E28 Alpina Build - by Pedi

206 minute(s) of a 417 minute read

E28 Alpina Build

Compliments of Pedi @ www.mye28.com

Hello Gentlemen and fellow E28 fanatics. 

I am from Norway, so please do not get caught in misspelling or other language errors  

Back in 2008, I got hold of an E28 525 which were supposedly rebuild as an Alpina B7. The car was rusty and totally worn out. Almost nothing were useful as is, but almost everything was present. So that made an good start, and I bought it. 

I do travel alot in my work, and with 5 kids in the house - not too much time is left for my garage. So time went by, and I did not have any stones rolled before Dec 2010. 2011 was a good year for me, even though I was a lot at work this year. 

The pics I will present to you, will be copy/paste from my original thread from the biggest BMW-forum in Norway, www.bimmers.no I do have quite a lot of pics in that thread, some good some not. I will copy a lot into here, but not all - I guess. Please feel free to comment both positive and negative meanings and feelings. Harassment and rudeness will be neglected. 

The car itself is an 1987 Alpina B7 TurboKat #238 with 320hp and 520 Nm torque. As far as I know, the last (#237-#278) ones with catalyst was built on a M5-chassis and with some M5 details. The car was full of options inside: AC, Cruise Control, Power Windows F/R, black inner roof, Alpina aux tank, instruments etc.. Too bad the chassis was totally gone. And I mean GONE !! It was so rusty, that I am shocked!! 

And since it is a fact that I live in Norway, with snowy winters, salty roads etc - rust free E28 is almost non-existing. The best thing is to buy a newer 518 chassis, due to less stressed body shell, and due to that they have often NOT been abused by a wild youngster. So I found a 1987 518i with sunroof in an internet advertisement, not too far from me. Looked not too bad on the pics, and the owner told me that it was 100% free from rust... I got it home, and of course - the seller was a liar. 

So here goes my story, based upon the joy and interest of good ol' E28...

12/30/2011

Sorry, not too many comments to the pics. Basically the pics here are from the "donor" as I got it home, and from the rusty parts as I take things apart. 

One piece of totally abused E28, time to get it into my garage - into some more loving hands... 

I guess my comments are not necessary here.... 

Rusty? Of yes... 

As you can see, there is a lot to do. My challenge was to have the time and money for it... 

I also needed a chassis, here it is: But damn, it was not as described. When I think about it today, the 518-chassis was not THAT bad - but when the seller stated rust free - it was not.... 

The engine is out: 

Suspension out... 

It is good here, luckily... 

Parts from an E34 535i that I had stored in my attic: 

Parts ready for sandblasting and paint. 

Some "new" parts 

Some new parts: 

Sandblasted front calipers: 

Fresh parts arrived... I love that  The red color is a result of that the paintshop was out of black - only red, yellow and white was left... So be it, I like colors - some not. 

To get rid of the rusty shit, I got a friend to sandblast the rust for me. 

Back home... 

Here it is, the main event in the "Retro garage" as we call my garage ... 

New parts needs treatment, no doubt... 

I guess you will not ask me the price of this, please don't...  But they look nice... 

New brake shields, just need some coating to make them last longer... 

New Bilstein B8... 

Luckily, I had this tool hanging on the wall  

And ofcourse, all threads are freshened up before things get together... 

More new parts 

Got hold of an used one from M535i, with low milage... 

Some pieces get together: 

I forgot to order the dust rings, that will come later... 

Some grinding must be done, to get rid of paint in certain places. 

I am reeeeealllly exited on the K-Mac parts.... So far, I am not too convinced... 

Some troubles on the way of course: ABS-ring is cracked on the drive flange..

Poly-bushings from Ireland Engineering: 

But ofcourse.... They had too small diameter, so therefore I had to go for original bushings. 

Getting things together, new wheel bearings and brakeshoes: 

Rear shocks. 

Looks nice, those Bilsteins? 

Wheelbearing and brake disc in position. 302x28mm discs. Calippers not mounted, due to the 15" rims are too small  

In Norway, the rules are very strict when it comes to automotive genre. So to get my 518 approved rebuild as an Alpina, I have to follow Alpina-specs to the smallest nut... I will mount brakes from E34 540i later on, so I just grinded the original solid discs on mounted them back on. Just for the inspection/rebuild approvement. 

Well... I do not like it, but I have new ones waiting...  

Finally, the car is back on the wheels! 

Some cutting is necessary to allow the 6-sylinder get in... 

"Go away!"  

Done!!! 

Here is an oval hole for the Intercooler. Just copied from what Alpina did. 

Auch, Suddenly there was another rust attack!!!! 

When changing from a 518 to Alpina, there are 3 supports that need to go, and 7 to come over 

It does take time to dismantle everything, phew! 

All gone, finally. 

The ABS is also needed  

One by one... They all need to come into place.. 

Mhmmm... 

Cleaning... I hate that... I really do... 

Before: 

After: 

Looks better now, even in the engine bay... 

Here is a proof that it really is me doing the cleaning-job, hehe... 

Some small rust on the surface, no problemo... 

But THIS is annoying !!!! AUCCHHH!!!! 

Luckily, the windows edges looks nice... 

Time to take the boy out for a spin..... 

The boy needs some fresh air, agree?

Went by some friends: 

Primer... 

Paint... 

Clearcoat... 

Inside the paint boot... 

Back home, same night! Sorry about picture quality. The color is Sepang Bronze Metallic from E60 M5 

Looks good? It is better IRL...

