Abandoned E21 BMW Revival. This Rust Free California'n 1983 320i Has a Pulse!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 23 ธ.ค. 2021
- As many of you know, and many of you will, I have a small problem collecting BMW's. I really enjoy the engineering and simplicity of 80's and 90's BMW's, and how these cars drive. I own and run a full service salvage facility and parts and project cars are always at my fingertips.
This 1983 BMW 320i popped up nearly a year and a half ago on one of the many BMW oriented Facebook groups I belong to. The car was posted with no title, cheap, being abandoned on someones property on the Missouri side of Kansas. At the price this was posted for, and after talking with the property owner, this car as destined for the scrap yard. Thats when I stepped in. With help from my friend Kyle in Kansas City, and my Brother who drove my truck and trailer out there to pick this up, this car ended up on my driveway some 16 months ago. Normally I am not too keen on letting things sit and rot, however the state of MO really drug their feet in the title acquisition process, something that normally takes 3 months took 16. I didn't want to get started on this until I knew I could get a title.
Now that the title is in, and driveway space is a minimum, now is the time to get this car to run and drive. After the end of this series I'll be selling this car, I just want to get it able to run and drive under its own power(and hopefully stop too).
Hopefully you enjoy this video and the videos to follow! Thanks for watching and catch you on the next update.
-Eric - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
Your shop needs a “Days Since Last Car Bought” sign. 😁
This has absolutely been mentioned in the shop
LOL, the shifter looks like a mixing spoon. That car is definitely worth saving.
Merry Christmas! I had a bad experience when I bought a 1991 318i with 117,000 miles, a slight misfire and some body issues. The body shop did a great job and I started sorting the misfire with little success! I consulted a local import salvage yard and the owner told me to check the transfer pump inside the fuel tank: if it hummed it was okay. No hum. He sold me a used pump for $25. Installation complete, I started the car, no misfire and I gave it a couple of celebratory revs! BOOM! An explosion and fire in the engine bay consumed the front half of the car! The import salvage guy bought the car from my insurance company. His assessment was that the fuel lines were likely dry rotted. With two functioning fuel pumps, the lines, unable to handle the increased fuel pressure, had burst and sprayed the engine with fuel! I'm glad it wasn't inside the garage when it happened. I did get to meet the local fire department and most of my neighbors!
Hope that doesnt happen with my e21
13 year old Grandson made my day today . He's saving up for an E -36 to buy when he's 16.
In that cis system, crankcase vacuum is everything. Before you change the fuel mixture screw you should fix the vac leaks. When it's running properly it should stall when you pull the dipstick. I have an e21 and had to go through the whole system before it was "driveable"
“I have this thing about not dying”. Very enjoyable. A friend of mine had a 320i brand new in 1983. We took it on many road trips. Great car. I’m so glad you’re keeping this one on the road. It’s a classic. Very entertaining, but you always are. Love this channel. Have a merry Xmas!
In the late 70's I was a Porsche/Audi line mechanic at a Dealership in So.Calif and we had our BMW Dealership next door. On weekends I was a salesman selling BMW's. Back then we couldn't hardly keep the 320 BMW's in stock, they sold like crazy.
yes! nothing better than the weather we're having around here. Gives us extra time to revive these nonsense cars (i'm working on a basket case 928 and took it for a ride around kirkwood just today) keep these up!
I'm working on that car's smaller brother. My 944 turbo just got registered in my state and just got a new windshield today
I love those cars. When I got my license 8 years ago my mom gave me money to buy a reliable car so I went out an bought a rotten mouse infested 1978 E21 320 that wasn't running nor driving. Ended up spending a day putting it together enough to drive it home only to make it out of the driveway and have the ignition coil fail so later that week I went back with a new coil in hand and made the trek home in the middle of winter (at -20F) with no heat, no rear brakes, partial lights and bald summer tires in a snow storm. Ended up putting new $30/each NOS winter tires, gutted the interior, installed some long tube headers and did some maintenance just to have a not even remotely reliable daily lol. The mechanical fuel injection always caused me problems and it would never want to start while warm. Best it ever ran was with an old dirtbikes carb stuffed onto the intake manifold as a test. I had lots of fun in it tho and sold it for nearly twice my purchase price and have been looking for it ever since. Even had the last 2 previous owners contact me wanting to buy it back too.
