Any Classic BMW Owners?
Discussion
Looking to speak to some BMW drivers pre 92, I'm after moving away from the modern car and to run something classic for a daily instead!
Is there any one out there?
Looking at e21 with a e30 motor conversion. Need help with insurance, any companies that people use with modified classic and i'm also looking into alarms/immobilizers too.
Any help would be good!
Ste
Is there any one out there?
Looking at e21 with a e30 motor conversion. Need help with insurance, any companies that people use with modified classic and i'm also looking into alarms/immobilizers too.
Any help would be good!
Ste
I guess I fit the description... E21 with E30 engine is very doable though E21 bits are getting very scarce (expensive) and base cars are getting valuable.
I'm not sure what E30 engine you're thinking of but I would assume 2.5 M20 out of the 325i, assuming you get the right E21 base car to begin with it will be a straightforward, bolt in swap. You may need an E21 M20 sump and oil pickup fitted to the E30 engine.
323i manual would be the best bet hands down, as it's an M20 based car, therefore has the correct engine mounts, gearbox etc to enable the engine to bolt right in. It would then just need the engine loom wiring into the car which takes about 8 wires, all of which are pretty much colour matched. 323i are desirable as they have rear disc brakes as standard, and I think rear ARB.
320 manual would be just the same, except they have rear drum brakes. I think getting the right base car that doesn't need too much welding is more important, so if you see a good 320i manual then I'd go ahead. Rear drums aren't the end of the world, and rear disc trailing arms do come up, though are expensive these days. Also the 320 doesn't have the twin exhaust system of the 323i, so I would budget for a custom exhaust.
316, while lovely, would need a lot of expense to convert to an M20 car. Needing front subframe, engine mounts, gearbox, flywheel, clutch, gearlinkage, prop etc from an E21 M20 car. It's an easy swap still, but E21 M20 gearboxes are heading over £400-500, IF you can find one. Drum brakes and would definitely need a custom exhaust.
E21s have a speedo cable and the drive comes from the E21 gearbox, E30 are electronic speedo so their gearboxes lack the speedo drive, hence the need for E21 gearbox.
E21 to 2.5 M20 is a tried and tested swap, very doable and practically bolt in if you get the right bits. I've personally converted an E21 323i to a 2.5 M50 24v, out of an E34 525i / E36 325i. This is a hard swap in comparison to an M20, though it's still relatively straight forward. E21 rear axle strength is dubious, as I found out when drifting my 323i M50, but the 2.5 M20 is a very good and balanced swap.
E21 do rust and this is your primary concern. I personally think E30 is a better bet for a daily. Parts are far more available and the prefacelift pre '87 cars look very retro, nearly as much as the E21 arguably. E30 also feels like a much more modern car, that's where my money would go.
Insurance, try Footman James, Brent Acre, Lancaster, Heritage, Sky and possibly HIC/Flux. I've used most of those, currently I have 3-4 highly modified BMWs insured on a classic group policy with Footman James, who I can't recommend highly enough. EG an E30 with an M30 3.5 track car with all mods declared, and a E32 750i manual etc.
The threads a bit out of date, but it details some of my heaps http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
I'm not sure what E30 engine you're thinking of but I would assume 2.5 M20 out of the 325i, assuming you get the right E21 base car to begin with it will be a straightforward, bolt in swap. You may need an E21 M20 sump and oil pickup fitted to the E30 engine.
323i manual would be the best bet hands down, as it's an M20 based car, therefore has the correct engine mounts, gearbox etc to enable the engine to bolt right in. It would then just need the engine loom wiring into the car which takes about 8 wires, all of which are pretty much colour matched. 323i are desirable as they have rear disc brakes as standard, and I think rear ARB.
320 manual would be just the same, except they have rear drum brakes. I think getting the right base car that doesn't need too much welding is more important, so if you see a good 320i manual then I'd go ahead. Rear drums aren't the end of the world, and rear disc trailing arms do come up, though are expensive these days. Also the 320 doesn't have the twin exhaust system of the 323i, so I would budget for a custom exhaust.
