E21 Enthusiasts Unite!

Jon - many people have mentioned nothing really happening with the E21 register hence why I suggested Mark get involved as he is active on other forums etc...maybe worth talking to him and see what you can do together - I have suggested a joint event to him already at Gaydon and a possible classic run and Bern has invited us to Silverstone classic....E21 will now be under the classic register so that may also help

Don't forget Shane Moriarty - think he's got 3 of them now.

Why not come to Cadwell with us Jon? It's on your doorstep and we go two or three times a year now.
We are back again soon on December 11th - pop down if you're not working.

Car has had a few subtle modifications over the years, it should generate some interest when seen.

Jon Foster wrote: Some comments have mentioned not being able to get in touch with me - guys; my telephone number is in the club mag and my e-mail is on the E21 Register link on the website.

I have rung several times and had no reply or response to messages/e-mails. I can't tell you why that is but the fact remains that there seems to have been some breakdown in communication somewhere down the line and one or two others have had similar experiences?

Anyway, I have been trying to get the UK e21 owners over on Joroens site, to come down to the Ace Cafe on the 30th November. This is the final German Car Night of 2009 and it looks like we might even make double figures with 12 or 15 e21's and their owners planning to attend! We had 5 last month and a rare, mint Alpina B6 a month or 2 earlier. The Ace has been a regular thing with a few e21 owners for the past 6 months.

The e21 flag has also been flown with attendance of the Drive-it- Day events that the 2002-Jiglu forum have organised. These have also been covered in the club section of Total BMW Magazine.

Anyway, if your still up to continue with the e21 John, I'm happy to lend a hand if you want it?

Mark.

Jon Foster wrote: Hi.   You've guessed it, my 1977 car (very early as you say - 320/6 not launched in UK 'til Jan'78) has had a new head - without looking out the bill (have 30 years of history!) I can't remember exactly when my Dad had it done, but it was around 60.000 miles: it ultimately failed due to faulty casting around the water galleries if I remember correctly. Car has had a few subtle modifications over the years, it should generate some interest when seen. Although I have one now, and had a few over the years I think the 323i very overated: the 320 and 316(1.8) are equally underrated.   Cheers Jon.

Almost! The 320/6 arrived in late 1977, the 323i January 1978. There was a problem with the cylinder head casting on the originals cars, cracking from the water jacket up to the cam journals and causing oil and water to mix. A revised head casting was introduced but it still happened, albeit to a lesser degree. I bought a 320 manual on an X plate (1982) for spares with a cracked head. On the other hand, I had an orange 1979 320 with the original date stamped 1979 head casting!
323i's aren't overreated as such, but they only work properly when they have the Sport suspension and limited slip diff. Without them they're a bit of a waste of time - traction is just abysmal in the wet without an LSD.
The 1.6 316 wasn't a very good car (very undergeared and very thirsty) but the later 5 speed 1800 version was good and surprisingly pokey. The 320 was smooth and quite torquey but again, mpg wasn't very good.
The 323i was fast but the engines were quite harsh. I had two, a 1979 T reg four speeder in Fjordblau and a 1980 W five speed in Polaris. The first one gave up it's LSD and 14 inch Mahle wheels to the silver car when it croaked, and the silver one was finished off by a car fire.
The most unusual example I had was a 1976 320/4, but a South African built car imported here in 1979 and given a T plate. It was white with blue leather and blue tint glass, air conditioning, limited slip diff, 2002 Turbo wheels and a BMW factory replacement engine - I bought it to break as it was shockingly rotten.

I am getting an education on 02's....you will need to stop as I may end up buying one

AndrewE wrote: . If you remount the E21 rear number plate an inch or two higher so that it can only be seen from the car behind, it's also immune to speed cameras. All they will get is the bottom inch of the rear number plate and the bottom inch of the numbers/letters........

Nice to see the early cars - cool 70's colour too!

Mark Brown wrote: Just been to Broadstairs and picked up the green 1977 car - a 316. Plan to try and trace it's history although the previous owner has had it since 1982 anyway. It's first journey for months was 90 miles up the M2. Typical BMW as it never missed a beat.

Trouble with those old 1600 4 speeds is that you get to 70 mph and it sounds like it's about to explode. They desperately need a 5 speed box.
Quite a few E21's are popping up now - I thought they were all but extinct.

AndrewE wrote: Mark Brown wrote: Just been to Broadstairs and picked up the green 1977 car - a 316. Plan to try and trace it's history although the previous owner has had it since 1982 anyway. It's first journey for months was 90 miles up the M2. Typical BMW as it never missed a beat. Trouble with those old 1600 4 speeds is that you get to 70 mph and it sounds like it's about to explode. They desperately need a 5 speed box. Quite a few E21's are popping up now - I thought they were all but extinct.

Well they're certainly not extinct round my way. I have 3 sat outside and there are 2 more a mile or so away on the A3. Hopefully, there should be at least 10 at the Ace cafe on the 30th.

That just makes you a bad person.

drjim wrote: That just makes you a bad person.

Not really, they were just old sheds at the time - I binned them in the same way you'd now bin a tatty old E36 that's come to the end of the road. To be fair they really were rough old pigs.
I will be helping to resurrect a 320 Auto very soon to atone for my sins!

Do like that green car, same colour as my first ever E21 - Aussie 1977 320/4 which I though about bringing back with me but fortunately common sense prevailed - it was rotten! 

drjim wrote: I still have 3 E21's in my workshop - the recently sold blue car is having to have its engine rebuilt - bottom end seized on the M62 20 minutes after sale. It had started ticking before I sold it so feel obliged to fix. Bottom end from the old engine out of the slug will be used to get it fixed.Need to get my Baur fixed up for the road.

Steve B has a MINT engine here, I think he wants 100 quid for it. Just drop that in, car fixed, job done. It's done about 100k as well.
No point in farting about for that kind of coin.