Many years ago back in the early 90's I used to have a 1971 BMW 2000 4 Speed Manual Saloon. It served me well whilst I owned it and never once gave me trouble. It was the Carb version and before I owned it the Manual Pump fitted to the Block wasn't very good when hot so the previous owner had fitted an Electric Pump by the Fuel Tank with a switch under the dash. It was only really needed for starting when it was hot and the engine warm and the fuel had evaporated and drained the Pump, then switch it off. The Pump only worked with the Ignition on thankfully!
Thanks for an interesting Video, I cannot wait to see the rest!!
It's constant fuel injection, Bosch K-jet. If you want to get it running correctly, get new fuel pump(s), accumulator, warm up regulator and rebuilt fuel distributor. Injectors usually don't go bad. Check the control pressure at the warm up regulator. It dictates the mixture more or less
I'm not a fan of these particular early three series either. But you are correct that a serviceable one like this that can be rehabbed and reconditioned to be on the street as a functional car is well saved from the crusher. Actually rehabbing it it's going to be an interesting series of videos.
I know this is an old video but i support your bmw obsession by watching.
One of the best looking front-ends of any vehicle
I had one it was a piece of work I ended up running a 1/8 hose to the intake thru the firewall next to the drivers seat where I could blast starter fluid from the drivers seat just to start it. Made all my friends laugh. But once started it ran like a sewing machine fast and never skipped a beat.
My dad had one of these for 10 years and taught me to drive stick on it, so I’ve got a soft spot in my heart for this car. I’ll own one one of these days.
Buy this one. 🙂
If mine never runs you can buy it for the price of the new parts I put into it
There are so few of those left around and our emissions program in CA pushed them right along towards the door. They were total nox monsters
Had one of these as my second car back in around 1991. Was a 2 litre six cylinder with a four barrel carb (Pierburg?) was always lots of fun in the wet as you could guarantee that half way around a roundabout the second choke on the carb would kick in sending the back of the car around.. Car ended up getting written off after I had spent a fortune upgrading the suspension to Alpina spec. A drunk bloke in a Peugeot 504 pickup decided to park inside my boot..
These cars are tanks! Seen a couple caught in rush hour accidents where the nose and tail are completely destroyed, but the glass didn't crack and the doors open easily!
I like this style of content. Keep it up!
Thank you to your wife for her her understanding. Best Christmas wishes to you.
I’ll put in another note of interest in buying this. I’ve always liked the E21. I could bring it back to SoCal and let it live out life rust free! Leave the Santa Cruz sticker on!
Had a 320i back in the early 80:s, was a real nice car
Ah, I got the Chevy trucks joke, because I’ve been working on old early 90s Chevy S10s! There’s something very satisfying about watching old vehicles get spruced up and revived to being road-worthy. I like the orange color of this BMW as well as analog gauges in general. The engine sounds good, I mean no knocking or ticking other than maybe fuel injectors. Can’t wait to see where this goes.
As an owner of about 12 E21's I can feel for this. Still have an '82 320 that I enjoy driving. Ha! It has old gas, multiple vacuum leaks, etc.... idles at 1800 rpmish... Yep, just like any old abused E21.
My God !
He’s a MUCH better man than I to take on such a project!
Big respect to you for saving this Gem from getting scrapped even if it’s not your cup of tea. That’s a BIG power move.
I love these cars. Light, simple. Not powerful, but athletic. Man, imagine being the dude who was driving this car around in Southern California back in 1983!
My brother and I picked up a 1981 model of this exact car, all stock, and running for $600. Of course, the brakes blew out while we were doing snownuts in our university's parking lot, then the radiator broke from it's mount and went straight into the engine fan at 3k rpm. Even with the impossible-to-fix Bosch mechanical fuel injection, or the hideous USDM pouty bumpers, it's still one of the most lovable cars you can own. Maybe the only BMW, since most fall apart right around 80k miles (cough, cough, E36/46, cough).
Your ability to resurrect and troubleshoot seemingly dead cars is nothing short of amazing!!
Only a true car-a-holic would know it’s been 180 cars since his last car purchase!
I learned so much … I didn’t know you had to change you rocker water!
The 540 wagon sounds like a beast.
When it comes to rocker water, my 2002 Silverado has automatically created its own drain holes.
he was Joking right? Never heard of rocker water accumulation or drain holes for that. Something like piston return springs and blinker fluid or was he for real?