Time to demolish the rest of the donor vehicle: 

Harness... Nice...  

 

Alpina tank... 

 

Some parts: 

 

And even more... 

 

A helping hand from a good friend is also nice!... 



Even more.... 

 

Moon roof... 



Managed to track down a unused door from an old barn, so now I do have 3 new doors, only 1 to go now... 

(BMW are empty, I tried to order. But out of stock. But expensive though... $1200 was the price, each)... 



Now we are writing March 2011, and I am back from work again. Time to get rid of the donor: 

 

Not too much space left  

 

Fuel tank, with the Alpina Elbow... 

 

Some harness and stuff.. 

 

Pernezz gets the honor of "first assembly": 

 

Done, even if it was a small item - it felt good :wink: 

 

A new isolation-mat in place. Needed to be glued, but that is ok... 



The original rug looks like shit, but some shampoo made it at least better.... 

 

 

Hung up after washing, to dry up... 

 

 

Some harness in position, while waiting for the rug to dry up... 

 



Summer is getting closer, and I am busy at work. Here I had a couple of days off, and we enjoyed a Taco-meal outside in the nice weather... 

 

2 grown-ups, 5 kids og 3 cats (Read: The Pedersen Family) are spending some quality time. 

Here is a pic from the summer night in Norway, this is my garage,,, 

 

Me an my GF went for a ride tonight... Lovely... 

 

Some new parts: 

 

Aaaaand finally!! I found a door in the USA, and it has finally arrived... 



Old fuel and brake lines: 

 

Pernezz doing some cleaning: 

 

Some new parts.... 

 

All in!! 

 

Looks original? Well, almost.. There is hiding a Bosch 044 fuel pump in there... 

 

Cleaning the fuel tank:. 

 

Auch, rust! oh no!! 

 

Ok... Time to skip the idea of using the tank with Alpina elbow. Here is the 518 tank... 

 

Promising, looks better... 

 

Crap! Rust again!!! 

 

New tank from BMW - $1350 


This just made my day, I cannot pay that much money...

Making a room for my air-compressor... Double isolated walls... 


 


Turned out good. Almost no sound... I am satisfied.. 

 

All done... 



Sept 2011: Battery cable needs to go in. 


 


And through the floor... 


 


ABS in position, used pipes, but nice. I do not want to change them. 

 


Clutchpump and master brake cylinder/system with a new "bomb" installed. 


It is lovely to install new parts in a new-painted engine bay 



Some new parts: 


 


Check out the wrapping for the little part  


 


Alpina dash... Cracked, ofcourse... 


 


Cracks....... 


 


518 dash was clean-looking! Lucky me!! 


 

 


I like it! 

Rug from B7, heater and dash from 518: 


 


 


Nice! 


 


Damn, fan was broken - I had not checked that. Not remembered that the heater controls from 518 is manual, and B7 is electrical.. Dash out again.. 

 


Look at the wear. :wink: 


 


"New" fan... 


 


Rod broken, and screws (2mm) was missing. 


 



Drilling and tapering up to 3mm works, and with some spare-parts from my old Traxxas T-Maxx, a brand new End-Rod did the thing: 


 


Satisfied, that I am  


 


New wire for the hood 


 



Some new parts... 


 


Dash back in, with correct heater controls and a functioning fan  




I recieved the new tank, and I needed to weld on the alpine elbow. 

 


Filling pipe: 


 


Welding the elbow: 


 


Welding part II  


 


Cleaning the weld... 


 


Sanding the "transport-primer": 


 


2 layers of 2k primer to prevent rust: 


 


The other side: 


 



And 2 layers of paint... 


 


Close-up.... Sorry bad pics, reflections from the lights are killing me... 


 


In the end, a couple of layers of protective mass: 


 


My friend is happy with the finish, hehe.. 




Before I installed the tank, I had some paint applied to the gas-filling room 


 



New tank is getting together... 


 


But of course... Rusty pre-pump pipe... 


 


Sometimes you wonder when bad luck should end... I just see my money fly away...

While I wait for the new pre-pump, I just put the tank in position (it takes so much space on the floor). 

 


Installing the new drive flange, it is good to complete suspension parts 


 


New stabilizers 


 


Original Alpina rear brakes (temporary brakes) - of course it had to play games with me.... 




Well, drilling and tapering again.. And with some O2 and Acytelen, the bastard came out  

 


Temporary brakes rear even got some cheap paint  : 


 


Front calipers needed some care ass swell. New gaskets etc, combined with brakeyumyum from ATE: 


 


New vents in position - and mounting kit is on its way in the mail... 


 


Suspension looks better with brakes... 


 


Still waiting for some clips etc to my brakelines and cables: 

Oct 2011: 

Got the pre-pump today, nice wrapping it was shipped in btw? 

 


I had to modify it of course... Not bolt on, Alpina way...  


 


As the tank is in position, I can make new fuel-lines to the 044-pump. 


 


 


OK... Alpina tank next: 


 


Some new parts: 


 


Measuring the support-holes: 



 


All set, gimme the tank!! 


 



Tank in position, w/o the cover 


 


With cover: 


 



Alpina- and BMW vent tanks in position, with new hoses all the way. Not finished yet, will come later 


 


Just tried with some dirty rugs.. 


 


 



Getting better each time. 

Anyone recognizes this little fella? 


 


Not? 



Now? Any bells ringing?? 



 


Yeeezzz!!! 


