2001 BMW 740i Restoration

*** You’ll notice a different logo at the bottom of these images — this car is an introduction to a new extension of M&B known as BimmerFinders, a name under which all future BMWs I find and restore will be documented. This car is the first of many to come.

Its no secret that I love a good 7 series

& this car is no different. Spotted in an online listing, rotting away after the timing chain guides failed (a problem all too common with BMW V8s of this era), the asking price was enough to pique my interest and go see what I could do with it. Upon arrival, I checked the paint to see what was salvageable along with the interior to see if it had good bones.

I’ll take it

It cosmetically checked out, so I bought it and had it towed to the garage to do further inspection, see what parts I need(I had most of them already) and do an initial cleanup to see what we're really dealing with, and if it was truly worth saving.

The first thing to do was to give it a quick preliminary detail to reveal what hid behind the dirt compiled from the car’s many month slumber. The results were promising.

The hood was by far the worst panel - did a quick compounding on it to see if I could revive the gloss. Again, promising, but I wasn’t yet completely sold.

It had likely never had a correction done before, but BMW paint responds very well to the process. So, the next thing I decided to do was correct a few other areas of the car, with great success.

GETTING WITH THE TIMES

Knowing that the car would be cosmetically sound, I decided to move on to the part that would take most of my energy — the engine swap. The BMW M62B44 and M62B44TU V8 engines, used in the E53 X5, E38 7 Series, E39 5 series, and Range Rover L322 are notorious for having their timing chain guides fail, causing the engine to jump time and bend valves. Its predecessor(fig.1), the M60Bxx (3, 3.5 or 4 liter variants[the same engine in my e34 540]) utilized a dual row timing chain with a sprocket setup instead of a plastic U-guide. BMW changed the design for more cost efficiency in May of 1998, leaving the faults to later be discovered by unsuspecting owners between the 100-150,000 mile mark. Some vehicles went sooner, some later; it all depended on how well the car was maintained.

Fig. 1 The timing setup in the m60b44 for my 5 series. The timing chain’s job is to turn all moving parts of the engine in synchrony, each valve opening and closing at a specific time during the combustion cycle. Even being one tooth(gears) off in any part of the engine can cause catastrophic failure. Note the gear/sprocket almost in the center of the image - the m60bxx had superior reliability over its successor thanks to a more durable design. — *Fig. 1* The timing setup in the m60b44 for my 5 series. The timing chain’s job is to turn all moving parts of the engine in synchrony, each valve opening and closing at a specific time during the combustion cycle. Even being one tooth(gears) off in any part of the engine can cause catastrophic failure.
*Note the gear/sprocket almost in the center of the image - the m60bxx had superior reliability over its successor thanks to a more durable design.*

Had to set the mood before beginning with a refreshing glass of Sauvignon Blanc and a Punch Gran Puro.

Started round two with a Don Tomás Presidential Maduro & Robert Mondavi Cab

With the engine out, I tore it down to do an inspection of just how bad the broken timing chain had damaged the engine. It actually wasn’t that bad, the engine was actually really clean on the inside with healthy cylinder walls, camshaft wear, and such. This shortblock will be saved for another M60B44 hybrid build where I use M60 heads and timing components to build a torquier v8 to put into a future car, or to serve as a backup for my E34.

While the engine is apart, I decided to clean various components. I personally loathe having greasy hands working on cars, and a clean slate or components to start with when doing maintenance is always preferred.

I gave the engine bay the same treatment.

Picked up the replacement engine from an E53 X5 with 135,000 miles. This will be torn down to replace the oil pan/pump, paint the valve covers, do the timing chain guides, and move the OSV(oil separator valve) to inside of the timing case from its external position.

First, I got it on the stand and took the oil pan off. Pump to follow, will be replaced with the E38 spec units.

the body, continued

The previous owner had used box tape to secure the corner light(these coming loose isn’t uncommon either, especially the left side), and as the adhesive bakes in the sun over time, it really adheres to the porous paint — so much so, that when I pulled the tape to disassemble the front end, the paint came off with it.

Thankfully, it didn’t mean that the entire fender had to be redone, I did a spot repair on that portion and blended the black out just over the wheel arch. I hit the rest of the panel with 800g and recleared the entire thing.

a few months later…

I had found a wrecked and rusted 740i sport model that would shave a lot of time off of finishing this car, as well as give a few goodies to the 750iL, so I spent some quality time with my favorite person & drove up to Cedar Rapids, IA to bring it back and swap everything over.

The idea of this purchase was to buy back all the time I'd have spent trying to source all of the parts I needed as well as the energy and money I was going to spend building the engine as this one was supposedly rebuilt with new valves and timing components — at least worth a trip up north, during which I could see some family as well.

