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After an electrical fire destroyed my last e21, I bought myself a one owner 316. It was tired but complete but at the other end of the country. I took a risk, bought it unseen and it turned up 2 days later on the back of a transporter. It was about as basic as you can get and didn't even have 5 gears and a rev counter.
Once we got the car to the workshop we stripped it back to a bare shell. We knew that the majority of the mechanical parts would be junked but we wanted to make sure every trace of rust was removed. BMW of this era are notorious when it comes to corrosion and it just made sense to do things right. Fortunately the whole shell was remarkably solid and the repairs it did need were minimal. Happy days!
I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted to achieve with this build and there were specific styling details I wanted. One of these was the twin exhaust silencers, that only the 323i were given. This meant finding myself a rotten donor car, where the rear chassis rail could be chopped out. I would have bought a new one but they are NLA, so it meant a 200 mile round trip, to stand in a field in the rain. It wasn't exactly fun but it meant I had the look I wanted.
Once the chassis rail was welded and the engine bay blasted, the repairs could be done. We also started ordering parts, like the billet diff mounts from the USA. I lost track of just how many hours were spent, sending emails and making calls, just so that I could get that elusive part or research alternatives.
I also managed to find some of the rarer parts, like the LEDA coilovers and top mounts. Much as I love e21's when it comes to performance parts, they are pretty tough to find. The e21 is a rare car in the UK, so we had to look worldwide in the search for parts. The e21.net forum and the e21 Legionnaires were crucial to the project from the get go.
Because performance was also going to be improved, the standard 316 diff was never going to cope. Fortunately we had an ex M535i LSD and modified rear beam ready to slot into place. The diff itself was rebuilt and all bushes were uprated. An Alpina adjustable rear ARB was also fitted. We have a Whiteline version for the front.
Once the engine bay was ready, I opted for BMW Fire Orange from the GTS M3.
Unfortunately, as the paint went off, it soon became clear there was a problem with the mix and the primer was still bleeding through. Gutted.
Whilst I thought about my next move, the postman brought these from the good people at Cat Camshafts. I had planned on fitting US spec M3 cams but these are a nicer alternative. Thank you Cat!
On impulse I opted for Laguna Seca blue.
NOS rear lenses arrived. I could have probably got away with using the old ones but inspired by the other builds on here, I figured I would go the extra mile - or try to anyway.
It has been a long job but next week we will be ready to start final body prep prior to painting the car. The whole wiring loom has been replaced and the old bullet type fuse box replaced. The engine will eventually be mapped live, but we will finish the cosmetic stuff first and have the interior re trimmed, with new carpets etc. The front tyres have been replaced with 205/45x15, so there is a little less stretch but we still need to have some work done to give the arches a subtle flare. The Rota alloys are staggered 8 & 9J x 15 and I am still tempted to have them done in a light anthracite, much like the wheels on the e46 M3's. There is also a Nakamichi component ICE system to go in, with Focal speakers and a Clarion active sub, that slots under the passenger seat. The seats themselves are leather and alcantara Recaro's, with a classic Prototipo steering wheel and billet gearknob. We are getting so close to the home straight now and I'm so looking forward to seeing the car painted.
I hope you like what we've done so far?
Once we got the car to the workshop we stripped it back to a bare shell. We knew that the majority of the mechanical parts would be junked but we wanted to make sure every trace of rust was removed. BMW of this era are notorious when it comes to corrosion and it just made sense to do things right. Fortunately the whole shell was remarkably solid and the repairs it did need were minimal. Happy days!
I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted to achieve with this build and there were specific styling details I wanted. One of these was the twin exhaust silencers, that only the 323i were given. This meant finding myself a rotten donor car, where the rear chassis rail could be chopped out. I would have bought a new one but they are NLA, so it meant a 200 mile round trip, to stand in a field in the rain. It wasn't exactly fun but it meant I had the look I wanted.
Once the chassis rail was welded and the engine bay blasted, the repairs could be done. We also started ordering parts, like the billet diff mounts from the USA. I lost track of just how many hours were spent, sending emails and making calls, just so that I could get that elusive part or research alternatives.
I also managed to find some of the rarer parts, like the LEDA coilovers and top mounts. Much as I love e21's when it comes to performance parts, they are pretty tough to find. The e21 is a rare car in the UK, so we had to look worldwide in the search for parts. The e21.net forum and the e21 Legionnaires were crucial to the project from the get go.
Because performance was also going to be improved, the standard 316 diff was never going to cope. Fortunately we had an ex M535i LSD and modified rear beam ready to slot into place. The diff itself was rebuilt and all bushes were uprated. An Alpina adjustable rear ARB was also fitted. We have a Whiteline version for the front.
Once the engine bay was ready, I opted for BMW Fire Orange from the GTS M3.
Unfortunately, as the paint went off, it soon became clear there was a problem with the mix and the primer was still bleeding through. Gutted.
Whilst I thought about my next move, the postman brought these from the good people at Cat Camshafts. I had planned on fitting US spec M3 cams but these are a nicer alternative. Thank you Cat!
On impulse I opted for Laguna Seca blue.
NOS rear lenses arrived. I could have probably got away with using the old ones but inspired by the other builds on here, I figured I would go the extra mile - or try to anyway.
It has been a long job but next week we will be ready to start final body prep prior to painting the car. The whole wiring loom has been replaced and the old bullet type fuse box replaced. The engine will eventually be mapped live, but we will finish the cosmetic stuff first and have the interior re trimmed, with new carpets etc. The front tyres have been replaced with 205/45x15, so there is a little less stretch but we still need to have some work done to give the arches a subtle flare. The Rota alloys are staggered 8 & 9J x 15 and I am still tempted to have them done in a light anthracite, much like the wheels on the e46 M3's. There is also a Nakamichi component ICE system to go in, with Focal speakers and a Clarion active sub, that slots under the passenger seat. The seats themselves are leather and alcantara Recaro's, with a classic Prototipo steering wheel and billet gearknob. We are getting so close to the home straight now and I'm so looking forward to seeing the car painted.
I hope you like what we've done so far?
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