Bringing The Shark Home

Talk women (or men), politics, gripe about your 6er (or other ride), and speak your mind.

Moderators: GRNSHRK, ron, bfons

Post Reply
Russm21
Posts: 33
Joined: Tue Jul 14, 2020 8:45 pm
Location: SoCal

Bringing The Shark Home

Post by Russm21 »

Call me Russell.

I was looking for a project. Ever since I essentially finished my E30, I've been looking for another car to pour my time and blood into. I was keeping my eye out for an e28. There is a 535is down the street from me that always thought was cool so I was thinking about heading that direction. However, the more I thought about it the more I realized that what I really wanted was an E24. I've always admired the car ever since I saw Maddie Hayes cruising around LA in one.

So, I started looking at sharks. I wanted a project but not a POS. I looked at a couple of real clunks until I found one the seemed to fit the bill. One small problem, it was in Vermont and I live in LA. I just so happen to have a friend who lives in Burlington who agreed to take a look at it along with a friend of his that has some BMW knowledge. They confirmed that the car was as advertised so now I had to make a decision. If I choose to pursue this car, how am I going to get it home? Ship it or road trip it ala the Hack Mechanics "Ran When Parked"? This car is in way better shape than the 2002 that Rob Siegel featured in his book. The PO actually had a clue what he was doing mechanically and only drove the car in the summertime. So there isn't a bunch of work that needs to be done to make the car drivable.

I'm a man of adventure. What the hell, Road trip! So here I am in Burlington, VT starting what's going to be a memorable journey. Just to make things interesting, my dad told me he wanted to come along on this adventure.

More to follow...
20200724_150819.jpg
20200724_150819.jpg (945.71 KiB) Viewed 7039 times
Russell
1989 E30 325ic
1986 E24 635CSi
Russm21
Posts: 33
Joined: Tue Jul 14, 2020 8:45 pm
Location: SoCal

Re: Bringing The Shark Home

Post by Russm21 »

Day one, almost in the books. I had planned on using today to get the paperwork wrapped up and work on some preventative maintenance stuff. I made an appointment for today at a shop 5 days ago to get the coolant flushed, oil changed and fuel filter swapped out. When I showed up, the dude looked at me like I had 3 eyes. Apparently, the guy I had made the appointment with (different guy) never bothered to put it in the appointment book! Fortunately, I was able to find another shop to do the work.

When I purchased the car, the seller handed me two file folders worth of receipts. Here is one of the more interesting ones.
20200724_155342.jpg
20200724_155342.jpg (1.07 MiB) Viewed 7036 times
Yep. Dude paid the dealer over 9Gs for an engine swap. Currently, there is about 64,000 miles on the new engine.

Later tonight, my dad will be arriving. We will be off first thing in the morning.
Russell
1989 E30 325ic
1986 E24 635CSi
User avatar
clipper47
Posts: 596
Joined: Mon Oct 10, 2011 12:22 am
Location: Ontario, Canada

Re: Bringing The Shark Home

Post by clipper47 »

This should be a great road trip.I look forward to hearing aout how it is going. Please include photos along the way and good luck.
Dave
_____________
1985 635CSi US
Cosmos Blue/Pearl Beige
rhanley 635csi89
Bigcoupe Contributor
Bigcoupe Contributor
Posts: 323
Joined: Wed Sep 10, 2014 12:08 am
Location: Arden, NC 28704

Re: Bringing The Shark Home

Post by rhanley 635csi89 »

Hi Russell,
Enjoy the ride.
Post your route to LA, as there are a lot of members across the country, just in case you need assistance.
Roger
89 635CSiA (11/88 build)
AlpineWeiss II (218)/Natur(0200)
87 L6 635CSI Sold
87 MB 560SL Sold
User avatar
Super Coop
Posts: 362
Joined: Fri Mar 03, 2006 5:24 am
Location: Spokane Washington

Re: Bringing The Shark Home

Post by Super Coop »

What a great trip. What route are you taking home? I've thought about a long road trip in the coupe but I think my backside is getting to old for the "comfort" seats, let us know how you guys do.

