Twin Turbo Wagon: Evan's E61 Build Log

[JuniorB]

Evan, I noticed you have the full air shroud behind the grills, I'm in the process of doing a bumper and saw this, I can't seem to find one for the e60. Is this an Europe only mod? An e90 mod? It looks much cleaner and would suggest be more efficient than the air deflector that's standard. Ty,and you done a great job with her!

 

[TwinTurboWagon]

Evan, I noticed you have the full air shroud behind the grills, I'm in the process of doing a bumper and saw this, I can't seem to find one for the e60. Is this an Europe only mod? An e90 mod? It looks much cleaner and would suggest be more efficient than the air deflector that's standard. Ty,and you done a great job with her!

I am not sure what you are referring to when you say "air shroud" can you please confirm or reference a pic?

 

[JuniorB]

I saw in one of your picks that you have fresh air ducts that contain incoming fresh air, it's located behind the grills. It's mostly on the e90, I've never seen it on a e60. The standard air duct is a 4 piece it seals, two sides, top, and bottom, it looks like yours is one piece, seals the grills. It's kind of hard to explain as I can't find a oem part number.

 

[TwinTurboWagon]

I saw in one of your picks that you have fresh air ducts that contain incoming fresh air, it's located behind the grills. It's mostly on the e90, I've never seen it on a e60. The standard air duct is a 4 piece it seals, two sides, top, and bottom, it looks like yours is one piece, seals the grills. It's kind of hard to explain as I can't find a oem part number.

That is ducting from an E60 M5

 

[TwinTurboWagon]

Not too much to report on the white wagon. She is still an ugly duckling from the outside which was compounded by me cracking my own windshield while trying to remove the top weather stripping. Insurance should cover it even though I am a dumb dumb.

I am still running a single 450 LPFP so my power is fuel limited, eventually that will be upgraded to dual 450s but as an interim solution I turned down the boost to a level where I can run full ethanol. I don't care to blend all the time and with CA gas prices being stupid high E85> 91 (duh).

I did have some misfires popping up and some of them were terminal, meaning clearing the codes didn't resolve the misfire. It turns out my (upgraded) Delphi coils were dying and some completely ate the bed. Thankfully I have a box of used OEM injectors and coils on hand. A few weeks ago one Delphi coil died, I replaced it with a used OEM coil and all good! This week I have another misfire, again replaced cyl 6 with a used OEM coil, then the next day two more Delphi coils died, at least their lifespan is consistent! lol. Planning for the inevitable I replaced the removed the last 2 Delphis and intorduced them to the trash can. I am now back on all used OEM coils. There are either the coils I originally had on my wagon before "upgrading" to the Delphis OR they are used coils from my buddies RB Turbo E90 that were removed prior to a single turbo conversion. I plan to run these until they die because, why not!?

Aside from the coils dropping like flys the wagon has been a sweetheart in terms of function and reliability so I will give myself a big pat on the back knowing I did something right! lol

I have some other projects which are stealing the spot light from the white wagon but I am looking forward to getting the white wagon's aesthetics back up to par with it's mechanical performance. Until then I will continue to live by my function>form motto.


Evan

 

[TwinTurboWagon]

We have ourselves a nice little update right here....

Although the E61 has been mechanically flawless for the past year, it has been running around San Diego as a bit of an ugly duckling with a blue M5 fender and an primed OEM front bumper. I am happy to report the wagon has received some much needed aesthetic love.
.....but wait there's more!

In this installment:
- OEM M5 Front bumper had PDC holes and washers deleted + paint
- OEM M5 fender had vent deleted + paint
- Cracked windshield replaced with new OEM glass
- New OEM cowl
- New OEM windshield surround
- New pano roof surround
- EHC sensor replaced
- Dinan rear sway bar installed
- Cluster received M5 bezels and pre-LCI needles
- OEM Brushed Aluminum Door Trim (dash and console OTW)


"Clean" is always the goal and I am a big believer in less is more. Continuing the there of deleting the (non-functional) M% fender vents I decided the have the PDC sensors and headlight washers shaved. The washer system is super annoying and functionally the system has been deleted for quite some time so it was a no brainer to delete the tilting covers. As for PDC, I know how to park and have good depth perception.

Here is a photoshop I did earlier which convinced to be do the deleting, it's subtle but .....clean!

With the bumper and fender off at paint I decided to also get my cracked windshield replaced.

I also replaced the weather stripping for the pano roof

Broken load leveling sensor replaced

Bumper and fender installed!

Bought a used M5 cluster to steal some parts from, the circular gauge bezels which are part of the front plastic and main bezel. It was a little scratched up so I polished the plastic a bit.

Before/After with M5 bezels, subtle

I also pulled some pre-LCI needles from the junkyard. The pre-LCI needles have the same design as the M5 but are white instead of red. I prefer the design of these needles to the LCI ones my wagon came with, in comparison the LCI needles look a bit bloated and not as sharp.

IMO the red M5 needles look "cool" (I run them on my X5D cluster) but are much harder to see during the day and therefore inferior to the white.

