Back in another bimmer - e21 build

[Dirtyhands]

Do single lights ;D

[99sil-teg]

So sold my other car today so the e21 will be going to daily duty now which also means I'll be playing with it more.

So today I got some e12 goodies for the e21. Chrome handles and chrome cranks as I'm giving this car a more classic or old car feel I've decided. Also picked up a Grant GT Wood Grain wheel which I know its not a Nardi but its way cheaper haha. Now just gotta get a hub.




I've also been looking at the front end of my car and I'm starting to lean pretty heavily towards a single headlight set up even though the dual headlights is a classic styling cue of the 3 series. Thoughts?

[99sil-teg]

What will your diving board solution be?

Temporary will be doing a tuck on the front and trimming the trim and I don't know if I'll tuck the back yet. Eventually I'll be doing euro bumpers but since those are 600+, wheels and a drop will be coming before I start looking for those. I don't really mind tucked DB's or I might remove the front one for a bit to see how it looks but I doubt I'll keep it that way. Another option is a front valance that eliminates the front bumper... I haven't gotten that far yet so I haven't finalized my plans for that yet.

[yurotrash]

What will your diving board solution be?

[99sil-teg]

cool, looks like you're going to take good care of it. I think the chrome kidneys looked better, but it looks good either way. In for more progress

Yeah the more I see pics the more I agree lol, I had two sets of kidneys but both were in poor shape in person so I'll probably track down a nice pair and put chrome back on. Its a slow build since my wife and I are in the middle of selling our current house to buy another so I'm just worried about making it nice and doing some maintenance.

[CubbyChowder]

cool, looks like you're going to take good care of it. I think the chrome kidneys looked better, but it looks good either way. In for more progress

[99sil-teg]

Got my shift knob installed today, love how it looks but I need to mess with the shift boot to make it look a little better.



Then I replaced the grills, kidneys, and washed the inside and outside of the turn signal lenses. Might end up going back to chrome once I find one in good shape. Here is a before and after.






Next up is a front bumper tuck and fixing the hood soon. Also going to rebuild the shifter soon and might go with a Z3 shifter.

[99sil-teg]

So I got a new shift knob, used oem wood one. Very pumped to get my hands on one. Also bought a couple other small things that will probably be here next week. Still waiting on o-rings to show up and probably flush the radiator this weekend as well.

[jlaffo91]

love e21's. mine had the exact same problem with idling hot and not always wanting to start. it always did it when it was already warm. never figured out what it was. looking forward to progress. sub'd.

[99sil-teg]

So far it's been just fixing stuff so nothing exciting yet.

Replaced the door latch and adjusted the door on Monday since it didn't line up due to the adjustments the PO made. Also pulled the wheels to have tires put on them. Ordered some new hoses and o rings yesterday and ordering a half shaft after work today. Also will be replacing the grill and kidneys soon since mine are cracked and I found replacements. Just trying to decide if I want to stick with chrome kidneys or paint em black.

[FunfGang]

Nice pickup Looking forward to progress.

[99sil-teg]

So I had an e30 last year which I sold (stupidly) and got another Integra. After searching for the right e21, e30 or mk1 I had just about given up but then Thursday I out of no where found one. Figured I'd introduce the car and also have a little update/build thread. If this is the wrong forum just lmk.

the old e30.



Now to the new e21.

Vehicle Info
Car's Name:
Year: 1983
Make: BMW
Model: 320i
Chasis: e21
Generation: 1st Gen 3 series
Color: Baltic Blue
Purchase Date: 5/31/2012
Purchase Location: St Joseph, MO

Drivetrain
Engine Code:
Displacement (liters):
Compression Ratio:
Wheel Horsepower:
Transmission:
Clutch:
Power Adders:
Intake:
Other Engine Mods:
Chip/ECU:

Suspension
Struts/Shocks:
Drop / FTG:
Spring Type/Rate:
Sway Bars: OEM
Other Suspension Mods:
New Lower Control Arms

Interior
Seating: OEM E21 Grey Cloth Recaros
Headliner:
Pedals:
Safety Mods:
Dash/Console:
Stereo:
– Deck
– Speakers: Polk Audio
– Amp(s):
– Players:
Other Interior Mods:
E12 Window Cranks
Swapped Black Door Cards
E28 Center Console
Momo E21 Hub
Momo Woodgrain Wheel
Hartge Woodgrain Knob
Early E21 Accordian Shift Boot
OEM Black Floor Mats

Exhaust
Brand/Type:
Downpipe:
Catalytic Converter:
Pipe Diameter:
Resonator:
Muffler:
Tips:

Exterior
Front End:
Profile:
Roof:
Boot/Hatch:
Antenna: Deleted
Lighting:
Wheels:
– offset:
– spacers/adapters:
– Tires:
Body Kit:
Shaved Parts:
Other Body Mods:
E12 Chrome Door Handles
Replaced Tailight Lenses
Front Bumper Tucked
Rear Sidemarker Lenses Replaced

Soapbox
Personality: Classy and Clean
Zip Ties: 0
Junk in the Trunk: Zero.. oh a 70's skateboard and new front shocks lol
Previous Owner:
Other cool stuff: My Simply Clean Air freshener
What do you love most: The feel of an old bimmer gives you when driving it
Future Plans: So much. Drop, Wheels, and Semi restore. Keeping it period correct as possible

1983 320i 216k







Runs and Drives pretty well, and is in pretty good condition considering its from Missouri and most everything is full of rust.

Only issues I've noticed so far is a oil leak (small one), starts getting warm after sitting at an idle for awhile (if its like an e30 I'm thinking fan clutch) and it has this weird issue with starting, sometimes it fires right up and other times it cranks for awhile... all of that will be getting checked out shortly though.

e30's have been bringing a ton around here so finding this one for what I got it for was surprising to me and I've been happy with it so far (plus I love driving it).

That was all about a week ago, Just had a latch break so I went to the yard for one plus some other goodies. So far I'm just replacing small stuff before I worry about a drop and wheels. Overall goal is to get it road ready to make the 15 hour drive to sowo next year as this year was my first time and had a blast but no car to take.

My take from my recent trip to the yard (car was pretty much all trashed sadly)