Getting things sorted in the free M20

After arriving home and unloading the engine I started to assemble all the other tools I have to move and work on it. The engine hoist is going to need some new casters and upon raising the engine I remembered that you need a set of longer bolts to actually use the stand! Quick trip to the hardware store to get heavy chain, S hooks and some good bolts....

The engine came with a old ANSA header (BW 1781?) for the 323i. It's still solid except for the very end where it attached to the center pipes/ resonator. That can be fixed. Fan clutch is good, but only for my '80 not the '82. The alternator appears fried since it's not able to be spun, but maybe salvagable. Plug wires appear to be the BavAuto set. Not a bad haul and it has some potential. The oil pan took a good solid hit at some point.

Road trip to MA for the Baby 6

Finally worked out the details of retrieving that M20 engine with the injection system and headers from ToddK via Bookman, both fellow Legionnares. It's a drive, but that's what the night is for, right? 5+ hour drive one way. Thanks to my wife for understanding that this insanity is all part of having an E21. Although she did ask me to never do this again. "But honey, it's free." is flying this time.... probably not next time.

Photos to arrive soon. Wow, that was fast!

One step closer....

I spent about 16 hours clearing out the garage and getting things all set up for the arrival of "Trixie", my 1980 323i. It took a great deal of effort from me and my better half but it was completed at about 12:30 am on Sunday.

I also managed to grab about 100 ceiling tiles for installing on the garage ceiling and also bought a 3 TON engine hoist for $75. Yeah, that's for the M20 engine I'm getting for free this week. Wahoo!

Getting Ready for Trixie's Homecoming....

The garage has been undergoing some modifications to provide enough room inside to bring the '80 323i home. Before I started redoing the garage, I took care of the rust issues on the '82, namely the rear wheel area where someone did a botched bondo job. Here are pics of the work done on Pixies rear end....

Georgian Bay? No, Gettysburg.

I've postponed by Georgian Bay Part 2 post for a great road trip I made with my #1 son, Alex. We decided that this trip would be a great time to take it easy, have some fun and just relax. We had a family gathering in Baltimore, so it was a good chance to take off and enjoy ourselves a bit and see if a family trip could be made with zero stress.

Alex was the photographer on this trip. He's got an early shot of the E21 shadow on the 17 downstate NYS. He also got a shot of the old man driving through the PA countryside. I managed to swipe the camera and get a shot of the photographer! Ha! Eating a giant cookine no less.

I can tell you, there's nothing like making the drive part of the trip. It is so much better not rushing and taking in all that the road puts in front of you. We had a blast in the E21.

We made our way down Route 15 and stopped at Perkins (happened to park next to a red E30 convertible!) to have breakfast before the last stretch to Gettysburg.

These shots are of the time we spent at the new museum and the battlefield. More later. Along with the part 2 of the Georgian Bay trip....

Getting Home Base in Shape

I've been working on the garage the last month of weekends to get into shape for both the E21's.

I managed to pick up two tool boxes and tear out all those cubbies that did nothing to help stow tools or parts. I also scored a Vermont Castings Defiant wood stove to help heat the place while I work.

Almost there! I can see the floor!

Canadian Road Trip 2: Georgian Bay!

After a sucessful road trip in July and a nice local car show (Geneva's Crusin Night 11) that somehow dodged the rain drops yet again, it was time to take a trip up to Georgian Bay to visit with CedarCoast again and to see a waterfront development named (coincidentally) Cedar Ridge.

Photos above show the "top of the block" position for Trixie and the Mini. The 82' 323i was the only one to make it (Pixie is still in back of my office awaiting resusitation). The crowd grew to over 6K by 7pm. Got a few compliments and lots of "that's not an E30, right? What is it?"

This road trip took place in early August and showed just how rusty I was travelling Toronto way with avoiding traffic and all that. The day started out at 80+ degrees F and went up from there. No A/c and only the wind to help cool me kept things interesting! All that stimulus money shows on the NYS Thruway, when you can actually drive on it. Soo mooth.. Full tank o gas (55 litres, please!) and a shot of the Grand Island Bridge north of Buffalo.

Got across the border and headed on the QEW towards Toronto and points north. I hit Toronto during the afternoon (bad idea!) and missed my exit, winding up on the Don Mills Pkwy. Anyone who knows this areas KNOWS not to use the Don Mills. Crap! A 2-1/2 hour crawl in HOT weather and then rain. Did I mention no a/c? Oh yeah, my defogger don't work so well, either. All part of the E21 charm! I got so bored with waiting I took a reflection shot of the E21 in a tractor's metal side panels.

