Newbie - Project begins

[The Don]

Hi everyone,

I am in the UK and a newbie to the forum.

And so the fun begins ...

Just got hold of a 3.0CSA (2231665), after selling my 1988 E24 635 CSI Highline. It was originally Inka and is now Polaris.

Needs a lot of work as the tin worm has set in, but thankfully just acquired an unfinished bare shell project that is very solid so plenty to keep me busy over the next few months.

 

[pamp]

Newbie

Omg...has that coupe been parked in the rain?!! In a mud puddle no less...you must be a newbie!!!

 

[Dave L]

Project

Maybe it's a preference for which side of the pond your on, but that vinyl roof covering thing gets me every time I see it. I hope that comes off in the final version of the project.

 

[jonathanb]

Hi there, good luck with your project, if you need any help, or parts, just give us a call.

www.classicheroes.co.uk

 

[The Don]

Hi pamp, I gather that E9s and water do not make a good ****tail !!!!

DaveL - the vinyl roof will definitely be coming off as i have already been trying to get a peek at how good/bad the roof is

Jonathanb - excellent to know that there are parts still available out there

Cheers everyone

 

[siscobmw]

wellcome,
you left a really good car for a rust bucket...rusty e24 front fenders are nothing compared to bad rust areas of an e9....anyway you showed us a good taste for bmws !!!!
I had a 83 635 till 2009:

http://usera.imagecave.com/siscotroia/
for every nuts and bits try to get in touch with jaymic.com, wallothnesch.com or fritzsbits.com or co.uk....
impossible not to find what you need, e9 spare parts prices are similar or worse than specific parts of the e24, but take care first to the body, then the rest can be fixed with no big big expenses...

Francesco from <italy

 

[The Don]

I am telling my wife that the E9 will be a labour of love because she thought the E24 was a moneypit!!

Still, if we are going down memory lane, here is a couple of pics of my old 'Highline'

 

[Dave L]

Wheels

If you saved the wheels (look to be 16 inch Alpina rims) from your e24 they should fit the e9 nicely!

Dave L

 

[siscobmw]

don, is it a motorsport e24?
I really like nogarosibler....Your car was really a good one....
if your wife think the e24 was a moneypit,well now you must hide bodyshop receipts....:mrgreen:

Francesco

 

[The Don]

Thanks Guys,

Rims were genuine 16" Alpinas, but had to let them go with the car as I had previously off-loaded the 415 Metric TRXs that it had come with.

Unfortunately, was not a Motorsport but Delfin grey metallic with chocolate and tan leather interior, though a nice example.

Just heard this evening that the guy I sold it to has now sold it on to a collector in Latvia! Left on a transporter this evening.

Ahh well....!

 

[The Don]

How do I get myself into these things!?!

Would you believe it, a decision to remove the vinyl roof, and a possible paint refresh of the body has now ended up in a full bare metal restrip!

The car went to Surface Processing Ltd (Dudley) on Monday afternoon for a full acid dip to see if the metal really is as good as it looks. Now I find myself twitiching everytime the phone rings in case it is bad news.

Still, whoever had their E9 going through the process on Monday of this week has an excellent shell.

OMG, there goes the phone again!

 

[cdavie2002]

Hi

Very keen to hear and see the results of the bath?

Im in Scotland and also new to e9 ownership.

Chris

 

[The Don]

Had the call today!

Car has survived the bath and I should be able to arrange collection over the next couple of days.

Told not to worry as they have seen worse!!!

Will post pictures of the results soon.

 

[The Don]

Story so far

Car looks better than I feared after its acid bath.

There is some metal work to do but thankfully not a lot, as well as finding some previously hidden horrors.

Here are some of the other cars at SPL awaiting their bath. Can you spot the other E9?

 

[Nicad]

Wow, very impressed. That is the only way to rebuild the car, and when you are done, you can say you have built an E9. Please take a ton of photos, as this is really educational for the rest of us who might buy a non California car. Really lets you know where you have to concentrate on rust prevention. Should be done in a couple of weeks I'd imagine. <G>

If you don't mind me asking, how much does this dipping process cost?

 

[The Don]

Thanks,

It is the only way to really know what you have got.

The process costs £945 + vat (including other panels - doors, boot/trunk and bonnet/hood). However, what it saves in paint stripper and labour time makes it worth it, and takes the rust and paint away from areas that a hand cannot reach. It is also much less abrasive to metal than bead blasting.

I think I need your services if you can do it all in a couple of weeks :-D

As you know, the work really starts now for paint prep and finish and then the dreaded re-fit.

Thankfully, the UK summer will soon be coming to a close and my wife will not be so angry about me spending so much family time in the garage! (I hope).

 

[Stevehose]

Looks great now it will look fantastic when finished. There's plenty of opportunites to work on projects in the garage - just ask my wife!

 

[deQuincey]

the endless time in the garage (according to a wife´s opinion)

they can not imagine how much fun hides in a dark, and sometimes cold garage, ha, ha, ha:-D

very nice process from the begining

who has dismantled every nut and bolt for you ?
​

 

[frogisland]

Thanks for sharing, hoping to get my car stripped to a shell and down to SPL later this year. Your shell does not look too bad, i do note some similar corrosion areas though!

Is your car returning to SPL post repairs for redip and ecoating?

JP

 

[The Don]

Thanks for the comments guys,

deQuincey - Trim and interior (including scraping old sound deadening off) down to me. Dropping the engine and running gear is down to the boys at Retro BMW.

Frogisland - I am not sure yet about the re-dip and e-coating, but given the work that the retro guys have done on an M635 CSi (E24), I am minded to allow them to zinc primer it, prep and paint. Given that I am on a fixed price for the job, that could also be clouding my decision . It is also a very good reason for me to give them a hand and learn a bit more about body work.

SPL do a good job, as shell is bolted into a cage and the whole thing put on its side into the tank, before being jet washed with detergent. I am sure that you will not be disappointed - they seem to do a lot of new shells for ProDrive too.