1980 BMW E26 M1
Discussion
Going back a few posts, you might remember the issue I had with the rear view mirror. The ball joint was cracked and the best way I’d found to hold it together was with cable ties.
Although this did hold the mirror in place it was still rather loose and I was worries that the fix might fail and the mirror fall off and break.
As with most things, the mirror is NLA and unique to the M1. Well, that’s what I thought! After a lot of searching, I found that a very similar mirror was used by an early 1980s Alfa Romeo Giulietta. The actual mounting for the mirror is totaly different, but the part number on the back of the mirror is the same, 32664 made by Vitaloni.
These mirrors are not very common, but do come up occasionally, so for the princely sum of £15.86 ($20.00) plus £6.40 ($8.00) shipping, I thought it worth a punt. Said mirror arrived yesterday from sunny Italy.
Removing the mirror glass and bezel revealed a slightly different ball joint part, although it looked similar in size to the M1 version.
Further disassembly showed that the all plastic M1 design had been changed to a plastic cup with a metal plate joined by copper rivets.
The rivets were drilled out to show the three pieces
The ball joint was a push fit into the plastic cup, the metal plate then held the ball joint in place.
Using screws to re-assemble the ball joint cup, I checked that it all still fitted inside the mirror housing, looked good to go.
Now the big decision, removing the ball joint cup from the car would be a one way process, it would be quite unlikely that it would ever go back together again. If the ball joints on the M1 mount was not exactly the same size as the Alfa Romeo part then I’d be without a mirror.
The M1 housing was removed with trepidation!
Success, the ball is indeed exactly the same size!
Housing re-attached
Glass and bezel re-installed.
I now have a firmly attached mirror at last, the mounting is now better than the original.
Examining the remains of the original showed how badly damaged it was, and what a poor design!
The new cup is much stronger as the metal plate allows the plastic cup to be much deeper with thicker walls.
Although this did hold the mirror in place it was still rather loose and I was worries that the fix might fail and the mirror fall off and break.
As with most things, the mirror is NLA and unique to the M1. Well, that’s what I thought! After a lot of searching, I found that a very similar mirror was used by an early 1980s Alfa Romeo Giulietta. The actual mounting for the mirror is totaly different, but the part number on the back of the mirror is the same, 32664 made by Vitaloni.
These mirrors are not very common, but do come up occasionally, so for the princely sum of £15.86 ($20.00) plus £6.40 ($8.00) shipping, I thought it worth a punt. Said mirror arrived yesterday from sunny Italy.
Removing the mirror glass and bezel revealed a slightly different ball joint part, although it looked similar in size to the M1 version.
Further disassembly showed that the all plastic M1 design had been changed to a plastic cup with a metal plate joined by copper rivets.
The rivets were drilled out to show the three pieces
The ball joint was a push fit into the plastic cup, the metal plate then held the ball joint in place.
Using screws to re-assemble the ball joint cup, I checked that it all still fitted inside the mirror housing, looked good to go.
Now the big decision, removing the ball joint cup from the car would be a one way process, it would be quite unlikely that it would ever go back together again. If the ball joints on the M1 mount was not exactly the same size as the Alfa Romeo part then I’d be without a mirror.
The M1 housing was removed with trepidation!
Success, the ball is indeed exactly the same size!
Housing re-attached
Glass and bezel re-installed.
I now have a firmly attached mirror at last, the mounting is now better than the original.
Examining the remains of the original showed how badly damaged it was, and what a poor design!
The new cup is much stronger as the metal plate allows the plastic cup to be much deeper with thicker walls.
bucks said:
I've been watching this for a while, dream car. Loving the thread
Saw this the other day on Drive Tribe and thought of you:
https://drivetribe.com/p/dZ8M2jBoQTCrqEL6JhTNeg/YK...
Interesting they say that's car number 51. If so it was not originally a ProCar and that number does not appear on 'Racing Sports Cars'. The body style is similar to that of a Group 5 car with the turbo version of the M88 engine.Saw this the other day on Drive Tribe and thought of you:
https://drivetribe.com/p/dZ8M2jBoQTCrqEL6JhTNeg/YK...
