My 1979 635CSi

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disqord
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Location: Oahu, Hawaii

My 1979 635CSi

Post by disqord »

Hi everyone,
Been browsing the forums for a while, signed up a few weeks ago, and only now am starting to post :D

This is my 1979 BMW 635CSi. It's got 100k on the clock, a 5 speed dogleg, graphite in color and black leather interior. Overall it's in decent condition. I bought her in October 2013 for $3300 because 1.) I wanted an E24 and 2.) my parents hated it (which means I definitely had to get one :mrgreen: )

Things it's got:
- Full service history since the day it was shipped from Germany to Hawaii
- Bilstein shocks
- 16x7.5F 16x8.5 1-piece Style 5s on BFG G-Force Sport tires (makes it really easy to slide in the wet :mrgreen: )
Everything else is pretty much OEM or OEM replacement

Problems:
- Brake booster leaks (having shit luck finding replacement parts, I do have a contact that said an E28 booster conversion is possible... any ideas?)
- Someone reversed into the driver's quarter panel and didn't leave info the day after I bought the car


Pretty much all there is to it... Tomorrow I will be heading out to pick out parts from a junked 633. Owner says $200 and I can take whatever I can before the tow truck comes.

I don't expect much activity in this thread; I made this post sorta like a public diary so I can keep records of what kind of stuff I'm doing.

Cheers,
Chris
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disqord
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Post by disqord »

Apparently I can only upload 4 attachments per post... Probably because I'm a newbie :mrgreen:

Anyway, more stuff will be added periodically... nothing really exciting happens but when it does, I'll post them here... eventually :mrgreen:
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1978 635CSi #5545154

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Quendil

Post by Quendil »

Thats looks really nice. Hoping to get my 79 back on the road soon
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tschultz
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Post by tschultz »

Awesome find! Shame it got hit.
Where's Roku, he seems to know about every E24 on the islands.
http://www.Drive4Corners.com
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'79 635CSi Revival
'80 635CSi
'83 633CSi Callaway Turbo continued as 1988 535is Turbo
SOLD: '81 635CSi/A
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Spasso
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Post by Spasso »

Welcome to the E12/E24 brotherhood.

- The needs of the early 635's are unique and it takes a little different approach to find the things you need for them as opposed to the E28/E24's.

- Fortunately for you, you came to a really good forum full of knowledgeable people.

- You will find that what ever problem you run up against there is someone here that has already gone through it.

- Don't be shy with your questions but don't hesitate to use the search function as well.

I have a thread in this section about my own German market '79 that may answer a few of your upcoming questions..

If you can, post a bigger picture of your center dash and console. It looks nearly identical except for a few details.
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disqord
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Post by disqord »

On Tuesday I went with a few friends to rip parts from a rusted 633CSi that's been sitting for 20+ years. Paid a little more than offered before ($275) but still feel I got my money's worth. We took a little over 3 hours, and mainly got interior things because every body panel was Swiss cheese.

Top: Before
Mid left: Interior mid-stripping
Mid right: My friend posing for a shot
Bottom: After
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Here's a shot that was taken about half way through our parts picking. Mostly interior, but the body trim, grilles, side mirror (didn't have a passenger one lol), and badges were good condition
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Very good condition door panels (the chrome pieces not so much). Am thinking of selling to recoup some money. Not sure though.
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The best part about the trip: BBS RS007. Yes, they're metric. Yes, the tires are rotten. But I think they'd make a great restoration project when I'm bored out of my mind. Plus, I've always had an interest in wheel refinishing.
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If you can, post a bigger picture of your center dash and console. It looks nearly identical except for a few details.
Here you are :^)
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Well, that's all for today. Until next time.

Chris
1978 635CSi #5545154

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Spasso
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Post by Spasso »

Thanks for posting the picture of your center dash/console.

I am curious about the knob to the left of the radio and the one below at center.

Mine has air conditioning and an extra knob or two for that but possibly a different layout.

I'll take a look and maybe some pictures for comparison.

Good score on the parts. The trim pieces are hard to come by.
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disqord
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Post by disqord »

Spasso wrote:Thanks for posting the picture of your center dash/console.

I am curious about the knob to the left of the radio and the one below at center.

Mine has air conditioning and an extra knob or two for that but possibly a different layout.

I'll take a look and maybe some pictures for comparison.

Good score on the parts. The trim pieces are hard to come by.
Thanks! As far as I can tell, the knob below the center turns on the AC compressor, and the knob around the clock only turns on the fan. The knob to the left of the radio seems to open the vents to the right of the rear window defroster. Very weird, but it hasn't bothered me :mrgreen: I was told this car was unique even from other Euro E24s, and I feel that might be true.
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Brucey
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Post by Brucey »

I've never seen one like that either.

