Project: BMW E21
Discussion
So the time has come to button the car back up.
Engine wise, I'm happy. Coolant system needs a bleed, and I probably should replace the 'blue plug' (coolant temp sensor for the ECU) but that's it.
So yesterday I got loads done, it looks like a car again!
I really love how the engine sits in the bay, looks so at home and I think it really suits the car, appearance wise.
Engine wise, I'm happy. Coolant system needs a bleed, and I probably should replace the 'blue plug' (coolant temp sensor for the ECU) but that's it.
So yesterday I got loads done, it looks like a car again!
I really love how the engine sits in the bay, looks so at home and I think it really suits the car, appearance wise.
So I think I've got the cooling system bled correctly, turns out I do have a bleed screw, bad information led me astray. Anyway, I bled it how I understand to be correct, but time will tell.
So with that sorted, it was time to put it back together and it can finally become a car again!
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Engine bay looks as tidy as it's going to get for now, I didn't want to wrap all the loom up yet incase it needs to be worked on. So for the first few hundred miles it will remain open, but zip tied up.
Chris and Jon were round today and we detailed all three cars. Mine was cleaned and clayed. Then Prima Amigo was applied via DA. The paint was finished off with a layer of Zymol Glasur. Glass was polished and finished with Gtechniq G5, and the tyres finished with the usual Megs Endurance.
Mandatory Zymol beading shot:
Really cannot wait to drive it. I'm actually rather nervous. Many people have told me it'll be quite lairy, in addition to that, I'm worried about the quality of the engine and the build etc, many things. Only one way to go about it though and that's to just get on with it. First drive will be in a few weeks after I get back from Prague.
Exciting times.
So with that sorted, it was time to put it back together and it can finally become a car again!
[/url]Engine bay looks as tidy as it's going to get for now, I didn't want to wrap all the loom up yet incase it needs to be worked on. So for the first few hundred miles it will remain open, but zip tied up.
Chris and Jon were round today and we detailed all three cars. Mine was cleaned and clayed. Then Prima Amigo was applied via DA. The paint was finished off with a layer of Zymol Glasur. Glass was polished and finished with Gtechniq G5, and the tyres finished with the usual Megs Endurance.
Mandatory Zymol beading shot:
Really cannot wait to drive it. I'm actually rather nervous. Many people have told me it'll be quite lairy, in addition to that, I'm worried about the quality of the engine and the build etc, many things. Only one way to go about it though and that's to just get on with it. First drive will be in a few weeks after I get back from Prague.
Exciting times.
So yeah today I took it for the first drive, mainly good, with a few teething issues:
The battery moves in the boot as I didn't strap it down, so when I floor it, the battery gets flung across the boot, pulls the cables off it and the car cuts out! Doh!
Anyway that's not strapped down and seems to be all okay.
The waterpump seems to have a tiny, and I mean tiny coolant leak. It's like a pinprick in a hosepipe, coolant coming out in a very, very fine jet. It also only does this intermittently, so I'll probably have to get the pump off and reseal it or something.
The exhaust blows a bit, so that needs sorting next, but that's not too much of a headache.
Now onto the good stuff: It's awesome, properly awesome. The engine feels great, pulls well, and sounds brilliant. I must admit, I saw it parked up at my mates flat and felt really proud to be driving it. I need to get some miles on it now, Didsbury car show is next weekend so I'm looking forward to that.
So yeah, loads of little things to be doing, but ultimately, it's on the road.
The battery moves in the boot as I didn't strap it down, so when I floor it, the battery gets flung across the boot, pulls the cables off it and the car cuts out! Doh!
Anyway that's not strapped down and seems to be all okay.
The waterpump seems to have a tiny, and I mean tiny coolant leak. It's like a pinprick in a hosepipe, coolant coming out in a very, very fine jet. It also only does this intermittently, so I'll probably have to get the pump off and reseal it or something.
The exhaust blows a bit, so that needs sorting next, but that's not too much of a headache.
Now onto the good stuff: It's awesome, properly awesome. The engine feels great, pulls well, and sounds brilliant. I must admit, I saw it parked up at my mates flat and felt really proud to be driving it. I need to get some miles on it now, Didsbury car show is next weekend so I'm looking forward to that.
So yeah, loads of little things to be doing, but ultimately, it's on the road.
So I figured out what the bang was the other day, one of the nuts came off the bolt that holds the prop onto the gearbox. The bolt then wriggled its way out and departed at whatever revs I was doing. Understandably, it made a fair old racket!
Can be seen missing here:
So with that sorted, I gave it a wash along with my mates E36 M3, and got prepared for Didsbury car show which was this Sunday just gone.
Sunday morning came around, and on the way there I noticed my wipers slowed down and eventually stopped, the horn didn't work either... then it died. Presumed alternator failure, but after being towed home and we had a look at it, it's looking more likely to be a weak earth.