I managed to get back to the 404 north and started making good time until a paving truck decided to catch fire and the monsoon downpour stopped everyone just south of Barrie. A 4 hour trip turned into a 7 hour one.

Next Post Part two: the arrival in Kilworthy (home to CedarCoast) and the visit to Cedar Ridge in Georgian Bay.

Road trips to Kingston and then Georgian Bay, Ontario...

I got a chance to meet up with my old friends at CedarCoast Homes and talk some shop and future ventures in the timber framing end of things. The first trip was an invite to an open house for a client of ours who built their new summer place north of Kingston. The last 2kms was on a narrow gravel road. Trixie is not made for off-roading but did just fine. I took this trip on July 11, there and back about 190miles each way.

No, this isn't my car. I spotted this guy on the NYS Thruway with a Scion covered in all sorts of stuff.

I got my "pink" ticket for the Thruway (toll machine broke). From there I drove over to Kingston, hooked up with my contact at Cedar Coast and we headed up to the lake house. The stone driveway was a 10mph, seemingly never-ending trip through the woods. The last shot is of the inside of the house. I spent a dinner there and headed back home. I forgot about really late night summer driving: bugs!!!! Holy crap, some of those things were as big as bats and waay too juicy. Lots of scrubbing the next day...

More on the next road trip to Georgian Bay on the next post.

Wow, life does go by fast!

My last post was months ago but if you've been following www.bimmerforums.com you'd see me there under midlifebmw in the 3 series section.

Lot's of things have been accomplished. Among them are: swapping the rear diff, again! Salvaging the remaining decent parts off of the red E21 before the final curtain call in the scrapper; Travelling up to Georgian Bay on a HOT August weekend; getting a chance to replace the water pump and clean up the front end of the engine bay, finally installing the TopDec rear strut brace and battery relocation kit, and making final plans for the new air intake kit.

Follow the next few posts for each item. I'll try to keep it in order....

It's been a while!

Summer is here and the continued effort to move the '80 323i into the garage at home is actively underway! The garage is nearly cleared out after our MAJOR garage sale and the place is just about ready to receive the "twins".

This move will be accomplished with the confirmation that our house will be finished sometime this month (on the outside) and so that spending will show that I'm not spending all my money on the cars. At least that's the theory. More later!

New Exhaust: Sweet sounds Abound.

AH! Finally managed to install a new set of exhaust components on the '82 323i! A client and I bartered a bit for the work and the result was just fantastic! The pics show the end result with a coating of flat, high-temp paint on as much of the rear pipes and mufflers as I could. Gotta clean up the chrome tips but otherwise the car sounds so much better. Maybe I'm crazy but it appears that the performance (rpms vs. speed) improved a bit. Backpressure? Now I can step on the gas without having to rabidly upshift to keep it quiet.

The next order of business is heading up to Eksten Autoworks for a look at the LSD. She's makings some mettalic brushing noises under load and all signs lead to a pinion bearing. Hope I can get her totally quieted down. Now that the exhaust is so quiet, you can totally hear that noise.

On a side note, my crappy cd player is dying. Not bad news really. It was a hack install anyway, so it will be good to get it out and a better system installed and the center panel brought back to original condition. That's another post.

Visiting Old Friend @ the Pick 'n Pull

Lunchtime today consisted of an adlib visit to Trout's Auto Recyclers in Waterloo. This is where the 2 E21's were sent after being sacrificed on the marital alter. I never got to pull all the new pieces that I had installed, especially those two NEW wing panels on the red one. I stopped in, parked out front and proceeded to walk with toolkit in hand to claim what was once mine.
I was told there was no inventory to speak of, just go in and look. So there was no way to tell if they were even there or scrapped. After walking all the way to the back, I found the white one. Just about in the shape it was in back in September.... Motorsport wannabe stripes and all. I pulled the heater fan switches and other stuff I knew I could use. Couldn't get under it to pull the fuel pump or the diff. I think I'll go back and get the hood as a trophy....

Okay, I was pretty dissapointed to find only the white one. I started to think that the red one got pulled and scrapped, but after spending some time with this one I started walking around again. Figured I'd have to walk out anyway so why not do some sightseeing.

About 20 cars away on the west side of the back lot I found this......

Found her. Sad to see, but at least I got some more useful parts out of it and the new wing panels from WandN I bought!

I strapped them together and walked out and paid for my parts ---- a second time. Now I'm thinking I may get the doors for the '80 323i.... I spent soooo much time grinding and redoing those doors.

All parts into the 323i truck and gone, for today.

