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Project 323 from the ashes...

69K views 284 replies 27 participants last post by  Nick323 
#1 · (Edited)
I have just read the Bronzit thread :thumbup:
This made me decide to also document my buld up of a E30 323 with the VIN SA32360151
I simply mention this number, as the local BMW agents say it does not exist. Well I bought it in Cape Town, beginning of May 2012, for what I consider a good price
Land vehicle Vehicle Car Bmw Coupé

It was a daily driver & the previous owner had tried turbocharging it unsuccesfully as well as fitting NOS nozzles in the throttle body, so I knew I would be in for some surprises :yikes:
Immediately after the money was handed over I filled her up & left for the 1600 km drive to Windhoek. This was at 2 in the afternoon.
What I noticed immediately that the car was looser than a hooker on prom night and had about as much power as when I am down with malaria.
I have a speedshop at home & have built cars for over 20 years, so I sometimes go by feel & this car just felt like it had not been beaten to death but rather neglected through ignorance :tsk:
When it got dark enough to test the lights I soon was made aware that I was going to sleep over in the next hotel. Turning off onto a little gravel road made me realise that the steering was feeling weird & not just loose. Something was slipping :eek:
The hotel though prooved interesting, as most small town hotels do :D
 
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#176 ·
Heater control valve

Thanks for the words of encouragement Simon :thumbup:

I've now got the Aircon working :D
I will give a rundown, with pictures, in a future post.
Before I get plastered with joy:drink: I decided to check the rest of the climate control.
And what did I find...
Auto part
The Behr 90 129 37 005 heater control valve does not work :mad:
It lets coolant through all of the time :eek:
If I connect 12v on it, it uses .75 A but does not click :dunno:
I am loath to just open it up(it is held togehter with 4 rivets) and then sit with an unmovable car. Obviously I can try bypass the heater-system for the time being.

Locally nobody seems to stock these valves or rebuild kits :cry:
I do see that you seem to get rebuild kits and valves in the civilised world. But what works without costing me huge $$$ in freight ?

So where or what do I try now ?
 
#177 ·
Notg the best week in history

2 Disapointments
The sports steering wheel a friend of mine ordered for me in Germany was not delivered, as the post could not find her name on the door :mad:
Even though her name is clearly marked :dunno:

The heater control valve is only obtainable at the agent here at 4500 Rand = about 300 $ :cry:

On another note, the car has been with the auto elctrician for a week now.
When I checked yesterday, they had done nothing :(

I finally sorted out the question on the 3 sped blower fan.
My car came with a 3 speed ,but I have everything to make it 4 speed :thumbup:

BTW the Air con pulls so little power, I need no idle bump.
 
#179 · (Edited)
Where to get a Heater valve 64 11 138 6707

Firstly a happy Easter :)
I hope you all had a good one.
I was in the Bush for 10 days :D

HH I do get cool air and feel the motor dragging upon engaging the pump.
I think they used 134 refrigerant.
4 Hp ? At Toyota they measured close to 10 kW at idle and 4 at 4000 Rpm on the old Cressidas.

Firstly I need to get my heater control switch sorted :banghead:
I even had a buddy in Damascus search for me, as these cars were popular in Syria before the rest of the world decided to cause chaos there....
I found this site, but their ordering system does not work :mad:
Now where do I get such for same price :dunno:

Annyhow, the Car is still standing at the Autoelectrician, untouched.
Here they say that Europe might have invented the watch, but we have the time :blah:
 
#180 · (Edited)
Sleeping sparky

Finally found a Heater control valve on eBay for 125 GBP.
Registered with eBay, as I had never used them before, paid for said part to be delivered in MĂĽnchen. This way Simone can bring it down at the end of this month.
And what happens :dunno: My eBay account gets suspended :mad:

The Autoelectrician now had the car for over amonth and did not do a stich of work :cry:
Material property Meat Food Pork Flesh
Another box of goodies came in, that I cannot even fit :mad:
 
#181 ·
Good news Friday

#1 Simone got my heater control valve, which will land up in my sweaty hands next Saturday. I am hoping to do nothing immoral, in order to thank her :whip:
#2 The Autoelectrician phoned me this morning, saying he is starting on my car and what must he do :wow:

