BMW e21. HoodRide to Rally Car

[427]

I thought it was about time i started a thread for my new car. I picked it up for $800 out of QLD. $720 later it was on a train to Melbourne. I was only intending to use the head on the 1602 but then i found more and more out about it. I'm not to sure on the exact numbers, but it has hight compression pistons and an aggressive cam. There are some very rusty custom made headers and pipe out the back. The 4 speed on the back seams to be in order but i wont know till i get it moving under it's own power. Yes i know i bought a car without driving, hearing it run much less even seeing it in the metal till it showed up on my door!

I'm told the car had run targa tas in a few years before 2000. I don't have the spectator books from back then so i don't know what year it was.

The plans for the car are to take it from it's HoodRide look now and take it back to what it was when it was built the first time around and that is a tarmac rally car.

Heres the pics i took when it showed up a few weeks ago.





This is when i started to pull the parts for the injection off to put the twin 45 webbers i picked up. Thanks to Abs for contacting me to see if i wanted them. He sold me 2 45 webbers, manifolds, air box and genuine webber linkages.

OG air box removed


More to come...

[427]

Injection off.

Put the new twin 45 webbers on

Bolted the headers on

Oh ye big pipe out the back


I also made a discovery in the boot lip.


Not the hardest place to fix but i all most got away with not having any rust get all the way though the body. Oh well more work...

This is why some of the body is bent.

Bentness



My chrissy pressent from my uncle. His old race harnesses and some wheel nuts forthe blue car so i can put mags on it.


Quality badge on the boot.


Where I do all the work. It only looks like it keeps the water out!


stay tuned...

[ArnZ]

good luck with the work. looks like it has potential. and the diff looks different for some reason, definately doesnt look lik a e21 spec diff.

keep us posted

[al_]

Wouldn't it be better to transfer the mechanicals into something less rotten? There are straight cars everywhere - even pickapart!

Coming from british stuff i would be very nervous about committing to that shell. Rust is a mofo

[Ade]

Coming from british stuff i would be very nervous about committing to that shell. Rust is a mofo

+1

Salted roads = hell on car earth.

[Hadrian]

I know of a rust free E21 project for sale

[427]

It doesn't look to bad under it, not anything worse then on my other cars. It needs new doors and right front wing. The bonnet, and front air damn under the bumper need to be beaten back into shape. Rust repair under the right rear window, right side boot lip (pictured above), surface rust on the roof and in the engine bay. I suspect that the bit in the engine bay is from the heat of the motor as it is right next to the headers and only there.

As for the motor etc... it needs fuel lines and an air cleaner. The rad nneds to be put back in. (it came with a brand new one in the boot). I need new tire rod ends, and bushing for the stabilizer bar under the front end. Might need new dampers and needs new tires.

Thanks for the offer of the another body Hadrian but I'll keep with this one. Theres nothing structural it's all easy-ish to repair. The body is dead straight it's not all bent like the 1602, The drivers side is shorter by 2cm and the body is twished to so the doors don't close all the way. The doors and boot close pretty much perfect. i think the drivers door has dropped a little.

I have been part of a crew changing over a body, it is much easier. If i find a shell that is rust free and had nothing in it. No interior, no motor and just wheels to make it easy to move around and it was a cheap price i would get it.

I hope to get it fired up today fingers crossed. But before that i have to blead the brakes on the 1602.

cheers

[Hadrian]

I have a front 323i sway bar (thicker than 320i) with poly bushes for sale... PM me.

[427]

Did some more work today in the heat. I must have looked like i had shower when i was done. Any way heres what i got up to.

Pulled the sway bar off, to find that it was T.F. so looks like a new one is the only way to fix it. Now thats not the bad point, have a look at the mounting points.
Right side. (nothing wrong)

Left side (hmmm, do you reckon it will buff out?)


I found a nice crack in the front on the ride side where the rad would sit.


Heres how the left side tie rod was held on.

The lower control arm didn't even have the nut on all the way. I'm it didn't run or i would have lots a wheel on the way home.

On the good side, i found a fire extinguisher under one of the seats, and a trip meter in the boot. It had been cut off the car for some reason.

If all goes to plan it will be running next week. i wont be able to drive it as the front window is held is with hopes and dreams and there may not be an interior for much longer.

cheers

[niall]

great to see another e21 build. best of luck mate. It will be worth all the blood sweat and beers once its done

[Goon]

Looks like a challenging project! I would be interested to see the result. Keep us posted mate!

[427]

cheers thanks. i'd love to get more work done on it, but it's to damn hot in melb at the mo!

[ArnZ]

hey mate

im wrecking a 320 1977 e21 atm

let me know if you need anything

goodies for sales are:

27mm Front Adjustable Sway Bars (thought i think their more caster adjustable if anything)

Lowering King Springs

Koni Shocks on Rear (not sure of front yet but pretty sure their koni too)

needs to be gone within a week. so let me know if you need any little bits and pieces.

[427]

Not many up dates with this car, i've been trying to get my 1602 ready for the road again soon.

I got side tracked when mounting an oil gauge, and i still haven't mounted it.

Surface rust every where on the drivers side.


This is why i was able to just pull the pedal off the floor!


Drivers side seat rails.



Left side seat rails


And my ever helpful (at getting in the way) german shepherd


The seats in this car are now in a 1602, they are a big improvement over the 1970 2002 seats that where in there.

cheers

[427]

Been a while from my last up date. Not heaps done, and time is running out before uni starts.



Speaking of running i found out why i got the car sooooooo cheap for what it was. It was a rally car but the last own (who bought it from the guy who made it a rally car) did some work to it but then could never get it working again. Well i found out why. The fuel lines had been used as a jacking point and crushed on the left side. oops. Then i found that the fuel line from the tank was totally squashed between the tank and body! big oops.

Heres the crushed fuel lines.

Heres the tank when i pulled it out, see the impression of the rubber fuel line in the sound deadening.

Heres the fuel up, i don't think i will replace it. I'm going to put a pressure valve in so i can adjust it for tuning.


So after all this i thought I'd run the motor. I had to work out the electrics, they had been mostly pulled off. Got it turning over, that i am very happy about. next w/e I'll get some fuel going to it and make it run.

Found this little problem too.
It was on the back of the cap so who know how that happened, wasn't me.

Under the car now. I got the pipes on with some help. Guess what, it rubs on the fuel tank and the drive shaft!

Quality mounts too.

It had been sitting off the car for so long that the pip had bent the rear panel.


I pulled the 320i badge off to find more rust! woot!

I also had a pick at the left door, and found the door had rusted off the inside of the bog, lol.


I've stripped out some of the sound deadening from the back. Just that one panel of it was 3.25kgs! My aim to to make it a very light car at the end of it all.


Viva La HoodRide!