Just bought 71 3.0 CS - what lurks beneath

Rek

Rek

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,137
Reaction score
371
Location
Islington London England
Hello

I just bought this car in the UK. I have been lurking on the forum for a while but thought I would introduce myself once I had something to say.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/331338865298?_trksid=p2060778.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

I don't know whether to believe the mileage but this has been stored for the last 21 years, in a barn. My plans are to keep all the original bits and ensure they are serviceable but then resto-mod it, for a daily driver. This will require as much help as is on offer.
 
Best of luck with that. The frame rail is toast. Glad Jaymic and Walloth-Nesch are on your side. Hope you post progress pics in the Projects & Restoration section.
 
e9 resto

Rek said:
Hello

I just bought this car in the UK. I have been lurking on the forum for a while but thought I would introduce myself once I had something to say.

My plans are to keep all the original bits and ensure they are serviceable but then resto-mod it, for a daily driver. This will require as much help as is on offer.
Click to expand...

best of luck,
 
Thanks for the welcome.

The economics are strange as the number plate is worth a lot of money in the UK - possibly more than the price of the car, which I got a substantial reduction on. My deal with the seller is that if it costs me over a certain amount to make it road worthy and pass the UK MOT test, then I keep the plat. If not, then they get it back.

Takes a small dribble of risk out of the equation until the tidal wave of rot I might find makes it irrelevant.
 
no matter how much that plate is worth, getting that car into a reasonable condition will cost more. Much more. much much more.

Do yourself a favour and part it out. There´s lot´s of needy coupes out there that could do with your attention and money. There must be one with a better chance to reward you with driveablity.
 
Thanks for the advice - I am aware how much the work will be, hence the purchase. I currently run a 650i convertible and the depreciation on it is stupid. I would rather put money into something that won't depreciate.

The rot is confined to a small number of places which are visible,

.......but "what lurks beneath"

Already registered the VIN.
 
Rek said:
...the number plate is worth a lot of money in the UK - possibly more than the price of the car,...
Click to expand...

Just out of curiosity, why is that number plate worth money? What is unique about "26 ACA"? Now that you have purchased the car, do you own that plate and do you have the right to transfer it to another vehicle? I had heard that certain license plates were valuable in the UK, but don't understand why.

For what it's worth, my 2800 carries an early (blue) California personalized plate "BMW28CS". But it doesn't have significant value, and I believe it is technically owned by the State of California.

The rot is confined to a small number of places which are visible,....but "what lurks beneath"
Click to expand...

Rust is seldom confined to "a small number of places which are visible". But hey, you got lucky with the number plate, maybe you'll get lucky with the corrosion. However, as others have written, if the rust is structural/extensive then finding a more sound body will save time and money, as well as produce a better outcome.
 
Rek said:
Thanks for the advice - I am aware how much the work will be, hence the purchase. I currently run a 650i convertible and the depreciation on it is stupid. I would rather put money into something that won't depreciate.
Click to expand...

Good idea. But if you want to make true on it, buy a pristine example, cherish it and watch it appreciate.
Any restoration on a car that does not have a certain type of animal on it´s badge (any horse will be fine, a bull as well) will put you upside down so fast, the depreciation on your 650 will look like pocket money.

Rek said:
The rot is confined to a small number of places which are visible,
Click to expand...

Ahem: no. it isn´t. Please take off the rose coloured contact lenses or change your medication (or send me some, I´d like to be that positive). There is not a single uncorroded panel on that car (nor only slightly, actually rusted through) and since on an E9 the visible panels are the best protected trough paint: there is not a single piece of metal on that car that would be reusable. You are looking at building a new E9 from scratch and transfering the VIN. Even the interior (seats, carpets etc.) look moist and probably have mildew. Maybe the gearbox and diff are useable, but the engine will probably run and then need a rebuild soon as years of neglect have taken their toll. Carbs will most certainly need work, Ignition, brakes, all chassis rubbers (probably corrosion in the subframes as well), new full exhaust, full new wood, instruments, electrics, chrome. EVERTHING needs doing on that car jsut to get it to a useable state. You are looking at a minimum of 50k GBP to get that thing fixed. I´m not kidding. Don´t spend a single penny on it, you won´t see it back.
Frankly, I´m not sure if there is enough useable parts on that car to warrant the work to part it out. If the registration number is worth more than the 5000GBP it was beeing sold for, You´ve made a stonking deal and can send the car to the crusher. Otherwise, try to give it back.

