After 40,000 miles of driving my 1970 BMW 2500 around southern Europe, here are some observations and notes of interest.

A constant squealing noise from two different throwout bearings was fixed by spring-loading the disengaged clutch lever with a spring taken from the accelerator pedal assembly Six cylinder owners can determine whether or not this fix will work for them by placing the car in neutral and manually moving the clutch throwout lever to the front of the car while the engine is running. If the squeal stops, devise a spring arrangement to place a similar preload on the lever.

Bosch W175T2 plugs (too hot), W225T2 (too hot) and W200T30 (short life) were all used before settling on Champion N9Ys. All plugs were used with stock ignition advance and Delta Mark lOCD unit. After two Porsches and one BMW, Champion extended tip plugs definitely get the nod before Bosch and NGK.

Britax single handed automatic inertia type belts were installed. These are excellent, being the type that lock up only upon relatively severe deceleration they normally permit complete freedom of movement. At a cost of about $20 each, they are available from Britax Ltd., Byfleet Surrey KT14 7AW, Great Britain.

I still have squealing brakes in spite of a number of reputed fixes. Think BMW should go to a floating caliper system? The original type woven fuel line doesn’t seem to last very long, so inspect it now and make plans to replace with the American neoprene type. The transistorized voltage regulator (88-6137) from J. C. Whitney at $12.98 is a perfect fit replacement for the Bosch unit. Firestone 205/70×14 tires on Remotec rims seven inches wide greatly improved the handling without degrading the ride too much. No body or chassis interference of any kind has been noted. By the way, Corvette wheel bearings fit the front of the BMW six cylinders.

Has anyone compared effectiveness versus cost in the matter of shock absorbers? SPAX adjustable shocks are quite a bit cheaper than Konis, at least here in Europe. How do they wear? Do the Bilsteins increase ride harshness?

The sixes have a severe Achilles heel for rusting at the leading edge of the hood. There is a giant crevice area all along the front edge with only two tiny drain holes toward the middle. Make sure these are always clean or you will have instant rust from the inside out. Better yet, enlarge these holes and drill additional ones. Be sure to coat the edges so rust won’t start in the holes.

Author: Steve Brenneman