Worlds longest Resto, my C2 2.7 19/3/18 Vent guage action

[Simon13]

Its all gone wrong, the wife says this car is disgusting. I assume its the awsome colour combo






Check it out people, its here. 4 un matching tyres dog ends in the ash tray, it doesn't get any better than this for the sub £500 e30 325i






This will be why its like driving with the door open. Motorsport hole or two






Only the dash and centre consol escape the brown.




Ever seen this? no economy guage below the rev counter! I've only ever seen the early chrome 316's with a clock instead of a rev counter before.





Old skool dealer plate from the supplying dealer







Check the mill! won't be staying long.





Pete this is motorsport


Now as some know this sack came from pacer, its only major job is needing a steering rack urgently and a headlamp that isn't swinging in the wind. The mechanicals are all good, quiet diff good bushes 1 year old exhaust and recent shocks. So i stand a chance of just fitting the Alpinas engine and not needing to rebuild this car along the way so it doesn't put me in a hedge or sh!t itself

I'm still collecting bits but other stuff is keeping away! Might of picked up another private job and the lounge needs doing. Its not fair! Camshaft is being ordered with valve springs so all is good really

[Jhonno]

She's a beaut.. The missus wants her eyes testing..

[Simon13]

Her car is broken so she might need to be nice or i'll make her use this!

[Jhonno]

I can imagine some heroic steering wheel action will be required to tame the Alpina naughty lump with those bottletops..

[Kedge]

Now if ever there was a car deserving of a restoration job.....................

Surely those dials aren't original? Had the same in my '86 316, never seen anything with injection having those dials.

[capri_rob]

Now if ever there was a car deserving of a restoration job.....................

Surely those dials aren't original? Had the same in my '86 316, never seen anything with injection having those dials.

THIS

Si I'd put money on those clocks not being the original ones it left the factory with.

Epic purchase - bronzit FTW

[Simon13]

who the fook would restore a bronzit! i know it had 15inch BBS but Pete talked an owner into a safety conversion and get rid of the crass bbs!

Its a strange spec and was supplied new by hexagon of highgate, who used to do all sorts of funny things in the day!

But we have leccy sunroof, rear head rests and the switchable auto box being the only "options" i can see along the BBS new. 325's had leccy windows and Central locking as standard! along with the opening rear quarters, boot lid spoiler and front fogs.

I think this a 325 i theres not a wiff of SE here

[magpie]

idle hands m8 .

or just spanner itch again ? i see another resto, i doubt you'll be able to hold back.

nice interior for throwing the building tools on top of otherwise .

EDIT....

who the fook would restore a bronzit!

[B7]

Now thats a turd!!!!

[capri_rob]

Will be one hell of a sleeper with the 2.7 donk - at least no one will nick it

[e30topless]

epic shitbox

[pacerpete]

I have worked on this turd for nigh on 20 years !
It's a sorry looking turd but it drives really well and plenty of you haterz would love to have floors/sills/arches like this chariot has.
Shame about the loom grommet area / bulkhead Hopefully Simon will , at a later, date post a pic of my epic P40 'repair' !


PS Simon, any bodges you come across were carried out in a past life , pre paedo !

[E30BeemerLad]

Bronzit makes me firm

[pacerpete]

Bronzit /mousefur and tints make me firm

[Felix79]

Well this thread has really taken a swirve from it's normal Alpina goodness

You sure that the interior has not gone brown from all the fags that have been chuffed in it?

How long will the run in period be for Si?

[Jesus325iTouring]

My 318i I had the same dials as this,t'was an 85B plate.

[parkin10]

[Simon13]

Well this thread has really taken a swirve from it's normal Alpina goodness

You sure that the interior has not gone brown from all the fags that have been chuffed in it?

How long will the run in period be for Si?

i resemble that comment. Run in period i suppose and a couple of thousand more over the winter. I'll remove it when its all good i hope ie no dramas, oil leaks, lack of power, cracked head. Bad assembly error by me. theres not much to go wrong or riding on it really?! just a couple of quid and my pride.

The bronzit has thanked me for allowing such a hallowed engine to go into its bay!

