New Owner: 94 740i, Upgrade Questions.

[Deus Ex Verra]

So, I recently purchased a 1994 BMW 740i and am looking to do some upgrades in both the cosmetic and performance department.

Where are good places to look for aftermarket parts for this car? I'm looking to do some brakes, exhaust, possibly suspension, and minor engine work. Cosmetically I'm looking to "modernize" the exterior a bit. Nothing retarded like neon underglow or high dollar/all-out bodywork, but basically upgrade the headlights (convert to an encased Headlamp setup, like the newer ones), tailights(LED maybe?), maybe some subtle front/rear spoilers...

These are just ideas and I highly doubt all of this will be done. I love this car, and its my first decent car I've owned and intend to take good care of it. However I would like to personalize it a bit, as well as finally accrue some experience in the auto-tuner world (something I've always wanted to do). all Feedback is much appreciated

---EDIT---
Ok, so I found a list of places to buy parts here: http://www.e38.org/e32/
Very handy and comes along with an array of FAQ/DIY tutorials/Self-help items. Good stuff for us E32 owners out there feel free to add in your own 2cents

So my new, and more pointed question is this: How interchangeable are parts from E32,E34,E36 to each other? (7-series, 5-series, 3-series respectively). What about front/rear bumpers? I've been browsing aftermarket bumpers for the E32 but havent been finding any,but have found plenty for the E36 and some for the E-34. Are these interchangeable, or they simply the wrong shape/size? I know that its fairly easy to swap bumpers of the same series, but is it possible to do an inter-series swap without some sort of noticeable gaps or shape size differences? thanks.

Also, if you're wondering what the Exx designation is for any given model look at: http://catalog.alloembmwparts.com/

[lincolnmaster80]

Originally Posted by Deus Ex Verra

So, I recently purchased a 1994 BMW 740i and am looking to do some upgrades in both the cosmetic and performance department.

Where are good places to look for aftermarket parts for this car? I'm looking to do some brakes, exhaust, possibly suspension, and minor engine work. Cosmetically I'm looking to "modernize" the exterior a bit. Nothing retarded like neon underglow or high dollar/all-out bodywork, but basically upgrade the headlights (convert to an encased Headlamp setup, like the newer ones), tailights(LED maybe?), maybe some subtle front/rear spoilers...

These are just ideas and I highly doubt all of this will be done. I love this car, and its my first decent car I've owned and intend to take good care of it. However I would like to personalize it a bit, as well as finally accrue some experience in the auto-tuner world (something I've always wanted to do). all Feedback is much appreciated

---EDIT---
Ok, so I found a list of places to buy parts here: http://www.e38.org/e32/
Very handy and comes along with an array of FAQ/DIY tutorials/Self-help items. Good stuff for us E32 owners out there feel free to add in your own 2cents

So my new, and more pointed question is this: How interchangeable are parts from E32,E34,E36 to each other? (7-series, 5-series, 3-series respectively). What about front/rear bumpers? I've been browsing aftermarket bumpers for the E32 but havent been finding any,but have found plenty for the E36 and some for the E-34. Are these interchangeable, or they simply the wrong shape/size? I know that its fairly easy to swap bumpers of the same series, but is it possible to do an inter-series swap without some sort of noticeable gaps or shape size differences? thanks.

Also, if you're wondering what the Exx designation is for any given model look at: http://catalog.alloembmwparts.com/

I will say this, just so you know what you are up against: The 7-series cars aren't tuners. In other words, there are next-to-nill out there as far as "upgrades" go. You'll find way more aftermarket parts for 3-series than you will 5-series, as you will 7-series, in that order. These cars came "pimped" as is, at least back in the day they were. So there isn't much.

BUT...all isn't lost...

Exterior Cosmetic (Front/Rear lip spoilers): IMHO, nothing beats the look of AC Schnitzer on an E32...actually on any BMW. Wheels included. One word: Ebay.

The enclosed headlight look...again, in my opinion, doesn't suit the E32, as you probably will find it very hard to find any upgrades in that department unless you make them yourself. I haven't seen any at least. I have purchased a set of angel eyes for my car. I'll post some pics of it later.

Brakes: Brembo

Exhaust: Dinan

Possibly Suspension: Eibach

Lights: Check out pics of my car in my sig below. I have the clear indicators and clear repeaters. If you do not have that, this is a must for any E32...if you like the look that is. Look up 'E32 clear indicators' on eaby. Also, you might be interested in 'e32 smoked rear lights' as well. They do make LED replacement bulbs for the E32, but as far as I know, there is no "modern" version to it that I've seen, like the ones you see with like 100 LEDs in the tail light. I'll post links in a second reply.

So, how interchangeable are parts from E32,E34,E36 to each other? Their not. At least, not much of them. The E32 and E34 are probably the closest. The 735i and the 535i share a lot of the same engine and some suspension parts, but the 540i and the 740i, I'm not even sure. The E32 will not fit an e38, will not fit an E65/66/67. Like I say, the E34 is probably the closest thing to an E32 there is.

http://www.bmwfans.info and look up some parts for both 5- and 7-series of same/similar years and see if the part numbers match up...if they do, then you have your answer.

I'm not sure if the E34 lip spoilers will fit an E32...I tend to recall that the E34 is smaller than the E32, but I could be wrong.

If you have any more questions, just post em up.

I'm off to find some links for ya.

[Deus Ex Verra]

First, Thanks much for the detailed reply. You've got quite the nice 750 there too.

Yes I'm aware it's not a tuner car and I by no means am looking to "pimp" my 740 lol. I bought it because I love the car, and I'm looking to tune it instead of the Bonneville because I do not drive the BMW on a daily basis. I figure its better to exercise my mechanic skills on something that I don't rely on for daily transit.

I agree, schnitzer is quite the attractive BMW mod. I do plan on doing a lot of custom work, however, there are many things (body mods for example) that I simply can't do. I think the first thing I will do is upgrade the brakes and suspension, might even just replace them with factory standard springs, struts etc. It feels very loose in the backend, and I'm sure the front are passed their prime as well.

I was surprised by how well the car throws down power. for some reason the 285hp number didn't really register till I merged onto the highway. That was a pleasant surprise.

I'm loving the car. It's got a few quirks and things that need fixed, but that's to be expected, and in my case, almost welcomed. Glad to be part of the Beemer family , and again, thanks for your help.