1984 633CSi Rises again!

Document your Sixer project here.

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rhanley 635csi89
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by rhanley 635csi89 »

In the "A" column, they can be seen if you remove the speakers. This is the point at which you can extend the length of the tubing to daylight.
89 635CSiA (11/88 build)
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by hornhospital »

Drains are at all four corners of the sunroof cassette, fronts tubes down the A pillars, rears down the C.
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by bpoliakoff »

Both. Front has a flexible hose, as does the rear, supposedly through the rocker panels. Many times the hose portion has rotted out leaving waster to disperse into the rocker panel. The rear can have the same issue. On my car I put in new clear plastic tubing and cut it to extend through the body. It is really self explanatory once you get into it. The hoses slide over metal tubes in the sunroof area and I have seen those rusted out
Last edited by bpoliakoff on Sun Aug 14, 2022 2:24 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by songzunhuang »

GRNSHRK wrote: Fri Aug 12, 2022 4:48 pm Wow, quite the progress indeed =D>

Song, curious if your 6er was totaled by your insurance company or not :-k

You don't have to answer here, or you could PM me :-"
No, I don't mind answering because the answer is simple. I didn't even bother with the insurance company, this is out-of-pocket!
It's not going to be cheap. I wanted a project and this is a little setback, but still qualifies as a project. :wink:
-----
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by sansouci »

I have Hagerty insurance. In some states they will give the policy holder the agreed value and if you elect this option (but not in NY), the insured can keep the car. But in that case the owner may end up with a "Salvage Title" I think you have avoided that last problem.
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84 E24 633Csi Auto, Bronzit/PearlBeige 6997510
93 E32 740il M60 Auto, Alpenweis/Ultramarine
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by TimU »

RossDinan6 wrote: Fri Aug 12, 2022 9:56 pm Aren't the sunroof drains running down the C pillar? Or do I need to clean out drains in the front?
Ross, as others have noted, all 4 corners of the suroof tray have drain pipes.
Front 2 run down the A-pillars.
Rear 2 run down the C-pillars.
All 4 terminate in the door sills, which have drain slits to (theroetically) allow water egress.

It's a shit design with an easy fix. Even easier if you have the front wings off like Song's car right now.
I wrote up a guide with some photos here: viewtopic.php?p=235280#p235280

My front footwells were flooded during some recent heavy rain. Totally flooded like swimming pools.

Cause: My car was parked nose-down on a hill and the forward-most drain slits were blocked (banged closed from an impact). When the sunroof drain emptied into the door sills, the blocked drain slits caused water to back-up in the sills and overflow into the footwells.

Now with extended hoses, they will empty into the open wheel well.
04/1986 635csi Euro spec
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My Red Nosed Gray Shark - Much progress

Post by songzunhuang »

I had a chance to visit my car and see the progress that has been made in the past days. I must say, there's been a lot of progress!
Here, you can see why I called it the Red Nosed Gray Shark. The nose is mostly aligned and secured and it's great to see it take on a familiar shape again. Note that the hood is also the replacement hood.
Top view of new nose.
Top view of new nose.
RedNose Top.png (1.26 MiB) Viewed 2028 times
From the 3/4 driver side, you can see all the new parts in place. The nose, fender and the hood are all replacement parts. From what I can tell, they are being test fit as many of the spot welds are not completed. also the hood gaps are not even yet.
Here you can see the new fender and hood.
Here you can see the new fender and hood.
RedNose Front 3_4.png (1.28 MiB) Viewed 2028 times
Here's straight on from the front. I noticed that they didn't use all of the new metal parts. When I inquired, the body man said that there would be significantly more work to remove the passenger side as well. He assured me that I wouldn't know the difference when he's done. OK, the guy has been doing body work for 40 years. Who am I to question?
Straight on shot
Straight on shot
RedNose Front.png (1.24 MiB) Viewed 2028 times
The final shot from the side that was hit. It's surprising how complex the metal work is in there.
From the hit side.
From the hit side.
RedNose Side.png (1.43 MiB) Viewed 2028 times
I can almost visualize how it's all going to look when it's back together. I'm hoping this week it'll get to the paint shop. Then I can come back and start putting parts back on. Meanwhile, I've ordered a scad of new parts for the windshield washer system, headlights, a/c receiver drier, etc. I am surprised how hard to locate and expensive the hood foam has become! I got a replacement years ago for $85. Now the same set is over $300!

