Old original BMW panels Vs new BMW panel pressings

Marc-M

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Just wondering if anyone else has found that the old BMW panels – they are painted in grey and are a much better-quality pressings and fit better?

I have two new inner wings –one was an original BMW NOS 1982 panel RHS inner wing and is painted grey, the other LHS inner wing is a new original BMW pained black.

The grey one has far crisper pressings and is a perfect reproduction, the black one lacks the definition, it is still fine – it has to be as I have nothing else!

However, when I offered up the Grey one, it slotted into place with only a small amount of fiddling – the black one need some pretty major cutting and trimming to get to fit….


I also may be dreaming but the grey one seams to be less flimsy, maybe a better steel as well..


Has anyone had seen this problem or is it just me??
 

nosmonkey

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I think over the years, if the same tooling is being used it would gradually degrade and pressings will decrease in quality. Although some of BMW classics parts as of late just doesn't hold up to scrutiny, rear waistline mouldings being just one example.
 

craterface

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it is my understanding that the new panels are similar in gauge/weight to the original CSL sheetmetal.
 

craterface

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Most definitely not.....
This was an observation made by the man who restored my CSL in 2016. I don't want to misquote him, perhaps I misunderstood him. He has done a dozen or more CSLs and many more standard coupes. In particular he was referring to the replacement outer fenders as shipped to him by BMW. I don't know that he weighed the new panels and the old to the nearest gram, but this is what he observed. If you compare the weight of an old standard e9 front fender from a non-CSL, the old fenders are a lot heavier. The replacement fenders he has purchased seem similar in gauge/weight to the original CSL fenders. Marc seems to notice the same thing--that the new replacement panels are thinner.
Don't want to get in a pissing match here, but just confirming Marc's observation that newer panels may be lighter.
 
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