Thinking about an E21

[Dudesky]

I have a friend at work who's offering me an '80 320i for $500. New clutch, runs good, seats just got reupholstered. Thinking about getting it for a restoration project. But I have to wait till next month 'coz my driveway is getting redone. Any thoughts, suggestions, or things to look out for? Anyone own one?

[witeshark]

I like it -- assumes the facts are on

[munichman]

but why would you want to restore an e21? e30 parts are cheaper and typically easier to find. could be a good daily driver though.

[Numark318i]

go for it...why not..its only 500$

[Dudesky]

Originally Posted by munichman

but why would you want to restore an e21?

As a hobby and a challenge. Something I can take my time with and still drive back & forth to work. I'd feel like I own a piece of some history, and it'll look beautiful once there are very few E21's left around. Parts aren't that hard to come by yet. Besides, it was well taken care of, only 160k and very little rust. Mechanically it was well maintained. What the hell, it's only 500 bucks. Still not sure if I can get it, since I'm still waiting to get my driveway done. If the guy still has it after that, I'm gonna pick it up.

[Adotodot4]

Check for rust around the shock towers, especially in the trunk. Also check the well w/the spare tire in the trunk. All areas prone to rust.

A few other common problems that you might run into:
Hazard button pops out randomly (or it is jammed in place to prevent this)
Water leaking into glove compartment
Shimmy at ~45mph
Cold and hot start problems are pretty common and easy to fix.
-A.O.

[DEATH2000]

^^ Nice looking E21 man, love the rims. Welcome to UB!!! Got any more pics of the car?

[nick_318is]

Sounds like a good deal and for only $500 bucks it could be a fun project. This october I got to ride in a e21 with an e30 m3 engine tossed in at a drivers school (my instructors car) and a bunch of other stuff and it was a big surprise very quick car and very much something not many thought much of until it was passing them. Good luck and let us know what you decide to do.

[Adotodot4]

Originally Posted by DEATH2000

^^ Nice looking E21 man, love the rims. Welcome to UB!!! Got any more pics of the car?

Its actually a photoshop when I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do with the car. The main changes were compressed front bumper, front clears, a drop, and shaved rear indicator. I wish it looked like that, just need some time to pull everything together. Let me see if I can find a stock picture for comparison.

[Dudesky]

Originally Posted by nick_318is

Sounds like a good deal and for only $500 bucks it could be a fun project . . Good luck and let us know what you decide to do.

That idea died some time ago. I ended up letting my friend sell it to someone else because I had other expenses to deal with. I bought a snow thrower for the house instead

[e30cabrio]

I have always wanted a euro 323 e21. I had a virtually perfect 72 2002 Tii in 84 which was totaled by a red light runner. I got 7k from the insurance and looked for a 323 but never found one. (under 10k)

I ended up with another much less nice Tii and furniture both of which are now long gone.

[Dudesky]

Ha ha, it looks like I've got another chance to pick up that E21 afterall . . the guy didn't sell it, instead he gave it to his g/f. Now she wants to unload it because it developed a hole in the radiator. I offered her $300 and she accepted. But I still have to go over there and look at the car this week. Then I'll make a final decision about it

[DEATH2000]

Right on, hopefully the rad wont be to big of a problem to fix/replace.

[c1apton]

Dski, for $300 bills you could afford to tow it home & part it out on Ebay. You know what parts cost - that's a rolling cash register lQQking you in the eyes. (could finance ALOT of mods you want to do to your car or add to your "next car" fund$) Hell, if I had the time & was going to be home for a period of time - "hello - the parts dept is NOW open" As it stands now I won't be home until Xmas for about a week & then it's out again until Feb. (We have 3 weeks left here in states, then to Japan for a little over a month then down under for 3 weeks - "balls to the walls" right now)

[Dudesky]

^^^He he, another idea, if I decide not to restore it. I really have to go and look at it tho- now I'm told the girl rear ended someone, and that's why the radiator busted open

[3050rpm]

Had a lot of fun with my '82, put over 300K on it, no problems with drivetrain at all, about the only major stuff I recall needing was a new steering rack , battery and alternator, shifter bushings, wheel bearings. The notorious shimmy was taken care of by replacing suspension bushings, I gather not all that big a job.

As a previous post suggested, check the trunk for water/rust. I was getting water at the front, i.e. just behind the rear seat bulkhead, under the pad. I think it was coming from underneath along a horizontal seam, which didn't look like a pretty repair by the time I parted with the car. Similarly, the rear panel of the trunk at the bottom (bumper level) has a box construction which invites the accumulation of water and development of rust, so check for that as well.

In the dry, the car was an absolute blast to toss around, but at any hint of even damp road conditions I made sure to behave myself, this car is skittish in the wet. Similarly, if you live in snow country and intend to operate the car in those conditions, again don't engage in any fancy stuff, put four snow tires on, and put a 50-lb. bag of kitty litter and a copy of Nietsche in the trunk behind the rear seat for some added weight and traction. Have a ball!