Resto-mod e21 BMW

[e21Mark]

I think you could be right. I've mailed a couple of places for quotes but haven't heard back yet. I thought about asking on here?

Well I managed to sort a high ratio steering rack, which at 2.5 turns, from lock to lock, is considerably quicker than the standard racks 4 turns. Given the e21's reputation for oversteer, you'd have thought BMW would have made catching it a little easier.

I've been trying to decide on carpet colour too. I had planned on just going with black but a dark grey might not be a bad idea. The seats I bought about 18 months ago, have a grey suede type insert in contrast to the black leather bolsters. I think they came from a VW/Audi of some sort but I like the way they look and they're a little wider, than stock e21 Recaros. I want to mount them as low as I can, so may well remove the original runner mounts from the floor.



I'm going to see Pristine on Friday, to drop off the rack, so will hopefully have a date for getting the paint done.

[e21Mark]

mark.c said:

These guys seem to offer a good service?

http://www.tadpoleradios.co.uk

Seats look ace, hopefully they won't be too wide in an E21?

I sent you a text yesterday about some wheels that may be interesting for your M3 in case you wondered who it was!!

Mark

Thanks - I meant to respond but forgot. I've decided they're just too much money though, so am going to stick with the BBS. I'll probably pick up some Azev for the road though. I had them on my old car and think they suited it.



I'll give those guys a call tomorrow. Yes the seats are lovely and in fantastic condition. I think they're on the limit width wise, but fingers crossed they'll fit ok. I might try and try one for size on Friday.

Stuart Thompson said:

Any updates on the race car?

Kind of, yes. I have always wanted a track prepped e30 M3 and although I've been lucky enough to own a few road cars, I have never been in a position to compete in one. I was made an offer on the e21 though, that combined with some generous help from my partner, has meant I have bought this.







It's been extensively modified by the previous owner and is in terrific condition. It would have been nice to complete the e21 race car, but my e21 itch is well scratched with the blue car. I'm waiting on collecting the M3 at the end of February and hope to do the Crystal Palace sprint in the spring.

[e21Mark]

2.3 Litre - 232 BHP / 191 Nm
Ridgard/Sparco seats & 5 point Willans harness
ACS Quick shift,,
Momo S Wheel
OMP Bolt cage c/w door bars and pads
10k+ receipts from Black Falcon Germany last 2k miles,
Alpha-N DTM airbox (inc software & lead, 2012 motherboard & software installed (Remapped by Maxx Automotive in Germany)
Wideband O2 Lambda & gauge
FPR with gauge
H & R Suspension
H & R Anti Roll Bars & adjustable camber plates
Strut brace
Stainless exhaust system
New Discs F & R
Pagid Pads Front & Rear(Changing to Hawk with Porsche 996 callipers))
New uprated clutch
Air Feed to Brakes
Braided Lines & motorsport fluid
BBS Split Rims
Kumho front Dunlop rear. (arches/inner wings modified to accommodate the lowered suspension and BBS wheels)
New Rad, & Fan, silicon hoses, water pump, belts, 4 wheel bearings
All suspension bushings, joints and links replaced
New drive shaft donut, New distributor cap, rotor arm and leads.
Evo sport front & adjustable rear spoilers
Bonrath single wiper

I had planned to convert to Leda coilovers but figure the H&R set-up is probably a bit more compliant and better suited to occasional road use. It was looked after by Black Falcon (@ Nurburgring) and they went through the whole car with a fine tooth comb. It's no show car, but I bought it to drive it, not look at it.

[e21Mark]

Stuart Thompson said:

I knew you had the glorious M3 now and assumed that's what you meant in an earlier post about possibly selling the e21.

I did feel a bit guilty about not finishing the e21, but to do it right, it really wanted an s14, bias pedal box, decent split rims etc and would have probably swallowed the thick end of £10k getting there. I hope the new owner will do it justice (although I have my doubts to be honest) as the shell, cage etc were all done to a really high standard. Time will tell I guess?

One of the guys on e21.net, who has already built a semi-spaceframe V8 e21, is now looking at building a replica Group 5 car. The extensive arch kit is coming from Germany and he is gathering as much information about the works cars as possible. He has some terrific fabrication skills and I have no doubt, it will be a pretty special car once finished.

[e21Mark]

Finlay007 said:

MIB is stunning, cant wait to see it fifnished !!

Thanks. I'm really looking forward to it being finished too. It's taken a while longer that I'd anticipated but will hopefully be worth the wait and all the hard work.

The quick-rack needs cleaning up and painting, prior to being fitted. I was lucky to secure this one, as the company I found to manufacture a batch of new ones are still some way off them being ready. Fortunately this one has done very few miles and is ready to go in. I'm not a fan of PAS on e21's anyway, but even with the faster rack, the steering isn't overly heavy. Without it, the steering is a bit on the slow side at 4:1 lock to lock. Given how e21 oversteer it needs to be quicker than that. I've got a slightly smaller than stock Prototipo steering wheel also.

[e21Mark]

Went over to Pristine today and dropped the quick-rack and amp off.



Spotted a Vauxhall HA and Cosworth in for restoration.





Another CSL in for new panels.



The e36 loom has been stripped right back and is being spliced into the e21 loom, with the new fuse box and kwik-wire kit.







You can see the difference in engine position, now that there are custom mounts. Might have to look into a sump guard dependent on final ride height?







Spotted Aydin's 323i looking stunning, with all new chassis rails and newly painted engine bay.





Rad is off to aqua-jet and once spotless, the top outlet is being moved so that regular e36 silicon hoses will fit without any joins.