For real. Does this have sunroof? Possibly from plugged drain tubes?.
Talk about a Christmas present!
Looking forward to watching this once the kids are in bed and the gifts are wrapped.
Much thanks!
Using the dolly for the flat when he just saw the spare in the trunk. It's all good though, glad it's being saved!
Seriously I can't wait to see this old Bimmer fixed up and on the road again! Hope the uploads keep coming in quick!
Bravo! If you can get it back on the road I suspect you'll actually enjoy driving it. Here in the rust belt we'd never see anything this good. Wishing you good luck with this project!
I like, that your taste is against all trends! Stuff like that 626, that is not polarising but true enthusiast grade!
I didn't realize your touring was a manual 540i, what a sweet ride
Quite a save. Congrats on getting this far.
Merry Christmas to you and yours.
Thanks for sharing.
I love how passionate you are about cars. It really translates well into your videos. Thanks for bringing us with you!
Great work! Always great to snatch a classic away from a wreckers yard. There’ll be plenty of enthusiast interest once you’ve tickled her back to life. Awesome. 👏👏👏🤙🤙🤙
Love your content! I really dig the tear down stuff, but THIS is fantastic. Really looking forward to watching and learning.
I dont want BMW after warranty except an r8 but like your videos, you tear things apart like me
Awesome job, can't wait to see this thing restored
I enjoyed this style of content, nice change.
I have an incredible amount of useless experience with these cars, this specific year. It wasn't my favorite restoration project, and the Bosch K Jet-tronic system was a nightmare.
I just bought one almost rust free which is rare in IL, original title from 83. Could I pm you so I can get some inside I’ve never worked on something like this one
I enjoy all your videos. But this one is one of my favorites.
The best part is following along on your though process.
Cant wait to see what you want for the car. I like it
Merry Christmas - Always entertaining!
Nice job getting it running! Can't wait to see how it purrs after a bit more tinkering!
Such an uncomplicated, unpretentious, under appreciated car. Nice work.
Great Christmas present getting a new video from you! Merry Christmas! 🎄
“I have this thing about not dying”. LOL. !😁
im glad you saved it.
A relative had a 320 that had some engine work done somewhere down the line. It was an absolute blast. Nice to see another one even if a bitt ruff.
The hose blowing across the engine bay 🤣🤣🤣
Keep going good 👍
I followed your channel to this video and I am glad you were able to get it running. I am taking notes to see if I can get my 320i going too! I hope to see more unless you do not have it any more. But still learning on the two videos you have done,,,,
I love this car. ♥️
I would love to see more videos like this
Have two of them, love the e21. One a manual and the other an IS model with the LSD rear, big tool kit, and recaro seats. Currently 435k kilometers.
what a nice little car :D
Though I hate BMW's, it's nice to see an old car run. Hopefully that one runs all the way to the junkyard, eventually.
Merry Christmas
Perhaps you would be interested to watch M539 Restorations recent restoration of another E21. Part 3 of Project Castellon deals with the fuel system.
that thing is rad id love to buy it
Good job brother great video I can watch you work on stuff all day and thanks for even posting the stuff you do wrong cuz I do the same
My favorite model BMW.
A Christmas miracle! 😁👍
My buddy had an old beater like that when we were stationed in England. They are like Honda civics over there.
I have an 81 in my driveway needing some love. My 83 Celica Supra is getting it's problems taken care of first, glad I live in AZ where rust free cars can sit around for decades without anything but dead plastics, which are cheap to buy from across the Rockies.
I think friend owned this car...in Oakland, California. This is bonkers, I recognize it from the Santa Cruz sicker on the back. He never registered it.
Oh look! Another BMW that he owns! Such a surprise! 😁
It would have been ironic if the next engine teardown video was on this car's engine, lol...
I had one that was a 1980 it was my first BMW and yes it was hennarot. It had a ton of rust though and it was unfortunate that I had to junk it. I always wanted another rust free example.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
I WANT THAT 540 station wagon! I LOVE station wagons in the first place and I didn’t know there was a BMW station wagon. Of course the amount I know about BMW’s is equal to a trailer load of bicycle windows! Ah yes, the days of being able to time an engine by ear! I do sort of miss the old days at times.
i'm a big fan of e34s but e21s are my absolute favorite
Diversity of portfolio id on another level in my 2001 Honda HRV. Sparkplugs are used, from VW 1.4 TSI and fuel is diversified with a lot of oil
That henna red reminds me of the 1983 733CSi 5 speed in the same color.
