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Poor old '81 635... can we rebuild her???

Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2019 8:53 pm
by dave9118
Hi, thanks for all the help with identifying the M90 engine in this woeful example. She was delivered today at last light, so tomorrow I need to get amongst it and see if it's actually worth saving? If not, I can make my cash back on the engine, dogleg box and the sideloader LSD.

I've added a couple of pictures but it looks better than it actually is. I'll post updates when I get them, but this will be a brave undertaking if I decide to do it. Wish me luck!

Re: Poor old '81 635... can we rebuild her???

Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2019 9:23 pm
by dave9118
Pics of today...

Re: Poor old '81 635... can we rebuild her???

Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2019 9:46 pm
by dave9118
.

Re: Poor old '81 635... can we rebuild her???

Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2019 11:00 pm
by olympia57
Unfortunatly the critical areas that will determine it's fate lie underneath what is shown in the photos......
Think of an iceberg..........
Good luck.

Re: Poor old '81 635... can we rebuild her???

Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2019 12:15 am
by dave9118
If it's too bad I'll break it. It has a hole in the roof and the doors are shot. That I DO know. I'm just waiting for the rest of the surprises... :roll:

Re: Poor old '81 635... can we rebuild her???

Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2019 10:17 am
by randall977
It'd be a shame to break her. If the sills are solid that would both amazing and avoid a large amount of work. Doors and wings are easy to replace - obviously wings aren't cheap but there those here on the forum who can help. Rear arch repairs are pretty common... I guess parts are more scarce for earlier cars - the trim looks good.

Re: Poor old '81 635... can we rebuild her???

Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2019 3:44 pm
by dave9118
randall977 wrote: Wed Jan 09, 2019 10:17 am It'd be a shame to break her. If the sills are solid that would both amazing and avoid a large amount of work. Doors and wings are easy to replace - obviously wings aren't cheap but there those here on the forum who can help. Rear arch repairs are pretty common... I guess parts are more scarce for earlier cars - the trim looks good.
The sills are actually an area of concern. I've had the carpets out this weekend, taking time out for a swim in the drivers foot well naturally, and assessed the inner body work, which, apart from the obvious repair to the driver foot well (and previous repair by the look of it) looks pretty good. Inner arches are all good, and the floors by the sills are all good. The only thing is the large holes in the corner foot wells by the wheel arches where they always go. You can however see into the inner sill on one side from the outer sill :(

Oh well, fingers crossed it's not too bad!

Re: Poor old '81 635... can we rebuild her???

Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2019 12:07 pm
by randall977
I had to redo most of the drivers sill on mine and rear suspension mount - quite a bit of work and very common repair - I reckon most have gone in these areas. It was quite a nice feeling of satisfaction once it was done though!

Re: Poor old '81 635... can we rebuild her???

Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2019 3:15 pm
by wattsmonkey
You should get it and do it up for a back-to-back comparison of E12 and E28-based body structure! I always understood the E12-based stuff to be much more complex/difficult in terms of construction, but that might just be my familiarity with E28s and E28-based sixes.

Re: Poor old '81 635... can we rebuild her???

Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2019 8:39 pm
by randall977
I do have a thing for the E12's - I like the rear bumper design. Also love the original decals - very cool!

Re: Poor old '81 635... can we rebuild her???

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2019 9:34 pm
by dave9118
randall977 wrote: Thu Jan 10, 2019 8:39 pm I do have a thing for the E12's - I like the rear bumper design. Also love the original decals - very cool!
Me too. shame the original decals will have to go when its re sprayed. I think you can get aftermarket ones, but not sure if they're any good!

Re: Poor old '81 635... can we rebuild her???

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2019 9:34 pm
by dave9118
wattsmonkey wrote: Thu Jan 10, 2019 3:15 pm You should get it and do it up for a back-to-back comparison of E12 and E28-based body structure! I always understood the E12-based stuff to be much more complex/difficult in terms of construction, but that might just be my familiarity with E28s and E28-based sixes.
When I get underneath it this week I'll get lots of pics and we can have a look!

Re: Poor old '81 635... can we rebuild her???

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2019 9:39 pm
by dave9118
randall977 wrote: Thu Jan 10, 2019 12:07 pm I had to redo most of the drivers sill on mine and rear suspension mount - quite a bit of work and very common repair - I reckon most have gone in these areas. It was quite a nice feeling of satisfaction once it was done though!
Sills are a given, but the rear mounts look ok. Big holes next to (not on) the front ones though. Any advice on doing the sills I'd appreciate?

