1st / 2nd gear noises

[Southernboy]

I have read quite a few complaints about the "noises" coming from the rear when accelerating and particularly in 1st and perhaps even more so in 2nd gear. Although a lot has been said on the subject with diff mounts cracking and spot welds dislodging.I have been having the same issue. And thanks to this forum, I have managed to elliminate all the real and speculative issues listed here.
Needless to say, nothing seemed to resolve the problem, until it occurred to me that it might be something so common and insignificant that ordinarily we wouldn't consider even going there.
Well, her's the rub....I had a pretty harsh "rumble" that I could feel through my butt as I hit the gas in second. Seems it got worse when things warmed up a little... now that said, the cause had to be where heat was generated.... Ho !! I decided to check the hand brake settings, but before I even went there, I drove up to about 10/15 mph and pulled abruptly on the hand brake lever. I kept the release button depressed so that it didn't lock up the wheels. So, I kind of "jerked it up" and released immediately. An audible mettallic "clank" was heard. But guess what...the problem went away immediately!! I took my car off to my mechanic, and he being a BMW fundi, said that the hand brake issue was very common on BMW's.. Seems that when the rear drum/disc heats up, the brake shoes that actuate the hand brakes may, if set too close to the drum wall, heat up and become "sticky" and if the drums are a tad worn as mine are, then they will "grab intermittently" and cause the problem So, if you're having a similar issue, try it out and see if it resolves the problem. You can double check by doing the same excercise by reversing and hitting the hand brake. This should place the brake shoes in a position where they cause the problem!! We all know that under normal conditions, when we stop and apply the hand brake, the car "travels" a bit before the brake engages. If you're doing this on a hill facing up the slope, it will roll back that fraction and displace the shoes into the "unwanted" position and which seems to be the position which causes the problem. I will be fitting new rear discs and shoes and pads when the current disc pads need replacement, and hopefully it will be years before I have to face the same problem.