Mick is aiming to paint MIB within a couple or three weeks, so that we can finally start building to the finished result. Obviously it'll need to go to the trimmer for new carpets and the original seat mounts are coming out, so the Recaros can be fitted nice and low. It's been a long slog but we're in the home stretch now.

[e21Mark]

Cheers Jason. Rob assures me he ran as it is, but I think I'll hold fire till the ones I'm having made are ready.

[e21Mark]

Started body prep at last, now all the wiring is finished.

Popped all the glass out today. Front screen put up a fight but came out eventually. Found this in the bottom corner, where it seems the rubber retains water. Easily ground out and repaired though fortunately.



Also found this beneath the rear side window. Still, not bad for 32 years I suppose.

[e21Mark]

320is front lip arrived. Unfortunately, there was a bit of a warp in the bottom edge.



20 minutes with a hot air gun and it went back to the original shape. It'll get a bit more working once it's fitted. I still haven't decided between this or the Ronal spoiler though?



Deleted one wiper hole and screen surround repairs are finished.







Deleted the rear trip and welded up the holes. Going to go and do the prep work myself next week and it should finally be painted next Saturday.



Nice early tii turned up for restoration.

[e21Mark]

Picked up a blue top tint screen today. Really nice condition and no chips anywhere.



Also got some nearly new headlights. The old ones are OK, but I didn't want to bolt corroded parts back on to the freshly painted shell.

[e21Mark]

Have been considering the aesthetics and decided to paint the rims dark gold, like the Campagnolo on Magnus Walkers blue 911.



New gear lever arrived, along with quick shift. Gear changes feel very positive and MX5 like, combined with the weighted gear knob I got from Storm last year.



New front top mounts from Comp Brake replaced the Gaz adjustables, which I found were just over kill on a road car and pretty harsh. I've also gone with a 50 profile tyre, as opposed to the 45's, because the LEDA suspension is quite stiffly sprung. I've got adjustable front and rear ARB's, which I will look at adjusting if need be?



NOS headlights.



Right now we are just aiming to get the car running, so that it can go for a live mapping session using the OE injection and ECU. By rights we should see an easy 240bhp, so anything over that figure will be a bonus. We can then add the 75bhp Nitrous to try and beat 300bhp per ton.

Hopefully there will be some more updates later this week.

[e21Mark]

Thanks. I wasn't entirely sure on the rims but a dark gold will be a nice contrast with Laguna Seca blue paintwork. I really can't wait till the e21 is finished. It's been a lot of work, an awful lot of running around for bits and more cash than I want to even think about. Mick at Pristine Bodyworks has really surpassed himself though and the attention to detail is something else. The whole braking system has been redesigned and only the pedal is original. There all new custom loom, with a proper blade type fuse box hidden away inside the car. I've managed to get a 3:45 crown wheel and pinion for the e12 LSD, which should make it a little quicker off the line. Mind you, it was never going to be slow.

Yeah, if I had the funds I would have loved to do something with the e12. It's going to my partners son though and hopefully it's going to be lowered on the 7J spoked rims, once they've been refurbished and had the lip diamond cut. I'm glad it's going to him as it's a really nice car and I know he really likes it.

[e21Mark]

Have been @ Pristine sorting bits for my car. Decided to go with brushed aluminium finish on my rad etc. Have also got all new stainless bolts and hose clips etc + silicon hoses. Spent ages getting with wheels right, so that the fronts don't look wider than the rears. Just about there now and ride height pretty much how I want it. The rear arches have been pretty extensively re-worked.



I took these a couple of weeks ago but there's been quite a lot of work done since. I was going to post a pic or 2 of the bodywork as it is today, but decided to wait till it's finished. Hopefully it'll be done for the open day at Pristine/Quest next month.

[e21Mark]

benjj said:

Great choice . I did my winter rally wheels in a Lotus type homage gold, I absolutely love them.

I like that shade. Which is it?

[e21Mark]

Code would be great, thanks.

[e21Mark]

That's great - thanks. I think that shade should work really well.

I opted to buy a new electric fan today. I also ordered a new thermo switch. I did think about trying waterless coolant, after I saw it used on an episode of Wheeler Dealers, but figured I would try and get some input from someone else running it first. It's pretty expensive but the claims are pretty good.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/7-LITRE-EVANS-WATERLESS-...

[e21Mark]

Car is coming along nicely. Been working on the details with under bonnet wiring, so that lambda sensors remain hidden, along with injector wiring.

New top mounts are in and the 'to do' list is certainly getting shorter. Decided to get the seat mounts sorted today, which is going to mean removal of the original runner mounts. We sat the seat on some wooden blocks, so that I could try the seat and make sure the height is correct. I'd been worried that the seats may have been too wide, as they're larger than the stock e21 type Recaros, but they actually fit really well. They're also really comfortable, which is an added bonus, as I'm a bit of a lump.





I also got the banded steels, which I'm thinking of doing in a dark gold colour, to contrast with the blue body colour. I also managed to get a shorter ratio CWP for my e12 sideloader LSD. It's a 3.45:1 so will help with acceleration.



Anyway, I'm looking forward to finally having an e21 to smoke around in again.

[e21Mark]

Yes, I got it from Car Builder Solutions, although eBay have some for about £18 I think?

The Recaros were an absolute steal at £200. I found them on eBay and the seller took pity on me when MIB went up in flames. They're is great condition and about as comfy as you can get. The added width is a real bonus too.

[e21Mark]

I'm not sure, but it's the switch which makes it 2 stage anyway, so the fan will be fine. I used one on my old e30 M3 and that's 2 stage also.

The Vadar seats were one of the things that put me off an e36 M3. I much prefer the Recaro styling.

[e21Mark]

Open invitation to anyone interested and hopefully my car will be finished.