Bimmerfest or bust, a [content heavy] 320iS build....

**lsvco.** · 03-13-2018, 04:02 AM

This is a long overdue thread about a recently rescued e21 and the rabbit hole it has caused me to go down....

Prior to this I had a daily driven e12 (very loose term as it liked to overheat at a moments notice) as well as a e30 318is slicktop and a e36 328i manual acting as a donor car for the aforementioned shell. I quickly found trying to manage three vehicles out of a one car garage meant nothing was getting done on anything and I decided to sell the lot with the intention of buying a "reliable" mode of German transportation. Ha! Who was I kidding?

Searching through craigslist I stumbled upon a single image post with no more information than "1982 BMW: engine out, needs rebuild". Why this caught my eye is beyond me, but I went against reason and sent a text expressing interest to the number listed and..... to save you from hearing a story I'm sure we all know too well, photos!

The car was indeed a 320i"S" designated model with all the bells and whistles. It was about time to unpack everything from the part filled trunk and interior to find out exactly what the hell I just got myself into! After all, it had already been +/- an hour since we got the car home!

...to be continued! It's approaching 1AM here and there is more fun to be had before work tomorrow night. About a months worth of story to catch up on over breakfast in a few hours!

**mjweimer** · 03-13-2018, 06:21 AM

I like where this is going

MJ

**MortyCrock** · 03-13-2018, 10:35 AM

Geez... about time.

**lsvco.** · 03-13-2018, 10:58 AM

Originally Posted by mjweimer

I like where this is going

MJ

Thanks MJ! Excited to keep this thread alive so you can all keep my ass in check when I haven't posted in a couple days.

Originally Posted by MortyCrock

Geez... about time.

I think you mean just in time!

**lsvco.** · 03-13-2018, 11:32 AM

..back at it!

with the old chassis' all gone and the e21 free of the bits in the trunk I was able to dive head first into giving the e21 it's first initial clean ..just vacuuming up the interior bits and removing the hood for easy access to the engine bay; light stuff..

.........

Whoops.

A couple glances at the engine bay was enough for me to know I needed to dig deeper while the engine was out of the car. No sense in putting a freshly built engine into a dirty bay.

The "before" shot while it was still parked at the PO's property.

Removed some things to free up space and get a better detail on bay.

and found a few unsavory discoveries along the way.

Next up was the wiring to the fuse box... I've never taken on wiring but enough threads have recommended to go slow and take lots of pictures so I did just that....

The only cut wires I've found in the car since purchased.

^Still not perfect but infinitely better than how I brought it home I'd say!

**OLD MAN** · 03-13-2018, 11:50 AM

Good luck with the build, you did jump into the deep end!

Looking forward to your progress reports.

**lsvco.** · 03-13-2018, 11:54 AM

At this point I've had the car for two or so weeks and am trying to set realistic expectations for the 3 month time span before bimmerfest..

*Send block, cylinder head and misc. bits to be cleaned and resurfaced
*Continue to clean engine bay as best as possible without removing anything that will be needed come time to reinstall the engine
*DO NOT TOUCH THE INTERIOR. REALLY, EVERYTHING IS FINE AND GOOD AND DOES NOT NEED TO BE !@#$ WITH.
*Sort through engine bits and check off what's there and what's not. Replace anything that needs replacing and order extras so when the engine gets back we aren't held up by shipping times.

Some photos of the block and bits I was working with...

So I called around and was lucky enough to find a shop that specializes in engine rebuilds and charged $60 for the initial cleaning and inspection...... man, this is going great!

Loaded the small (and not so small) engine bits up they needed to inspect and we were off! Shop is called Stamps Machining in San Tan Valley for anyone that is in the area. So far they've been great to work with and have kept me up to date on the engine cleaning and gave me a final quote for resurfacing........

$1000 to resurface the head and block mating surfaces, rebore the cylinder walls, and resurface the main bearings as they all needed to be tinkered with to take to the gaskets well.

Not what I wanted to hear. When I initially dropped off the engine I had hopes of just needing a rebore to factory specs to get rid of the light rust and hazing on the cylinder walls, but that would be too easy!

I haven't picked up the bits back from the shop but when I do I'll post those after photos here. V

So, time to reevaluate.... Now I'm a little worried and searching for alternate solutions to make it to bimmerfest*

*I should mention bfest lines up with my girlfriend's and my initial plans to drive to her brother's wedding the following week in Portland. As much as this build and thread is about taking something I'm proud of and enjoy to bimmerfest ultimately the priority is to make it to the wedding and get back home in one piece.

