kulgan 1042 Report post Posted May 8, 2015 (edited) No doubt some of you will have seen my other threads. I'm starting a new one here to document where I started and my progress on this car. Mostly as a record for myself but you all should feel free to chime in with your thoughts as well.. Car was purchased without viewing. All I knew was it was a 1999 750i and I wanted it bad. lol I was told over the phone it was a repo and wasn't running and has 240,000kms on the clock. Picked the car up in Hamilton from Turners on the 5/05/15 and towed it home to Wanganui. I bought it as a non runner and knew I'd taken a bit of a gamble. I won..lol. I checked the water and oil then put a new battery and some gas in it yesterday and on the second crank it fired up.. Took it for a little drive up and down the road and it ran super smooth. So it got a quick wash then off to the testing station. FAIL.. Right hand tie rod bent. Some genius must have towed it from there. So because of that the Steering angle sensor has gone off and its permanently got the DSC warning light on. Right side head light is dim. Checked and the cap that holds the bulb in is broken. Passenger side rear shock is leaking. Rear seat belt wouldn't click in. Fixed. I couldn't do a lot else mechanically till I get the parts so I started cleaning it out. My first impression on seeing pics of that blue interior wasn't good. Then when I noticed it had a leather center console I felt a bit ripped off. I mean seriously, wood's key in E38's..lol After talking to some other E38 enthusiasts on other forums I've realized that no one has EVER seen a leather console before. And also after seeing the Blue in person I have to say I really like it. There are a lot of other features that make this car stand out a bit more. Like the wood inlay, vanity headrests and picnic tables on the back of the front seats. It seems to have a lot of options that you don't normally see. So I was poking around under the bonnet and found this which explains a lot. So this car just keeps throwing up nice surprises..lol Not only is it rare just being a 750i it's also an Individual. You know your keen when your out in the rain giving your car a wash..lol Then it was into the garage for a vacuum and start cleaning the interior. The leather cleaner I bought is really doing the trick. From this. To this. And this. Once I've finished cleaning up the interior I'll move onto giving this a good groom and oil change. Theres a lot that needs doing. The Silver hides a lot in the pics. It really needs a new paint job and has a couple of small dents and some surface rust in 2 spots and the clear coat is lifting on the bonnet. I think the previous owner might have live near the ocean. All the Chrome is pitted and nasty looking so it will all need to be replaced or re chromed. The 750i badge will definitely need to be redone. I don't think I'd be able to find another one of those. CD changer wont eject the case and it doesn't recognize it even has a CD player on the dash. Thats ok cause it would seem the Amp has blown as well. If you turn on the radio it just screeches at you. Boot lid open warning comes up on the dash even though the boot is closed. I'm hoping thats just a switch. In any case, I'm super happy. I've got a very cool project to play with for the foreseeable future. Edited May 11, 2015 by kulgan 6 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
qube 3570 Report post Posted May 8, 2015 super nice. i personally would prefer to vinyl or paint the wood so it kind of matches the blue, but i havent seen it in person and if you like it, you like it. sounds like no major issues just a matter of getting the parts and replacing them. if you do decide to paint in further down the track, is it going to stay silver or get a colour change? would be hilarious if you painted it blue and put wooden vinyl over the chrome...... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kulgan 1042 Report post Posted May 8, 2015 super nice. i personally would prefer to vinyl or paint the wood so it kind of matches the blue, but i havent seen it in person and if you like it, you like it. sounds like no major issues just a matter of getting the parts and replacing them. if you do decide to paint in further down the track, is it going to stay silver or get a colour change? would be hilarious if you painted it blue and put wooden vinyl over the chrome...... Oh geez. If I painted or vinyled over that inlayed wood( very rare) some of the E38 guys from some other forums I'm on would be buying tickets to fly over here and do me some serious harm..lol For this car I think I'll stay original. I'll keep the Silver paint. Probably the only things that will get changed will be a lower suspension setup and I'll talk to DUDMD who does tunes for or cars and buy one of his DME's. It'll give me about 27hp more at the wheels and change the shift points as well. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NUSTAD 243 Report post Posted May 8, 2015 Cool - what do you get it for? I have an e38 and it has really got under my skin.......I still like it a lot after 9 years of driving. You are lucky to have a standard wheelbase 750 individual. Parts should be cheap if you rob poverty spec versions like mine...... Keep the updates coming. I don't think the e38 is on the radar at the moment but I think it has cruiser classic potential..... 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NUSTAD 243 Report post Posted May 8, 2015 Just noticed the wood trims with fancy in laid bits and the leather on the lower door cards. Cool. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KwS 2425 Report post Posted May 8, 2015 Very cool, and very jealous. Will be watching how this progresses. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
