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Custom 540i need opinions

3K views 51 replies 23 participants last post by  iceman4169 
#1 ·
Hey everyone. As you know the complete remodel of my car is in progress. Open to all opinions. So far on monday my car will be in the shop getting a turbo installed in it and an engine rebuild. I have a 99 540i automatic with 100k miles. I thought turbo would be insane on it and just something different since everyone supercharges their cars. Adjustable boost is good. It will have custom exhaust and all. Ill be pushing about 420hp all the time but can bump it up to probably close to 500. Dont have specs on turbo yet because my great friend (forced induction specialist) is taking care of all of this. Im putting boost guages on the pillar and the computer in the dash the one to adjust the power. Im putting 4, 12 inch subwoofers in the trunk because i used to work at a shop and speakers are my specialty. Tv deck in the front flip out screen. All the lights will be changed to blue except for the reading lights so when I unlock the car or lock it it lights blue inside. As for exterior, Im putting the back window roof spoiler (carbon fiber) and a matching trunk lip spoiler. The paint job is going to be black on top and a lighter blue on the bottom separated by a silver line ending at the chrome grille. Possible graphics coming out of the silver into the black and blue. Its going to look wicked sick and be stupid fast. A question i have is how about lambo doors. All the show cars at the shop i used to work at had the 90 degree ones and they looked super cool. I can get both installed from previous shop friend for 750 smooth. What you guys think? Btw everything has been purchased and paid for except the doors because i need help making that decision. Just waiting on last wires to be delivered to my house and im ready to install. And, what you think this sucker will be worth once im done with this beast.
 
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#2 ·
Unless you can find a Ricer wanting to move up to German iron, the car will probably be worth less than an unmolested E39 in comparable condition.

Has your mechanic guaranteed that this car will pass smog after all the mods are installed?
 
#11 ·
Lol i cant believe you didnt tell him to save his money for a cooling system rebuild.
 
#4 ·
Ive worked with custom cars my whole life. My 2 main show cars i was proud of was a chrystler 300 and a mercedes cls 550. Ive gotten many offers on both cars. As for the engine work, of course it wouldnt (pass) smog but hes my smogger so yes it will pass everything. It just kind of hit me. Easily adjustable boost with a smooth paint job. Mabe not a huge amount of people in sd but mabe people in LA would like it.
 
#5 ·
Its not going to look too crazy. The Chrysler ive won many trophies on and is crazy. The cls isnt as much done as the Chrysler its clean but not simple either has tvs all over the place. I think im thinking of not doing graphics. Just a simple 2 tone paint job, an incredible engine, and crisp sound.
 
#6 ·
Sorry to tell you, but most people on this board are a bit conservative with their E39's in regards to cosmetics. But you will find tasty mods under the hood or in the drive train of many.

The car is worth what you think its worth and what someone is willing to pay for it. In the end how much they identify with it and how badly do they want it.

If you had your other cars done and you had a market and demand for them in the circles you move. Then your best choice is to ask those people.

I have spent close to the value of my car when the car was only three years old to do lots of stealthy changes and maintenance.

I don't expect to get any of that money back, so they will have bury me with it.

Good luck with your build, if you think Lambo doors are the thing to do. By all means. :thumbup:
 
#14 ·
Very well said MartinV....

All in all you have to know your demographics. A turbo 540 sounds appealing but expensive at the same time. Most supercharge with the likes of ESS, Dinan or VF engineering but a turbo will require piping and fabrication of many parts. Depending on the boost you want to run you'd need to beef up the internals (I assume that's what your doing when you mentioned your rebuilding the engine). If your buddy is a FI specialist and absolutely knows what he's doing when it comes to the M62tu that's a great plus. I'd recommend that you post your plans to turbo build your car in the FI section (if they have one here or on bf.c). Some members have been successful with the build and will offer you sound advice and others have been unsuccessful and will end up saving you alot of headache and money. In addition it would be a good idea to get a 6 speed tranny to handle the power and overall reliability especially if you plan on increasing boost in the future. I believe one big reason the e39 M5 didnt come with an auto (apart from the low demand in a high performance M car) was it was not able to handle the torque from the S62. I am aware that you done have an S62 but according to the HP figures your expecting, your car will surpass the HP of an S62. I remember reading this on M5board somewhere and will search for the reference.. If you plan on turbo'ing you will introduce massive amounts of power from Mid RPM leading all in the way late into revband which will strain your auto tranny if pushed. To benefit from the additional power of the turbo some add LSD.

You will quickly add up the cost if your going for all power in this beast. All in all, understand that the more "personal' you make the car the less it will appeal to others leading to a loss of money for yourself. For ex: some people might fall in love with the aesthetics but turned off with the turbo or vice versa, everyone is different. If you have a select group of buyers in mind that would enjoy a car such as your building and the possibility for a future sale could arise , culture a relationship with them and you would'nt lose too much money in the end. This sounds like a great build and I'd love to read more about it. :thumbup:
 
#7 ·
There are 2 kinds of crowds. The ones that like custom cosmetics and all that, and the ones who want the power. Im considering selling my car, but id like to make money on it. In another thread i was talking about the turbo project. Turbo, engine rebuild, and exhaust from a very good friend of mine for 6500. Instead of going crazy with cosmetics just repainting my black car a darker black with more clear so its very shiny and keep it sporty. Do you think i can sell the car around 16-17k? Its in almost perfect condition. And after all the engine work it will be a blast to drive and wont need much maintenance for a long time. Thank you for your inputs. Other opinions?
 
#8 ·
From my limited experience, barring anything hideous, it's all in the quality of the work. There will always be a buyer somewhere sometime but a crap job will turn them off and lower what they will pay. If you want to make money, do what people want to buy and do it well.

