E28 Alpina B7 Turbo/1 #0083

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Kyle in NO
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Post by Kyle in NO »

...had it not been for my misinformation they both would have taken home 1st place awards as their cars were that nice!
OcCoupe
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Post by OcCoupe »

Kyle in NO wrote:
...had it not been for my misinformation they both would have taken home 1st place awards as their cars were that nice!
Well unfortunately it is true.
vinceg101
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Post by vinceg101 »

OcCoupe wrote:
Kyle in NO wrote:
...had it not been for my misinformation they both would have taken home 1st place awards as their cars were that nice!
Well unfortunately it is true.
Well, it's not entirely your fault; whomever was in charge of the judging and event should have done a better job of communicating the parameters of said judging.
Actually, any communication would have been nice.

I am forever indebted to Mike, Andy Wong, and Jeff Tighe for their efforts on Saturday. It was extremely generous of them to do what they did for Chris and I.
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wkohler
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Post by wkohler »

Yeah, I know it's been a while, but I've been very busy.

So, after Clean Car in San Diego, we went to Costa Mesa to drop the car off at it's temporary home for the next couple of weeks. The drive up was a bit slow, but it was kinda fun seeing people pull out their phones and stuff. This guy in an Audi was even taking a video of my car going 30 mph. Never had that before. Also got a few thumbs up from other German car motorists. Neat.

While I was gone, Mike (OcCoupe) made arrangements with his windshield guy to redo my glass.

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The front is much better, but not 100% perfect. Reason being that the lower windshield trim you get now doesn't fit. The curvature is not there like on the old ones. It pushes the corners out funny and you have to make it contour to the windshield yourself, which really can't be done. That said, it's not all scratched up or burned with a torch, so 100% better.

The rear went smoothly and there was no excuse for the screwup.

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My thanks go to Mike for taking time out of his schedule to help ensure this was rectified. I came into town on Friday 05/31 and spent time working on the car myself. Tim, the windshield guy came to put the sealant in and that job was sorted. Fortunately, the headlining came out unscathed and most of the paintwork survived. Sadly, there's a nasty gouge below the seal on the driver's A-pillar put there by the original installer. The seal and the window sat so low that it covered most of it. Well, now with the window in the right position, it's pretty obvious. Something that will have to be fixed next time the car goes back in.

I spent a bunch of time tracing the cause of a malfunctioning low-beam, which ended up being a broken ground wire. Fixed that, then commenced cleaning the car. I did the wheel wells, etc. They get dirty as soon as you move the car ten feet, but I figured this way I could make less work for myself later. I also took the opportunity to switch the BMW lug bolts I had been running for a proper set of Alpina bolts. The Alpina bolts I had were in need of some cleaning and polishing and I just didn't have time to do it before San Diego. The originals to the car were damaged, so I was lucky enough to pick up this set for a fair price.

I neglected to take a "before" picture of the right side, but here's what the wheels looked like before:

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Not bad, but not correct. And I seem to be going for correct on this car.

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That's better.

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Actually transforms the look of the car in my opinion.

So, with that cleaning done, we had dinner, which was great. Then it was time for bed. As early in the morning, it was time to go to Cars and Coffee in Irvine, CA. I had been there before with Greg's 745i, but figured it would be good to take the B7. It was received pretty well. I didn't take any pictures and while I saw people taking pictures of it, a cursory Google search produced no results. I got some very positive feedback from people whose opinions I respect.

So, that was fun, then Mike and I got some great breakfast and it was off to work on more cleaning with the help of both Mike and Andy Wong and Jeff Tighe's shop in Costa Mesa. I learned a lot. My paint was very good and there was only a spot or two where Andy thought some attention was needed. I had done the lion's share of the work on Friday in Mike's driveway So, in my own super-disorganized fashion, I worked on the interior and trunk, ignoring under the hood since no one cared about that - or so we thought.

Jeff was nice enough to let us keep our cars in the shop overnight and even meet us back there at 6am Sunday morning.

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Went to the show. Cleaned the car some more. Finished cleaning the car. Even at rags down, people had no idea what was being judged or how it was being judged. I figured I was safe preparing for San Diego rules. After walking through the event some, I soon realized what the different classes meant. Concours was for stock cars and Street Driven was for highly modified Panteras with 5" exhaust pipes and chrome everything. I figured Street Driven was the way to go since I drive my car on a street. Either way.

I placed second to a 1989 M3 that didn't appear to have been driven on any street. Given that there were several other clean cars in my class (just about every other M3 there), I felt okay with that. I got a plaque. I was confused since I didn't know what I won or why there were two cars from the Concours class in the line. Haha.

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So, I have several people to thank, but I really have to thank Mike Burger (OcCoupe) for really pulling out all the stops to help me prepare for these two events - first by really leaning on me to enter, then pushing me to stay focused on what at the time felt like a monumental task of cleaning what I thought was an already clean car and also for how he inconvenienced himself making sure I had a covered place to store the car between events and working behind the scenes to get things like the windows sorted. From the very beginning of that "disaster," he very calmly told me it's something that could be handled and while I believed that was possible, logistically, it seemed like a nightmare. I eventually stopped looking at them and everything fell into place. I don't usually let people drive my cars and I'm not even comfortable driving in southern California, but I knew that I could trust Mike, especially given the kind of vehicles he deals with daily. I really appreciate his thoughts on the car as well. I'm quite pleased with how it's come out so far and frankly, I was not used to the attention the car was getting, as I've always had kinda crappy cars. So, again, thank you for that.

After the show in Huntington Beach, I headed down to San Diego and it was a pretty fun and fast trip. It's really a great driving car.

