What am I getting myself into?

I was posed a trade that I am seriously considering.

My buddy out on long island has a 1994 530i/5 that he did a 4.0L swap on, so it's a 540i/5 and it may be mine soon.

M60B40 183K miles
Cats y-piped to a single exhaust, dumps under the car - needs to be piped to the back
standard East-Coast-E34 rust (lower doors)
CEL comes on with cold starts, but goes off after warm
- He thinks is the throttle body gasket is leaking, could that be it? / How hard of a job is that
Oil Pan leaks even though he installed new gaskets
- He thinks maybe he didnt use enough silicone Is that a thing?
Needs PS hoses and clamps
Blower motor is shot
Heater core needs a flush or replacement
Holes in the floor boards from imporoper jacking (told him to fix this before trade)
Driver seat twist (LOL - like thats an issue)
Interior is "gutted" - car was intedend for track

It does have new billies and vogtland springs
sachs clutch kit
genuine AC schnitzer pedal covers
yellow HID fogs
540i brakes with slotted and drilled rotors.

time

Hmm. Which car are you considering trading with? I don't know if you could swing it, but it almost sounds like it would be better to see if you can purchase it outright. It seems to me that all you would be getting for your trade (assuming you are trading in your E34 even) would be a 5 speed powerhouse that needs a lot of work instead of having an anemic auto powerplant in a car that is in great shape.

Good luck with your decision. Just make sure it is one that YOU can be happy with and not look back with regret.

Originally Posted by BMR_LVR

Hmm. Which car are you considering trading with? I don't know if you could swing it, but it almost sounds like it would be better to see if you can purchase it outright. It seems to me that all you would be getting for your trade (assuming you are trading in your E34 even) would be a 5 speed powerhouse that needs a lot of work instead of having an anemic auto powerplant in a car that is in great shape.

Good luck with your decision. Just make sure it is one that YOU can be happy with and not look back with regret.

He wants my E28

I'd end up with a 95 525iA M50B25TU and a 94 530i/5 M60B40

Does that make the choice easier for you? I think it would for me.

A bit. E28 needs work too. It's just which project I want to take on i guess. I know what i'm in for with the E28, i'm trying to get a feel for how bad the 540i will be. I know alot of members here have M60s or experience with them, if they could shed some light on how deep i'd get myself, it'd be made easier...

I know I don't have much to contribute, but the power behind the m60 does not leave anything to be wanted, so I'd do it, the only thing that would bother me is the jack stand holes..
(if he couldn't jack the car up properly did he perform the swap properly?)

Originally Posted by zfxpE34

I know I don't have much to contribute, but the power behind the m60 does not leave anything to be wanted, so I'd do it, the only thing that would bother me is the jack stand holes..
(if he couldn't jack the car up properly did he perform the swap properly?)

he blamed a PO or other people. He said he was going to rivit sheetmetal over it or just have it welded. this and the muffler were my only requests...

and your getting this can on purpose?? Is it for road or track??

Lol it would be on purpose. I haven't seen interior pics yet so I dont know for sure how bad it really is. Maybe I should just keep the e28...

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Originally Posted by Monsignor

M60B40 183K miles
Cats y-piped to a single exhaust, dumps under the car - needs to be piped to the back
standard East-Coast-E34 rust (lower doors)
CEL comes on with cold starts, but goes off after warm
- He thinks is the throttle body gasket is leaking, could that be it? / How hard of a job is that
Oil Pan leaks even though he installed new gaskets
- He thinks maybe he didnt use enough silicone Is that a thing?
Needs PS hoses and clamps
Blower motor is shot
Heater core needs a flush or replacement
Holes in the floor boards from imporoper jacking (told him to fix this before trade)
Driver seat twist (LOL - like thats an issue)
Interior is "gutted" - car was intedend for track

If the throttle body gasket is your issue it's usually not a hard job, on most cars anyway. Just need to cut out a piece of gasket paper, slap it in, and bolt it up. For the oil pan in most cases an actual gasket should be used, RTV is quite a pain to remove sometimes.

