December 2012

8 Series
Moreno Valley
International
Owners
SoCal 8s December 2012
Car of the Month Issue
Car of the Month Issue
by: Fern Mora, Club President
Issue No. 10
Greetings From Moreno Valley, CA
1994 840 Ci Individual Avus Blue Metallic
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1994 840Ci Owner: John Burgan, Moreno Valley California
SoCal 8s has selected this stunning 840Ci just 56 miles south of Los Angeles in
Moreno Valley where owner John Burgan keeps his 1994 Avus Blue beauty 840
for our
November 2012
“Car of the Month”
John’s Story Begins:
He retired in 2008 after 30+ years working for the State of California. His
wife Bridgit is semi/retired and does some dog sitting. They enjoy
spending time with family, traveling, home improvement projects and
puttering around their half acre lot.
He also enjoys road cycling
and going to the gym. His
main hobby or pastime is
motorcycle riding. He has
been a long time Harley rider
and rides his bikes as
primary transportation by
choice. John currently has a
2008 HD Electra Glide which
now has 92,000 miles on it.
His previous 1998 had
138,000 miles and prior to
2008 H.D. Electra Glide
that his 1988 had 102,000
2
miles on it.
1994 840Ci Owner: John Burgan, Moreno Valley California
John’s Passion in Blue
John said that Bridgit also enjoys
riding and they went cross country
together and on numerous long
trips, most recently to Sturgis SD for
the Rally in 2011. He takes annual
cross country touring trips with a
small group of guys he rides with
frequently. These trips provide a lot
of fun and adventure to say the least.
In 2011 they traveled about 9500
miles on a month long trip going
from California to Florida and
staying as close to the Gulf Coast as
possible. Then from Key West to
Maine, traveling as close to the east
coast as possible before wandering
home. They must have been saddle
sore after that trip!
1972 H.D. FLH, bought in 2011
Work in Progress
Daytona Beach FL, 2011
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1994 840Ci Owner: John Burgan, Moreno Valley California
John’s Story Continues
I have been lucky enough to have traveled to all of the lower 48 states by
motorcycle and have plans for an Alaska trip in 2014. We like to stay off the
Interstates and take the roads less traveled. I have enjoyed attending the
Sturgis Motorcycle Rally the last 4 years and 8 times overall.
I am a real car nut and have owned about 70 different cars over the years. We
currently have six cars and two Harleys. My main focus for years was 1960-63
full size Fords, including two 1960 Strainers and a 1961 Starliner. I still have a
1963 Galaxie 500XL convertible. I’ve had several Street Rods and Customs,
among them three 1940 deluxe Fords, two five windows and one Tudor.
The is one formerly owned a car I wish I had not let get away. It was a 1959
Cadillac Miller-Meteor Hearse that had 24,000 original miles with original
paint. The folks in the Hearse Club were an interesting group! I am quite
happy with my current little grouping and trying to kick the habit of buying
and selling. The grass is not always greener! Only two new acquisitions in the
last 4 years.
I am a recent member of SoCal 8’s and am also involved with the SoCal chapter
of the Viper Club of America.
I am not a wrencher by any means. I have a good head knowledge of most
automotive aspects, but don’t frequently go much beyond fluid and filter
changes and minor repairs. I enjoy bonding with the fleet by washing, waxing
and detailing the vehicles myself primarily. Bridgit and I actually enjoy
washing our BMW’s together. I enjoy planning and researching mods and
individualizing most of our vehicles. Of course I also enjoy driving them.
The 840 is the fifth of six BMW’s I have owned. Our main driver is a 2004 845i
with a 6 speed. My first BMW was a 1979 320i purchased in 1981. That got me
hooked. The quality and total feel of the car had the 1968 Mustang I had been
driving beat by quite a bit. The 840Ci is my favorite BMW to this day!
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1994 840Ci Owner: John Burgan, Moreno Valley California
The Man with a Love of Cars
John:
John is not one who hangs
on to many of his cars. He
changes cars like most of us
change our shirt. Over the
years he has owned about 70
cars. Currently he has 7 on
the road. However the 840ci
car is special to him. It is
second in tenure to his 1963
Galaxie 500XL convertible
which he has owned for 22
years. The 840Ci is the
second longest car that he
has ever owned.
The
“2008 Dodge Viper,
600 HP, fastest car I've Magnificent
ever been in. Only the
second new car I ever
purchased”
1995 Ferrari F355
Spider. Purchased in
2005, sold in 2008
and repurchased it
in 2012.
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1994 840Ci Owner: John Burgan, Moreno Valley California
And the Fun Doesn't Stop There
2004 BMW 545i 6 speed, his Wife’s
Daily Driver
1953 Cadillac Eldorado,
currently under restoration
That is my lovely wife Bridgit with the 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor
Hearse that we previously owned.