I went to the show anyway, just without the car. I did see an old BMW bike there, in Topazbraun too!
So a disappointing weekend I guess, but these things happen.
I did get a couple of decent shots on the 50mm from when I went out the other night though:
Can be seen missing here:
So with that sorted, I gave it a wash along with my mates E36 M3, and got prepared for Didsbury car show which was this Sunday just gone.
Sunday morning came around, and on the way there I noticed my wipers slowed down and eventually stopped, the horn didn't work either... then it died. Presumed alternator failure, but after being towed home and we had a look at it, it's looking more likely to be a weak earth.
I went to the show anyway, just without the car. I did see an old BMW bike there, in Topazbraun too!
So a disappointing weekend I guess, but these things happen.
I did get a couple of decent shots on the 50mm from when I went out the other night though:
It's been a good while since I have updated this, so here is what has gone on in the last month or so.
The chrome on the rear bumper was a mess and I wanted to tidy it up a little. A friend told me about a trick that utilizes Diet Coke (Diet to prevent stickiness from the sugar) and alluminium foil.
Essentially you pour the Coke on and gently rub down the chrome with some scrunched up foil. The results are fantastic.
Before:
After:
Of course the rust will come back, but I've sealed it with some FK1000p wax for now, so it should keep it looking fresh for a little while.
I also took the car to Blink motorsport for a full alignment. Very happy with them, they've transformed the car from a very nervous feeling thing, to something that feels very capable and really quite sharp.
The rear settings can't be changed as I don't have a slotted rear end yet, so that camber is a result of the lowering and nothing else.
Couldn't recommend them enough.
I then took it down to Worcester for the Retro Rides Gathering 2014.
It was fantastic on the way down, sits very well at 70mph, and pulls really nicely. Then once off the M5, the country roads across to our hotel were sublime, turn in feels good, even on the crap tyres, and it has great traction. It's also really rather nippy, even with a modest 170bhp (ish), the lack of weight and driving assists certainly makes driving it a real event.
Unfortunately the following morning saw me written out of the show:
After brimming the tank, I noticed a pretty serious fuel leak. The culprit was the fuel sender unit, which should have a seal on it but doesn't. A simple fix and a new one is on order, but the damage was done, fuel all around the exhaust and fumes in the cabin made it far too much of a risk to drive, so I called my breakdown cover and they loaded it up and took it back to Manchester for me. Fortunately I was still able to go to the show, as the driver agreed to take the vehicle home for me without me going with him.
So it now sits outside venting off the last of the fumes, I'm hoping to have it all sorted and back on the road by the weekend.
The chrome on the rear bumper was a mess and I wanted to tidy it up a little. A friend told me about a trick that utilizes Diet Coke (Diet to prevent stickiness from the sugar) and alluminium foil.
Essentially you pour the Coke on and gently rub down the chrome with some scrunched up foil. The results are fantastic.
Before:
After:
Of course the rust will come back, but I've sealed it with some FK1000p wax for now, so it should keep it looking fresh for a little while.
I also took the car to Blink motorsport for a full alignment. Very happy with them, they've transformed the car from a very nervous feeling thing, to something that feels very capable and really quite sharp.
The rear settings can't be changed as I don't have a slotted rear end yet, so that camber is a result of the lowering and nothing else.
Couldn't recommend them enough.
I then took it down to Worcester for the Retro Rides Gathering 2014.
It was fantastic on the way down, sits very well at 70mph, and pulls really nicely. Then once off the M5, the country roads across to our hotel were sublime, turn in feels good, even on the crap tyres, and it has great traction. It's also really rather nippy, even with a modest 170bhp (ish), the lack of weight and driving assists certainly makes driving it a real event.
Unfortunately the following morning saw me written out of the show:
After brimming the tank, I noticed a pretty serious fuel leak. The culprit was the fuel sender unit, which should have a seal on it but doesn't. A simple fix and a new one is on order, but the damage was done, fuel all around the exhaust and fumes in the cabin made it far too much of a risk to drive, so I called my breakdown cover and they loaded it up and took it back to Manchester for me. Fortunately I was still able to go to the show, as the driver agreed to take the vehicle home for me without me going with him.
So it now sits outside venting off the last of the fumes, I'm hoping to have it all sorted and back on the road by the weekend.
So today I made a start on the headlining, the material is charcoal grey, brushed nylon & foam backed. It's lovely to work with.
The pictures are awful as the colour isn't easy to capture in sunglight conditions, but you get the idea. It's not 100% perfect, but it's pretty good for my first attempt IMO.
I tired to keep the use of glue to a minimum, which I believe is the standard practice for the OEM headliner, so it's tucked into the door and window seals as per OEM.