Before I gewt plastered with joy :drink:, I have decided to rather wait and see :angel2:
This news is too good to be true :freakdanc

Next Saturday I am driving into Botswana for a 2 week holidays with 2 of my best friends. Simone and Urda.
Hey I am looking forward :beerchug:
 
#182 ·
Climatye control works

It was a great holiday in the wilds of Africa.
Sadly my lower back packed up (again) on the first day of the trip.
But the girls pulled through :)

Finally the Auto electrician also released the vehicle allowing my guys continue with minor jobs, such as changing the Intake plumbing from the concertina type to smooth silicone Auto mechanic Vehicle Engine Automobile repair shop Car


Technology Vehicle
Aparently you cannot buy the bulbs in the window swiches, so we swittched to LED's :thumbup:
Technology Electronics Auto part Gas Vehicle
They do burn brighter though
Technology Electronics Electronic device Auto part Electronic component
But they do make a neat installation
Vehicle Car Auto part Technology Audio equipment
Classy :bigpimp:

The heater control valve Simone brought along, works like a charm giving me full climate control :roundel:
I am thinking of changing my 3 speed climate fan to a four speed unit.
Circuit breaker Electronic component Metal
The only thing I do not have is the female contact assembly for the resistor pack in the Blower motor assembly :dunno:

Next step is to get some sound into the car :drive:
 
#183 ·
Sound is in

Land vehicle Vehicle Car Steering wheel Bmw 3 series
For a change, one of my outside workshops pulled through and got the sound installed within a day :thumbup:
It is not exactly what I wanted in looks, but hopefully I can customise the bezel to fit within the overall look of this car.
Sound is great though, especially considering that I am 51 and not 15 anymore :bigpimp:
Just to confirm that the rear window shelf or hat-rack is only held in place by the window cut-out and the rear-seat upright ? No srews or nuts or other fasteners :dunno:

Electronics Technology Electronic device
If you look at the top left of the radio you will see a 2'nd heater switch illuminated in green. This is my spotlight switch.
Outside lights (normally low beam) are now low/highs and the inside are 140 HID from LightForce.
Sadly though, the fan bezel is 4-speed (my 3-speed is cracked), with a 3-sped switch, as I could not find a 4-speed rersistor block receptacle :eek:

Footwear Shoe Metal
You can see the old tattered gearboot behind the snazzy Garagistics unit.
Auto part Metal
Slowly I can take pride in my car again :roundel:

Disc brake Vehicle brake Auto part Brake Rim
We also replaced the rear brake set.
Alloy wheel Tire Spoke Rim Wheel
She is starting to look better by the day :angel:

As for some pictures of of my last trip into the Okavango, will be found under the link.
 
#184 ·
The end is nigh

This morning I took my cars to the spraypainter/panelbeater for the final polish, alignments etc.
He recons about 2 weeks : popcorn:
Can't wait to acctually drive this car :drive:

On the way there I ran into a mobile roadblock, where I was immediately pulled over, as I was driving without a bonnet.
When the cop found out I ran a speedshop he got all excited as he wanted a exhaust for his Polo.
I then told him the prices, which disgusted him and he sent me on my way :bustingup

Hopefully next time you will hear from me, is when I get it back :snooze:
 
#185 ·
Back from panelbeating

2 good friends of mine shot themselves this weekend :bawling:
It never rains when it pours :eek:uch:

On a positive note, I got my Bimmer back on the 23'rd from the panelbeaters and now it is just down to the small stuff- that takes a looong time.
Land vehicle Vehicle Car Headlamp Automotive lighting
Smallstuff like aligning and affixing the bumper prooved no match for Kenneth :thumbup:
The mudflaps were barely attached :rolleyes: This being the Left Rear.
The right rear was at least held on by some wire :eek: This is how I bought the car, I suppose
Auto part Metal Rock Floor
Kenneth decided to put some efforts into the repair of the rear flaps :thumbup:
Leather Horse tack Fashion accessory Metal Bag
He also fabricated this front flap stay. He should, as he caused me having to have the vehicle resprayed. Scroll to page 2 of this thread :banghead:
Eye Material property Cosmetics Eye liner Lip gloss
How does this happen to a brand new bonnet shock- top :dunno:
The Gabriel works, but I find the white butt ugly : puke:

