After removing the useless spacers--

Contributing factors may also include strut inserts as--

if ypur front strut inserts and rear shocks are original--they were the hydraulic type and with the passage of years they may have lost fluid and softened. In all cases of original shocks--I would replace with Bilstein HD's F & R as they are seriously better than the originals.

About 32 or 33 years ago I had the old tire in the fender lip problem with 195/70-14's fitted with the original hydraulic shocks. Did the rolled fender lips, Bilstein HD's, and again fresh Bilstein shocks years later when Carl Nelson spring set was installed with original 14" rims--about 4 years ago installed Alpina 16" staggered's--never a fender contact problem since.
 
thanks

i purchased the springs, HD shocks and a negative camber plate today from Carl Nelson. He says the whole package is great together. I guess i'm going the way of everyone else and upgrading my CS...i'll roll the fenders next week.

thanks for the tips
ccr
 
You may or may not agree with my Black Forest elf theory but I have found the ultimate solution for these useless thingies: flaunt them! Simply mount them on the top side! You won't lose them, you can use nice acorn nuts, you can easily remove them to clean any rust accelerating muck, and lower your ride at the same time! :twisted:

uselessthingies.jpg

Special thanks to thanks to Ebay listing 200140755889.

Hey Bluemax -- bet you're sorry you cut your studs down now!
 
Crying about the loss of my spacers and--

If anyone wants a really nice original hardly used set that hasn't collected any silt, salt or sand--in perfect condition preserved for several years in dry storage--the pair is available for only $129.95 USD---(;>)
Just kidding--

However---when I saw the big black horn stuck underhood that looks suspiciously like an after market alarm system--you know the kind that goes off when no one is around and irritates the surrounding population but never bothers the car thief--just the citizens that have to hear its objectionable noises and wonder what yo-yo had spent so much on a noise maker to annoy his neighbors--I did cry a bunch---oooowww---because we have a neighbor with one of those things that goes off from time to time--so if anyone will jump at the chance to buy my spacers I'll offer my neighbor the net amount to remove his big black horn!!!!!!!!!
 
Be careful about relocating the spacer on top of the shock tower. That will move the top of the acorn nuts one spacer thickness closer to the underside of the bonnet. Before you go to the trouble of relocating the spacer, place a gob of modelling clay on top of each nut and latch the bonnet. ( For folks in the South, a spoonfull of leftover grits will work just as well) When you reopen the bonnet you will see how much clearance you have to work with.
When I had the front struts disassembled on my 3.0s, I removed the spacers and replaced the studs with shorter ones from an E12.
 
still rubbing

Well, i tried to avoid rolling my fenders by replacing my worn out original shocks with the bilstein HDs and also installed Carls spring sent and camber plate. it seemed to help but i still "bottomed out" yesterday going over a depression in the road at about 20mph. i cut out another piece of rubber from the tire.

i'm frustrated...the et11 fronts seem to stick out too far from the wheel well and I think that even if i roll the fenders (which I don't want to do...i know it shouldn't be a big deal but i'm worried they might crack the original paint) there will still be rubber. It just seems the tires are too wide.

any thoughts? are there narrower fronts that are an option?

thanks
ccr
 
What size tires for your Alpina staggered set-up?

Fronts on the 7"X 16 with the E-11 offset--should be 205/55X16
Rears on the 8"X16 --offset is not an issue--should be 225/50X16

What tires have you fitted and what brand?

HTH
 
tires

i fitted Michelin pilot sports of the above size. in another thread someone mentioned that maybe the Yokohama AVS? perhaps other brands as well don't have quite the width despite being the same size tire.

it just seems that the michelins of this size extend out the outer lip of the fender and maybe a little beyond. even if the fenders were rolled the potential for bottoming out would exist.

ccr
 
Blumax.. Being a Californian.. you seem to grossly overstate the #%^$*%(# bureaucrats responsible for the spacers.. You have not experienced true bureaucracy until you have had to smog a Euro 635 in CA...

Can anyone explain why it is that my 1980 car is required to pass 2007 smog levels? And, more to the point, why my 1980 car that gets driven less than 1K miles per year is reviled by CARB, while my neighbor's Suburban, which probably belches out 20x as many pollutants per year is embraced?

In defiance, I built a 1973 Ford Bronco for my son.. 302 V8 with a 4BBL carb.. I think it gets about 8 miles/gal, and has NO smog restrictions.. your eyes water at 20 feet when it is idling.. but, like my coupe, it is smog exempt.. It looks good next to the Prius..

It's a world gone mad...MAD! I tell you....

Spacers. hmm, I'll remember to ditch them when I take my car apart...

S
 
California==bureaucracy gone crazy

CARB--well known by Californians for their even handed treatment--what did I just say???

