Need Front Wings

I thought the doors were the same and many of the other panels too; could be wrong... I know there are lots of differences round the rear bumper and so on...Inner wings/strut tops, sunroof (eh, Dave....), oh hang on, this is getting to be quite a lot, now...

 I am breaking an E12 based E24 ('81 build) right now and the doors do seem to be meant to take either early (as fitted) or late types of door card; but maybe its just an illusion of compatibility...

Also, the '81 car was also fitted with metrics, so that might not be the only reason for the difference in the wheelarch flare 82-. Maybe as above its a track width  increase or maybe its the suspension changes at the front altering the wheel path through the arch on bump and on lock?

Anyway a prod at the '81 wings from the parts car showed one of them already to have a lot of filler in, so its back to plan 'a', out with the welding torch and have at it.....

BTW the shut panels were almost new- still had the stickers on, both  in the 'last five minutes if you are lucky' black primer, no sign of rubberised paint. 

By the time I'm done (if I ever get it all done, maybe...) I shall be pretty nifty at reconstructive wing surgery, be able to MIG weld in my sleep, have 'nibblers' and flanging tools practically as bodily appendages, and never travel far without jenolite and zinc primer supplies.

Agh, if I didn't like driving the things, I wouldn't bother....

cheers

 

The difference with the doors is where the interior
handles bolt on - on the E12 is was a trigger grip, on
the later car a standard E28 type pull handle. I think
the holes for the electric window motors are different
too.

Metrics began to be fitted to the 6 in May 1982 with
the facelift - according to the original BMW press stuff
I had. Before that they had 14 inch BBS (635CSi) or
the 20 spoke rims on the 628CSi. But I'm sure TRX's
might have been an option before that though.

actually the '81 doors have the correct cutouts for either handle type, and various other features that are clearly meant for the later door cards, because they are not used with the early ones.

However on bcg I have since read that early doors are not 100% compatible, but can easily be adapted (where it can't be seen) to accept all the later mechanical and trim parts. Haven't tried it myself.

Re the metrics; it wouldn't be the first time BMW have introduced stuff at odd times; I have heard of E12 base cars with the later 'A' pillar trim and other oddities....

In fact the 390 metrics were an option for the 635 as early as 1980. Post '82 they were still theoretically optional (except for the M-car), but were pretty much standard 633 and 635 fitment in some markets (eg the UK and the US). Maybe it was some kind of perverse joke; 'lets really snub these english speaking types with their silly 'inches' by forcing them to have lovely metricised wheel rims!' Oh, how golden that future was... 

And the earlier 14" BBS wheels came in two different widths for the 6er- a small but vital piece of information if you are tracking down a spare....Only the wider one was ever fitted to the 635.  

cheers