BMW E24 635CSi Euro Spec (1985) - Project Mako-ver Ep 1

Intro to my latest project - a BMW E24 635CSi Euro Spec. This was a 1-owner vehicle that I acquired and will be restoring it to close-to-new condition.
0:00 Introduction
1:13 Euro Spec Points
2:21 Exterior Walkaround
5:28 Interior
10:08 Engine Bay
13:45 Future Plans

[@christersundin773]

20 seconds in, when you said "I've rebuilt my E46 M3", I hit the Subscribe button =)

[@mariemotors]

Too bad I didn’t document it well, but maybe I’ll do a video about it some time soon.

[@christersundin773]

@@mariemotors I'd love to see that!

[@TomFlaTTop_BMW]

Hey Abby. I first discovered your videos at episode 4 and was very impressed, so now I'm watching your series from the right end. You have an awesome E24 and it's great to see it ended up in the right hands of a worthy owner like yourself. Take your time and enjoy the process of rectifying the few faults it has. You'll be rewarded with a gorgeous car that you can have the proud satisfaction of having worked on yourself. I've owned several 635CSi's and currently have four, and was a BMW Mechanic & restorer by profession, so I've had plenty of experience with them. The previous owner appears to have made some fairly dubious alterations to the wiring which may throw up a few challenges, some which you can rectify, and some that may need the assistance of an Auto Electrician. The poorly altered wiring near the headlights is something I've encountered before. The most common cause of one or more headlights not working is due to a faulty "Light Kontrol Module", which is a large black box like a gigantic relay marked "LKM" on top, that sits in the fuse box under the hood. It simply needs to be pulled out and replaced, with good 2nd hand units available much cheaper from BMW Wreckers online. New from BMW they are quoted at several hundred dollars, and I've picked up excellent used replacements on Ebay for $60-$80 with 6 months warranty that worked perfectly and have never failed since. However, many owners aren't aware that this is most often the simple cause of their headlight issues, and have subsequently butchered their wiring attempting to get them working again with all kinds of unnecessary & poorly executed modifications to their wiring looms. If they don't know what they're doing, they should consult a professional who does, instead of screwing it up and creating more issues. If you attempt to undo the dodgy wiring modifications and return it to an original state, you may find it necessary to subsequently replace this Light Kontrol Module if you then find you have issues with headlights not working, as the hacked wiring often ends up bypassing it unknowingly. Your 635CSi, being a manual, is more desirable than the majority which were fitted with automatic transmissions. However, yours has the standard shift pattern BMW built 5-speed gearbox, NOT the Getrag 265/5 C.R. (Close Ratio) "Dog Leg" shift pattern 5-speed racing gearbox that was fitted to the E30 M3, E24 M6, E26 M1, and early series, 1977-'81, pre-1982 facelift, Euro-spec 635CSi's that were also fitted with the rare & treasured M90 engines. The M90 is a close relative of the Twin Cam M88 engine found in the mid-engined M1 and later in the E24 M6, sharing the same engine block, and differing only in having a single camshaft cylinder head. The M90 & M88 engines are race derived relatives of the racing engines BMW were using in competition at the time, and were hand assembled by the M Division at their separate premises, rather than the usual BMW production lines where the later M30 engines were built, and fitted to all post-1982 facelift second series 635CSi's, including yours. All 635CSi's built after 1981 with a manual gearbox came with the standard shift pattern BMW made 5-speed like the one in your car by default, unless specially ordered from the factory with the Getrag "Dog Leg" shift pattern racing gearbox. Subsequently, very few second series M30 engined 635CSi's built from 1982 onwards like yours had this Getrag gearbox, with most buyers declining to special order it in place of the regular and far less expensive BMW built 5-speed as fitted to your car. The Getrag "Dog Leg" gearbox is instantly recognisable and easily differentiated by it's unusual shift pattern, where Reverse is in it's familiar location identical to your gearbox, but UNLIKE yours, 1st Gear is to the left & down, UNDERNEATH Reverse in a kind of "Dog Leg" kink, hence the name, and with the remaining four gears in a H-pattern with 2nd ABOVE 3rd, and 4th ABOVE 5th. Clearly VERY different to the conventional shift gate that your BMW 5-speed has. I noticed that your car has the beautiful looking, 12-way (if I remember correctly) electrically adjustable front seats that most series-two 635CSi's built from 1982 onwards, like yours, had fitted. I hope for your sake that all functions work correctly as they are a hideously complex bit of equipment, with several electric motors & actuators, multiple cables, relays, and even ECU's controlling & enabling their various functions. They are great as long as they work OK, but with the age these cars are approaching, are increasingly prone to multiple malfunctions that are a nightmare to fix, with many of their components no longer available new from Recaro, their original manufacturer, and extremely difficult to find second hand in usable condition. Even if you CAN locate a working used replacement, it will also be prone to imminent failure. I've had a few 635CSi's with those seats, and ALL of the cars had malfunctioning seats when I bought them, or developed issues shortly afterwards. I bought one 1986 Alpine White 635CSi very similar to yours, with those electric Recaro's, on an Ebay auction from interstate on the other side of the country, and had it shipped to me by truck through a transport company. When it arrived and I went to pick it up at the Transport Depo, I sat in the car to drive it home, and found the seat moved all the way rearwards, so I could barely reach the pedals despite being nearly 6 foot tall. I pressed the switch to move the seat forward, it moved a fraction then stopped, and almost immediately there was a pungent smell of cooking electronics followed by alarming amounts of thick white smoke billowing up from under the seat, and an ominously hot sensation under my butt. I leapt out of the car screaming at my Father to run for a fire extinguisher as I attempted to stop it catching fire and becoming a disaster of epic proportions. Luckily I barely managed to stop it going up in flames without an extinguisher, but had to drive it home in an uncomfortable position. After a couple of months trying to fix the seats and source the many parts needing replacement unsuccessfully, with no one able to offer any assistance, I was left with no choice but to fit aftermarket racing-style Sports Seats, until I could locate some genuine BMW, NON-electric, manually adjusted sports seats that were also, but less commonly, fitted to these vehicles. And neither easy nor cheap to locate & acquire. This was the same position I faced with all the other 635CSi's I owned that had those electric seats, after they also stopped working. I grew to hate the damn things so much, every 635CSi I've bought since was factory delivered with manually adjusted seats, and I swore I'd never buy one with the electric Recaro units again. Hopefully you'll be luckier than I, and yours work fine and continue to do so. Yours would be the first I know of, if that's the case, though. Anyway, sorry for the long message, but I hope this information is of some use to you.