BTW if you run your VIN number you can find if the car had factory AC or not. If 'not' then this is an aftermarket AC fitment.

Neat though!

cheers
~~~~~~~~~~~~Brucey~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Alpinacsi
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Post by Alpinacsi »

Not factory installed but there were some AC units that were available through the dealers that might have been installed when sold originally.
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Alpina B9 sedan (Alpinweiss)
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Spasso
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Post by Spasso »

I looked at mine last night.
The knobs on mine look the same but located at the right hand end of "grill" below the radio, one above the other.
I'll post some pictures when I get a chance.
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Spasso
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Post by Spasso »

Note location of the cigarette lighter.
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disqord
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Post by disqord »

Spasso wrote:Note location of the cigarette lighter.
I like that layout a lot better. Looks much cleaner than having a random knob in the middle of the grille :mrgreen:

On a side note, what does the knob and button on the panel under the steering wheel do? I've always been wondering and never found a definite answer.

Cheers,
Chris
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Spasso
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Post by Spasso »

disqord wrote:
On a side note, what does the knob and button on the panel under the steering wheel do? I've always been wondering and never found a definite answer.

Cheers,
Chris
I think I figured it out a few years ago, soon after I bought the car but have since forgotten.

IIRC, I traced the wire diagram to figure out the functions.
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Post by Alpinacsi »

disqord wrote:
On a side note, what does the knob and button on the panel under the steering wheel do? I've always been wondering and never found a definite answer.

Cheers,
Chris
The rotary knob is the stereo fader control and the push button is a circuit breaker/reset for the power windows.
Alpina B9 coupe (Alpinweiss)
Alpina B9 sedan (Alpinweiss)
Alpina B6 clone in process (Alpinweiss)
Mini S (had to go: it was Electric Blue)
Rover Disco 1 (Alpine White)
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Spasso
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Post by Spasso »

Thank you
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Post by Spasso »

I forgot to mention.
www.RealOEM.com for part number look-up.
Use you last 7 digits to pull up options specific to your car.
You can also go to the "Archives" section.

Because I'm on the west coast I use http://www.pelicanparts.com/BMW/index-SC.htm
Just paste your part number into the search bar on top and it will take you right to it.
They aren't the lowest in price but quite reasonable.
They make up for it by the substantial savings I get in shipping costs, many times free. Good service as well.
They have been able to source a lot of OEM stuff for mine out of Germany for pretty good prices.

This is the thread on my '79 which you can use for comparison.
I notice our cars are only a few numbers apart.
viewtopic.php?t=14863
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disqord
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Post by disqord »

It's been forever since I've posted in my own project thread. Well, I've replaced the master brake cylinder and brake booster, and I feel like I have to tell it somewhere. If you want to read, grab something to eat or drink 'cause it's gonna be a long one. No pictures :mrgreen:

Started off with removing the piece under the steering wheel to get access to the pedals. 4 screws and it's out. EZPZ.

Time to remove the clip and rod to disconnect the brake booster from the brake pedal. Damn steering column was in the way, plus it didn't help that I'm claustrophobic. Eventually took it out with a needle nose and flat head.

Popped the hood, took off the bracket thingy with the relay thingies on the strut tower. Yeah I don't know anything about electrics so I'm learning as I go. 1 13mm nut on the tower and 2 11mm nuts on the side. Pushed the entire thing out of the way.

Coolant tank is right next to the master cylinder, so I decided to move it. 13mm bolt and nut and a couple washers and it's out of the way. Took off the wire on the cap to give me more space.

Time to remove the brake master cylinder. But you might be thinking, "Chris! Don't you have to drain out all the fluid first?" Well, technically, yes. But all the brake fluid is in my (old) brake booster. Leaked into there, I don't know how. Anyway, the hoses are popped off and I took out the rubber grommets (I thought of reusing them, then thought it was a bad idea, then turns out to be a good idea). Brake lines come out (11mm) with me rounding 2 of them. Then the 2 13mm nuts connecting the master cylinder and booster are out.

The booster is held on by 4 11mm nuts. One on each corner. Reaching the bottom fender nut required me to stick my hand near the manifold, down into the bay, around the steering box, and back up to the nut. Not a fun thing. Booster finally came out, and dumped all my brake fluid, which was supposed to be in the reservoir and not the booster, into a can.

