|
|
|
After what has seemed like an eternity I finally got the time to fix the Nissan X-Trail and swap it for this beast... I saw her up for sale on here a few weeks ago and just had to have her. I've always had a huge thing for the 6 but didn't want an automatic so never really considered them, then this came up. Good bits include a nearly new leather interior, good bodywork, 8-series BBS alloys and a glorious 6 cylinder soundtrack. Less good is the exhaust that is suffering from a terminally rotten back box, a sloppy gear change and an engine that is a little hesitant. There is also some rust coming through under the paint in a few spots but nothing serious. The plan is to give her a proper clean inside and out, find a back box for sensible money and refurbish the AFM which should sort the running. Then it'll be a case of steady maintenance and improvement over the next few years to get her back to as close to showroom fresh as I can. More photos to come. What do you lot think? James
|
|
Last Edit: Jun 14, 2015 21:25:26 GMT by metroman
|
|
|
|
|
|
That looks a lovely example of what is a very handsome car. I've always loved these, they just ooze class IMO. I'm sure the mechanical gremlins can be fairly easily fixed, however let's just hope the spots of rust coming through really aren't serious and can be sorted without too much effort. I always worry when I see rust underneath nice shiny paintwork. Get some more pics up James, Richard.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Suppose I'm a wee bit biased , but it looks superb. Love the staggered RC090's they fill the arches perfectly. I'm exactly a year into restoring mine and some advice I'd give you is to flood the sills with a rust preventative of your choice but don't just scatter shot it into them you have to do it accurately from various angles and places to get 100% coverage .Also , pressure wash the underside of the front wings regularly . Enjoy it ..........
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A tear was shed as you drove away, but I'm glad the car has gone to someone who will take care of it. Good luck!
|
|
Audi 2.3 20v Coupe A4 TDI Sportline
|
|
|
|
|
That is just gorgeous...!!! I love that shape 6-Series so I will most certainly be keeping an eye on this one...
|
|
***GARAGE CURRENTLY EMPTY***
|
|
|
|
|
Thanks for feedback guys, further rust proofing, careful cleaning and no use during winter months are all duly noted! 5potjacko - I hope the Nissan serves you well, I did like that car a lot. I had a lovely drive to work today but I really need to get the exhaust fixed ASAP! I did have a crack at sorting out the hesitance and lumpiness at mid throttle by taking off the AFM. The AFM on a Motronic is a vane that opens with throttle in a similar way to that in an SU carb. However, rather than directly changing the mixture the vane is connected to a variable resistor which is subject to wear so I figured it was as good a place to start as any. The plastic cover on the underside was pried off carefully with a screwdriver to expose the inner workings. The moving arm makes contact with two small dimples that rub against the resistor strip and, as can be seen, eventually wear a track which leads to dodgy signals and incorrect mixture. I fix this and return the AFM to 'as new' I slackened off the 7mm hex screw that located the arm on the shaft and moved the arm a few mill further up. Carefully pushing the brass contact down moved the points of contact away from the worn grooves and onto a virgin material as show below: It's really important to not touch anything else, espcially the spring or Phillips screw that orientates the resistor arm. All in all the fix took about 20 minutes. I reattached the cover with some sealant as per the factory being careful to not get any inside and then refitted. The difference was unbelievable - it's like a completely different car. I was looking into MAF conversions but I don't think that will be necessary for some time, if at all now. I suspect the MPG will also be improved as the mixture will be closer to correct for more of the time. Starting still takes a little longer than I'd like but the air filter is in need of replacement and I don't know about the plugs. Tomorrow I'll be checking the rotor arm and dizzy cap if the weather holds. James
|
|
Last Edit: Jun 2, 2014 20:27:39 GMT by metroman
|
|
|
|
|
If you're replacing rotor arm or distributor cap, use only Beru or Bosch. Insist on those even though ECP will try to sell you the cheaper ones. . We've had a few early failures recently with pattern parts - particularly from ECP.
Coolant temp sensor might be worth a look too for poor starting and lumpy running.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Okay, thanks, I'll make sure of that when they come up for renewal.
