project #2. bmw e21 build thread

[1badg35]

alright, so after a frustrating day, decided to take the afternoon easy and put some time into the e21. test fitting some wheels on her to see color combinations, and how we like the different wheels that are going to grace her for a short time.

I started with the RS set that i am building. Trying to go aggressive but still drivable, and once the car is dumped even more, these things could look sick..

color is a custom lightened porsche macademia metallic center, conical cap, 3" lip, 24k gold bolts. wheel is 16x9.







swallows those lips up



yep, thats a 3" stepped lip



love this color. mmmm



I absolutely love it, but Joey doesnt really love RS on the e21, and it is his project car, so we started on the next set
the ARE set. these are the wheels that we will be putting on the e21 first, so we tried a few things to see the color schemes: 16x8 et-5 all around

brushed center, black windows, polished lip (yet to be polished)



nah, we both said it was blah.. so time to move on

pastel creme centers, polished lips



yep this may be a keeper. Joey checking it out to see how well the wheel fits.



then a similar color, but more metallic. wheel looks really good by itself, but on the car, the colors dont work that beautifully..



more to come..

[chik-n-little]

Once your air suspension is situated those rims should sit nice

[1badg35]

yeah, the car is already low (not that you can tell from these recent pics) but airing this thing out will certainly swallow up any of these wheels.

now to figure out how to shim the camber in the rear so that we can bring it back a little closer to -2. its over -3 at the moment, but there isnt much need for it at the present time. which either means one of two things= lessen camber or bigger lips

[DDM]

This is coming along very nicely!
I'm interested to see how you are going to get the front very low, because your control arms wil interfere with the subframe before you're really low... I'm having that very problem right now.

[Volvosome]

i really like the color and the direction this car is going

[1badg35]

at the present time, we are attempting to figure out the components needed for the air suspension fab/install.

looking to keep the air system on a tight budget, as this is the budget build. looks like UAS front bags on koni struts, and airlift rear sleeve over strut combo. and then some welding and bracket making.

looking for a new/used tank, and used vair compressor if anyone has any leads to one for sale or for a a good price. keeping the management to manual valves, and then just have to start planning the lines, fittings, and possible hard lines for the trunk.

[Bra1nl3ss]

Love where this is going I'll keep an eye on this thread.

[1badg35]

quick one of the e21 from some sunday cruising today with buddies. Buddy Mikes VR-T corrado, and the e36 M that my buddy walt and I have been putting serious time on lately. I completed the set of wheels, and we did some extensive fender work in the garage to make them fit like a glove.

e21 is undergoing some changes immediately. air suspension and wheels are in process..



oh and some rollers i had a great time hanging out the e21 window taking..

[1badg35]

on the car tomorrow

[MartinsElerts]

Great Wheel choise!
Pop-out rear windows look awesome!

[Jroc]

I need a pre1984 BMW in my life

[340i]

now to figure out how to shim the camber in the rear so that we can bring it back a little closer to -2. its over -3 at the moment, but there isnt much need for it at the present time. which either means one of two things= lessen camber or bigger lips

you know you can buy weld-in rear camber (or toe) kits aye? from memory a place called Ireland Engineering make them, among many others. quite popular in the 2002 community too. or if its really budget build, slot the subframe to adjust camber, figure out exactly where you want it set up geometry wise, then weld in some beefy washers to set the new geometry. a few hours and a few dollars later and you're good!

[tdilynch]

yeah, the car is already low (not that you can tell from these recent pics) but airing this thing out will certainly swallow up any of these wheels.

now to figure out how to shim the camber in the rear so that we can bring it back a little closer to -2. its over -3 at the moment, but there isnt much need for it at the present time. which either means one of two things= lessen camber or bigger lips

You can make some plates with slots and weld them on to the rear beam where the trailing arm mounts.
Or
You can also remove the rear beam's rubber bushings and weld in steel plates with shorter posts which in return will raise the beam entirely and will help correct negative camber.

[e12anthonee]

This is so bad! i love the E21, not as common as the E30, an the E21 just flows way better

[E21uro]

so awesome!! in for updates