As for the sunroof drains, I fear they have already started to fasten the fenders. I may have to address that at another time.
-----
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Ralph in Socal
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by Ralph in Socal »

Happy and sad at the same time for me. Looking good Song and I'm very happy you're saving a nice shark. I'm sad because it means the end of my Zinno car. Previous to nose surgery, she would have been saved by a rear quarter panel replacement. Sacrificed and is now relegated to donor status. Life goes on 😆

BTW - Shop is doing what I thought is ideal course of action. You're getting your money's worth on the prep

Ralph
There is a very fine line between "Hobby" and Mental Illness.

85 635csi Zinno Auto
84 528i Euro
83 635 Euro Arktik
81 528i Kastanien 5-speed
88 528e Bronzit (Granpa Car)
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by sansouci »

Ralph,
Your generosity is a lesson to all of us. Well done!
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84 E24 633Csi Auto, Bronzit/PearlBeige 6997510
93 E32 740il M60 Auto, Alpenweis/Ultramarine
60 528i M30 5-speed Green/Beige (crushed)
71 240Z 4-speed White/Blue (rusty & sold)
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by songzunhuang »

Ralph in Socal wrote: Mon Aug 15, 2022 8:22 pm Happy and sad at the same time for me. Looking good Song and I'm very happy you're saving a nice shark. I'm sad because it means the end of my Zinno car. Previous to nose surgery, she would have been saved by a rear quarter panel replacement. Sacrificed and is now relegated to donor status. Life goes on 😆

BTW - Shop is doing what I thought is ideal course of action. You're getting your money's worth on the prep

Ralph
It is sincerely appreciated. Your Zinno car will live on in spirit and its sacrifice will be preserved here for as long as Big Coupe lives.
I am posting a picture of the Zinno car so we can see from what my repaired car was derived.
The front will live again.
The front will live again.
ZinnoCar.png (1.45 MiB) Viewed 1503 times
Glad to hear your opinion on the shop's progress. I can only drop in every once in a while and see what's changed. At some point I'll show up and do some assembly work. I'm looking forward to that day.
Last edited by songzunhuang on Wed Sep 14, 2022 1:43 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Song Huang
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by 86_6series »

Song,

Great to see the 6 coming together. Here is a link for the hood, not oem but more affordable.
I'm not a fan of the decal.

https://thewedgeshopstore.com/bmw-e24-h ... -3-pieces/

Bob V
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by songzunhuang »

86_6series wrote: Tue Aug 16, 2022 11:58 am Song,

Great to see the 6 coming together. Here is a link for the hood, not oem but more affordable.
I'm not a fan of the decal.

https://thewedgeshopstore.com/bmw-e24-h ... -3-pieces/

Bob V
Yea I'm with you on the decal. It seems like logo overkill.
I came across this vendor, and although not in the USA, I wonder if anyone has tried them?
https://partworks.de/en-en-paketware-in ... ation.html

For $55 Euro's that's like $57. Way better deal and it looks to be of decent quality, but be warned. I just tried to order from them (they are in Germany), and it looks like they won't ship to the USA. I guess this post is for my European friends with sharks.
-----
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by 86_6series »

Song,

Last year I wound up getting: https://www.wallothnesch.com/en/catalog ... +3+pcs.%29

but the E24 is not listed anymore. Maybe asking them can lead to a source.

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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by songzunhuang »

songzunhuang wrote: Wed Aug 17, 2022 5:32 pm
I came across this vendor, and although not in the USA, I wonder if anyone has tried them?
https://partworks.de/en-en-paketware-in ... ation.html

For $55 Euro's that's like $57. Way better deal and it looks to be of decent quality, but be warned. I just tried to order from them (they are in Germany), and it looks like they won't ship to the USA. I guess this post is for my European friends with sharks.
I wrote to the vendor in Germany and they said that they would ship to the USA, you just can't order it from the website and ship internationally. So, I ordered one and asked them to let me know the shipping cost. Let's see how much this will be and how long this will take. I'll fill everyone in as I learn more.

====< 8/20/22 followup >====

I received a quote of $31 for shipping from Germany.
All together the order was 78.74 Euros, or about $83.60. It's on it's way. I'll report back here when I receive and install the hood insulation.
Last edited by songzunhuang on Sat Aug 20, 2022 4:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Making the positioning permanent!

