1996 728i (E38) Restoration - My Journey

[ssmann]

Update @ 29th May 2010

Visited car this PM and am impressed with the progress todate. George told me at earliest they will paint on Monday 31st May. When I went it today, the car was completed touched up, primered in all the required areas and is undergoing taping to begin the painting process.....

Here are some pics of the process....

 

[ssmann]

More pics.......

 

[ssmann]

Some pictures to remind me of how the car looked like before embarking on this project......

 

[ssmann]

By 31st May 2010 car will be painted and then it will be sanded. The process will take another 2 days to cure and then the process of buffing and polishing will begin. Thereafter all parts and trims will be put together to form the external of the car, incl the newly refurbished rims. If all goes well, this process will be complete by 7th June. Thereafter it goes in for the ICE project :rock:....that will take a day. Then to Central Cushion for putting the interior together. That should be complete by 10th June. Then to the detailer for internal detail and thorough clean.

By 12th June 2010, will be calling Kevster to test drive the car, specifically to test the titan set up :burnout:

By 28th June ready to do external detail (after 3 weeks curing period) and by 30th June, ready for next 7's TT :rock:

Can't wait!!!!

 

[Eggie86]

Interesting. Can't wait to see the final results. I'm sure your E38 will be a really spectacular one. :top:

 

[vish]

hey bro serjit kudos on restoring an E38, one of my favorite UDMs :top: if you dont mind me asking, why a 1996 model and not something more recent?

 

[ICEMAN 68]

paii did you remove the front and rear mirror ??

 

[ssmann]

Hi Vish - thanks bro! Well, I looked around for a while and a model from 99 - 01 at the time I bought this E38 was about 90+k. I knew I had to spend some money restoring the E38 regardless if it was a 1996 or a 2001 to a condition that I was satisfied with. So I decided to go with a 96, spend the money to bring it up to the condition I like it to be and still look and perform better than a 2001....with some spare change....fingers crossed :wink:

Iceman yaar - my front windscreen was replaced only about a month ago. At that stage never even considered the extent of work I am undertaking now. Racun was injected very speedily......No, both windscreens were not removed. I am assured by painter, interior guy, ICE project guy and detailer that they will ensure the car is in pristine, like new condition when I get it back.......if its not "somebody gonna get the hurt, realllll baddddd"

Cheers - S

 

[andrewk]

.......if its not "somebody gonna get the hurt, realllll baddddd"

Cheers - S

:rofl: :rofl: hahahah!!! Joker in da house....

 

[ssmann]

Russell Peters bro....gotta love it!!!!

If you haven't seen his gig...search youtube. He da bomb!!!! Probably one of the best stand up comedians that Asian's can relate to......

 

[pussy]

guys.. look what i found on mudah..

maybe for those restoring their beautiful rides can look in this option..
anyone tried it..
ssmann, is the same method you are doing..

here is the link:
http://www.mudah.my/Bmw+audi+merdes+v+wagen+porches+cover+renew-6228004.htm

 

[ssmann]

Bro Pussy - this is awesome!!!! I sure hope it looks like that. The pics are mostly plastic/synthetic parts. For Vinyl, I understand the process differs as the "deformation" in vinyl is very hard to mend back........

I will know by next week....if the quality sucks...you also come and help me give somebody the hurt:rock:. Then we go Seri Kembangan to visit Leo Yong. RM100 to do all this!!!! I smell a con......

 

[pussy]

Bro Pussy - this is awesome!!!! I sure hope it looks like that. The pics are mostly plastic/synthetic parts. For Vinyl, I understand the process differs as the "deformation" in vinyl is very hard to mend back........

I will know by next week....if the quality sucks...you also come and help me give somebody the hurt:rock:. Then we go Seri Kembangan to visit Leo Yong. RM100 to do all this!!!! I smell a con......

no, no hurting people.. i too dun know about this restoration method as advertised, give your guys a benefit of doubt.. if they have been doing it for some time, let them do it.. see a sample yet by them ?

but you are correct, looks more to plastic than vinyl restoration..:rock:

 

[ssmann]

no, no hurting people.. i too dun know about this restoration method as advertised, give your guys a benefit of doubt.. if they have been doing it for some time, let them do it.. see a sample yet by them ?

but you are correct, looks more to plastic than vinyl restoration..:rock:

As I understand, Central Cushion are one of the best and most reasonably priced guys in the market. They seem very professional. Will be seeing a sample this Friday, thereafter will update

Plastic/synthetic parts can look like brand new with a respray. Vinyl on the other hand cannot, as it is moulded and the mold can detach with heat. Some points to note on restoring interior parts: -

1. Areas which are in close contact with the skin e.g. arms rest, door handle will fade and scar easily. This is because the substances released by our pores does not agree well with the material and will scar

2. Virtually all internal parts of the car can be resprayed. Vinyl, plastic and to some extent leather parts can be resprayed. Point to note, try to respray to the original colour as close as possible. Reason being, over time there will be scrathes and scruff marks and the ori colour may be exposed. Imagine a black repainted interior over an ori beige one.....yucks!!!

