Arrival

Here is Elsa on arrival. A 1985 BMW 635csi. The body is very clean, no accidents and very solid. As with any car her age, just about every rubber suspension piece will need to be replaced. She's running a little rough, but solid. Nothing a little tinkering shouldn't fix.

Here's a list of known issues with the car:

• A/C is out
• HVAC blower motor is noisy
• Motor mounts, tranny mounts, diff mounts, all need to be replaced
• Suspension is surprisingly tight, but most of the rubber parts there will need replacing, they appear to be original parts
• Small oil leak from the valve cover gasket
• Just about all of the guages are out
• Clear coat is pealing and oxidizing on the right rear corner
• Front air damn damaged
• Passenger side door trim needs to be replaced
• Shift linkage worn out
• Interior light door switches not working
• Some shaking from the rear drivetrain under acceleration, likely just mounts or driveshaft support bearing
• Sounds like she has a very small exhaust leak
• Due for a valve adjustment
• Hood is very slightly out of alignment
• Driver's seat leather cracking, and the seat back is off alignment
• ABS light on, and brake sensor light on
• Check engine light comes on right after the car is started, then goes out

Overall, for a 1985 car, that's a pretty short list, and all easy to manage. Zero rust, very solid, good power, runs well. She just needs some TLC to get her running right.

At the time these pictures were taken, the only thing I'd done was slap the factory shift knob from my 323ci in her, as the stock knob was in poor shape. First plan is to do a little cleanup, do some engine tuning, rebuild the shift linkage, and replace the rubber drivetrain mounts (probably all of them). After that, I'll go over it and see where it stands.