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1994 840Ci Owner: John Burgan, Moreno Valley California
The Beginning of the 8 Story
We were in San Diego for a weekend getaway and stumbled upon this 8 while
sightseeing in the Gas Lamp District in San Diego, CA. I had owned 4 BMW’s
in the past and really liked them. I had always loved the 8’s in particular and
when I saw this one, blue being my favorite color, I just made an impulse
purchase and got lucky. I hadn’t looked at other 8’s at the time. We bought the
car at VIP Classics in May of 2000. The car at the time had 62,175 miles on it
that was driven for approximately 10,000 miles per year which is very few for
California standards, considering the average is about 15K a year.
This 1994 840Ci has a 12/93 production date. It was first sold new on
02/02/1994 at PARK AVE BMW which is located in Rochelle Park, NJ.
The Vehicle History Report shows the following:
The Color Code: 276 ( AVUS BLUE METALLIC)
Trim Code:
0353 (L Silver/Silver)
OEM
Vehicle Options Included:
Code 0089 Full VPC-850
Code 0205 Automatic
Transmission
Code 0230 80CIA Pack
Code 0061 Special Body
Paint
BMW Individual,
(Avus Blue
Metallic) the only
e31 imported to the
North American in
this color during
the entire model
run
John’s 840Ci
prior to the
850 CSi Body
Kit, which was
added in
August of 2010
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1994 840Ci Owner: John Burgan, Moreno Valley California
You start changing one thing and it goes on from there”
Like most of us who tinker on
our cars, John has made
numerous modifications to his
car over the years. We all tend
you make our 8s as personal as
possible. His car is no
exception. In most cases it
comes down to how much we
want to spend, not whether we
can’t.
19’ Hamann PG3’s
• Date unknown: 18’ M Parallel spokes were installed early on.
•Jan 2001: The car received a full re-spray in the original color at Arrow
Glen Collision Center which is no longer in business, but at the time was
located on the grounds of Savage BMW, Ontario, CA.
• June 2003: AC Schnitzer lowering springs. Purchased and installed
at CEC, Santa Monica, CA.
• Nov 2003: 19’ Hamann PG3’s. He purchased and installed at D2
Technik, Alhambra, CA. These wheels were on the owner’s red 850i in
the showroom and were in as-new condition. He fell in love with the
look on the 850i and purchased those very wheels and tires off of his
car. He probably never would have sprung for them, if he had not first
been able to see them installed on an 8 Series in person. The fenders
were also rolled in the rear at D2 Technik.
• Jan 2004: POWERCHIP. Purchased and installed at POWERCHIP,
Santa Monica, CA.
• June 2004; Supersprint exhaust installed at D2 Technik.
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1994 840Ci Owner: John Burgan, Moreno Valley California
840 Underpowered?
In John’s Own Words:
In 2007 I had began thinking of selling the car as I
had never really been fond of its “seat of the pants
performance” although I had always loved its
looks. I drove a 1991 850i and it felt real good
comparatively. I considered an 850CSi, but felt it
may be a bit too collectable for a driver. I wanted
a 6-speed and thought that when combined with a
rear end ratio change, it might wake the car up
enough to satisfy me.
Coast Motor Werk
15385 Chemical Lane Huntington Beach,
CA 92649 Phone: (714) 894-9849
I began looking for a shop that might
be able to do the work and settled upon
Coast Motor Werk in Huntington
Beach, CA. which is owned by Ron
Inchausti. Ron is a former BMW dealer
mechanic and also has a couple of 8’s in
his family. Ron gave me great advice
on the project and answered my many
and frequent questions as the project
progressed.
As is usual, the project snowballed as it went along, the major addition being a lower
mileage M62 motor out of a 1996 840Ci. This particular car was still in the shop
getting the final touches put on its swap to an e34 M5 motor. My motor was fine, but
since my car was apart and this better motor was just sitting there on a stand at a
reasonable price, I just went for it. This particular M62 was also a known commodity
as the 96 had been serviced at CMW for some time. The car was completed in Jan 2008
and runs fantastic. The driving experience completely changed and it really feels like
a different car. A fast car! The only thing that did not work out perfectly is that no
program could be found for the General Module that would allow the odometer to
show miles rather than kilometers with the 6 speed set up. We assumed this was due
to no 840’s with 6 speeds ever being produced for the North American market by the
factory. Somebody somewhere could probably custom program the General Module
to overcome this.
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1994 840Ci Owner: John Burgan, Moreno Valley California
The Transformation
At the time this 1996 840 was
having an engine swap from the
M62 to the e34 M5. John took
advantage of the low mileage M62
1996 engine that was there by
installing it in place of his M60.