I see the e30.tech forum is down :dunno:
There is more, but I'll leave that for later.
In the meantime I hope to be driving my car in-between working on it :roundel:
 
#186 ·
Are these foglights or spots

So far I have been driving this car a bit and must say that I am happy :thumbup:
Between the panelbeaters and ourselves we lost the original hood latch, so I got a 2'nd hand one
Auto part Fastener Metal Hardware accessory Nut
This did not latch, as it is worn- arrow
Auto part Metal Steel Engine
So Kenneth repaired it
Fastener Auto part Metal Nut Gear
and now it works sweet :)

Months ago I ordered some aftermarket spotlights to replace the damged ones theat were in the vehicle - arrowed
Headlamp Automotive lighting Vehicle Light Car
Obviously the new ones on the left were meant for some other car :rolleyes:
Vehicle Car Bmw Bumper Luxury vehicle
The panelbeater than fitted some generic lights to my baby
Land vehicle Vehicle Car Headlamp Automotive lighting
are these foglights or :dunno:
 
#188 ·
Foglights wanted

Simon the driving experience is great :roundel:
It is undergeared though with the E36 gearbox 5'th giving me a 1:1 ratio. Cruising at our 120 kph limit + sales tax:nono: = 3500 Rpm
Got about 250 kilometres on it over the past week :drive:
Road Lane Mode of transport Asphalt Transport
What most peole see of my baby :wave:

Skull Bone Face Head Jaw
And then the jokes come rolling in :flame:

Obviously there are still a lot of little things I have to do on it....

Headlamp Automotive lighting Light Automotive fog light Auto part
The panelbeater decided to mix a Midas and Autozone light to give me one that lets water in- see arrow :eek:uch:
I have recently been ordering Ring products Vehicle Transport Car Technology Minivan
and found that they have a unit that could work. Please check out the BRL055 :dunno:
These measure 140 x 75mm, whilst the stock units Bumper
are 165 and 71 high on the OD
Auto part Automotive lighting Automotive exterior


Last night I visited a friend who has a spotless 323 Cabrio, and that uses Hella instead of Bosch lights stock.
Another avenue to explore, perhaps :stickpoke
 
#189 ·
Fuel pump specifications

I have now discovered that these "aftermarket" foglights point straight at the ground.
I suppose we can make a bracket in order to light things up.

Vehicle Car Auto part
In the meantime we are busy mounting this USB & Micro USB + 8A port in place of the, never to be used, rear ash tray.

Vehicle door Automotive exterior Bumper Auto part Rim
The excessive gap of the boot spoiler bothers me :thumbdwn:
Any idea on how to fix this ?

Auto part Wheel
I loosened the steering wheel adjustment nut by abou 1/8 turn in order to get a bit of free-play. I felt like Fitipaldi before that :wow:
Wonder why this E36 steering rack was adjusted so tight :slap:

Bumper Vehicle Automotive exterior Auto part Trunk
We fabricated our own glove-box light.
Now just to find or fabricate a cover that hides all these unsightly cable.

Floor
The boot carpeting looks nice and fresh:thumbup:

Soil
I wanted to make sure that the thermo swich for the radiator fan works in Africa.
It needed coaxing with a flame to switch on as 98 C cannot be reached by boiling water at our 1700 m altitude :smokin:

Seeing that the current fuel delivery set-up is dubious, I wanted to replace the on frame pump with something reliable :drive:
I did receive a new Bosch 0 580 314 070 in-tank pump for my the original M20B23 motor. This I want to install soon. I believe this has a nominal pressure of 3 Bar and 120 L/hr :google:
I thought this would be the low pressure high volume lift pump for the high pressure low volume unit on the left frame-rail. But the spec's make me unsure :dunno:
Trying to find the M52B28 motor fuel pump spec's seem to be more involved than I thought :irate:
The measurements touted on the forums range from 2.5 to 3.52 Bar at the fuel rail :doh:
I would think that the pump feeding this motor needs to be able to give a pressure head of 5 bar. The Bosch 0 580 464 032 frame-mounted pump seems to also only deliver 3Bar at 110 L/hr :google:
Slapping an oversize pump on this can override the FPR and flood the motor :eek:uch:
I want reliability and not a race-car set-up :bigpimp:
 