NEW E21 Commercial

Here's a new BMW commercial featuring the E21!!! 34 Years in the Making!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cJEiBhNXKQ&feature=youtube_gdata

Enjoy!

The Slooooow Revival Efforts

It's been about 3 weeks or so since last posting. I've been slowly acquiring pieces for my effort in reviving the '80 323i. I just received the reinforced fuel line from the UK for the larger diameter lines. "We only have 3/8" line, sir" all the auto places would say. "Oh, you want metric..." Like does anyone understand we're in the 21st century for crying out loud??? Maybe this delay is just my way of avoiding redoing all the brakes....

HA!

A Nice Day at Watkins Glen....

Well Saturday was the best weather day out of the weekend. The family piled in both cars (the E21 and the minvan). Guys in the E21 and girls in the van. We were late, so we booked it down 14 South and passed a yellow Alpha Romeo that was pretty ticked with us. Oh well, gotta get to the track on time!

We got to the track, signed in and waited and waited until our turn on the track. The 323i was the only E21 represented at the track. Shauer had thermostat issues and couldn't make it at the last minute. While waiting I got several comments on the E21 from, "hey, my dad used to have one of those" to "man, I haven't seen one of those before". Don't really know how to take that, but I took it positively and next thing I know, we're strapping in and proceeding onto the track. I was nearly last in line, so far away from the pace car.

Everyone behaved very well and taking a few laps on a road track is certainly interesting. I had some good company: a silver 2006 M5 and a late model Mustang in back. We managed to get up to some respectable speeds, but never passed. That's a BIG no-no here.

The entire team was along for the ride and did really well. Wait until next year. I hope the twins can get on the track. It would be a blast to have 2 323i's on the track.

That just aint right!

While reinstalling the new fuel sender and making preparations for the restart on the '80 323i, there were two fuel line hookups unaccounted for. I reinstalled the same way I took it out, but I noticed two lines without any fuel lines attached.

After trying to restart the car, it was discovered that the PO had done some work to the fuel lines and some replumbing was done. This resulted in the hardlines to and back from the distributer in the engine bay not being connected. Good way to not get fuel to the engine. Now with the new fuel pump/ regulator showing up, that will be a good time to retrace just where the mix up occured.

Let's see, fuel tank to sender to fuel pump/ regulator to fuel filter to distributer back to the tank? Wait, that still leaves a couple of hook ups left over (the one on the sender). Plumbing should be easier than electric. Follow the flow....

Getting Closer. I can feel it....

The '80 323i has been slowly coming back with the new fuel sender, gas, oil change and filter, radiator fluids, fuel filter, etc. I even pulled the plugs, shot WD-40 down the cylinders and cleaned the plugs.

Got into the car after pulling the intake boot and shooting carb cleaner in it. Started the car and it fired up for a second!!! WHAHOO! Now I know it's a fuel delivery issue. Got a new used fuel pump and regulator coming this week. That should be the last bit I need to get the engine running. Glad to smell some exhaust fumes today!

Calling all E21 Legion Members!!!

I want to invite my fellow E21 Legion members to our 11th annual Cruising Night in Geneva, NY. The heart of the Finger Lakes region on a hot July night of food, music and cool rides on display in downtown Geneva. Last year saw over 6K people viewing the cars on display. BMW needs a respectable showing here!

Spring is Coming....

Well the new parts for the '80 323i arrived this week. I now have the parts needed to get the car started (I hope). Among them were the new headlight switch, oil filter, fuel filter and the fuel sender. Now the next steps are to pull the spark plugs, change the oil, change out the radiator fluid and fuel filter.

It would be so nice to get this one running! A major victory for the Greymarket Divison. The tank vacuum worked great. My only gripe was the constant fixing of the silicone tubing from bending and preventing me from completely sucking out all the fluids/ solids. I did the best I could and managed to vacuum out about 5 gallons of fuel from the tank. It was really nothing but varnish at this point.

Here is a link to the photos of the vacuum setup using a common 3 gallon tank, silicone tubing and a houshold vacuum cleaner.

http://picasaweb.google.com/d.r.long08/ProjectE21Part2#5451556545696768722

Part by Part....

I managed to pick up a new fuel sender for $120 less than I expected. www.svauto.com . It was for the E21 320i up to 1977, but it fits the 323i just fine. That's one for the '80 323i. I also managed to swap out the oil in the LSD in the '82 and it seems to have helped a bit. Some of the noise died down and now it sounds as if the rear wheel bearings may be part of the problem.