To do it right, the body of his car was pulled off the frame. This gave them access
to the complete drivetrain which made it easier to install the M62 engine out of the
1996 car above, and also easier for the installation of the 6-speed transmission.
Resonators were
removed
AC Schnitzer Lowering
Springs
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1994 840Ci Owner: John Burgan, Moreno Valley California
Modifications
Here is a list of the modifications made at Coast Motor Werk.
• M62 engine from a 70k miles 1996 840Ci
• New OEM motor mounts, hoses, clutch kit, flywheel etc., etc.
• Freshly powder coated valve covers.
• Used OEM 6 speed
• Used OEM 3.15 LS rear end. Original was 2.93
• New OEM radiator.
• New OEM pedal set, shift lever, shift arm, shift handle w/boot
• Clutch master cylinder, clutch slave cylinder and various related
parts.
• Remanufactured driveshaft.
• New all metal cats.
• Complete rebuild of suspension, including new OEM 850CSi
front and rear sway bars. Bilstein sport shocks.
• Xenon HID headlamps.
• Euro OEM fog / turn signal assemblies
• Removed resonators, which combined with the Supersprint
exhaust really gives the car a nice sound.
• New OEM General Module and programming.
• e36 Sport type steering wheel. This common 8 series improvement
really makes a difference.
• AC Schnitzer Lowering Springs and Bilstein Sport shocks.
• Michelins - Tire Size Front: 245 35 19 Tire Size Rear: 285 30 19
OEM Color Code
276
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1994 840Ci Owner: John Burgan, Moreno Valley California
Thinking Back
I had always loved the look of the
850CSi and in Jan. 2008 ordered the full
OEM body kit from Charlie Spear at
Gault BMW in Endicott, NY. When it
arrived I checked it out and was excited.
I then promptly let it sit in the box in my
garage until March 2010 when I finally
had it installed. The work was done
primarily by Sal Delmoral at MK Auto
Detail, Ontario, CA. My good friend
Mike Aldaraca, the owner of MK Detail,
oversaw the project and detailed the
final product. The paint work was done
next door at MJ Auto Body which is
owned by my friend and Mikes’ brother
Marco. This project came out very well
and really made the car a keeper. The
car currently has 111,190 miles on it and
is a frequently found covered in the
garage.
His 8 under raps in John’s garage
Update:
More recently I
installed a new
OEM under hood
pad and had a new
windshield installed
after it was
shattered by a rock
while traveling
home from
Bimmerfest 2012.
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1994 840Ci Owner: John Burgan, Moreno Valley California
Behold The Work of Art
Wallpaper photos anyone?
These fantastic pictures were taken by Dylan Leff.
Bimmer Forum Name “mojocoggo” December 2012
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1994 840Ci Owner: John Burgan, Moreno Valley California
Beauty Beyond Words
These picture captures the magnificence of the most beautiful car ever
designed. It is pictures such as these that continue to captivate and inspire
so many. It is unimaginable to
think that this body design
would last as a timeless work
of art knowing that it is over 23
years old. Truly amazing every
time we see one.
An engine bay like this make one feel like
running out and detailing your own.
Now set up with his newer M62 engine.
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1994 840Ci Owner: John Burgan, Moreno Valley California
They say that art is in the eyes of the beholder. Well, feast
your eyes on this work of art!
Photos here can be requested,
however you must get approval
from Dylan Leff
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1994 840Ci Owner: John Burgan, Moreno Valley California
The Spender Continues
It is seldom that I find
myself speechless, but
this is an exception. I
must admit that these
picture are some of
the best work I have
seen from Dylan.
Outstanding in every
way, and the subject
matter surly helps
bring out the best.
John shown here, is
truly enjoying his car
driving on the back
roads of Riverside
County.
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1994 840Ci Owner: John Burgan, Moreno Valley California
Now it’s time to show everyone
all that hard work
“John says that
he just loves the
styling. Its the
Flagship of the
90’s as they say”
It’s now sporting
the CSI Body Kit
Car at Cars and Coffee, Irvine CA, July 2011
Bimmerfest Rose Bowl,
Pasadena CA
SoCal Euro Meet San
Diego, CA Nov. 17th 2012
May 5, 2012
“I am sure many of you in SoCal will be able to see this 840Ci
transformation at one of our events up close and have a chance
to talk to John about it”
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John Wishes To
Thank:
Ron Inchausti, Coast Motor Werk
Mike Aldaraca, MK Auto Detail
Marco Aldaraca, MJ Auto Body
Sal Delmoral, expert in BMW
body repair, formerly with Arrow
Glen Auto Body
John Burgan
2012
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