Mine is the same as that and I have a 73 CS. Again it may have received a replacement grill but who knows.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
1974 / 1975 Kidney Grille Options
Mine is the same as that and I have a 73 CS. Again it may have received a replacement grill but who knows.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
i stripped the grilles \down to metal
thay are metal
not aluminum and painted
they came from the factory that way
as its the original and never replaced per previous owner.
thay are metal
not aluminum and painted
they came from the factory that way
as its the original and never replaced per previous owner.
Last edited by a moderator:
not anodized -PAINTED
Well when you put it that way, surely they couldn't have been anodized...
scottd
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 218
- Reaction score
- 32
I just read this thread, and am I wrong to say that no conclusion has been reached?
The poor coupes have so many obstacles to being original- of course rust, poor performance of metallic paints of the era, and the ability to swap many parts between them and their siblings.
I am not an expert, but the transition of shiny (anodized?) bits to black bits during 1973 was also happening with other car manufacturers and you see some similar discrepancies in the same model year, with differences happening because of DOT compliance. Again, just observation not expert testimony.
Scott
The poor coupes have so many obstacles to being original- of course rust, poor performance of metallic paints of the era, and the ability to swap many parts between them and their siblings.
I am not an expert, but the transition of shiny (anodized?) bits to black bits during 1973 was also happening with other car manufacturers and you see some similar discrepancies in the same model year, with differences happening because of DOT compliance. Again, just observation not expert testimony.
Scott
Wladek
Well-Known Member
What do you mean "metal" "not aluminium"? so what is aluminium - plastic?
Original grill till 74' have 5 separate profiled aluminium spokes anyway, doesn't metter if it "black" (anodized) or "silver" (chromed). If the upgrade was made 40 years ago it might look like stock.
In the name of accuracy, "Silver" was clear anodized polished aluminum, not chrome.
i think they may be strong aluminum
after bending it a bit
but they were painted stock
after bending it a bit
but they were painted stock
Wladek
Well-Known Member
Good to know. I have three old type five spoke grills (one silver, two blacks) & i could swear that silver one is chromed, but i guess i have to take a better look or buy glasses:confused:
Alan, with all due respect ... i don't believe they were painted ... i think it was a black anodic (anodized) coating. think about it, why would they put a polished anodic coating on one style and a painted finish on another? they would run to great of a risk of scratching the painted fins while inserting them into the frame.
One of the downsides of having very night bright work. You need old crappy unrestored chrome and aluminum (like my stuff) to visually compare.
Anodized aluminum gets hazy over time. Chrome pretty much stays shiny until it rusts.
okedoke
I am digging all this debate .... It kept me fixated to read the complete thread. I am by no means an expect or claim to be and I am learning more and more each day from you folks....so many good guesses and good arguments. I tend to gravitate to and agree with a lot of what Markos is saying while I respect what others are pointing out to. May be is because Markos appears to have a lot of backing up evidence...... I noticed the part production end date of 1977 ........and I also remember the Grill on the 1981 528i that I recently purchased for 5 speed tranny , has the same chubby 4 slat grill. So does a non running 71 2800cs with safety inspection sticker dated 1983( most defiantly a replacement the) On a running 74 which I purchased from second owner, and On another 74 non running E9.
I am now more curious to look . But I think the 4 slats are plastic slats. Which is what BMW started with in 74 for all thier 2002 models. Also the Grill on the 74 started to be wider and thicker (chubby) for 2002 model. Overwhelming majority of BMW production was 2002 model in 74.One would question if BMW, the manufacturer, made plastic slats on one model (2002) would they continue to make metal slats on another model(E9) ? Why would they do that ? We may have our preferences now but thinking about it back then in 74 having skinny or chubby would not have made much of a difference. One can argue if designers moved to thicker rims around the kidney Grill on one model ( 2002) they would do the same with other models too, wouldn't they ? Unless if they already have in thier possessions tooling and or inventory of parts for the 5 slats. Or production quantity for E9 was so low that cost cutting measures didn't mount up to much with E9 . Wait, bmw was losing money with E9 from day one , and they stopped production for 74. And only produced few 75 models for Europe. So my guess is that
Bmw intended and used 5 slats at the beginning of 74 year model while they had started the 4 slats tooling more or less same time as 2002 conversion to plastic components. They used up what they had in thier inventory, and changed to 4 slats once they ran out. They might had kept the tooling and perhaps produced more parts for resale. I now wonder aside from E9 and E12 which other model used the same 4 slats Grill ?
It is intriguing to continue this for me at least....
I am now more curious to look . But I think the 4 slats are plastic slats. Which is what BMW started with in 74 for all thier 2002 models. Also the Grill on the 74 started to be wider and thicker (chubby) for 2002 model. Overwhelming majority of BMW production was 2002 model in 74.One would question if BMW, the manufacturer, made plastic slats on one model (2002) would they continue to make metal slats on another model(E9) ? Why would they do that ? We may have our preferences now but thinking about it back then in 74 having skinny or chubby would not have made much of a difference. One can argue if designers moved to thicker rims around the kidney Grill on one model ( 2002) they would do the same with other models too, wouldn't they ? Unless if they already have in thier possessions tooling and or inventory of parts for the 5 slats. Or production quantity for E9 was so low that cost cutting measures didn't mount up to much with E9 . Wait, bmw was losing money with E9 from day one , and they stopped production for 74. And only produced few 75 models for Europe. So my guess is that
Bmw intended and used 5 slats at the beginning of 74 year model while they had started the 4 slats tooling more or less same time as 2002 conversion to plastic components. They used up what they had in thier inventory, and changed to 4 slats once they ran out. They might had kept the tooling and perhaps produced more parts for resale. I now wonder aside from E9 and E12 which other model used the same 4 slats Grill ?
It is intriguing to continue this for me at least....
As long as we keep in mind that the evidence is a five bar grille on a 40yo car that could have easily been replaced, or a five bar grille on a factory photo - which may not be the model year at all.
There is no argument that BMW used plastic four slat grilles in 1974. I would consider this a given. It is documented in the parts book. It is visible in some of the literature (especially on the Bavaria), and there are plenty of unmolested 74's out there with the original grille. It would make sense to assume that the factory desired a black grille. They ultimately determined that a molded piece black plastic with four interconnected bars was more cost effective than individually anodizing and assembling a five bar grille. None of this validates or invalidates the existence of the five bar on late model non-csl's.
I don't think we will arrive at a documented conclusion, so this will need to remain as an OP-ED piece. I particularly appreciate the ability to use the internet to hunt some of this stuff down. Now - find more examples of Mintgrun e9's! I wonder how many were produced. Is it the rarest color?
Mintgrün: Yes it is a factory e9 color!