Sorry to be so negative, I love the E9 and any saved one makes me cheer, but if you are looking to rescue an E9, please go find a more worthwhile example!
 
Last edited:
In the UK you own the number on your car, along with the car, but they can be separated. All registration numbers come in a standard form but older ones were not and are rarer therefore attract demand from being the only way to personalise your car.

To transfer the plate the car needs to be MOT'd which is an annual test of roadworthiness. So - I have to get the car MOT'd to get the value for the plate.

Initial inspection:
Rockers replaced - seem sound
Floors are sound
Spare wheel well is sound
Rear shock mounts are sound.
LHS door needs a re-skin as does the trunk.
Rust hole in engine bay is blocked drain and is the only whole.
The rest seems very solid and there is evidence of work, but it probably hides some rust within.
Frame rail has impact damage and rust to that. Localised only and repairable.

Two things -

I have a very good and reasonable bodywork and structure guy, without whom I would not have even considered this. He has inspected it and has bought worse back to life.

I am old enough to know that one "can't polish a turd". This probably looks like a turd but an initial inspection reveals that it probably isn't.
 
Rek said:
To transfer the plate the car needs to be MOT'd
Click to expand...

Are you saying that the donor car for a plate needs to pass MOT? That seems odd. While I'm not challenging that your coupe is repairable, are you saying that before you can salvage a vintage plate off an older car, it needs to be sound enough to pass the MOT? Or just go through the MOT process?
 
what evil lurks (in the minds of men)?

Rek,

Very sorry to dampen your spirits here but I agree 100% with the general drift of the advice already given. Certainly, if you are a retired, superannuated, experienced bodywork guy with equipment and workshop minimum 600 square feet with lift/pit and all of your time comes free and a passion for the marque and model then, sure, go ahead. Anything less, I would run a mile, honestly. I can understand your point about the registration mark but I can see absolutely no prospect of being able to realise its value because of the punitive cost of providing the all-important MOT certificate, without which (as I understand it) the car cannot be registered for transfer purposes.

Three years ago I bought a CSI for £1100 as a parts car to assist with my CSL restoration. It was complete but has stood for a long time. I got it home and, in 2 hours, it was running, driving and braking with lights. I, too, hesitated thinking that maybe it was too good to break. I took photos and sent them to a known e9 expert and he advised immediately to put it to the torch. I followed his advice. Parting the car out was the best thing I ever did. That car was in far better condition than the one which you are considering. If, after reading this, you want to discuss further, please give me a call on 01782 744888 (Stoke).

Please do not proceed.

Best wishes,

John.
 
These are few and far between in rhd and without a sunroof. Budget around 20k just for the metal. Replace the entire boot floor, repair the rear panel, gutter, inner wells/ arches, replace both rear arches and lower valance, repair rear screen corners and strengthener under, check shock towers for fracturing, repair spring seats, replace sill strengthener and sill, lower 1/4 panels and sill section behind, repair top inner 1/4 panel strengtheners, frame mounting points, hand brake mount, A pillars and lower sections,bulkhead and floors/ chassis rails after removing seat supports. Then remove the wings, repair or replace, remove top of strut box section and replace most of that, repair inner wings, remake elephant ear bits and repair that bit under the wiper motor then repair front valance and most likely remake the front nose section. Don't forget the rust on the inside of the roof behind the headlining! Then you have to repair all the bolt on bits. If its worse than that, part it out.
Anything can be fixed, it all depends on how much you want to drive it, not what its worth really.
A lot of the work is undoing all the crap done by others to lash it through the test and try hold it togeather.
You don't need to buy all the panels, most are easily repaired or made with basic tooling.
If you are in my neck of the woods, pop in and come see the two im doing, the white one was worse than yours, at least yours has corners on it. If you decide to sell up, lmk as we're looking for a shell to do an M5 conversion. Once you've done that, then you can spend more money on the pretty bits. You'll also be able to do a 635 because they rot in exactly the same places! Best of luck with it, these are special cars.
 
Last edited:
That was for sale on fleabay not so long ago, guaranteed more of it has gone missing or been swapped. That price tho....
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top