Post by songzunhuang »

My most recent visit to the shop didn't seem like a lot of progress, but it was a necessary step to get it to the paint booth.
The last time I saw the car, things were being test fitted and tack welded to check fit. This time, the welds are complete and finished. Here's a few pictures to document.

Here's a Before and After shot. You can see in the before shot where the spot welds were drilled out around the passenger side. After proper fit check, the welds are completed and cleaned up. You can see that picture in the right side.
Secured for good.
Secured for good.
Spot Welds.png (970.67 KiB) Viewed 1844 times
Next we can see the work in the battery compartment, I was surprised to see a bit of Bondo. They told me they wanted to make it smooth in the parts you could see. OK, sounds reasonable. The battery compartment is looking good again.
Cleaning up rough spots?
Cleaning up rough spots?
Battery Compartment.png (1.33 MiB) Viewed 1844 times
This shot shows the lower part of the nose and the welds there. You can also see straight to the cooling fan. This is not a view you get often on our cars. In the picture you can see all of the lower welds completed and things all look straight again.
You don't see this view of the car often.
You don't see this view of the car often.
New View.png (1.46 MiB) Viewed 1844 times
As a bonus, I fastened the red cooling fan and spun it around a bit. I didn't see any signs of damage or alignment issues. I think the fan just may be saveable.

This last shot is just the carnage that is the radiator. It bent a lot more than I initially thought and you can clearly see how it was wrapped around the fan. I'm still surprised that there wasn't a coolant leak.
It really got punched.
It really got punched.
Concave Radiator.png (1.72 MiB) Viewed 1844 times
So, now I just wait for the paint shop to do their thing. It may be a while until I can get back to this, but I'll update as soon as something changes. It's good to see the progress.
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by Jubilados »

Amazing progress! She’s going to be good s new very soon,
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by hornhospital »

Great looking work. =D>

But I am VERY concerned about you reusing the fan. I would take it out, clean it with solvent or alcohol and bent each blade both forward and backward, carefully examining for cracks. I know the red fans are desirable and just about unobtainium today, but I'd hate to see you put it all together better than new and have it shed a fan blade through a hose, the radiator, or even the hood. It's hard to believe a plastic fan blade would go through the hood sheet metal, but I've seen it, not once, but twice.
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'84 633CSi "Sylvia"; '85 635CSi "Katja";'85 325e "Hazel Ann"; '95 M3 "Ashlyn"
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by TimU »

Nice progress!
Be sure to save the temp switches from the radiator and the resistor wiring harness from the AC Condenser before it's tossed.

Is the condenser top bracket and hard lines salvageable?
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by Ralph in Socal »

Nice progress. My concern is the back side of all those welds rusting in the future. Make sure everything is covered with primer and paint. Shop is fixing it so there's minimal signs of previous repair

Piece of advice - remove all the plastic nut inserts, sandwich nuts and other clips prior to paint work. Maybe even take a fine wire brush to those hard to reach (sand) areas so that the new paint adheres better. Anything left red color (like under hood hinges) will show terribly when completed

Ralph
There is a very fine line between "Hobby" and Mental Illness.

85 635csi Zinno Auto
84 528i Euro
83 635 Euro Arktik
81 528i Kastanien 5-speed
88 528e Bronzit (Granpa Car)
86 535i Auto (For Sale)
81 633 csi (retired)
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by songzunhuang »

TimU wrote: Fri Aug 19, 2022 7:27 am Nice progress!
Be sure to save the temp switches from the radiator and the resistor wiring harness from the AC Condenser before it's tossed.

Is the condenser top bracket and hard lines salvageable?
I will save the sensors for the radiator. The AC condenser was holding pressure and is still good I think. I am going to try to reuse it. My condenser setup was completely redone with a parallel flow unit and I replaced all the hard lines with custom hoses. I have all the hardlines that I took off the car in the garage somewhere. In any case, hardlines don't apply to my car.
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by songzunhuang »

Ralph in Socal wrote: Fri Aug 19, 2022 7:51 pm Nice progress. My concern is the back side of all those welds rusting in the future. Make sure everything is covered with primer and paint. Shop is fixing it so there's minimal signs of previous repair

Piece of advice - remove all the plastic nut inserts, sandwich nuts and other clips prior to paint work. Maybe even take a fine wire brush to those hard to reach (sand) areas so that the new paint adheres better. Anything left red color (like under hood hinges) will show terribly when completed

Ralph
I'll keep all that in mind. Last time I dropped by, there was little progress. I told them I wasn't in a hurry and they had a bunch of cars come in that they were doing before mine. I had talked to the shop owner and I was ok with him putting the insurance jobs ahead of mine if he would give me a more favorable rate. He's taking it to heart!