316, while lovely, would need a lot of expense to convert to an M20 car. Needing front subframe, engine mounts, gearbox, flywheel, clutch, gearlinkage, prop etc from an E21 M20 car. It's an easy swap still, but E21 M20 gearboxes are heading over £400-500, IF you can find one. Drum brakes and would definitely need a custom exhaust.
E21s have a speedo cable and the drive comes from the E21 gearbox, E30 are electronic speedo so their gearboxes lack the speedo drive, hence the need for E21 gearbox.
E21 to 2.5 M20 is a tried and tested swap, very doable and practically bolt in if you get the right bits. I've personally converted an E21 323i to a 2.5 M50 24v, out of an E34 525i / E36 325i. This is a hard swap in comparison to an M20, though it's still relatively straight forward. E21 rear axle strength is dubious, as I found out when drifting my 323i M50, but the 2.5 M20 is a very good and balanced swap.
E21 do rust and this is your primary concern. I personally think E30 is a better bet for a daily. Parts are far more available and the prefacelift pre '87 cars look very retro, nearly as much as the E21 arguably. E30 also feels like a much more modern car, that's where my money would go.
Insurance, try Footman James, Brent Acre, Lancaster, Heritage, Sky and possibly HIC/Flux. I've used most of those, currently I have 3-4 highly modified BMWs insured on a classic group policy with Footman James, who I can't recommend highly enough. EG an E30 with an M30 3.5 track car with all mods declared, and a E32 750i manual etc.
The threads a bit out of date, but it details some of my heaps http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
rob0r said:
I guess I fit the description... E21 with E30 engine is very doable though E21 bits are getting very scarce (expensive) and base cars are getting valuable.
I'm not sure what E30 engine you're thinking of but I would assume 2.5 M20 out of the 325i, assuming you get the right E21 base car to begin with it will be a straightforward, bolt in swap. You may need an E21 M20 sump and oil pickup fitted to the E30 engine.
323i manual would be the best bet hands down, as it's an M20 based car, therefore has the correct engine mounts, gearbox etc to enable the engine to bolt right in. It would then just need the engine loom wiring into the car which takes about 8 wires, all of which are pretty much colour matched. 323i are desirable as they have rear disc brakes as standard, and I think rear ARB.
320 manual would be just the same, except they have rear drum brakes. I think getting the right base car that doesn't need too much welding is more important, so if you see a good 320i manual then I'd go ahead. Rear drums aren't the end of the world, and rear disc trailing arms do come up, though are expensive these days. Also the 320 doesn't have the twin exhaust system of the 323i, so I would budget for a custom exhaust.
316, while lovely, would need a lot of expense to convert to an M20 car. Needing front subframe, engine mounts, gearbox, flywheel, clutch, gearlinkage, prop etc from an E21 M20 car. It's an easy swap still, but E21 M20 gearboxes are heading over £400-500, IF you can find one. Drum brakes and would definitely need a custom exhaust.
E21s have a speedo cable and the drive comes from the E21 gearbox, E30 are electronic speedo so their gearboxes lack the speedo drive, hence the need for E21 gearbox.
E21 to 2.5 M20 is a tried and tested swap, very doable and practically bolt in if you get the right bits. I've personally converted an E21 323i to a 2.5 M50 24v, out of an E34 525i / E36 325i. This is a hard swap in comparison to an M20, though it's still relatively straight forward. E21 rear axle strength is dubious, as I found out when drifting my 323i M50, but the 2.5 M20 is a very good and balanced swap.
E21 do rust and this is your primary concern. I personally think E30 is a better bet for a daily. Parts are far more available and the prefacelift pre '87 cars look very retro, nearly as much as the E21 arguably. E30 also feels like a much more modern car, that's where my money would go.
Insurance, try Footman James, Brent Acre, Lancaster, Heritage, Sky and possibly HIC/Flux. I've used most of those, currently I have 3-4 highly modified BMWs insured on a classic group policy with Footman James, who I can't recommend highly enough. EG an E30 with an M30 3.5 track car with all mods declared, and a E32 750i manual etc.
The threads a bit out of date, but it details some of my heaps http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Now thats a reply! I'm not sure what E30 engine you're thinking of but I would assume 2.5 M20 out of the 325i, assuming you get the right E21 base car to begin with it will be a straightforward, bolt in swap. You may need an E21 M20 sump and oil pickup fitted to the E30 engine.
