1978 323i driver/project

[cgifool]

Back from a nice week at the beach in Pensacola with the wife & kids, I picked up my new OEM windshield gasket and two keys - one ordered by the code on the ignition cylinder and a blank.

Luckily, the new one works! Its slightly notchy which I ascribe to it being newly cut, and also from years of wear on the pins in the lock. Ill see if wirebrushing it a little helps any.

[320iAman]

Graphite Lock spray may help smoothing out the key and lock fitting and turning.

Randy

[cgifool]

After 3 attempts Saturday with the new BMW gasket, then switching to a thicker cord and 3 more attempts Sunday, my windshield is finally in! Or at least, nearly so

I think my main issues were that the window + gasket is indeed a pretty tight fit in the opening, needing two people to keep significant pressure on it while pulling the cord from the inside.

Secondly, I was previously using a thinner coated wire wrapped twice around (so as to have a second chance) - I realized I would probably get a lot better results with a thicker, rougher cord - figuring it would "pull" the gasket lip further, and not need a second chance.

Even this thicker cord took several tries after it would fail to pull in a section of gasket due to the window/gasket needing more pressure and being too far from the lip.

After getting the gasket over the lip about 95% of the way around, I spent a while poking and prodding with fingers and plastic and wooden tools, getting the gasket seated properly all the way around.

Turns out the sticks on the end of the string are pretty useless, since I'm only pulling from the end for a short part of the job. I would have been better off with a loose stick and re-wrapping the end of the cord around it as I went.

I also ended up going with no lubrication this time, figuring too slippery would be just as bad as not slippery enough. I might try something dry next time like talcum powder or silicone spray, just on an "as needed" basis rather than all over the place.

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The gasket still isn't fully seated and adjusted evenly all the way around, but I think another 15-20 minutes ought to have it ready to install the trim strip.

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[cgifool]

Just wanted to make a quick shout-out to Uro, for their amazing customer service!

After my difficulties with the Uro windshield gasket I bought nearly 4 years prior, they reached out to me directly to see if they could help.

Although I decided to go with an OEM gasket instead, they persisted and generously offered me my choice of something else from their catalog, and I went with a new passenger side door gasket - then when the box arrived the other day I noticed they also included a bonus accelerator pedal! (which I didn't even realize they make)

This experience has definitely convinced me that they stand behind their product, and to keep trying Uro parts in the future.

[cgifool]

Argh. FML. I went out to massage the windshield gasket a little more and it seems the entire window is slightly shifted to the side just enough to prevent the lockstrip from going in. The slit for the lockstrip is nearly closed up on the drivers side A-pillar area, but nice and wide on the passenger side.

I'm ready to call a pro to handle this for me, just waiting on a referral from a buddy at a local bmw shop for the guy they use. Really ready to move on past this and would be super upset if I broke the window trying to get it back out again.

I wish I had seen a comment I found by Layne on this subject before now, suggesting to mark the center of the glass and frame on all four sides, to try and avoid the very issue I'm facing now.

[cgifool]

I'm not so sure now whether the windshield needs to come out again or not.. Looks like in the tightest spots the gasket may just need more massaging. Hoping for the best, and working on something else to get my juices flowing again.

Today I spent several hours starting to reinstall the fuel tanks, locating all the pieces and hardware, re-figuring out how it all goes together. Had to leave it only partially complete because when I replaced the 53" 14mm fuel hose from the tank to the vapor canister a while back I guess I made it a little too short and want to fix the problem while its accessible again. Also I had spliced a couple pieces together before in another area and wanted to get that cleaned up as well. $10 a foot, spendy stuff! Belmetric ended up having the best deal and ability to get one long piece instead of pre-cut sections.

After I got it mostly mocked up and loosely together, I took apart my fuel pump / accumulator / filter assembly so I can get it all cleaned up and painted and looking nice again. My accumulator is pretty crusty but still works well, reluctant to replace it just for looks. Anyone know what color to paint it? I do have two of the factory-made fuel lines for the assembly ready to install.