Enjoy the ride.
SprCpe

1989 635csi # 3268410

Ostatecznym maszyny jazdy BMW
Russm21
Posts: 33
Joined: Tue Jul 14, 2020 8:45 pm
Location: SoCal

Re: Bringing The Shark Home

Post by Russm21 »

Ok now! First day of driving in the books!

We started in Burlington, VT and made it to Willoughby, OH. About 540 miles. The good news is that the car ran great. The wheels feel a little out of balance but nothing tooth rattling. The engine stayed cool the entire time and everything else felt right.
IMG_20200725_150602_resize_89.jpg
IMG_20200725_150602_resize_89.jpg (1.3 MiB) Viewed 6983 times
The car had a R134a conversion done back in 2002. However, the air wasn't blowing cold. Fortunately a simple charge fixed that.
IMG_20200707_105848_resize_8.jpg
IMG_20200707_105848_resize_8.jpg (1.49 MiB) Viewed 6983 times
For those asking about the route, from here we will be going through Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, Nevada then home. Here is a map.


20200723_205619.jpg
20200723_205619.jpg (288.31 KiB) Viewed 6983 times
Thanks for all the encouragement! I'm definitely going to be tapping into the collective knowledge of the group once I get home. Hopefully not sooner!
Russell
1989 E30 325ic
1986 E24 635CSi
User avatar
635sharknose
Posts: 513
Joined: Fri Sep 13, 2019 4:58 pm
Location: The Netherlands
Contact:

Re: Bringing The Shark Home

Post by 635sharknose »

Sounds like a very successful first day of your tour.
Have fun and keep us updated! Don't forget to post some nice photos of your trip.
Paul
Image
Instagram: @635sharknose
1987 635CSi Bronzitbeige
Russm21
Posts: 33
Joined: Tue Jul 14, 2020 8:45 pm
Location: SoCal

Re: Bringing The Shark Home

Post by Russm21 »

Driving day two.

Lots of driving today. Willoughby, OH to Des Moines, IA (680 miles). The car did great. Of course I'm noticing things as I go. I'm getting some noise from the back end. I'm not sure if it's a bearing issue, differential issue or both. I'll figure out when I get home. I'm going to try and get the wheels balanced in the morning. They're not bad but there is a little 1 to 1 bounce thats bugging the shit out of me as I drive.

I have a question about the A/C ducting. How do most of you like to set up the flow? In fooling around with it, I've found that closing the top vents and moving the center slider to about the middle position gives me descent flow out of the lower directable vents and side vents. Any tips?

Not too much in the way of scenery today, except for corn and soy beans. For tomorrow's goals, getting the wheels balanced and making it to North Platte, NE.
Russell
1989 E30 325ic
1986 E24 635CSi
plip1953
Posts: 400
Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 4:15 pm
Location: Leeds

Re: Bringing The Shark Home

Post by plip1953 »

That's some road trip!

If I set out to drive from east to west at roughly where I am in the North of England I could do it with time to spare before grabbing some lunch in Liverpool lol
Phil
__________________________

1988 Highline 635 CSi
Russm21
Posts: 33
Joined: Tue Jul 14, 2020 8:45 pm
Location: SoCal

Re: Bringing The Shark Home

Post by Russm21 »

plip1953 wrote: Mon Jul 27, 2020 12:32 pm That's some road trip!

If I set out to drive from east to west at roughly where I am in the North of England I could do it with time to spare before grabbing some lunch in Liverpool lol
When I tell people what I'm doing, they do a double take. "Wait, you're doing what?"
Russell
1989 E30 325ic
1986 E24 635CSi
Russm21
Posts: 33
Joined: Tue Jul 14, 2020 8:45 pm
Location: SoCal

Re: Bringing The Shark Home

Post by Russm21 »

Ok, driving day three.

