Restoring The Running Gear On Mat Armstrong's Classic BMW E24

Summary

This is a BMW restoration video where Matt Armstrong removes the rear axle to inspect and rebuild it. He struggles to remove the drive shafts and brake components, requiring impact tools and effort. Upon disassembly, he finds the axle bushings need replacing and bearings are quite stiff, but other parts look salvageable. Matt plans a major transformation for the BMW but won't reveal it yet. Overall it's a challenging teardown episode where Matt makes progress inspecting components, with more work ahead on axles, brakes, and body panels.

Takeaways

• 👷 Started working on dismantling the BMW rear axle
• 🔧 Removed drive shafts, calipers, brake discs and drum brakes
• 🛠 Used impact driver and vice grips to get drive shafts off
• ⚙️ Inspected parts - bearings need changing, everything else looks good
• 🔨 Lots of bashing and hitting to get parts separated
• ⏳ Shorter video than usual due to time spent dismantling axle
• 🤫 Has big secret plans to transform the car in the future
• 🔜 Next steps - work on front axle and continue rear axle
• 🎨 Still need to spray paint outside panels doors, wings etc
• 🎥 More videos coming on this BMW restoration project

Q & A

What car is Matt working on in this video?

Matt is working on his BMW e24 in this video.

What does Matt remove from the differential in the beginning of the video?

Matt removes the drive shafts from the differential at the start of the video.

What components does Matt take apart after removing the brake parts?

After removing the brake calipers, carriers, and rotors, Matt takes apart the drum brakes for the handbrake on both sides.

What does Matt say he will be transforming about the car, but can't reveal yet?

Matt says he has plans to completely transform the car in some way unrelated to the engine or running gear, but doesn't reveal what it is yet.

What still needs to be done on the front and rear axles of the car?

The front axle still needs work, and the rear axle needs to be reassembled. The bearings also need to be changed.

What body panels does Matt say he will be spray painting?

Matt mentions spray painting the exterior body panels like the doors and wings.

Why does Matt apologize for the video being shorter?

Matt apologizes because this video involves a lot of time just bashing the axle around on the floor to disassemble it.

What does Matt say will be covered in the next video?

In the next video Matt says he will work on the front axle, continue the rear axle, and hopefully get to the wings too.

What tools does Matt struggle with when removing the drive shafts?

Matt struggles without having a converter to fit his tools, so he has to use an impact driver and mole grips instead.

What parts does Matt say are in good reusable condition?

Matt notes the splines, spindles, half shafts, and other parts appear to be in good reusable condition.

Outlines

00:00

🎵 Introduction to working on the BMW rear axle 🚗

Matt introduces that in this video he will be working on stripping down the rear axle of his BMW e24 to assess the condition and determine what needs to be replaced or refurbished. He takes off the drive shafts, brake components, and continues disassembling the axle.

05:47

❓ Struggling to disassemble the diff and drive shafts

Matt talks about struggling to disconnect the diff and drive shafts without the proper tools. He had to improvise with an impact driver and mul grips. He then moves on to removing the brake calipers, pads, discs and drum brakes for the handbrake.

10:58

🛠️ Lots of bashing to disassemble, bearing replacement planned

Matt reflects that disassembling the axle components like the bearings took a lot of effort and bashing. He assessed that the bearings need replacing. Overall the rest of the components are in decent shape and can be cleaned up and reused once reassembled.

15:59

🚙 Plans to transform the appearance, more work ahead

Matt mentions there are big plans to transform the look of the car coming up, but doesn't reveal details yet. Still more work ahead on front axle, finishing the rear, the wings, paint and reassembly. The next video will cover more progress on these tasks.

Keywords

💡BMW e24

The BMW e24 refers to a specific model of a BMW vehicle, specifically a 6-Series coupe produced from 1976 to 1989. In the context of the video, Matt Armstrong's BMW e24 is the subject of a restoration and modification project. The car's rear axle, an essential part of its undercarriage, is being focused on in this particular episode, indicating the comprehensive nature of the restoration effort.

💡Fabrication

Fabrication, in the context of vehicle restoration, involves creating, modifying, or repairing parts, often through processes like welding, cutting, and shaping metal. The video mentions the continuation of fabrication work on the wings of the BMW, highlighting the custom modifications and repairs being made to the car's body.

💡Rear axle

The rear axle is a critical component in a vehicle's drivetrain, supporting the rear part of the vehicle and transmitting power from the differential to the wheels. In the video, Matt Armstrong's focus on the BMW's rear axle, which is described as rusty and crusty, indicates a significant step in the restoration process involving its inspection, disassembly, and refurbishment.

💡Bushings

Bushings are rubber or polyurethane components used in cars to reduce friction and cushion parts, often found in suspensions and axles. The video mentions the need to change the bushings, indicating a standard maintenance or upgrade process in vehicle restoration, particularly for older vehicles like the BMW e24.

💡Brake lines

Brake lines are tubes that carry brake fluid to the brake calipers, which then apply pressure to slow down or stop the vehicle. In the video, the mention of needing to work on the brake lines suggests a comprehensive approach to the car's safety and performance systems, ensuring that the braking system functions optimally.

💡Caliper

A caliper is a component of the disc brake system, used to squeeze the brake pads against the rotors to slow or stop the vehicle. The video's mention of concentrating on the caliper, pads, and disc indicates a detailed focus on the braking components, essential for vehicle safety and performance.

💡Drum brakes

Drum brakes are a type of brake system that uses brake shoes to press outwards against a rotating drum-shaped part. The video describes drum brakes located within the wheel hub, specifically for the handbrake mechanism, highlighting the comprehensive nature of the brake system overhaul.