3. Your beloved UDM will be completely stripped and every moving part removed. Pray that every moving part removed is securely fastened in the right spots!!!!

 

[ssmann]

For those contemplating replacing BMW RDS Stereo with aftermarket system, great news!!!

Auto Gadget in Kota Damansara can do so. They can fit a custom bracket after removing the cassete and radio player. This will be sufficient space for a 2 DIN HU. I have read bimmerboard and E38.org and find the following upgrades necessary: -

1. Change factory standard speakers to aftermarket speakers
2. Unable to use BMW amp, therefore, for pristine sound, an aftermarket amp will be needed
3. Current power source cannot be used on an aftermarket amp, thus a new connection to the battery terminal is needed
4. Multi function steering will not work with aftermarket unit
5. Those with OBC function, unable to use that function either and lots of fault codes will be displayed

Benefits of changing to aftermarket system: -

1. Don't need to deal with BMW's famour "pixelation" problem. Some players have dead pixels!!!
2. BMW famous, CD Changer kaput every 5k problem!!!!
3. The sound from the current ori set up is very good, but with the right aftermarket set up, even better

I will be the guinea pig on an E38 and then the rest can follow suit if it work :rock: More racun......heheheheheh

 

[ssmann]

Friends,

Update @ 9:30am 3rd June 2010

Car has been sprayed!!!!:rock:

Today it will be sanded with very mild sandpaper. The paintjob will look as if it has been scrathed all over. Thereafter it will be thoroughly buffed, to bring out a complete shine Apparently, this is the way the pros do it!!!! I have no clue, as this is my 1st time. But I read on other detailing/painting threads that this is indeed true. Man, I wonder how such a process can even be possible......way beyond me man!!! A completely scrathed recent paintjob looking brand spanking new......

 

[pussy]

so once car comes out, all done plux interior... sure will be parked in the house..under covered..

hehehe... show car.

 

[andrewk]

Friends,

Update @ 9:30am 3rd June 2010

Car has been sprayed!!!!:rock:

Today it will be sanded with very mild sandpaper. The paintjob will look as if it has been scrathed all over. Thereafter it will be thoroughly buffed, to bring out a complete shine Apparently, this is the way the pros do it!!!! I have no clue, as this is my 1st time. But I read on other detailing/painting threads that this is indeed true. Man, I wonder how such a process can even be possible......way beyond me man!!! A completely scrathed recent paintjob looking brand spanking new......

Usually after painting, there are surface imperfection like orange peel effect. The sanding is to remove out these imperfections. Paint still soft so cannot do hard sanding. That's why, even after this, the surface is not really smooth yet. Usually, after a week or 2, then the detailer can do their job of compounding the car and either seal or wax it. Paint by then would have harden and all gases would have been expelled.

It's gonna look like a million bucks after this!

 

[andrewk]

Bro ssmann,

My ICE route will probably be slightly different since I got the OBC. Pixel on my units are all intact so no issues there. My CD changer also no issue, except that its rather sensitive to bumps. I'll also most probably stick to the factory speakers and amp if possible. Here's what I plan to do:-

1. Have my Business RDS relocated (dunno where yet, possibly in the glove box if there is sufficient space).
2. Replace that space with an aftermarket single-din DVD/GPS(?) unit - hopefully I can tap onto the existing amp setup.. otherwise, just install another amp at the boot area.
3. Maybe also install 2 monitors at the headrest area if they can do a clean install, and use 2 wireless headphones. Headphone cradle can be hidden in the rear armrest like so... http://www.cardomain.com/ride/232372/3

More research needs to be done. Hopefully, I can keep cost to a minimal by riding on the existing setup. Sorry to piggy back on your thread. Will start another once project commence....

 

[ICEMAN 68]

sardarji ...

once all is done pls then join us and be an official member of this club ... lotsa kanna pinna here ... how ??