rb1971
Well-Known Member
Thanks - it's a lot of fun. If you're going to be in San Francisco drop me a message, I'm happy to have folks look at the car. Most of the shots are in my garage, the shop that did much of the mechanical work, or my body shop. Oh, and the car is inka, or as close as we can get in CA now that there are all sorts of new paint regulations.
As to the S38, it's a great motor and there's nothing the matter with it, but the cost of everything will go up at least 2x and in some cases more like 10x. Your lifetime cost of ownership is high. If I didn't have access to the motor I used when I started my project, I would have probably used a 3.5 out of an E28 535 or the like, since as you note the cost of entry is so much lower and the available power is almost the same if you build it right.
There are lots of potential upgrades. If you are doing a full restoration, I would advise at least adding some structural support - coupeking shows some of this on his website, and if you are willing to tub the trunk you can add substantial torsional rigidity (and have the potential for dual exhaust and racing fuel systems, at the cost of spare tires and originality). My car also has modern sound-deadening inside and a fully redone interior (including sound system and suede headliner - costs of those items weren't that high). My best advice is to locate someone local who knows these cars well and has done these projects before, and to use the network both here and in real life as much as possible. Jaymic in the UK was very helpful to me and I bought a substantial number of parts from them - even with international shipping the costs were still reasonable and the aid was invaluable.
