'80 BMW 316 e21 in Alpinweiss

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uwbuurman
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Re: '80 BMW 316 e21 in Alpinweiss

Post by uwbuurman »

Thanks for the pics, great job done!!


It's the man next door!

1978 BMW 323i
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daman
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Re: '80 BMW 316 e21 in Alpinweiss

Post by daman »

Congratulation! Great job.
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joe14
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Re: '80 BMW 316 e21 in Alpinweiss

Post by joe14 »

Nice work, looking good!
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l3v4rt
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Re: '80 BMW 316 e21 in Alpinweiss

Post by l3v4rt »

Sorry guys for being lazy and not writing up but I've been busy on the bimmer and I'll write about that but first - it was assembly time. I'll copy the photos and words from another forum where I also share my restoration project.


The exterior of the car was put together in the workshop so I could drive home and my lights would work, only drivers seat was placed correctly, everything else was lying in the car. I live in an appartment and the parking lot was later on occupied by me but people didn't mind because I wasn't noisy and they don't complain about my car (they don't know that an exhaust upgrade is on the way after the swap :lol: ). So I placed everything on the ground and bought insolation that I needed to cut to make fit (Armaflex- fire, noise and moist ressistant). I did that and started to put the car together, than a friend came around and helped placing some stuff as well so it took a few hours and it was done.

Image

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This part was a pain the butt
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and pain the the finger
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Finished:
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After this me and my girlfriend went on a picnic and after all the food I drove the bimmer home. Driving to the picnic I had to make a few stops and mend some stuff like wire the lights correctly etc.

This is it for the restoration.. BUT WAIT; THERE'S MORE! :lol:
Stick around, another one is comming since I'm in a process of swaping the engine and there was work before that could even take place.

Thanks for reading. :)
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Jeroen
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Re: '80 BMW 316 e21 in Alpinweiss

Post by Jeroen »

Still, must have been fun to drive it, especially on the way back with less work to be done haha
Regards/groeten, Jeroen
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l3v4rt
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Re: '80 BMW 316 e21 in Alpinweiss

Post by l3v4rt »

Jeroen indeed it was!

Work continued a few weeks back when engine was removed and there was space and time to take care of the engine bay. With the motor inside there was no room and I saved this job for now when there is a swap on the way. So for the start I had to get rid off the battery box, welding the holes from where I drilled out spot welds upfront and grinding everything toget a smooth surface. There was a lot of grease and firt of all I removed all the gunk in the original paintjob then I removed all the elements inside (windscreen washing system,cables, lights etc. Then grinding begun and getting to a smooth finished. I resprayed area behind the lights and resprayes engine bay and clean all the components before fitting them back inside, cables got new insolation tape etc and after that I put sealing compound on strut towers and other places that originally had it but was in bad shape or cracked. So I'm slowly getting close of swaping the engine and getting ready for the season! :)

Here are some pictures taken by me and my friend. I have to say that it was great mood working on the car, me and a couple of friends and my girlfriend were working on it, listening to music, laugh and have great time and it truly was one of the greatest car related moments in my life, it was so relaxed and spontaneus and it truly meant a lot to me, having fun with friends shering the same passion and working late into the night - but we had beer so we weren't tired. :D

Pictures:

Before shot:
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Took care of the mask and lights background:
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Resprayed:
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Final result:
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I'm pleased as the car was painted outside the workshop and everything was more or less made my amateurs that like cars and to this as a hobby. Looking at the end result and the before picture shows contrast and really shows that details are those, that are important.

Thanks for reading!
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uwbuurman
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Re: '80 BMW 316 e21 in Alpinweiss

Post by uwbuurman »

Nice steps!! And tidy engine bay!
It's the man next door!

1978 BMW 323i
1980 BMW 528i maior restitutio
1987 BMW 325iA cabriolet
2006 BMW 320d touring High Executive
2015 BMW 320dA touring xDrive High Executive ///Msport
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Jeroen
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Re: '80 BMW 316 e21 in Alpinweiss

Post by Jeroen »

+1!
Regards/groeten, Jeroen
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joe14
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Re: '80 BMW 316 e21 in Alpinweiss

Post by joe14 »

Very nice!
I'll hopefully get mine painted too but time is against me.
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l3v4rt
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Re: '80 BMW 316 e21 in Alpinweiss

Post by l3v4rt »

After a long time I'm here to write a short update.
The car is running on m42b18 engine out of an e36 318is along with the 5speed gearbox (speedo conversion) and e36 radiator. it took some time to get all the parts and to service the engine so there are a bunch of new seals and parts (chain rail guide, sparks, new hoses, etc). Th car also got a single mass flywheel and we stripped some weight off it so it drives a bit sport like. There is a bunch of informetions out there of performing this swap so I will not go into details and write the whole process unless you guys will have any questions. The car drives much better as it did before, (the bad carburator was a killjoy). It goes well, I also did quite a few kilometers over the last few weeks (even got a speeding ticket- first one in my life) so I'll have to be carefull from now on. :driving

A few photos:

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It is a light engine and makes enough power to be fun, the car is balanced well but needs new bushes and a brake upgrade. Let me know what you guys think - I know it's not original but still I belive it is a nice choice for the e21 platform. Cheers!
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joe14
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Re: '80 BMW 316 e21 in Alpinweiss

Post by joe14 »

That's looking very tidy! well done!

How did you mount the relays to the bulk head? it looks good.
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l3v4rt
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Re: '80 BMW 316 e21 in Alpinweiss

Post by l3v4rt »

joe14 wrote:That's looking very tidy! well done!

How did you mount the relays to the bulk head? it looks good.
I'll take a photo and post it up! :wink:
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e21_lyf
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Re: '80 BMW 316 e21 in Alpinweiss

Post by e21_lyf »

this is a brilliant build!
How quick is the car with the m42b18 fitted now?
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l3v4rt
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Re: '80 BMW 316 e21 in Alpinweiss

Post by l3v4rt »

joe14 here you go:
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I assume this is the thing you were interested in? :)
e21_lyf wrote:this is a brilliant build!
How quick is the car with the m42b18 fitted now?
To be honest it goes quite well, lightened singlemass flywheel suits it and it's really responsive. I hit a drag race event for fun and my friend had e39 2.5d chipped to about 215hp and 1/4 mile I was about one or two car lenght behind and I had a bad start. So it goes quite well and it is a joy to drive since it is fast enough to keep up with the traffic and you can hoon on backroads and even do a nice slide with that happy tail :driving I think this engine is a good choice for people who don't want a racecar but still like a drivers car to have fun with and remain functional.
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joe14
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Re: '80 BMW 316 e21 in Alpinweiss

Post by joe14 »

That's the one! cheers.

I could do with finding a scrap E30 to get that panel from and attaching it in the same way,
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