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Second set of pics ...

Top Rail runs equal and true across both cams with a match distance of 22.47mm from the cam carrier (where gasket goes) to top of Rail.

Of course with C/C gasket removed.

I assume you will get slightly different readings but I guess should still be within the same tolerence?


Kev

Thank you very much Kev,

That is extremely helpful.

New pillar nuts arriving early next week, so will be very interested to compare.

Thanks again,

Rob

Fitted new pillar nuts today. Interesting that washers integral part of assembly on new ones, both of which are the same height, allowing equal clearance for the top rail.

Pictures attached which should make problem and [what I hope is the] solution clear.

Quick update:

Ran car with new pillar nuts and clattering noise not unlike the end of the world ensued! Clattering easing when steering wheel turned, which reminded me I'd reconnected the PAS system and that it needed bleeding. I didn't remember this before having kittens, of course.

Brucey and Steve over for curry last weekend, so now have wings and bonnet fitted! Thank you, chaps.

Interior coming back together, waiting for door, front apron and side skirts to come back from paint.

Really, really not looking forward to reattaching door mechanism: will certainly be referring to the excellent write ups and links on here, but Ron, be ready for a perplexed phone call!

Durr, realised picture above posted with no explanation: it's the single row top rail next to the twin row.

Glad it is all coming together, with a little help from your friends

Kev

Out of the garage, blinking in the sun!

Still waiting for return of driver's door and front apron from paint shop - they found their way to the "bottom of the pile". I'm hoping this is a figure of speech.

Only a few electrical niggles to sort out (ABS light on all the time; alternator not charging) and we're into test drive territory. Aiming for completion by July.

Cheers,

Rob

Looks totally different from when it left here!!

Wow, I haven't seen those wheels before, except on my brother's E23!

Wheels are Hartges: the only 16" wheels I could find which fit over the Brembos on the front!

Panels back from bodyshop!

Annoyingly, the driver's door shut has been painted, right over the tyre pressure sticker, but otherwise everything's all black and shiny, just in time for a burst of Spring sunshine.

Well...I've fixed the abs and charging problem having, as per most problems which net a solution spoken to Brucey first! The charging system woke up after I gave the car a few revs - only about 2.5k, but suddenly all of my dash lights behaved themselves!

I am going to try to apply this solution to all problems from now on. Valves need adjusting? Just give it some beans. Rear spring broken? Just give it some beans. Car won't start - you get the idea!

Fitted door only to find top hinge is much, much more worn than I thought for - will raid the spares stash whist it's still a bare shell I think.

having done a little research on this (including asking older and wiser heads than mine) I am told that, if the stator windings are getting enough power (for 'proper excitement', ahem) via the charge warning light circuit, you ought to be able to measure about 1V at the connection to the alternator, with the ignition on, and the engine off.

My 635 usually needs about 1.5K rpm before it starts charging from cold, but once the engine is warm, often the alternator starts producing volts as soon as the engine starts. Am I right in thinking that the alternator pulley is larger on an M635...? If so this might explain why a few more rpms might be needed.

I am told that on many cars if there is a slightly bad contact in the charge warning light circuit, e.g. so that the light comes on, but perhaps not at full brightness, this can indicate 'insufficient excitement' and can cause exactly the kind of lag that you have seen.

BTW my 635 is 3/87 build and has the backup resistor in parallel with the charge warning light bulb. Earlier clusters don't have the backup resistor; on these if the bulb fails, you may not get the alternator working at all, or perhaps only after you rev the engine to about 5K at which point it may 'self excite'.

You will doubtless notice that I am incapable of writing anything that doesn't contain a few double entendres....

cheers

Thanks Brucey!

Luckily I'm too mature to engage with coarse innuendo, other than to say it's not just the alternator that's self-exciting at the prospect of getting this beast on the road!

Fancy a drive?

For the alternator to self excite, there needs to be residual magnetism in the field coil (which is actually the rotor). Often, after long periods of inactivity, this is not the case and you are then totally reliant on the charging indicator circuit. If this is open circuit then you have a problem. The stator windings produce 3 phase AC, which is then rectified by the bridge rectifier pack and charges the battery. The field coil is the item requiring excitation. In normal circumstances, this is achieved by a half wave rectified backfeed from the stator. But for starting this is augmented by the charging indicator circuit. The voltage regulator controls the field coil, which then controls the stator windings output.

silly me, I meant 'rotor' in my earlier paragraph. [I'm pretty sure I wasn't speaking from a reference frame going at several thousand rpm... ]

cheers

Well, you have been mooting the idea of a cradle to turn the whole car upside down: why stop at half a rotation!

Front end back together and all lights working

For the first time, the list of outstanding jobs is under one typed A4 page. The only difficult job is refitting the door handle.

Gulp!

Injectors and ICV off to be cleaned (injectortune.co.uk), will be very interested to see how they perform given the quantum leap in performance already effected by Brucey's AFM refurb.

I already know the exhaust note is the right side of sublime (which is the same as the wrong side of obnoxious). Much excitement.

Rob

Have been following this thread keenly; there's something about this project generating a sense of expectation. I cannot wait to read an emotive report about your first proper drive, Rob.

I'm especially interested in that exhaust; a post of any sound recording would be enormously appreciated.

The very best of luck to you as you enter the final furlong.

Thank you!

It's been a bit of a tricky time here, so messing about with cars has been a very welcome diversion.

Today I put the door handle back on: the job I've been dreading.

Like most things in life, it wasn't as bad as I feared, not least because of the excellent write ups on this forum and Ron's tip about removing the door latch mechanism to improve access.

The throttle linkage decided to get sticky today - alarming revs from cold not a good thing! Have already got all the bits to refurb the linkage. Will be removing injectors and icv to send to injectortune this week, then it's just a case of suck it and see at the MOT station!

Injectors back from reconditioning: no swanky print out of results, but they are now nice and shiny with the following results:

Flow rates as follows over a 30 second test

Before After
No 1 63cc 66cc
No 2 65cc 66cc
No 3 65cc 67cc
No 4 63cc 67cc
No 5 63cc 66cc
No 6 64cc 67cc

So, not too bad at all, but most importantly I've got peace of mind that they're not gummed up.

Had a fantastic time with Ron today, M now firing on all six as loose pin in injector plug was, indeed, the problem; on #4 however, not #6!

Many thanks for your help Ron, I'm going to book the MoT for later this week.

Much excitement!

Good luck Rob ,although I'm sure you won't need it .
Don

And so it is....

PASSED! No advisories. let's drive the f****** thing!