New E9 owner all the way from the UK - How doo! :)

O

o

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Hello all,

I'm Owen, an E9 owner from London. I have recently inherited a completely standard 1973 BMW 3.0 CSi in metallic red who I have named 'Timmy' - See the license plate.

I got it from a family friend who has owned it since 1984 and its been well cared for all its life. It had a massive amount of bodywork a few years ago (New panels, sills, etc) and its looking very nice indeed. The only fault with the body on collection was a dent in the trunk lid where someone had backed into it - this has also dented the rear panel. There are a few bits bubbling so I decided to take the car straight to the bodyshop on Saturday, the same day I collected it.

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The drive to the bodyshop was a bit tricky as the car had a totally flat battery. Lucky it started with a jump and I was on my way. It hadn't been used it about 4 months so was a bit stuttery at first and I managed to embarrass myself horribly by stalling on Highgate hill and needing to get out with a jump pack to get it started.

Once I got on to the M1 the car came alive - it went brilliantly. The steering felt great, the engine sounded wonderful and the steering was perfect. It felt totally balanced (Typically BMW) and it has exceeded my expectations hugely.

Upon arriving at the bodyshop I noticed one fault - the rear BMW badge (Which had been dented/dislodged in the rear impact) had fallen off - Doooh! :lol: At least it needed replacing anyway..

The pictures below show the car outside of my bodywork specialist Steve's place. He wasn't there at the time so the bits of maskng tape you see are there to highlight where I want bodywork doing.

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I'm very exciting about what the result will look like - i'm very particular about the bodywork on my cars and Steve knows this so i;m sure he's going to do an even better job than normal.

This car is a little project for me as it needs a few things doing to make it perfect. Below is a picture of the centre console which has been previously damaged in a break-in. I need to get a new one of these.
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The wood dashboard's laquer has lifted so the wood needs a re-furbishment. Some people have mentioned covering the dash with vinyl but I want to keep the car all-original so i'm going to avoid this. Besides, I have a friend who is a pro at this kind of thing so next job is to remove all the wodden parts for him to get to work on.
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Others things on the 'to-do' list are;

Interior carpet re-fit - This was disturbed during the sill repair so this needs takin out, cleaning and re-fitting properly.

Rear light lenses - these were cracked slightly at the time of the rear bump so i'm going to track down a pair of these.

Electric windows and sunroof - These operate very slowly (Windows) or not at all (Sunroof) - This will need to be sorted

Headlining - this is old and sagging and really needs replacing

Radio - this is rubbish and needs upgrading

Security - Has an alarm but is quite old.

Suspension - a bit high at the front so I would like to get this sorted - any ideas how guys?

Alpina 16" wheels - ummmm, nice

Rear fog lamp - Mine looks like an ad-on so i'd like to get one of the integrated rear fog lamps - any ideas where to get one would be appreciated.

Speedo - this wobbles a bit - could be the alternator so I need to get this checked out

Brakes - its pulls to the right under braking (argh!!) quite scary, so i'm going to get this done very soon indeed.

Steering wheel - the leather on the Moto Lita is past its best so i'm going to get this re-trimmed.

Bonnet release - This is broken so needs fixing, too.

I'll keep the thread updated for my resto. Any comments welcome guys and thank you for having me 8) :D

o :)
 
Hi Owen, welcome to the funhouse. Hope your new toy brings lots of joy. Mine still puts a smile on my face every time I drive it!
 
Thanks Rob! Good to see there are other British peeps on here :)
 
Nice color...granitrot (025)? Had me '74 recently repainted the same color, er colour. Good luck with your E9, and for heaven's sake, don't replace the wood with vinyl.
 
Welcome!

Glad to have you in the coven. I love that color; not so common over here. I thought that all euro-spec cars (csi) were standard with the fog light in the rear panel, and with the velour (cloth) interior. Perhaps some of the brain-trust on this board can enlighten...I've only been at this madness for about five years or so, and am still learning. Your dash wood on the "bumper" is a bit different for me as well. Nice looking car. Dave V. in North Carolina, USA
 
Welcome

Hi O,

Welcome to the group. There are quite a few of us UK users in here. I am a regular reader, limited poster. I am not that very mechanically minded, so I cant contribute much to the " how do I...." type threads. But I do check the site on a daily basis.

There are myself and Malc ( when he is not touring the world with work! ) as the token Scottish contingent.

There is a good crowd "down south", and they occasionally arrange meets etc. I am sure they will join in and say Hi. There are quite a few in and about London.

I look forward to seeing how your project progresses. Welcome, once again, to the mad world of CS ownership. As the owner of a 1975 Csi ( possibly the same colour as your own - Granatrot? ) I can tell you its a blast. Had my CSi for 17 years now and could not get rid of it ever!
 
Hi Owen, good to have you in the e9 fold.

I'm based in london and there are a couple of dotted about.

Nice looking coupe.

Regards,

Rohan
 
Hey all,

Thank you for the warm welcome :) I'd love to do a meet when its finished at the bodyshop. I'm very (and I mean VERY) slightly mechanically minded so will contribute where I can.