323i manual would be the best bet hands down, as it's an M20 based car, therefore has the correct engine mounts, gearbox etc to enable the engine to bolt right in. It would then just need the engine loom wiring into the car which takes about 8 wires, all of which are pretty much colour matched. 323i are desirable as they have rear disc brakes as standard, and I think rear ARB.
320 manual would be just the same, except they have rear drum brakes. I think getting the right base car that doesn't need too much welding is more important, so if you see a good 320i manual then I'd go ahead. Rear drums aren't the end of the world, and rear disc trailing arms do come up, though are expensive these days. Also the 320 doesn't have the twin exhaust system of the 323i, so I would budget for a custom exhaust.
316, while lovely, would need a lot of expense to convert to an M20 car. Needing front subframe, engine mounts, gearbox, flywheel, clutch, gearlinkage, prop etc from an E21 M20 car. It's an easy swap still, but E21 M20 gearboxes are heading over £400-500, IF you can find one. Drum brakes and would definitely need a custom exhaust.
E21s have a speedo cable and the drive comes from the E21 gearbox, E30 are electronic speedo so their gearboxes lack the speedo drive, hence the need for E21 gearbox.
E21 to 2.5 M20 is a tried and tested swap, very doable and practically bolt in if you get the right bits. I've personally converted an E21 323i to a 2.5 M50 24v, out of an E34 525i / E36 325i. This is a hard swap in comparison to an M20, though it's still relatively straight forward. E21 rear axle strength is dubious, as I found out when drifting my 323i M50, but the 2.5 M20 is a very good and balanced swap.
E21 do rust and this is your primary concern. I personally think E30 is a better bet for a daily. Parts are far more available and the prefacelift pre '87 cars look very retro, nearly as much as the E21 arguably. E30 also feels like a much more modern car, that's where my money would go.
Insurance, try Footman James, Brent Acre, Lancaster, Heritage, Sky and possibly HIC/Flux. I've used most of those, currently I have 3-4 highly modified BMWs insured on a classic group policy with Footman James, who I can't recommend highly enough. EG an E30 with an M30 3.5 track car with all mods declared, and a E32 750i manual etc.
The threads a bit out of date, but it details some of my heaps http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Sorry! I mean the car im looking at has had the e30 switch! so its a e21 with the m20b25 engine!
So all the work has already been done! thats why im pretty keen to go for it if i can manage to keep it going!
Ill try a few of the insurance companies! let you know with what i get!
rob0r said:
Totally read that wrong :P Yes try those insurance companies!
Sky dont like under 25s :/ being 24 that kinda sucks! Brent acre - Sent off a quotation.
Performance Direct - £297 with the standard engine replacement (waitng for the 325 engine quote)
and the rest ill try and ring up tonight!
Can't help with your search, but have you seen this thread?
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
rob0r said:
When I was under 25 (currently 30) Heritage and Lancaster were good. Right now Footman blow them all out the water, I insured an E21 316, E30 M30, E32 750i and E23 730 all modified for £475 limited to 5000 miles across the lot including commuting.
I'm with Footman James as well. They're just untouchable at the moment and I have five cars insured for about 300 quid.
This is my daily driver although I did avoid the salty roads through the winter. Starts beautifully from cold and soon warms up. It's a 1986 635csi. I apologise for the boy racer wheels but the original hardened and out of date TRX metric tyres were no good for daily driving. They looked better though.
Doug Phillips said:
Is there a market for old BMW's as I have a 1978 520 on my driveway that my wife would like me to get rid of. Last time I drove it was about 18 years ago, it's done about 52,000 miles.
Thanks.
If it's sat for 18 years, how good/bad is it?Thanks.
If it's a rusty none runner, it would only be viable as a parts car.
Doug Phillips said:
Is there a market for old BMW's as I have a 1978 520 on my driveway that my wife would like me to get rid of. Last time I drove it was about 18 years ago, it's done about 52,000 miles.
Thanks.
Let me know about this! i may be interested! Thanks.
Just want a nice example to keep standard and use for a good few years! Keep the old boys going!
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