"In this entry, we begin the CSL carbon roof conversion by uninstalling auxiliary components before tackling the daunting removal of the original metal roof. I document the process and set expectations."
- Matt

Setting context. 

In September 2024, I unfortunately got into a minor fender bender. Fortunately, the damage was purely cosmetic; the frame rails, subframe and cooling cores were untouched. 

The front passenger side was damaged, leading to an insurance claim for repairs. Still, the minor damage ended up in a +/- 23,000$ CAD insurance claim. 

M5 parts are expensive and add up quickly.

It prompted a quasi-complete paint refresh and repairs of previous poorly performed paint and body work. The front clip, rear quarters and rear bumper would be fully restored. I will write another series dedicated to the repair and restoration process. 

Within the scope of this restoration, the carbon roof conversion would be performed. Some pictures of the process will show the car disassembled far beyond what would be required if we only did the carbon roof conversion. 

The hood, fender, bumper and passenger light needed complete replacement, amongst various other brackets and ducts. 

The process starts here. 

I previously garnered experience in carbon roof conversion processes with the E46 M3. I documented the process here. It's since been fully completed and the final entries are in queue to be written and published. 

The arrival of the E6x 5, 6 and 7 series marked significant changes in BMW's industrial manufacturing processes and chassis developments. We expected the E60 to be a more challenging process.

This being a world's first, I sought to go the extra mile, covering every step to ensure the documentation of the conversion in acute details. 

Auxiliary components. 

The process begins with the removal of all auxiliary components fitted to the roof inside and out. Our work is focused on the roof components themselves and determining parts are retained, replaced and discarded. 

We did not remove any seats to complete the process. The E60 M5's 4 door makes it easier than the E46 M3 in this regard. 

We did protect the interior with drapes and sheeting to ensure metal shavings would not damage it.  

The roof rails were removed. The E60 uses Porsche style clips to fit the rails. 

They are installed on welded pins that will not make it through this process, nor are integrated into the carbon roof panel.

Unlike the E9x and E46, roof racks are not bolted to the rails. The clips will be re-used to ensure the proper height level is achieve with the roof panel and chassis.

The front and rear windows were removed entirely. The rear window has many connectors for the antenna, the 3rd brake light and its heating circuit. We opted to re-use the rear window. 

The rear window has the 3rd brake light and its Alcantara cover. Those are retained and will fit with the new slicktop headliner. 

The rear window removal shined light on an unexpected part to be restored. The rear shelf's original Anthracite Alcantara had been UV damaged, suffering discolouration to a green hue. 

I drive the car with the sunshade lifted at all times, it did little to protect the Alcantara. As the rear shelf is discontinued by BMW M, we would restore as we did with the E46 M3 components. This will be offered as an additional service here for M5 owners planning this conversion. 

The front windshield, headliner and sunroof cassette were fully removed. My windshield cracked in the process: it was relatively old and had already been spot repaired twice to avoid cracking. I wanted a brand new windshield and this was the ideal opportunity.

Little is retained from the original sunroof headliner. The sun visors and handles are separate parts that are removed prior to removing the headliner itself.  You need to retain the airbag and SOS buttons on this cover. 

They can be easily unclipped. You'll notice this panel is recovered in Alcantara as well. The panel itself cannot be re-used as it is too large for the slicktop headliner. The smaller Genuine BMW panel was ordered.

The sunroof cassette holds everything related to the sunroof: the glass, panel and motors along with water drains. It is considered a structural component, improving the chassis' rigidity. 

The complete cassette weighs approximately 18.0 kg / 39.7 lbs. 

Underneath the cassette, sound absorbers and insulation pads were glued to the metal roof skin. They will not be re-used.

The metal roof skin itself had reinforced, ribbed sections to support the extra weight of the sunroof cassette. This design is not used on the original slicktop roof panel, neither on the carbon roof. 

The shark fin was also removed. They are body colored as standard and will be painted in gloss black. 

Removing the metal roof skin. 

The final disassembly step is to remove the metal skin. This is arguably the most time intensive of the disassembly process. 

The panel is glued and spot welded to the chassis itself. The roof is far larger than on the E46, resulting in far more spot welds. The density of the spot welds is also increased. 

It's also the messiest step in the process, lots of dust, metal and glue gets obliterated. Ensure proper protection of the interior and surrounding paint.  

The spot welds need to be ground and drilled out across the panel to allow the glue's bond to be undone. 

The metal roof skin is then pried away from the chassis, undoing the glue's bond. 

The steel chassis transversal beams may get bent in the process as seen here. This will be straightened again prior to installing the carbon panel. 

The front corner sections have indents on the chassis upper roof rails. It's noticeable at the seam between the ground section and underneath the lifted corner.  

The spot weld removal process requires additional time by the sunroof cassette section. The metal skin is reinforced and the spot welds are triple layered.  

With all spot welds removed, we can now remove the metal skin. We have cumulated +/- 12 hours of labor at this stage. 

And voila! The metal roof skin weighs 12.6 kg / 27.8 lbs. I will have a cumulative weight and cost table in the final entry. 

The sunroof's reinforcements are more clearly noticeable below. 

The tabs that connect the reinforcements to the side sections of the skin create the 3rd layer to spot welds. 

The sound absorbers and insulations pads will not be re-used. 

No matter the precautions taken in protecting the paint, some sections by the roof rails were damaged in the process. 

It will be repaired and sealed later on. This should be expected in the process and must be done to avoid rust and water infiltration.

All the mounting sections will need to be ground, sanded and prepared before the carbon roof is glued. 

The disassembly process is now complete. 

Up next: we test fit the carbon panel and I source the required Genuine BMW parts to perform the installation.

We perform the repair & preparation work to glue the carbon roof permanently.