The fuel injection in that car is identical to my Mercedes. It has only ONE fuel pump, not 2!! Drain the fuel out of it, & discard it!! Flush the fuel system, then install new filter. Next time you encounter a stuck fuel pump, disconnect the fuel lines, & feed the inlet side of the pump with carby cleaner. I would also have added a bottle of injector cleaner with the fresh fuel. The fuel system is Bosch "K" type Jetronic. Replace the fuel pump relay, & check the fuel cut off switch at the air intake plate, if fitted.
Awesome that you've saved it. I have fond memories of a friend of mine helping me out by lending me his when I was down on my luck a couple decades ago, so when I see them I get a bit of a smile. If you sell it, let me know and I'll see if we may be able to make a deal on it with shipping to Gulfport, MS 39503.
Dude, I owned one of those while I was stationed in Germany. I ended up having to put two motors in it..but when it was running it was a bullet on the Autobahn.
the rims are pretty old school cool
I’m an e21 (and e12) devotee and found your video really enjoyable, thankyou.
You are the only person I have ever heard say Meeces (?), outside our home 😂🏳️🌈👍
You can probably sell it for a profit in this market. You need to work on the Mystic Mustang at some point. Thanks for the video! Merry Christmas!
I can't imagine!!
My folk's neighbor had one of these.. I always wanted it.. offered to buy it.. he let it rot and then it was too far gone for a quick repair...
I had a ‘73 2002 in the early 90s that had one of those donor 5-speeds. Sorry about that.
Loving this one. It brings back all sorts of memories. And, as someone else suggested, you should get carbureted ‘02.
That santa cruz sticker is eerily familiar on that car. My friend in high school drove a beamer just like this back in 2002. She had it for a few years I imagine, and we're out here in California too. I don't see these on the road anymore it seems like. I wonder if it's the same car.
When i had a e28, i modded in a ford f150 fuel pump. It pushed twice the gpm vs stock. Replaced the terrible dual pump setup
7:50 I was waiting for the open door to catch on something like maybe that low wall while pulling it backwards. Finally closed it @ 9:28.
Brakes are good, fuel pump gooder, 3 tires fair.
Admire your passion for cool things. Sarcasm on point as always. You should keep that car and go nuts with it being a rarity rust free in your neck of the woods. T5 Volvo swap ???
Yes these cars sold like crazy in California. The 320is came with Recaro seats and we're abundant in the junkyards when these cars seemed to hit the junkyards all at once. The E30 is a much better car.
I'd do a quick compression check to determine if it's worth all the effort needed to get it roadworthy, at least it's not a "rust rocket" but you'll be replacing all the suspension bushings, vacuum lines, brake components, ect. I like that body style though.
I was SO expecting you to get bit when you grabbed that distributer. Maybe I'm just lucky enough to regularly find cracked plug wires...
Marry Xmas from Australia
Say it with me Eric…”hi my name is Eric and I’m a lost cause BMWaholic”
Mint👌🏼
Call me paranoid, but I ALWAYS put a bit of antiseize (haha, I STILL have the good part of a tube of MOLYKOTE Gn-paste that I used when I worked on F-4J Phantoms in the Corps...out in '79) on every spark plug I install in everything...CBX, old Triumphs, a zillion Honda's, my 20 year old Trailblazer...everything.
Never had a problem removing plugs...and my dissimilar metal paranoia was squashed :-)
GREAT stuff, Eric...this made my night. nice for taking a break from checking out the KLR-650 to visit my sister in Guthrie tomorrow. (75 here...wooohoo @ global warming!)
Merry Christmas everyone
Neal (old Greta someoneneedsasnickers)
😎
I found the same exact car in a barn a couple months back, the only difference is that mine's Baltic Blue and spent it's gold days in upstate NY and is most definitely not rust free. Sadly as a kiddo in his senior year of high school I do not find myself to be employed or holding money so getting the needed parts isn't really happening. But on the bright side I spend half of my school day at a trade school in the automotive program so I get to spend several hours staring at my pile of $hit