Well, I finally spent some time compiling all the photos I have of my 733i project and decided it would be fun to share them here with other E23 enthusiasts.
It all started in November 2015, when I bought this rough '82 745i. I watched it on Portland Craigslist for a couple weeks and finally couldn't resist going to check it out. It was a mess, poorly running, heater core leaking, interior disassembled, bad paint, etc. I made a lowball offer and the seller accepted. It ran well enough to get it onto my trailer fortunately.
IMG_0369 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_0373 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_0374 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_0376 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_0382 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_0388 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_0397 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_0437 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
I wasn't sure what to do with this car, nice every single area needed serious restoration work, more than I can afford to do. I just knew it was cool and I wanted to do something with it eventually. It sat around in various storage areas for the next year. Actually, it's still sitting in my barn lol.
I had free time at work one day and was browsing craigslist for E23 stuff when I found the ad for the Bahama Beige car up north of Seattle. I immediately loved the color, and was excited to see the 5 speed manual, although it didn't look too exciting in the photos that the seller sent me:
IMG_2806 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_2807 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_2808 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_2809 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_2810 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_2811 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_2814 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_2815 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_2804 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
I talked with the seller for a couple days and made a deal. In October 2016 I brought this nice little car home. It ran and drove great on the 3 hour drive back from Seattle, very fun to be cruising an old BMW on a long trip. My plan was to swap over the interesting bits from the 745i onto this nicer car.
Gassing up after leaving the sellers house
IMG_2911 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
Back home in my driveway at the time
IMG_2924 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_2989 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_2927 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
Drove it down to our family farm in Corvallis Oregon, where it got to meet the 745i for the first time
IMG_3029 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
Got it registered in Oregon, and gave it a wash for the first time
IMG_3038 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_5689 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_5699 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_5707 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
One of the reasons I liked the color so much is that it goes well with my Sepia Braun E21
IMG_7797 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
It has to endure a dusting of snow over the winter
IMG_3379 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
Spring 2017 rolled around and I started messing with the car some more
IMG_5756 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_5763 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_5765 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
The first part I stole off the 745i was the rad M1/M535is steering wheel. Ordered a new replacement center cap for it
IMG_3119 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_3202 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
Replaced the noisy starter with a B35 unit and took it on a cruise to the Oregon coast
IMG_4312 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_4316 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_4326 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_4338 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
Next thing I took from the donor car were the early model chrome mirrors. I love how they look. Also a nice upgrade, since the original plastic mirror was missing when I bought the car
IMG_4339 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_4502 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_4508 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
The wife long boarding next to the car, thought the picture had a cool 80's vibe
IMG_4958 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
Went to 5er West and parked next to this beautiful Gazelle Beige grey market 728i
This was the inspiration I needed to get cracking on my euro bumper swap
IMG_5102 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
Spent an afternoon in the 90 degree heat getting some maintenance projects out of the way. Filters, oil change, 02 sensor, plugs, wires, cap, rotor
IMG_5152 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
I spent quite a few evenings digging deep into old forum threads to figure out what I wanted to do with the suspension. In some old thread I found the part number for the Bav Auto lowering springs. I plugged it into their website and placed the order, expecting it to be kicked back with an NLA email. Low and behold the order went through, with free shipping and everything. A few days later this giant box showed up on the porch
IMG_5216 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_5217 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_5273 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_5316 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_5291 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_5292 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_5643 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_5646 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_5280 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_6888 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_6881 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
I used E23 Bilstein B8 sport inserts in the front, and E28 Bilstein sports in the rear.
For those curious types, here are some interesting photos comparing E23 and E28 springs and rear struts
IMG_5243 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_5244 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_5642 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
I got started on the euro bumpers by removing them from the 745i, cleaning, disassembling, and polishing
IMG_4066 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_4413 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_4450 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_4451 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_4454 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_4455 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_4457 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
I bought a rear euro valance from Ivo Christov, it is in much better condition that the one of the 745 that was rusty and smashed up. I painted the rear valance and assembled the bumper with new hardware, some from BMW and some from the local hardware store
IMG_4301 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_5193 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_5194 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_5196 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_5198 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_5201 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_5203 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_5206 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_5210 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_5236 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_5237 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
Then got started on the front, painting the bumper "carrier" and BBS air dam
IMG_5302 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_5458 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_5567 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_5570 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_5571 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_5689 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_5776 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_5844 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
Since the 745 is an early model, it has the thin quarter panel trim strips with the accordion style bumper corner trim, which won't work on my facelift 733. For some unknown and fortunate reason, the 745 had a pair of the facelift style quarter panel trim in the trunk. They were faded and one of the mounting screws was bad, but that is easily remedied. I cut out the old broken screw and glued a fresh one in place
0-9 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
0-10 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
0-11 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
0-12 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
0-13 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
I trimmed the little US bumper trim brackets on the rear so the euro trim would fit. Very minor cutting, cleaned it up and put a little paint over it to keep the rust away
IMG_7050 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
The car has to sit through another snow dusting
IMG_7198 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
Went for a chilly winter drive with my buddy and his beater E30
IMG_7203 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_7205 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
At some point during the project I started turning one of the bays in our barn into a rustic shop space. Got some paint on the walls to try and lighten it up, and we are in the process of framing in the front and adding a large roll up door. I was able to move all my tools and shelves full of junk into this space. After having stuff spread around between different storage areas for a few years it is sure nice to have everything in one place. Works gets done a lot quicker now. I celebrated the shop painting with a little one tire fire action
IMG_7404 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_7576 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_7550 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_7617 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
One of the next big projects I needed to tackle was rebuilding the brakes. The front calipers have been a little finicky since I bought the car, and have steadily gotten worse. They started binding up so bad I couldn't drive the car. I searched for a few days and had no luck finding remanned front calipers. At the suggestion of someone on the E23 Facebook page I ordered this front caliper rebuild kit from Bigg Red in the UK. I highly recommend it, the kit shipped quickly and was simple to install. The most time consuming portion was removing the old pistons since they were so frozen into the bores. Once all the old parts were removed it was simple to clean up the housings and pop all the new parts into place.
