Salvage 128i 6MT Slicktop Rebuild / Track Toy

[wootloops]

Specs/Mod list as of 8/25/22:

2011 BMW 128i SULEV (N51)

Engine/Power mods:
Condor Speed Shop headers
Tuned by Bob @ StageFP
N54 Intake Manifold (Modified to fit per @BiginBoca's instructions)
MILVs
Berk street axleback modified to fit custom 3" straight midpipe exhaust
BMW Performance Intake
3.73 rear differential from automatic E92 328i
Blackline helical LSD

Suspension/Chassis/Brakes:
YCW Coilovers with 8k/16k swift springs
M3 Rear spring/camber arms
M3 front lower control arms
M3 front tension arms
Bimmerworld adjustable rear toe arm
Bimmerworld spherical bearing for rear spring arm
Condor Speed Shop rear subframe bushings (Delrin)
Whiteline rear diff bushings
Brembo front calipers from F30 335i
340mm front Brembo rotors (Aluminum center hat)
E90 328i rear calipers
135/335 Brake master cylinder
PFC08 Brake Pads Front / 331 Rear


----------------------------

Hey everyone. Decided I would log my new E82 project here.

Some background: I've owned quite a few different performance cars, including a few BMWs. Several years ago I had a couple of 135s (08 and 11) and they were pretty high on my list of favorites. Recently I purchased a 2008 E92 M3 and I've been putting a lot of work into it. However, I always toyed with the idea of getting back into an E82. This time, I wanted a 128i with the goals of making it a lightweight HPDE track car. As much as I loved the torque with the 135s that I had, I have been tracking a lot more lately and have come to appreciate N/A motors more than I used to.

A few weeks ago I stumbled on this 128i on Copart near Atlanta, GA. At the time, it was the only 6MT 128 in the US up on Copart. It was salvage title and appeared to have mostly front end damage, along with some blown air bags. It also was a slicktop, non-sunroof car, so that caught my attention. It seemed to check all the boxes for a fun project.







When the live auction came up, I ended up winning the final bid (although slightly over my initial budget). That was on 5/17/21. After a few days of dealing with the broker and arranging shipping, the car finally arrived at my house in S. Florida on 5/22.







Not surprisingly, the car showed up filthy after sitting in a salvage yard for over 3 months. Despite the auction house saying the car "Runs and Drives," I could not get it to start. Not only was the battery very dead (0 Volts) but the battery safety terminal blew due to the air bags deploying.

While I waited for a replacement battery terminal to arrive, I was able to rig the blown one to get the car started for the first time. With a new battery, I got it to start up without any issues. The idle was a little rough at first but after a few minutes it smoothed out.

As I am still waiting for the title, I decided to give the car a wash to get a better idea of the condition.

Before:




After:



Other than the front bumper damage, the car is in pretty good shape overall. The paint is not peeling or fading anywhere as far as I can tell. Just needs a good detail.

I also decided to peel the fading black vinyl off of the roof. What a total pain in the ass. Most of the vinyl eventually came off but there is still a ton of adhesive left over. I ordered some Rapid Remover but it won't be here for a few days, so that is on the back burner.




I also was lucky enough to find an M Sport bumper for sale locally. I went and picked that up since they are getting hard to find. The fact that it's already alpine white was a nice bonus. I'll probably eventually re-paint it since it's not in the best condition. It'll do for now, though.




That's all for now. Next I'll take the front bumper cover off to get a better idea of the damage. I am assuming the front crash beam, radiator core support, etc are all destroyed. Will post back when I have more info.

Thanks!

[wootloops]

Made some good progress on getting the car fixed over the past few weeks.



Started with a teardown of the front to assess the damage. Thankfully, it was just about what I expected... Front bumper bar, core support, and some smaller brackets/trim.




With all of those pieces removed, it looked good... No signs of frame damage. The radiator, condenser, etc all look untouched and no signs of leaking. A/C still blows cold after sitting for several months so I think it's still holding pressure just fine.





Got a brand new core support and ducts





And... pic of them installed. Super easy, all bolts right on. Glad BMW went this route instead of making them part of the unibody like other brands.





I had a hard time finding a reasonably priced bumper car / crash beam in the US. I ended up coming across a good deal on one in the UK. As a bonus, the euro crash bar is roughly 5 lbs lighter (11lb vs 15lb). Finished product:





After that, I also replaced the headlight brackets since they were damaged from the accident, and had to repair a couple of tabs on the headlights themselves. I also had to do some minor repairs on the front bumper cover around the screw holes that had ripped.

With that all out of the way, it's finally starting to look like a normal 128.





Took it for a quick ride to a friend's house. Feels pretty good other than the tires being completely shot, and could use a suspension refresh. Also badly needs to be lowered. Coilovers hopefully coming soon.

[..Rush..]

Looking good, friend!

[desertman123]

Thank you for saving this!!!!

