E34 Alpina B10 3.5 Project
Discussion
Never underestimate the power of Pistonheads. It can be a dangerous place. A couple of weeks ago I replied to a thread asking for suggestions for cool cars under £2000. I was having a cuppa at the time and thought I'd have a browse of classifieds and find some suggestions. I found an Alpina B10 3.5 advertised for £650. It had not moved since 2007 but otherwise looked reasonable. The only comparable car for sale at the time was on for £3000 and had done double the mileage. I almost didn't post the link as I'd already started to fancy the car for myself but was finding it hard to justify. Anyway, here's the dangerous bit. Over the course of a couple of hours I'd talked myself into it and made an enquiry as to whether it was still available and where it was and a general enquiry about its condition. The seed was sewn!
I should tell you at this point that the very last thing I need right now is a project. My wife and I are still paying for our wedding which was in January and we're expecting our first child in December. We currently have a Smart which is used for the commute and an E46 Touring which should make a good baby wagon. I really don't need another BMW, especially one that needs some serious TLC. But.... this one is a bit special. I always loved the E34 anyway probably as my dad had a couple of them when I was younger. I've also always had a soft spot for Alpinas. Surely I'm not alone in thinking an Alpina E34 is a seriously handsome car.
I ran the idea past my wife who was surprisingly obliging. What a wonderful decision it was to marry her! Anyway, the car was located in Aberdeen and I am not. I felt that it was difficult to justify a trip to Aberdeen to view such a cheap car. Luckily I have a friend who works in Aberdeen from time to time. Even luckier, he's owned E34's in the past and his dad has a gorgeous E21 Alpina so he is no stranger to them. Unfortunately he wasn't going to be able to view the car for some time due to work commitments so I was faced with either buying the car unseen or let it go. The little devil on my shoulder defeated the angel on the other and the car was bought, totally unseen. This seems madness even typing it but there were a couple of things that swayed me. Firstly the seller was excellent and provided a lot of information about the cars condition both good and bad and he seems to be a true Alpina enthusiast (he owns an E28) and secondly the car was relatively cheap to the point where I felt that it could probably be broken to recover costs if all else fails.
Next thing to do was to organise for the car to be transported to Newcastle. I considered hiring a flat bed or a trailer but this is easier said than done and not necessarily and economic solution. I struck gold when I found an Aberdeen based transport company (actually a one man band) who happened to be picking a car up from Newcastle the following day so he could bring the Alpina down with him if he picked it up that night.
Highly recommend:
http://www.aberdeen-vehicle-transport.com/
Fast forward to 10 o'clock yesterday morning when I got a call from a colleague to say a large delivery had arrived for me. That was the first time I'd laid eyes on the car and from 50 yards away it looked magnificent. Up close it's pretty ropey but I was expecting that. Some pictures.
I'll deal with the bad bits first:
Bodywork:
Both front arches are very rusty. There is significant rust on the o/s rear on the lower edge and the trim is missing there too. Some paint damage and rear spoiler. Major stone chipping on front bumper. Plenty of small surface rusts spots dotted around the car. Light key mark on rear panel on n/s. Crack in head lamp. Front trim under headlights loose. Badges pretty tatty.
Interior:
Seats well worn but luckily no rips. There is a magnet glued to the top of the dash. Driver's door panel tatty. It has a cassette player. Wooden gear knob could do with re-laquer.
Electrics:
Mostly ok but central locking not working on a couple of doors and sunroof is dead.
Mechanically:
Well it starts and drives. It has a fuel leak under the passenger foot well. It'll need new pads and discs and the exhaust has a slight blow.
So the plan is to firstly chase up the car's history. I have HPI checked and all seems well but I have no history. I have contact details for the guy that should have it. I will also contact Sytner who built these things under license (I'd also like to confirm that it is a genuine Alpina rather than a 535 with the cosmetic bits as this will determine how far I take this project).
The good bits:
There is no serious rust that I can see that I should be worried about. The inner wings are fine, strut tops are fine, fuel neck fine. These are usual E34 problem areas. The wheels are good too other than a little oxidisation in a couple of areas. The leather should be repairable. Tyres have plenty of tread but I don't know how old they are so they're on borrowed time.
Tomorrow I will start trying to get it roadworthy and MOT'd. The jobs I know it needs are brakes, fuel line, and exhaust silencer repaired. I'll also replace all fluids and give everything a once over. I think it could do with a new battery as well. If I get it roadworthy, then my attention will turn to the cosmetics. I think I'll replace the front wings and do some of the prep work to get it ready for some major paintwork. It may well end up requiring a full respray but we'll see. Wish me luck, the hard work starts tomorrow.
Special mentions should go out to McSam for being the little devil on my shoulder and partly persuading me to investigate further and also some of the guys in the BMW section particularly Frances the Mute for his expertise.
I should tell you at this point that the very last thing I need right now is a project. My wife and I are still paying for our wedding which was in January and we're expecting our first child in December. We currently have a Smart which is used for the commute and an E46 Touring which should make a good baby wagon. I really don't need another BMW, especially one that needs some serious TLC. But.... this one is a bit special. I always loved the E34 anyway probably as my dad had a couple of them when I was younger. I've also always had a soft spot for Alpinas. Surely I'm not alone in thinking an Alpina E34 is a seriously handsome car.
