"Inexpensive" Calypso E34 M5 apartment garage resto-build

[MySubconscious]

Wow. What are the chances, I NOW OWN THIS CAR.
Bought it from a buddy in Charleston, was supposed to get a 4.8is from him, ended up with this somehow.

Florida car now, done nothing maintenance wise other than some oil changes & tires.
It was repainted the original color yesterday by my buddy. I am currently in PA for school, and the car is in FL where I will be living when I start my new job next month.

Parts I have waiting for it back in FL:
- new ac compressor
- Hella tinted tails
- literally, every trim piece you can possibly buy
-euro smileys
-euro trim
-all new badges & emblems
-new turn signals
-new fog lights


Car still needs to be cut & buffed

[econti]

Yeah I really dig the look of it at the moment.

The x9s fit so much better than the x8s on the mrs 530...

[oekundar]

I love the look on the car and that you’re keeping it....but let me know if you decide to sell


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[Jb325is]

Felt like updating this thread a bit, haven't been able to do as much to the car as I would have liked but it's definitely come a long way since April. I guess I left off with the de-chroming fiasco. The only thing good that came out of the picture below, the wheels looked pretty cool after the chrome as stripped:

[url=https://flic.kr/p/25AEJ6x]

Once I delivered these to the wheel shop I found that one wheel was incredibly bent, so much so that it could not be repaired and I was stuck with (3) 17x9 M-systems. Found another one on ebay that was said to be perfectly straight (it wasn't) and had delivered directly to the wheel shop (Prince Wheel Services in Monroe, NC- Definitely recommended). I had all of the wheels powdercoated mono-tone silver for simplicity's sake. I've always liked the look, and had a few all silver sets over the years but they were always spray-bombed, so it's good to have a proper set. I may end up painting the inners black at some point, but for now I'm happy with them. Got the wheels mounted and on the car just in time for the Vintage. Also installed 15mm front/10mm rear spacers and MH studs

[url=https://flic.kr/p/JQrha9]

Old pic of the fleet from around that time:

[url=https://flic.kr/p/25Up8cL]

The trip there was alright, keep in mind I had barely driven the car at all up to this point so I was learning about it on the fly. The Ground Control setup is great, the 450/350 rates are really nice and compliant, I got no complaints from my wife on the 3 hr drive from Charlotte to Asheville relating to ride quality. The car did exhibit some odd overheating symptoms, I could hear the fan clutch engaging/disengaging on the hwy and the car was running a tick over halfway on the coolant temp gauge at times. More on that later. For now just a couple pics from the Vintage, some of these were grabbed off of the Vintage FB page, so thanks to whoever took them.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/27xxmpc]

[url=https://flic.kr/p/28VqAVB]

[url=https://flic.kr/p/26u5sgx]

After the Vintage, I was a bit bummed about the car and all of the small issues that I hadn't planned on that were starting to add up in addition to the obvious cosmetic stuff.

-Overheating issue
-No A/C, ineffective heat
-Stereo not working
-RR window regulator no good
-Cluster still wonky, no instrument lighting at night

Good news was my steering wheel showed up:

2018-06-04_06-06-10

2018-06-04_06-05-40

2018-06-04_06-05-55



I didn't really mess with the car for a month or so, and actually went through a period recently that had me considering selling it since my e39 m5 is similarly modified and better in every way... But I've since come back to my senses and am trying to wrap up the mechanical fixes for now. I'll feel a lot better about the car when I can start working on the cosmetic side of things

Current project- Cooling system overhaul

This shitty radiator might be part of my cooling issues. Like everything else on this car, it's ultra dirty from sitting for a long time. I took this apart with the intentions of replacing the thermostat and seeing what that did, but once I got in there I realized that it needed more than that so I'm doing radiator, water pump, hoses, T-stat and giving everything a really good clean.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/Ka4vmD]

[url=https://flic.kr/p/28P2pW4]

Lastly, threw the covers on the other day. I kinda like it, but ultimately I won't be happy until I get some turbines

[url=https://flic.kr/p/27rWPHv]

[MX339]

Nice.

I made my thread first though. :p

https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=420139

[Jb325is]

Still haven't gotten my wheels back but I did get my headlights cleaned up and halfway installed today. Got some smileys that were in ok shape, just really dirty. Dis-assembled them, cleaned the frames in the dishwasher, and the lights themselves by hand. I bought the adjuster clips on Amazon- DON'T BUY THESE! They fit nothing like stock and you'll break a few trying to get them installed.

2018-04-14_07-52-34 by

Headlights and city lights wired up, I re-routed the plug from the sidemarker light (I have euro trim). Drivers side of the engine bay pretty well buttoned up. Re-installed rear light covers and airbox/ducting after this. Everything still goes together well with 535i power steering stuff, but the alternator intake duct does not go back on in my current configuration.

2018-04-14_09-53-22 by Jonathan braswell, on Flickr

2018-04-14_07-53-07 by Jonathan braswell, on Flickr

2018-04-14_07-57-10 by Jonathan braswell, on Flickr

Tomorrow's project

2018-04-14_07-57-36 by Jonathan braswell, on Flickr

Also, I've ordered a 370mm M-tech II wheel in alacantara. Can't wait to get that on here

[Jb325is]

I knew there was some e34 love here still! Good to see.

I don't have much in the way of fun updates yet. I am having a hard time getting my wheels back from the guy I had de-chrome them, I'm hoping to get them by the end of the week so I can refinish the full set. Tires are waiting to go on and I just started the car again this evening. Power steering stuff seems to work great.

I did have a small victory tonight, the cluster on this thing was DEAD when I got it. I bought some capacitors on Amazon and soldered them in on my kitchen table and the cluster seems to work perfectly now.

[img]2018-04-11_09-05-17 by jbraswell, on Flickr[/img]

[img]2018-04-11_09-05-37 by jbraswell, on Flickr[/img]

Hopefully the next update will be wheel re-finishing details, I might just throw the 8's on it to get it on the ground and aligned while the 9's are refinished.

[oekundar]

In for a great thread


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[F34R]

this makes me want to buy the local e34 wagon.

[MR E30 325is]

I too am feeling the E34 M5 love.

Looking forward to your progress.

[e30austin]

A Calypsorot E34 M5 is on my short list of cars that I would like to own and keep indefinitely. Very neat.

[Vic]

Seeing this makes me wish I had an E34. My first BMW was a 535i/5 so they will Always have a special place in my heart. Awesome work!

[2mAn]

Great car, love the history and the updates now and the ones to come...

I loved my E34 M5, it was actually my first BMW after owning only VWs prior. I really liked it, but the paranoia about the maintenance (bought it right at 120k) and the fact that my heart was really set on E30s made me sell it after a year. It was a great car though, and I have a lot of love for E34s.

Funny story. The car did NOT impress me on the test drive. I was driving it like a normal human shifting around 3-4k rpms as we drove around. I wasnt really impressed and had no intention of buying it, but when the guy dropped me off he redlined 1st and 2nd and with the B&B exhaust screaming as he flew away. I immediately changed my mind and bought the car a few days later haha

[alistairolsen]

Looks good so far, subscribed!

[econti]

I have a lot more love for E34s now due to my mrs having one. I'd love a M5, but unfortunately prices of anything with an M badge in this corner of the world is just a bit too ridiculous to justify.