[moebiuz]

Any updates? Nice project

[wootloops]

Originally Posted by moebiuz

Any updates? Nice project

Some updates. I was going to wait for more but I guess I'll post what I have now.

Most importantly, I finally was able to get the car inspected by the State of Florida. It's now officially a Rebuilt title instead of Salvage. It's also registered and street legal now! I have been driving it around a bit lately and no issues other than a bad ABS wheel speed sensor (now fixed).



I also got a new set of Apex ARC8 17x9 +52 wheels from the group buy. Wrapped them in some Falken RT615k+ tires (255/40r17).




They really need a proper coilover setup with LOTS of front camber (-3 to -4 deg) to fit correctly in the front. I am running them on the stock suspension with an 18mm spacer while I wait for the coilovers I ordered to arrive. The fronts poke way out right now and it looks ridiculous, but the tires that were on the car before were completely bald.



A friend of mine gave me an old M3 steering wheel he was not using, so I decided to freshen it up a bit and throw it on the car. I used a "Mewant" steering wheel cover from amazon. I think it came out pretty good for a $35 wrap. It's not a nice as something like a Coby Wheel or M Performance wheel, but I'm trying to keep this build at a lower budget than my M3.

Wheel Before:


Wheel After wrapping:


Wheel trim before:


Stripping the factory finish off:


Re-painted trim with Colorbond LVP in "BMW Black"


Finished Product



I also came across some old BMW Performance intakes on clearance so I couldn't pass it up. I did a charcoal filter delete at the same time as installing this, as well as a silicone intake coupler to the throttle body. I don't feel a huge difference in power, maybe a slight improvement in throttle response (could be placebo). Slightly more noise but also not very noticeable. But hey, it looks cool under the hood



That's all of the updates I have for now. Next project is coilovers, control arms, and brakes. Most of that stuff is already ordered just waiting for delivery.

[Gray_Panther]

Another 1er saved!! I love threads like this! Keep up the great work and enjoy the car!

[tracer bullet]

Congrats and thanks for the progress reports!

[moebiuz]

Wow! Amazing job on the the steering wheel, looks like new.

I would like to ask, does all 1 series show which tire is deflated like in your cluster light? Mine only shows that a tire is deflated, nothing else. It would be nice to know.

Also, I would like to ask where did you get the performance intake? That is a hard part to look for, i would like to get one.

Cheers

[Tuxedo]

this is a great build, my compliments.

It's M-sport w/o shadowline trim, somewhat confused

[wootloops]

Originally Posted by moebiuz

Wow! Amazing job on the the steering wheel, looks like new.

I would like to ask, does all 1 series show which tire is deflated like in your cluster light? Mine only shows that a tire is deflated, nothing else. It would be nice to know.

Also, I would like to ask where did you get the performance intake? That is a hard part to look for, i would like to get one.

Cheers

It may be due to the fact that North American market cars use direct TPMS sensors instead of FTM. But I'm not 100% certain.

this is a great build, my compliments.

It's M-sport w/o shadowline trim, somewhat confused

Thanks! It's actually not an M-Sport car. I put the M-Sport front bumper on during the repair process. The rear bumper that came on the car is just a normal bumper with a black outline sprayed on it... It looks like an M sport bumper from a distance but up close it's just a fake lol. I need to replace it eventually.

[Tuxedo]

after posting I'd noticed the lack of sport seats and the m-logo on the steering wheel must have been swapped

[willin11]

The steering looks amazing.

Good job on it! Looks really clean and sleek.

[08SlowE82]

Nice work 👌. How is the steering wheel trim re spray holding up? Need to do mine

[E46NYBMW]

How was re wrapping the steering? Looks really
good and want to order a kit off Amazon myself too.

[wootloops]

Originally Posted by 08SlowE82

Nice work ��. How is the steering wheel trim re spray holding up? Need to do mine

So far so good. Still looks like the day I did it and it's a near perfect match to the rest of the trim/buttons in the car.

Originally Posted by E46NYBMW

How was re wrapping the steering? Looks really
good and want to order a kit off Amazon myself too.

It was fairly easy. The cover slips right on and then you just have to stitch it closed. It took maybe an hour to do start to finish. I did it with the wheel off the car but some people do it on the car.

One mistake I made: I didn't use any of the double sided tape at first. It's not needed everywhere, but it is definitely needed for the areas where there is no stitching (i.e. the 3 spokes). I went back and tried to put it under the loose areas but I should have done more. I also didn't have enough material on one spoke to get under the trim cover, so I should have re-positioned it.

The "Suede" material from the "mewant" amazon cover is OK but it's not as nice as a real alcantara wheel like my Coby Wheel on my M3. It feels more like a fuzzy cloth fabric than a suede. The amazon seller offers an alcantara option, but it's something like $150. It may be worth it but its also getting close to the cost of an alcantara re-wrap job from Coby Wheel. Overall I think the amazon cover is a good buy for for the $35 I paid though.