After an event free first drive of the year, on Mothers day the other half and I went for a slightly longer drive. When stretching her legs a bit (the car's, not the Mrs!) I discovered that there was a significant misfire under load (foot to the floor in 4th/5th) from about 3500 rpm. You get that sinking feeling that this might be expensive or even next to impossible to solve if the problem was in the electronic ignition box.
I decided to take the car to a BMW independent specialist in Leeds, BM Workshop (not to be confused with BM Works just round the corner) which is owned by a South African ex BM Senior Tech, Anthony Rouse, of whom I've only heard good things. Before visiting I got together all the spare parts that I had that I thought might be relevant, Spark Plugs, Plug sockets, Distributor Cap, Rotor Arm, Pulse Generators, Injectors, Second hand Ignition Coil and Fuel Pump. Pretty much the only bits I don't have are the HT leads which are all combined into a metal tube, and the Mirelli Ignition control box.
On arriving, the first job we agreed was to look at the plugs. This proved more difficult than you might imagine. The plugs are in deep wells with the sockets being about 6 inches long, they are also a rather odd size, 11/16ths. In the toolkit is a special spark plug spanner which I got out, unfortunately it was not a lot of use! Due to the heat in the boot and age of the toolkit, the rubber insert that grips the plug had become hard and shrunk so it no longer held the plug tight enough. Luckily Anthony had a genuine BMW plug socket from his apprenticeship days that he kept, after a little digging he found it and we could get the plugs out.
Cylinder 1 came out, a little sooty but as the engine runs cool and rich that's not surprising. Cylinder 2 came out, quite rusty and obviously wet from the top. The water was obviously not coolant, it was just water. Recalling how, after rain, opening the rear cover pours water directly on the engine I did a quick visual and sure enough, cylinder 2 is directly under the rear edge of the engine cover when it's lifted. The plug sockets have a large rubber cover that goes over a flange on the rocker cover, so they should be water proof. My theory is that if water was poured on the cover while the engine was hot, as the air in the socket well cools down it would actively suck the water up. The remaining plugs were removed, they looked similar to Cylinder 1.
I have two sets of plugs, the original part number which were NOS and their replacements, new from BMW Classic. Both were Bosch, the older ones were marked 'Made in Germany' the new ones 'Made in India'. We went for the older plugs!
New plugs fitted and the misfire has gone, even the idle and low speed pull seems smoother too.
Thankfully a relatively easy fix, just that spark plug spanner rubber to sort out now.
On another note, the BMW M1 has just been voted 'Motor Klassik of the Year'. http://www.motors-tv.de/nachrichten/bmw-m1-siegt-beim-motor-klassik-award-2017/
I decided to take the car to a BMW independent specialist in Leeds, BM Workshop (not to be confused with BM Works just round the corner) which is owned by a South African ex BM Senior Tech, Anthony Rouse, of whom I've only heard good things. Before visiting I got together all the spare parts that I had that I thought might be relevant, Spark Plugs, Plug sockets, Distributor Cap, Rotor Arm, Pulse Generators, Injectors, Second hand Ignition Coil and Fuel Pump. Pretty much the only bits I don't have are the HT leads which are all combined into a metal tube, and the Mirelli Ignition control box.
On arriving, the first job we agreed was to look at the plugs. This proved more difficult than you might imagine. The plugs are in deep wells with the sockets being about 6 inches long, they are also a rather odd size, 11/16ths. In the toolkit is a special spark plug spanner which I got out, unfortunately it was not a lot of use! Due to the heat in the boot and age of the toolkit, the rubber insert that grips the plug had become hard and shrunk so it no longer held the plug tight enough. Luckily Anthony had a genuine BMW plug socket from his apprenticeship days that he kept, after a little digging he found it and we could get the plugs out.
