Front Wheel Arch Protection

N

Neil Beauchamp

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Hello Everyone,

Can anyone advise on protection around the front wheel arch/bulkhead area on a CSI?
I've bought part nos A 41 14 1 814 035/6 and A 51 71 1 813 031/2 from Walloth&Nesch, described as cover and mud protection sheets, but for the life of me can't make them fit
( and they don't look like the original parts on BMW's expoded diagrams )?

After a re-build it seems like a ridiculously prone area for water and rot.

Any suggestions very welcome.

Thank you

Neil (UK)
 
Why not fit a set of Lokari's?

I've heard only great things about these liners and their ability to keep water/debris out of those danger areas. Custom made for the E9.
www.lokari.de

John
 
If you search on lokari

forum members have said very good things about them. I will put them on my next E9.

John
 
Neil,

The W&N panels are the sames (or similar) to the stock panels originally installed by BMW. The upper one was tack welded in place. The lower (longer piece) was held on by two screws into speed nuts fit into the rectangular holes in the front of the 'A' pillar. I was going to refit new ones into my car, but, they don't fit well and there is not good way to attach the upper one. The contours of the long piece also does not match the inner fender panel very well - leaving some big gaps. The panel is also tight against the 'A' pillar.

So instead, I fabricated a single piece out of aluminum that I scribed to the inner fender (wing) wall. I left room for a rubber 'U' shaped gasket along the edge against the fender. This required tack welding short 6 mm studs along the front of the 'A' pillar. The aluminum piece is held off of the front of the 'A' pillar by 1/4" rubber washers at each stud and a gasket along the back edge to help seal off the inside edge.

The volvo fender liners I have installed provide the first line of protection, the alum. strip, the second.

Both are easy to remove should I need access, or to clean out.
 

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Best restoration

Sven,
Your restoration is the best I've ever seen documented on the Internet. The before and the after pictures make a great reference for owners and restorers. Thanks for sharing.
 
Sven said:
Neil,

The W&N panels are the sames (or similar) to the stock panels originally installed by BMW. The upper one was tack welded in place. The lower (longer piece) was held on by two screws into speed nuts fit into the rectangular holes in the front of the 'A' pillar. I was going to refit new ones into my car, but, they don't fit well and there is not good way to attach the upper one. The contours of the long piece also does not match the inner fender panel very well - leaving some big gaps. The panel is also tight against the 'A' pillar.

So instead, I fabricated a single piece out of aluminum that I scribed to the inner fender (wing) wall. I left room for a rubber 'U' shaped gasket along the edge against the fender. This required tack welding short 6 mm studs along the front of the 'A' pillar. The aluminum piece is held off of the front of the 'A' pillar by 1/4" rubber washers at each stud and a gasket along the back edge to help seal off the inside edge.

The volvo fender liners I have installed provide the first line of protection, the alum. strip, the second.

Both are easy to remove should I need access, or to clean out.
Click to expand...

Nice job Sven!

OK, I misunderstood the OP's question (and was too lazy to look up the W&N part :-) ). I took my OEM panels out, sand blasted them, painted them with Rustoleum, and bolted them back in. Then, rightly or wrongly, sealed the gap with black silicon seal. Those panels only cover the fender gap, not the gaping hole up at the top of the fender well in the back. The Lokari inserts will cover this whole area.
 
Bwana said:
Nice job Sven!

OK, I misunderstood the OP's question (and was too lazy to look up the W&N part :-) ). I took my OEM panels out, sand blasted them, painted them with Rustoleum, and bolted them back in. Then, rightly or wrongly, sealed the gap with black silicon seal. Those panels only cover the fender gap, not the gaping hole up at the top of the fender well in the back. The Lokari inserts will cover this whole area.
Click to expand...

I personally wouldn’t use silicon for sealing auto body panels. Paint and undercoating have a hard time sticking to silicone and after a few years I have seen the bond at the edges start failing. 3M makes many different sealers designed for auto body panels that can be painted or undercoated. I like their “fast & firm” sealer for bigger gaps and if you let set up for a few days before top coating with paint or undercoating I think you will have good success with the bond to the top coats.

The 3M strip caulking (also called dumdum & ribbon caulking in the trade) is a good product to seal panels that have to be removable because it takes decades to dry out & set up. Strip caulking also works excellent for holding nuts in sockets or wrenches or even on finger tips to get them started, I can’t be without it. 3M stuff is pricey but in most cases it does seem to work better than the lesser known brands. ~ John Buchtenkirch
!@5.jpg

!@3.jpg
 
John Buchtenkirch said:
The 3M strip caulking (also called dumdum & ribbon caulking in the trade) is a good product to seal panels that have to be removable because it takes decades to dry out & set up. Strip caulking also works excellent for holding nuts in sockets or wrenches or even on finger tips to get them started, I can’t be without it. 3M stuff is pricey but in most cases it does seem to work better than the lesser known brands. ~ John Buchtenkirch
Click to expand...

This is also what I used in my restoration for the inner fender parts (and in many other rust-prone areas of the car).
 
Murray`s comment

I recall reading his comment about this issue a few years ago: might as well leave the fender wells as they are and ensure that they are clean. Adding the Lokaris or similar devices will give a false sense of security as dirt and water can build up behind the cover plates. These devices should have been in place when the cars were new, or more specifically on the cars delivered to all European countries N of the Alps, i.e. where salt was used on the roads where these cars were driven on a daily basis with snow tyres.
For our nice weather sorties, 40 years later they are not necessary.
(Yes, I do have them on 20% of my cars, but will not add more)
Peder
 
Lessons learned?

Check your daily driven xxxxxx $ car. I guessed it got plastic inner fenders ;-)

It's probably pretty naive if you think that this 40 years old design is still solid in terms of daily operation.
The design failure of structures in the front wings are to obvious even to the most fanatical owner.

The E9 original front wing construction lasted about 5 years in Swedish climate. After about 5 year you could press your index finger through the upper front wings.

So what have the car designers learned during the last 40 years?

Noted all above goes for E9's on the road! Garage queens not included.

Cheers!
 
Last edited:
With all due respect

For owners that drive these E9's at all in climates where the relative humidity goes above 10% ... I suggest they use a liner. If you drive a 100% clean E9, on normal roads you may get a build up of "dirt" in the inner fender pockets and/or in the hidden gutter adjacent to the strut. In my life, I've only seen one E9 that didn't have a significant buildup of dirt in that pocket. Sometimes a full inch thick!

If that build up get's wet/moist, it will hold that wetness against the sheet metal. If the metal has been properly rust proofed (2-part etching primer, good quality top coat), that moisture maybe harmless as it'll evaporate over time.

Liner's aren't a fix-all, but they keep those areas much cleaner. I agree that those areas still need to be inspected and/or cleaned regularly.

John
 
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