My Journey getting my 01 e38 740i Shorty up to my standards

[Detailers Domain]

The 2001 BMW 740i, part of the revered E38 series, has long been a favorite among enthusiasts for its blend of luxury and performance. I was fortunate to acquire this iconic model during the pandemic, unaware of the journey it would take me on—or just how much I'd come to love it. As I spent more time behind the wheel, I encountered the expected maintenance challenges typical of a car of this vintage. This led me to embark on a restoration project, aiming to upgrade and preserve the car in OEM-plus condition, with a focus on period-correct modifications. Among the enhancements, I upgraded the stereo system, addressing the outdated technology and replacing the blown speakers, ensuring the sound quality matched the car's timeless appeal.

After acquiring the car from a fellow enthusiast, I started to source parts from dismantlers, BMW dealers, fellow owners, as well as aftermarket sources.

My thoughts about maintenance is if there is an better than option go with it. Trying to go as OEM plus and period correct as I could go...

Problems to sort out

- blown speakers
- worn suspension
- worn front leather seats
- droopy headliner
- M Parallels rashed and tired
- brakes worn out / need more braking power
- cosmetic issues, dulled out trim, roundel emblems worn, dents
- paint imperfections
- front bumper scratched up and paint damage
- rear bumper scratched up and paint damaged
- mirrors fade and don't match the car's paint
- valve covers typical wear
- cluster needs to be fixed (pixalation)
- needs front windshield and rear window replaced (waiting for potential full body repaint)

Upgrades

Stereo
- 5 inch rear deck woofers removed and replaced with Bavauto
- Focal Flax Evo PS165ES (front and rear)
- Focal FDP 6.900 V2 - 6 Channel Amp
- AVIN Avant 4
- Design Rendition Cup Holders with 2 Charger Ports

Suspension
KW Variant 3
Syncro Design Works Thrust Arms

Brakes
Brembo GT Front Brake Kit
Goodridge SS Lines Front and Rear
Brembo Cross Drilled Rear Brake Rotors
Brembo Rear Brake Pads

Interior
Restored Headliner, A, B, C Pillars, Mirrors in Alcantara
Restored Rear Deck in Alcantara
Front Seats reupholstered
Restored Steering Wheel
New OEM Leather Shift knob
Replaced phone carrier in arm rest with coin holder (OEM)
Center dash grill replaced with new OEM

Exterior
Roundel Front and Rear replaced
Front Bumper Black Trim replaced
Front Bumper repainted
Rear Bumper repainted
Mirror repainted
Dents removed
Wetsanded and Corrected
OEM Pre LCI Center Grills

UPDATE: 10/16/24
Ordered BavTek Inc BMW Instrument Cluster LCD Display Silver Ribbon Cable DIY

Unfortunately I'm not sure where my original photos of the car prior to the mods and maintenance.
When I find them I'll post them.



Dent removal


Bumpers, Mirrors and Trim removed for repaint








Years of build up dirt and debris


Painted pieces back from Final Touch Collision


OEM pieces about to go back on the car


Rear cleaned up for bumper install


Old Orange bulbs out for newer clear bulbs


Before


After


M Parallels were pretty beat up, had Will from Proformance in New Rochelle completely refinish them.







Back on the car with restored wheels

[SW111]

Looks great! I’ve always loved the shorty E38.

[DubaiRich]

Can't wait to see more content. Great job so far!!

[Chihuahua]

Nice shorty sporty, looks great. Good luck with the car.

[B58 parts]

I came here to see oil leaks

Did you fix it all mechanically already?

Nice car btw, enjoy the black paint

[wyshyvanuk]

I have two NEW valve covers. $350 plus shipping from 85712.
Thanks,
Ted

[Detailers Domain]

eventually this car will be fully repainted, in the mean time I decided to wet sand the car to improve the look of the paint.

Tools and products used
RUPES Skorpio III Sander
SAND PAPER - 1000-3000
RUPES HLR75
RUPES HLR15
RUPES HLR21
RUPES YELLOW WOOL PAD
RUPES YELLOW FOAM PAD
RUPES WHITE FINISHING PAD
RUPES DA COARSE COMPOUND
RUPES DA FINE POLISH
THE RAG COMPANY MINER MICROFIBER TOWEL

BEFORE THE PAINT WAS DULL WITH DEEP SCRATCHES AND SWIRLS


PHOTOS OF THE PROGRESS




IMPROVEMENTS ON THE PAINT AFTER THE SANDING AND CORRECTION





BROUGHT THE CAR OUTSIDE AFTER SANDING AND POLISHING AND I WAS PRETTY HAPPY WITH THE RESULTS, IT'S FAR FROM PERFECT BUT MUCH MORE PRESENTABLE NOW.