I ran the idea past my wife who was surprisingly obliging. What a wonderful decision it was to marry her! Anyway, the car was located in Aberdeen and I am not. I felt that it was difficult to justify a trip to Aberdeen to view such a cheap car. Luckily I have a friend who works in Aberdeen from time to time. Even luckier, he's owned E34's in the past and his dad has a gorgeous E21 Alpina so he is no stranger to them. Unfortunately he wasn't going to be able to view the car for some time due to work commitments so I was faced with either buying the car unseen or let it go. The little devil on my shoulder defeated the angel on the other and the car was bought, totally unseen. This seems madness even typing it but there were a couple of things that swayed me. Firstly the seller was excellent and provided a lot of information about the cars condition both good and bad and he seems to be a true Alpina enthusiast (he owns an E28) and secondly the car was relatively cheap to the point where I felt that it could probably be broken to recover costs if all else fails.
Next thing to do was to organise for the car to be transported to Newcastle. I considered hiring a flat bed or a trailer but this is easier said than done and not necessarily and economic solution. I struck gold when I found an Aberdeen based transport company (actually a one man band) who happened to be picking a car up from Newcastle the following day so he could bring the Alpina down with him if he picked it up that night.
Highly recommend:
http://www.aberdeen-vehicle-transport.com/
Fast forward to 10 o'clock yesterday morning when I got a call from a colleague to say a large delivery had arrived for me. That was the first time I'd laid eyes on the car and from 50 yards away it looked magnificent. Up close it's pretty ropey but I was expecting that. Some pictures.
I'll deal with the bad bits first:
Bodywork:
Both front arches are very rusty. There is significant rust on the o/s rear on the lower edge and the trim is missing there too. Some paint damage and rear spoiler. Major stone chipping on front bumper. Plenty of small surface rusts spots dotted around the car. Light key mark on rear panel on n/s. Crack in head lamp. Front trim under headlights loose. Badges pretty tatty.
Interior:
Seats well worn but luckily no rips. There is a magnet glued to the top of the dash. Driver's door panel tatty. It has a cassette player. Wooden gear knob could do with re-laquer.
Electrics:
Mostly ok but central locking not working on a couple of doors and sunroof is dead.
Mechanically:
Well it starts and drives. It has a fuel leak under the passenger foot well. It'll need new pads and discs and the exhaust has a slight blow.
So the plan is to firstly chase up the car's history. I have HPI checked and all seems well but I have no history. I have contact details for the guy that should have it. I will also contact Sytner who built these things under license (I'd also like to confirm that it is a genuine Alpina rather than a 535 with the cosmetic bits as this will determine how far I take this project).
The good bits:
There is no serious rust that I can see that I should be worried about. The inner wings are fine, strut tops are fine, fuel neck fine. These are usual E34 problem areas. The wheels are good too other than a little oxidisation in a couple of areas. The leather should be repairable. Tyres have plenty of tread but I don't know how old they are so they're on borrowed time.
Tomorrow I will start trying to get it roadworthy and MOT'd. The jobs I know it needs are brakes, fuel line, and exhaust silencer repaired. I'll also replace all fluids and give everything a once over. I think it could do with a new battery as well. If I get it roadworthy, then my attention will turn to the cosmetics. I think I'll replace the front wings and do some of the prep work to get it ready for some major paintwork. It may well end up requiring a full respray but we'll see. Wish me luck, the hard work starts tomorrow.
Special mentions should go out to McSam for being the little devil on my shoulder and partly persuading me to investigate further and also some of the guys in the BMW section particularly Frances the Mute for his expertise.
Edited by Gad-Westy on Saturday 16th July 18:25
Good Luck!!! I look forward to see this progress.
I have an E34 525i SE Touring currently languishing on the inlaw's drive waiting for some TLC if I ever get the time. It's been there longer than I thought it would be and also has a fuel leak.
I will look at mine tonight with a heavy heart - maybe I will have a play to get it started this Monday. You have inspired me!
I have an E34 525i SE Touring currently languishing on the inlaw's drive waiting for some TLC if I ever get the time. It's been there longer than I thought it would be and also has a fuel leak.
I will look at mine tonight with a heavy heart - maybe I will have a play to get it started this Monday. You have inspired me!
Legacywr said:
I'm a big Alpina fan, and I had one of these for a little while a few years back. It looks like a very good buy from the photos! I can't see the dash plaque though?
Sytners will charge you to do the check on the car for you!
It doesn't have a plaque. This set some alarm bells off for me which is why top priority is to discover its provenance. I did read a few threads on the Alpina Register that suggest that not all cars got a plaque from Sytners but I'd really like to confirm this before I get too far. Sytners will charge you to do the check on the car for you!
Edited by Gad-Westy on Saturday 16th July 18:48
Somnophore said:
Listed on DVLA as a 534i SE but guess they don't list alpina upgrades there anyway. Looks genuine from what I can see, looks epic from the money you paid always fancied something like this.
I'm told that they're all registered like this as they are essentially 535i SE's that Sytner then modified under license. Plays havoc with insurance!Gad-Westy said:
Somnophore said:
Listed on DVLA as a 534i SE but guess they don't list alpina upgrades there anyway. Looks genuine from what I can see, looks epic from the money you paid always fancied something like this.
I'm told that they're all registered like this as they are essentially 535i SE's that Sytner then modified under license. Plays havoc with insurance!Legacywr said:
Gad-Westy said:
Somnophore said:
Listed on DVLA as a 534i SE but guess they don't list alpina upgrades there anyway. Looks genuine from what I can see, looks epic from the money you paid always fancied something like this.
I'm told that they're all registered like this as they are essentially 535i SE's that Sytner then modified under license. Plays havoc with insurance!Very nice, you most certainly aren't alone in thinking an E34 Alpina is a seriously handsome car, I think it's lovely! Really hope it's a genuine Alpina as i'd like to see this thread progress and you end up with a really tidy car worth a hell of alot more than £650 - what a bargain! Thanks for sharing
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