The BMW 507 Ultimate Build Thread!!!

[A12pilot]

You'd have to come down and stay at the new place next year, Mikey, and help fab up stuff when you aren't knee-deep in COPO stuff!

Indeed, the frame would be a modified Cobra frame. Dimensions are remarkably similar. But nothing else is. Torsion bar suspension (familiar with that from the Mopar genre). Hmmmm..... is there a BMW thread section? Might have to "member ride" it! I'll already have another one going in the Mopar section shortly

Cheers
Dave

[mockingbird812]

Cool project Dave. Go ahead and create a BMW thread - precedence has already been set. Eddie (enio45) forces us to follow his build on his old musty '58 Elena. Your project can't be any more offensive to us sYcers than that!!!!!!!

[Lynn]

Hey Dave:

Between my brother and I we have owned over 60 bimmers over the years, but not one V8. 4, 6 & 12. So, I am far from a BMW V8 expert, but can help a little. BTW, not that many on this site would care, but a BMW car is a "bimmer" and a BMW bike is a "beemer".

Have always loved the 507. It was more expensive new than the Mercedes Gullwing cars (but has not kept up since then price wise). Did not sell that well, and almost bankrupted BMW.

Yes, the 4.0 liters had issues, but it was related to the high sulpher content of US market gasoline in the early 90's. It would eat away at the hard coating applied directly to the cylinder walls. BMW repaired a lot of those engines, even ones that were well past the warranty period. They also changed the composition of the coating either mid 95 or mid 96, and all the later engines are free from that malady.

If you source a decent engine, I would try to get the wiring harness and ecm with it. Nothing to program, and parts are easy to get. Even a very well kept 740i is ridiculously cheap when it is 15 to 20 years old. Even better if you can find one that has been recently hit. Just buy the whole car and you will have everything you need.

I would look for something like 98 to 2004 range.

With that little car, you won't need outrageous power to have fun.
Maybe we can start a new forum for totally non muscle car build threads. You can do this one, Eddie already started on the Ferrari, and I have a tube frame chassis, aluminum body replica of a Ferrari 250 GTO (body is about 80% done) that wil be gettin a Ferrari V12 and 5 speed.

[markinnaples]

I have owned a few BMWs over the years including a couple E30's, an E28, and currently an E60. I ABSOLUTELY advise against the use of an N62 (4.5L V-8) from the 2000's. I have a 2004 545i that has been a nightmare. The cooling system has a design flaw that causes leakage (massive leakage) due to a cheap plastic coolant pipe that is located in the front of the engine that goes into the lifter valley. There is a fix for this which entails putting in an aluminum sleeve that has had good lasting results and that I'm going to do once I get back home from up north, but honestly, in a car like that I highly doubt you'd want to use an engine with that design. This fix is a DIY $250 but the dealer fix is $2500+. It also has a design flaw where oil leaks out of the alternator bracket gasket, which mine has and that I'm planning on fixing when I do the other fix. Other issues with this engine include valve cover gasket leaks, timing cover leaks, VANOS solenoid o-ring leaks and upper timing cover gasket leak.
See what I mean? Run away, fast and far from the N62.

[The Boss]

I have always thought the 507 was pure sex - the body lines, the curves and the fact that they were completely hand formed and no two were exactly alike.

Would love to see one re-created but might be more fun with a 12.

[Lynn]

Agree with Mark. Those 4.4 V8s are all plagued with that cooling system design flaw.

Not being a bimmer V8 expert, I wouldn't be able to tell you exactly which years are best, and which to avoid. I am sure that info is available without too much work.

[1967Z28]

Seems like you could not fit a V8 under that hood nor could you get enough tire under it (without flares) to handle the V8 power.

[Lynn]

It came from the factory with a 3.2 liter V8

[olredalert]

----LS it, Dave! No one will know the dif and it will be faster,,,LOL!!!...…..Bill S

[A12pilot]

Good stuff, guys! I'm still in the formulation stage and searching out technical aspects of out. Luckily, Elivs' 507 just underwent a complete restoration and there's several videos showing exactly what I needed to know as far as the frame/body assembly goes. Torsion bar suspension like my beloved Mopars! Yep, these were factory V8 cars. It's killing me to not have a shop right now. This project will start next year.

As I gather more info I'll post up. Yes, Steve-a-Reeno...new category needed on sYc: "Non-Supercar Builds". Almost like a general category, but strictly related to "other" build projects: cars, house, boat, bike, Humanoid Robot.... whatever!

Cheers
Dave