There's still a couple things other Mike has to fix on the car that he didn't get to before the car went to San Diego. Minor stuff. Then there's more to do like everything underneath and I don't even know where to start. The sad part is that with everything suspension-wise original on this car, it feels fantastic. Almost a waste to redo it all. It just all looks terrible.

So, there's my update of sorts.
Das_Prachtstrasse
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Post by Das_Prachtstrasse »

Car looks excellent, Chris, and congrats on the plaque. 2nd comes right after first, you know!

Interesting to know you had an issue with the curvature of the lower front window chrome, as I was beginning to think the one I received (brand new from BMW) was a one off fault. My window fitter had a similarly difficult time installing it, and scratched it to the shithouse in the process. I ended up removing it myself, and managed to roll it into a somewhat reasonable shape before refitting it. It still sits a little proud in the corners, more or less the same as what you've ended up with. Shame these new OEM parts are not up to standard. :roll: It certainly is %100 better than before, though!
John SCB
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Post by John SCB »

I like stories. That M3 was immaculate. Your car is too, and more rare as well. I would not want to have been a judge at that show.
Mike has always been a tremendous help to others. He definitely had your back on this one.
Well done, Mr. Kohler!
Jelmer538i
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Post by Jelmer538i »

The car looks so perfect!
unt0uchable
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Post by unt0uchable »

As always Chris, your car looks immaculate and you just keep adding subtle touches to make it even more perfect. I hope some day I can post a story about a car of mine that gets even a fraction of this kind of build and attention. Owning crappy cars is my basically my middle name. Hard work and determination looks to be paying off...Congrats on the plaque!!
CSBM5
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Post by CSBM5 »

Congrats Chris, and damn what an amazing story...thanks for telling that. The car looks fantastic. I wish I could see it in person some day.

You briefly mentioned the driving experience, and it would be great to hear a detailed write-up on what it's like to drive the car, from suspension/handling to the drivetrain, on-boost performance, etc. You do such a great job with words it would be a pleasure to read.

I love that shot of the garage with that huge German Shepard standing guard! :D
cek
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Post by cek »

wkohler wrote:And I seem to be going for correct on this car.
:laugh:

Well done. I hope I get to see this car in person someday.

In fact, if you ever sell it...
grahamular
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Post by grahamular »

I continue to be amazed at your impressive progress with the car, and at the same time terrified at the thought of future windshield replacement in my own car.

-Graham
leadphut
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Post by leadphut »

I missed something - why were you going 30 mph? Keep the rock chips to a minimum?
OcCoupe
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Post by OcCoupe »

leadphut wrote:I missed something - why were you going 30 mph? Keep the rock chips to a minimum?
He was following me home and I kept falling asleep.

Actually the traffic from San Diego to Orange County was pretty thick and we probably averaged 25/30mph for most of the 90 mile drive.
whisky
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Post by whisky »

awesome b7!!
Coldswede
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Post by Coldswede »

:clap: 2nd on your very first outing is stupendous Chris! :alright:

I predict many 1st place trophy's in the near future and very rightly so.


I'm glad you guys have the patience for this kind of competition, I just can't do it. Clean and waxed is the best I can manage, then there needs to be hot brakes and liquid tire residue.

Great car Chris. :bow:
greenpants
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Post by greenpants »

Chris ,
Great car. Thanks for sharing with us. Best of luck.

greenpants......mike
Adam W in MN
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Post by Adam W in MN »

Great story, I enjoyed reading and looking at the pictures. Congrats on the trophy!
pldlnr
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Post by pldlnr »

I also enjoy reading the stories with all the great details. The details are what make it interesting to me. The little details are also what have set this car apart from the beginning of your process. Well done.

It is also great to see fellow friends and enthusiasts helping each other with their cars. Great work, Mike.
RoyW
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Post by RoyW »

Outstanding Chris, and congrats on the trophy! :) The car looks fantastic and couldn't have a better custodian. Thanks for the story too.

-RoyW
GaAlpinaOwner
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Post by GaAlpinaOwner »

RoyW wrote:Outstanding Chris, and congrats on the trophy! :) The car looks fantastic and couldn't have a better custodian. Thanks for the story too.

-RoyW
Totally agree Roy. Outstanding job on this particular car Chris!
I am pulling mine out today for a weekend drive. We 3 need to figure out a way to get these 3 rare cars in the same place with JJ @ Bimmer for a photoshoot/article ;)
Eddie in TO
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Post by Eddie in TO »

RoyW wrote:Outstanding Chris, and congrats on the trophy! :) The car looks fantastic and couldn't have a better custodian. Thanks for the story too.

-RoyW
+1

:alright: :banana: :alright:

Your attention to detail will always be rewarding. Thanks for sharing your build with us! :up:
Ted in T.O.
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Post by Ted in T.O. »

GaAlpinaOwner wrote:
RoyW wrote:Outstanding Chris, and congrats on the trophy! :) The car looks fantastic and couldn't have a better custodian. Thanks for the story too.

-RoyW
Totally agree Roy. Outstanding job on this particular car Chris!
I am pulling mine out today for a weekend drive. We 3 need to figure out a way to get these 3 rare cars in the same place with JJ @ Bimmer for a photoshoot/article ;)
5er Fest next October! :alright:
Karl Grau
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Post by Karl Grau »

Looking good! I'm glad you made it out of the OC without any black eyes.
wkohler wrote:Actually transforms the look of the car in my opinion.
It's a more open look.
oldskool
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Post by oldskool »

Son of a Bitch, that's righteous.
wkohler
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Post by wkohler »

Thank you all for the comments. I really do appreciate them. Haven't had much time to do much of anything since returning home from California. I took it to a couple of local meets but besides that, it's been sitting in the garage. There's still a few things I plan to do before Monterey, which I've decided to attend this year. We will see how that goes, as I made that decision pretty late in the game.
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