1979 320/6 Baur Project

[jaredmac11]

This early model 1979 320/6 Polaris Metallic Baur popped up on the Facebook Marketplace not too long ago. I took a look at it yesterday and its certainly rough but Ive seen worse cars restored. I dont know what my plans are for this but Id hate for it to become a parts car to be honest.

Euro bumpers, baby M20/6, and of course a Baur top. The name on the import tag even matched the previous owner in the title so its at true two-owner car. It's been sitting since 1998. I briefly emailed Tom at Baurspotting and it wasnt on his registry.

The most unfortunate parts are that the original polaris metallic paint was resprayed some dark blue (very poorly) and then sanded down. On top of that, there is some rust to contend with in some pretty key areas. Particularly the wheel well right below the strut tower. In fact, I can see the strut from the trunk. Im not a sheet metal welder so if it goes down the path of a restore, its going to cost some money for metal work and then a respray.

But for now, here's some photos.
20190103_120913.jpg
20190103_121953.jpg
baur id.jpg
2liter.jpg

Photo Album:
https://imgur.com/gallery/Nci9oWt

More to come. It needs a lot more than just love to get back on the road but man Im sorta pumped. Even though Ive barely put 20 miles on my previous project haha

[cgifool]

Yikes, that is pretty sad looking, but you can do it! Good luck with the project!

It's worth it because, after all, early cars ARE the best

How's the interior look? Comparable? Did you get any mirrors with it?

[jaredmac11]

the mirrors are sadly some aftermarket plastic crap. The interior is the best part of the car. Its pretty damn good for what it is. If it wasnt a Baur I would be pulling the front valence, chopping the rear valence, and pulling the bumpers. But since its a Baur.... I think she's worth a shot.

Curious about the baby 6. From what I can tell they are more common than the b23 from a Baur perspective (a few hundred more of the baby 6 imported to the US) but maybe for today's standards its rare? Id love to know more about its driving characteristics.

When it dries up in Houston Im going to do an inspection and see what Im up against. that will tell me if shes a project or not.

[okieflats]

Is that rust by the driver side windshield wiper or dirt?

[jaredmac11]

No rust under the blade, just camera effects. but there is rust about 1 foot away at the windshield corner.

[Mike323i]

I had a 320/6 (the 2.0l six with 4bbl carb) for many years. Loved it. The 2.0l version of that engine is incredibly silky (short stroke vs the 323) and surprisingly torquey. I always wanted to build up a good webered carbed version of it. Put the dual exhaust setup from a 323 on there and you'll get that nice exhaust rip the unequal lengths give, too.
I never had any issues with the stock 4bbl solex, but my understanding is they tend to be a pain once they wear out. Sure there's a good weber replacement though. Or go for side drafts.

[jaredmac11]

I had a 320/6 (the 2.0l six with 4bbl carb) for many years. Loved it. The 2.0l version of that engine is incredibly silky (short stroke vs the 323) and surprisingly torquey. I always wanted to build up a good webered carbed version of it. Put the dual exhaust setup from a 323 on there and you'll get that nice exhaust rip the unequal lengths give, too.
I never had any issues with the stock 4bbl solex, but my understanding is they tend to be a pain once they wear out. Sure there's a good weber replacement though. Or go for side drafts.

That's great. Very exciting. Something to look forward to. My first priority will be to assess the rust and go about repairs if it makes sense. Then likely keep it in a rat-rod stage and work on the m20b20 next.

[WantingAfunE21]

Wow, cool project! Glad to see a unique car being saved. Also Jealous..... as far as I can tell nobody in SC bought BMWs back in the day.

[cgifool]

I had a 320/6 long ago and modded it with the 323 dual exhaust, otherwise totally stock and loved it. I'm a huge fan of the 2 liter 6; it's been 25 years since I sold it so it's hard to compare performance but my memory agrees with Mike - As much as I liked my 2002, the 320/6 was way cooler and the engine was a big part of that.