I'll drop by one more time this next week and see if anything has changed and mention your tips. They all make sense to me. If I had more time, I'd do the prep work myself. Goodness knows that's where all the hours are spent. Unfortunately, the shop is far from me and the car isn't drivable. So it's going to stay until done.
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Paintshop Preparation and Progress

Post by songzunhuang »

In this installment, we see that there's been a lot of progress as we prepare for paint. I wasn't expecting a lot, but was pleasantly surprised when they walked me into the shop to see that my car was atop the frame machine being prepped. As I walked in, I could see that the fender was being sanded for primer. It looks like there my have been a few imperfections smoothed out.
Fender ready for primer.
Fender ready for primer.
PrepFender.png (1.53 MiB) Viewed 1679 times
Moving up to the nose, I can see they have prepped and it looks like they filled in a few imperfections and also smoothed the area around the kidney grilles.
Front of the car smoothed and sanded.
Front of the car smoothed and sanded.
PrepFront.png (1.29 MiB) Viewed 1679 times
Looking into the battery compartment, I can see where it's been bondo'd and smoothed.
Battery tray smoothed out.
Battery tray smoothed out.
PrepBattery.png (1.34 MiB) Viewed 1679 times
Finally, looking from the side, they have also smoothed that out, even though you'll probably never really see that part.
You won't see this under the fender, but they still made it pretty.
You won't see this under the fender, but they still made it pretty.
PrepSide.png (1.43 MiB) Viewed 1679 times
I was informed that the paint on the hood I had was so thick (had it been repainted?) that they sent it out for blasting. OK, I should have a nice clean base on the hood!

So all in all, it looks like really good progress and this may be ready for final assembly around Labor day weekend! Fingers crossed that we actually make that date as I have a long weekend and get put it all back together. The finish line is in sight.
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by Jubilados »

Amazing! :D
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So close to being back on the road...

Post by songzunhuang »

So, if you have been following along, you know that the process of getting my shark back on the road has been a bit more lengthy than anticipated. The last time I dropped by the shop, it looked like they had been diverted again on other projects and there was a quick primer spray on my car to protect the bare metal while they worked on the other cars. As a result there wasn't too much to report. However, I was a bit concerned when I saw the quick primer had covered some fastener and hoses!

Here's a closeup of the new nose with primer. It's nice and smooth, but look at the fasteners and inserts! They are primed. :|
Nice and smooth, but fasteners!
Nice and smooth, but fasteners!
Front Primed.png (1.28 MiB) Viewed 1508 times
A wider front view, the overall shape is looking good, but you can see lots of primer where it doesn't belong, included the AC hoses.
Yea, the hose got it too.
Yea, the hose got it too.
Front Primed 2.png (1.03 MiB) Viewed 1508 times
So I called the owner and had a conversation with him. He assured me he would take care of the overspray and get it done right. OK, fingers crossed.

Well this afternoon, he sent me a picture and said the car is painted. I was excited to see this...
Looking much better now!
Looking much better now!
Painted.png (1.23 MiB) Viewed 1508 times
Fenders and hood are on, nose is painted and I don't think I see any primer remnants. It also looks like they re-wrapped the wires while they were at it. The guy you see in the picture told me his parents had a shark and my car reminded him of that car. I'm hoping this nostalgia made him put a little extra care into the project.

So it looks like I may be able to go drop in this week and put on some parts (mainly the radiator), and then get the car this weekend to drive it home. I'm excited for this development.
-----
Song Huang
1984 633CSi
Last 7 of VIN: 6997383
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by GRNSHRK »

Outstanding =D> =D> =D>

That's actually looking really good, I'm pleasantly surprised and impressed \:D/

Great to hear that you will soon be back on the road [-o<
:mrgreen:
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