1977 BMW E12 528

[e28525e]

Evening. I thought I'd show you one of my (many) projects.

I swapped my 850i for this sometime in 2016.

It had sat in a barn in Wales since 1995, the bloke I got it from had refurbed the calipers, changed the dizzy cap and replaced the fuel tank, that was about it really. It was even running on the same oil..

I pretty much fell in love with it and have probably spent far too much on the old girl. Its a 'phase one and a half' or something which means its got a few facelift bits on (bonnet/fuel filler/ventilation) with a few pre facelift bits (exterior mirror ((electric!)), seatbelts).

So far, it;s had the following:


• New Fuel Tank
• New Leads/Plugs/Rotor Arm/Fuel & Air Filter. Valve Clearances Set/Banjo Bolts Loctited
• Refurbished Calipers, New Clutch Master & Slave Cylinder
• All Fluids Replaced/Spin-On Oil Filter Conversion (Poorly Designed Original)
• New E28 Water Pump/Viscous Coupling (Original E12 Viscous NLA)/Thermostat Housing/Thermovalve/Vacuum Lines/Temp Sensor/Hoses/Intake Gaskets
• Bilstein B6 Shock Absorbers/H&R Springs (Original Setup Caused Unpredictable Handling/Excessive Body Roll Due To Soft Springs/Hard Shocks)
• Lots Of New Bushes
• New Exhaust/Manifold Gaskets
• Custom Interior Mats/New Gaitor/Ignition Cover
• New Weather Strips/Splash Guards
• Carburetor Rebuilt/Rolling Road Tuned (166bhp)
- Zender/Hartge Air-dam
- Eta-Beta Lucy wheels
- New Coil
- New Brake Boosters/Master Cylinder (not yet fitted)
- New Expansion Tank (not yet fitted)

It's currently having the body repaired and painted. I've bought all new mouldings and screen chrome surrounds/rubbers whilst trying to keep a bit of patina with the old bumpers and badges. Should be out of the paint booth end of February, with luck!

I think this is the only Solex 528 in the UK

Here are a few random pics, cheers

Edited by e28525e on Monday 8th January 19:55

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Thanks, guys. Yeah, it's tax and MOT exempt this year!

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Thanks alot. Yeah, definitely interesting. It is closer to an e3/2002 in terms of how it drives. Definitely better with the new suspension. It doesn't have much more to give once you're above 5 and a bit k, that's the nature of the carburetor I guess.

Edited by e28525e on Monday 8th January 21:32

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As she is now

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JakeT said:

Am I right in saying you took it to Gaydon this year? Think I saw it there, and it looked absolutely lovely. The read on the page in the window was very interesting, too!

Something sounds really charming about the old big six with a carb on it.

Yeah, I took it to Gaydon, I'm glad the write-up was appreciated!

Charming, yes..unless it's a Solex 4a1..but I am coming round to it, misunderstood thing that it is.

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outnumbered said:

I'm definitely not keen the the original wheels, but think the current ones are maybe a bit too big/blingy. Love the rest of it though, my Dad had BMWs of this vintage when I was a kid, so it's always nostalgic to see one surviving well

Thanks, I wanted the Mahle look but wanted something a little bigger than 14" but in the same style.

The ETA BETA Lucy's (16") are an Italian wheel made in the 1980's for BMW'S. I originally wanted the dish painted silver and the centers anthracite but the man doing the work said it was only possible to have the dishes polished with his method. They may not be to everyone's taste but most people love them, as do I!

Cheers

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rob0r said:

Awesome E12! I love what you've done with it. I think the wheels are perfect and I actually have the exact same ones... What size tyres did you go for? This is right up my street (some of mine here... https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=13... )

Just been through your thread- top work! I've got a couple of other classic BMW'S too, I'll post a thread about them at some point.

I settled on 205 55 16, mate. 225 50 looked a bit monster truck and rubbed like a mofo! I'm not a fan of the stretched look so wanted to keep the sidewall as they're pretty wide rims..

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Thankyou both. It is currently under restoration - pictures tell many porkies!

It feels modern, in all honesty. You could very much drive one day to day. It has enough poke (I think it was quoted as 9.2 to 60mph in 1977, 123mph), great visibility, good soundtrack, big boot, reasonable headlights and good seat belts (in the front at least, the rears need adjusting for each different passenger). Seats are reasonably comfy and, having the facelift dash, the ventilation isn't bad.