Finally, after getting all cleaned up, I went online, ordered the hoses and other bits and pieces like the 3 rubber mounts for the fuel pump assembly ($15 each, yeesh).

cheers
David

[cgifool]

Last night I disassembled the fuel pump/accumulator assembly, and brass-brushed the rusty brackets and accumulator.

Filed off a band of corrosion around the aluminum fuel pump body where the steel bracket was attached.

Pulled off the hoses and matched them up against the two new ones I have.

Finished up for the evening by brushing on a coat of metal prep to eat up the remaining rust (eg Klean-Strip phosphoric acid from Home Depot).

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[cgifool]

So, I diassembled and repainted the fuel pump assembly and bracket, cleaned all the corrosion off the fuel pump, and put it partially back together.

However, the accumulator I ordered showed up yesterday and it's the wrong one Seller shipped me a part with a different number than I ordered - and the pick receipt is wrong too. Woops. Stuff like this is really making the project drag out.

Also, something else weird, is the smaller line from the accumulator nipple to the metal-Y, is shown as "6mm" on real oem, and here in the forum a 1/4" line was used in at least one case - but for me a 1/4" line is way too large for the nipples - I havent measured it, but its closer to 3 or 4mm, which is weird.

I did finally receive the rubber fuel pump bracket mounts, exhaust hanger donut, and fuel breather grommet I ordered several weeks ago though.

[cgifool]

Lol, yeah I just don't know what 6mm looks like I guess

I got off my ass and measured the accumulator nipple and sure enough, it's 6mm.

1/4" hose is still too big though, I'll get the right thing already.

Just trying to figure out what else to order from Bel-Metric while I'm at it (dang this stuff is $26.56 per meter)

https://www.belmetric.com/smooth-hig...53v99g2ke5sbg6


-David

[320iAman]

BMW 13311272750 6 x 12 mm (ID/OD) $7.75 per meter. Pelican Parts in stock ready to ship. manuf Cohline Note: Sold by the meter ( 6 x 12 mm) High Pressure Fuel Line

https://www.pelicanparts.com/More_In...pHeader=Y#tab4

Randy

[cgifool]

BMW 13311272750 6 x 12 mm (ID/OD) $7.75 per meter. Pelican Parts in stock ready to ship. manuf Cohline Note: Sold by the meter ( 6 x 12 mm) High Pressure Fuel Line

https://www.pelicanparts.com/More_In...pHeader=Y#tab4

Randy

Thanks for the tip!!

[cgifool]

At last, some forward motion again on this.

I had reordered the accumulator from the same seller, hoping they had simply made a mistake in fulfillment, but again they sent me the wrong part, with the wrong number on the order sheet!

Fool me once, shame on your, fool me twice, shame on me. I sent the second incorrect accumulator back, and ordered from somewhere else (Autohaus AZ), and finally got the right thing. It still is slightly smaller in diameter, so I had to make a shim to get it to clamp tightly.

I tried a few different things and ended up with a slice of PVC pipe. Unfortunately it's not quite thick enough to make up the gap, so I ended up with a second piece in there which doesn't look all that great to me - but it'll have to do for now! It does the job well though and everything's nice and secure, and looking good.

brackets on the car had a little surface rust, so I wire brushed them and and brushed on a little rust converter, then reinstalled the pump assembly in the car with new yellow wavy washers and nuts, and reconnected and rerouted the fuel pump wiring, smeared some rubber protectant on the pump wire boots and put em back in place.

I also put a new piece of 6mm hose on the vapor canister end of the breather line going to the trunk - at this point the only remaining piece of original rubber fuel line is the large diameter one with a banjo bolt on one end, going from the fuel pickup to the fuel filter. I tried ordering one but they're apparently NLA (meaning, source the hose and fitting myself and have it crimped locally), and mine looks perfect so I'll leave it alone for now.