**lsvco.** · 03-13-2018, 12:10 PM

Sure enough craigslist became my best friend and I was searching high and low for some sort of solution to my dilemma. I wanted to go to bfest, and I want to drive something I put together, but I have to keep the wedding in mind. And driving 3000 miles in two weeks is stress inducing enough in a brand new car, let alone an almost 40 year old car that didn't have an engine at the beginning of the year....

A few things popped up (an early model e30/318i, a few running m10 engines in Milwaukie, OR, a carb'd 320i on the opposite side of town) but all either didn't satisfy when seen in person or had been sold before I had a chance to hear back from the original seller.

One more option popped up, and much like the original ad that got me into this mess in the first place it didn't have a ton of info.

The car was running last year until it started to overheat and the owner decided to park it until he had the means to fix it. Since then the battery died, everything got dusty, etc.

But it was right down the road from me! I had to at least check it out.
We stopped by the address given and asked to hear it run and try to identify why it was overheating... No luck with jumper cables. It was cranking and you could hear it wanted to start but sounded like it wasn't getting enough fuel to make it happen. I offered based on not being able to hear it run and after explaining my situation left with hopes of hearing back.

The owner got back to me and after some negotiating I'm bringing it home today! Despite not running it sounds like it's an easy enough fix with some CIS troubleshooting and chances are anything the 320i is lacking my S model has the parts for it somewhere, ha!

As of now the to do list is....

*Identify issue in the 320i while engine is still in car.
*Fix issue and get car running, drive around to identify any weak points in engine.
*Check all the usual tune up items, spark plugs/wires/cap and rotor, vacuum hoses, etc.
*Decide whether there is still time to swap engine into S chassis or whether to keep it in i and drive that to bfest/portland and swap when I'm back without a deadline
*Swap other bits based on above decision

The interior of the i chassis has better conditioned door panels and seats, all in all I think it's going to make the interior even more refined and I'll have two of (almost) everything as needed.

**MortyCrock** · 03-13-2018, 12:38 PM

Originally Posted by lsvco.

So, time to reevaluate....

Have you finished "reevaluating" yet?

**lsvco.** · 03-13-2018, 01:17 PM

Originally Posted by MortyCrock

Have you finished "reevaluating" yet?

It’s on it’s way! Waiting for mods to approve post.

**Somjuan** · 03-13-2018, 03:07 PM

I'm itching for more over here!

IMG_2256.JPG

The fusebox job is a scary thing, but it looks like you're doing it well. If you get lost the little numbers below the fuses are on the wiring diagram. On the starting circuit there's a resistor wire 0.9ohm/meter(?) running to the coil. If everything is already out that'll probably need replacing. Cheers!

**Manny G.** · 03-13-2018, 06:47 PM

subscribed!

**amarino** · 03-13-2018, 07:36 PM

I can't wait for the day I need to take out my engine and clean up in the engine bay. But I've told myself "if it ain't broke, don't try and fix it".

Also that block looks like the beginning of the old F1 blocks that they leave out in the elements:
http://www.enginelabs.com/news/engin...es-durability/

This story has been around for years and was popularized for mainstream audiences in 2004 when a British documentary-style TV show titled “Massive Engines” recounted the development of BMW’s famed 1,500-horsepower 1.5-liter Formula 1 engine in the ’80s. As the legend goes, BMW engineers wanted to build their F1 engine around the venerable M10 4-cylinder architecture, which was introduced in the ’60s. This strategy could be used to help market the company’s production vehicles by demonstrating the durability of OEM components. But engineers in those days knew that a new factory casting could be suspect in surviving the forces generated by 11,000 rpm and 50-plus pounds of boost in race trim with reportedly close to 80 pounds for qualifying. (That’s where the 1,500-horsepower numbers come from, and there are stories that BMW welded the wastegates closed for qualifying!). Fears of core shift, porosity and thin walls were always a concern to engine builders when using high-volume-production castings. So, the engineers adapted a policy to use only blocks that had been driven around a 100,000 miles with no problems. The theory being, any problems would have surfaced by then, and the blocks would be suitable for the additional machining needed for racing. BMW even left the blocks outside to weather the elements for a few months, again with the goal of “seasoning” the block to eliminate any internal casting stress and stabilize all the dimensions. And finally, BMW engineers reportedly relieved themselves on the blocks, either as a sign of good luck or there was a scientific premise that warranted testing. After all, ancient sword makers used to quench hot metal in urine, and sometimes blood, as a way to treat steel.