After a couple of trys, I was able to find a shop that could do the balance. I was gratified that the hub rings were installed and intact. When they pulled the first wheel off it was so full of dirt it's no wonder they were out of balance.
IMG_20200727_073411_resize_58.jpg
IMG_20200727_073411_resize_58.jpg (1 MiB) Viewed 6911 times
IMG_20200727_073308_resize_60.jpg
IMG_20200727_073308_resize_60.jpg (1.32 MiB) Viewed 6911 times
We should be back on the road before lunch.
Russell
1989 E30 325ic
1986 E24 635CSi
User avatar
clipper47
Posts: 596
Joined: Mon Oct 10, 2011 12:22 am
Location: Ontario, Canada

Re: Bringing The Shark Home

Post by clipper47 »

You will find western Iowa and Nebraska more interesting. If you get a chance to stop visit Archway on I-80 at Kearney Neb. (if it's open ) and if you have time cross the North Platte River and take a drive west along historic US 30 (The Lincoln Highway) which predates Route 66. It's a time capsule of small towns, old motor hotels and gas stations and parallels I-80 so easy to get back onto. Good luck and safe journey.
Dave
_____________
1985 635CSi US
Cosmos Blue/Pearl Beige
Russm21
Posts: 33
Joined: Tue Jul 14, 2020 8:45 pm
Location: SoCal

Re: Bringing The Shark Home

Post by Russm21 »

clipper47 wrote: Mon Jul 27, 2020 2:03 pm You will find western Iowa and Nebraska more interesting. If you get a chance to stop visit Archway on I-80 at Kearney Neb. (if it's open ) and if you have time cross the North Platte River and take a drive west along historic US 30 (The Lincoln Highway) which predates Route 66. It's a time capsule of small towns, old motor hotels and gas stations and parallels I-80 so easy to get back onto. Good luck and safe journey.
Thanks for the tip. I've actually been to Kearney Archway. We made it to North Platte and have a few hours to spare so we're going to the Lincoln County Museum.
Russell
1989 E30 325ic
1986 E24 635CSi
User avatar
clipper47
Posts: 596
Joined: Mon Oct 10, 2011 12:22 am
Location: Ontario, Canada

Re: Bringing The Shark Home

Post by clipper47 »

Russm21 wrote: Mon Jul 27, 2020 8:15 pm
clipper47 wrote: Mon Jul 27, 2020 2:03 pm You will find western Iowa and Nebraska more interesting. If you get a chance to stop visit Archway on I-80 at Kearney Neb. (if it's open ) and if you have time cross the North Platte River and take a drive west along historic US 30 (The Lincoln Highway) which predates Route 66. It's a time capsule of small towns, old motor hotels and gas stations and parallels I-80 so easy to get back onto. Good luck and safe journey.
Thanks for the tip. I've actually been to Kearney Archway. We made it to North Platte and have a few hours to spare so we're going to the Lincoln County Museum.
Great! How did the tire balance go? Did if fix the vibration? I have been through that part of Nebraska many times. The first time was on my 1979 Honda 750 back in 1980. I never get tired of that area of the US.
Dave
_____________
1985 635CSi US
Cosmos Blue/Pearl Beige
Russm21
Posts: 33
Joined: Tue Jul 14, 2020 8:45 pm
Location: SoCal

Re: Bringing The Shark Home

Post by Russm21 »

The balance made a big difference. Now I think I may have another problem. I'm getting a whining sound from around where the parking brake is. I think the center support bearing may be going.
Russell
1989 E30 325ic
1986 E24 635CSi
Russm21
Posts: 33
Joined: Tue Jul 14, 2020 8:45 pm
Location: SoCal

Re: Bringing The Shark Home

Post by Russm21 »

Big setback today.

Just outside of Grand Junction, CO the car quit on me. After some basic troubleshooting, I discovered that I had spark but no fuel flow. I had my dad crank it while I held the fuel pump to feel if it was working. Miraculously, the car started!