It was also the first car BMW used CAD to design the crash structures so it's actually pretty safe. A big part of the brochures is all about the safety aspects of the shell. Brakes are also pretty good being discs all round with vented 4 pots on the front.

Oh, economy is around 20mpg but no tax or mot makes up for that!

Hope this helps!

Edited by e28525e on Wednesday 10th January 09:12

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mark.c said:

Lovely OP! I have a bit of a soft spot for E12's having bought mine several years back so it's great to see another getting the attention they deserve. I would echo the above in saying that I could easily use mine everyday in terms of driveability etc. If I wasn't such a tart about the car then I would!

Thanks, I feel alot of the lesser models got forgotten, and that's saying something as the M535i's are only just being recognised now. It's got under my skin like no other car I've owned, I think it's the rarity along with the delicate details of the front grill and perfect boxy proportions.

[e28525e]

mark.c said:

e28525e said:

mark.c said:

Lovely OP! I have a bit of a soft spot for E12's having bought mine several years back so it's great to see another getting the attention they deserve. I would echo the above in saying that I could easily use mine everyday in terms of driveability etc. If I wasn't such a tart about the car then I would!

Thanks, I feel alot of the lesser models got forgotten, and that's saying something as the M535i's are only just being recognised now. It's got under my skin like no other car I've owned, I think it's the rarity along with the delicate details of the front grill and perfect boxy proportions.

Agreed, I feel the same way about mine. I'm glad they are receiving some recognition now as so many were lost when they were buttons to buy ( and therefore not worth restoring). Some parts can be tricky to find but it's surprising what the dealer still has although parts prices can be eye watering. The E28 guys have it a bit easier than us I think! I'm currently giving the suspension a refresh on my M535i, B6's, H and R's, powdercoating the rear beam, new fuel pipes, exhausts etc and can't wait to get it back out. Seeing yours has given me the kick I needed to crack on!

Yes, parts can be a problem. I've found Wallothnesche to be a godsend, much of their stock is cheaper than BMW. Have you tried them?

[e28525e]

mark.c said:

e28525e said:

mark.c said:

e28525e said:

mark.c said:

Lovely OP! I have a bit of a soft spot for E12's having bought mine several years back so it's great to see another getting the attention they deserve. I would echo the above in saying that I could easily use mine everyday in terms of driveability etc. If I wasn't such a tart about the car then I would!

Thanks, I feel alot of the lesser models got forgotten, and that's saying something as the M535i's are only just being recognised now. It's got under my skin like no other car I've owned, I think it's the rarity along with the delicate details of the front grill and perfect boxy proportions.

Agreed, I feel the same way about mine. I'm glad they are receiving some recognition now as so many were lost when they were buttons to buy ( and therefore not worth restoring). Some parts can be tricky to find but it's surprising what the dealer still has although parts prices can be eye watering. The E28 guys have it a bit easier than us I think! I'm currently giving the suspension a refresh on my M535i, B6's, H and R's, powdercoating the rear beam, new fuel pipes, exhausts etc and can't wait to get it back out. Seeing yours has given me the kick I needed to crack on!

Yes, parts can be a problem. I've found Wallothnesche to be a godsend, much of their stock is cheaper than BMW. Have you tried them?

Ah yes I've used them a lot, very helpful and an almost too easy website! I've actually started hiding the receipts from the misses now since I tend to get a bit carried away!

I know exactly what you mean..

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TR4man said:

e28525e said:

What is the small black object just in front of the door pull? There doesn't appear to be one on the passenger door.

It's a switch for the electric mirror!

[e28525e]

All doors welded and body repairs done. All in primer now

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With guide coat on, ready for final blocking.

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MX6 said:

Really nice project this, looks great on the retro mesh rims. What paint is going on, same OEM colour?

Cheers. Yeah, original colour. Anthazitgrau

[e28525e]

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All the new parts have now arrived; door mouldings, screen rubbers and chrome, clips, numberplate lights etc.

Could only get one sill moulding though, which is a shame.

One gutter chrome trim snapped on removal, luckily it was the side you can still get..£220 though!

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All done now. Interior next