The pictures are awful as the colour isn't easy to capture in sunglight conditions, but you get the idea. It's not 100% perfect, but it's pretty good for my first attempt IMO.
I tired to keep the use of glue to a minimum, which I believe is the standard practice for the OEM headliner, so it's tucked into the door and window seals as per OEM.
Got a little video of the exhaust sound on the E21, it's not really the highest quality sound, but it's good enough.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbuU0rvJvmw&fe...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbuU0rvJvmw&fe...
Went out the other night for a drive, and noticed a couple of small issues:
The drivers rear coilover was "twanging" because the spring wasn't seated properly due to the height being adjusted with the preload of the spring. So I raised the rear of the car slightly, but it has removed the annoying spring twang which is more important to me.
At high revs, there was a rattling coming from the exhuast system, which after a closer inspection has turned out to be the exhaust centre section coming into contact with the propshaft. So I'll run it back up to Topgear and have a chat with them, see what they can do.
The handbrake is sticking on every now and again, I've not looked at this yet, but I plan to this weekend. Probably just something sticking a little bit.
In better news, I took it out to north Wales on Sunday, 120 miles, a lot of which was spent on country roads. The car was sublime, not a single issue and it kept up with the best of them. Nial and Adrian got some fantastic photos of the car over near a quarry, very impressed with them.
I've agreed a date with my dad to put the car into storage at his house over the winter months.
The car was detailed on Saturday before the meet on the Sunday. Prima Amigo applied via DA and finished with two layers of Zaino Z8:
From up at the quarry:
The drivers rear coilover was "twanging" because the spring wasn't seated properly due to the height being adjusted with the preload of the spring. So I raised the rear of the car slightly, but it has removed the annoying spring twang which is more important to me.
At high revs, there was a rattling coming from the exhuast system, which after a closer inspection has turned out to be the exhaust centre section coming into contact with the propshaft. So I'll run it back up to Topgear and have a chat with them, see what they can do.
The handbrake is sticking on every now and again, I've not looked at this yet, but I plan to this weekend. Probably just something sticking a little bit.
In better news, I took it out to north Wales on Sunday, 120 miles, a lot of which was spent on country roads. The car was sublime, not a single issue and it kept up with the best of them. Nial and Adrian got some fantastic photos of the car over near a quarry, very impressed with them.
I've agreed a date with my dad to put the car into storage at his house over the winter months.
The car was detailed on Saturday before the meet on the Sunday. Prima Amigo applied via DA and finished with two layers of Zaino Z8:
From up at the quarry:
It has been a long time since I've posted in here, but I thought I should update the thread.
I still have the car, it has been in storage at my dads for the last few months but it has now returned.
It now has a quick rack, which from the very brief drive I've had since fitting it, feels fantastic.
I have also fitted a Momo Prototipo, which also feels and looks great.
The car is looking well, before bringing it home from my dads:
However it has failed its MOT on the following:
Rear brakes, essentially they're binding and the handbrake isn't up to scratch, which I found out tonight is due to a snapped cable, so I'll fit a new one this week. The shoes are all a bit gunked up, so I'll buy a new fitting kit, take it all apart and clean it and refit everything which will hopefully solve that.
Headlights supposedly have some rust on the reflectors which has failed them, I had every intention of sorting them tonight, but it seems the glass lens doesn't "pop" off them like I thought it would? Anyone have any ideas?
Finally it failed on too higher engine idle. It's idling at 1,200rpm, so certainly a little too high. However I can't bring it down at all, I can't find a vac leak, it doesn't appear to be the "blue plug" (which measures coolant temperature and adjusts the fueling to suit" so I'm at a bit of a loss with that one.
Anyway, I'm sure it'll get sorted soon enough, it's good to have it back on the drive
I still have the car, it has been in storage at my dads for the last few months but it has now returned.
It now has a quick rack, which from the very brief drive I've had since fitting it, feels fantastic.
I have also fitted a Momo Prototipo, which also feels and looks great.
The car is looking well, before bringing it home from my dads:
However it has failed its MOT on the following:
Rear brakes, essentially they're binding and the handbrake isn't up to scratch, which I found out tonight is due to a snapped cable, so I'll fit a new one this week. The shoes are all a bit gunked up, so I'll buy a new fitting kit, take it all apart and clean it and refit everything which will hopefully solve that.
Headlights supposedly have some rust on the reflectors which has failed them, I had every intention of sorting them tonight, but it seems the glass lens doesn't "pop" off them like I thought it would? Anyone have any ideas?
Finally it failed on too higher engine idle. It's idling at 1,200rpm, so certainly a little too high. However I can't bring it down at all, I can't find a vac leak, it doesn't appear to be the "blue plug" (which measures coolant temperature and adjusts the fueling to suit" so I'm at a bit of a loss with that one.
Anyway, I'm sure it'll get sorted soon enough, it's good to have it back on the drive
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