An E30 booster was acquired for the low price of Free.99, and I installed it. Brake master cylinder goes in, then the barrel rolls downhill from here. After I put the brake lines back in the master cylinder, I noticed something very, very wrong. Because the E30 booster is about half the thickness of the original booster, there is about a 6 inch gap between the master cylinder and the brake booster. No worries, because I just bought a brake line forming pliers! Turns out it's too big to fit in the engine bay #-o . So I went with the next reasonable option: Buy a newly refurbished booster. $220 shipped from Rock Auto, arrived 3 days before estimated date (hell yeah!).

Turns out, despite the E30 booster being very thin, I can't remove it without removing the master cylinder. For a second time, I remove the master cylinder, but taking twice as long due to me rounding off the nuts. Eventually, I took a file and rubbed it out. Anyway, the E30 booster comes out, and the refurbished one goes in. Master cylinder goes in, bolts right up. Then another 2 hours were spent fitting the lines into the master cylinder, 10 points if you can guess why. Going to put the hoses in, I find another dilemma. The grommets from my original master cylinder are smaller than the grommets in the new one. So the hoses won't fit in the new master cylinder. So what do I do? I take the old grommets, shove them in the new grommets, and silicon it up. After 3 weeks of constant mishaps, I was just tired of it. Bam, hoses fit in snugly. Reattach the coolant tank, the relay thing, go in the driver's footwell and attach the booster to the brake pedal, and replace the trim under the steering wheel.

Done! But not really. Now I have to bleed the brakes. But that's for next week. Thanks for sticking around and reading this very long, boring, no pictures adventure with me! I promise I'll update my thread more often.

Cheers,
Chris
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disqord
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Post by disqord »

Olé! Brakes have been flushed! Car stops on a dime! But now, I have an issue with pedal travel. I push the pedal 50%, and no braking action. But the last 50%, all the pressure happens. Shouldn't be a problem, but does anyone know what could cause this?

Cheers,
Chris
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hornhospital
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Post by hornhospital »

If the pads are in good condition (thickness) it means you still have air in the lines.
Ken Kanne
'84 633CSi "Sylvia"; '85 635CSi "Katja";'85 325e "Hazel Ann"; '95 M3 "Ashlyn"
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disqord
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Post by disqord »

hornhospital wrote:If the pads are in good condition (thickness) it means you still have air in the lines.
I'm going to take a guess it's the pads. When I bought the car, it came with locking nuts but no key, so I haven't been able to take a look at the pads since I've gotten the car (I know I know, very stupid of me). I'd really not want to bleed the brakes again...that was no fun!

Cheers,
Chris
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disqord
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Post by disqord »

What a day! Had just finished up classes and was on my way to get a safety check, when my car just bogs down and dies. Pulled over on the side of the freeway, and luckily had Freeway Service Patrol come rescue me. Towed my car under an overpass, where miraculously my car started up! So I drove it to my friend's house, where it bogged down for good.

Figured something was up with the fuel system; most likely the fuel filter. Hooked up a tow strap and got pulled into my friend's garage, then we went parts shopping! Bought a WIX fuel filter and a WIX oil filter for $30 and $11, respectively. Grabbed a couple of friends because I was tired from midterms, went back to my friend's house where my car stayed, and (they) went to work.

An hour later, fuel filter was in, gas tank had to be repressurized, and it ran much more smoothly! I guess the old filter was partially clogged, so I wasn't getting optimum fuel/air ratio. Revs much more smoothly and more responsive. But now it idles at around 1750-2000. Most likely because of the hose I reused for my brake booster because the one I ordered had a different inner diameter and wouldn't fit #-o Oh well. I'll get that part tomorrow.
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Post by hornhospital »

disqord wrote:gas tank had to be repressurized
What? :-k
Ken Kanne
'84 633CSi "Sylvia"; '85 635CSi "Katja";'85 325e "Hazel Ann"; '95 M3 "Ashlyn"
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disqord
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Post by disqord »

hornhospital wrote:
disqord wrote:gas tank had to be repressurized
What? :-k
I was told that I should remove the gas cap so the pressure inside the tank wouldn't force all the gas through the fuel line, but instead it would sit in the gas tank. I'm not sure if this was actually needed, nor I'm not sure if it actually did anything, but the last time I had to change a fuel filter was on my 77 450SEL, and I took 5 gallons of 6 month old gas to my face. I definitely didn't want that happening again.

I'm also no mechanic or do I know what I'm doing, but it's all a learning process! :mrgreen:
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disqord
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Post by disqord »

Charged my battery overnight, about to put the freshly charged battery in to do an oil change... and this happened.

Wow.
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