Special Guest: 1938 Cadillac Model 75

Happy Friday!  It’s been another busy week, so we’ll get right down to business!
 

The head for this 7-series is off at the machine shop being rebuilt.  Meanwhile, the interior of the 1984 BMW 733i is getting some love – a good cleaning from leather to carpet and everything in between!  It has been quite a transformation so far!  There’s just a bit more work to do before this task is complete.  I can’t wait to see the finished look!

This 1998 BMW Z3 came to the shop with a rough idle and misfiring at idle.  There was a code for a misfire in cylinder #4.

Reggie found that that spark plugs were all fouled, especially #4.    Troublesome #4 was actually wet with fuel when it was taken out.

New spark plugs, a new fuel filter, and a fuel injection service were in order for this Z3:

Here you can see the spark plug with the black tip.  This spark plug was just bad.  Since it was wet with fuel, it was not sparking.  As a result, she was only running on 3 cylinders.

Then it was time to change the fuel filter:

Reggie removes the heat shield that protects the Z3’s fuel filter:

 

This was the bimmer’s original fuel filter!

 

And the new fuel filter gets properly tightened into position.  This fun little bimmer is now ready for some nice spring driving!

This 2000 BMW 323i came in for some diagnostic work:  ABS, traction control, inoperable driver side window, problems with key fob and remote locks, and an oil leak.

The driver’s side window was inoperable.  Upon inspection, Reggie found that a new window regulator was just what was needed.

This 1993 once calypsorot-metallic now black BMW 325is has a long list of issues to tackle.  We’ll go through a few of them now.

The lock cylinder wasn’t broken, however, what’s behind it was broken.  In other words, the part between the ignition lock and the ignition switch was the problem.

The broken part mentioned above can be seen here – these two pieces should be attached:

Reggie finishes up his work on the ignition switch:

Next, it was time to move on to some work under the hood, namely the cooling system.  There was corrosion inside the system, which means it definitely needed to be replaced.  Here, Reggie has just removed the thermostat:

A look at the water pump, thermostat, and expansion tank to be replaced.  This water pump was made of plastic, and was replaced by an aluminum one.

The nipple was broken on the expansion tank, so a replacement was in order:

What’s left of the fan…as you can see, the blades are broken and/or missing:

The new fan:

Reggie installs the new expansion tank:

After getting the engine bay buttoned up and ready for the cooling system flush, the radiator had sprung a leak!

There is a hole in the radiator caused by shrapnel from the fan.  Fortunately, Reggie had a good used radiator to replace this one.  Win!

Last week, we showed you leaves that were caught in the cooling duct of the alternator of this e39.  Well, there were still more leaves to be cleaned out of the engine bay before replacing the auxiliary fan!

This week’s weather has been of the assorted Midwestern variety…we had snow on Monday and then nearly 70 degrees and sunshine on Wednesday.  Unfortunately, this 1989BMW 325ix got rear ended in Monday’s bout of snow.  Uggh!

Suspension work was on order for this alpinweiss 1997 BMW M3, including rear trailing arm bushings, sway bar reinforcement,  and front control arms.

A rattle in the exhaust needed to be diagnosed as well:

New control arms just waiting for their new home:

The pickle fork helps when removing control arms:

After new bushings are pressed into the lollipops (carriers), they are installed on the control arms:

The carriers are attached to the frame rails, or the unibody, in this particular case:

Remember that I mentioned in last week’s post about a special interest auto arriving at the shop…well, please allow me to introduce this 1938 Cadillac Model 75!  She’s part of the fleet belonging to Antique Limousine of Indianapolis.

And it just so happens that Reggie drives this classic occasionally for weddings and other events!   Why did she come to the shop?   Reggie has worked on other vehicles from the fleet, and it was the Caddy’s turn to get some work done!  She may be in need of a new or rebuilt clutch assembly.

It was so cool to take a closer look at the undercarriage on this amazing piece of automotive history!  This beauty weighs about 6,000 pounds, and definitely commands attention while up on the lift!

This historic vehicle is due for an oil change… no filter required!

The drivetrain:

The clutch assembly will be inspected and refurbished, if necessary, at a specialty shop.

Once the clutch assembly comes back from the shop, the transmission will be removed to replace some seals, and the clutch will be reinstalled.  Fun fact:  The transmission in this Cadillac is smaller than the one in our 1984 318i Baur TC!

Here, Reggie and Jack, the owner, secure the transmission to the bell housing so that the car can be moved to another location in the shop until the clutch bits come back from the shop.

Have a great weekend!