SEMA Prep and Beyond: David's Widebody E61 gets some love

[Evan Patak]

Gentlemen,

This year I helped my buddy David get his E61 ready for SEMA. Some of you may have seen photos of this thing floating around on the internet, which makes sense as it grabs a lot of attention. There has been A LOT of custom work done to it, including a custom metal widebody, a crazy stereo, and a full custom interior.

David is the owner of VIP Modular and RSV Forged, so it makes sense this wagon is focused on wheels, fitment, and style. After giving him a ride in my 500+awhp wagon he had confidence I could help him improve the function and performance of his E61. His wagon wasn't running well and needed some attention on the maintenance and mechanical side of things. The work was done at Strasse Sport in Irwindale.


David and I already have some future modifications planned but my pre-SEMA contributions to this build included the following:

- Hexon RR550s
- VTT Inlets + Filters
- JB4 Install + BMS Backend (MHD)
- New Plugs, Coils, and Injectors
- SAT Transmission Software
- Walnut Blasting Valves
- New O2 Sensor
- Oil and Coolant Flush
- Improved engine bay aesthetics

Hope you enjoy,
Evan



4 Wagons at the shop! 2 E91s and 2 E61s (Mine was parked outside)





The gauge cluster is a Christmas tree with error messages and the list of codes I pulled with INPA was very long. The car runs rough and has misfires so it is time to start with the basics.


Valves and TB cleaned, new plugs installed.
















New injectors installed and coded



Rerouted ugly hard plastic brake booster line, BEFORE



AFTER



Cleared a "custom" tune and flashed his car with the BMS Pump Backend via MHD.



Installed a JB4 and updated the firmware.



Flashed the transmission with the SAT File.



He had a faulty O2 Sensor that was replaced. The last person who installed his AR Designs DPs wasn't too careful with the sensor routing...



Hexons RR550s and VTT Inlets!



Install time



The joys of working on an xi vehicle, subframe is already dropped.



Another angle



Oem turbos and inlets out.



Old vs. New



Oem vs VTT



Oem vs Hexon



Cleaned up



Installing studs



Coolant and oil lines cleaned, new o-rings installed, and reassembled.



In with the new



VTT Inlet fitment



So tight!



VTT Inlets require some special attention to keep them from contacting belts and pulleys.



Close up



Another angle



Luckily there is some room to work with.



Zip Ties fix everything.



Use one zip tie on the middle of the fan shroud and one on the far driver-side edge of the shroud, make sure they are tight and won't slide out of position as these are key areas to keep tension.



Close but all good!



Daylight on the correct side



The Friday before SEMA.





Static vs. Air




A couple pics I snapped at SEMA

[Bokyo1987]

Looks great, Evan! Always fun viewing your threads, wagons just don't get as much love haha.

[richpike]

Two amazing E61s. Very, very nice.

-Rich

[C///M]

I usually like different/unique styling and can appreciate 'wilder' builds, but I'll be honest, I think Evan's E61 looks worlds better. The 1M bumper is just way too narrow for the E6x. He should have cut it down the center and extended the width just a bit, but then you can't use the factory 1M grill and I'm not sure what he's done for the undertray. I hope he's fastened something together underneath.

As someone who has built one-off custom front and rear bumpers for my X3, there's a lot of stuff you have to plan for/think about when doing this. You can't just splice 2 bumpers together and call it good.

Edit: impressive work though.

[Evan Patak]

Looks great, Evan! Always fun viewing your threads, wagons just don't get as much love haha.

Thanks, glad you enjoy them!

Two amazing E61s. Very, very nice.

-Rich

Probably 2 of the most highly modified in existence!

I usually like different/unique styling and can appreciate 'wilder' builds, but I'll be honest, I think Evan's E61 looks worlds better. The 1M bumper is just way too narrow for the E6x. He should have cut it down the center and extended the width just a bit, but then you can't use the factory 1M grill and I'm not sure what he's done for the undertray. I hope he's fastened something together underneath.

As someone who has built one-off custom front and rear bumpers for my X3, there's a lot of stuff you have to plan for/think about when doing this. You can't just splice 2 bumpers together and call it good.

Edit: impressive work though.

I obviously agree with you, thanks for the kind words!

[Evan Patak]

David blew the CP-UP coupler off while in Vegas. The one supplied by ER was rather short and when looking at their current FMIC kit it looks like they now supply it with a 3" humped coupler.


Pretty sure David received this FMIC as a sponsorship so I called ER and the person who was supposed to call me back never did so I went over to HPS and purchased one of their 4" humped couplers, the added 1" of length and hump should offer some flex and keep this from happening again. I replaced the clamps too for good measure.


Evan


During repair



Old vs. New