die Shark Projekt (E24 6 Series)

[1FastB5]

small update -- haven't had much time to give attention to the 6 lately since i've been busy getting parts for the GTO after its mishap with the deer.

but this weekend decided to give it a valve adjustment, and while the cover is off, we're going a little engine dress up and painting the cover black with polished BMW logo and case stripes for a more updated and clean look.

here's the pic with the valve cover off, exposing that classic M30



during the adjustment we found that one of the rockers is bad, but i plan to replace the whole head within the next year anyway.

more pix coming once the valve cover is done

[1FastB5]

its been a long time, and the time has finally come for some major progress on the 6. engine is coming out, and today i also got rid of that horrible US spec bumper. no more diving boards!! it was incredibly satisfying to throw those across the shop.

goal is to have the drivetrain pulled in 2 weeks time and prep it for body work








already i'm excited of how much shorter the front end of the car looks, i can finally really start to picture how good this thing will look in its full euro clothing!

[1FastB5]

more updates today! complete drivetrain is coming out this week. pulled the exhaust today, cross members and getting ready to take it all out from the bottom as a complete unit. after that, the exterior gets a bath and will make the trek to the body shop late this summer. undecided on just how much more is going to come off this car, but i think once it gets to the shop this is going to be a glass-out restoration so it looks proper around all the edges.

[Audiphile]

80 mph, 2500 rpm. THAT is what grand touring is all about. Such a cool car man

[1FastB5]

80 mph, 2500 rpm. THAT is what grand touring is all about. Such a cool car man

it almost pains me to see that picture knowing its going to be a while before i get to enjoy that seat again!

time for another big update from last night

pulled the drivetrain last night as well as the subframe. if you've kept up with the thread part of its paint and restoration will also include the engine bay, i want it looking show room fresh. new nose is getting installed, as well as euro bumpers up front and rear. while its also down to this state, the fenders will also be coming off to be cleaned and freshly treated to protect against rust, along with the underbody and door jams.

subframe coming down:





subframe chillin:



and down she came, engine & trans together:

[1FastB5]

well the business end is now fully out of the car:



subrame has now been put back onto the car so it can roll. tonight we put it on the trailer to bring it home where it will stay in its home garage for a few weeks waiting for its spot to open up at the body shop for the paint work.

only thing left to do engine bay wise is to remove the bag of snakes that is the wiring harnesses and the hydroboost system. also going to strip off the heat shielding which is all rotted anyway and replace with all new material around.

[mimalmo]

Wow, this is starting to move quickly!

[1FastB5]

Wow, this is starting to move quickly!

very!

i'm kind of surpised by all of our progress myself and can't believe we're already to this step. there's still a lot of work to be done, but we're very close to having this car being complete.

[1FastB5]

i figured i'd take some final shots of the 6 before its ready to go home

right now, she's just waiting for transport


in some ways, it feels like an ending. its still going to be a while before she's back on the road, but its a new beginning.




interior still looks really sharp, all the updates and work that has been done in here over the years really shows. not much left to be done in here aside from some new leather and new wheel that isn't scuffed up.




a mostly vacant engine bay. can't wait to see this cleaned up with fresh paint.




the next shots you see of my 6'er should be getting painted. and the anticipation is killing me.

[dwal95008]

This is exactly what I want to do to my 85, Its pretty much how your car was but in slightly better shape, I would love to know where you found the euro bumpers as I am looking myself and any advice you would give me before I start my restoration.

[1FastB5]

actually got the euro bumpers off ebay. if you frequent the 6 series sites (bigcoupe.com, and the e24 section on bfc) they come up for sale on a regular basis.

in other 6 series news, while at the body shop, a rather large mouse decided to make home in my trunk and made one hell of an awful mess.

the stench is awful.

[IRL-MN]

actually got the euro bumpers off ebay. if you frequent the 6 series sites (bigcoupe.com, and the e24 section on bfc) they come up for sale on a regular basis.

in other 6 series news, while at the body shop, a rather large mouse decided to make home in my trunk and made one hell of an awful mess.

the stench is awful.

Nice. I was surprised at how many euro cars made it to the US back in the day. There seem to be euro cars being parted out regularly on the boards you mentioned. Unfortunately most are beat to heck. I just picked up a euro throttle body for my car (long story I'll post about later) from a parts car in Iowa. Was shocked to find one so close lol

[1FastB5]

Nice. I was surprised at how many euro cars made it to the US back in the day. There seem to be euro cars being parted out regularly on the boards you mentioned. Unfortunately most are beat to heck. I just picked up a euro throttle body for my car (long story I'll post about later) from a parts car in Iowa. Was shocked to find one so close lol

yeah there are quite a few of them that made it over. same goes for a lot of MBs during the era. the extra gains in HP and weight loss over US spec cars of the day seemed to have been worth it.

but yeah, it looks like a lot of the euro cars that i've found are typically pretty rotted out and were well driven over the years. at least that means a lot of spare parts for the rest of us. i haven't had too much of an issue finding any parts for my 6'er over the years.

i'll be happy to have it back on the road