79 323i from the land down under

shonks · Post by **shonks** » Fri Apr 23, 2010 8:47 am

Hi all, i've been meaning to introduce myself and car for a while now so here goes..

i'm shonks from perth in western australia, i've had my e21 since 2007. previous cars were an 85 318i sedan and a 96 328i coupe. always been a fan of the earlier models and finally at a point in my life where i should be able to devote some time to working on my e21, with all of you guys help of course!

p.s. i know jack sh*t about cars lol

a couple of weeks after i bought the car the timing belt went and i had to have the engine rebuilt

since then i have had it serviced by a mechanic a couple of times and havent actually driven it much due to not needing a car to get to work etc. also built a house in 2008 and that has sucked up most of my time but i now have time to spend on the car.

the car hasnt been running very well lately which a couple of you have pointed out is prob a vacuum leak, ive ordered a new suction hood as the current one has a few cracks in it.. also some new hose as a few bits are a bit dodgy so hopefully that helps get her back on her feet. got a new fuel filter also and will get a new air filter as well.

i would like to get a new radiator, and replace the water pump as that wasnt done at the time of rebuild, there is prob lots of other stuff that needs to be done too which you can recommend..

heres some pics for your viewing pleasure, i look forward to your thoughts etc..

shonks · Post by **shonks** » Fri Apr 23, 2010 8:48 am

and some from when it had the rebuild

petroscf · Post by **petroscf** » Fri Apr 23, 2010 9:22 am

Hi, and welcome!
The car looks very fine, and the work done in the engine bay seems to be very well done!!
The interior is lovely+comfy, ok some choices are, aesthetically, a matter of personal taste, I haven't gone this way myself but one can understand that some things have been done there in order to make the car more comfortable for everyday use and also give the dash or the seats some protection from the sun...so it's understandable..Oh, and I like your customized leather steering wheel!!
Hope that surfing in this forum will give you plenty of help in order to maintain and-why not?-upgrade your beloved car!!

shonks · Post by **shonks** » Fri Apr 23, 2010 9:33 am

thanks petroscf!

hehe come on dont you love the sheepskins and crusty dash mat??

its actually all "as is" from when i bought it.. the dash has a few cracks so i thought id keep it covered up.. the seats are cloth and im not sure what condition they are in, the guy i bought it off said they were in good condition.. i'll have to do some undressing and we can look at her in the nude so to speak

petroscf · Post by **petroscf** » Fri Apr 23, 2010 9:38 am

There are a couple of companies that can reconstruct your dash as new!!!
What is more I think they are based in Australia, which is bad for me (I would have to send them my dash-thank god not cracks yet!), but good for you...

shonks · Post by **shonks** » Fri Apr 23, 2010 9:43 am

i just checked out your pics mate, VERY NICE! it looks awesome!

and yes your dash is in mint condition! mine definitely doesn't look like that

will have to research the dash refurb option, it sounds good!

petroscf · Post by **petroscf** » Fri Apr 23, 2010 9:55 am

http://www.consoles.com.au/dashboard.htm
http://www.dashboardrestorations.com.au/index.htm
http://www.dashtop.com/

Check them...
If they are any good, please give us the feedback...oh and please also ask them how easy would it be to work with a dash from abroad

Pho21_girl · Post by **Pho21_girl** » Fri Apr 23, 2010 10:26 am

Looks very clean and nice...not too sure about the seats though lol not to my taste...

jimbob · Post by **jimbob** » Fri Apr 23, 2010 10:41 am

nice car looks like you changed the timing belt just in time

shonks · Post by **shonks** » Fri Apr 23, 2010 10:51 am

Pho21_girl wrote:Looks very clean and nice...not too sure about the seats though lol not to my taste...

thanks hannah! ok ok i'll lose the sheepskins if that will improve the appearance? but they are just so comfy when driving around in the nude lol

cheers jimbob the timing belt actually went before i had it changed

but that is in the past now!

petros, thanks for the links, those companies look to be over on the east coast of australia so im in the same boat as you.. just not as far.. i will get in touch with them though at some stage and let you know the deal..

have a good weekend everyone i'm off to the pub

Pho21_girl · Post by **Pho21_girl** » Fri Apr 23, 2010 11:14 am

Hahaha driving in the nude eh

Have a good time at the pub...i'll need a drink after my interview in a minute!

tommi_e21 · Post by **tommi_e21** » Fri Apr 23, 2010 11:15 am

naaaaaa seats are cool, leave the sheepy goodness on

petroscf · Post by **petroscf** » Fri Apr 23, 2010 11:34 am

well, as I said (wrote

) above, IMO appearance is a matter of taste, so if you like the car as is leave it!!!
I 'd like to buy a couple of large swimming pool towels in a very bright colour (Orange, Light Blue etc) and cover the Recaros during the summer, and take them off again at winter!!! I think this will look cool, and protect the upholstery as well from salt etc in case I go swimming to the sea and get in the car afterwards

Pho21_girl · Post by **Pho21_girl** » Fri Apr 23, 2010 12:13 pm

That sounds good, clever seeing as you actually can jump in the sea lol waters too cold over here!

petroscf · Post by **petroscf** » Fri Apr 23, 2010 12:19 pm

and not as desirable beaches might I add...