 


LADEDRÃœCK!!! "Sehr gut, Harry Klein!" 



Men that's it for today.

Cut my finger severely, so I had to go easy some days: 

 


Old roof lining gone 


 


Painted the supports for the carpeting in the trunk. 


 


M5-battery tray rusty, as everything else from the Alpina... 


 


Not good, not good... 


 



Took the engine down from the attic... 



 


Would have been most easy to put it just right in at once... Don't you think?  


 


Ready for dismantling.... 




Engine: 


 


 

Some parts off.. 


 


Flexi broken... 


 


Better now? 



 


 


Head looks quite good, as a matter of fact. 


 


Oil sump and oil pump removed: 


 


Head off, not too bad what I see... 


 


Bad pic, sorry: 

 


 



Engine number, #238 B7/3... No doubt! 


 



Crank looks good.: 


 


Main bearings are not too bad: 


 



This is the worst bearings: 


 


Dirty, but will be good after some cleaning...... 


 


An overwiev  

 


The only shitty thing, is that the turbo got way more movement than I want - auch....

Oil spray nozzles: 


 


Broken... 


 


Here is the new flexi, amongst other small pieces from Alpina : 


 


Some gaskets, exhaust-flexi, towbar etc... 

Some pieces that really need some cleaning 

 




Next step is rear diff: 


 


 


Looks good: 


 


15 minutes later: 


 



Ready for clean-up and paint. 



 


New gaskets/seals, but must order new bearings asap 




While I was waiting for new bearings, I did some cleaning instead. 


 


Original M5-carpeting, bad condition - but it is all I got. 


 



Head looks better. 


 


Intercooler, oilcooler and oilsump at least cleaner.. 


 


Engine block enjoyed some water too: 



 


But of course, as soon as dirt goes off, I had to find something more.. 


 


One rusty frostplug. 


Servo cooler, old one... 


 



New servo cooler, painted and ready for installing... 





Got some paint on the block: 


 


Diff: 


 


Some clean carpeting stuff, just testing: 


 

First aid kit: 

 


518 original manual roof... Bye-bye.. 


 


Electrical roof in position... Nice... 


 


Old roof headliner... 


 


New one, looks good!! 


 


But not pre-cut, I hoped it was... 


 


Wonder what part number for this cover is... 


 


Started to mount the headliner.. 


 


Did not manage to finish up, crappy work - I hate it!! 

 


Not too good, but maybe in the future? 


 




New parts for the diff: 

 


New innerring pinion 


 


New crimp sleeve, do not re-use old one 


 


Here is the pinion with the sleeve in position 


 



Outer ring for the inner bearing, remember the shims... I used the original one.. 


 


Outer ring for the inner bearing forced into position, afterwards outer bearing in diff casing to pinion outer bearing (not pictured) 



 



Time to mount the pinion into the diff casing. 



 


Pinion in position with new bearings... 


 


New sealing, remember to oil the sealing.... 


 



Driveflange in position, with new dust ring. 


 



New outer rings in position.. 


 



Make sure you do not clog the oil-hole when mounting the simmering.: 


 


Simmerring in position: 



 



From the backside... 


 



Next step: 



 



New bearing:. 


 



Here I am again, hehe.... 


 



Better photo: 


 



Temporary mounted. 



 



Remember the two clips: 



 


 



New O-rings 


 



Must also change old dust rings: 



Cleaning and painting: 


 


New O-rings. Tak a good look here, se the oil canal, goes direction UP. Also remember the shims here, and lubricate with oil all the way 



 



In position, and torqued. 


 



Looking better now? 



 



Mount drive flange by hand, not force... 


 



Ofcourse was the Alpina-sensor broken...   


 



Ready for new (ab)use: 


 



Looks like it belongs to this place...  



 



New pic 



 



And again... 



 


I am almost happy now, will paint the diff cover later... 

12/31/2011

Measuring time, inner cylinder. 6 measures, 2 measure ca 10mm from top, 2 measure ca in the middle and 2 measure ca 10 mm from bottom. 

 

 


Crank, 2 measurements: 


 

 


After the cranks measurements was approved, I was measuring the clearing of bearing shells with Plastigauge. 


 


Too few pics here, sorry. 


Dirty piston, before cleaning. 


 


Pistons and crank are in, new rings and bearings... 

 

 


Oil sump pan... Waiting for a new Oil pump chain 

 


A lot of parts that needs cleaning... 


 

Transmission brought down from attic. The old one was broken, the "new" one is a Dogleg box rom a E28-Hartge. I do not know if that is true, but does not matter anyway. The dogleg-box is not optimal for the turbo-engine anyway. 


 


Small details, all the way... 

Nov 2011 

New steering wheel. 

 


Original rubber brakehoses, because the local authority won't approve steel brake hoses. 


 


Misc... 


 


Old washer tank, was not too bad though.. 


 


Looks better with a new one... 


 


some small parts 


 


New clamps for the ABS linings, the old ones were melted  


 


Pernezz mounts new throttle wire... 


 


New protective cover ++: 


 


Visiting the paint booth: 


 



 



Some small "adjustments" 


 



There are still some work left on the door, looking forward to see in on... 


 


Fuel cover... 


 


Some of the details mounted... 


 



Temporary mounted... 


 



Looking like a car now? 


 


All new original BMW-parts...

1/2/2012

OK, a little "update" (atleast some more pics). 

Finally the oil chain arrived, mounted with correct tension 


 


I love working on the engine: 



 



Starting to look like an engine now? 