Cylinder 1 came out, a little sooty but as the engine runs cool and rich that's not surprising. Cylinder 2 came out, quite rusty and obviously wet from the top. The water was obviously not coolant, it was just water. Recalling how, after rain, opening the rear cover pours water directly on the engine I did a quick visual and sure enough, cylinder 2 is directly under the rear edge of the engine cover when it's lifted. The plug sockets have a large rubber cover that goes over a flange on the rocker cover, so they should be water proof. My theory is that if water was poured on the cover while the engine was hot, as the air in the socket well cools down it would actively suck the water up. The remaining plugs were removed, they looked similar to Cylinder 1.
I have two sets of plugs, the original part number which were NOS and their replacements, new from BMW Classic. Both were Bosch, the older ones were marked 'Made in Germany' the new ones 'Made in India'. We went for the older plugs!
New plugs fitted and the misfire has gone, even the idle and low speed pull seems smoother too.
Thankfully a relatively easy fix, just that spark plug spanner rubber to sort out now.
On another note, the BMW M1 has just been voted 'Motor Klassik of the Year'. http://www.motors-tv.de/nachrichten/bmw-m1-siegt-beim-motor-klassik-award-2017/
You can get the plugs (new part number made in India), plug sockets, pulse generators, the distributor cap and rotor arm. That's about it!
NLA are the HT lead set, suppressing caps. ignition coil and ignition control box. Almost all of the fuel system is NLA, injectors, pump, pipes etc.
Even the air filter has gone NLA, I got a new one about 18 months ago, maybe it was the last one.
It does make you wonder, at the Centenary festival in September they seemed to be very keen to support the older cars, but in practice that does not seem to be borne out.
The rear light gaskets are a good example. They are shared with the E24, so there should be a reasonable demand (they said at the festival there were over 50 sets on back order). They were shown as on Back Order for several years, then they cancelled all the back orders and went NLA. After some e-mail moaning they have said that they will make them again but there are no timescales and they are still shown as NLA. Unfortunately they are quite a complex shape, not just a flat neoprene piece, so difficult to replicate. I have a NOS right, but not the left.
NLA are the HT lead set, suppressing caps. ignition coil and ignition control box. Almost all of the fuel system is NLA, injectors, pump, pipes etc.
Even the air filter has gone NLA, I got a new one about 18 months ago, maybe it was the last one.
It does make you wonder, at the Centenary festival in September they seemed to be very keen to support the older cars, but in practice that does not seem to be borne out.
The rear light gaskets are a good example. They are shared with the E24, so there should be a reasonable demand (they said at the festival there were over 50 sets on back order). They were shown as on Back Order for several years, then they cancelled all the back orders and went NLA. After some e-mail moaning they have said that they will make them again but there are no timescales and they are still shown as NLA. Unfortunately they are quite a complex shape, not just a flat neoprene piece, so difficult to replicate. I have a NOS right, but not the left.
Started improving the heat shielding in a couple of places.
First, the top of the engine cover over the exhaust, there are just two small pieces of heat shielding on the larger beams
After even quite a short drive the smaller parts were getting exceedingly hot. Far too hot to touch and hot enough for the fibre glass to become quite soft and floppy! You can see in the picture above that the paint was starting to discolour because of the heat.
I bought some Zircoflex 3 self adhesive heat shield and applied a double layer, in theory that should reduce the temperature by about 75%.
Next up was the bottom of the well for the toolkit. Basically nothing on the outside, even though it's right above the exhaust. There is a piece of heat shielding inside, between the fibreglass and carpet, but it's not surprising the toolkit gets very hot (the handle of one of the original screwdrivers melted!).
I stuck a single layer of Zercoflex 3 on to it, the adhesion is not great due to the rough surface, but I squeezed it in the gap where the pop riveted rear part of the wheel arch liner is attached and that helps hold it on quite firmly and as the Zircoflex is quite stiff it should be OK I think.
Finally I used the last of the half sheet of Zircoflex on part of the main chassis that is very close to the exhaust and has no heat shield.