-David

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[cgifool]

Another typical session yesterday! Over a 2 hour period yesterday I managed to get the fuel tank NEARLY installed, and the fuel filler tube and gas cap and cap holder and the fuel lines all hooked up with two exceptions-- Everything else seems accounted for.

The rubber hose that connects the filler tube to the passenger tank seems to have gone missing.

Annoying, because it was new a couple years ago and costs $65. And I just KNOW that I'll find my old one ten minutes after I order another !

Also The 12x18 line from the fuel pump to fuel filter seems to be 1" too short, and I don't have any more. I have no idea what happened here - I bought a new length of it at $28 per meter and somehow cut it too short (and the scrap is also too short)

Aggrivating and expensive in time and money.

[320iAman]

Extra Hose, clamps, and miscellaneous I'm on the lookout for , planning jobs something always gets short until its repetitive.

Randy

[cgifool]

Fuel tank hoses shipped, couple more days on that.

Last night I spent another hour messing with it and think finally got my windshield gasket adjusted well-enough to insert the lock strip. I'd been avoiding it for a while out of frustration, but came back with more plastic trim tools and silicone spray and determination. In the corner where I'd had the windshield frame cut out and replaced, the gasket was pretty tight, and had pulled through to the inside just a little too much. Problem is, it's tricky to get the lube into the right place, and to get much grip to pull the gasket into place while lubed up!

Anyhow eventually I think I got it into place, and hopefully tomorrow will be sunny & warm so I can get the lock strip in - which will be a huge milestone for me, it's the last unfinished piece of glass.

I spent another hour messing with my rear bumper - cut off and replaced a seized nut. Secured the new brackets to the bumper, and the trim covers, all good. But when I looked at the rubber strip I have (best of 3), I realized I don't have enough good clips, and would really like new nuts all around (the incorrect ones I am currently using are pinch nuts that are too tight). I see the clips are NLA from the us vendors, but will check with the dealer just in case its one of those "euro owners only" items.

While I was chiseling the seized nut, I hit my thumb pretty good with the hammer and decided to call it a night!

[cgifool]

Hmm sucky. BMW dealer says the strip clip isn't available anymore

I see the clip for US bumper strips still easily available, but I bet they're bigger and won't work..

W&N still lists 'em, not eager to make that order though.

[cgifool]

Tonight I adjusted and secured my exhaust system, which had I only loosely attached when I re-hung it a few weeks ago. I replaced a cracked and breaking rubber hanger with a "heavy-duty" version of the same part. Ironic that it was already breaking after just a few years.

I also spent a while just staring at the car, lying on the ground underneath it can be a very meditative place

After I came inside, I ordered the muffler strip clips I needed, plus a new speedo cable (from Maximillian), and a cheap NOS chrome exhaust tip I found by accident on ebay. I still need one more (42mm) and they're pricey.

[320iAman]

I also spent a while just staring at the car, lying on the ground underneath it can be a very meditative place

lol

Randy

[cgifool]

Yesterday morning my wife took the kids for a few hours and I used it wisely to enjoy the cooler weather and have some more quality time with the car!

I set the windshield trim out in the sun to warm up, but the air was just a little cool, so I put it in a clear bag to help things a little.

While that sat out, I spent the time:

- finishing up cutting the new vent hoses in the trunk to length and getting them secure.
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- separating the random hardware from a few piles into ones I recognized and ones I didn't. going through several boxes of remaining uninstalled parts to put things together that go together.

- reattaching the front seatbelt receivers. I switched the driver and passenger side because I figured the passenger one probably works better being less-used.

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- putting on the new fuel vapor vent grommet (it just pushes onto the end of the vapor line right by the driver-side fuel tank).

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- clearing out trash and misc used and new parts lying around in the car.

Finally once the windshield lock strip was warmed up I got to it - the corners are the trickiest, and next time I would probably use a tool with a roller instead of the one I have, but I got it in and finished off with a brand new center clip.

