naughty car... 1986 635 Cs i - SinBin since 2020...

[Crispian_J_Hotson]

  On 01/09/2018 at 05:59, The Reverend Bluejeans said:

I have some really nice unrusty ones.

 

That's great. Doesn't help me though unless... You mean... You'd part with them? I have 6 rear struts in varying stages of decay which doesn't help either. PM me with a delivered price if you can part with them please. Failing that, this one cleaned up ok and whatever I do to the seat will be stronger than standard that's for sure and will cost me time... Bugger. I can't do sod all on it for 3 days at least now coz work commitments... DURING MY BREAK FROM WORK!

[Crispian_J_Hotson]

 

It's gone from 'alright' to 'absolutely fucked' in a year! Other side is a lot better. You can just see a slight kink in the thin bits of support that's left, still taking the tension from the spring. I reckon another hour or so and there would be a funny popping sound from the front of the car! 

[Crispian_J_Hotson]

Right... Up the arches! N/S/F

 

 

 

 

 

*Not oil from shock... Arch had not long been pressure washed so still a bit wet in places.

[Crispian_J_Hotson]

N/S/R:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last pic is looking up at the inner Arch.

 

 

[Crispian_J_Hotson]

More soon, work calls...

[Crispian_J_Hotson]

O/S/R:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Again, the last one is the inner Arch, looking up.

[Crispian_J_Hotson]

O/S/F:

 

 

 

 

 

Given the rate at which these cars dissolve... It's not looking too sad. Probably could use a scrub up, treat and re-seal in places though.

[Tadhg Tiogar]

  On 01/09/2018 at 07:40, BoggyMires said:

O/S/R:

 

IMG_20180831_134530955.jpg...

There used to be a vertical plate welded to the bottom of the well to shield the fuel tank. Mine fell off on the A41 one afternoon....

[Crispian_J_Hotson]

This one most likely fell off in 1986.

[Crispian_J_Hotson]

Just bought 2 premium* tyres for the MOT. I have decided that this is no longer offered for sale and I'm gonna keep it. I can't part with the fucking thing and would prefer to suffer in agonising pain, complete misery and failure than have an easy, care free life. I'm now going to sit in a cupboard and cry.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

That NSF front strut is probably rotten - give it a good blatting with a ball pein hammer. You can see it's bulging where the red dots are.

 

Rear subframe bushes need replacing as well - no gap between the retaining plate and the axle beam. 

 

 

[Crispian_J_Hotson]

Cheers. Well I'm going over both struts now anyway. I've got to rebuild the osf one as it's fucked. That's something to look at on the rear mounts. They are polybushes and so far as I know they have sat like that from installation. It may be that those stabiliser bar things are bent up around the bolt as that's where it's jacked up from?

[Crispian_J_Hotson]

Nah, those frame bushes are fine. That's how the poly goes in and there is a recess in one for the cup to site in. I think because they are black with underseal that they look standard. They're actually yellow. What little info I can find on goggle, they are marmite. The car is properly tight on the rear end but I did read that powerflex have the bolt hole central to the bush where as standard kit is offset. Whatever... I've done a load of miles in it and there's no issue, it's just too low at the back. Spax from the factory made it look like a dragster so the rear springs were sent* off* to that special* place* to be modified*.

 

Powerflex not long ago released adjustable trailing arm polybushes for the 635, the idea was to get another rear running gear and restore that for fitting. Every one of these bright ideas costs about fiftyhundret though.

[Crispian_J_Hotson]

Remember this?

 

 

Well, today we got our kit out and done this:

 

 

I added a mod because the Tyre has always sat mm's from the shock. Now there is some space:

 

 

That will allow for any tread on the shoulder of any new tyres I get. It was painted too:

 

 

Then the backplate got trimmed* and I rewelded the old repairs as last time, it was done on the car and was a bit messy. I then found some copper effect spray. I'm not buying paint for something that is always fucked so it got a free paint job.

 

The results of today's toil so far:

 

 

I'm hoping the n/s has some life left in it but if not then oh well...

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

I should have kept the old springs from my 528i - you could have had them FOC. I binned them on the basis of 'who'd want these'?

 

Those lowering springs are abysmal.

[Tadhg Tiogar]

  On 10/09/2018 at 22:53, The Reverend Bluejeans said:

...Those lowering springs are abysmal.

Even the ones for the M635CSi were only about 15mm lower, as opposed to 30/40mm lower.

[Crispian_J_Hotson]

The spax were the quickest I could get at the time. I got the car with 1 broken rear and a snapped front spring. They've not been bad really. The adjustable shocks it still retains on the front have never seemed to do anything adjustable, the rears blew up and shot their load a few years ago, suffering damage after an enthusiastic drive down some rather bouncy lanes. I'm looking forward to changing it all though and then I can bump up the Tyre profile a bit too.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

Spax are the only dampers - well, apart from KYB - that I actually refuse to fit. I've found ECP's budget ones (Anschler) to be very good though. I think they still do E28 type units.

[Crispian_J_Hotson]

Yeah, I can't recommend spax, it was a bit of an anti climax. You do get a lot of stickers with the kit though.