Next steps will be to remove the boot floor and partition between the boot and engine bay and put a layer of Zercoflex over the existing heat shield material. I'll probably need a couple of full sheets to do that.
MOT time on Monday, after that an oil change and swap the original mild steel oil tank for the new stainless one. Condensation forms on the relatively cool filler neck and dribbles down into the tank, the tanks then rusts from the inside out with flakes potentially ending up in the oil. I've removed the forward rear wheel arch liner, the lower retaining piece and the gaiter around the filler pipe and dip stick in preparation.
The new tank waiting to go in
First, the top of the engine cover over the exhaust, there are just two small pieces of heat shielding on the larger beams
After even quite a short drive the smaller parts were getting exceedingly hot. Far too hot to touch and hot enough for the fibre glass to become quite soft and floppy! You can see in the picture above that the paint was starting to discolour because of the heat.
I bought some Zircoflex 3 self adhesive heat shield and applied a double layer, in theory that should reduce the temperature by about 75%.
Next up was the bottom of the well for the toolkit. Basically nothing on the outside, even though it's right above the exhaust. There is a piece of heat shielding inside, between the fibreglass and carpet, but it's not surprising the toolkit gets very hot (the handle of one of the original screwdrivers melted!).
I stuck a single layer of Zercoflex 3 on to it, the adhesion is not great due to the rough surface, but I squeezed it in the gap where the pop riveted rear part of the wheel arch liner is attached and that helps hold it on quite firmly and as the Zircoflex is quite stiff it should be OK I think.
Finally I used the last of the half sheet of Zircoflex on part of the main chassis that is very close to the exhaust and has no heat shield.
Next steps will be to remove the boot floor and partition between the boot and engine bay and put a layer of Zercoflex over the existing heat shield material. I'll probably need a couple of full sheets to do that.
MOT time on Monday, after that an oil change and swap the original mild steel oil tank for the new stainless one. Condensation forms on the relatively cool filler neck and dribbles down into the tank, the tanks then rusts from the inside out with flakes potentially ending up in the oil. I've removed the forward rear wheel arch liner, the lower retaining piece and the gaiter around the filler pipe and dip stick in preparation.
The new tank waiting to go in
Not taken the car for a significant run since fitting the heat shield, but it can't be any worse!
I do have plans in hand to Zircotec the manifold, the main problem could be getting it off, or rather getting it back on again after taking it off. The gaskets that go between the manifold/head and manifold/rear exhaust section are, surprise surprise, NLA. So if they break while removing the manifold there could be a problem.
The oil can is OEM, they had them re-manufactured in stainless due to the corrosion issues. You can see the part number and a serial number on the sticker on the filler neck. As it's stainless they come unpainted, but I had it painted to match the original, the P/N sticker was masked off. I've heard from a couple of places that BMW dealers should refuse to do an oil change if the tank has not been upgraded.
I do have plans in hand to Zircotec the manifold, the main problem could be getting it off, or rather getting it back on again after taking it off. The gaskets that go between the manifold/head and manifold/rear exhaust section are, surprise surprise, NLA. So if they break while removing the manifold there could be a problem.
The oil can is OEM, they had them re-manufactured in stainless due to the corrosion issues. You can see the part number and a serial number on the sticker on the filler neck. As it's stainless they come unpainted, but I had it painted to match the original, the P/N sticker was masked off. I've heard from a couple of places that BMW dealers should refuse to do an oil change if the tank has not been upgraded.
stevesingo said:
Have you tried S14 manifold gaskets?
M635CSi and E34 M5 are probably similar if not the same for the gaskets that go between the head and manifold. You can get these from ebay, no idea how good they are http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-BMW-e26-M1-e34-M5-e2...
silentbrown said:
I guess that manifold is the stock part. Is that a spare, or are they prone to failure in some way?
Yes, it's New Old stock. I'm not aware of any tendency for them to fail. They are NLA from BMW and I think it's worth getting parts that are NLA just in case. My plan for the manifold is to get it coated in Zircotec and the swap them, keeping the one on the car original as a spare.
Digitalize said:
Have your wheels arrived yet?
