Wheel well finish - 73 CS

[scottd]

I decided to gently remove what was a lot of dust & gunk from within my wheel well, to discover the condition of the area. Here is what I found - pleasantly surprised. I cleaned the left hand side, and not the right (yet) using a degreaser and a soft brush, then cloth.

Has anyone cleaned inside here, and would you do anything with a clear coat, or other material? I NEVER have driven in the rain in 10 years, and don't ever anticipate doing so. I figure I can leave it as is, but thought to ask.

Scott

 

[teahead]

I don't understand; it already looks like it has factory undercoating on it. Why would you put more stuff on top of it unless it's flaking off???

 

[HB Chris]

Original finish is body color, including the large frame rail. Looks like the original owner had it I under coated.

 

[Peter Coomaraswamy]

Scott, great job cleaning and I imagine there was a little "heavy scrubbing" going on there. I also like to leave the original undercoating on whenever possible and I don't think it is necessary to paint however, I always do because I like the clean look and to do that I use black appliance paint. There is something about that stuff that makes it easy to wash. That could be my imagination but I can always keep the underside clean with a strong spray of water.

 

[scottd]

Ok thanks for the replies. I have had the car for ten years and am now taking time to clean some areas, with the time I have here and there.

Just to confirm too...this undercoating would be from factory or dealer?

Peter, yes, it was pretty nasty under there. Nothing flaking off though. I also dug out road debris that had collected in the rear of the well, at the bottom. Stones and dirt primarily. My wife isn't enjoying the scent of degreaser every time she enters the garage!

 

[HB Chris]

In the US at least, undercoating was a dealer option. Depending on who did it they may have only shot the undersides and not wheel wells. Our 2800 has it everywhere including the frame rails and rear subframe but not front subframe, strange.

 

[Peter Coomaraswamy]

Chris, that's interesting- I wonder if it was all done with the same goop since we all have a heck of a time removing it, so I understand; these things came to the US with just a painted underside- no rubberized stuff at all?

Thanks

 

[Stevehose]

I'd touch up any bare metal.

The original owner of my car must have ordered a double because I have lots of thick undercoating everywhere, including on the PS pump, tie rods and ac compressor before I yanked it. I also cleaned overspray off the sump pan etc. while down there. Pretty much all overspray is off except where it's supposed to be.

But I do think it preserved the underside all these years.

 

[HB Chris]

Peter, that's correct. Underside is the khaki/grey primer with body color overspray just past rocker covers.

 

[adawil2002]

That looks good.

Advise reaching your hand up to the upper rear triangular opening under the front fender and cleaning the debris off the shelf. I was able to remove 5 lbs. of sand and small stones using a vacuum cleaner and putty knife.

Here in the North East many have added Lokari fender liners to keep the sand and other debris out of the catch all areas.

 

[scottd]

Thanks to all. Yes, I reached in the upper edges, and along the back in particular - where the stones had collected at the bottom. There was quite a hefty film across the whole inside. I shot a final picture (attached) after I was done. I did this without a lift, so I was somewhat twisted to get up inside. I did not spray any water, and just used degreaser, and wiped it off with a wet cloth, then with a dry cloth. I left a cloth bunched up at the bottom so as to not allow a bunch of stuff to gravitate down and under. I was concerned about squirting any water in there, but maybe I am being overly cautious. The flash makes it look a bit shinier than it really is.

Here is my next question... if this undercoating was a dealer installed option, how did it leave the bolts without the black goo on them? or did mine wear off with time? The black finish does run throughout the underside, I think, including the frame rails. The metal in there looks incredibly good, and the screws aren't rusted. I don't know that the car has ever been apart. I actually went back with a little bit of PB Blaster to squirt all the exposed metal screws.

Scott

 

[Peter Coomaraswamy]

Scott, you may be the most fortunate e9 owner in history indeed the car looks great. How long have you owned the car? any ownership documents would help.

 

[scottd]

Hi Peter. I've owned "Frances" for about ten years. I purchased her from the original family. She's named after Frances Froelich who owned her until passing. Ms. Froelich's husband owned a BMW dealership in North Carolina, Froelich BMW, and from what I can see in some of the records... She kept the service guys pretty busy, as she was very particular about the car.

I've just now started to clean off some of the areas that were largely left untouched, like shock tower covers and the rear light assemblies, which had gotten somewhat dingy over the years.

Scott

 

[Peter Coomaraswamy]

You are indeed fortunate! I went back and looked at your shots and I'm thinking that the reason the bolt heads may be clean is that the undercoating may not adhere well to the plating and then when you scrubbed you probably took it off- that's just a guess. Anyhow, I would bet that that car is all original and as such is really a gem. I'm sure we would love to see more pictures, also, are to assume you are still in North Carolina?

 

[Peter Coomaraswamy]

Also

What Andrew mentions is interesting- you should reach up there and see what kind of goodies the PO left for you. Probably lots of sand and if you get it out of there now it could save headaches down the road. It does not have to be wet outside to get a fine collection of muck up there and that fine silt and sand seems to attract moisture. I wonder what the purpose of that box being open was; they could have closed it up and left the drain holes, but I'm no engineer so there must be some overly-complicated reason :?:

 

[Stevehose]

I clean out those compartments twice a year and recoat with cavity wax annually.

 

[scottd]

I cannot imagine doing this (and all the other things in life) once a year! Pretty dirty job, but I imagine after this first time, it's perhaps just a wipe down considering how little I drive the car, and in dry / cool weather only.

I got to the left rear well, and it does look like the undercoating is likely applied in a less-than-scientific method. I don't see any metal, but rather I think this is paint under the top black coating. Happily, it is dry and solid as well. It was less grimy than the front, and a bit easier to clean.

I wonder if Frances' husband was aware of the issues in the coupes (including rust), and advised her to not drive when it was wet outside. Did dealerships know early on?

The car is now actually in South Florida, which is like having a coupe in a place like New England - except in reverse. My season is also about three months, but is in the winter!

Scott

 

[adawil2002]

The cars were rusting at the Karmann factory. Yes the dealers knew rust was a problem.

I live in Maine and my driving season is from about April 15th to the first snow, this past year that was just after Christmas. That's 8 months of driving classic BMWs in the North East to Mid Atlantic regions.

Florida is like CA, you can drive year round if you want, 60° is considered cold there, that's the temperature I keep the house and garage in winter.

 

[scottd]

The cars were rusting at the Karmann factory. Yes the dealers knew rust was a problem.

I live in Maine and my driving season is from about April 15th to the first snow, this past year that was just after Christmas. That's 8 months of driving classic BMWs in the North East to Mid Atlantic regions.

Florida is like CA, you can drive year round if you want, 60° is considered cold there, that's the temperature I keep the house and garage in winter.

LOL - I am sure they were rusting before they even finished assembly.

Unfortunately, it's the rain here that kills it for us. I exaggerate but it aint very long that we get clear skies and below 90 temps... but I am not complaining, as it is 65 and nice here this week - just like California.

 

[dave v. in nc]

Frances

With the mess swirling in the gulf, enjoy this week...Un-Frances-like weather headed your way, maybe...
Incredibly beautiful undercoating, if there is such a thing. Glad you are giving her the same attention she had in her first life. Murray would give you a thumbs up!
Dave V. in western NC