I find that old BM's have a unique feel on standard set up. Aftermarket kits just throw that in the bin and turn them into roller skates.

I used to think that they handled the weight of the 'big 6' quite well until I pulled up next to a modernz 3 series and realised the 'big 6' ain't that big anymore!

[AMC Rebel]

This is ace - one of the (very) few BMs I like the looks of.  Heroic efforts taking care of it.

[Crispian_J_Hotson]

Inspired by The Reverend, I created* this finishing touch...

 

 

Lowlzz.

 

 

[fordperv]

You should've made coilovers out of those front legs for mega lows

 

Great work there

[Crispian_J_Hotson]

  On 11/09/2018 at 16:38, fordperv said:

You should've made coilovers out of those front legs for mega lows

 

Great work there

 

 

Why, tanks. However, I'm trying to be grown up and raise the suspension, not bliddy lower it! 

[Crispian_J_Hotson]

La-de-da-de-daaaa....

 

 

Oh, I found the leak into the cabin...

 

 

 

Which inevitably got bigger....

 

 

I wouldn't expect anything less.

[Tadhg Tiogar]

  On 12/09/2018 at 11:49, BoggyMires said:

La-de-da-de-daaaa....

 

CanOfWorms.png

 

Oh, I found the leak into the cabin...

 

IMG_20180912_114823219.jpg

 

IMG_20180912_114853744.jpg

 

Which inevitably got bigger....

 

IMG_20180912_124011025.jpg

 

I wouldn't expect anything less.

 

If it's any consolation, mine had problems with the left footwell being damp whenever it rained or if I went through the car wash because the drain tube from the sunroof had failed.

[Crispian_J_Hotson]

Well, that's the second one I need to look at. Let me guess... It was dripping from the dash/ side panel, the inside of the A pillar?

[Tadhg Tiogar]

  On 12/09/2018 at 12:30, BoggyMires said:

Well, that's the second one I need to look at. Let me guess... It was dripping from the dash/ side panel, the inside of the A pillar?

 

That's what happened on mine.

 

If it rains on the rear passenger seats, that means you've got a problem with the rear drain tubes. Or there's another hole in your roof skin.

[Crispian_J_Hotson]

POOOOOFFFFFFF1!!!!!

 

AS IF BY MAGIC...IT WAS FIXED!

 

 

Shitting hell... I had programmed a week's work on this for mot Friday and yesterday my new project started A WEEK EARLY!

 

So I have today and half day Wednesday to get it prepared. A week's work in one and a half days!

 

Well I cut out all the luxuries and now it's gotta be just MOT related items. Today saw the leg go back on, check the other leg is ok... which it is, discs and pads, brake fluid run through and totally changed, rimz on and check running operations. Not that straight forward on a 32 year old car though is it?

 

Would you believe, the brake problem has not returned and all is well... I guess I fixed it. It was either the pin operating the master cylinder, pressure sphere or shit brake fluid. The idle was up 200rpm which was taken down on the throttle stop. I'm going to have to revisit this after a good run and a decent amount of fresh fuel to be sure it's set right.

 

One concern is that it was idling for an hour and started dropping coolant from the header cap. The level was right up too. So this thankless piece of shit now needs a water pump, as I have suspected for a while that the impeller is rotten and is no longer efficient enough.

 

Still, that won't hinder getting a ticket. I'm absolutely fucked now, every joint in my body aches. Wednesday I've got to welderup inside and refit the interior bits I've took off... Oh, and book the test!

[Crispian_J_Hotson]

WOMEN! I've discovered the biggest reason why I don't get to spend time on this pile... MY MISSIS! 

 

Jesus bloody wept, you'd think I'd get a bit of understanding help here but nooooo!!! She talks to me like I'm going on a fuckin fishing trip! 

 

Whatever... We must press on despite setbacks from our female companions and despite what ever time of the month they are having.

 

I left work early to prepare the car for mini weldathon tomorrow, I thought I'd get a good start tomorrow morning. She had other ideas. So I managed (with a rather awkward atmosphere over our house) to strip out the passenger side interior trim and remove part of a support panel. 

I was pleasantly surprised of the condition of the floor under the rear seat as I've not seen it for some years. In stark contrast though, the repair I knew I had to do looked horrible.... And got worse.

 

 

Bet your pleased you never bought it now eh? I'm not pleased I still have it!

Still, I've had worse and although it's probably added another 3 hours worth of pissing around to the day I already haven't got, it's fairly straight forward to fix.

 

My only worry is that the sills are full, that's full, of waxoyl. Waxoyl goes up like a slightly damp Christmas tree when welding. I'll probably dampen the surrounding area down a bit first to give me a fighting chance!

 

On a slightly better note... I went out and started the car, it didn't even turn over once before firing right up. It's great when that happens.

[Tadhg Tiogar]

  On 18/09/2018 at 16:30, BoggyMires said:

WOMEN! I've discovered the biggest reason why I don't get to spend time on this pile... MY MISSIS! ...

 

For some years, my 635 carried a Aussie roadsign in the rear windscreen, reading "Abolish Divorce: Stay Single"