[Detailers Domain]

Debadging and Installing new emblems. (heat gun / fishing wire / solvent to remove the left over adhesive)

While sanding the car I decided it would be a good idea to remove all the badges and emblems.





20+ years of old emblems with dirt and debris



Hood and Trunk Emblems


Old Vs New


Rear Trunk Roundel Installed


Front Hood Roundel Installed

[Detailers Domain]

A ton of maintenance items

Fix Rear Shades - found a new one at the dealer the other side I believe was NLA


3 out of 4 Window Regulators were replaced




Updating the broken grills with new pre LCI grills




Transmisson Control Module - Replaced the old one (got some transmission failure code, so glad it was this module and not a transmission)


Trunk Shock Mounts replaced



Old vs New


These were removed to prevent the water/condensation in the cockpit (one on each side / driver and passenger)



Unhappy with the current condition of the valve covers I ordered a refinished set on ebay .... not really happy with what I got from the ebay vendor, I decided to go ahead with the covers and service. While the original ones were out I sent them to Proformance to refinish and wrinkle coat it.

Ordered a valve cover seal kit / plugs / filters / oil the works.




They all seem to do this




New Starter



Ebay bought valve covers






Much better than the worn out stock ones



New window/engine cowl to replace the old beat up one


Wiper blades replaced


When I bought the car the previous owner mentioned that the roof may have a leak, we ended up doing a full maintenance service on the sunroof, cleaned the track and changed all the seals.


Center Arm Rest Coin Holder replaced

[Detailers Domain]

Cleaned up the Engine Bay

Products Used to Clean the Engine Bay
Nanolex Professional All Purpose Cleaner
EZ Detail Brush
Wheel Woolie Brush 20 inch

Detailer's Domain's Standard Detail Brushes
Sonax Plastic Detailer (used to dress the motor)







Engine Cleaned and Dress (prior to the valve cover change)

[Detailers Domain]

Original Valve Covers get restored by Proformance in New Rochelle

Beat up valve covers


Blasted and prepped




Final outcome is great ... now time to find the time to pull it all out again and redo it.

[Detailers Domain]

Originally Posted by B58 parts

I came here to see oil leaks

Did you fix it all mechanically already?

Nice car btw, enjoy the black paint

believe it or not the car didn't have any oil leaks...but there were a ton of routine items that needed to be replaced, I'll post them as I have time to build this thread.

[Detailers Domain]

Originally Posted by SW111

Looks great! I’ve always loved the shorty E38.

thank you!

Originally Posted by DubaiRich

Can't wait to see more content. Great job so far!!

thanks!

Originally Posted by Chihuahua

Nice shorty sporty, looks great. Good luck with the car.

Originally Posted by wyshyvanuk

I have two NEW valve covers. $350 plus shipping from 85712.
Thanks,
Ted

Ted I wish I knew... I would have bought them LOL.

[wyshyvanuk]

Well, it was either you, or the art installation in the den ;~). Looks great!!!!

[whyzee125]

Beautiful e38! Really puts it in perspective just how much work it is to get a car back up to a good standard once it's been neglected for a while. Great work!

[mjr24]

How much do you think you’ve spent on replacing all these parts?

[Wolf 335]

Thank you for posting progress pics. Truly a pleasure watching this beauty come back to life.

[MarcoF90]

Awesome restoration so far! You got me inspired now, as I have recently picked up a 1998 E38 740i and have currently been trying to get it together mechanically.

I do have some questions, how easy was it for you to install the new shift knob? As mines is kind of loose.

[Wolf 335]

Originally Posted by MarcoF90

Awesome restoration so far! You got me inspired now, as I have recently picked up a 1998 E38 740i and have currently been trying to get it together mechanically.

I do have some questions, how easy was it for you to install the new shift knob? As mines is kind of loose.

First order of business...timing chain guides and then everything else.

[MarcoF90]

Originally Posted by Wolf 335

First order of business...timing chain guides and then everything else.

Luckily for me the previous owner of the car was a older gentleman who took pretty decent care of the car so the Timing Chain Guides was taken care of 55k miles ago. He wanted to keep his E38 and only sold it because he ended up picking up a slightly newer 7 Series (E65) and didn't want to financially maintain 2 7er BMWs.

So far i got it going in a great direction mechanically. Next issue is shaking close to idle and up to 2k rpm. anything past 2k RPM and the shaking disappears.

So will be tackling that issue this weekend

[Marcoose]

👍👍

[Detailers Domain]

Originally Posted by MarcoF90

Awesome restoration so far! You got me inspired now, as I have recently picked up a 1998 E38 740i and have currently been trying to get it together mechanically.

I do have some questions, how easy was it for you to install the new shift knob? As mines is kind of loose.

Pretty easy you have to pull hard to remove it. That being said we had our in house mechanic do it.