The wife's E39 M5 is coming out of the basement vault this week to get the rod bearings and timing chain guides done. Massive job, pre-emptive maintenance but I think that's the last step to make this thing truly bulletproof for years to come. Thing got equal length headers last year, sounds gnarly with the Dinan exhaust.
Engine out or easier to leave it in/accessible?
Very accessible to leave everything in. It's a HUGE job though; 40+ hours of labour. Found some leaking power steering lines while in there, going to replace them too.
According to my maintenance logbook, I'm just shy of $25,000 bringing it up to spec ***at my cost*** with no money outwardly spent on labour. My own junk gets worked on when we're not keeping paying customers waiting, so labour is effectively free. This also includes the things I did voluntarily that it didn't necessarily need, just to make it perfect (brand new PS4S tires, wheel refinishing, wetsand the paint and ceramic coat, Dinan goodies, short shifter, repaint the bumpers to make them perfect and free of aged scuffs, etc.)
The car itself was free to us, a gift to keep as a family heirloom.
