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One of my BMWs most enjoyable cars...
My first E28 was a 1983 533i. It was an early production Bronzit over black with a 5 speed example. It was rough around the edges, but it was a solid car that ran very well. I learned a lot about the E28 and the 533i during my ownership of that car. The 1983 533i was the fastest production sedan in North America in 1983. It is a spirited and exciting car to drive in stock form. The engine revs quickly and pulls all the way to redline making for an exhilarating ride. I fell in love with the E28 and, especially, the 1983 533i.
About five years ago, I got a call from a good friend who told me he had found a very nice, clean, well maintained, one owner 1983 533i for sale in Phoenix. I was, quietly, a little jealous and excited for him. The car was Black over Pearl Beige and had roughly 136,000 miles at the time. He was excited to purchase the car as he is also an avid E28 enthusiast. Over the years, the car was slowly and tastfully modified. The car started out as a bone stock example except for a front is air dam and a rear spoiler.
The U.S. specification bumpers, headlights, grills, and spoiler were removed in favor of European specification Bumpers and lights. A BBS front air dam was also added along with a beautifully restored set of BBS RZ wheels.
I was glad the car had gone to a good home and had forgotten about it. However, one evening last summer, I was perusing craigslist for E34 touring wagons for my wife when I stumbled upon a aurprising find: the 533i had been listed for sale. This was only a few short months after it had been purchased and relocated from Phoenix. I wasn't sure what to think. I immediately contacted my friend in Phoenix who was equally shocked. The car hit Bring a Trailer the next day and inspired some conversation:
http://bringatrailer.com/2013/07/26/euro-bumpered-1983-bmw-533i/
I sat back and watched things unfold thinking that the car would be sold quickly. But, it didn't sell. Many people said they wanted the car and talked about how it would be theirs if they "only lived closer." I discussed it with Joel, my wife, and my good friend in Phoenix. They all knew that I had wanted the car since 2008 and resoundlingly told me to go get it. I sat on it another week and made sure it was the right move. I contacted the seller and made arrangements to go see it.
Joel and I took the E39 M5 and drove down one eveing after work. It was hot out. We slogged along I-5 South to Tacoma to find the car. When we pulled up in front and I saw the car sitting there, I knew in a heartbeat it was going to be mine. My first impression was enough. The car is impressive in person. It is not perfect, but has the "cool" factor. It has a very big presence with the euro bumpers and BBS front spoiler. The gold pin stripe paired with the BBS RZ wheels are complimentary and quite striking.
During the test drive, I noted that the car ran as a proper 533i should. Smooth power all the way to redline paired with a light and nimble feel stand out when driving a 533i. I struck a deal with the seller and drove the car home. I was pretty excited to be back in a 533i, especially one with so much character. We got the car back to Joel's house and started the project planning.
Over the years, my friend and I loosely discussed the car. He had told me that I had "first right of refusal" if he ever decided to sell it. I appreciated that, but didn't see him actually selling the car. The car was not driven much between 2008 and 2013, but it was maintained well and mechanically improved over that same period. My friend's E28 collection had grown to include some very special cars including a grey market M535i, a grey market 528i, an Alpina B7 Turbo, and a grey market E12 M535i. With two complete restorations in different stages and the stress of maintaining a collection of vintage BMWs, he was considering sellign a car.
Jump to mid 2013, I received a phone call from my friend who told me he had receievd a serious offer on the 533i from another BMW enthusiast in Seattle. The enthusiast had called my friend and inquired about purchasing the car and driving it home to Seattle from Phoenix. I was torn. I hated to let the car go to someone else, but was in the process of finding a replacement car for my wife. Needing to purchase one car left me in a poor position to purchase the 533i. Reluctantly, I told my friend that if he was ready to sell the car, it seemed like a good decision given the growing needs of the other cars.
The car was sold to the "Seattle enthusiast" who drove the car home from Phoenix. He took a coastal route and documented the trip on mye28.com: http://www.mye28.com/viewtopic.php?t=115519&highlight=
The story was also picked up by motoring con brio:
http://motoringconbrio.com/2013/04/09/e28-road-trip/
Walking around the car the most obvious place to start was the rear of the car. The euro cars were manufactured with a different tail panel than the U.S. market cars. There was a deeper extension of the sheet metal that surrounded the exhaust. The U.S. cars were structured differently for the mounting of the U.S. bumpers. Also, the added length of the U.S. Bumpers necessitated a longer exhaust. When you convert the rear of the car to Euro bumpers, you leave behind some large holes that were used for the hydraulic bumper shocks. So, Joel and I decided to tackle the rear tail panel. The plan was to cut out the U.S. bumper shock mounts, weld in new metal, and build the proper exhaust extension. The Euro cars had a 40mm extension that surrounds the exhaust, we decided to do an extension of 50mm. Also, the stock extension has a cut-out that surrounds the exhaust. Joel and I planned a little bit more detail with a custom exhaust reveal.
Below is the stock tail of a U.S. 533i. Note the exhaust exiting below the tail panel.
And, below, this is the stock euro tail panel with the 40mm extension:
Work began on the 533i. The rear bumper was removed and and the holes and U.S. bumper mounting points were cut out.
The metal inside the holes was primed with weld-thru primer and later coated with an undercoat type material. New pieces of metal were hand formed and welded in to match the contour of the Euro tail panel.
The wholes on the rear lower quarters were also filled.
Once all of the new metal was welded in and the welds were dressed, the panel received a skim coat of filler.
Next, we turned back to designing the exhaust extension. Commonly referred to as the 40mm extension due to its height of 40mm, we decided to add 10mm. Thus, the 533i would have a 50mm extension. We also decided to make a custom exhaust reveal instead of the simple opening that is stock to the euro market cars.
Custom Exhaust Reveal.
Body worked progressed and the contours were fine tuned to closely match the euro tail panel. In addition, the custom exhaust extension and reveal were massaged.
The botoms of the quarters were properly coated with 3M product applied with a Shutz gun. We have found that this is an almost perfect match to the factory texture.
I didn't get any pictures of painting, but we used a single stage black mixed to BMW Schwarz paint code. However, BMW single stage Schwarz is just black. We applied three good coats and closely followed the flash time parameters. The paint came out very well. Here are a few pictures from the cut and buff.
I decided to replace the muffler and add some custom stainless exhaust tips. The tips were the same model as used on the Lamborghini Urraco. Of course, the Urroco has two sets. The 533i has one that is neatly fitted to the exhaust reveal.
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