I discovered that the plastic trim tool with the sharp point is the best one for fixing sections where one or the other edges of the windshield gasket channel get tucked under the lockstrip. If you're careful enough and use lube it doesn't seem to risk damaging the gasket. This works far better and quicker than the small and dull metal screwdriver I previously had tried for this. Be sure to check the plastic point frequently because it can get deformed pretty easy and need cleaning up.

Finally that was finished, YAY! super excited to be done with it, and it looks great!

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[cgifool]

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[cgifool]

Last night I went out one more time to work on the car..

This time I reconnected some original positive and negative battery cables, but realized that my battery doesn't fit the tray!

I hadn't thought of it before, but this isn't a big surprise - the car had a (poorly executed) rear-mount battery when I bought it - which didn't have to fit the original battery tray.

Two steps forward, and more money to spend LOL!

Ordering two new windshield washer nozzles, and a cover for one of the front seatbelt receptacle mount bolts.

[cgifool]

Last night I spent another 2 hours messing with the car.

I'm super energized to work on it again with the cooler weather here and more importantly, windshield being finished.

I brass-brushed some surface rust off one of the metal heater-fan flaps, and sprayed it with a little clear satin rustoleum. It looks really close to the original finish after it dries.

Secured the heater core to the firewall with new hardware.

Found the heater plenum cover, cleaned it well, it's in really good shape. But, the foam tape around the edge is long dead, so I scraped all that off and will buy a roll of new (15mm / 5/8" width, thin, maybe 2-3mm thickness, open cell foam).

Wiped most of the valve cover side of the engine bay well, its pretty filthy with dust from months at the body shop, despite having a large blanket over it the whole time.

Used some compressed air to blow out the the spark plug holes before I removed the plugs, they all look normal and similar to each other.

Adjusted the valves, 0.25mm. Intakes were right on, exhausts were barely tight.

Hooked up the battery, pulled the fuel pump relay and went to crank the engine to build up some oil pressure... and nothing at all happened when I turn the key (no lights or sounds).

It was too late to diagnose much further, but I did plug in all the light switches and hazard button, and found (key off) voltage in the fusebox.

I was definitely in the ignition switch area in the past year meddlign with the turn signal switch, so it's quite possible the ignition switch wires are just plain disconnected.

The saga continues!
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[cgifool]

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I realized when reading about head bolts that mine should probably have torx heads, and don't.

When did that change happen? Is it serious enough that I should replace mine pre-emptively?

[cgifool]

Today at lunch I picked up a new AC Delco group 47 battery and installed it. It fits perfectly, and the cables connect well too.

Next I took a look under the steering column cover at the connector for the ignition switch. When I pulled it apart more abrasive powder came out, geez. I blew it and the other connectors in the area out with contact cleaner spray and compressed air, and put all back together.

I MAY ALSO have left off the main ground lead connection to the battery when I tried it last night

Anyhow, now everything lights up and the engine cranks as it should!

I cranked the engine (with no fuel pump relay installed) a few times, until the oil pressure light went out, and reinstalled the plugs and wires.

Coincidentally, the last last box of fuel hoses arrived so hopefully in the next few days I'll be able to get this thing running again!

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[cgifool]

This evening I spent another 3 hours working on the car..

Reconnected the heater core hoses.

Pulled the block coolant flush plug and flushed things out various ways, before reinstalling the plug with a new crush ring.

Reinstalled and reconnected the radiator and hoses. Filled it up with just hose water, knowing if all goes well I'll drain it out and replace with proper coolant soon enough.

Cut and installed a new section of 12x18 hose, suction line from fuel pickup to the fuel pump.

Connected and secured the tank-crossover hose and the new filler tube-to-tank hose. Secured all the other pump and filter hoses. Secured the passenger side fuel tank.

Poured in 5 gallons of gas.

Attached the battery, turned the key on, and jumpered the fuel pump relay, hoping to prime the system for a start. And, silence.

12:30 am, seems like a good place to stop. Also, I dropped my phone a bunch of times today and sadly, the last time, it totally broke the screen and won't light up anymore. Sad face.