💡Drive shafts

Drive shafts are mechanical components that transmit torque and rotation from the vehicle's engine and transmission to the wheels. The video discusses removing the drive shafts from the differential, a key step in disassembling and refurbishing the rear axle assembly.

💡Bearings

Bearings are mechanical components that allow rotational or linear movement, reducing friction between moving parts. In the video, the mention of stiff and worn bearings in the BMW's axle assembly underscores the importance of replacing these parts to ensure smooth operation and longevity of the vehicle's moving parts.

💡Restoration

Restoration in the context of this video refers to the process of repairing, refurbishing, and possibly modifying a vehicle to bring it back to its former condition or improve it. This includes a range of activities from mechanical repairs, like the rear axle overhaul, to cosmetic enhancements, indicating the comprehensive nature of Matt Armstrong's project on the BMW e24.

Highlights

Introduction of Matt Armstrong's BMW e24 and the decision to work on the rear axle instead of continuing with wings.

Humorous moment taking the rear axle for a 'walk', emphasizing the weight of the axle.

Identification of rust and the need for a full strip down and refurbishment of the rear axle.

Plans to replace bushings, brake lines, and conduct a thorough inspection to determine necessary repairs.

Struggle with removing the drive shafts from the differential due to tool limitations.

Emphasis on protection during the dismantling process to prevent damage.

Removal of calipers, pads, and disc brakes to further dismantle the rear axle.

Discovery of drum brakes used for the handbrake mechanism and the start of their disassembly.

Detailed process of separating drive shafts and other components, highlighting the complexity of the task.

Challenges faced with bearings needing replacement and the effort required in the disassembly.

Observations on the overall good condition of internal components, with specific mention of the splines and half shafts.

Tease of future plans for the car that promise to completely transform it, inviting speculation from viewers.

Acknowledgment of upcoming tasks including the front running gear, wings, and spray painting.

A promise of a bigger reveal and more extensive work in future episodes.

Conclusion with an apology for the shorter video length due to the physical demands of working on the axle and a teaser for the next episode's content.

Transcripts

[Music]

[Music]

he

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this is Matt Armstrong's BMW e24 now in

the last episode we continued

fabrication on those wings in this

episode I'm not going to do the wings

because I've done Daws and wings for the

past two episodes I'm actually going to

get onto that rear

axle

my oh

okay that's was quite

heavy okay no it's

fine just taking my rear axle for a

walk this is Matt Armstrong's BMW rear

axle now

it's there's a lot of rust and

crustiness on it um we need to do a full

strip down and a full refer of this um

yeah yeah so what we're going to do in

this episode is start stripping this

down and seeing if we can save this

cradle situation here and see exactly

what condition everything else is in um

obviously we do need to change the

bushings um all the rubbers and things

like that so we do need to do obviously

we've got all the braak lines and stuff

that we need to do as well um but we're

going to start with the strip down and

just see exactly what we need to

do yeah

[Music]

man

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he

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so

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[Applause]

right so I've taken the drive shafts off

of the diff um as you could see I was

struggling um I don't have a converter

from this

to this bad boy so I had to go for the

old method and use the impact driver um

and some mul grips because without the

mul grips I was killing my hand anyway

that aside we've got some nice

protection here he can never have too

much protection um so that's all sorted

now so that diff is off now I'm going to

concentrate on the caliper the pads and

the disc so I want to get them all apart

and then I can conc on this drive shaft

and try and get everything else off of

this um the same on the other side I'll

get these two done and then we can see

exactly what we've got and what we need

to

[Music]

do

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[Applause]

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right so that's the calipers the caliper

carriers and the disc brakes off now in

here you can actually see some drum

brakes and that's for the handbrake on

both sides so I'm going to take them

apart I've got a little tub ready just

so I can obviously separate all the

parts um so I can start taking that

apart and then get onto these drive

shafts separate them um and then

anything else that I've got to separate

on

[Music]

this

[Music]

he

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oh

[Music]

he

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yeah

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well that certainly took a while um

there was a lot of bashing um

and more bashing and yeah there was a

lot of bashing in this video um trying

to get things out uh these bearings um

they did need changing because this is

quite stiff um and yeah it's not looking

so good on the inside it's it's always

good to change bearings when you know

things are this dismantled of course and

all all of the rest of the stuff looks

in relatively good condition to be

honest we've got the inside there that

looks good the outside just needs

cleaning this is all good all the

splines on the spindle is good um we've

got the half shafts here they look good

as well um so I'm going to keep the half

shafts to where they should go for the

for the different sides um so

everything's good when we do put it back

on

[Music]

right so there are plans for this car

now it's going to completely transform

the car but I can't tell you yet what it

is and it's it's nothing to do with the

engine or the running gear so leave your

comments and your thoughts down below

what you think it will be um but yeah

it's just going to completely transform

it and I'm looking forward to get stuck

into that now like I said there are

still quite a few um episodes left on

this car we've still got the running

gear to do on the front we've still got

the wings to do we've got to get

everything spray painted and things like

that cuz we are spraying this car as

well on these outside panels you've got

your doors your your wings Etc so that's

all all that um like I said there's big

big thing for this car as well once we

do get it sort of back on its Wheels Etc

um but yeah this has been a little bit

of a shorter video because I've just

been battering the the axle around the

floor as you can see from the max in the

concrete um so yeah it's um it's been a

bit of a short video so I do apologize

for that but the next one will be longer

because we're going to get onto the

front axle we're going to continue that

rear axle and hopefully get onto the

wings as well so do check out the other

videos and with that being said we'll

catch you in the next

one