I've heard the carb can be a bit of a bear to get setup properly, but I can't say one way or the other - mine always worked flawlessly so I never had a reason to play with it.

A triple-sidedraft m20 is a thing of great beauty, expense, and complexity.. Seemingly hardly worth doing without also going for the cam and header.. Clearly a labor of great love and dedication (and no small expense)

I loved this car that sold on BaT some time ago.. https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1979-bmw-323i/

I successfully repaired two rusted shock towers with worse damage than this on my 2002 without too much pain and suffering, at age 18, in a driveway, over a weekend, with an angle grinder, an air chisel with a slotted panel-cutter bit, and a cheap rented flux-core wirefeed welder (FCAW). Maybe budget an extra day or two to play with welding on some metal scraps to get comfortable with it and definitely take extra time to defend against fire danger.

[K20RI211]

Hi,

I have triple Webers on my Euro-spec 320/6. It is awesome. Cost me a pretty penny but it completely transformed the car in the best way possible. I can't imagine ever going back to the stock configuration.

I would like to do headers at some point but the car is wonderful to drive as-is.

In all honesty, the baby 6 isn't that - hmm, riveting? - in stock form. The sidedrafts give it a ton of personality.

Nice project! Good luck.

Jeff

[jaredmac11]

I knew I shouldnt get too excited until I fully investigated the rust. Its not... awful but its not great either.

Floor pans are completely rusted on driver side front and rear. A bit of rust on passenger side floor pan (front and rear).
There's rust down below the rocker panel (not sure what this is called).
Rust all around the hood and the front of the car, which is a bit odd.
Also rust in the bottom corners of each side of the windshield

None of this is too concerning to be honest, I could handle these.

What is concerning is rust on the wheel well and strut tower on the driver side. I also found rust on part of the underside support columns. Not too sure what they are called but they run parallel to the exhaust, down the car.


*hopefully* I can find a parts car in town that I can get some panels off of.
If anyone has replaced the wheel well/strut tower before, I'd love to hear more about it. Unfortunately the rust is at the bottom of the strut tower. Its a shame because there's so much of this car that is flawless. the center console looks brand new. Top looks good, considering.

[cgifool]

... I also found rust on part of the underside support columns. Not too sure what they are called but they run parallel to the exhaust, down the car...

Frame rails?

All that rust is a bummer for sure. Looks like W&N carries a number of the pieces you might need.. Glad you feel up to it! I wish I had a place to do a full-on rotisserie rust job on mine

[okieflats]

Are the "frame rails" beefed up on the Baur to compensate for the weakness of the missing roof? Most convertibles need considerably stronger floors. On Alfa Romeos the coupes are known to have much more rigidity, even though on the convertibles they have triple layer rocker panels to add rigidity. But the convertibles still have much more flex. Rostisserie bare metal restoration is the way to go, but the work involved is no joke. Here's one I have been watching:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPudW6t3WOs

[jaredmac11]

Right, frame rails. W&N has the wheelhouse but its $830! ECS has them as well for $400. Crossing my fingers I can get my hands on a parts car local. I really cant throw $10,000 in to this restoration, otherwise it will never complete. Or it can just be a 5 year restoration (given it took me 2 years for an M42 swap, thats not a stretch).

The frame rails look identical to my other E21 coupe. I think it wouldnt be a terrible idea to cut out the bad parts, get a square beam and extend it further back to increase rigidity.


Putting the car on a rotisserie is likely outside project scope. I'll see. Im still reeling from the wheelhouse/strut tower rust.

Edit: Awesome video Okie! Thats a good one.

[320iAman]

Yikes, that is pretty sad looking, but you can do it! Good luck with the project!

It's worth it because, after all, early cars ARE the best

How's the interior look? Comparable? Did you get any mirrors with it?

Exactly Right , early cars are the best,newer cars have tons of plastic pieces that are a pita to deal with, weather, ect and with newer ones and after the warranty the problems start, with OBDII-the check in engine light has come on more times than all the pennies that have been minted, causing all kinds of grief.

