E24 635 manual recommission

nosmonkey

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Dad saw this pop up on fb marketplace and after much persistence (read nagging) I messaged the seller and arranged to view. I really didn't fancy another project, but series 2 manual 635s are a rare beast, with only around 400 produced. Rarer still are the factory Recaros which differ in design to earlier ones.

Meeting in a rather nondescript car park, the car did look rather sorry for itself. However, bar a respray at some point in the 90s (and a rather good one at that) and a car phone, the car was as it left the factory, down to the factory locking wheel nuts and decades old metrics. The car has been off the road since 2001. Originally a demo for Bridgegate of Derby (now stratstone) , it was then used for about a year, before being sold via Castle BMW and used by the owner from 15k all the way up to 146k, fully serviced by his local bmw dealer. At this point it was then laid up.

Some rust in the bottoms of both rear arches/sills as well as the tops, a few bubbles here and there elsewhere but nothing major. The usual rust under the rear lights too. The sunroof was completely toast. I presume that it was stored in a leaky garage, thankfully no damage was done to the interior. The zinnobar paint was very faded and generally, it just needed some love. Overall, a very solid base that, most importantly, hadn't seen a welder or any bodging.
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Nice seats, not torn but the leather was drier than Gandhis flip flop.

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Off the trailer, with the daily lurking behind wondering why another rusty coupe has arrived....

Mechanically the car seems good but will need a refresh due to the amount of time it's been standing. Any parts that have been replaced or look to be new are all genuine bmw and it has clearly been pampered in a past life. The rear brake lines are leaking and the exhaust has a blow. These will get replaced as I'll be dropping the rear axle to deal with the welding, sort the brake lines and fit a new stainless exhaust from Fritz
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The complete and unused toolkit with original cloth was a pleasant surprise.
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After a quick clay bar and buff, the oxidised paint really transformed. Single stage reds are always the most satisfying to polish.

Job number 1 was to get everything working. Interior lights were gone and the OBC was having a little disco. The boot light was hanging off and shorting against the body.. Refitted and sorted. The windows also needed adjusting as they were closing too high and it'd be all too easy to shatter a glass.
A few interior pieces were not fitted or loose, so got repaired what needed fixing (mostly damaged/broken mounting tabs) and fitted everything back into place. A new mirror switch and multiple coats of leather balm to try and get some suppleness and life back into the seats really made a difference. Also found the original floor mats in the back so fitted them back in after a good scrub
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The plans so far are rather simple. A quick refresh of the underside and sort out all structural corrosion. Get the car MOTed and enjoy it whilst the e9 resto continues. It'll be out for paint in a few weeks and I'll have 6-8 weeks of down time after work and weekends to get this usable. This is a great survivor and one I feel would be all to easy to over restore. New bumper corners are on their way for the front, but the centre is proving tricky to source. Also purchased a pre 87 style sunroof so that'll need modification to fit the later e30 style mountings. It'll have a few localised paint repairs, but I don't feel it's necessary for a full respray, nor do I have the funds to do so.


I will update in here periodically, but don't expect much for the next few weeks!
 

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Arde

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Nice car! I do not see rust. Late E24s are way better than E9s resisting rust.
Locking wheel nuts? Who would steal a TRX!
 

bavbob

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Correct me if I am wrong, but the Recaros or should I say, the seats from the OP, are standard and present in both my U.S. 88 M6 and 86 635.

As stated, the Zinnerot is a single stage paint and will actually but scarily, buff out to a beautiful sheen. The original dyes for this paint are from Japan and at one time....the time my car needed body work of course, were very rare. In 2014 we were talking almost $1000 per gallon........................
 

nosmonkey

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Fiddling about with the RH wing uncovered some crustiness. Wing had to come off for the usual E24 rot. This wasn't expected, and took some more time than expected due to it being a more complicated beast than the e9s inner wings and coupled with the unavailability of repair panels. Followed the same process as the E9 with healthy doeses of epoxy and seam sealer, followed by 3M undercoat

May be an image of car


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nosmonkey

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Rear sill sections needed work. Axle out and new fuel and brake lines will be getting installed
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Also had a new alarm fitted up and gave the interior yet another good clean. A nice M Tech 1 wheel will finish the interior off nicely imo.

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Front bumper centre section is rather badly repaired and fillered, in future I will get a new centre section (both corners are new) but want to try and kerb the project creep as much as possible for now. New centre and corner chromes as well as a new foglight to replace the damaged one.
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bavbob

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Did you swap out the fog lights for rare amber ones or is that just the photo? Original photo seems to show clear fog lights.
 

nosmonkey

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Did you swap out the fog lights for rare amber ones or is that just the photo? Original photo seems to show clear fog lights.
Good eye. 1 of the fog lights was brand new so I got another new one, as they are so susceptible to stone chips and cracking I covered them with yellow laminX to help prevent it.
 

bavbob

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Thank you for the reminder. My amber fogs in my US 635 (came that way, no idea why but I love them) are unprotected but somehow have lasted 25 years. Gonna order some laminX today!
 

nosmonkey

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A reminder for everyone to check their fuel lines. These weren't leaking but after brushing some of the crust of I could see pin holes. As the rear beam is out all the brake and fuel lines are being renewed.
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Spent a rather considerable amount of time so far underneath cleaning the dirt and mud off and getting to the original finish. It only needs a few touch ups in places.
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Welding finished up on the drivers sill and arch
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bavbob

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Replace the subframe bushings since you got it out of the car. PIA to pull out but worth it. I used Powerflex bushings. Really takes the "drift" out of the arse of the car. Do the "dogbones" too, cheap money.
 

nosmonkey

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Replace the subframe bushings since you got it out of the car. PIA to pull out but worth it. I used Powerflex bushings. Really takes the "drift" out of the arse of the car. Do the "dogbones" too, cheap money.
All bushings and rubbers are being replaced. Have a press at work so will get them done tomorrow
 

bavbob

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There are videos of people torching them out, black smoke, crazy. I had strange tire wear and went to a Turner Motorsport cars and coffee, they pointed out my subframe bushings were shot, I think these are often overlooked.

Let us know how the bushes come out of the trailing arms, suppose to be near impossible even with a press.
 

nosmonkey

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There are videos of people torching them out, black smoke, crazy. I had strange tire wear and went to a Turner Motorsport cars and coffee, they pointed out my subframe bushings were shot, I think these are often overlooked.

Let us know how the bushes come out of the trailing arms, suppose to be near impossible even with a press.
Honestly? Had them out in about a minute flat per side with the hydraulic press at work. New ones went straight in. Sand blasted the beam best I could and have slapped on a healthy coat of POR15. I love this stuff but be warned, it'll stay on your skin for at least 1 or 2 weeks!
 

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nosmonkey

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And as for the pitman arms, fairly certain driving on the road with these would have resulted in some "interesting" handling characteristics
 

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bavbob

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I sent you a PM to avoid getting abused for turning this into an E24 side-forum.
 

bavbob

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The actual E24 forum is quiet most often. There are a handful of members that are quite informative and helpful. I have raised issues multiple times with the youngsters asking questions but never giving feedback, closing the loop. Well, why should I expect younger people to know how to communicate!
 
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