Blitz want to donate some bottletops with winter tyres for the cause, very kind man.

[e30topless]

Si, I can't get to grips why you want to run-in the engine in a turd ?

would it not be a better thing to chuck the donk into it's resting place and give the entire car a complete shakedown ?
it might seem a bit silly but the new engine will have done more miles than the "as new" car?

or is it that you want to give the newly built engine some stick after it's run-in but not bother about the body getting damaged?

[Simon13]

think logically, the whole car has been in bits. literally. Its going to have been a 6 year rebuild. Where do you run a rebuilt engine in with no MOT,tax? Driving it round the block for 20 miles?! hows it going to pass emissions? Will there be another drama?

With the bronzit i can sort this all out over winter by dropping it into an up together car, run it in hard job jobbied. The engine is the heart of a car, the most important bit, the most expensive bit the worst bit to f**k up. By fitting to an uptogether car i can concentrate on just the engine.

I will have lots of niggles dramas to sort along the way with the rest of the car, dropping in the engine in a good state will make life easier for when it comes out for its first outing which will be MOT.

It makes sense to me, i'm not fussed about the mileges? As pacerpete said its a 10 owner 120,000 mile w8nker built by northern monkeys.

[mercdriver]

S

Can i ask - you know that little pipe sitting on your new head gasket thats at the front of this photo. Small thing thin and then a wider bit at the end...

Anyone know how i can source a nice new one? My local stealer can't find it on their parts system under its part number

Any advice for me would be brilliant.

Epic project Si

[Simon13]

its £7 part no. 13 41 1 718 777 on my receipt

[Rodderz]

How much did your bodywork cost you, and how much metalwork did you need?

[Jhonno]

I completely get your reasons for running the anchor in, in the turd! As you say.. No MOT, drive to the MOT station and sitting idling will hardly be ideal running in procedure!!

[e30topless]

I know where your coming from, with the H27 I did a few years back (the one you drove) that was the same thing I went to as much trouble as you did with this,

I spent a few nights/days running the newly built Mill stop/starting revving ect, and checking/listening and looking for drips,getting it up to temp ect for a good few days,

i then drove it to the MOT station it passed with flying colours, I expect the C2 definatly will

the very next day it was taxed and driven on it's maiden voyage to Oxford, a decent 400 mile around trip !
luckily there were no drama's and every minute was awesome

whats better than building a complete car? driving it for the first time

the lengths that you have gone to here are fantastic, I have no doubt the Mill will be spot on

[Simon13]

How much did your bodywork cost you, and how much metalwork did you need?

Rod its all on here, take a look. bodywork started on page 20 odd i think.


I'm glad some people can see my point it seemed a logical thing to me. Cost went out the window a long time ago! Its should be fun not pain and laugh to give it a hoon in a shell that isn't its real home for a bit

[E30BeemerLad]

Engines should be treated like women, treat 'em mean from the start otherwise they'll get used to the good stuff

[E30BeemerLad]

It'll be a one tyre fire with an open diff in that bronzit turd once you give it the beans

[mercdriver]

its £7 part no. 13 41 1 718 777 on my receipt

Mint! Thankyou Si!

[pacerpete]

A little birdie tells me Simon has been busy detailing the new paedo wagon ! I'll be p1ssed if I missed any shrapnel under the seats !

[Felix79]

I think it makes sense , also with the winter comming up I would rather have the sacrifical car in the salt and crud , rather than some mint virgin body.

Must be a great feeling knowing that you are at the final stages after this long old journy

[Speedtouch]

think logically, the whole car has been in bits. literally. Its going to have been a 6 year rebuild.

Thinking logically and literally, mate, you started this project in June 2007, so how does that make it a 6 year rebuild?

[Jhonno]

think logically, the whole car has been in bits. literally. Its going to have been a 6 year rebuild.

Thinking logically and literally, mate, you started this project in June 2007, so how does that make it a 6 year rebuild?

I guess he's counting from when he got it..

[Gortour]

Or he's not finished yet...

[Simon13]

well i bought it in feb 2006 i think, so its not long off 6 years! It was bought very much with a resto/project of some sort in mind. I didn't think/realise it would end up this marathon but in for a penny