Am I going mad M3 style bonnet bulge on my E39 M5
Discussion
You wanted opinions and I will give you mine. Each to their own and everything but personally I like to see a car left alone as BMW intended. So I would say leave the E39 as it is. It's meant to look as it does, understated and pretty much like a regular 5 until it comes flying past you at a rate of knots. That's part of the appeal.
Here's another! Do it! Do it if you want to and you think it would look good and you will like it.
Do it though and you might regret it, you'll have potentially ruined the last of the truly good BMW designs... so why not buy a 2nd hand bonnet and do it to that, see how it looks and you have the original come resale if you want.
Personally I wouldn't do it, it would just end up looking a bit chavvy to my mind. Guns for show, knives for a pro and all that.
Do it though and you might regret it, you'll have potentially ruined the last of the truly good BMW designs... so why not buy a 2nd hand bonnet and do it to that, see how it looks and you have the original come resale if you want.
Personally I wouldn't do it, it would just end up looking a bit chavvy to my mind. Guns for show, knives for a pro and all that.
fatmansv8 said:
Hi all. I'm thinking of putting a M3 style bonnet bulge on my E39 M5. Its all I'm going to do in terms of modifications. I think they look great on the M3 and can't think why it would not on the M5. What do you guys think?
thanks FatmansV8
My best man considered it for his Nowack 500 E39 M5 - he ran into the problem of welding the bulge, which came off an E46 M3 to the bonnet of the M5. The E46 bonnet is aluminium, which is very thin and he could not find anyone capable of welding it without damaging it. He did not want to pursue the bonding route as he was worried about cracks appearing...thanks FatmansV8
Oh dear chavvy didn't want that look at all. Is M3 bonnet chavvy? Thanks hungry horace. M3 bonnet bulge in keeping with M3 image I guess. If I put on those big dtm rear spoilers, wide arches, non oe alloys, limo tints all round etc etc i would without doubt agree I'm going down the boy racer route. I think it's a subtle change I'm thinking of.
fatmansv8 said:
Oh dear chavvy didn't want that look at all. Is M3 bonnet chavvy? Thanks hungry horace. M3 bonnet bulge in keeping with M3 image I guess. If I put on those big dtm rear spoilers, wide arches, non oe alloys, limo tints all round etc etc i would without doubt agree I'm going down the boy racer route. I think it's a subtle change I'm thinking of.
I just think any form of body modification tends to lead down the chavvy route. Its a perception and opinion of mine which you sought BUT I am open minded and might well like it if done well. I just think the M5 was always about subtle, a power bulge is never going to be subtle and think it will just stand out like a sore herpes rash.But do go and do it but on a second hand bonnet. If as someone said earlier the e46 is aluminium then you don't ever want to mix the two metals. Ask any X350 jag owner about electrolysis.
There are places that can press a bulge in or fabricate one. Try on some of the American subforums or the HSV one as its more in line with what they do.
That looks great IMO, and I popped in to say 'Don't do it', lol
I think it would look great, and if the next owner doesn't like it just swap it over with a colour coded E39 bonnet bought off of ebay for about £30 (Presuming the M5 bonnet isn't any different from standard E39s??) and sell your Bonnet Bulge Bonnet on eBay for a few hundred?
DO IT!!!!!
I think it would look great, and if the next owner doesn't like it just swap it over with a colour coded E39 bonnet bought off of ebay for about £30 (Presuming the M5 bonnet isn't any different from standard E39s??) and sell your Bonnet Bulge Bonnet on eBay for a few hundred?
DO IT!!!!!
benny.c said:
Is the bonnet the same as a normal E39? If it is I guess you could pick one up cheaply enough and alter that one instead of butchering the M5?
EDIT ^^^ Beaten to it
The e39 NON - M bonnet and the M5 bonnet are different - the M5 has a higher centre section frome the 2 x raised lines EDIT ^^^ Beaten to it
if you dont beleive me... try fitting the strut brace from an m5 to a 520... like my mate did... LOL
Pshop looks good!
Hi,
The UK's 'general' BMW enthusiast community is one for oem looks only and thus as expected, you'll get the comments above to not do it!
The E46 bonnet bulge is subtle enough to do on it's own to an otherwise standard E39 and does look clean enough to have actually been oem, much like it was on the E46. I don't think it's anywhere near as 'brash' to warrant the descriptions like 'chavvy' at all - but I know everyone has their own opinion !
Usually, this modification is done as part of a more extensive list of modifications on a car and overall, can really tie in very well indeed, so for me it's a big 'Yes' to do it either on a standard car or on one with or going to have more modifications. I have a full carbon fibre bonnet with the power bulge incorporated which for quite some time and is going onto my E39 Touring. I also did have a genuine E46 power bulge cut out of a genuine bonnet. The costs for bonding it correctly to a non aluminium bonnet were/are quite high and then you've still got to get it all painted up as well, so sold that off. There's a place in Germany that does these powerdomes in fibreglass and steel so much easier to work with as an alternative and thus much cheaper costs wise.
I'm also thinking of perhaps doing the E9x M3 powerdome instead - I like to ruffle the feathers of the *must be oem only* crowd
There's quite a lot of pictures of E39's with the powerdome across all the BMW forums, most examples being in the US, so plan on some nice 19 inch wheels, a subtle lowering and maybe some other subtle styling mods to 'tie in' the powerdome with the overall look of the car !
Cheers, Dennis!
The UK's 'general' BMW enthusiast community is one for oem looks only and thus as expected, you'll get the comments above to not do it!
The E46 bonnet bulge is subtle enough to do on it's own to an otherwise standard E39 and does look clean enough to have actually been oem, much like it was on the E46. I don't think it's anywhere near as 'brash' to warrant the descriptions like 'chavvy' at all - but I know everyone has their own opinion !
Usually, this modification is done as part of a more extensive list of modifications on a car and overall, can really tie in very well indeed, so for me it's a big 'Yes' to do it either on a standard car or on one with or going to have more modifications. I have a full carbon fibre bonnet with the power bulge incorporated which for quite some time and is going onto my E39 Touring. I also did have a genuine E46 power bulge cut out of a genuine bonnet. The costs for bonding it correctly to a non aluminium bonnet were/are quite high and then you've still got to get it all painted up as well, so sold that off. There's a place in Germany that does these powerdomes in fibreglass and steel so much easier to work with as an alternative and thus much cheaper costs wise.
I'm also thinking of perhaps doing the E9x M3 powerdome instead - I like to ruffle the feathers of the *must be oem only* crowd
There's quite a lot of pictures of E39's with the powerdome across all the BMW forums, most examples being in the US, so plan on some nice 19 inch wheels, a subtle lowering and maybe some other subtle styling mods to 'tie in' the powerdome with the overall look of the car !
Cheers, Dennis!
True the UK is probably more keep it OEM. Look at the markets you say do it often the US and Germany and sticking on 19 inch rims.... actually do it. DO IT that way those of us keeping it OEM will be part of a smaller crowd.
BTW my view on Carbon, even from factory has always been that it looks a bit Wayne Rooney.
BTW my view on Carbon, even from factory has always been that it looks a bit Wayne Rooney.
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