 


 



So, the it is time for the Dogleg-box. And Yes, I know the box is not the optimal one for this engine, but it is the only one I have - and it is supposed to be a box from a Hartge. Not that it makes the box more correct, but like I said - it is the only one I've at the moment. 


 



Cover and shims: 


 



But WTF??? The shim is squeezed: 


 



Auch, what to do? Ofcourse I do not have such a shims in stock.... So this is what I did: The cover was originally mounted with a gasket. So I replaced the gasket with a product called Sili-Gasket, that "builds" more than Permatex - so I consider the clearance to be somehow better... 


 



Box together again, time to change the seal in the back; 


 



Here is everything replaced, but I wanted to change some parts for the Gear-linkage ass swell, but I got wrong parts... Grrr... 


 



I always replace the bearing in the back of the crank, but since I do not have a fancy tool to pull it out - it had to be a jolly one. But it worked though  



 



Pernezz enjoys this: 



 



Original Clutch: 



 



Replaced: 



 



Engine hanging from the roof, waiting for the gearbox: 



 


 



Aaaand again!!! The Hartge-cover did not fit. So then I had to find the one from the (broken) Alpina-box. More cleaning...: 



 


 



More clean than before. New release-bearing and lubricated splines, and we are good to go! 



 



Some small details: 



 



One satisfied guy???? 


 



Me beeing even more satisfied!! 


 



It is in!! 


 



Looking better now? 



 



The day went well after all... 



 

Below, sorry about bad pics. 



 


 



BTW... I did receive a package from a member in here, thanks! 




Stabilizer front got resprayed 


 


Dogbones replaced, and even a new slave for the clutch 



 


Parts in position.... 


 



Had to replace a pressure-switch for the Hydro-brakes. 


 


Ok, some new parts for the gear shifter, and bought a Z4-shifter. But the lever was 160mm long, I have to shorten it or something... 



 



In position, look how the gear lever is out of center. I gotta fix this. 





OK... Found a lever from a 2004 M3 that was only 145 mm long. Problem solved  

Some pics from a late friday night 


 


 


 


Not too much space, but now it is 2 x E21 and 2 x E28 in the main garage  


 

 



Pernezzfound out that he needed winter tires on the frozen slippery Norwegian roads, so summer tires, off you go.: 




Here is a proof that thing often go too fast, when it is "routine-work".. I forgot to move the tension-slider to correct side on the cover. See the arm? 


 


Like this: 


 


 


I am happy that I discovered it BEFORE the head was in position  



Did anyone notice that the generator-belt was out of line on the pics in last post? The alpina-pulley is not similar to the standard M30/106, so I had to replace it. 


 

1/3/2012

As for today, we are talking head : 


 


 


All moving parts went out easily: 


 


 


A lot of dirt: 


 


Needs a clean-up, and a refresh: 


 


 


Poor valves, dirty ones...: 


 



All this looked as new, my guess is that the head have gotten some new parts not long before I bought it. 


 



But... I bought 12 valve guides from VAC, in original size (8,0mm) of course... 


 


Five of the exhaust valves are oversize 2 (8,2mm), and one is standard (8,0mm). 


 


So the I had to get hold of five new exhaust valves, due to the motorshop where I am going to have my valve guides replaced do not have 8.2mm Brotch. 


I measured the guides, tolerance-spec says 0,8mm - and this valve has a movement of 0,7mm - so I want to replace them all... 



 



First of all, I needed to make sure the surface is clean and straight. 

Before: 

 


After: 

 


They machined 0,15mm off the head, so that was not too bad for a 6-cylinger head... 

Even more clean... 




Valves needed cleaning 



 



After some cleaning: 


 



Atleast looking better: 


 


This is how I stand per today 04.01.2012. I have sent the head away to get following work done: 

- Grinding valve seats (Mira) 3-angle 
- Replacing valve guides (VAC Motorsport edition) 
- Valves final clean-up and machined 

So now I am just waiting for the shop to get finished, I really want to get the head assembled and into position...

Sorry, I forgot... I did some small things too... 


I had to finish the Alpina-tank vent system...: 



 


Hoses correct measure, and attached: 



 


Looks almost as original?. 



 



Remember my old battery-tray? 


 


Bought one from a user in here, thanks a million!!! 


 


 


NICE!!: 


 



Primed: 


 



Looks even better with color? 


 



Into position: 


 



I like what I see, compared to the old rusty fart: 


 



Carpets in position. Looking bad, but they are the only ones I got. Anyone parting out a M5 trunk carpeting?  


 



And finally, the last door came from paint-shop, ready to rock'n roll!! 


 



Almost getting the E28-feeling back now... 


 




And some off topic... 

As you might remember, X-mas was just here... 

Here is my little boy getting his present for Xmas 


 


His sister was exited too, and wanted to help him out - all went too late she thought. 


 



 


Try out... 


 


Mistake... He was sitting there for the rest of the night... Honestly, I think it is a good thing...  

1/4/2012

OK guys, the previous pics are all from 2011. 

From now on, all pics will be from the day I post them. 

As all vacations and celebrations are done now, kids are back to school and kindergarden. So therefore I had some hours left today. But since I have not gotten my head back, I figured I would do some other small but needed work... First of all, Oil Cooler and hoses needed cleaning and some paint. 


 


 


I see now that I should have painted the pipes ass swell, but I will see what to do about it... 



Oilcooler in position, with fresh paint. Also a new servo-cooler pipe is mounted today. 