Here are the final pics:

New OEM windshield going in,

Fresh

Since I converted to RWD the RD Sport sways I had would no longer fit, since they are NLA and arguably the most desireable sway bars for the E61 I sold them as a set. My front sway bar is from a convertible M6 which is the largest OEM bar available for the E6X, for the rear I went with a Dinan unit which surprisingly, carries a reasonable price tag considering it has also the usually-overpriced Dinan badge.

 

[TwinTurboWagon]

Finally found some OEM brushed aluminum trim at a reasonable price, center console and dash trim is on the way as well.

The old trim was OEM wood wrapped in 3M "brushed aluminum" I much prefer the real deal!

Before

After

Looking good!

 

[doublespaces]

Very very clean as usual. Any thing you have considered doing next?

 

[fmorelli]

Aside, I like the exercise mat usage. I have that in the shop I work in (not automotive). Easy to replace any tile when it goes sideways. A bit of carpet tape can help things from moving around at the ends. How has it worked for you in the garage, and how long have you used it?

Filippo

 

[TwinTurboWagon]

Very very clean as usual. Any thing you have considered doing next?

Items which will be addressed sooner than later are:
- re-wrap window trim in satin black vinyl, current vinyl has UV damage
- Apply PPF to front bumper
- Build custom headlights (again)
- Get alignment
- Replace rear passenger door
- Build custom dual 450 LPFP setup, currently single 450
- Add Basser sub enclosure

Some other thoughts that are in my mind but not a priority:

- Retrofit leather dash with HUD
- Panoramic roof delete: Less is more and being 6'8" deleting the glass above should give me an extra 1-1.5" of headroom, currently my hair touches the roof

The pano roof cassette also weighs in at ~65lbs so that is a nice chunk of weight to save from the roof of a performance vehicle. The downside is ALL domestic E61s have pano roof so I would need to source and have the roof panel, headliner, and misc parts shipped from Europe. Then the work/labor of swapping the roofs, my guess is the complete project would be $2k+ all in so it's hard to justify.

Currently my E61 tips the scales at 3,965 lbs which according to BMW is ~100 lbs less than the E60 M5 sedan and ~350 lbs lighter than the E61 M5; the E63S and RS6 wagons which make similar whp/wtq in stock form also tip the scales in the 4,300-4,500 lb range. So my E61 is a bit of a welterweight in a heavyweight class and it would be cool to continue to trim down. If I entered in a 1/2 mile event and wanted to activate "race weight" I could also remove the front seats and rear seat back (install a Recaro Pole Position) which should save ~200 lbs. In theory I could get the curb weight down to 3,700 which would be a fun experiment.

Aside, I like the exercise mat usage. I have that in the shop I work in (not automotive). Easy to replace any tile when it goes sideways. A bit of carpet tape can help things from moving around at the ends. How has it worked for you in the garage, and how long have you used it?

I have had these inexpensive foam mats installed for about a year. For their price they work well. I was mainly after something that is more comfortable to stand on and I am often my garage barefoot so the insulation is a big bonus. They are not terribly durable and can slide around if you are aggressive with your movements but all things considered they work well for my needs.

 

[doublespaces]

I think that is less or right around what my E93 weighs.

 

[TwinTurboWagon]

Update time! Hopefully the pics work if they don't on this forum then Google "Evan's E61" and you can find other forums I post the same content on.

In chronological order....

My buddy imported an 12' E63 AMG P30 (550hp 590tq) so naturally we got together to go for a drive, snap some pics, and do some pulls. This is the first time I have lined up to do some pulls against one of the modern power wagons.

We had a couple fun runs but our starting RPMs were all over, I was starting in 3rd everytime which put me below 3,000rpms @40mph which wasn't ideal but this gave me the jump the first couple pulls since Andrew was in even lower gears, he then started in higher gears and got the jump. In hindsight I should have been in 2nd or, ideally in 3rd with some anti-lag. Andrew was letting out a bit earlier than I was expecting but my takeaway from these pulls is:
- we both suck at roll racing, lol
- the E63 has a TQ advantage and my E61 has a stronger top end

His E63 was completely stock and my E61 is detuned to 500whp down from 550whp. Overall it was neck and neck which I was great to finally see how my E61 stacks up against one of the big boys. Once my LPFP is upgraded (again), 550-600whp + anti-lag would yield different results. I will hold my head high until Andrew gets a tune and makes 700+whp tune only. lol

Here is a link to the very poorly made video I uploaded.

Washy washy

I got an OEM cover to help protect the E61 from UV while the E39 was hogging the garage getting a manual swap and tons of other upgrades.

The slumber of the E61 didn't last long since our X5 got a flat on a road trip to AZ and of course me being me I run a rare sized tire that no-one stocks so after being towed home I uncovered the E61, racked it up, and we left the next morning for Havasu.

For a highly modified, ethanol burning, lowered, straight piped, ethanol burning, 500+whp performance wagon with very short gearing the E61 was a peach just humming along. My fiance and our 2 Australian Shepards arrived safely ...and quickly! lol

Nom Nom Nom

Parking lot pic next to a nice looking Toyota!

