Deconstruction Thread: How to part-out an E9

Markos

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As much as I hate to part out an E9, I decided to harness the opportunity. I picked up a '73 CSI from WA this weekend.

Original Listing:
https://e9coupe.com/forum/threads/73-csi-in-wa-4-500.19855/

The run down:

The BMW 3.0 CSi VIN 2263445 was manufactured on October 05th, 1972 and delivered on October 09th, 1972 to the BMW dealer Wahl in Hüttental, Germany. The original colour was Polaris metallic, paint code 060.


Purpose: This thread will document that part-out from a technical and financial standpoint. This is not a for sale-thead. All parts will be listed in the parts classifieds section. I encourage anyone to chime in with recommendations on the process, whether it is the disassembly process, or the pack/ship/sell process.

Part-Out Goal (Success!): Get the parts I need. Sell the parts that I don't need, even if I want them. Break even. Once even, use remaining profit to pay down my excess spend on the project car. Help a bunch of people find that odd part. No hoarding! Part it all, including sheet metal!

Hopefully this won't be the last time that I have two E9's in my driveway.
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Markos

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Total Spend (after registration): $3,400 (edit: adjusted up by $400 for the LSD)
Total Sales: $0

Assessment of the investment: I assume that some will say that I spent too much, and others might believe that the car should be saved. The front-end of the car is a wreck, and there are some compelling reasons why I don't think the car should be saved. Saving the car is certainly outside of my skill set, budget, and desire. Based on the build threads I've seen here, there are only a handful of members in the country that could pull off this restoration. Even if that was possible, there is no VIN (more below). In short - no regrets. From a financial standpoint, I'm fairly confident that I can recover the money spent on the car (with your help :D).

Fenders:
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According to the PO, the person that he bought it from attempted to drive the car with the inner fenders cut. This sent the shock tower past the plane of the fender top. See pic for details. Also - this pic clearly illustrates the difference between a US and Euro blinker lens.

Wheel Well / Rocker:
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The Deal Breaker
In addition to the missing VIN plate, the number has also been cut from the firewall. The work is old, nothing that the PO did. Even if the car was restored, it would never be the same. The last remaining VIN (2263445) is on the WA import tag in the driver's door jam. I'll post a pic later, along with the engine block VIN.
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Markos

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Thinking out loud. I've been running mental calculation on parts before putting an offer on the car.

This car is kind of odd. It's a full euro model, with german wording on all instrumentation. No side markers, one blinker is euro, the other is a replacement US. It has full leather, which is uncommon on a euro car, but no headrests It has AC and a sunroof, but no passenger mirror.

Edit: Updating availability status on the not-so-obvious stuff.


Stuff to Keep:
Dashboard
Euro Cluster
Seats
Tail Lights
Factory Jack
Bumper Underriders
Chrome Parts
Badges
Relays
Trunk liner - rear seat back
Parcel Sheld sheet metal
Exhaust - pending inspection of mine and parts car
Rear wheel arches
Rear Fog setup and wiring
Front Strut Tubes - Hopefully they are still true
Springs
Rear Disk Setup / Trailing Arms
3.25 LSD
Rear shock tower elephant skins
Fuel hardlines
Front/Rear windscreens

Stuff to Sell:
All AC components (NLA) - Sold
Brass overflow tank (NLA) - Sold
D-Jet everything (NLA) - Sold
Block/Transmission - Sold
Clutch Pedal Assembly & MT conversion parts - Sold
Window regulators - Sold
Chrome Stuff - belt line parts
Rear fenders
Roof
Sunroof Header - Pending
Rubber Filler boot (NLA) - Sold
Fuel Tank & Pump - Pending interest
Navy rear interior panels - Sold
Doors - Half Sold
Headlamps - Pending
3x Steelies with dog dish hubcaps
Rear Strut towers
Late model Steering Wheel - Sold
Chassis wiring harness - Pending
Trunk Lid - Sold
 
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adawil2002

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I know someone who needs the splined pieces the wiper arms attach to (picture below).

I'd like the center grill if for sale.

May be interested in the entire roof cut mid pillars to use as a sunroof transplant, this I need to discuss with a trusted professional. ;-)

Advise keeping the front windscreen, my car has a replacement that is not as good as the original optically.

IMG_9606.jpg
 

starcruiser

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Deconstruction

Just document and label the parts, with fasteners and sundries. Have a space where they can be stored till they are used by you or sold. Good luck.

Thank you for your earlier response.
 
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Markos

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Hey guys thanks for the PM's. You are welcome to PM me but you don't need to bump the thread. I really do want to document the process, and not turn this into a FS thread. Thanks!
 

Markos

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I know someone who needs the splined pieces the wiper arms attach to (picture below).

I'd like the center grill if for sale.

May be interested in the entire roof cut mid pillars to use as a sunroof transplant, this I need to discuss with a trusted professional. ;-)

Advise keeping the front windscreen, my car has a replacement that is not as good as the original optically.

Any research you want to do, please share here! I think it would be good to talk to a body shop about shipping a roof skin. I can weld an X to the underside between the pillars. We could get fancy and have adjuster nuts on them. Body shops have foam bags that form fit when activated. Great for shipping.