James
|
|
|
|
maf260
Part of things
Posts: 513
|
|
|
Lovely looking car initially, but the rust issues were too scary for me. I hope it's nowhere near as bad as it looked to me and that you enjoy fettling her back to her prime. These cars look ace in red and those wheels set the whole thing off a treat.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
maf260 - The rust is bad but not bad enough to scare me; with the exception of a 306 and X-Trail I've only ever owned BL cars! I want to get all the mechanical and electrics good over the summer and enjoy driving her before the winter when the bodywork will get some love. I've had an utter mare over the last few days. Parked in Waitrose and came back to find someone had tried to break into the car, pushing the lock barrel into the door in the process and upsetting the alarm and immobiliser. Somehow I got her started and drove home but found that the alarm system could not have been a worse install if they had tried. Wires wound around each other and taped, loose connections and live wires uninsulated floating around. It had already been got at a bit but luckily I was able to get a wiring diagram for the system. 10 hours of swearing and a flat battery later I'd managed to hack out most of the alarm system and repair the original loom leaving just the remote locking installed. I need this because the door lock is damaged so can't be locked from the outside. All in all a massive bummer. Still, as the weather was nice and I'm on holiday I decided to celebrate the fix and take her for a blast over Ashdown Forest and visit Munich Legends to see if they could help out with an exhaust, and to drool a bit. An amazing place I have to say! 3 M1s and loads of other loveliness. Unfortunately they could only get a BMW exhaust from the Fatherland for the sum of £1200 + VAT! That leaves me with a few options: 1 - Get a back box from ECP for £130, hope it fits and accept that it will probably only last a few years, if the rest of the system lives that long 2 - Fritz Bitz stainless system for £550 + VAT but with a 6 week wait and rumors of dodgy quality 3 - Get a custom system made for at least £750 It's a good car and I want to improve it rather than just fit something from a breakers. Any suggestions? James
|
|
Last Edit: Jun 5, 2014 16:02:46 GMT by metroman
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rusty E24s can be very scary, but they've all been done before and they can be fixed. They are always much worse than they look. We've just weighed in a car that had £14000 spent in the previous six years. On all the wrong bits! Get the structure sorted first - or at least have a plan for it, so you don't find yourself in the same position as the guy who spent £14000 and couldn't afford the £10000 restoration costs.
If you're going to keep the car, either a known good BMW or OEM (Bosal IIRC) second hand one for about £250 - if in good nick should last years, or I'd go with a custom made stainless one. We've a supplier does them at about £650, but he needs the car and build each one to the car. You can choose exactly what you want and how noisy you want it. I'm sure you'll have someone similar locally.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
What do you lot think? James This is obviously a redundant question, you are never going to find a hater for the 6 series! (unless it is the new one)
|
|
Contrary to popular opinion, I do have mechanical sympathy, I always feel sorry for the cars I drive.
|
|
|
|
|
Rusty E24s can be very scary, but they've all been done before and they can be fixed. They are always much worse than they look. We've just weighed in a car that had £14000 spent in the previous six years. On all the wrong bits! Get the structure sorted first - or at least have a plan for it, so you don't find yourself in the same position as the guy who spent £14000 and couldn't afford the £10000 restoration costs. If you're going to keep the car, either a known good BMW or OEM (Bosal IIRC) second hand one for about £250 - if in good nick should last years, or I'd go with a custom made stainless one. We've a supplier does them at about £650, but he needs the car and build each one to the car. You can choose exactly what you want and how noisy you want it. I'm sure you'll have someone similar locally. Bloody hell, not a nice position to be in. Wish me luck I guess! I will be doing large amounts of the work myself so labour at least will be free, probably a panel/section at a time. At least to start with. I've been studying Tony's work which is pretty inspirational. I've been calling every custom place within 50 miles but none can do it for under £850 so far without converting the system to a single large bore pipe which I don't want. I think I'll probably be going for a Fritz system, unless the 14k scrapper had a good exhaust that's going?! James
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
It actually had a £1200 genuine exhaust fitted in 2010.
Unfortunately for two reasons it'd be of no use to you:-
1. It's a later Highline version and will not fit, and;
2. It's now on my car.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fair! I've now sorted the wiring, got a radio in and removed. Still on the hunt for an exhaust though. I spent the today cleaning and polishing the bodywork with drdantastic then got some photos with his E34. Enjoy! James
|
|
Last Edit: Jun 8, 2014 23:27:21 GMT by metroman
|
|
|
|
|
Beautiful! My favorite modern classic, hands down.
|
|
'84 308 GTS /// '88 528e /// '88 M5 /// '89 944 Turbo /// '98 E430
|
|
|
|
Jun 23, 2014 19:02:13 GMT
|
I'm still stunned by how good that E34 is for a £1k barge...
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jun 24, 2014 22:14:41 GMT
|
I've got a Fritz system I'll no longer need if you're interested. Plan A was to keep the system from my '84 635 to fit to my M635, but having just bought some E34 S38 headers to replace the curse word that BMW graced the rhd M88 with, I'm going custom right through! I am aware that this equates to a large amount of work, but it feels worth it. The Fritz system is loud, but in a very pleasing, addictive way.
Cheers,
Rob
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
PM sent about the Fritz system.
|
|
|
|
Speedle
Posted a lot
Need a Country Rock band in the Hampshire Area? https://www.facebook.com/DirtRoadDiaryUK
Posts: 2,221
|
|
Jun 27, 2014 10:41:03 GMT
|
I really do love these 80's BMW's to me they still look awesome with some great lines! Great car chap!
|
|
|
|
|