Barn find

[Retrokipper]

Hi all, my name is Pj & I’m new to the BMW space.
On Friday of last week I towed home an ultimate barn find.
1981- 320i, Safari beige, 122k km, 1 owner from new, original paint and completely stock.
It had been sitting up on jack stands since the year 2000. The layer of dust was thick.
Gave it a rinse and it came up extremely well.
Fortunately, when it was parked in 2000, it was running fine with no issues whatsoever.

The project to get it turning over begins.

My plan is to drain it of fuel, install new fuel filter & fresh premium fuel.
Drain old oil and replace with fresh stuff. Previous owner was using 20w50.
New spark plugs. While old plugs are out, I plan to use some fogging oil to help lubricate the rings. Once that has had time to sit, I’ll hand turn it a couple of times to make sure nothing is ceased.
Inspect belts and go for ignition.

Any tips & advice is greatly appreciated.

Pj.

[Jeroen]

Welcome here Pj! Sounds like a great find, finding a completely original E21 40 years after they stopped producing them really is something special!

It sounds like you're already approaching things with care. A few thoughts:
- definitely replace all fluids, so including coolant and brake fluid
- brake calipers may be seized after so many years
- warm her up carefully, perhaps do not go all the way at once
- leaking hoses are likely, fuel or coolant for example
- hydraulic clutch system may be leaking
- careful not to push the brakes to the bottom, pressurize the system with small pedal steps, may keep you from ruining the brake master
- 20W-50 oil feels a bit like overkill, I think I'd try a classic spec 10W-40 first, preferably with a higher ZDDP value to protect the camshaft a bit

Good luck, and we hope you can share some pictures at some point!

[Wilmo]

Days before cranking the engine, put something lubrication on top of the cylinders, through the spark plug hole. Directly before cranking, disconnect spark and fuel. Look whether everything moves. Connect the spark, check for function. Connect the fuel, but not in the cylinder yet... Look whether fuel comes out and let the system rinse.

Better take a check worth half an hour extra, before it becomes a half years project

[nic65]

some pictures?

[Retrokipper]

Hey guys, thanks for your responses. Noted on all above.
Thankfully all wheels and brakes are free, it was up on stands and stored indoors. Handbrake was even down, can you believe it? I haven’t touched the brake pedal yet, have stayed away until I get pressure in the system.

I’m very new to forums and I’ve no idea how to attach photos, apologies. When I find out how to post photos, I will share them. I have everything documented. Including a really satisfying video of rinsing the dust off lol.

Where is my best bet to start gathering parts? I called BMW last week and they could only offer me an oil filter.

Totally agree on the take the extra half hour approach. Super grateful to find this car in its condition, I will do whatever it takes to make sure it’s done properly.

I should mention, I’m currently in Canada, will be moving to Ireland next year. The car will be exported with me.

[Wilmo]

At least in Europe, the dealer can be of help, but you need to ask specificly for part numbers. I use www.bmwfans.info for my part numbers.

Take a look at M539 Restorations at Youtube, he has done some work on the E21 and maybe it can be of inspiration to you.

https://www.bimmerworld.com/ might be a good starting point for parts.


Here we have a little guide for attaching media:
viewtopic.php?t=15956

[Retrokipper]

Finally got to upload some photographs to Imgur, here’s the link.

[Jeroen]

Sadly I can't see anything, could be me, or perhaps privacy settings?

[Retrokipper]

Really? It’s saying it’s on public from my end.
I’ll drop the link again, if that doesn’t work I’ll try a different platform.

[Jeroen]

Working perfectly now, thanks! Looking really good indeed, love the interior too, rare colour!

[polov8]

Hmmm, not working for me, just get a big blank page.

[Retrokipper]

Not sure if those pics are working or not. Regardless, super excited to get started. I will post progress updates when they are ready.

[nic65]

molto bella,fantastica la combo colori,la mia preferita