 


Pay attention to the Alpina brackets the moves the oil cooler to make space for the intercooler: 


 


 



The intercooler needed some fresh paint: 


 



Yes! Finally the intercooler in position, and now I am finally feeling that I do really have a Turbocharged engine...  


 


 


 



Original brackets from Alpina, to keep the intercooler in position. I forgot to take pics after they were mounted... Sorry. 


 



Painted some exhaust parts, just for it to look better  


 


Nice? 

1/8/2012

Just a small update. Window wipers/motor needed to be mounted. 


 


Waterpipe, looks like it need some care, right? 


 


Atleast now it looks better.... 


 



Alpina custom air inlet, now in position.. 


 



Exhaust manifold assembled with a new flexi-"hose" from Alpina.. 


 


Looks better now, I hope my head comes back from motorshop next week... 


 



Here is the old B7 turbo... 


 



Auch, a crack in the exhaust house... 


 


 



Cleaning it, just for the sake of it... 


 



The new turbo is an overhault and modified turbo for the 745i, so cleck the flanges - not alike at all... 



 



But due to the crack in the B7 exhaust housing, I checked the "new" one for cracks. 


 



The "new" housing had several cracks, so I decided to go for the B7-housing. Some cleanup and paint, and I was good to go... 


 



The new compressor housing has a inlet of 60mm, and the old housing has a inlet of 52mm. So hopefully the spool-up would be better? 


 



ARPs in position. 




I had not set the pre-tension for the Pinion, I was unsure of the torque. But finally got the correct tool today, and I had to take the diff down again. 


 


Apart - again... 



 



Here is the tool, to measure the "rotating-torque" 



 


Just a bad pic of me  


 



This work needs to be done VERY carefully !!! Caution not to over tighten the nut!!!!! 


 



NOW it is ready!! 


 



The intermediate shaft was not perfect, so I decided to just get it in position. This is because I do not know the condition of the gearbox. If I need to change the gearbox, I even might to exchange to intermediate shaft. This is why I do not want to put money and effort in it now, if the gearbox shows to be good, I'll just take the shaft down again - and make it as new... 

Here is a pic of the center bearing/rubber mounting, with a pre-tension of 4 mm. 

 



This was the latest news from the RetroGarage... Hopefully I will get the engine head back in the end of next week, so new pics will come then...

1/18/2012

Finally, the package arrived!! 


 


Unwrapping: 


 



Head with new valve guides 


 



Old ones... SCRAP! 


 



Fresh valveseats: 


 



12 valves, cleaned and grinded 


 



Pedi showing a visiting friend a how-to: 


 



Old valve guides had 0,7mm clearance, spec says max 0.8mm. Now it is 0,26mm, due to used valves. Approved  


 



Fresh oil everywhere, and real lube for the cam lobes 


 


Valves are in, things are getting together.. 


 



Drilled the no1 cylinder sprayer hole from 1,5mm to 2mm, due to lack of flow/pressure on the old M30s. And used of course Loctite to the Banjobolts for the oil sprayer... 



 



finally: 


 



I love the sight of it  



 



Waiting for its turn  



 



The headliner is a PITA, but with a friend that pushes me, at least I got a fresh start 


 



Soooo consentrated  


 



Not too much done, but just a little bit now and then - suddenly it is back on track...! 

1/18/2012

Manifold mounted together. Threads coated with High Temp copper pasta. 


 



I did order only ONE inlet gasket.... Grrr.... So it all stopped... 



"Wanna-be-mounted"....   





Due to weekend, all shops were closed. I made my own gaskets, with real "gasket-card" 


 



Make sure to cut away any thing in the way--- 


 



Intake mounted, bring it on!! 



 



Remember the clamps that holds the fusebox i position? Steel towards paint = rust! This is why I applied some rubber-ish material (which I do not remember the name of) to the end of the clamps 



 



In position again, without any possibility for rust issues 



 



Head gasked, with a special gasked-cement applied. 



 



It fits!!!! 



 



I made ut 2 lengths of masking-tape, and numbered the bolts, just to be a tip for those who are not too rutinated. It is a nice little detail. 



 



Timing chain in correct position, and I fill the little chamber with oil for pre-set the tensioner-piston. 



 



Pump the piston, and allow oil to enter the pistons chamber. Make sure the piston is in position to the tensionerguide. 




 


 



Added some Three Bond in the corner, to avoid further oil leaks. 



 


 



Is it room for the turbo? 



 



Yes, it is  



 



I am beeing optimistic! 



 

Oh yes, the baby is located where it is supposed to be... 


 



My friend wonder where the access for the Nuts for the flange is located  Not too much space behind there, he claims...  



 



Turbo is torqued, and oil return into the block is good now. 



 



Oil supply line: 



 



Next step: Wastegate. 



 



And connected... 



 



Supply line 



 



Just a quick pic of the engine bay. 



 


 




Some new hoses 


 


Valves adjusted, and everything so far is good... 



 


No fun. A lot of electrical bad stuff... Time-consuming to fix... 


 


Mounting openers and lockind devices, the prepare for the big adjusting-day. 



 


 



A great tip, is to adjust properly the "opener" before paint job. Better to do it in an early stage... 




Todays action: 


Package from USA! 



 



Nice example. 



 



I need to see if there are oil pressure before start-up, used a Mini-Mezz and a fittings. 



 



On site, with manometer connected. 



 



The manometer with a flex hose. 