**lsvco.** · 03-13-2018, 08:06 PM

Ascot Gray 320i is home, photos tonight! In the mean time, the upper speedometer cable has been a bear to unscrew to allow the cluster to come out. Does anyone have any tips or tricks? I tried both ends of the firewall and both are stuck beyond my abilities to pry loose with just my two hands.

**lsvco.** · 03-15-2018, 02:40 AM

Originally Posted by Somjuan

I'm itching for more over here!

IMG_2256.JPG

The fusebox job is a scary thing, but it looks like you're doing it well. If you get lost the little numbers below the fuses are on the wiring diagram. On the starting circuit there's a resistor wire 0.9ohm/meter(?) running to the coil. If everything is already out that'll probably need replacing. Cheers!

I'll have to reference this when it comes time to put this together! Thanks!

Originally Posted by amarino

I can't wait for the day I need to take out my engine and clean up in the engine bay. But I've told myself "if it ain't broke, don't try and fix it".

Also that block looks like the beginning of the old F1 blocks that they leave out in the elements:
http://www.enginelabs.com/news/engin...es-durability/

Ha! That's an interesting read! I've had quite the hassle with the machine shop that I spoke so highly of earlier. They sent off my block for reconditioning without my approval and are now trying to charge me $500+ for said services. Will update on this as things happen but this definitely makes me regret praising them.

**lsvco.** · 03-15-2018, 03:01 AM

Finally! A chance to upload photos of the donor(?) i.

There is more, but flickr is doing me dirty. So off to bed it is. More posts tomorrow!

**meeceboy78** · 03-15-2018, 11:32 AM

oh man, i cant wait to see MOAR!!

**lsvco.** · 03-15-2018, 01:51 PM

Originally Posted by meeceboy78

oh man, i cant wait to see MOAR!!

Thanks! Read a bit of your thread too and subscribed 👌

Ordered a circuit tester today. Felt rather silly last night hearing a whining from behind the dash and thinking it was my fuel pump priming (but also very confused why it was from north of the gauge cluster). It wasn’t until the girlfriend pointed out it syncs with the seatbelt light that it was warning me that belts are not in use. 🙈

Testing fuel pump and connections tonight, maybe I’ll get lucky and it’ll just be a bad fuel relay.

**lsvco.** · 03-16-2018, 12:43 PM

^ Can anyone identify what these are supposed to plug in to / their purpose?

Really impressed with what just a couple hours of cleaning can do. Outside of some oxidation on the hood, roofline and trunk lid the paint is in decent condition and the interior isn't half bad either.
I have been leaning towards making this the steed we tote around Fontana / Portland and that way when I get back from our trip I can really dive into doing things fully and properly.

That being said I am trying to determine what the issue is with the ascot 320. It cranks over healthily but doesn't sound like it is getting any fuel. My plan was to start to follow the lines from the fuel tank and disconnect the hoses one at a time and turn over the car. If I am getting fuel up to that point I know anything south of the current disconnected line is getting fuel. Sound about right?

I'm also planning on pulling spark plugs and taking a few photos for the wiser ones of this forum. It blows me away how much someone can tell just by looking at the plugs!

Additional side bar, I get to duke it out with a black widow that's resting just north of the fuel tank (Passenger side)

Not my idea of fun!

**amarino** · 03-16-2018, 01:30 PM

Originally Posted by lsvco.

^ Can anyone identify what these are supposed to plug in to / their purpose?

Looks like leftover from the "Drivability Kit" / "80-83 hot start kit"
https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...ad-Or-Used-One
https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...0#post24071460

**lsvco.** · 03-16-2018, 02:44 PM

Originally Posted by amarino

Looks like leftover from the "Drivability Kit" / "80-83 hot start kit"
https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...ad-Or-Used-One
https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...0#post24071460

That’s good to know! Will have to read up on that and see if that’s affecting my not starting and see how that whole system works.

In the mean time I confirmed I’m getting fuel to the engine bay. Dropped the braided fuel line to a bucket and cranked over car.

Pulling spark plugs now and looking at conditions, etc.

**lsvco.** · 03-16-2018, 04:07 PM

Went ahead and disconnected the fuel lines from the fuel distributor and put the lines into a bucket.... We are getting fuel!

Pulled the spark plugs now to start investigating other reasons the engine wont run/idle. Interested why the fourth cylinder spark plug is more corroded and has buildup then the other plugs (plugs are posted from cylinder 1 - 4 respectively).

Also interested in if that hot start kit Amarino mentioned further up would prevent the cold start valve to work correctly if not complete and missing connections. Would I be in a bad place to remove those plugs from the harness?