More updates coming on the car soon. This weekend I'm installing coilovers, M3 front control arms, Bimmerworld rear toe arms, F30 Brembo brakes, muffler delete, and a few other parts.

[08SlowE82]

Originally Posted by wootloops

So far so good. Still looks like the day I did it and it's a near perfect match to the rest of the trim/buttons in the car.

It was fairly easy. The cover slips right on and then you just have to stitch it closed. It took maybe an hour to do start to finish. I did it with the wheel off the car but some people do it on the car.

One mistake I made: I didn't use any of the double sided tape at first. It's not needed everywhere, but it is definitely needed for the areas where there is no stitching (i.e. the 3 spokes). I went back and tried to put it under the loose areas but I should have done more. I also didn't have enough material on one spoke to get under the trim cover, so I should have re-positioned it.

The "Suede" material from the "mewant" amazon cover is OK but it's not as nice as a real alcantara wheel like my Coby Wheel on my M3. It feels more like a fuzzy cloth fabric than a suede. The amazon seller offers an alcantara option, but it's something like $150. It may be worth it but its also getting close to the cost of an alcantara re-wrap job from Coby Wheel. Overall I think the amazon cover is a good buy for for the $35 I paid though.


More updates coming on the car soon. This weekend I'm installing coilovers, M3 front control arms, Bimmerworld rear toe arms, F30 Brembo brakes, muffler delete, and a few other parts.

Awesome 👍🏻👍🏻

[Cobravila]

Great work!!

[Yeee82]

Lovin the steering wheel, keep it up.

[wootloops]

Made some progress with the car so figured I should share an update.


Over the past few months I ordered/accumulated the following parts:

• YCW Coilovers w/ 8k front 16k rear springs
• M3 rear spring/camber arms
• Bimmerworld rear toe arms + SPL eccentric lockout kit
• Condor Speed Shop solid/delrin rear subframe bushings
• M3 Front control arms
• New OEM inner/outer tie rods
• F30 front brembo calipers
• E90 328i rear calipers (to correct brake bias with the front brembos)
• Stoptech stainless brake lines
• 135i master cylinder
• Some random muffler delete from another forum member
• 135i gauge cluster (for oil temp)

It took a while (I think like 2 months+) to get the YCW coilovers due to supply chain constraints. I started to get a little anxious, but I felt that they were the biggest bang for the buck in terms of both the components used as well as the engineering and valving behind them. So I waited it out.

The rest of the parts I gathered over time and my home office started to look like an episode of hoarders. I was originally shooting to get the car ready for some track days in October but that never happened. Now I'm shooting for early december.

Finally a few weeks ago I had everything I needed, so I asked my friend Al aka Biginboca to give me a hand with the rear subframe bushings.



With Al's help and the right tools, this ended up being way easier than I expected.


Despite ordering all kinds of OEM hardware, I somehow forgot to buy one of the eccentric camber bolts. After a weeks worth of ordering/waiting, finally got the rear done:


Moved on to the fronts and got the coilovers, arms, and brakes swapped out:


By this point I was getting excited... seemed like all I needed was to adjust height and get everything aligned.. but then I test fit the wheels/tires and this was the result:


I am running 255/40r17 tires on 17x9 et52 apex ARC8 with 18mm spacers. Turns out I am just barely rubbing on the front tires. I also have very little clearance to the outer fender. So, I am going to try a 20mm spacer up front. I am also probably going to switch from 7" springs to 6" springs, which will allow me to raise the spring perch up on the coilover and should give me a lot more clearance.

In the mean time, while I wait for the front suspension pieces, I decided to install my 135i cluster. I first had to use an R270+ programmer to edit the EEPROM and remove the donor VIN from the cluster.


After that, it was as simple as coding the cluster with NCSExpert to match my car & vin, and then it was plug and play. The cluster picks up the mileage that is stored on the DME/CAS so it automatically matches the one I removed:



That's all I have for now. Hopefully I'll have the front tire fitment sorted out by this weekend so I can align the car.

[tracer bullet]

Nice work!

For the wheels, ET52 - yeah could be tough. You already have a solution in mind but perhaps this could be informative - specifically the staggered setup section.

https://support.apexraceparts.com/hc...-Fitment-Guide

Again though it seems you know, due to actual parts assembled, what to do. But just in case it helps at all.

[wootloops]

Originally Posted by tracer bullet

Nice work!

For the wheels, ET52 - yeah could be tough. You already have a solution in mind but perhaps this could be informative - specifically the staggered setup section.

https://support.apexraceparts.com/hc...-Fitment-Guide

Again though it seems you know, due to actual parts assembled, what to do. But just in case it helps at all.

Yeah so these et52 wheels are apex's specific "e82 track spec" fitment for these cars, from a group buy they did recently. They did come with the disclaimer that a 12-18mm spacer was needed with most coilovers, so this was somewhat expected. Turns out that I needed a little more than they suggested since the 18mm wasn't enough. New spacers should be here tomorrow and springs should be here maybe by the end of the week, so we'll see.