" Auric " the odyssey ........

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sharkfan
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Re: " Auric " the odyssey ........

Post by sharkfan »

Good luck with the conversion - I'm glad Ron and Rob managed to get the parts to you somehow.

I have a 1982 series 2 car with the 3 speed auto and I swore when I bought it that when the gearbox went wrong I would swop it out for a manual - that was over 25 years ago and the gearbox is still as silky smooth as you describe yours.
2001 Alpina B10 V8 Touring (1 of 12 rhd)
1997 Alpina B12 5.7 L (1 of 2 rhd)
1995 Alpina B10 4.6 Touring (1 of 1 rhd)
1985 BMW M635CSi (1 of 524 rhd)
1982 BMW 635CSiA (1 of 100's left from the 1000's made and still valiantly fighting against a rusty grave)
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olympia57
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Re: " Auric " the odyssey ........

Post by olympia57 »

Well it's been a long hiatus on work done to the car due to life changes .
I hadn't even driven it for a year and had it not been for the weekly chats with Ron and Rob ( wattsmonkey) from this parish I'm not sure if I'd have got around to continuing with plans for it. Both these guys kept my interest going and maintained a level of enthusiasm to get back to it when possible .
Earlier this year Rob asked me to join them in a celebration of a special birthday of Ron's but due to my wife now requiring full time care I could not get over to UK.
30 mins later he called back and said " if you can't come to us ,we'll come to you ....." and they did .
So early April they arrived insisting that they would help me change out the auto for a manual , I agreed but insisted that only a limited time would be spent on the work.
I prep'd the car removing all parts that would allow us unfettered access for the work to be done .
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I have to say that both of them , individually and as a pair , operate with military precision and it was a joy to be part of it .
Day one got the three speed auto out ,and new rear crankshaft seal fitted but when fitting the flywheel we encountered a problem with a missing plate that fitted beneath the flywheel bolts . nevertheless the pedal box was modified and MC installed by Rob who got into a position under the dash that I could never have contemplated ...he would then be onto the next chapter of work before I knew it .The old gearbox oil cooler pipes removed and new hydraulic line from MC to slave made and fitted .
Ron was always two steps in front with the next phase of the job already prep'd by him whilst he worked on the next segment and the correct tool was almost given to us before we asked for it . His choice in music is questionable though as he found an old ZZ Top cd and cranked up the volume to 11 .
The last auto bellhousing bolt .... =D>
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An early AM trip to a local precision engineering company saw the machining of the elusive part required to continue fitting the flywheel ,aided by the fact that the foreman had a new 6 series and was only too keen to help.
This left us a day that I could show them around Co. Kerry .
Part collected early we got back onto it and had the flywheel/clutch/bellhousing / Clutch system and then gearbox with rebuilt linkage in by afternoon . I was continually amazed at the speed and precision of the work done .
As I had to order more parts from W&N we had got as far as we could so work was completed .
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We had achieved more than I ever hoped for in such a short time and I have to say that I enjoyed their company immensely and cannot thank them enough for re invigorating my enthusiasm again.
I hope they come back to see us again soon .
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So the work/parts required to complete is ,
Rebuild and fit prop with new centralising bearing, centre support bearing , quibo plus bolts , lock cap and plastic serrated ring.
New Clutch MC plastic nozzle and hose to brake MC , exhaust to manifold gasket, reversing switch .
Wire in reversing lights and bypass inhibit switch . Bleed clutch system .Fill gearbox with fully synthetic 75/90 GL4 .
Re fit heat shields and full exhaust .
Remove instrument binnicle and blank off PRND12 sections ,refit interior .
Can't wait . :D
1981 635 series 1
rhanley 635csi89
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Re: " Auric " the odyssey ........

Post by rhanley 635csi89 »

Don, wow, great story, shows once again this group is something special. Sorry to hear of your wife's health issues. Roger
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GRNSHRK
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Re: " Auric " the odyssey ........

Post by GRNSHRK »

Plus 1, now that is outstanding =D>

I've been a bit of a "hired gun" myself, although I typically insist on them coming to me :roll:

This is due in large part because I have the tools, jacks, stands and whatnot to get most anything done :-"

Great story, glad it's working out and please keep us posted :wink:
:mrgreen:
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sharkfan
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Re: " Auric " the odyssey ........

Post by sharkfan »

Great story and with R&R you have a wealth of knowledge and skill.
2001 Alpina B10 V8 Touring (1 of 12 rhd)
1997 Alpina B12 5.7 L (1 of 2 rhd)
1995 Alpina B10 4.6 Touring (1 of 1 rhd)
1985 BMW M635CSi (1 of 524 rhd)
1982 BMW 635CSiA (1 of 100's left from the 1000's made and still valiantly fighting against a rusty grave)
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Sbeaud
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Re: " Auric " the odyssey ........

Post by Sbeaud »

I love it - wonderful story!
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olympia57
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Re: " Auric " the odyssey ........

Post by olympia57 »

All parts arrived , slowly ....but I managed to rebuild the prop with new parts and fit up and bleed the clutch system. Wiring up the reversing lights had me scratching my head as I had checked the switch some time ago and it was OK . After double checking everything I realised that the switch itself was u/s . Awkward little thing to change when the box is in moreso getting the sleeved connectors on too .
Exhausts were brushed down and re painted in high temp paint and fitted after all heat shields were attached .
I went for Comma fully synthetic 75/90 GL4 gearbox oil , 1.6 litres went in .
One thing I wanted to do was remove the PRND12 lamps in the instrument binnicle . These are actually plastic printed sheet accessed once the binnicle is removed and split in two . Black insulation tape quickly eliminated that issue .
Interior was then refitted and the big moment was upon me . [-o<
I was concerned but it fired immediately and settled to a steady idle .
Still up on axle stands I dipped the Clutch , engaged first and ...we have wheel motion \:D/
The following day I dropped it off the stands and took it for a full test drive . Everything in the clutch area is new so there was a little bedding in but I have to say that I never expected the difference to be so enormous .
I never was a lover of the three speed auto , although silky smooth it sucked all enjoyment out of driving the car , but the manual is crisper , quieter and just much more delightful to drive .The lack of lag from the torque converter is most noticeable but I just have to remember to dip the clutch when approaching a junction . :roll:
As everyone said to me I can only say to others ,if you are considering similar you will not be disappointed , it is expensive but worthy of the spend .
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Slight glitch when arriving home saw the gearlever come loose preventing me selecting reverse .
I've removed the OE lever and inspected it and found that some of the components in the upper part have lost their strength over the years allowing the two parts to flex.When this occurs there is insufficient travel to break through the reverse gate . After checking ,only a few of the OE parts needed seem to be available from Walloth & Nesch so my plan is to use the upper part from a Z3 shifter I have which is a much better design and cut and weld it to the base of the OE item. This will still retain the original shift movement but prevent a repeat of the " flacid gear knob " .......
So there we are ,all done at last and all thanks to Ron and Rob without whom the kit would still be sitting on the garage floor .
With my mojo back there are some plans ahead so will pop in again when I start them.
1981 635 series 1
wattsmonkey
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Re: " Auric " the odyssey ........

Post by wattsmonkey »

I missed this, Don!

What an absolute joy it was to mess about with cars and enjoy such warmth and hospitality from your good self and Sheilagh in such a beautiful country. I'm very much hoping you're getting what all the fuss is about - the manual box absolutely transforms the car in my humble opinion.

Also, I'm not going to rest until I've owned a Kashmir gold car now!

Here's to the next adventure - superchargers all round?

Cheers,

Rob
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