I suggest you do a good overall inspection before you blow it off, you never know, you may see how you can easily some issues. Also, in my opinion getting a 5 speed ensures fun (except in traffic) and gives a nice feeling of control over the car.

A few questions I have - What work does your E28 need? And just how "gutted" are we talking here?

Well a 540i with the interior stripped out would be a fun. I worry about the tramission holding up to the power/torque of the 4.0,but there are alot of guys running them on swaps with no problem.
It's still got 530i sways probably, and would likely need 540i brakes. Idk sounds like fun to me however you have to weigh your options.

Street sleeper is always fun! Maybe find 520i badge for it!!

Originally Posted by BMWFatherFigure

Street sleeper is always fun! Maybe find 520i badge for it!!

they made a 518i, powered by the M40 1.8L, at least they only came in manual, my god it would be slow

It does have 540 brakes idk about sways. Havent gotten the interior pics yet.

E28 currently: (what I emailed him)

1987 528e/5:
200K miles (odo still works)

The new:
Master and slave cylinder
Catback and hangers and all that
Coolant level sensor
Thermostat
Whiteline sway bar (still have stock)
Lights and lenses
Shift knob and boot
Diff mount (couldn't read it enough to see if it is LSD.)
Air filter

Parts I have (uninstalled):
Rear rotors and pads and wear sensor
Front pads and wear sensors
New antenna
Oil pan gasget
Headunit with the works (mp3, Bluetooth, etc)
Used set of calipers (thanks andy!) with rebuild kit for all 4
3 sets of tail lights (got them for free)
Two ignition wire sets (also free)
Distributor rotor
Tons of fuses and bulbs
E34 15" basket weaves (useless tires still mounted)
Thermostat (stuck open)

The bad:
Needs abs sensors (I have shapeshifter looking for junk yard ones)
Oil pan leaks (have new gasget)
No radio (have all parts for it)
Brakes (have all parts for it)
Cat has a hole in it
I was going to do shocks and springs on all 4 when it got warmer. Stock, still work fine, will need to be replaced soon.

Motor runs great, no mechanical issues.Body and interior look great for a 27 year old car. No weird idle or anything. I was going to replace all old parts and lower on springs with the 15" basketweaves and that's it. It's a damn fine example.

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I'm backing out. I'd rather keep my E28. Some day my hellrot 540i/6 will come to fruition but this isnt going to be the one.

Originally Posted by Monsignor

I'm backing out. I'd rather keep my E28. Some day my hellrot 540i/6 will come to fruition but this isnt going to be the one.

Gosh Joe I didn't know you had a e28. I thought you also had a 3 series too

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Originally Posted by supertech777

Gosh Joe I didn't know you had a e28. I thought you also had a 3 series too

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nah, just the E34, E28 and the 350z. i was looking into an auto E30 325e but got the e28 instead.

Ah ! Got it . Is the e28 a stick ?

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Yes sir. I adore it. An abolute 121hp blast. Irs the 180lb-ft that make ot a good time though. Its my daily driver

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Originally Posted by Monsignor

Yes sir. I adore it. An abolute 121hp blast. Irs the 180lb-ft that make ot a good time though. Its my daily driver

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Ah nice !

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I'm glad you decided to shy away from this trade.

Beaut pair (a compliment I don't usually bestow on a bloke). I have E23 and E38 but they are both auto, of course, as BMW never brought a 7 manual to Australia. Good luck with your mods.

Originally Posted by BMWFatherFigure

Beaut pair (a compliment I don't usually bestow on a bloke). I have E23 and E38 but they are both auto, of course, as BMW never brought a 7 manual to Australia. Good luck with your mods.

thanks! :thumb up:

Love my cars, E28 is getting a GIGANTIC amount of that list done this weekend. REbuilt calipers and all new brake parts, thermostat and radio.

Good call- I would rock that e28 all week and twice on Sunday. Someday I will have one... Wanna trade for my 530i? Lol

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You might consider dropping a 535i into the e28. I did mine with an M5 clutch, lightened flywheel, Dec cat, Dinian chip. I could do burn out's. For some reason it always felt lighter than my E34. Only 33lbs, but it felt like it was standing on it's toes.