I would have a hard time dealing with the ride quality of 20s but for fun I mocked up the 20" Camaro ZL1 wheels I run on the X5.

Used not abused! E61 drying rack!

We bought a house and I am remodeling the garage before I move my stuff in, not much car activity at the moment but I have a nice large driveway that can fit 7-8 vehicles! Room for another project wagon?

My father in law was visiting and this was his first time in the white E61. I took him on a drive through some nice local driving roads but unfortunately my shifter snapped while downshifting into second. It was a bit of a fumble getting this thing home since I couldn't get into reverse and to get the shifter over into the 1-2 gate I needed to use the OEM lug-nut tire iron from the emergency kit white my father in-law held the steering wheel. Unfortunately he didn't get the full experience as my wagon had just reached operating temp prior to the incident but fortunately we got home safely and the shifter will be an easy fix. It made for a great story!

I am helping a guy beta test his monoball bushings for the E6X thrust arms. These are very similar to the monoballs Turner sells. He has excellent pricing and I will be sharing more info once I have them installed. Here are some pics from the builder. Custom monoballs in new Meyle HD arms. I got a set for my diesel X5 too!

 

[fmorelli]

You will notice a significant improvement with monoballs in thrust arms on any BMW. Nice work ... please keep posting!

Filippo

 

[derekgates]

You will notice a significant improvement with monoballs in thrust arms on any BMW. Nice work ... please keep posting!

Filippo

I agree... huuuuuge difference!

 

[aus335iguy]

Awesome car and thread. Loving the attention to detail.

 

[TwinTurboWagon]

It's the 8 year anniversary of owning my white E61 and it has come a long way, most of the changes are small mechanical/functional details which are not easily seen in photos but here are some Before/After photos showing the transformation.

Moving Forward....

Got my shifter repaired by a local machine shop that tig welded it back together.

Monoball control arms arrived which included: front lower thrust arms, front lower control arms, and rear upper control arm, my rear upper guide arms are already M5 units which are OEM monoballs. So this means all the control arms front and rear are now monoballs.
Here are the front thrust arms:

Pics of the front lower and rear upper arms

My front lower bushings were beyond shot

The wagon also got new M5 front wheel bearings, they are essentially the same as RWD 535i bearings but they have 3 nubs to help locate the M5 rotors.

After the suspension upgrades I had an alignment done and boy, what a difference. Steering is sharp and the suspension feels solid and controlled. Yes, there is slightly more NVH but that is the trade off of monoballs and the upside significantly outweighs the minor downside.

One of my close friends just picked up a new-to-him F10 M5 and came to visit this last weekend. We attended a local Cars & Coffee in San Diego.

Wagons!

Up next is:
- New tie rods, new rear ball joints (steering knuckle/integral link connection), raise the front suspension a bit, and another alignment.
- M5 LSD (3.62) to M3 DCT LSD (3.15) swap. 3.62 makes for "fun" acceleration but gears a bit too short for normal driving so a 3.15 will be a welcomed change. The 3.62 M5 LSD will be fitted with a 2.65 210mm ring/pinion from a manual V12 E31 and this LSD will be used in an upcoming 535D E61 build. 2.65 will be great for the diesel engine and the 210mm diff will be strong enough to handle the 600+wtq

 

[TwinTurboWagon]

Speaking of the diesel E61 project, I also snagged a set of OEM 437M wheels. Here is a peek.

 

[TheFixer]

Beautiful car. Lots of nice mods. Makes me want to build my e60 into a full on track car.

 

[BoostHaus]

LOVE this wagon build! The ongoing improvements over the years and all the attention to detail is top notch.

 

[TwinTurboWagon]

Woah, it's been years since I've updated this ...better get to it!

In general the E61 has been a peach. Over the past 5-6 years it's been making 500+whp and I've only done typical maintenance and some small repairs/refreshes. Last May I moved to Colorado and the plan was to ship the E61, along with my E39 project wagon but logistic companies were a bunch of smoke and mirrors so I ended up loading up the E61 and making the 1,000+mile drive out in one day, pretty rough but got it done! I ended up driving my E70 from CO back to CA to rent a Uhaul trailer and tow the E39 back to CO. I became very familiar i70 running it x4 in a handful of days!

Anyway, lots to get caught up on!

Some ignition system maintenance back in San Diego

Flooring run

Diff swap on the X5 and new o-rings (or hose I forget) on the E61

Decided to eat a belt, perhaps from my oil lines wheeping?

Pulleys and tensioners were due anyway. I did have an audible *wrrrrr* bearing noise at idle from one pulley so it was nice to get that resolved.

Picking up local tortillas for some smoked brisket and seared ahi (local from a buddy) TACOS!!!!

Random interior pic

New rotors and new tie rods

Doggo

OG vinyl wrap on window trim was ready to be replaced

...so I replaced it

Wide angle lens doesn't help the dent in the rear fender look any better, wheels look sick tho!

Thanks FCP Euro!

I have no idea when I last drained them so this is kind of worthless info but left is high-load OCC and right is low-load.