Noone can say this will look good or crap until the whole package is done I just hope for you that the turbo and manifolds are well planned and doesnt cause long term issues in the cramped v8 engine bay which lacks sufficient cooling in stock NA form :/
 
#12 · (Edited)
Lol
2 tone ain't my thing

If you want m5 bumpers hit me up I bought them in march


Honestly your auto transmission is going to die. It might take a year or 2 depending on your driving style.
 
#16 ·
Water Pump! Advice Needed!

I have a 1999 540iA and have been trying to figure out what manufacturer makes the best and most reliable water pumps? Also which impeller is better to have, metal or composite? What is the opinions on Zionsville Radiators? Any advice will be greatly appreciated..I am getting prepared to put a newer engine and transmission in my 540i and just want to have the best and most reliable parts i can use.

Thanks everyone,

Alex
 
#28 ·
Do what make YOU happy, OP.

I have a 1999 540iA and have been trying to figure out what manufacturer makes the best and most reliable water pumps? Also which impeller is better to have, metal or composite? What is the opinions on Zionsville Radiators? Any advice will be greatly appreciated..I am getting prepared to put a newer engine and transmission in my 540i and just want to have the best and most reliable parts i can use.

Thanks everyone,

Alex
^Thread hi-jack at its best! :thumbdwn:
 
#17 ·
I'm sure there's someone that will buy a turbo E39 but it will be in spite of the 2 tone, not because of it. 2 tone belongs on conversion vans, not cars. :tsk:

Sent from my Galaxy Tab using BimmerApp
 
#18 ·
my opinion... keep the car simple on the outside. M5 bumpers ans sporty rims. no chrome rims... paint it one color. if you pull of this turbo your gonna have people lined up to buy this car... you wont even need to put a for sale on it. and when that person comes who is willing to pay anything for it. then you will have a good sale. but if you do the 2 tone and chrome rims and stuff... you will be looking at a diffrent type of buyer. and that buyer is hard to find.
 
#19 ·
There is always a buyer willing to pay for it. Especially when the fast 6 movie comes out. I used to work at a custom shop. I swear whenever one of those comes out we cant even handle the amount of customers coming in even with all 3 locations open. The 2 tone will be simple and clean. All work will be done as clean as possible. It will be in perfect condition and very very clean made. Yet not too flashy not going to do the graphics i had in mind because its still a BMW. The tv deck in the front, the subs in the trunk all custom and clean, and a viper alarm system will be good. I know ill have buyers for it. It just takes time and patience to find them.
 
#20 ·
I know I might not make a bigger profit on it if i do these things to it. Mabe it wont sell as fast. Perfect paint, Perfect sound, Perfect performance (besides it being an automatic). Mabe i wont make as much but hey its my car. Itll be fun. Its my project, pride and joy and it should be a blast to work on. Ill post pics when its ready. Thank you all i appreciate the advice. Thanks mike and all others. Still open to feedback if anyone else has ideas or opinions.
 
#21 ·
This is not happening, idk why yall are paying him any mind..
 
#22 · (Edited)
Yeah I think he is not really going to do it.

OP- lambo doors, 2 tone paint job. I think there are a bunch of people who would love to buy this car, but most of them are in straight jackets to keep them from hurting themselves and others. BTW its spelled maybe not mabe
 
#23 ·
seems sort of strange to me that you want to throw possibly 10k plus in this, and even before the work has started you're speaking of selling?!? (and making a profit at that...)
What did the car cost you to start off with?

If you want to be a 'wheeler dealer' and fix cars and sell em for cash, then i'm not sure this is the best project to do...seems a bit too West Coast Customs imo

and lalaray, he mentioned everything was paid for so I assume if he's already shelled 6.5K on engine work it's probably gonna get done
 
#24 ·
The shop I worked at is very WCC style. Im going to do everything I say im going to do on this car. The 2 things that I didnt pay for is paint and lambo doors. Ill be making a profit when i sell the car because im getting everything at cost. Im prepping the entire car myself and all that good stuff. They're just spraying it at the shop. The deck in the front, roof and trunk spoiler, and speakers are already paid for. So I'm getting everything at cost basically for the price the people who sell it to the shops for. The engine work starts on monday. Ill be without a car for a week or so. Then the rest is in my hands. Also, I got a KILLER deal on this car. There was an old man who bought it new at the time and drove it very smooth and maintained everything on it. Took excellent care of it. Always garaged and stuff. It had like 98k miles on it when i bought it (clean title) for 5250.
 
#26 ·
Did you say West Coast Customs style?? Ewwww.... They follow the bolt as much **** on as possible and give it a candy paint job" dont forget, more Tv screens then seatbelts and more fill the trunk with more useless crap to weigh the car down. Show cars suck. barf..
 
#33 ·
Did some heavy thinking last night. Funny I watched pimp my ride this morning lol we only have a couple cars like that but they dont even look that dumb. Only thing thats like a tv is the deck in the front. Its a flip out. Going to install the subs. Clean box none of that crazy colored crap. I think the quality of the paint job and style will be nice its not going to be super crazy. It shouldnt be. Its a BMW. Thanks for bringing me back down to earth everyone.
 
#40 ·
All good, by all means it's your vehicle, do as you wish! but I am not gonna lie, with all these back & forth posts and the way this project was described, this is what popped to mind…


creme de la creme

In all seriousness though, post the updates and prove everyone wrong, including me...

PS: you may want to switch forum ;)
 
#35 ·
Its a straight 6 engine. Its alright though I thought the same thing at one point. I just realized you're being facetious.
 
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