The comeback of the 1974 BMW E12 520

After several months of hard work, I have finally took this car to the road.
Still a few things to do, but happy with the work done so far to get this 1974 BMW 520 E12 back to the road since it was driven since 2008.
The thumbnail picture was taken when I first drove the car to a filling station and a BMW G31 parked near it.
#bmw #bmw5series #bmwlove #bmwlover #carrestoration #bmwe12 #bmwlovers
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[@drivelife.channel]

Congratulations Gentil! a beautiful car that deserves to be back on the road!

[@GentilsGarage]

Thank you very much. I’m enjoying your S80 adventures. Brings me back what I seus to do with my E39 saloons!

[@EricksonJunior]

Great to see it back on the road! 😃 the double ignition key kinda makes it look like a nuclear submarine 😂

[@GentilsGarage]

Thanks. Hahahah, it is a nightmare and I can’t wait to get rid of it!

[@MillerCorner]

Great to see! Amazing job getting her back on the road, mate!

[@GentilsGarage]

Cheers Joe, plenty of work to do to get it reliable now, not just roadworthy 😂

[@Lot76CARS]

Wonderful to see it back on the road, yes a few jobs left but it runs and drives! Looking forward to seeing it at the FOTU!

[@GentilsGarage]

Cheers Simon. I hope it make it there 😂

[@francoisswanepoel9722]

Great progress on her. Now you can enjoy her fully and don't forget to update us on your road trips around England or even Europe 😅

[@GentilsGarage]

Thank you. Yes, there will be more videos about it but not for another few weeks as I’ll be on holiday.

[@tlake64]

Great work Gentil, and an amazing car with a super story, I am sure Mrs Garcia would be very pleased, if she is still around. All BMWs of this era tend to shift into top gear very early. When the ZF 3HP 22 was introduced they spent a little longer in the lower gears, but still tended to shift up early. However, Mercedes of the era started in 2nd, unless you floored it! My 1976 e12 528 looks just like yours, same wheels, but is Fjord Met. Blue and has the M90 3.5L and 3HP 22 auto now. The 1972-76 520 was the only BMW to use this particular carb set up. It was supposed to have good carb synchronization when new.

[@GentilsGarage]

Thank you very much. I tried to trace her whereabouts but found nothing yet. I wasn’t aware of that trait from the 3hp12, so it’s good to know that it’s a normal thing. Nice setup you got on yours. I might do a few changes regarding the carbs on mine in the future and get rid of the Strombergs.

[@andyb5307]

Well done, great too see you out driving it.

[@GentilsGarage]

Thank you very much

[@pentagrammotorsport]

Fabulous video. Amazing to see it out and on the road. The car is a credit to you!

[@GentilsGarage]

Thank you very much. A lot done based in ignorance due to lack of information on RHD cars, but getting there! Hope to make to one piece to FOTU!

[@mariopalomar2807]

Muitos muitos parabéns Gentil. Fantastic job so far. Keep pushing It, you Will get there🎉. Grande abraço e roda no ar... sempre ❤

[@GentilsGarage]

Obrigado caro amigo, grande abraço!

[@richlee509]

Well done

[@GentilsGarage]

Cheers

[@markonmotoring]

There is nothing like the feeling of finally getting a car bavk on the road, the excitement and anticipation if getting behind the wheel after months of work and finally seing if it payed off. The body roll could be warn conpinents but likely just how cars were back then. Evem my 90's Coupe I doumd to have far more body roll than a moderm car. Its not just regular family cara either, i saw a vdeo of a McLaren F1 being driven in amger and that was rolling lile a ship on a wave compared to cars we have become accustomed to in recent years. Hope you are able to sort the major issues prior to FOTU.

[@GentilsGarage]

Is it a great feeling indeed. The rear shocks might need replacement, but still it has that typical body roll from the era. But yes, cars have become stiffer and the compromise of the ride quality. See you at the FOTU, but I’ll keep everyone updated on the work being done.

[@andrewchapman364]

Good to see it back on he road. Are you sure the Speedo drive didn’t get disconnected when you put the instruments back in? I have had that happen to me.

[@GentilsGarage]

Thanks. To be fair, that could be the case too as I can’t remember if I put the cable back it or not.

[@fhwolthuis]

Great work, Gentil! So the MOT was a success? Isn't it MOT exempt after 50 years? I hope you will keep the patina and just make it a driving restoration, fixing those minor things and preserve her in the current state. About the cold start: is it possible to convert the automatic choke to manual? That would be helpful, right? Good luck and have fun with her 😀🍀👌🏼

[@GentilsGarage]

Thank you very much Frank. It hasn’t gone for an MOT yet. I had to take the car for a drive to have a feel of the car itself and to spot any issues that I wouldn’t be able to check on the driveway. Once done, it’ll go through one to make sure it’s all ok, even though it’s exempt. It will be a driving restoration, but some bodywork surface rust spots need to be addressed before the winter. I’ve searched and enquired about the manual choke conversion kits for these carbs, but nothing is available, unlike the ones for more widely used Zenith, Solex and Weber units. Some Volvo and mercedes had a similar version of my carbs fitted, but single setup and not twin. The timing was very hard to set too as the gun I have produced a weak light so I’m getting a professional to setup everything and I’ll know it’ll be done properly. It’ll be fun I’m sure 😂but before I go on holiday in a few days, I’ll just bleed the brakes again (after I found extra info for RHD cars) and check why the fan isn’t working. Oh and get the steering aligned.

[@fhwolthuis]

@@GentilsGarage Sounds good! Of course some bodywork will need to be done, but I really like the character she has now, including some battlescars and all the history. I hope the carbs will work out 👍🏻👍🏻

[@GentilsGarage]

@@fhwolthuis cheers. Yes, it’ll retain the character

[@Tenkaichibudokai22]

Brake lines maybe?

[@GentilsGarage]

No, they’re all good. It’s the servo cylinders that need further bleeding and I didn’t do that properly. The maintenance manual omits that and has no reference for pre-facelift RHD cars. After I searched a few forum I found that these need additional bleeding.