Hello from Arizona! New E9 owner!

I have found that the C pillar roundels do not have nuts holding them on and RealOEM shows no nuts either. Yes they are threaded but just push in.
 
Thanks for the info. Good to know it ran well up Pike's (that is twice my elevation!) but since its got a sea level tune and it will be living at elevation (rather than a quick trip) I want to make sure its not running chronically rich. Although I guess rich is better than lean! And thanks also for the info about trim removal. I'm pretty methodical about projects so I wont just start ripping stuff off without reading.

That's all in the future though, if it happens at all. First I want to calm my nerves by spraying some of that rust coat. I'm just trying to figure out how deep I want to look, although I know this is a personal question as some people who aren't planning a full resto might prefer not to know what lurks deep in there.
 
Another Chamonix coupe here and, while it was not my first choice for color, I have grown very fond of it.

The search for rust is a noble pursuit and hopefully what you find is more surface in nature. You mention two areas, the strut towers and the panel behind the front wheels.

I would not think that removing the sound deadener on top of the towers is necessary provided you have good access underneath. Jack up the car, pull off a front wheel to give you good access for a visual inspection. You can see the areas around the strut top to determine if you have an issue.

While you are in there you can easily remove the panel behind the wheels with a 10mm wrench. This will give you access to clean out an area that fills with dirt and debris. Have your shop vac handy and go to town on the rocker area and bottom of the front fender as well as the top of the same region.

@eriknetherlands is doing extensive work on his car and one of the pictures in his string "fixing that little rust spot"is shown below. With the fender off you can see where dirt can accumulate and then hold moisture to accelerate the corrosion.

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I found one of my pictures of the fender-well area taken during the dis-assembly stage for my recent engine compartment refresh. You can see the surface rust around the strut opening. That is the only area that you will not be able to gain access to without removing the strut. You can poke around the steel to the outside of these openings and see if you have any issues in the area under the sound deadening above.



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The Chamonix is a wonderful looking color especially under a cloudy sky!
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Love the license plate! And yes I’ve noticed that it photographs best against a dark background. This is a shot of my (soon to be delivered) coupe from BAT taken two owners ago, and even though it’s old (the extra front marker lights are now removed) I think it’s my favorite in terms of showing off the lines and stance:
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And @boonies thank you so much for finding all those pictures and the good advice. I’m feeling like if there are issues there I want to find and address them now rather than later. But alternatively I don’t want to destroy the car by looking too hard. I’ll take your advice with some probing around the strut attachments from above and below, and good to know that the panel is easy to unbolt and clean out!
 
Thanks for the info. Good to know it ran well up Pike's (that is twice my elevation!) but since its got a sea level tune and it will be living at elevation (rather than a quick trip) I want to make sure its not running chronically rich. Although I guess rich is better than lean! And thanks also for the info about trim removal. I'm pretty methodical about projects so I wont just start ripping stuff off without reading.

That's all in the future though, if it happens at all. First I want to calm my nerves by spraying some of that rust coat. I'm just trying to figure out how deep I want to look, although I know this is a personal question as some people who aren't planning a full resto might prefer not to know what lurks deep in there.
You are fortunate to live in a dry climate, so I would look around for rust, but also take your time. Enjoy the car.
 
Enjoy your Coupe for a couple to 5 years. Spent winters at VSR & drove during the Summer for 5 years.

Best advice: As you drive & learn about it, keep a list or start a "(User Name/Alias's 1973 CS" or something to that affect.
Mine is Andrew Wilson's 1973 3.0CSi it has everything from the beginning. So many genuine experts on here with excellent advice.
 
Chamonix is a lovely color- and it is NOT just white! It’s a soft creamy whitish color.
White on a coupe looks terrible and chamonix looks great.
I’m a huge fan of chamonix Paint with a cardinal interior.
BMW knew exactly what they were doing when they added the additional tones and colors to the white paint.
 
Chamonix is a lovely color- and it is NOT just white! It’s a soft creamy whitish color.
White on a coupe looks terrible and chamonix looks great.
I’m a huge fan of chamonix Paint with a cardinal interior.
BMW knew exactly what they were doing when they added the additional tones and colors to the white paint.
This is similar to what Wimbledon white is that Ford had in the 1960's... and the color my Mustang is.
It appears 'white' when you see it on its own. But when you have the car next to something white white - it really looks different.
 

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its a great color that shows off the shape of the e9, e3, 2002 and the e21. when BMW brought out the e30, they went to alpinweiss which was a refrigerator white. that color worked with the more 'flat' look of the e30 ... but Don is right, it doesn't work nearly as well as chamonix on the coupe. and i also have to agree with him about the red interior in it. i also think chamonix works with blue and tan interiors quite well ...
 
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