Randy

[320iAman]

I knew I shouldnt get too excited until I fully investigated the rust. Its not... awful but its not great either.

Floor pans are completely rusted on driver side front and rear. A bit of rust on passenger side floor pan (front and rear).
There's rust down below the rocker panel (not sure what this is called).
Rust all around the hood and the front of the car, which is a bit odd.
Also rust in the bottom corners of each side of the windshield

None of this is too concerning to be honest, I could handle these.

What is concerning is rust on the wheel well and strut tower on the driver side. I also found rust on part of the underside support columns. Not too sure what they are called but they run parallel to the exhaust, down the car.


*hopefully* I can find a parts car in town that I can get some panels off of.
If anyone has replaced the wheel well/strut tower before, I'd love to hear more about it. Unfortunately the rust is at the bottom of the strut tower. Its a shame because there's so much of this car that is flawless. the center console looks brand new. Top looks good, considering.

Congrats on the new acquisition, rust is an issue yet solvable.

Randy

[jaredmac11]

Thanks Randy. My dad and I are working on it as a father son project. He's amped. He's a Volvo guy.. has an Amazon, 79 240 wagon, 1800.. but even he is excited. It's encouraging bc I need his space for the rust repair.

As soon as I get all the m42 parts out of my garage (I have tons...) I'll start tearing apart the Baur. I think it will be telling when I get the carpets up.

The rarity of these cars is keeping me from just parting it out. That would be a shame. Hoping a shell falls on my lap. I'd love to be able to cut panels for rust repair.

[320iAman]

Thanks Randy. My dad and I are working on it as a father son project. He's amped. He's a Volvo guy.. has an Amazon, 79 240 wagon, 1800.. but even he is excited. It's encouraging bc I need his space for the rust repair.

As soon as I get all the m42 parts out of my garage (I have tons...) I'll start tearing apart the Baur. I think it will be telling when I get the carpets up.

The rarity of these cars is keeping me from just parting it out. That would be a shame. Hoping a shell falls on my lap. I'd love to be able to cut panels for rust repair.

Sure, It is rare and worth the effort, as far as panels go they are sheet metal that have been shaped, where you cant get the panels,metal shaping companies are around that use english wheels, press brakes and so forth--there are those who do it with hand tools as well. The transportation industry is the largest private employer of workers with all its parts-so what you want is there--it takes patience sometimes. Charbel is a resource with baur's also and a member of this forum.

Randy

[BAURLVR]

This early model 1979 320/6 Polaris Metallic Baur popped up on the Facebook Marketplace not too long ago. I took a look at it yesterday and its certainly rough but Ive seen worse cars restored. I dont know what my plans are for this but Id hate for it to become a parts car to be honest.

Euro bumpers, baby M20/6, and of course a Baur top. The name on the import tag even matched the previous owner in the title so its at true two-owner car. It's been sitting since 1998. I briefly emailed Tom at Baurspotting and it wasnt on his registry.

The most unfortunate parts are that the original polaris metallic paint was resprayed some dark blue (very poorly) and then sanded down. On top of that, there is some rust to contend with in some pretty key areas. Particularly the wheel well right below the strut tower. In fact, I can see the strut from the trunk. Im not a sheet metal welder so if it goes down the path of a restore, its going to cost some money for metal work and then a respray.

But for now, here's some photos.
20190103_120913.jpg
20190103_121953.jpg
baur id.jpg
2liter.jpg

Photo Album:
https://imgur.com/gallery/Nci9oWt

More to come. It needs a lot more than just love to get back on the road but man Im sorta pumped. Even though Ive barely put 20 miles on my previous project haha

Congrats on your project! I'm currently taking on a 1982 323i Baur restoration project myself. She's not as rough as your find, but it's taking a lot of time (and money) to get it in tip top shape. I started documenting the restore on a blog here...

https://baurlvr.home.blog/

Good luck and let me know where I can help!