1971 BMW 1600 Project

[phreshkid]

..but flip-flops in February pisses us off.

You may lose a critical voting block.

He gets a pass

You're lucky I was wearing anything at all. Most times I go barefoot. Beach city = normal to not wear shoes or flip flops. Also, it's been 80 degrees these last few days.

[phreshkid]

Grabbed that radiator today.




High efficiency triple core unit right next to the stock 1600 dual core unit.

The triple core unit is about 1/8" thicker sticking out on the side closest to the engine. But in its current configuration, the core has more fins per inch (14 instead of 12) and more tubes per tank (i forgot the number). According to Don at Hoffman Radiator, it should flow about 40% more than stock, and more efficiently too.

I ordered a new Tropical fan from Blunt today because I didn't want to get in there and throw a used fan in. Kind of dumb, but I tend to not think about it.

When Don pressure tested the three-core unit, he found that someone had already worked on the top tank and he had to seal a pinhole or two. Scary, but I trust him. The second radiator in the photo is the actual radiator from the 1600. I came across it by accident today, so I brought it to Don and told him to go ahead and triple core that one as well. I rather have a spare than nothing at all.

The IE radiator will be coming out in the next week and will likely be up for sale. I want the mechanical fan back in there, and the IE rad won't allow that.

[phreshkid]

I've been enjoying the car all weekend. Been surfing a lot and hooning, and I used the surf racks a few times this weekend too. Very solid weekend.

About an hour ago, I got the itch that I want to wetsand the whole car, and then cut/polish followed by wax. I figured I would test one spot tonight, so I chose the whole driver's side quarter panel.

I started with 1000 grit sandpaper, followed by 1200, and then finished with 1500. I don't own a porter cable polisher, so I applied a quick hand polish and this was the result:



Still no wax, but the paint can still "pop". I like the shine much better than the matte blue I've been running for the last year. Wow. I've owned this car for a year now. Who would have thought.

I'll end up doing the whole car. I'll remove all trim (most of it, anyways) and bumpers and go to wet sanding town. Then a polish, followed by wax. This car is turning a new page.

[flyboyx]

ya know....it isn't even an e30, but somehow, this is my favorite build thread in the history of ever.

about every couple of months i search this page out and read the latest entries. its kind of like catching up with an old friend.

[rzerob]

I like the potential for the paint polished better than the matte blue.

[phreshkid]

ya know....it isn't even an e30, but somehow, this is my favorite build thread in the history of ever.

about every couple of months i search this page out and read the latest entries. its kind of like catching up with an old friend.

I'm feelin you.

I like the potential for the paint polished better than the matte blue.

We're on the same wavelength, you and I.















Tonight was part 1 of major productivity.

I left work early (because I wasn't really working) to head to my buddy's shop and swap out suspensions. I ended up doing most of what I wanted, and I ate a whole pizza while I was at it. I'm sort of proud of that one.


Anyways, by order of operations, I'll start with photos and brief, almost pointless explanations for each one. As the photos progress, so will my laziness. I will likely be unable to form coherent sentences by the end of this post.


I started by removing the front struts and anything connected to them. This empty space is similar to the empty space in my chest where my heart used to be.





Then I figured it was time to clean up and redress the new coilovers. Things went well. No real hiccups in this part of the process.



And here they are, basically done and ready to go back in.







Then I did some stuff, ate pizzas, drank beers, did some handstands or whatever and then bolted the front setups in.






But then I looked at the rear suspension and decided that it looked ugly.






So my buddy Mike removed the rear drum brake cover things, threw them in the sand blasting cabinet, blasted the exteriors, and repainted them black using some kind of high-temp paint. They look nice.





And then I threw the IE Stage 2 rear springs in. Currently running 3 Dot rear pads. Will probably throw the 1 Dot pads back in and see how far these springs will settle. I'm not against cutting up to a coil in the rear. You'll see why soon.

So pretty:





All buttoned back up:









And how the car sits now: The fronts are plenty low, but I might look into an 8" springs instead of the current 7" spring. I'm adjusted almost all the way up and the front sits that low. It would be great if I was trying to get on the front page of Stanceworks, but not great for adjustability, as was the main motivator for this suspension.












I drove home, and the car doesn't feel much stiffer than the previous set up. I can definitely feel that the front feels more compliant. It's almost like I can feel the Bilstein Sport shocks working. I like that. I didn't drive it hard, as the trunk was full of old suspension stuff, but i'll probably give it a good hooning tomorrow at some point. I think I'm just going to replace all other gaskets and rubber seals on the car. I feel like this is 80% of the noise in the cabin.


So far so good. Too tired. Must sleep. If I accidentally a word, I apologize.

[2mAn]

i like your commentary much more when you eat burritos.

we need to do that one of these days

[oliver.r]

you should get a pdr guy to get your dents out that way you keep the same paint but it looks straight

[LJ851]

Are you running the ceramic resistor with the blue coil ? can't tell from the picture...

Your car originally had a black coil with that resistor on it. I did a thread recently on the FAQ on how to choose the correct bosch coil.

http://www.bmw2002faq.com/topic/155309-how-to-get-the-correct-bosch-coil/

[dvck]

Just caught myself up on this, Looking great!!

[rzerob]

It's hard to believe those are the same drums.

[phreshkid]

The eating a whole pizza thing ended up being a really bad idea. My stomach gave me a 4am wake-up call. Explosive diarrhea is an understatement. Never again Domino's. Never again.

i like your commentary much more when you eat burritos.

we need to do that one of these days

Like any successful relationship, both parties must be fully involved. You know where I live, you even know which room is mine. All you have to do is call.

xo

you should get a pdr guy to get your dents out that way you keep the same paint but it looks straight

I just had a conversation this morning with the PDR guy. Give me a week. Also,great advice. That is the next step after I go ham on the paint this weekend. Oh and lots of touch ups.

Are you running the ceramic resistor with the blue coil ? can't tell from the picture...

Your car originally had a black coil with that resistor on it. I did a thread recently on the FAQ on how to choose the correct bosch coil.


http://www.bmw2002faq.com/topic/1553...ct-bosch-coil/

I'll peak at that thread in a bit. But though the external resistor is present, I don't use it. I think you or 13 other people told me that with the blue coil, the resister is internal, thus rendering the external resistor obsolete.

Thank you Lorin.

Just caught myself up on this, Looking great!!

Hey, glad to keep you busy during those work hours where you're supposed to be "devoted" to your employer.

It's hard to believe those are the same drums.

I know! It wasn't even my idea. But my buddies wanted to do it and I didn't object. No complaints here.

[LateFan]

As the photos progress, so will my laziness. I will likely be unable to form coherent sentences by the end of this post.

No pics of pizza. I see shoes….and socks.

Nice work, good progress.

[phreshkid]

No pics of pizza. I see shoes….and socks.

Nice work, good progress.

I'm mad disappointed in the pizza, so I wouldn't defile this thread with photos of Domino's Pizza. Never again.

But yeah, yesterday I wore shoes and socks, even though the shoes are hardly shoes at all. More like slippers that cover your toes.

And thank you for the kind words. More to come. Always more to come.



I need to start thinking about EFI.


Then turbo.


Or LS/T56. I feel like that would interesting.

[FireFight]

i love reading new class build threads. great work