[@Streetzlegend]

Awesome project, looking forward to seeing the progress. Subscribed

[@paulgreiner9468]

Excited to find this video! I too am a 85 euro owner, will be waiting on each video! Good luck with everything

[@Alan01110]

Super cool car! Looks like it's in great shape!

[@carltonsalmon4273]

Congratulations on your purchase, Marie. I’m a BMW owner since 1985 and have a 1986 E24 M635CSi which I’ve owned since 1993. Will be looking forward to watching your progress with your Euro-spec E24 and you can count me in as a new subscriber to your channel.

[@vanceantonowicz1317]

I've had the pleasure of restoring 4 of these beauties. Unfortunately I never was able to get my hands on the grey market euro spec e24. I look forward to watching as you bring this back to it's glorious original condition!

[@stefangotz4311]

Funny thing: I have a US Spec 635 85 model in Germany. Some advices: The US Version only differs by the bumpers, the chrome trim (or better aluminium trim, as most of it is polished aluminium) is the same. At least, if no shadow line option was ordered. Also, if your car has a catalytic converter, it's 185hp with 8:1 compression, as the high compression engines always came without catalytic converter. The 87 model catalytic converter version hat 211hp with 9:1 ratio. Cool videos, I'm gonna watch them. I'm sure I'm gonna learn some things that might help later.

[@1972juankarlos]

Beautiful, my dream car for a very long time, I am actually a BMW fan since i saw this car for the first time, back in 1987, US Spec, but best thing ever. Now I am fan of you channel

[@mariemotors]

Thanks so much!

[@saveyourhero3307]

Das auto ist sehr schön

[@andref4989]

Subscribed. Just look forward to see this sister running. I have a 82 635 CSI manual as well.

[@YeomanDesign]

I want to build one of these one day after I finish my M3!! Stunning classics 👌👌

[@theblondebarber9545]

You are doing great guys🤗🤗🤗

[@spencermaiers8322]

Rare and nice E24 euro. Looks almost în flawless shape as is.

[@Retrobeemer]

*Just found your channel by complete chance and love the look of your 635. I think the 635 and the M1 are just about the only BMW of that era that I haven't owned at some point. So glad it doesn't have those awful impact bumpers! The M30 engine is such a simple but incredibly smooth and reliable unit. Occasionally rocker arms can break or the banjo bolt for the camshaft oil spray bar can come loose but apart from that they're pretty much bullet proof. I have the same engine in my '91 535i Sport. Here in the UK rust is the biggest issue with classic BMW but yours looks in remarkably good shape so congrats on such a great and lucky find. I look forward to watching future videos and please feel free to shout if you ever need any parts from here in Europe. Mark*

[@Knetenkalle]

Beautiful car. Euro spec rules! Greetings from germany ✌🏼

[@saliyauku8303]