I travelled to Elmira the other day and took the '82 to see if I could figure out the noise. Well, despite the LSD noise, I managed about 30-1/2 miles to the gallon!! That's with upshifting, not gunning it and having a pretty straight route to the destination. Not too bad for a 28 year-old car!

Chasing the Ghost: Electrical fixes

The parts came in and I replaced the headlight switch to see if that helped. It did. I managed to turn on the dash lights, headlights and get things working to some degree. The defroster switch still needs replacing (bet I have that in my garage somewhere...) and the newly-refurbed hazard is still giving my issues. When I activate it, it doesn't work.

By the way, I accidentally hit the starter with the key and the car lurched forward about a foot. Guessing the starter is in good shape. Good thing that I managed to vacuum out the gas tank before doing that.

I cannot wait until the weather improves and I can revive this car.

Lunchtime mechanic, part ?

Today was the day to finally siphon out the fuel tank and the setup went something like this:
1) metal canister (one used for deck sealer, with the screw top spout on the lid); 2) 3/8" diameter tubing (silicone, clear. about 6 feet); 3) a 3/8" spade drill bit and hammer; 4) regular household vacuum cleaner with hose attachment.

First step, punch a hole in the canister lid at the opposite end of the spout. Hammer the bit and rotate and repeat until you get a decent hole that is TIGHT for the hose. Second step, detach the flex hose from the vacuum attachement and screw it into the spout of the canister lid (may need tape to complete the seal). Both hoses should only go in as far as needed to complete the seal and prevent them from pulling out.

Insert silicone hose into access hole of fuel tank and turn on the vacuum. The siphon action keeps the gas from entering the vacuum and allows you to use the clear hose to suck out the tank and sediment.

I had about 2-1/2 to 3 gallons and now I am waiting until the tank settles a bit before pulling out any more. The E21 tank is really 2 tanks, so the best spot to pull the fuel out is right at the low-point or exactly where the sending unit goes.

The fuel ranged from yellow to dark brown (with nasty bits in it!). It was interesting to see the consistency of the fuel the farther down I got in the tank. I can only imagine the damage done if this was allowed to be sucked into the fuel lines!!

Okay, break time over! Back to work!

From 0 to 180.... dollars.

This lunchbreak included finally pulling out the fuel suction unit. One contact for the fuel gauge broke off, but was fixable and upon pulling the unit the sweet smell of VARNISH met my nose. Gas is not supposed to be brown. Well, it's not exactly brown but a dark yellow color. The expensive issue is that the units filter screen is totally ripped and the intake is also gummed up with some sort of tar-like substance. This is NOT going back in.

Add to the shopping list: 1) Bavarian Auto Fuel Sending Unit - $179.00, 2) some new high-pressure hoses to fix the ones damaged by previous repairs - $20.00, 3) not having to fix an entire fuel/ injection system -- priceless.

Pelican Parts is already sending the fuel filters, oil filters, o rings, light bulbs and a partridge in a pear tree next week, so what the heck. This will give me time to think about how I'm going to remove 3 gallons of nasty gas out of the tank and clean it.

Until next lunch hour!

Lunch hour mechanic

With the weather still not cooperating, I spend about 1/2 an hour with lunch and then the next 1/2 hour just trying to get familiar with the '80 323i. The dash has been wiped down (not a crack in it!!) and cleaned. The headlamp switch is shot and totally frozen up, so Ebay and $15 bucks later one is being shipped to me.

Today's break was spent crawling around the backseat (still the catty smell, but it's dissapating) and pulled out the rear bench to get at the Kraftstoffbehalter und leitungen. Or for you non-deutsch speaking volk -- the fuel tank and lines. Specifically the fuel suction unit. That's my best bet at seeing what's in the gas tank and getting it out. I've got a 16 gallon wet/dry vac and there should only be about 3 gallons in the tank, plus who-knows-what-else!!

Anyone interested in knowing what 3 year-old gas looks like???

I also shopped PelicanParts and ordered a new oil filter (for a 1986 E30 325i), fuel filters for both cars, lots of new hose clamps (non-crimping type, I hate the crimping ones), 12v bulbs and the ever-important fuel suction O rings for resealing the tank once I have triumphed in removing and cleaning out the fuel tank.

More on this later.

Battery or Goodery?

That was the question posed to me by some old guy at the auto parts store. I just stopped in and am completely shocked at the battery prices being asked now! $124 for a regular E21 battery??? WTF? Dude, I just want something to check the electronics on my car. Thankfully, the guy behind the counter took me in back and found a battery for $35! so that I could just use it for checking the 323 out.