We finished the drive into Grand Junction where we planned on staying the night anyhow. I felt that it would be smart to buy a universal fuel pump to have just in case. While driving to the auto parts store it capped out again! However, it did fire back up after a few cranks. With little faith in the fuel pump but not a lot of options we kept driving to the auto parts store. After going to three different shops, we finally found a ford unit that seemed like it should work. We had enough daylight left to get the job done but of course, another issue arose. The input nipple to the pump was too small. Fortunately, there was a home depot nearby where I could get one that would work. The next day we got it all back together and amazingly it worked!
pump (2).jpg
pump (2).jpg (1.94 MiB) Viewed 6755 times
With the fuel pump issue resolved it was decision time. The cad did great going over the Rockies but the squealing from what seemed to be the center support bearing was only getting worse. The next 2 days were going to be the most arduous of the journey. Lots of desert, heat and desolation. At this point I didn't have 100% confidence in the car so I made the decision to pull the plug on this portion of the trip and trailer the shark the rest of the way to LA.
trailera.jpg
trailera.jpg (440.36 KiB) Viewed 6755 times
I had had enough of this trip so I drove the truck and trailer the rest of the way home from in one day. It was long but I'm glad I got the car home.
car home.jpg
car home.jpg (59.91 KiB) Viewed 6755 times
All in all, we drove the car over 2100 miles until we felt it was unwise to continue. The silver lining to all this is that issues that would have come around eventually were sussed out. Next on the list is to give the car a good cleaning (it is filthy!) and see if I cab get it smogged.
Russell
1989 E30 325ic
1986 E24 635CSi
brickwhite
Posts: 797
Joined: Wed Sep 01, 2010 3:29 pm
Location: Broomfield, CO

Re: Bringing The Shark Home

Post by brickwhite »

Ballsy to drive that far without a baseline... kudos to you for as far as you made it.

Glad you made it home, Uhaul or not...
- 12 535i
- 92 325ic
BenM635i
Posts: 167
Joined: Thu Dec 10, 2015 7:23 pm
Location: St Albans, UK

Re: Bringing The Shark Home

Post by BenM635i »

Yep - well done for having a go and getting as far as you did .. superb work.

Started off the ownership with a great story and sure it will be a special car because of it.
'85 M635 #160
User avatar
clipper47
Posts: 596
Joined: Mon Oct 10, 2011 12:22 am
Location: Ontario, Canada

Re: Bringing The Shark Home

Post by clipper47 »

Smart decision to trailer it when you did. That trip through Western Colorado to Green River Utah is pretty desolate. Glad to hear you made it home safe.
Dave
_____________
1985 635CSi US
Cosmos Blue/Pearl Beige
Russm21
Posts: 33
Joined: Tue Jul 14, 2020 8:45 pm
Location: SoCal

Re: Bringing The Shark Home

Post by Russm21 »

brickwhite wrote: Thu Jul 30, 2020 4:01 pm Ballsy to drive that far without a baseline... kudos to you for as far as you made it.

Glad you made it home, Uhaul or not...

BenM635i wrote: Thu Jul 30, 2020 6:31 pm Yep - well done for having a go and getting as far as you did .. superb work.

Started off the ownership with a great story and sure it will be a special car because of it.
Thanks guys. Part of the attraction of doing a 3000 mile trek in a 35 year old car I'd never even laid eyes on was the challenge of it. Also, when I was first looking at the car I mentioned it to my dad and he wanted to do the trip with me. He's 80 years old now and this would be a last chance to do something like this with him. He did great on the trip but I couldn't chance breaking down in the middle of the desert in 110 degree heat with him. I'm young and dumb enough (even at 55) to go for it. But an octogenarian wouldn't fare quite as well.

Anyhow, I have A LOT of work to do on this car. I'll be posting on the projects page hoping to tap into the collective knowledge of this group.
Russell
1989 E30 325ic
1986 E24 635CSi
User avatar
Ralph in Socal
Platinum Member
Platinum Member
Posts: 2745
Joined: Tue Apr 14, 2009 3:32 am
Location: High Desert of SoCal

Re: Bringing The Shark Home

Post by Ralph in Socal »

Well done and VERY BALLSY to say the least. Kudos for the dad memories you just created so VERY WELL DONE

Ralph
There is a very fine line between "Hobby" and Mental Illness.

85 635csi Zinno Auto
84 528i Euro
83 635 Euro Arktik
81 528i Kastanien 5-speed
88 528e Bronzit (Granpa Car)
86 535i Auto (For Sale)
81 633 csi (retired)
Post Reply