Awesome Euro Spec 635csi, Change those ugly US spec Front Turn signal lenses to more flush Euro spec ones with only single filament (21w) bulbs, and also install REAL euro H1 type (both Low & High beams) with city light feature headlight buckets and chuck those US Sealed beam Head lights, The “Neutronics” module you found on the driver’s side was the actual “Lamda Computer ECU” for the Oxygen sensor added to your car to control the air fuel ratio mixture (Closed Loop setup) along with the aftermarket catalytic converter since Euro M30B34 until 1985 (most) had no Catalyst and ECU ran Open loop,” 0 261 200 061 “ should be the BOSCH Motronic ECU in your car. They cut a wire on the wiring harness near the ECU and connect that to the NEUTRONICS ECU to control the air/fuel ratio mixture via O2 sensor input, make sure you restore that wire to original spec (it might be open now). Also the Rear spoiler is the SAME and US M6 (87-88) M Tech spoiler and the steering wheel was standard on US E28 535i models. Euro cars have a cool feature when you open the Driver’s door the front electric windows get energized without the ignition key in the “ON” position, make sure that function still works as some conversion shops disable that feature, also during the DOT conversion they may have added a “SEAT BELT WARNING BUZZER and a lamp” (again a computer / relay module) behind the Instrument cluster, remove that CRAP. Good luck with the restoration, I have owned many of these Euro cars and still have an early 1983 Euro 635si with RECARO seats and NO SUNROOF (among few more Euro Spec M cars I own / collect) Cheers, Sal

[@dillanmistry]

That’s a pretty cool project

[@tiitsaul9036]

That’s a very decent e24. I’d be happy the way it is now, but will be even better after you finished with it.

[@barzahd7]

They are beautiful :) the car and you

[@marekkorona7343]

Masz dużą wiedzę o BMW. Gratuluję 👍

[@francispowell1811]

Been dying for an update Abby.

[@julian4548]

Great project. I have an 86 alpine white M635 here in NZ. Parts aren’t too bad tho some are a little pricey. The big coupe website is great if you are not already aware of it. Have fun!

[@mohammedibrahim6062]

Subscribed for sure!

[@manoelmmg]

I'm new to the channel. You are a woman of great taste, haha. I will follow everything.

[@wolz256]

Big bonus on the interior color. I am converting my 1987 635csi to Lama color.

[@geoffjordan1254]

Congratulations on your E24. Awesome car. I look forward to seeing your progress. I purchased a 1986 E28 M535i (Australian version) that i'm currently restoring. Also wanted to mention that I'm pretty sure that your steering wheel is from an E34 or similar. Not stock for that model. All the best

[@dennismundt7378]

If you have time, you can also turn the button "Warning lights" in min 7:57. The point of the triangle should be at the top.

[@yahwehE30]

That right rocker looks pretty heavy with rust there, I'm sure there is more further you dig.... An E46 heater valve retrofit works quite well, takes same connector as E46 ambient temp sensor. The originals heater valves, Replacement units, and rebuild kits were all pretty much junk. Looking forward to the trials and tribulations. :)

[@Amirs350Z]

🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@euroshark1]

Marie. I have restored and own an '84 Euro 635 for 20 years now. If you need any help, let me know.

[@wolfganghertwig3865]

Amazing car ... and I'm subscriber number 224 😎

[@joelciardella6080]

Great car, not sure if you touch on this in later videos, but a lot of the things you’re saying are euro spec only are, in fact, not euro only. The rear spoiler is a M-Tech spoiler, and was available on US cars. The vin plate is really close to factory location, just rotated 90 degrees. The steering wheel was standard on US spec e28 535i. The chrome trim is all same as US, and the chrome mirror caps were standard worldwide until 1987 when changed to body color. What’s different from a US Car? The German language items, the bumpers (the body is slightly different for the bumpers) and the high compression engine. It’s very interesting to see a euro car with power seats! That’s very uncommon.

[@mariemotors]

Great catch. It will be addressed in a future video. I didn’t realize I was working off of bad info in the first video until a couple months after I posted it. That’s what I get for not doing more research.

[@nater258]

Great buy. I think there is also rusty hole below skirt at @4:12 . it appears to be hanging down some too

[@o2kala649]

Congrats.. great car.. I have an E28. Btw..The driver seat controls look mis-oriented..they should be turned 180

[@ironmantooltime]

Love those rear seats, rear headrests are quite rare, most don't have them 🤔 The computer thingy is a trip computer. That is *not* an m3 gearbox. The m3 was dogleg. That is most likely the getrag 260 used in the E30 325i including the Sport, which is a standard pattern 5 speed. 😎

[@bimmaboy]

Let me know if you still need help understanding how that magnetic alarm key works. Don't change the order of the magnetic rings on the key. I have a Euro E30 from new (since 1990), and it came with the same system. It started acting up by 1995... Love your channel, character, and project. Keep up the E24 content, it's helpful and neater than the new stuff. She's a classic.