Dave, I think the Right-hand-drive CSi's had a non-integrated fog lamp as this was only ever designed for LHD Euro cars.

I think only around 200 RHD CSi's were made so i'm surprised there are a few in London - great to hear though and I look forward to a meet soon,

o :) 8) 8) [/b]
 
Hi Owen,

I had the same problem on Highgate Hill a few years ago when I first got my CSi, I was living on Hornsey Lane.

I'd be interested to see how the body work turns out after your mate's finished with it, I need similar small bits done. The car looks great, nice that you know what's been done to it too.

I've got a parts car too if you're in need of anything in particular.

You'll find this site a lifesaver many times in the future I'll bet, I know I have.

Best of luck,

Damien
 
o said:
Electric windows and sunroof - These operate very slowly (Windows) or not at all (Sunroof) - This will need to be sorted

Security - Has an alarm but is quite old.

Suspension - a bit high at the front so I would like to get this sorted - any ideas how guys?

Speedo - this wobbles a bit - could be the alternator so I need to get this checked out

Brakes - its pulls to the right under braking (argh!!) quite scary, so i'm going to get this done very soon indeed.

o :)
Click to expand...

Nice looking car. I especially like the colour.

If you haven't already done so, take a look at the archives which address many of the items on your list. Re, "Speedometer wobble", unless yours is extra special, it is mechanically driven and not affected by alternator function. (Then again, there could be the special one-off factory strobe effect lighting that is nowhere to be found in the literature. :wink:)

Good luck!
 
Hi Owen,

Welcome. As Rohan has already mentioned there are a few of us on here based in and around London, 6 I think (not counting Rohan's multiples) and we often arrange gatherings even if they get called off because of the weather!

Watch this space for details.

Regards,

Paul
1972 Verona CSL
 
Ah to inherit...

Some hints from my long ownership and wrenching...

Rear light lenses - might be hard to find.
Electric windows and sunroof - Clean and grease the tracks on which the windows slide and the track at the bottom of the window; remove, clean and grease the window motor and "transmission". As to the sunroof, the same.

Radio - this is rubbish and needs upgrading - yeah, typical for an old car

Security - Has an alarm but is quite old. - Probably ought to remove and hurl into the weeds. Aftermarket stuff has the opportunity to induce strange malfunctions. I'm on a BMW motorcycle list and one of the guys has been chasing an intermittent stall for maybe over a year. If you dont' ride, this sort of thing can kill you. He finally noted there is a non-stock "security" system installed, which was causing the issues.

Suspension - a bit high at the front so I would like to get this sorted - surprised no one has chimed in on this. There are (in USA versions) spacers above the front McPherson struts, between the strut upper bearing and body. These are usually about 3/4 inch thick and can be deleted, but be sure the long studs from the strut bearing do not poke your bonnet if the spacers are taken out.

Speedo - this wobbles - usually the cause for a 'jumpy' needle is that the inner cable is binding slightly on the outer housing. To be thorough, remove the cable and get some lubricant flowing down the full length of the cable interior. This may/not help, but it's likely all that can be done without replacing it.

Brakes - its pulls to the right under braking - typical cause is that one of the flex hoses from the caliper to brake pipes has failed internally. Replace all six hoses including front and rear. Some folks like the ones with the braided stainless steel outer covers. A set is about the same price as the stock parts.

Bonnet release - This is broken - fix it quick/first, if you can't otherwise get to the engine. A car that has been laid up may take offence to being driven again, and "retailiate" by losing coolant and overheating, or other little (costly!) surprises.

And while your shop is at it, CSi distributors seem need to have really clean trigger contacts. You say yours is running fine, but as "just one of those things" it would not be inappropriate to clean the trigger contacts.

Also (of course) change all fluids and lubricants if it has been standing for quite a while. Brake fluid especially. Also adjust the hand brake, steering box, and check the front end for looseness.
 
Cheers Honolulu, extremely useful advice there, I will check as I go :)

I'll keep an eye out for group meets.

o :)
 
Greetings from another London (Ealing) owner!

Brakes - I reckon it's more likely to be a seized caliper piston so I'd take a look at the brakes on the opposite side to the direction in which the car "pulls" (i.e. the ones that are putting in less effort), whip the wheels and calipers off and check them over - you can sometimes resurrect a seized caliper piston by working the piston in and out a few times.
 
Hey, cheers DJ - sounds like a very logical first port-of-call.

Ealing? Wow, didn't know they'd be another CSi so close to me, I was told they were rare! :lol:
 
Hi all,

I went to see some scrapper cars today to see if I could get any parts. Unfortunately although they were both the same colour as mine they did not have the centre console I need :(

Still, it was a treasure-trove of bits and they do some great work there restoring old BMW's so I may just go back there to get an engine conversion completed (when I can afford it, mind!).

o :)
 
Hey all,

Little update; The car is still at the bodyshop as it is now going to have a ful body re-spray, woohooo! 8) Will take lots of pictures when its done..

o :)
 
STILL no news from the bodyshop - man I miss my car :(

o
 
Its one in Chertsey, Surrey - they sell stuff on ebay.

Cheers,

o :)
 
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