 



Time to start adjusting the doors etc!! 



 



I prefer the visual gap between doors to be between 4mm and 5mm. I am aiming for the 4.5mm line 


 


4.6mm, suits me fine 


Heres a pic of an used shim.. 

 

Make sure you adjust the doors fithout the endpiece, and check clearances. It looked good at the right back door - but it was not 

 


This is what will happen... 


 


Tiny tiny adjustment.... 


Fender off, to put on some Butyl between fender and chassis. 



 


 



Getting better, dont you think so? 



 



Horisontal line. 

1/29/2012

I am offshore at work right now, but got a mail from a friend of mine, that have my rims in his hands. I am quite happy now, so I wanted to share the pics he sent me--- 

This is how my 8,5"x10" - 17" Alpinas gets an "overhaul" 

Pics needs no texture, just enjoy  

 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


2 coats of silver-metallic 


 


 


 


 


Nice??? 

 

2/5/2012

Check theese again: 


 



Did also spray the insides: 



 



What to do today? Oh yes, visit my buddy at the local wheel-dealer. 



 



The Bridgestone Potenza´s were a PITA to mount... 



 


 


 



Small detail, but I like it... 



 


 



Some new parts 



 



What do you think of the cover beneath the coloumn? 



 



Pretty nice cover due to 25 years of age, but totally broken by the hole from the old panel to the Webasto-heater. 


What to do? Yeah... Get a new one! 



 



Nice?? I do think so. But not "new", hehe 



 



Quality control 1993... 19 years in storage, that is cool. 



And another package: 


 



NGK AFX Wideband Lambda, this was the one and only I wanted.... 

2/5/2012

Theese pictures i have taken now, is not for guys that are familiar with E28. They were ment to be a light DIY version of "how-to change the lights in the OBC" for those who have not done it before. This forum has a DIY, so I am not trying to copy that one. I just share theese photos for fun... 


 



Bought an upgraded version from Ebay 



 


 



Quite annoying with black screen, right? 


 



Tools needed. 



 



Remove 2 screws from cluster 



 



Use a small iron to carefully loosen the cluster out of position. 


 



Turn the cluster to make some room. 


 



Take out 2 screws to OBC-holder. 



 



Screws out, we are good to go. 


 



Take out the 3 bolts (not the black ones) that holds the OBC. 


 

Use a plier to pull out the light-holder 


 


Halfway out: 


 



Old vs new. 



 



Mount the new one, and assemble the parts again. 


 


Works like a dream. Took me only 15 minutes, including taking photos. No sweat, only fun...

2/29/2012

The day before I went offshore, I finally found my problem. It was a Alpina-installed powercable that "lost" power when I turned the engine. Gave the cable permanent B+, and things happened!! 

Check the vid (sorry bad quality, I was in a hurry - and just used my Iphone): 

 


When I return back home, my first thing to do is exhaust, cooling system, change the starter (works periodically) and other engine-related stuff. Hopefully I will have the time to adjust the remaining chassis parts: front wings and hood. Make it ready for the spray booth... I really wish to have this car ready for summer action - it all depends on sparetime from work and the (already empty) wallet  

anyway, thank you for visiting my thread again!

3/15/2012

Hello guys, just a little update here... 

 


Love this one!  

Had to change startermotor, so first of all - I had to cut an old 17mm spanner 

 

For more easy access: 

 

I went for a M70-starter, it is 2.2kW compared to the original 1,5kW M30-starter. 

 

Finally, it was time to mount coolant tank etc... 

 


My original TurboKat exhaust is in bad shape from Kat and back. So I will first of all weld onto a 535i-mid and rear exhaust - just to have an exhaust that works. I will make a custom on later... 

 


 



Drilled 19mm hole for the AFR-sensor 


 



 



 



Welded, ready for action... 



 


Mounted the exhaust bandage the wrong direction first... :stupid: :stupid: 


 



And off, to install it the correct way... 



 



Finally: 



 



Looks better now. 



 



Not much clearance, glad that I have the bandage...... 



 


 



Here is the flexi for the DP, not quite fancy - but does the work. 



 



New gaskets: 



 



Wastegate, ready for action as well 



 



I guess I need one like this? 



 



Ohhh... Tight fit... 



 



Better? 



 



Alpina heat covers 



 



As the exhaust is on, time for radiator!! 


 



Here is the difference between the original and Alpina. Dirty Alpina hose?? 


 



Some cleaning does the thing  



 



Ready for start-up. With ignition on, I discovered that the engine was at a temp of 21 degrees celcius. Nice temp in garage at winter??  



 



It is lovely to finally use the exhaust-extraction!! 



 



Start-up!! 


 



A small video. No LMM installed, no vacuumhoses etc. Just wanted to hear the sound of the engine with exhaust... 


 


Got the part machined for the turbo-inlet: 

 


backwards.... 


 


Installed/glued in position. 


 



Looks good, perfect fit. 



Leaks from the cover, damn... 


 



Found one, just need some care.. 


 



Needed to shine the covers too. 


 



Looks better now. 


 



I should have sandblasted the cover. Too much paint.... 



 


First layer, primer: 


 




All pressure-pipes got a silver color 



 



New parts are good  



 




Turned out nice, those covers. 



 



Made some mods to the front panel, due to tight fit. 



 



Good to go!. 



 



Another angle: 



 



The dump valve has not been mounted by me. The guys did this missed totally. I will fix this. 



 


Vacuumhoses in position, both O2-sensors installed. 


