Fausto's E21

[oc_nightmare]

Hi there,
Im Diogo from Portugal, i'm 23 years old and i recently fell inlove with old BMWs driving style
this is not my first bmw but it is indeed my first E21



I bought it a few days ago for a nice price but it has quite a lot of work to be done and i'm here to seek for help on knowledge and perhaps some parts

It is the '82 316 1.8 but the 1.8 was very tired and the previous owner had a 315 layin there and swapped the engines, so, im running with only 75hp... it is quite an economical engine though, but i suspect the rings or cylinders are pretty much over as it smokes a lot. Also, i just hate these piece of **** pierburg carburetors as i had one on my ex-polo 86c gt and no one dared to fiddle with it this one is going on hte same way, the car has a pretty rough idle and doesnt run well until half throttle.

Anyway, i like driving it very much and can't wait to get a new 2.0 M10 engine on it and start killing the rusty bits

More pics to come

[oc_nightmare]

I have posted a new thread on the wanted subforum for the parts ill need for this restoration

http://www.bmwe21.net/forum/viewtopic.p ... 483#115483


Any help is welcome

[Pho21_girl]

Look forward to the pics and updates, hope you're keeping it white

[tommi_e21]

white cars are the best

[oc_nightmare]

Sure im keeping it white, i just love white E21's in the way you have to close your eyes when approaching them when its sunny so you dont go blind

anyways, i know it has been done, but i really wanted your help. I found a RHD 500euro carbureted E12 528 car and i was thinking on a M30 swap. As i want to keep my E21 LHD, what can i swap between the two cars and what cant i? What will i need? Does the subframe bolt on the E21? what about the suspension, gearbox and rear diff?

I really like the m30's chain driven camshaft

[Pho21_girl]

white cars are the best

Sure im keeping it white, i just love white E21's

Couldn't agree more ...the guys will help with the technical stuff lol...

[oc_nightmare]

For now i guess im going to stick with the M10, i think that on the E21 chassis it just "feels right" with lots of space to work on it im going up to 2.0 though

anyways, this was how the old front bumper was:


sharkface


the "new" bumper gives a new fresh look to the car i wonder if there is something i can do to prevent this one from slowly getting like that old one was


i just love this face


out with the leaky radiator


"new" one, already painted by me


i've already bought a tacho for 4-pot, do you know if there is a guide on how to apply on the cars that came with the big clock? i just bought the rev counter

[oc_nightmare]

thanks for the help



i got the rev counter working but i have no idea on how to sort out the digital clock... no need though


next, 2.0 M10

[oc_nightmare]

The 2.0 M10 engine is finally in place and working but now i have a problem... As the new engine didnt come with a starter motor, i used the one that was in the old 1.6 but soon after, even though i replaced the batery, the starter doesnt have the strenght to spin the crank fast enough to start the engine

What are my options now? Any help would be much appreciated

[e21-Mark]

Check the earths! The earth on the battery but also the earth strap from the engine block.

[dannyboy]

does this only happen when the engine is warm??? if so a bigger battery is needed.

[oc_nightmare]

I'm using a new 60amp batery, but i'll check the earths then it happens everytime i start the engine.

If not, should i rebuild the starter motor or get a new one? And from what engine?


Cheers

[e21-Mark]

I had exactly the same problem when the earth strap had snapped at the block mounting. It still turned over, but with such a poor earth the current was all being drained away from the ignition system by the starter, which turned slower than it should have.

[oc_nightmare]

finally after having the car stopped for almost a year, i decided to start the resto what kind of metal sheet do you guys use for te rot holes? 0.5mm? steel?
this is how it looks in the back, the front is a little bit better:


besides, i have a complete M30B35 with injection nearby for 350€ that just needs two pistons (it is already disassembled), can you give me some nice reasons to let it go instead of jumping in to buy it? i kinda already have a 2.0 M10 in the car that's not running right with the old piece of junk carb (at least i think it is from the carb) and i didn't want to go wild spending money on the M10 to end up banging my head against the wall knowing that i could have gone for a better engine for less €€€.

[oc_nightmare]

making the first steps on tig welding


rot cut out


soon i'll start adding new metal to the chassis