Jackrabb1t's '77 320i "Restomod"

[MortyCrock]

I have finally assembled all the main metal Euro bumper pieces. This has been quite the project. The pieces have come together from Colombia, Croatia, Germany, and Colorado. Still have to acquire the rubber bits and some miscellany hardware. If I ever get into a fender bender I'm going to cry.

dang, that's quite an adventure! If you haven't already discovered them, https://www.wallothnesch.com, has most of the hardware and bumper strip, still brand new. I need new hardware for my Euro bumpers, so im gonna be buying some soon.

Everything looks great! keep it up!

[jackrabb1t]

I've finally found some more time to work on this, so here's an update.

Block painted:





Crankshaft installed:



I'm a little concerned about the marks on this piston. The other three pistons have an even layer of carbon across the crown, unlike this one. Could this have been caused by a period of running lean? Is the piston safe to reuse? I normally work on rotaries, so any insight from you piston guys would be appreciated.

[jackrabb1t]

Removed the front suspension:



Back from the powder coater:



At this point I figured I should address the only corrosion I have been able to find, which is along the leading edge of the sheetmetal under the front of the hood. Since this isn't an area that will be very visible, I'm just going to remove the surface corrosion and flaking paint, prime it, and rattle-can it with some color-matched paint.



A little hit from the metal blending wheel on the angle grinder reveals good metal underneath:

[jackrabb1t]

Time for another update. In the almost 10 months since my last post I've gotten married and we're getting ready to move again. I'm trying my best to get this car back together before that happens so I don't have to move it in pieces for a third time.

The goal for this project has changed slightly since my first post almost 5 (!) years ago. I've decided to try to keep the overall appearance of the car as close to original as possible, except for the bumpers and upgraded seats. I'm also making a few mild performance modifications, but nothing that isn't reversible or changes the character of the car too much (smog equipment removal, exhaust header, sport springs and shocks, assorted poly bushings, oil windage tray, high-flow air filter, etc).

Fresh coat of paint to protect the areas that had surface corrosion:



Pistons installed:



Front subframe assembled and ready for installation:



Oil pump installed along with windage tray from Ireland Engineering:



Engine is about ready to go back in the car:

[jackrabb1t]

The wife keeps bugging me about when the engine will be going in the car. Soon! There are so many things that need to (or should) happen before the engine can go in, but I think tonight will be the night.

Rebuilt steering rack installed with Eurometric bushings. I'm doing everything that I can to prevent the dreaded shimmy.



Back together again:

[mjweimer]

Looking good! I think your plans for the car are on point. Keep us updated.


MJ

[jackrabb1t]

Finally, engine and transmission are back in the car.



Going to try something different for the driver's side engine damper. This was mainly brought about by the limited availability and exorbitant price of replacing the OEM damper.



Distributor cleaned up and ready to go back on. I plan on driving this car quite a bit, so I'm not too concerned about everything being 100% spotless.

[jackrabb1t]

Front suspension in. H&R Sport springs, Bilstein B8 shocks, brand new control arms with Eurometric bushings. Steering linkage cleaned up and reconnected with poly flex joint from Ireland Engineering.



New valve cover nuts to keep things shiny. Distributor has also been installed.

[autox320]

Going to try something different for the driver's side engine damper. This was mainly brought about by the limited availability and exorbitant price of replacing the OEM damper.

You'll like the engine damper mod like that. It's exactly what we did back in the e21parts days(machined bushes cupped already for exact fit) and was a cheap mod anyone could do using a off shelf generic sway link from any auto store. Stiffens up the response when on the throttle but not harsh like poly or solid mounts. Subtle to those not looking for it, but very noticeable when on the go pedal

[jaredmac11]

Very great build and progress. I love it.

[320iAman]

Nice to see an original getting the care, WD so far.

Randy

[jackrabb1t]

Thanks for the comments everyone. Progress is coming along well. Since the last update I have installed the driveshaft with new center support bearing and centering sleeve, rebuilt and installed front wheel bearings, mounted and plumbed the radiator, connected most of the wiring and fuel lines, bolted on the exhaust header and intake manifold, and nearly finished the front brakes. I put oil in the engine and some cardboard underneath before the weekend and no leaks have turned up so far, so that's a good start.

I've been putting some parts back on that are not as cleaned up as I would like in order to make my hard deadline of driving the car the 50 miles to its new home by October 17, but thankfully they are mostly in spots that won't be too hard to correct later. Below are some pictures of my progress.

Red brake calipers for +5 hp:



Passenger side of the engine bay. I had to make two modifications in order to mount the replacement Spectra radiator. The first was relocating the rubber mounts to up top, and the second was some custom hose and an aluminum coupling to accommodate the side-facing lower inlet on the radiator as opposed to the rear-facing one on the stock unit.



Driver's side of the engine bay. Brand new fuse box cover from W&N. The old one was warped and stained and really brought down the look of the whole engine bay.



Closer picture of the radiator-related modifications:

[gsumzzz]

nice work. keep the faith.