E30 Zone

well while i'be been away i thought i'd restore my dads e24.


here are some pics of the car as was, not particular order but it bits an peices showing the overall condition of it, and the areas of concern











dented front kidney/nose cone



interior was decent, front drivers seat bolster is showing the usual wear so both fronts will be tidied up and matched to the rear seat which are very good

so stripped down & the repairs begin







new wing to go on







rear arch but out and new section put in

as you can see, most repair work is done and moving on to the prep work
most of the filler that was on the pannels has now dissapeared.

this rear quarter arch is the one that was cut out and replaced. unfortunately i never got a picture when it was gut out, and new one welded in, but now its prepped you can not tell where it was cut from. but to give you an idea it was cut form 1" below the swage line





this rear quarter was fine, but had some rust where the mouldings sit







"shark nose" dent removed, again minimal filler used






rusty wing off, nor horrors behind it, all nice an solid






sun roof area is again rust free


next step , the screens will be removed and prep work will be finished off and get ready for paint

the areas which have had some metal work and filler have has a coat of sealer and 1st coat of primer. this will be rubbed down, and a 2nd coat will follow before it gets its final prep for paint

the sealer coat simply seals the areas where filler has beens used. even though it is minimal, there is always a risk of sinkage. this will prevent that.

some primer pics

any way, some parts need to be "restored" as i will not buy them new and buying used parts can often be a lost cause as they are some times no better than what i have.

rear lights, these were scrated, with swirl marks on them, chrome was faded and because rubbers had perrished moss/alge was groing inside them.
so i set to them and i'm happy with the results and here are some before and after pics







and the new wheels

16" staggered Alpinas with new locks/o rings/bungs etc with fresh falken rubber

a random pic of the front spoiler,



this as you can see is fully stripped for paint. un like some the twats who painted it 10 odd years before who left on some mouldings and just masked it up and got some over spray which i never noticed till it was fully stripped. also some other f*** ups have come to light while this car has been worked on but i wont waste your time telling you



in to the paint booth it goes, masked and papered up ready for paint, final wipe down with pannel wipe, and tag rag

the car has been painted with a base coat and toped off with a clear coat. 2 reasons for this. one, red traditionally fades, the clear coat gives it protection agains UV rays etc. 2 its the way BMW's did it form the factory lol
i am usually a fan of 2 pack paint, i find it tends to have more depth than base with a clear coat with straight colours ( ie non metalics) however with paint technology improving, the clear coat finish should actually work better with this car, it is still done in tradition slovent based paint, ( water based is crap!)
anyway the 1st coat whent on all the edges, shuts, screen surrounds etc then it follwed with a light coat on to area that were primered.

then car was given a 4 more coats of paint. between each one drying, it was wiped down with a tack rag to remove any dust which will leave impuriteis, imperfections and any thing else that might have landed on the base. it was been done in the booth which does help and minimises any chance of this but no chances taken here

it was then toped off with laquer, 4 full coats.

once painted and baked it was time to flat and polish it

working with 1500/2000 wet n dry







then polish it back up

and fitting her back together










lots of new rubbers, moulding, clips etc

it was at this stage i stopped counting the costs......

some photos have gone missing here !

driver seat restoration

big thanks goes to pacerpete for doing this for me




and after

nice car mate,has less rust than others ive seen, nearly most e24's have nose cone damage,INDY

Wow thats top quality work. This is stunning.

big thanks goes to

Dips and Slim for paint and wleding

Pacerpete for the trim work and advise along the way

long serving mechanic Dave @ GSB motors for all the mechanical work

Andrew E for the restoration write up in TBMW

blackE30indy wrote:nice car mate,has less rust than others ive seen, nearly most e24's have nose cone damage,INDY

thanks

this had the usual issues, but most have no inner wings these days, rusty struts and no wings !

Looks like it just came out of the showroom in the 80's.

Is it a 635 or 628?

1 word PIMP

Blitz wrote:Wow thats top quality work. This is stunning.

635csi auto, May 1986 is the buld date iirc. we've owned it for over 20 years. this car is the reason i am i bmw fruit cake

armanib wrote:1 word PIMP

Fantastic

Do you want to project manage my sport whilst it's in the bodyshop

Kos wrote:

Blitz wrote:Wow thats top quality work. This is stunning.

635csi auto, May 1986 is the buld date iirc. we've owned it for over 20 years. this car is the reason i am i bmw fruit cake

ive owned mine for 20 years aswell, mines got no rust, been locked in the garage hole life INDY

they still rust mate lol

even a certain very low milage m635csi highline's owner found some rust on his !!

my my kos, you have been a busy boy!
That looks awesome now... i want one!

gareth wrote:my my kos, you have been a busy boy!
That looks awesome now... i want one!

LoL

well there's the 318tds e36 and my current hack as well which i've molested !

im glad people are restoring these aswell as e30's

it needs to be done Indy

this is a keeper, it will never be sold

Kos wrote:it needs to be done Indy

this is a keeper, it will never be sold

when they are looked after they are great cars,ill never sell mine,its part of the familly

Absoloutly stunning! Henna Red?

thanks

the car is zinnobar red , henna red is more orange

Hey Kos, good to see you back on board

E24 looks sweet !

Been following this in TBMW - nice to see more detailed pics. Looks awesome

I'd love an E24 but they're too long to go in my garage and I can't afford to move house

Awsome stuff

looks sexy

Low_E30 wrote:Hey Kos, good to see you back on board

E24 looks sweet !

hello desi

thanks fella, hows the 190 cossie, orange indicators back on yet ?

capri_rob wrote:Been following this in TBMW - nice to see more detailed pics. Looks awesome

I'd love an E24 but they're too long to go in my garage and I can't afford to move house

i've got quite few more detailed pics, i'll get them up some time over the next few days

Absolutely stunning, ootstandin and fantastoosh work, an absolute credit to all involved! I cant get over how gorgeous it looks in all its restored glory. The wheels look great on there.