Thread: As was requested. The BMW Isetta 600. Start to finish.

I stopped by today to see the Isetta..... in the last six months its gotten worse. The back seat floor was in tact last time I saw it now its non existent..... going to have a hell of a time hauling it out. 3/4 of the tires are burried. They have cute little 12 or 13 inch tires on them lol.

Wow this is going to be a big undertaking.

The second and third pics are of the engine I wont know how much is salvageable until I get it home. But here's some background info on it courtesy of wiki:

Manufacturer	BMW
Production	1957–1959 34,813 built[1]
Predecessor	BMW 3/20
Successor	BMW 700
Layout	RR layout
Engine	582 cc flat twin
Transmission	4-speed manual all-synchromesh[2]
Wheelbase	1,700 mm (67 in)
Length	2,900 mm (110 in)
Width	1,400 mm (55 in)
Height	1,375 mm (54.1 in)
Curb weight	515 kg (1,140 lb) dry weight
Designer(s)	Willy Black [3]
Related	BMW Isetta

Concept, design, and engineeringBMW needed to expand its model range, but they did not have the resources to develop an all-new car with an all-new engine. Therefore, it used the Isetta as starting point for a new four seat economy car.^[4]

Right 3/4 view, with front door open and side door in view


As a result, the 600 used the front suspension and front door of the Isetta.^[3] The need to carry four people required a longer frame, a different rear suspension, and a larger engine. A new perimeter frame was designed, using box section side members and straight tube crossmembers.^[3] The rear suspension was an independent semi trailing arm design; this was the first time BMW had used this system.^[5] The chassis had a wheelbase of 1,700 millimetres (67 in),^[3] a front track of 1,220 millimetres (48 in), and a rear track of 1,160 millimetres (46 in).^[5]
The 600 was powered by the 582 cc (35.5 cu in) flat-twin engine from the R67 motorcycle/sidecar combination. This engine, which delivered 19.5 horsepower (14.5 kW) at 4,500 revolutions per minute, was mounted behind the rear wheels. A four-speed manual gearbox was standard,^[5] while a Saxomat semi-automatic transmission was available.^[6]
Access to the rear seats was by a conventional door on the right side of the vehicle.^[2][3]
Reception


The Isetta image hurt the sales of this larger, more upscale car.


The sales figures for the 600 did not meet BMW's expectations. During production from August 1957 to 1959, about 35,000 were built. This is attributed to competition with more conventional cars, including the Volkswagen Beetle.^[4][5]
Legacy


Rear view of the 600


The 600 played a direct role in the design of its successor, the BMW 700. Wolfgang Denzel, the distributor of BMW cars in Austria, commissioned Giovanni Michelotti to prepare concept sketches based on a lengthened BMW 600 chassis. Denzel presented the concept, a 2-door coupe with a slanted roof, to BMW's management. The concept was generally well received, but objections were raised about the limited passenger space. BMW decided to produce two versions, the coupe, and a 2-door sedan with a taller, longer roof.^[7]
Another legacy of the 600 was its independent semi-trailing arm rear suspension. This was BMW's first use of this suspension system and, with the exception of the BMW M1, it was used on every BMW production automobile introduced afterward up to 1984.^[5] It was eventually supplanted by the "Z-axle" multi-link suspension introduced with the BMW Z1 in 1988.^[8] The last BMW cars with semi-trailing arm suspension were the BMW Compact and the BMW Z3.^[9]

I'm estimating with my current time i can put into this that it'll be about a 15-20 year resto.

But when all is said and done it'll be worth upwards of $40k.

Those are tubed tires btdubbs

Sub'd

Originally Posted by Kolton Lock

That's very much realistic. But once you're out of school you'll probably be able to pick it up a bit

I graduate in may for collision repair technology

There will be a lot of fabrication lol.

all i have to say is wow, what a find. welcome to the world of restorations coming from my own experiences working in a Mustang restoration shop, and owning an old 1952 Ford F-1 that im currently working on. as to the others yes this is fixable, it wont be easy but its possible ive seen worse come back from the dead. what you see is only what you can see there is alot more work then what looks to be, trust me i know. the hardest part is going to be finding the parts for it as i can see its missing alot and its not a popular car that im aware of. good luck with it if you need any advice on it im always on here. i also wouldn't think of it as buying it to fix and making a profit because once you spend all the time fixing it your not gonna want to sell it lol. this is something you fix and keep around and pass it down in your family IMO.

Originally Posted by gtpeddie

all i have to say is wow, what a find. welcome to the world of restorations coming from my own experiences working in a Mustang restoration shop, and owning an old 1952 Ford F-1 that im currently working on. as to the others yes this is fixable, it wont be easy but its possible ive seen worse come back from the dead. what you see is only what you can see there is alot more work then what looks to be, trust me i know. the hardest part is going to be finding the parts for it as i can see its missing alot and its not a popular car that im aware of. good luck with it if you need any advice on it im always on here. i also wouldn't think of it as buying it to fix and making a profit because once you spend all the time fixing it your not gonna want to sell it lol. this is something you fix and keep around and pass it down in your family IMO.

Thats exactly why i'm extimating a 15 year resto. and I just looked a the second pic.... i just realized that above the engine... thats the gas tank. and its punctured. so i'm gonna try and spray it out, clean it up, and weld in a patch panel... hopefully that'll work or else finding a gas tank is going to be a ***** -.- as for the outer body I can straighten and fabricate new pieces. engine my buddies going to go through as well as the 4 speed transmission. I'm going to see if i can get someone to re-do the wiring. but like i said when all is said and done it'll be worth $30-$40k even though i'm not selling it i considered trying to sell it to danny from counts kustoms for his personal collection lol.

so you officially picked this up? who owned it some old guy? lol

id sub, but by the time this is finished if im still on a w body im probably going to have been dead due to gunshot wound to the head.
but yeah, looks like its gonna be full of frustrations. and fun.
all original correct?

Originally Posted by gtpeddie

so you officially picked this up? who owned it some old guy? lol

Not yet. Its at an abandoned farm by my fiancee's parents farm. Gotta figure out how to get it home because the elements are tearing it apart really fast six months ago it was in much better condition like I said. I'm gonna pick up a wire feed welder and start with patches and my buddy's gonna work on the engine & trans for me

Drop a hyabusa engine in it.

Originally Posted by RALM

Not yet. Its at an abandoned farm by my fiancee's parents farm. Gotta figure out how to get it home because the elements are tearing it apart really fast six months ago it was in much better condition like I said. I'm gonna pick up a wire feed welder and start with patches and my buddy's gonna work on the engine & trans for me

but how do you know they will sell it?