 


 


I have just ordered new spark plugs, Bosch W6DPO. Was $60 each !!!!! 


I have too low oil pressure, 0.6 bar@idle (warm) and 1.8 bar @ higher RPM.. 

Guess I have to take down the oil pan tonight, and dismantle the oil pump.... 


So this is how it looks like as of today! 

Good night, gentlemen!


3/16/2012

Friday, and almost weekend. Got a couple of hours untill kids comes home from School and kindergarden, so I wanted to check the oilpan for the very very tiny oil sweat. I could not see the leakage before the fresh oil got a bit more black/dirty. 


 


Not good to see at the pic, but I now have "scratched" into the gap to see it easier. 


However, marked up with pen (dotmarks. ..) so I can get it welded. 



 



But first of all, I lift up the engine with such a hoist as I usually use when changing clutch on a FWD car: 



 



But it was such a load on the inner wings of mine, that I instead found the "overhead crane". Can take more weight, and do not charge the chassis either: 


 



Had to drain the oilcollector of mine, so while I waited for it, so I took a picture just as well  


 



Bottom pan went well off, despite destroying the gasket - but Bavaria has more in stock ...  



 



Pump out of the car, ready for dismantling. 


 



Splitted, notice how I take the lock ring off to access the valve: 



 



The parts that are inside the pump: 



 



Note the slot on the piston to the valve 



 



But when I was supposed to measure the wear, I found out that I did not have the specifications of the pump! I was sure I had, but guess not... Anybody have / know-tolerance specs? After what I can remember from faaar back, it is 0.12mm to 0.20mm - but I find no place on the web to verify it. 

The first measure I got in was the 0.15mm gauge. 0.20mm was too much, so it would not enter. 


 



Second measure, I got 0.10mm gauge in between, but the 0.15mm was too tight. 



 



So actually I could in a way confirm my memory of tolerance specs 0.12mm to 0.20mm as I have in my head. But please come with suggestions. 



So I measured the spring, and got an approximate measurement of 68mm .... 



 



Some parts had to be off. In a way, some good, because then I can spray some color on the alternator as well, to match the rest. LMM and air filter box will also be a bit fresher ..  



 



Took a random main bearing off, and took two pictures. Here is the first instant picture. 



 



Washed off some oil: 



 


I have never taken an inventory check after just a few runs hot, so a little unsure of how much "wear and tear" will occur to the bearings so early. Oil was relatively dirty, so I'm happy to have a start-up oil. Focusing on the next shift will be better. 

Hopefully, I will get the oil pan welded tomorrow. 

Next issue is to get higher oil pressure. Honestly, I cannot see that the oil pump had so much wear as I had hoped... Do some of you guys have the exact specs/tolerances of the oil pump?

5/1/2012


Been a while since last update, I have been @ work, and kinda busy lately. But here are some pics for some peoples amusement... 

 


New pump... 


 


Checked the new pumps clearances ofcourse... 


 



Sump fixed, ready for startup... 


Oil pressure cold engine is aprox 2 bar, high revvs makes 4+ bar. 



 


Warm engine does not make more than 0.4-0.7 bar idle. Higher revvs 2-3 bar.... No good... 



 



Engine bay: 



 


 



Bought some new hats. 


 


Needs some adjusting  


 


Paint-mark the rubber ring, and cut it away 



 



Done 



 



With paint, it looks like stock. 



 



Some work with instrument... All was f**ked up, so tried to find some parts that works... 


 


 


 



Ribbon-cable could be a PITA sometimes... 



 


Needed some 1.2v rechargeable batteries... 


Cluster demolished 


 



Main printcard, checked and clear. 


 



SI-board hidden beneath main board 


 



Take away ribbon-cables 


 



Here you see the SI-board. 



 



Got some assistance from my friend while I was doing something else 



 



2 new batteries... 


 


Made a bypass past the SI-board, due to defectives. 12v +, 12v -, and speed input - just to activate speedo. 


 



Wires 



 



Testing 


 


 



Works? 


 


Oh yess! 


Car needed to see some fresh air... 


 




Had a test-run w/o windows and everything. Just wanted to feel the wind... 

Have a short clip here, please nevermind the "sqoink-sound", it is just a handbrake-issue that I have not looked at yet. Nothing special, just good to see it moving... 




As I have too low oilpressure, I wanted to double-check the bearings, 


 


Plastigauge: 


 


Checking: 



 



Status Quo: 

Main bearing 1: between 0,038-0,05mm 
Main bearing 2: between 0,05-0,076mm 
Main bearing 3: 0,05mm 
Main bearing 4: 0,05mm 
Main bearing 5: between 0,025-0,038mm 
Main bearing 6: between 0,025-0,038mm 
Main bearing 7: between 0,038-0,005mm

Got hold of some original BMW oversize color-coded bearings. 1 set blue, and 2 sets of red 


 


New sparkplugs was needed, damn, those were expensive!! 


"Old" bearings 


 



Most "worn" bearing: 


 



With new bearings, clearances are now 0,03mm-ish. Perfect: 


 



Sparkplugs, special for Alpina B7 


 



What the...??? 


 


Never seen such spark plugs before.... 


But still: oil pressure warm engine: 0,4-0,5 bar idle, 1.8 bar @ 2000 rpm and 2+ bar @ 4000 rpm. 


Visiúal inspection of the internals in the head. 


 


Nothing to find. 