The heated front sport seats and roof+headliner (adding second sunroof) are going into my v12 car, and the rest of the sport bits (suspension, trans/TC, steptronic, trim) are going into the SWB. The rest of the odd bits on it (window regulators, glass, interior lighting etc) are for sale, so if any of you e38/39 folks need something, give me a shout! Also for sale is an m62tu from an e53 that ran well when pulled. I was going to use this engine as a donor but now I don't need to and already have another b44 block, so this one is up for sale too. It's already got the e38/9 oil pan and engine mounting brackets swapped over.

I got the engine pulled in a few hours, decided to take a peek into it (had to change the valve covers to freshly painted ones anyway) and sure enough, the engine was remarkably spotless inside indicating that it had indeed been rebuilt. The timing chain tensioner (between the cams), guide rails, as well as the inside of the head where the lifters are were clean enough to eat off of.

The next order of business (and a place where future me thanked past me, since the engine bay was already cleaned and ready for a new heart), was to drop the new engine and transmission into place. A few hours later, I had a running 740i!

I checked through the fluids and wiring, making sure it wasn’t spewing fluids or anything of the such, and drove it for the first time ever!

Moving forward, I put the car back into the garage to finish stripping the parts car. It had an OE windshield, which this car needs, so I pulled that out:

I actually got it out without breaking it!

Now just to do that again when getting it into the other one. As it stands, I’m waiting on a new trim piece for the top of the glass - once that is in, I’ll do a video on how to do the replacement procedure from start to finish.

Got it in! For my first windshield install, it didn’t go too badly at all. I followed BMWs instructions for installation to the letter, and the result was an OE replacement with no leaks and full functionality of the heater and rain sensor. I got a brand new lower cowl from BMW and used the new top seal that I already had handy.

I also took the car up to a buddy’s shop and did a transmission fluid change on it. While on the lift, I snapped a few photos of the underside.

I also replaced the saggy headliner with fresh black suede. It made a remarkable difference in the feel of the interior and really freshened things up. Also makes it smell like a new car!

I also finished the painting on the front bumper and fender, along with the associated trims to complete the “shadowline”(body color/black) retrofit. The hood can be temporarily saved with a correction/wax, but eventually will need repainting, as I discovered a few what are called “Crow’s feet” in the paint, which, in short, means the paint is failing from underneath it. It should be sanded to base/primer and refinished to look oem just like the fender and bumper.

Also drove it on a 350 mile round trip to St. Louis, the furthest distance I’ve taken it. This car is supremely comfortable.

A FEW MONTHS LATER — ITS FOR SALE.

Below is the gallery of the condition of the car’s exterior as of June 29th, 2022. Inside, nothing has changed except for the headliner. Outside, a few pieces have gone missing/gotten damaged from daily driving(winter in the Midwest is not a kind season). I don’t get a ton of use out of it anymore after reviving The 7, so the time has come to pass it on to the next person to enjoy.

All that has been done to it is listed above, but I’ll consolidate:

181,000 miles on the body, 140,000ish on the engine with rebuilt heads and replaced timing chain and guides
Black suede headliner and pillars
Retrofitted rear window shades
Early m60b40 intake with velocity stacks
M-Sport conversion mostly complete (wheels, suspension, differential, torque converter, black window trim). The only thing left is to install the steptronic shifter, which it does come with. Also has a fifth 18x8.5 M-Parallel as a spare.
New front windshield trim, upper and lower
A/C is ice cold, and the heated functions work well for those colder mornings
***ultra rare functioning cupholder!***

The car is supremely comfortable on the highway and in town. Rides just how a big BMW should with that coveted balance of precision and comfort, along with being a classic color and wheel combination that turns heads each time I drive it.

Now for the bad:

Center drag link/steering arm needs replaced (Also included in the sale of the car)
The timing chain/guides were done in the car as opposed to the engine having been removed. This means that while the upper gaskets are fine, the lower gaskets (upper oil pan, O-rings for the oil filter housing) were not replaced, and like any BMW, it leaks oil. This is something I would advise the new owner to care for sooner than later, or just do as I do and top it off every so often.
The VANOS units either need rebuilt or replaced. Again, not a bad job, but something I lack the time to do at this juncture. Once this is done, the car will perform much better.
A few black trim pieces (mainly on the bumpers) have gone missing. I have replacements in chrome that can either be put on as-is, or they can be wrapped in black vinyl for a quick and easy solution.
RH turn signal lens got chipped off by road debris, needs replaced but still functions.

All in all, this car has served its purpose very well during my ownership of it, and I’m glad to have been able to save it from the crusher as well as have a backup while I worked on my other projects. Its a great daily driver with your regular amenities and plenty of room for personalization. Now, its time for someone else to enjoy it and really squeeze the most potential out of it now that some of the basics (hello, an engine with new guides!) have been done. This would make an excellent weekend project for someone wanting to have that iconic big-body, black on black with M-Parallels BMW experience.