#190 ·
#191 ·
Fuel Pump info

Vehicle Car Auto part Automotive exterior Family car
I liked the idea of a cig lighter power port with USB and micro USB (so no hassle with adaptors), as I stopped smoking years ago.
Well except for a pipe in the bush early in the mornings and an occasional cigar :smokin:

The pressure head at the pump needs to be above operating pressure, to stop air-locks. The FPR then regulates it down to the operating pressure.
Seems like the M52B28 has a no vacuum fuel-pressure of 3.5 Bar that drops to 3 Bar under no load (full vacuum).
I actually like the idea of a lift pump, as that gets rid of vapour locks- common in our heat.

Finally Bosch Germany came back with:
The in-tank fuel pump 0 580 314 070 has an operating pressure of 3.0 bar and a fuel amount of 120 l/h. So you should be able to use this fuel pump without additional in-line fuel pump. Nevertheless you should ask BMW Classic if this fuel pump meets the specifications.
The 0 580 464 070 can be used together with a priming pump. The priming pumps usually have a very low operating pressure (<0.2 bar)
.

Eye Water Drain
The frame mounted pump gave in by blocking the outlet with its own one-way valve :wow:
The fuel filter also collapsed, see arrow. This would show too much pressure by the HP pump in the tank and the frame mounted unit, I would think :eek:uch:

The Ring Foglights have been ordered Automotive lighting Headlamp Light Auto part Product


I was advised to fit the E46 320d engine fan and coupling to my project ?
It is supposed to move more air and has a protective ring around it, to stop the blades from breaking things.
I was just wondering :dunno:

All of a sudden myTemp gauge started jumping around.
Fixing the ground connections again, cured that :thumbup:

Now I see my left front Febi wheel bearing (with under 1000 km's on it) is crapping out already :madrazz:
 
#192 ·
View attachment 574548 I liked the idea of a cig lighter power port with USB and micro USB (so no hassle with adaptors), as I stopped smoking years ago.
Well except for a pipe in the bush early in the mornings and an occasional cigar :smokin:

The pressure head at the pump needs to be above operating pressure, to stop air-locks. The FPR then regulates it down to the operating pressure.
Seems like the M52B28 has a no vacuum fuel-pressure of 3.5 Bar that drops to 3 Bar under no load (full vacuum).
I actually like the idea of a lift pump, as that gets rid of vapour locks- common in our heat.

Finally Bosch Germany came back with:
The in-tank fuel pump 0 580 314 070 has an operating pressure of 3.0 bar and a fuel amount of 120 l/h. So you should be able to use this fuel pump without additional in-line fuel pump. Nevertheless you should ask BMW Classic if this fuel pump meets the specifications.
The 0 580 464 070 can be used together with a priming pump. The priming pumps usually have a very low operating pressure (<0.2 bar)
.

View attachment 574549 The frame mounted pump gave in by blocking the outlet with its own one-way valve :wow:
The fuel filter also collapsed, see arrow. This would show too much pressure by the HP pump in the tank and the frame mounted unit, I would think :eek:uch:

The Ring Foglights have been ordered View attachment 574550

I was advised to fit the E46 320d engine fan and coupling to my project ?
It is supposed to move more air and has a protective ring around it, to stop the blades from breaking things.
I was just wondering :dunno:

All of a sudden myTemp gauge started jumping around.
Fixing the ground connections again, cured that :thumbup:

Now I see my left front Febi wheel bearing (with under 1000 km's on it) is crapping out already :madrazz:
FWIW most folks in the US seem to prefer a Spal pusher fan. Mine was run via thermostat and I also had it hard wired to the AC button on the HVAC section of the center stack. I would turn it on a mile before reaching my destination to start cooling her down.
 
#193 ·
Aluta continua

MarkSeven, I was referring to the mechanical fan behind the radiator.
I am happy with it now. But summer is still to come...