Re: Poor old '81 635... can we rebuild her???

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2019 9:50 pm
by dave9118
£309 for the replacement nose from BMW. Seriously considering it if I can't find a decent used one...

Re: Poor old '81 635... can we rebuild her???

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2019 10:25 pm
by randall977
That seems like quite good value...

Re: Poor old '81 635... can we rebuild her???

Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2019 10:57 am
by olympia57
dave9118 wrote: Fri Jan 11, 2019 9:39 pm
randall977 wrote: Thu Jan 10, 2019 12:07 pm I had to redo most of the drivers sill on mine and rear suspension mount - quite a bit of work and very common repair - I reckon most have gone in these areas. It was quite a nice feeling of satisfaction once it was done though!
Sills are a given, but the rear mounts look ok. Big holes next to (not on) the front ones though. Any advice on doing the sills I'd appreciate?
I'm not seeing the mounting areas on these photos . It is the x member mounts we speak of ,not the diff mount .

As for the sills .If you are spending all that money on parts I guess you will be repairing /restoring the sills to original strength .
You mention that there are holes near but not on the mounting areas . Once you have performed open heart surgery on that area(s) you'll see how easy it is for superficial rust to easily spread from the outer visible sill to the mounts . The sills consist of three parts outer A , central structure B and inner C , these are spot (or pinch) welded together along the yellow lower line D .In addition to th three sill components the jacking point has to be attached to A & B internally . To retain the strength, and be able to b welded to ,all of these have to be in very good condition if not each or all will have to be replaced back to solid metal. It looks complecated in the photo but once you disect it and plan the repairs it is straightforward , but very time consuming . You don't say if you will do the work yourself or pay someone to do it but if the latter you will need deep pockets ...
Good luck .
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Re: Poor old '81 635... can we rebuild her???

Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2019 3:13 pm
by dave9118
Ah, I see! Yes I'm going to do the work myself. I can't afford for someone else to do it, but also, where's the fun in that???

That's a really useful diagram there and answers some of my questions, thanks.

I need to get amongst it this weekend and find out the worst areas. I'll include some pics of what I find. At the moment I can't do much. My lock up has no power, so I'm sourcing a generator for my grinder and welder, but on the face of it she looks far from the grave yard. It looks worse than it is! I'm preparing to spend a few thousand on it anyway, but still much less than having it done for me!

I was pleasantly surprised to find that my replacement fuel cap direct from BMW is cheaper than what the breakers are selling them. £22 whole quid. Funny old world :)

Re: Poor old '81 635... can we rebuild her???

Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2019 8:30 pm
by randall977
Ha ha yes - I got a new fuel cap from BMW - not all parts are expensive. The part labelled B in red in the photo is only about £20 - I have a spare. I order a lot of my stuff from https://www.wallothnesch.com/ , generally they are slightly cheaper than BMW as they do deals - also it's like Christmas when their very nicely packed boxes arrive from Deutschland.

Re: Poor old '81 635... can we rebuild her???

Posted: Sun Jan 13, 2019 2:01 pm
by dave9118
M5???

Re: Poor old '81 635... can we rebuild her???

Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2019 8:27 pm
by dave9118
Well, the carpet was minging as you can see. This was after round one of a good scrub in the kitchen. I think we might win this one!

Re: Poor old '81 635... can we rebuild her???

Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2019 8:30 pm
by dave9118
I didn't do a before and after of the seats, but you get the idea!

Louise did most if the work to be honest! :)

Re: Poor old '81 635... can we rebuild her???

Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2019 9:35 pm
by randall977
Good work, the leather's cleaning up well. I replaced my carpet as it was badly holed around the footwell...and was disgusting. You can get a brand new replacement for yours for £150 here; https://www.wallothnesch.com/en/floor-c ... 74-01.html. Though not quite right but it must be pretty close to fitting...

Re: Poor old '81 635... can we rebuild her???

Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2019 9:53 pm
by dave9118
randall977 wrote: Mon Jan 14, 2019 9:35 pm Good work, the leather's cleaning up well. I replaced my carpet as it was badly holed around the footwell...and was disgusting. You can get a brand new replacement for yours for £150 here; https://www.wallothnesch.com/en/floor-c ... 74-01.html. Though not quite right but it must be pretty close to fitting...
Goddamit! :roll:

Re: Poor old '81 635... can we rebuild her???

Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2019 4:01 pm
by dave9118
Four pot calipers... SCORE!!! :D

Re: Poor old '81 635... can we rebuild her???

Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2019 4:22 pm
by olympia57
OE.