For those un-initiated--CARB is the accronym for California Air Resources Board--a sponsored segment of Californias massive bureaucracy created by the Legislature 35 or so years ago to clean up the smog of Los Angeles--and this powerful group has since spread throughout the State and is now dsdicated to "up the ante" by creating and enforcing clean air standards well beyond those of the EPA's Fedaeral standards and generously sharing them at tax-payer sponsored conferences and symposiums at pleasant resort hotel settings--hey guys--I'm not making this stuff up!!

It's almost beyond belief the extent of their their methods to put the screws to individuals as they haven't figured out how to fight back for reasonable treatment--one size must fit all although 20 year old designs did not include in their design the emission controls mandated today and enforced by an out-of-control arm of the Legislature--whereas manufacturers of trucks we call SUV's have been embraced since they guzzle and contribute more in gas taxes and registration fees--so revenues to the system are much greater than your old 1,000 mile per year BMW at $80 or $90 --so what's your complaint--sounds as if you are not supportive of our CARB's creative "greening efforts" on the backs of individuals--nice eh?.

Scottt--maybe you have found a new calling--call it the "take on the one size fits all mentality bunch in Sacramento" by focusing on keeping the exempt ones on the road.

And our friends back East have really only begun to sample the infection spreading from this land--as the rest of the countries bureaucracies catch on as to how they gain more control over and can milk more from "Joe Citizen"

Oh yes--E9 DRIVEN friends let's us keep our focus on our exempt ones in the fine running condition they deserve--at least while we can.
 
I am proud to report that after getting my coupe back after 13 months in the shop I have learned that my "Useless Spacer Thingies" are mounted topside in full view! On the rear there are acorn nuts and on the forward stud (highest) there is a nut which has be ground off. Being from the south I will be whipping up a batch of grits so that I can measure the remaining clearance. :twisted:

As soon as I can find a set of new acorn nuts I will remove the spacers and follow Blumax's suggestion. Perhaps I'll list my spacers on Ebay with a suitably elaborate description explaining how critical they are to replace on older E3's (those guys will believe anything). :roll:
 
I'd like to collect a set of 8, to use for a ring toss game. It would be a good way to pass time at BMWACA events while waiting for crowd to view the 60 late-model M cars and then award the "Best in Show" plaque to my e9...

:twisted:
 
When (not if) I get around to taking mine off I will be happy send them to you for the cause. I'll need to do the stud-ectomy process and I would like to find new acorn nuts.

If you do collect a set I would recommend that you have them chromed or gilded (maybe half and half). I think the having a set of chrome plated useless spacer thingies would be the ultimate statement. :lol:
 
Thanks - I think there are a few Ace hardware stores within 30-40 minutes.

I'm re-assembling my coupe after complete strip down for paint work -- sorting out hundreds of little things. At present I'm struggling with the chrome trim band (the main one running around the car) fasteners. I've resorted to grinding off #8 brass "lamp" bolts to fit and using large brass thumb screws and brass + nylon washers. I'm also having a bear of a time getting the nose piece centered; I've resorted to a 6 oz. plastic hammer to "tweak" the position. When I get to the bumpers I'll need to find a bunch of metric bolts and nuts - this will be a good time to hit up Ace for the Acorn nuts. I guess I need to fire up my RotoZip tool to slice the studs down to length.

This brings me to a strange question. Many years ago I changed the strut inserts on my E3 several times (my first encounters with the useless spacer thingies). To do this I would remove the strut tower and use spring compressors; a real pain. The last time took on the task, after being told I couldn't do it, I simply lossened the cap nut to leave just a few turns, disconnected the sway bar, and jacked the car up until the spring was released (removing the cap nut at the last moment before tension). I was able to do the entire job (left and right) in less than 2 hours. Has anyone ever tried this with an E9?
 
Either Carl Nelson or Pete Sliskovitch sells a nice hardware kit for the beltline trim that includes little nylon spacers to keep the trim from binding on the paint. Those are a good idea; my car is only a couple years into new paint and the trim has all ready created wrinkles.
 
I tried Carl´s nylon spacers but didn´t like the way the trim ended up "outside" the bodywork.
I went back to the old way of tightening the nuts very loosely, barely fingerforce. They will never rattle loose and come off the bolts. Even better if the trim is mounted at a later stage in the resto. process preferably several weeks/months later. Similar issue to the bonnet/hood grilles, except these need to be firm against the sheet metal, easily causing the pins at the bottom of each louvre to dig into the paint with known wrinkle effects. Again: wait for paint to dry and harden.
 
JJ, regards your strut replacement method -- why not? I have air tools, so I can remove all the fasteners and crank down the spring compressor muy rapido with no sweat, but if I was doing the job with hand tools I like your idea.

I always loosen the top nut before removing the struts from the car just to make it easier once they're out.
 
Murray, - I finally got around to getting rid of my spacers and installing new acorn nuts. My spacers now have a nice new home.

DSCN2085.jpg
 
Murray, - I finally got around to getting rid of my spacers and installing new acorn nuts. My spacers now have a nice new home.

DSCN2085.jpg
 
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