The stock cooling fan in front of the radiator is making a noise upon start up. More noise the colder the outside temperature is.
Is there a way of servicing this GERMANY unit ?
We don't have SPAL here only http://www.autofans.co.za/ and they do not have a suitable unit.

There are a lot of small things still to sort out :rolleyes:
Automotive exterior Vehicle Car Auto part Automotive window part
Would anybody know what the arrowed hole above the door is ?

Leg Footwear Photography Sunlight Auto part
The guys who replaced the rear window after the respray put the rubber in such a way that I cannot hook up the defogger unit on the right rear :tsk:
Any ideas there :dunno:
I am scared to break the window.
 
#194 ·
MarkSeven, I was referring to the mechanical fan behind the radiator.
I am happy with it now. But summer is still to come...

The stock cooling fan in front of the radiator is making a noise upon start up. More noise the colder the outside temperature is.
Is there a way of servicing this GERMANY unit ?
We don't have SPAL here only http://www.autofans.co.za/ and they do not have a suitable unit.

There are a lot of small things still to sort out :rolleyes:
View attachment 575265 Would anybody know what the arrowed hole above the door is ?

View attachment 575266 The guys who replaced the rear window after the respray put the rubber in such a way that I cannot hook up the defogger unit on the right rear :tsk:
Any ideas there :dunno:
I am scared to break the window.
Gotcha, Nick. I presumed you had eliminated the mechanical fan.

I would be worried that under heavy braking / lateral Gs the fan clutch would interfere with the radiator. Are you using poly engine mounts?
 
#195 ·
What "colour" should I put on the title

I am too old fashioned to eliminate a mechanical fan :amish:
If anythiung goes wrong with the electrical fan, you often only notice too late.
Yes I can fit a buzzer or flashing red light :str8pimpi
I am using stock, but new, rubber mounts. Polly let's too many vibrations into the cab as far as I am concerned :snooze:
That is where the question regarding
I was advised to fit the E46 320d engine fan and coupling to my project ?
It is supposed to move more air and has a protective ring around it, to stop the blades from breaking things.
I was just wondering
came from :dunno:
Bumper Auto part Metal Steel Automotive window part
As you can see there is under 1/4" of clearnace :wahwah:

I found out the hole above the door is for the Clothes hook 51431911847. Any way to plug this, as the rear hand rails already have hooks attached to them:dunno:
Most females kick their panties under the seats instead of hanging them up like a trophy for everyone to see :bustingup

Auto part Muffler
I again ran into the problem of fuel starvation.
It looks like the PO had rigged-up a VDO in-tank pump.
Auto part
Although I am no fan of these pumps, this one tested fine. But the culprit was a crack in the suction pipe :flame: Presumably because the pump is not supported at the bottom, like the stock unit :irate:
Auto part Vehicle Muffler Exhaust system
For the time being I rigged-it this way, with a strainer fitted to the intake :kiss:
This car only has a single tank sending units, due to the accesory tank being in the boot with its own sending unit.
The unit in the main tank does not show constant on gauge, changing its reading after every re-start :tsk:

Auto part Automotive exterior Bumper Floor
On the finer points I noticed the rear seat being equipped with 3 cut-outs for the seat belt clasps. But only 2 over4 shoulder belts were fitted.
Luckily I managed to obtain a 3'rd lap-belt set-up :cool:
How on earth am I supposed to fit 3 people in there :fruit:

I wonder what colour this car is.
I doub't it being Frost Silver
More like some blue
 
#196 ·
What Fuel issue issue is this ?

As things go, we continued working on my 323 whilst the shop is not too busy.
The Inspection and service lights were cleared.
The 92 C Thermostat was replaced with a 88 unit.
Auto part Vehicle Bumper
The shift-rod was shortened to centre the shifter.
Bumper Automotive exterior Auto part Pipe
As usual it has to look OEM :bigpimp:

In-between I used the car to run errands.
Generally I was enjoying life :drive: until the gods chose to disturb my bliss Wine glass Stemware Red wine Glass Drink