duvey 245 Report post Posted May 8, 2015 So cool and unique. Glad it is all salvageable. Good to see it will be rescued. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BreakMyWindow 1874 Report post Posted May 8, 2015 Subscribed to rescue of this beast. Quite like the blue interior, it's unusual. Is it an m73 donk? 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kulgan 1042 Report post Posted May 8, 2015 Subscribed to rescue of this beast. Quite like the blue interior, it's unusual. Is it an m73 donk? Yeah, the Blue's really grown on me. It's got the M73TUB54 in it. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kiwi535 538 Report post Posted May 8, 2015 well done,glad you have basically a sound car.I dont hink i could ever buy sight unseen Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kulgan 1042 Report post Posted May 8, 2015 When you well done,glad you have basically a sound car.I dont hink i could ever buy sight unseen I'd been looking for 2 and a bit years and never found another E38 750i in NZ so when I saw this one I grabbed it. lol. Couldn't help myself. And really glad I did. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeffbebe 1559 Report post Posted May 8, 2015 Glad you've decided to keep the blue interior. Love it or hate it (and I love it) the original Individual interior will make the car something special in the long run! 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Michael. 2313 Report post Posted May 9, 2015 Awesome. Looks like it has good potential! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
_ethrty-Andy_ 2132 Report post Posted May 9, 2015 didn't realise the picnic tables and mirrors were available on the SWB it has to be an individual, pretty sure i read somewhere in almost all markets the 750i SWB was special order only. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kulgan 1042 Report post Posted May 9, 2015 didn't realise the picnic tables and mirrors were available on the SWB it has to be an individual, pretty sure i read somewhere in almost all markets the 750i SWB was special order only. It's absolutely a Individual. Couldn't believe my eyes when I opened the bonnet and saw the Individual badge sitting there. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kulgan 1042 Report post Posted May 11, 2015 Ordered a new suspension link and it'll arive in the morning so in the mean time I've been cleaning. The interior has come up real nice. Then it was into those bits that most people forget to clean when they wash their car. And this car was definitely forgotten. Next was the engine bay. I dont know if it'll show in the pics but it's a whole lot cleaner than it was. Also found a few more things that need attention while I was cleaning. The fan shrouds broken and needs a replacement and the oil filter top mounts are broken. Before After. 6 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
qube 3570 Report post Posted May 11, 2015 i gotta say.. the blue interior is actually not bad now that i keep looking at it again and again.. 3 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NUSTAD 243 Report post Posted May 11, 2015 Love the electric rear seat. Plush! I am a sucker for the larger ladies........it's a great score! 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mark312 25 Report post Posted May 11, 2015 Looks mint! 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kulgan 1042 Report post Posted May 11, 2015 i gotta say.. the blue interior is actually not bad now that i keep looking at it again and again.. Thanks. I feel the same. I'm really liking the blue now. Love the electric rear seat. Plush! I am a sucker for the larger ladies........it's a great score! Ha, they're heated too. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
_ethrty-Andy_ 2132 Report post Posted May 11, 2015 Ha, they're heated too. and fricken heavy too if they are anything like the ones in an E32 750il with the same features 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kulgan 1042 Report post Posted May 12, 2015 (edited) Replaced the Suspension link today. Someones really pulled hard while towing to bend it like that. Edited May 12, 2015 by kulgan Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kulgan 1042 Report post Posted May 12, 2015 Nice work and I'm glad you're happy with your "holy grail" - that's quite the rare occurrence. Please, please change those wheels though... I'd love to see the RC's on the 750! Funny you should say that. I've been toying with exactly that idea. A set of Alpinas would be better though.. 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BM WORLD 1283 Report post Posted May 12, 2015 nice I thought you wanted a tierod end not a control arm Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KwS 2425 Report post Posted May 12, 2015 (edited) That link is crazy, looks like it was probably winched onto a truck from it or something. Interestingly, arent the stickers on the arm to say "DO NOT TOW"? I also concur with the other comments, the blue actually looks nicer in proper pictures, and since its cleaned. Love that inlay in the wood trim, just the small details that show the car is special. Edited May 12, 2015 by KwS 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