In the rear I upgraded to 750i vented calipers and rotors, which is nice and simple since E32 brake calipers are easy to find off the shelf. I painted all the calipers with G2 paint, and threw it all together with braided stainless lines and ceramic pads.
IMG_7886 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_7884 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_7893 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_7894 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_7897 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_7898 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_7900 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_7927 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_7928 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_8076 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_8077 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_8078 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_8106 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_8117 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_8118 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_8128 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_8136 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_8138 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_8139 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_8174 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
While the car was taken apart for the brake job I replaced the clutch hydraulics too, since the master cylinder was starting to weep fluid onto the carpet. Having fresh clutch cylinders is a great feeling in these old cars. I had a custom braided line made to match the brake lines
IMG_8409 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_8410 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_8411 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_8440 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_8441 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_8442 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
I tried using an E30 clutch line I had on hand and it wouldn't work, not a sharp enough bend
IMG_8413 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_8414 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_8423 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
I also pulled the shifter assembly and freshened it up with some fresh bushings and bits, and a Z3 1.9 shift lever. I was trying out the DSSR, but its too long, It has since been shortened to what I hope is the right length, but I haven't installed it yet to test it out
IMG_8423 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
0-4 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
0-3 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
0-5 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
0-2 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
0-46 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
As part of the shifter rebuild I installed the Condor Speed Shop shorty weighted shift knob. I think it looks and feels great
0-47 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
The car is really starting to come together as a great driver, and I have had a lot of fun putting miles on it this summer
IMG_8270 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_8275 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_8277 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_8291 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_8289 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
Earlier this summer this grey market 735 parts car fell into my lap, so I have been slowly pulling usable items. A few of those items have made their way onto the Bahama car, this full set of OE brown floor mats was an exciting find for me, since they are perfect for my interior
0-24 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
0-25 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
0-26 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
0-27 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
0-53 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
And the 16x8 style 5 wheels went on with a new set of 5mm and 12mm Motorsport Hardware spacers and extended bolts
0-56 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
0-57 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
0-28 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
0-18 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
0-39 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
0-40 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
I finally finished up another project this summer, for several months I have been gathering parts to piece together a euro headlight conversion. I was trying to be thrifty by scavenging stuff from eBay and local sources, but in the end I think it would have been cheaper to just pay up for a nice set on eBay. At least this way I got to have fun restoring them haha. I started out with a set of rusty frame and had them powder coated when I sent some other items in. I then ordered all new OEM hardware and adjusters, found a NOS low beam lamp set that had the right mounting points, and covered the lamps with yellow Lamin-x vinyl film.
IMG_6562 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_6679 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_6690 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_5752 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_6727 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_6728 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_7086 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_7087 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_7088 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_8425 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
0-49 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
0-50 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
0-51 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_0107 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_0108 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_5187 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_7785 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
0-7 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
0-8 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_0110 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_0109 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
0-30 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
0-32 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
0-33 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
0-34 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
0-17 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
0-29 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
0-41 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
0-52 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_0975 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_0974 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
I tried out some clear turn signal lenses but didn't love them, so I switched back to amber and sold the clears
0-15 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
0-16 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
I have been tossing this idea around in my head for a while, and finally contacted a graphic designer in Seattle to help me put it together. It is a set of custom vinyl stripes in a Hartge/BBS motorsport style. MY patient wife helped me install them one afternoon and I couldn't be happier with how they turned out!
0-42 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
0-44 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
0-19 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
0-20 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
0-21 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
0-36 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_6216 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_6244 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_6271 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_6277 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_6290 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_6295 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
Very nice car sir!
Swap that B32 out for an M21 I want to build a 724TD.
Good work on the cars.
I make E23 parts.
09/1983 745i (stolen spring '13 around Houston, TX Achatgruen on nutria buffalo. 8481080)
10/1984 745i
11/1984 745i
11/1984 735i (10:1-265/6)
Ford, MB, and GM round out the pack.
