My favorite tag I used to see when I lived in SD was a guy rocking "LolM3" on his, if I remember correctly, 3v...

My original goal was "NOT AN M5" which was available in CA when I originally was checking plates, I then shared that and a couple other personalized plate options and when I went back to buy it, someone had claimed it. Bummer.
In addition to the plate I mentioned above I would have loved to have "ZIP TIE" or "BDGT BLD" (budget build) since both are applicable.

Haha! Budget.....does't mean low....or high....but anyone that knows would know!

-r

MY GOODNESS!!! Evan, Hi! I'm an Ex-E6x addict... came back to post for FS stuff and stumbled upon this thread....
I just wanna say THANK YOU for this thread!!! I'm only about halfway through, but the amount of WIN I've experienced here is truly EPIC!!!

Progress has been a little bit slow on the E61 as the E39 has been receiving a lot of attention, getting a custom tan on black interior, aftermarket M5/M-Sport bumpers, M5 steering wheel, M5 sway bars, revised exhaust, and more parts collected for the manual trans swap.

About a month ago I picked up a M5 fender, although the wagon is still bumper(cover)less the fender made it look a bit more appropriate for driving around even though it is 100% road legal with the real bumper aka crash bar.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Jz...=w1303-h977-no

Annie inspecting fender fitment. It isn't perfect since the small bracket which connects the front fender bracket to the headlight bracket was bent and I did my best to straighten it with no success so I have a new bracket ordered.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Vb...=w1303-h977-no

The wagon has been running around like this for a while now....
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/DP...=w1303-h977-no
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/PG...=w1303-h977-no

Wagon is running great, ethanol has been introduced and I am targeting 22psi, a little lower than before but "enough" for cruising around. 22psi should be putting out ~520whp
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/2T...=w1303-h977-no

Bought the necessary power steering lines for the M5 subframe conversion, lines are actually from a 535i which are the only ones which will connect the M5 steering rack to my 535xi pump.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/e7...=w1303-h977-no

Last piece of the puzzle. My patience paid off, I was able to find a brand new OEM M5 bumper for $400, roughly half off what they go for online.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/RO...=w1303-h977-no

Here are a couple pics of the E39 which has been in the spotlight.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/QI...=w1303-h977-no
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/7W...=w1303-h977-no

The white wagon keeps getting undercut by these other "project wagons" I spend all my time wrenching on, to make matters worse (first world problems) I had an opportunity to pick up another E61 for a excellent price which will be a short term project for me and hope to have up for sale in a few months.

The grey E61 is an 08' with 127k, tons of maintenance, and some nice mods.
OEM M5 front end, Grigio Telesto paint w/ black roof and black engine bay, Cobb AP, Dinan muffler, and 20" Vossen CV3s. I will be going through it making some necessary repairs, preventative maintenance, and executing some choice mods to further enhance the wagon. If you like my white wagon then there is a lot you will like about "DAS GRAU."
More here: https://5series.net/forums/e61-touri...-wagon-149305/
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Ti...=w1303-h977-no


Updates on the white one are minimal but progress is being made. After replacing some damaged brackets I was able to test fit the OEM front bumper and fitment is excellent. I also test fit the OEM M5 engine bay splash shield which is RWD subframe specific and will wait for the subframe swap to go on.

I ordered a used 535i DSC module/pump. Previously I used my 535xi pump with a 528i module (same BMW # as 535i) and haven't been able to resolve my ABS/DSC warning lights even with the tremendous help of Levan who is an advanced BMW coder. Hopefully the pump is the culprit.

The last piece of the puzzle for installing my RWD/M5 subframe is resolving the strut incompatibility. Perhaps KW just released them or US distributors are now offering them for sale in the US even though there are literally <5 E61s in the US that could use them but KW now offers a RWD E61 specific coilover setup and thankfully it uses factory-tuned non adjustable V1 variants. I never use the adjustments on V3s and hate paying twice the price for essentially the same performance (IMO). Once the coilovers arrive I can complete the RWD subframe swap and enjoy the M5 steering rack.

New bracket
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/r-...=w1303-h977-no

Bumper test fit
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Jn...=w1303-h977-no

M5 splash shield will be a nice finishing touch once the subframe is swapped
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/t9...=w1303-h977-no

535i DSC unit
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/M1...=w1303-h977-no

My bumper is unpainted, my fender is the wrong color, and I need to modify a headlight.....
better go recondition that side marker.....
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/XE...=w1303-h977-no
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/3v...=w1303-h977-no

Current pics
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/5F...=w1303-h977-no
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Yi...=w1303-h977-no
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/CZ...=w1303-h977-no
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/ec...=w1303-h977-no
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/uG...=w1303-h977-no

Well, hey, now you have a complete car together, granted it doesn't match, but it is a vast improvement after that lady pulled out in front of you. Excellent work! Now it's just fun stuff, cosmetics! On the shiny side of things.

Looking good!

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/5series...afaa8997e5.jpg

Are you deleting the tire letters? or changing them all to Hank.
I was thinking about that hood liner delete but realized dirt and salt spray might make its way under the braces.
If there was a way to get rid of those huge gaps, so I could clean, polish and seal, I would be good
.Knowing no matter how hard I would pressure wash and rinse there would be road film, I surely would go more bonkers.

Those OE side markers look really good on white.
Do you use anything like Optimum Opti-lens on your headlights?

No, I had some letters which were damaged from the accident and I took them off, HANK was left and I am ok with that, I am a weird guy. Eventually they will all come off since they are expensive for what they are, take a long time to install, and require maintenance. Love the look but not enough to continue jumping through those hoops.

For Optilens, yes I have it and have used it but it's achilles heel is durability. It's primarily a UV protectant and not much else so in my experience it will be worn off from washing and road debris before and not really offer long term protection. Opti lens is also expensive for what it is. The best solution is to use paint protection film (PPF) since it will offer UV as well as impact/abrasion protection. A little more expense up front but worth it IMO for optimal protection and longevity.