[@mariemotors]

Thanks, I appreciate it! I haven’t touched the magnetic alarm yet, it keeps dropping down on the to-do list.

[@bimmaboy]

@@mariemotors the alarm when working and armed is just honking for 30secs. If you want to protect her from theft, what I use on my E30 and E28 is setting the 4 digit code function on the 13 button OBC that you also have. Unless you enter the correct code the vehicle will not start. So it acts like a built in factory kill switch 😉 and I doubt many thiefs these days know it's why the car won't start. Oh and did you know that if you depress the left stalk for the indicators (the label is BC and an arrow pointing inward), that acts as a remote control for the OBC. All the best!

[@baitse7676]

I have an 1983 Euro 635CSI slicktop, and it came with a dogleg 5 speed. Interesting to see that yours has a regular H pattern

[@mauriceclemens3286]

The seats look like the same ones that were on my ‘88 E30 M-3. Old tech engines are way simpler to work on compared to todays. No Vanos,less high end electronics.

[@Retromod]

Nice acquisition and beautiful car! Makes me wonder why my '85 Euro 635CSi somehow didn't get those big side markers when it was federalized. Definitely cleaner without them.

[@mariemotors]

Thank you! I can’t wait to remove the side markers.

[@abunassir3170]

the buttons on the side of the stereo are for Cruze control ill send you two pictures of the English labeling of my car. good luck with the build once you hear the sound it will be all worth it

[@abunassir3170]

Couldnt post anything here so i DMed you on Instagram

[@abunassir3170]

@@1983dmd your right about the trip computer, now that I took the pictures. However, there is a small leaver on the wheel lower right (5 o’clock) that seems to be the Cruze control (res-set speed and all the other terms relating to cruise control) Note that my 1986 is GCC specs. So we have the euro engines and most specs are euro too

[@johannesn1370]

Very nice 6 Series! I like the bear at the rear - Berlin‘s heraldic animal. The pre-owner seemed to be (or have been) a Bearleener.

[@mariemotors]

Good eye! The previous owner lived in Berlin for a while. The car was picked up in Munich, lived in Berlin, then Switzerland, then imported to the US.

[@enadolgel5504]

which bear at which minute?

[@ivanfrank_]

Love it! What's the end goal with the makeover? Resell, keep .. race?! 😅 Keep it coming

[@mariemotors]

Probably keep? I’m undecided. Once I restore it to its former glory (with a few small improvements - wheels, tires, suspension, and probably a brake upgrade because those are some tiny brakes for a very heavy car), I’ll probably be too attached to sell.

[@blatomck]

Nice, a real E24 (ie. not defigured by the ugly US bumpers), I am subscribing!

[@porscha901]

Wheeler dealers tv programme has done one here in the uk

[@giovannitraeger6175]

love this video! any updates on this? ( randomly found this video) i have a llama interior 87 535is

[@mariemotors]

Tons! I’ve uploaded a few other videos about the car. It’s currently in a million pieces, and soon will be put back together (mostly). Check out my channel for more videos.

[@lenn4rd]

13:18 The D sticker next to the rear number plate stands for Deutschland (Germany) and it was mandatory to put on the sticker when you went abroad before the EU era and before its member states all got Euro number plates with the country designator in blue on the left. So your car was most likely first registered in Germany. BTW Let me know if there still are any foreign labels you couldn’t make sense of yet. I’m German and happy to help.

[@BIMMERZEITT]

my neighbor has the same car, same year 85 635csi but it's a US spec and automatic. same color combo too

[@paoloreberto3924]

👍👍👍👍👍

[@nachos_70firebird66]

I have a 1982 bmw 728ia Euro-Spec. My uncle bought her new when he was stationed in West Germany. I'm struggling to find parts I know that some usdm parts fit

[@carolinacars739]

Interesting this car has 2 dome lights. My 83 633 only has one. My obc is also in German, but is of but th earlier type.

[@F_L_U_X]

God she's pretty... The car is nice, too

[@mbtwchannel]

are you selling that e23?

[@Tomellingham]

What is the red dot/IR sensor to the left of the drivers door handle?

[@mariemotors]

It’s part of the anti-theft system on the car, which is not currently functional…

[@waterlover]

God she is gorgeous

[@enadolgel5504]

and volvo 760 v6 ?

[@oiygfdxssfgg]

I like the U.S bumpers better

[@universalcitizen7544]

US Spec BMWs are soo ugly, especially old ones