I ran the Tank below 1/2 and got typical fuel starvation signs again :cry:
So on Friday I drained the tank and then pumped 60L of the offending fuel back, through a in-line fuel filter. I also added Wynn's fuel system cleaner to the tank.
Saturday's test-drive only frustrated me more :banghead:
Product Mason jar Glass Canning
This morning I drained the fuel tank again. The fuel in the left glass is what first came out of the tank.
The middel is what residue was left in one of the Jerry Cans from Friday.
The Right is what I drained from the fuel filter. There is a dirty brown deposit (hopefully not rust) in the bottom of the glass.
Water Plumbing fixture Pipe
You can see how dirty the pump is looking, compared to the picture of 2 weeks ago :dunno:
The fuel pipes leading to the pump and the fuel-sending unit (behind the pump) look immaculate though ?
The junk in the bucket came of the fuel strainer :yikes:

Black Wall Light Line Ceiling
I first removed the auxiliary tank from the trunk and that looks immaculate inside :thumbup:
We are now going through the painful process of removing the main tank, so I can flush that with hot soapy water.
Then tomorrow after rinsing and drying I can attack it again with engine cleaner solution.
We can have our tanks flushed in Windhoek, BUT they do not re-coat the inside after having flushed out everything with acid :violent:

Seeing that the problem only rears its head whilst driving and when the tank is getting empty, I would think of something floating on top of the fuel...
 
#197 ·
Dirty, rust and foul fuel

a week ago I pulled the tank and what came out resembled old dam water Cobalt blue Rim Wheel
I am amazed that there were no fish floating in it :yikes:
We did manage to get a lot of junk out.
I then filled the completely empty tank with 20L of 40:1 Marine 2-stroke premix for the initial drive around.
Though that the needle is just touching the red (empty) with 20L in it, seems strange :dunno:

Initial start up revealed a clogged injector filter in #5 This filter I then had cleaned.
After driving it around town the car started stuttering again and this time #6 was the culprit.
We flushed out the fuel rail as good as possible now.
Anybody know how to build a DIY injector stripper :dunno:
Using a # 10 machine screw, seems a bit crude as it will mar the surface :eek:

Kenneth loves keeping things, which turned out to be a blessing today :bigpimp:
As it allowed me to check the original filter that came with the car, which he had stored.
It was full of brown gunk. So I suppose this malaise came with the car for awhile :thumbdwn:
Then a catalyst could have been the new grade of fuel that has been forced on us motorists in Namibia :(
I mean I have put about 2000 km's on the car this year before I started getting these fuelling issues....

I hope this is now coming to an end :cry:
The last option would be to clean out the tank with acid and then to try Reverse galvanising inside the tank :dunno:

Whilst waiting for the tank to clean itself, dry and then re-flush I decided to attach the engine wiring, that looked horrid Land vehicle Vehicle Car Engine Auto part

Teofilus seemed to enjoy learning this Auto mechanic Mechanic Automobile repair shop Motor vehicle Vehicle

And it looked neat :thumbup: Motor vehicle Engine Vehicle Auto part Wire


I can now show people how the engine bay looks, without blushing : puke:
Land vehicle Vehicle Car Engine Auto part
Engine Auto part Vehicle Car Automotive engine part
 
#198 ·
Wiper travel adjustment

Vehicle
After cleaning the main tank out thoroughly I replaced it and ran through about 20L of fuel until the empty light came on, before refilling the tank with 60L.
The in-line filters checked out good, but Kenneth made a error in conversions :thumbdwn: He used 50 psi WĂĽrth (Goodyear SAE 30R7) 3/8" fuel hose. I would think this marginal at best, due to the pump being able to peak at about 5 bar.

Whilst I was on holiday in Angola, the guys carried on :thumbup:
Technology Electronic device Electronic instrument
I fitted these neat RING daylight driving lights in the grill.Amazingly enough one blew a diode, which Kenneth repaired.

