verrrry interesting.

[ltflint]

pretty cool, small world. That car sat a mile or so from my house for the past 20 years or better. Always hated to see it wasting away and it makes me glad to see someone putting it to good use. I'm not sure of the shop you purchased it from, but the guy who was responsible for the "repair" job, owned a body shop that was pretty well known in the area through the 80's and 90's for poorly glueing together wrecked euro (mostly jaguar and porsche) cars. He passed away several years ago and his son slowly filtered out all of the remaining cars. I think my brother might have a picture or two of the m5 at its former home. He might chime in at some point.
Great to see it's ended up in good hands and I look forward to the progress.

Wow! I remember seeing that car under the awning of a service station in Tupelo at 5er Fest 2009.

[E38740iMD]

Subbed for the possible chance of m5 front bumper

[6erWEBB]

Subbed for the possible chance of m5 front bumper

Most of the car is being parted out if that’s what you mean. Check the classified section.

[TGreene]

Good thread. Thanks for sharing. Looking forward to seeing your progress. More pictures of the garage? Looks like you have a good setup.

Trevor

[6erWEBB]

Okie doke! Side note I’m pulling the engine because I’m a gamblin man and getting there won’t be ANY hiccups getting it running in a new chassis lol... but I found some niiiiice “repair” carnage to show you guys.

Anyways, my shop is my play place but also my living. I started out restoring cars for clients but have moved into primarily paint and body restoration.




The building is a barn design as I’d rather not look like a car shop where I’m at.




Bit of a mess right now as I’m building two engines (s38, and a 360 for my fiancé’s jeep cherokee) and restoring a 69 427 corvette.







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[moroza]

C3 'Vette... Hey, what about putting the S38 into that?

The M logo stays with the front bezel of the gaugecluster, while the gauges come out of the rear half. I suspect but am not sure that the gauges are physically interchangeable with non-M. Also, at least the later clusters had security tape holding it all together. Is there any?

The oil gallery in the head looks like poor maintenance regardless of miles.

IIRC, a stomp test shows the VIN on the Check Control display.

[6erWEBB]

That’d be a sight! It’s actually 427 powered with Holley sniper efi.. so pretty neat already.

yeah the tape is on both pieces just ripped as if it was taken apart and put back together. I just realized I never reported my findings. So the rear cover has the chip with the vin (and a 10/90 date on it), I also found that tape and the m logo which shows that probably the face is original as well. However the instruments themselves have a 3/93 date on them!! So all someone did for whatever unknown reason was throw different instruments in the original cluster.. odd

[6erWEBB]

As promised here are some gnarly pics. The frame rail isn’t even fully welded on and I’m thinking most of it was just lap welded at intervals instead of one straight seam.




Frame inside of passengers strut tower:




Strut tower in front of ecu box:




Inside the wheel well... just goobed with straight seam sealer




So I pulled the engine today but didn’t have anything to show. Soon as I clean up my workspace I’ll disassemble the bottom end and check some bearings!!!


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[m60power]

Jeez, that thing got smashed up

[mikericc1017]

Hey man would you be willing to sell the door panels out of this car?

[sugaki]

I was thinking of replying and saying "you shouldn't junk a low-mileage E34 M5," but seeing that frame damage I see what you mean...

[polov8]

I was thinking of replying and saying "you shouldn't junk a low-mileage E34 M5," but seeing that frame damage I see what you mean...

No kidding, that's borderline deathtrap!

[6erWEBB]

Yeah, the pictures don’t show it but literally everything on this car needed work. Even without the insane structural damage it would have been a very extensive rebuild. I contemplated keeping it whole but it just didn’t make sense. There’s others out there worth saving, now it’ll it was much rarer that’d be a different story.


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[yerbs]

yep, it sat there for a while, then in the parking lot of the liquor store he owned and then in his front yard. every time it moved it was never under it's own power. I don't know how long it sat inoperative. It was sad to see it wasting away.

Wow! I remember seeing that car under the awning of a service station in Tupelo at 5er Fest 2009.

- - - Updated - - -

What a small world!! I’d LOVE to see pics of it shined up! And that’s the basic story I got as well but I did not know that the “estate” that owned it previously was the same that fixed it up... verrrry interesting.

I'll see if he has any pics of it in better shape, but it's doubtful. It was in pretty poor cosmetic shape for a long time.

nice paint job on the corvette btw.