Yes. But .....The wheels arrived in February. Obviously they are not identical to the OEM wheels as they have only 3 slots and not 3 and a dummy in each set.
Test fit on the car confirmed that they will fit without issue and I think they look pretty good. The original wheel centre fits perfectly and I'll probably put a set of the Campagnolo decals on the rim to complete the look.
Unfortunately FedEx decided that two of the wheels could do with some 'reshaping'
One front and one back wheel were damaged and required replacement.
Replacements arrived a week or two ago, as they are made to my specific requirements they took some time.
At first glance, looking at the front they look good, replacement left, first set right
But look a little more closely, the inside of the slots of the replacements have been painted black, the first set were all silver, it's more obvious from the rear
I could reject them and send them back to the USA, but that would take ages and risk them being damaged again.
I could have the replacements refinished, but the chance of having them look the same would be near zero.
I could have all four repainted, but the quality and appearance of the finish would not be as good as they are now.
I could leave them and have one side black inside and one set silver inside, but that would drive me nuts!!
The originals are silver in the slots, so ideally that's what I'd have liked, but because the slots are larger actually there is little to choose between black and silver. So, I've arranged to have the insides of the first set painted black too, hopefully they will be finished in a week or so.
At last I have 4 matching wheels with tyres fitted!!
Just need to give them final clean to get rid of the tyre mounting glue and seal with Gtechniq C5, then they can be fitted to the car when I get it back from Sandal.
I could not fit the BMW metal valve stem to the front wheels as the angle meant you could not get a air hose on the valve! The rears were OK, but I went for stubby rubber ones with the metal caps.
I think they turned out OK in the end.
Just need to give them final clean to get rid of the tyre mounting glue and seal with Gtechniq C5, then they can be fitted to the car when I get it back from Sandal.
I could not fit the BMW metal valve stem to the front wheels as the angle meant you could not get a air hose on the valve! The rears were OK, but I went for stubby rubber ones with the metal caps.
I think they turned out OK in the end.
'Replica' wheels finally fitted, just the 8 months after first ordering them!
They have a 10mm greater offset then the originals due to the construction, the wheels still fit well within the arches but when getting out of the car the position of the front wheel is quite noticeable.
Yet to travel at any significant speed with them, that will have to wait for now.
They have a 10mm greater offset then the originals due to the construction, the wheels still fit well within the arches but when getting out of the car the position of the front wheel is quite noticeable.
Yet to travel at any significant speed with them, that will have to wait for now.
Did a run on the A1M Tuesday evening, slight vibrations over 60mph. Fearing that the two original wheels might have been slightly bent along with the two that were replaced, I had the wheels Road Force Balanced, the nearest machine is in Midlesborough which is 45 miles away!
There was a slight run-out on one of the wheels, but only 0.45mm, most of the problem was with the tyres and original balancing. Having rotated 3 of the 4 tyres and re-balanced all 4 wheels all but one were within the tolerance of the balance machine and the 4th was just slightly high. Definitely much much better on the way back, although obviously I did no more than 70mph.
Put in some fuel, as the near invisible warning light was well and truly on, lots of fuel!
The most I've every got in in one go, although in theory I should have had nearly 20 litres left in the tank. I'll have to let it run out with a Jerry can in the foot well at some point (I'd not like to risk it in the boot, not sure I'd like a can of hot petrol in there!!).
There was a slight run-out on one of the wheels, but only 0.45mm, most of the problem was with the tyres and original balancing. Having rotated 3 of the 4 tyres and re-balanced all 4 wheels all but one were within the tolerance of the balance machine and the 4th was just slightly high. Definitely much much better on the way back, although obviously I did no more than 70mph.
Put in some fuel, as the near invisible warning light was well and truly on, lots of fuel!
The most I've every got in in one go, although in theory I should have had nearly 20 litres left in the tank. I'll have to let it run out with a Jerry can in the foot well at some point (I'd not like to risk it in the boot, not sure I'd like a can of hot petrol in there!!).
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