The e23 vs e28 Bilstein rear strut comparison is super helpful. I just ordered Bilstein e28 rear struts because I found that the e23 Bilstein B6 HD piston is about 1" too long to work properly with lowering springs. From your image, it looks like the e28 shock piston is going to be the right height for me.
Steve H.
So much win on this post. Congrats!
Very nicely done. How long ago did you order the BavAuto springs? I found the P/N as well and I get an NLA when I put it in the search bar on Bav's webpage.
Your car is full of win! Keep it coming.
Thanks for the nice comments guys
Glad it was useful to you, I think they are a good option. I have mine set on the 3rd perch ring from the bottom. Some day I might take them apart again and see what it looks like moved up a notch or two. You will need the spring perches off your set of HD's, as the E28 spring perches are too small in diameter.
- - - Updated - - -
I ordered this set last summer (2017), around July if I remember right. The springs didn't come up when searching their site for E23 stuff, but when I entered the part number they came up without any pictures or description. I just crossed my fingers and hoped that the right thing would show up. Too bad they seem to be NLA now
Few more photos from the end of summer before being parked for the season. She finally gets to park in a dry and reasonably clean garage over the winter. Last couple of winters I parked it in the barn at our farm, which is great for staying dry but terribly dusty and a target for bird poop.
0-38 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
0-37 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_1384 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_1385 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_1481 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_6324 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_6341 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_6405 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_6413 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
IMG_6454 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
Amazing work! I really like the BBS stripes on the side.
Where did you get all your headlight parts from? do you have part numbers? I haven't been able to find those lenses...
Last edited by DevInAz; 11-29-2018 at 10:07 PM.
Wow.. those pictures!!
So you used the e23 perches on the e28 Sports? I might need to try that.
You know whats funny is that I pulled the M21D24 out of my old clapped out 524td a couple of years ago, and its been sitting on a stand in the corner of the garage while I slowly gather parts to freshen it up. Its eventual home will be the Sepia Brown E21
I think an M51 might be a better power plant for the E23. The M21 is pretty gutless unless its been modified
0-63 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
0-62 by Steven Henriksen, on Flickr
I'm running rear e23 hd's right now. Thanks for the info.
Current DD status for me is a 127hp/175tq 300SD. Correctly geared and correctly stalled, it is plenty adequate for cruising around town...provided camshaft is timed, injectors are spraying well, and the pump is also timed. Going to have to read through that 524td thread of yours now.
BTW, Bahama Beige does look nice when clean and shiny. My 07/83 is same color. I am not a stripe guy, but they blend in well enough on yours as to not be obtrusive.
What is the plan with that Ljet 745?
I make E23 parts.
09/1983 745i (stolen spring '13 around Houston, TX Achatgruen on nutria buffalo. 8481080)
10/1984 745i
11/1984 745i
11/1984 735i (10:1-265/6)
Ford, MB, and GM round out the pack.
At this point I am planing on stripping the 745 of anytihng useful and getting rid of it, although it could still be saved if someone was motivated enough. All that has been removed so far are the seats and the bumpers. I want to pull the turbocharger and related parts, freshen them up and use on the 733i.
Pull the head too, has Nimonic valves. It would bolt right on your B32 once you swap the distributor drive...then you have the bigger studs already too. See if it has an LSD, early subframe ones are hard to find. Late so so, it will be a 3.07:1 and will load the turbo a bit better than the 3.25:1 you have now.
I have late Ljet engine harness (uses the -127 ECU and plugs into the late fuse box!), dizzy, and ECU if you want them. Trade me something nifty (cheap preferably), pay freight, beer money, and I will mail them. Sure beats dealing with the -008 ECU you have now. Seriously, I would love to send this stuff to you to put back to use.
I make E23 parts.
09/1983 745i (stolen spring '13 around Houston, TX Achatgruen on nutria buffalo. 8481080)
10/1984 745i
11/1984 745i
11/1984 735i (10:1-265/6)
Ford, MB, and GM round out the pack.
I'd be interested in the 008 ECU (depending on build date) if it works out above.
Great info, thanks so much. I had t thought about using just the head, I like that idea a lot. I want to take you up on your offer to trade/sell that harness and ECU. Let me look through my piles of stuff and see if anything would be useful to you.
I have confirmed that is has a LSD, I crawled under it and looked after I bought it and I think I remember seeing a 3.25 tag on the diff but I need to lol again to refresh my memory.
Now you have to do it! It benefits three people...
You can easily turbo your ride.
David will have a spare ECU
I will have a cleaner house and hopefully some OR plates for my wall!
Good trivia? The Ljet 745i used the 728i camshaft!
I make E23 parts.
09/1983 745i (stolen spring '13 around Houston, TX Achatgruen on nutria buffalo. 8481080)
10/1984 745i
11/1984 745i
11/1984 735i (10:1-265/6)
Ford, MB, and GM round out the pack.
Bookmarks