just bought 645csi highline, any advice?

[nickson]

bought a 635csi highline in graphite last night. got it at a good price with a few things needing sorting out.

just after some advice from people in the know, what are the main things to check and look out for on these cars. its a late 1989 car. drives well, but i think the suspension needs looking at as it ducks and dives about under braking. most likely worn bushes etc. and there is a strange vibration at around 75mph like wheel balence is out, but it isnt constant, it comes in waves, every 2 seconds or so!

many thanks for any info and advice.

cheers
nick

Edited by nickson on Sunday 17th June 15:20

[4rephill]

For a start: Rust,rust,rust and when you've finished looking for rust, look for rust!

Front wings rust from the inside out (and are Fing expensive to replace!)
The roof rusts due to corrosion in the drainage channels for the sunroof.

For more, have a read here: http://www.unixnerd.demon.co.uk/e24.html

(And based on your thread title: "just bought 645csi highline", I'd be very careful ordering any parts for the car because trust Me, 645csi parts are never going to fit on your car without some major re-engineering! )

[nickson]

oops thread title is a mistake and rather misleading lol.
i know rust is an issue but this one seems solid. but going to get it on the ramp to double check.

i want to convert it to manual if any1 has any info

thanks
nick

[E30M3SE]

Can you drive through the vibration?

Oh, and pictures please.

[nickson]

yes you can drive through it. its exactly like wheel wobble/shake from out of balence/shape wheels. but its strange that it comes in waves, rather than constant. surely if the wheels are out of balence then they would be vibrating constantly at a set speed.

will try get some pics soon

[dev635]

Yes, pics please!, suspension may have a link to wobble, new brakes discs sorted mine though. It was at the same speed but I could drive through it.
Check the wings, check the INNER wings, good luck, I hope you have bought a peach and bring it to bmw festival at gaydon in august!
Really good website for all things 635 if you haven't seen it already - bigcoupe.com

[nickson]

i will get some pics tommorow. i have already had a browse of bigcoupe, just waiting for my account to be activated by admin. im sure your right and it will be related to suspension or brakes. its just a strange vibration due to the way it comes in waves! not something i have experienced before.
anyway im sure it will be easily sorted. the suspension and brakes feel like they need an overhaul anyway so they will be getting attention soon. (its just had bilstein shocks all round converted to coilover suspension) so it will only be arm bushes etc. other problems include driver headrest doesnt work, dash illumination is out, and a rear window doesnt go down.
bmw meet at gaydon sounds good and will be nice to meet some fellow 635 owners who have a good knowledge of the car. i run a motorsport prep company so we will be carrying out all the work on the car and bringing it back to tip top shape.

[dooosuk]

From a similar thread on a M535i I read last week, the wheel wobble might well be bushes. 2nd post on:
http://pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f...

[nickson]

quick pic for you. needs a clean tho. the ride height is a bit silly low, it has just had some custom coilovers made with adjustable platforms bilstein inserts and faulkner springs. but driving it home i got stuck on a couple of speed humps! it also makes for a very interesting drive with the thing tramlining all over the place. so i will be jacking it up a little bit to make it more sensible and bring the handling back in line.

[nickson]

well made some interesting progress today. first job was to raise the ride height a bit to try get the thing driving properly, and to save the exhaust and sump which want to scrap over everything!
ride height was set in a matter of an hour. but i made an interesting discovery in that the terrible steering/wheel wobble/ducking and diving under braking was due to the fact some1 had failed to do up the 3 bolts that hold the hub to the strut, on both sides!! it was obvious as soon as i checked for any play in the wheels as there was about an inch of free play!
the car now no longer clonks, the suspension works properly and the car handles beautifully. so a good day all in all. main thing is i noticed the loose bolts before i was killed lol.

[4rephill]

Result!



I've always loved the E24 6 series

Have to say though, I'm not loving the black wheels . The car looks to Me like it needs a contrast to all that black.

[nickson]

yes you may be right with the wheels its a lot of black. like i say, it was bought as a project and so things will change to suit my taste. hence why the ride height was adjusted today as although it looked quite cool, im more of a driver that likes a car to work properly than just be low as fook lol.

[nickson]

small upate for any1 interested. the wheel shake turned out to be ALL!!! of the bottom wishbone to hub bolts were about to fall out! so i could have been killed on the way home! replaced all the bolts with thread lock and spring washers to keep in place! i have also bought a donor car to convert this to a manual transmission. last but not least i replaced the black alloys with some lovely deep dish wheels that sit in the arches lovely! the bigger tyres also transform the ride and it really is a joy to drive (and look at!)
the rear needs a touch of lowering to be perfect. but i received the wheels today and couldnt wait to fit them so didnt have time to adjust the coilovers

really cant wait to sort all the small bodywork/paint imperfections, fit the manual, and fab a custom exhaust system to get the 3.5 six cylinder singing. should make for a great car.

im trying to upload some pics but photobucket keeps stopping the upload when some stupid car advert appears! will add some soon

thanks

[nickson]

[nickson]

oh and i forgot to say, had it on the ramp, and apart from the loose front suspension bolts its a minter! i literally found nothing that needs doing, apart from a pair of slightly worn suspension bushes.

NO rust whatsoever apart from the very front of the wings. these will be coming off and repaired/painted and the rest of the car painted where need be (sunroof and rear wing have laquer peel) then its a full machine polish to bring the shine out!

[4rephill]

nickson said:

I said it before and I'll say it again:

4rephill said:

I've always loved the E24 6 series

(I was right about those wheels though! )