I agree about the factory glass. I will hold onto it for a bit. I bought Alan's old factory windscreen already, but I may break it on install.
 

viphoto

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Markos congratulations on your new purchase...your in it now! I look forward to following your thread...I am still in the process of deconstructing 1 of 2 1973 E'3's I bought about the same time as the Hawaii Coupe. Still haven't got to the point of selling much of it off though I think a big hurdle is trying to fairly price the stuff I don't need, at least you have the archives as to relevant coupe parts prices....not so much for E3's.

One thing I have found valuable is saving every nut, bolt , speed nut, clip and every inch of wiring and connectors I can get to (I have gone to the junk jar of misc stuff several times while working on the coupe.)

Good Luck
 

mulberryworks

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Space, the final frontier

I've parted out several cars ('60s VWs) and space management is critical. Buying a set of steel shelves would pay off down the road. I would bag and label everything. Beetles were easy, I could memorize each bolt and its uses. I wouldn't try that trick now with my E9. You could reinsert fasteners in the removed part if you want to sell them together rather than hunt them down later.

Have an extinguisher on hand when cutting things. You never know when flames will erupt and spoil your fun. CO2 is better than powder.
Use lots of penetrant and lots time before trying to break loose a fitting. Think days. WD40 is not the best choice.
An impact driver can sometimes be enough to crack it loose. There are electric ones as well as pneumatic.
As a last resort, heat can be used to break loose a nut or bolt. Heating a fastener till it glows with an Oxy/Acetylene torch will loosen it for sure, at the cost of ruining its temper. I have bent 1' breaker bars (with a 5' cheater pipe) trying to get large nuts off, and then heat did the trick and it came off normally.
A propane torch might be enough, but it will take much longer and heat a much greater area.

Ian
 

Markos

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Thanks for the great Tips Ian! I have a storage facility reserved but haven't pulled the tigger yet. I have all the torches, and PB Blaster is my friend. The extinguisher expired, but I live near a fire extinguisher store (where I bought it).
 
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Gary Knox

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Markos,

In my dis-assembly of the two P 928's, I had the best result from Kroil products for penetrating oils. Their basic oil is good, and comes in squeeze to drip cans and in aeorosol cans. I had especially good results from their Penephite (p-oil with graphite) and Silikroil (p-oil with silicone)

Great learning process, and a great assistance to the e9 restoration community.
 

viphoto

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FWIW Markos, I forgot to mention that on some of the bigger heavier items that Greyhound Freight works pretty well. The also let you send a tote. I got a tranny off ebay from Florida shipped to Oceanside in a tote alot quicker than UPS (and it changed buses at least 4 times).
 

Markos

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Shipping:

I used Greyound with great success getting my windscreen from Alan. It didn't break, which is a plus. It is also close to my office.

For any buyers that work for a decent sized organization (corporate, education, non-profit) check in with your shipping department. You typically get discounted shipping. I shipped a set of 15" wheels for $40 not too long ago. You can buy the label and mail or email it to me, assuming that I provide weight and dimensions. As a consultant, I don't always have access to my client's shipping discount.
 

Markos

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Replicate Before Sale:
I have been talking with a fabricator. I am going to scan the AC Vents, The Can relay receptacles, and the headlamp thumbscrews.The center cap on the left below is 3D printed. It isn't perfect, but none of the parts I'm scanning are terribly complicacted.

Edit: This is now happening here
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Adam T

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The owner of that 3.0Cs had also come over to my place to pick some parts off the Bavaria you were able to scrounge some interior parts from.

He had big plans of cutting the front end off the Bavaria and grafting it to the E9. He was all set to come over and take care of it one weekend, and then disappeared. Never heard from him again.

I'm glad you ended up with the car and can get some useful parts off of it, and distribute the ones you don't need.
 

Adam T

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Replicate Before Sale:
I have been talking with a fabricator. I am going to scan the AC Vents, The Can relay receptacles, and the headlamp thumbscrews.The center cap on the left below is 3D printed. It isn't perfect, but none of the parts I'm sccanning are terribly complicacted.

24787647762_a77724d899_b.jpg

Which 3D printing did you use for this? Looks too good to be FDM. SLA maybe?

And which type of plastic?
 

Markos

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Which 3D printing did you use for this? Looks too good to be FDM. SLA maybe?

And which type of plastic?


You know I'm not sure. We just started discussing. I know that it is a hard white plastic used for prototyping. The printer doesn't leave the fine lines like you see on the UPS Store or Home Depot printers. I know nothing about the process but look forward to learning more. I do know that the caps were printed from an existing file. As another forum member and I have discussed, the hard part is turning a 3D scanned image into a CAD file. Jay Leno's garage makes it look easy.

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Markos

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Motor: Checked the VIN on the block tonight. It's 2263950. Doesn't match the car, but it is a CSI motor, 505 units off from the chassis. The head is an '81.
 

Adam T

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You know I'm not sure. We just started discussing. I know that it is a hard white plastic used for prototyping. The printer doesn't leave the fine lines like you see on the UPS Store or Home Depot printers. I know nothing about the process but look forward to learning more. I do know that the caps were printed from an existing file. As another forum member and Inhave discussed, the hard part is turning a 3D scanned image into a CAD file. Jay Leno's garage makes it look easy.

*insert another advantage to being an engineer :razz:

I've got CAD and access to a couple different 3D printers. But similar to you, I'm short on time.

Let me know if you get serious about wanting to duplicate those parts.

In my mind, the image scanning is the most difficult part. That equipment can be quite expensive, and sensitive.
 
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