I got it back to the lair and installed it (it is too tall, but for now it's fine for what I'm using it for) and of course the HAZARD SWITCH IS BROKE! They should sell these by the dozen! I can't check anything unless I push it in juuuust right to allow the clock to turn on and it's fun to see what the clock reads each time you push it in: 5:40, 30:90, 30:50, etc. what time is 30:50 anyways?

The fuel gauge reads 20 litres, YIKES! 20 litres of rotten, old, nasty gas to siphon out! That's going to be fun!! I have to do it if I want to restart this bad boy.

As for the switches, I'll check into my parts reserve to see what I've got. Maybe I still have the switch from the white E21 to put in....

My Wife is Better Than I am...

It takes a big person to make someone else feel better, even after you've really felt that the other has really been an a**hole. Right? Well, that's just what my wife did today. After being really mad at me taking another 3-4 hours getting the car, she let me know that it's not about the Bimmers (thank goodness!). Whew! Now, this does not mean I can go out and buy more 323i's, so don't start contacting me about another lost one in a barn or garage somewhere! My wife's had enough of my pulling out BMW's from garages/barns in non-starting condition!!!

This is my escape, my hobby. Although it's sometimes frustrating and takes time, it's something that allows me to stop thinking about everything else and get a breather.

I love my wife.

Rescue Completed.

Well it finally happened! After several false starts and hurdles, the car dolly was hooked up on Saturday night and on Sunday I spent 6 hours on what should have been a 3 hour tour. I didn't feel right taking the car dolly on the Thruway and so that tacked on about 2 hours of added time and figure in the 2 hours it took to prep and get the 323i on the car dolly itself. Not to mention the ad-lib storage area issue. It's here now.

The van did just fine towing the car, it was driving with just to dolly that was pretty hair-raising. The darn thing kept wanting to go left and it even shimmied the back of the van while doing it. Once the E21 was on it, that problem went away. Glad to have it close by, now to rub the sore muscles out. Yes, the fit was VERY tight getting inbetween the buildings!

Out of Sight, Out of Mind- Part 3

Matt at my office suggested that if I'm having such a hard time finding a place to store the second 323i, I should just park it in the spot behind by office. We have a small 16'x 12' area with a concrete slab and just about totally surrounded by buildings in back and so we checked out the only open area to squeeze the 323i into and you know what, it just may fit!!! Thanks for the E21 being so small! The car is about 5'9" wide and thats about 4" narrower than the opening to the back area. I guess instead of trying to put the car in at my home garage and incurring the rath of my better half, I can securely store it in back of my building and gate off the opening.

Logo base graphic property of BMW AG and/or it's affiliates.

Cleaning up the garage

Well finding a home for the second 323i wasn't hard, just finding one that's not $90/ month is. I don't see the sense in paying so much just to stow this car when I paid so little for it. I do have room in the garage, but this will require some clearing out of "schtuff" from the bay that housed the first E21 (that white one with the sporty paint job).

Now, where am I going to put all of this stuff?

Stage One Rescue Efforts Underway

Today marked the time for visiting the 323 in Syracuse and getting a few things out of the way prior to the towing. One: swap out the tires and install a set of new ones, two: replace windshield. An hour-and-a-half later the tires are on and the windshield placed and ready for install. The tarp and brick method didn't keep cats out. There was a big gray and white tomcat sitting in the car when we pulled the tarps off... please don't use this as your litter box!

The mildew is certainly a factor as you can see by the interior shots. This will require a good cleaning to get back in shape. I brought a jack and good thing Tom has a low-profile jack because mine would not get under the E21 with all the flats! We managed to jack it up under the front sway bar brackets to get the front tires on and get to the rear control arms in back to install the rears. One point made me nervous: the right rear brake disc was missing. The wheel just hits the caliper when there is no disc installed, but we found it in the trunk.

Now for installing the Class 3 hitch on the van and off we go!!

It's in the mail. No, really.

The funds went out to the 323i owner, but the post office has decided the Priority Mail is just a relative term. The letter went all over the eastern seaboard and is now heading to where it should have been days ago... for no additional charge.

My next step is to formulate a plan to get the car out of it's current location. The tires are all flat, the car hasn't been started in years, so the BIG items will be to do a tire swap (still have the set of snow tires from the 320!), drain/ refill the fluids including the gas tank. The gas in there has to be pretty damn scary. The windshield also needs installing since a big ice chunk from the house fell and took it out and the hood. Brake fluid, battery, boy this is getting expensive...

This may take a couple of trips to retrieve. I am not imagining that I can just fix and drive this car out of the garage, but that would be sweet.