I used a jumper between 11 and 14 in the diagnostic plug to run the startermotor w/o activating anything else. Nice tip, huh? 


 


Found nothing there... 


Oil filter housing, checking: 


 


Here it comes oil almost at once, out from the fittings away from block. Plugged the hole just to check if pressure comes earlier og gets higher. 


 


Nope, same low pressure, and it takes looong time to get pressure. 


Anyone have any clue here??? 


It really takes some time to get oil pressure (feels like I am filling a kind of reservoar every time...), and when it finally comes, we are talking 0.3 bar pressure when just using the startermotor. It should have been ca 1.0 bar when using the starter.

6/23/2012

Back to business, I have been on vacation etc lately... 


 



Time to install the filter housing back to the block. 



 



Maybe it was the plug? - see item #3: 



 



Pics do tell it is in place. Damn.... 



 



Measuring how to isolate the head from block. 



 


Random shots of oil channels.. 


 



Oil channel to pressure switch.: 



 



Custom made item to stop oil come into head... This will make oil only into block area. 



 


This is how it looks like 


 



My thought:: 



 


Mounted... 



 


 



Cranking the engine makes an oilpressure in block 0.7 bar, 0.2 bar towards head. Way too little... Filmed a sequence of engine cranking, sorry bad quality. 



 



Engine started: 1.2 bar @ warm engine 1800 RPM in filterhousing, 0.2 bars measured @ head. Strange?? PS! Pic shows 0.5 bar to head, pressure lowered as engine got operating temp. 


 



My thoughts now:: 


I cannot understand anything else than the thought of oilpressure dropping in block now. 

SÃ¥ what to do? 

Change block? 

I guess that that would be the best thing to do. 


Anyone else with similar experiences?

Oil pressure is supposed to be (BMW spec): 

Cold engine idle: aproxx 5 bar 
Warm engine idle: 0.5 - 2 bar 
Warm engine 4000 RPM: 4 - 5 bar 

Cranking engine: 1 - 1.5 bar

The Alpina-block is based on a M106, so yes, the oil nozzles are present. 

They should all be there... Hopefully... I only have one picture of them (not on my laptop here @ work), and those who are visible are present... 

EDIT: I found it on page 2 in this thread... : 

7/25/2012

Just wanted to share some pictures again  

I have decided to do something with my shadowline, as I do not feel comfy with the Sepang Bronze color and the original Shadow black. So.... 


 


Airfilterhousing needed some paint also : 


 


Rear lights too: 


 


Windows front/rear: 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Aaaand: 


 


 


 


 


Even one of my cats enjoys the Comfort of BMWs  


 


 


Pure porn... 


 

Pictures from today, 25th of july... 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Hopefully I will get this car in ONE color in the end of next week...

7/27/2012

Oki Guys! 

Todays update.... Getting closer to paint now... 


 

 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Hope it looks good to you.... 


BTW... Anyone heard from RonP? I have tried to get some Alpina Deko-stripes from him, but me does not respond to my PM...

7/28/2012

Thanks Murfinator, for the kind words. 

Regarding your post, I will come back to you later with a Q or two... 

Meanwhile, I have been at the paintshop today and shot a few teaser-pics with my Iphone. So bad lights, camera etc - but I just wanted to share... 

Enjoy! 


 

 

 

 

 


You guys are looking at "Sepang Bronze Metallic" from the E60 M5. Better pics will come next week. 

Have a nice weekend! 

Best wishes from Norway, 

- Ivar

7/30/2012

Picked up an old friend today  


 



Finally back where he belongs, at Retrogarasjen 


 


More pics to come later on....

8/2/2012

Just wanted to share some photos.... 

 


 



Some parts from the paintshop 



 


First assembly was the covers on the C-pillar.. 


 


 


 



Nice? Finally we are on the right track here... 



Just needed to see how the rear lights looked on the car 



 



Hood covers 



 


 


Hushmat to reduce noise 


 


 


Remember the infamous "spoooiinnngg" sound when you are shutting the doors on the E28? Here is the sinner: 


 


In position. 


 


I just used a shrink tube. 



 


Mounted 



 



New clips 



 


Broken door lock 


 


just a few more shots... 



 


 


 


There will be more soon... 

Had a couple of pics also that I wanted to share.. It suddenly started to rain a couple of days ago, so here we go: 


 



Auch, so much water.... 


 



The kids' playground was all of a sudden a swimmingpool.. 



 



One not too happy Beemer with all this water.... 



 



And here is one even less happy.... 



 


15 cm (6 inches) of dirtwater flooding my garage......

Got everything dried out, and wanted to save the drowning window motor 


 


Still pouring some water 


 


Dismantled: 


 


 


Flushed the gearbox, was alot of dirt in there 


 


Motor in pieces 


 


A little heat earlier? 


 


With some loving hands, it looks better now 


 


More dirt: 


 



As good as new 


 


Assembled again 


 


Pay attention during assembling to the rotating bearing, as seen here in the hole 


 


All lubricated 


 



With a good help from my buddies:  


 


Adjusting the window by using the screw in the center of the pic 


 


Lines up like this 


 



Alot of small details... 


 


I almost forgot this little fellow 


 


New seals around the hinges 


 


New screws (before - after) 


 


 


More details: 


 


With this as a result 


 


 


 


Did the same with the rear door, but no need to double up the pics, right? 

 



More pics: 



 


 


 


Just a crappy photoshoot: 


 


 


 



Ready for the next side 


 


Thats it for today 


So here it is, how it looks like right now...