Auto part Engine Automotive engine part
New belts were also fitted
Wheel Auto part Rim Tire Automotive wheel system
As well as replacing the 92C with a 88 Thermostat. The motor & cooling fan seems to like this much better :roundel:
Most of the hoses have also been replaced, though the heater hoses near the firewall seem to be a OEM-only option :spank:

Windshield Glass Window Automotive window part Auto part
We recently had rain :clap:
I see that the drivers side wiper does not make the full sweep (as pictured), whilst the left hand side does.
To get at the wiper-motor and linkage with the M52B28 motor in there is a pain :thumbs:
But somewhere this must be adjustable :dunno:

Everywhere people ask me if I do not want to sell this car :p
Is it because it is a old model and they are hoping for a low price or because it is such an icon ?
Shouting "Make me an offer" across an intersection only makes me wonder for how long our education system has been failing :cry:
 
#199 ·
Everywhere people ask me if I do not want to sell this car :p
Is it because it is a old model and they are hoping for a low price or because it is such an icon ?
Shouting "Make me an offer" across an intersection only makes me wonder for how long our education system has been failing :cry:
:rofl:

Great to hear you're on the road and enjoying it.
 
#200 ·
Minimum 1 277 731 head thickness

As mentioner some time ago that the PO dropped 2.5 crank into my 323 motor in order to lower the CR.
I am now busy porting my old head 1 277 731 and was wondering what the minimum skim thickness is, as the PO had it skimmed already :(
I would gather that the arrowed dot must still be visible :dunno:

Bumper Headlamp Automotive lighting Vehicle Automotive exterior
In the meantime we had fitted the Ring BRL055 Microline rectangular foglights (on the right).
Vehicle Car Automotive exterior Automotive lighting Bumper
The dummy fit made sure that the E30 original adjustment mechanism would still be functional
Metalworking Machine Toolroom Auto mechanic Engineering
Theo had to fabricate a surround, due to it being smaller than the OEM unit :rolleyes:
Headlamp Automotive lighting Light Vehicle Automotive fog light
Once monted it looks original :thumbup:
Headlamp Automotive lighting Light Automotive fog light Auto part
Final test before painting
Automotive exterior Bumper Vehicle Car Automotive lighting
& Voila :bigpimp:
 
#202 ·
Turbo's are not cheap if done right

So when's it getting boost?
Never :p
I am not a fan of boost, unless it is done right :bigpimp:
In the early 90's i was ionvolved in building the world's fastest emissions worthy car- which was a Ferrari Testarossa, called the Colani Kat.
I worked for Lotec as well as Kolstrup Tuning etc.
I have plenty of boost experience and know that long-term reliable boost that is used a lot costs a pretty penny.
Most Hp figures bandiesd about for Turbochargerd cars make me wince and smile alternatively :bs:

I am really happy witrh my E30 right now, as it is all Beemer and goes quite nicely :roundel:
Anyway there are still a lot of things to do, but first i want to do a roadtrip with it over Christmas :drive:
At first I thought Cape Town, but I am running out of time to enjoy that.
Maybe in May...
 
#205 ·
Nervous handling

As threatened last, I did go visit my mother in Swakopmund.
This coastal town is about 360 km's away and let's you drive for a good hour in 45+ C testing the cooling system and Aircon severely.
All worked, as expected from a Bimmer :str8pimpi
Once the car has stood in the sun for a few hours it does tax the Aircon to cool the interior down quickly :smokin:

Fire extinguisher Gas Fluid Spray
Before leaving I did install a Fire Extinguisher, as my car is not insured :nono:
Room Lighting Table Interior design Tree
We use the dried flower of the Agave as a Christmas tree. I hope y'all had a good one :grouphug:
Land vehicle Vehicle Car Steering wheel Steering part
After 200 km's+ it felt effortless cruising at the speed limit + Gst :spank:
Land vehicle Vehicle Car Steering wheel Steering part
This should be a familiar picture to most of you :roundel:
Land vehicle Vehicle Car Steering part Steering wheel
I wish it would rain :beerchug:

I have also taken the 323 for a spin on the Airport road a few times. This is the only really challenging 30 km's of road we got here :drive:
Sadly I came back disappointed as the car tends to judder in the corners under acceleration :irate:
This seems to come from the rear. It is accaberated if the road is choppy.
The car also tends to track along the grooves/camber worn into the road by trucks, giving it a uneasy feeling
So this is something to follow-up on and correct after I re-open on the 9'th :dunno:

I am hopefully leaving for the bush soon.
Have a good New years and be careful out there :drink:
 
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