245 & an NOS front valance...

the front valance has been one of the biggest decisions facing me with this restoration...color communicates a lot about the character of the car...i had to find that...the combined color scheme across the front is the logical application for this car...however, do i include the foho extension? . . . often less is more...i'm thinking...less is more is best??





i am near "some assembly required" phase...my absolute favorite part of any restoration attempt...

the engine assembly is happening, transmission is refreshed with new gasket kit, seals, bearings, bushings, syncs...outside case was washed in a caustic tank for 10 hours...rear differential is cleaned, lubed, resealed, synthetic fluid...









and as you can see i have front valance issues to decided about...i have the stock front valance in other places on this blog, but today it appears as though these are my best attempt at something aero-dynamic...in the back of my head i am thinking oil cooler...new aluminum radiator...channeled air...


Synchron ring for all 5-speeds . . . 245 gearboxes you need 5 for each gearbox

style?

The front valance above is exactly what i have in mind with regard to paint....





is this the look?? hummm



ok so choices are a part of life and of this hobby...i need to decide...i am think about front spoilers...bought a "lot" of items and front end spoilers were apart....what do you think? i like a color swipe like in the affixed...in the grill? wjat do you think?

some assembly required . . .

ok this post is focused on the things immediately ahead...

i have some "assembly required" after 2 of the the next large, process rich projects come to an end...engine assembly is occuring, transmission gears all look good, seals, gaskets, synthetic fluids, case submerged into a caustic tank for 10 hours . . . cleaned chemically...bearing replacements...gasket kit for transmission, seals, shortened driveshaft, LSD rear, 5 speed, 292 schrick stainless steel-billet-over sized, virgin head never decked, rebuild new water pump, new hose, cleaned windshield washer tank and pump, hoses, new aluminum 2002 over size radiator, oil cooler, battery moved to rear, hertge front strut support, top performance rear strut and battery support- e30 iS sport seats-m24 brake cover

an issue . . .

alright...here's the issue...i have a 1977 320i that is being converted from the traditional 4 speed to a 5 speed . . . however, if you look closely at the flanges...the one on the replacement 5 speed transmission is a 3 flange output which connects to the drive shaft (propeller) the original 4 speed transmission has a 4 flange output...i have the wrong drive shaft!!

NOTE: the close ratio 5 speed is a desirable conversion for many 2002 racers...The close ratio "dog-leg+ as it is called is a transmission that looks just like a 245, with an extended 5th gear housing mated onto the rear end of a 242 4-spd...many years ago my father had an R-Model Mack truck that was a 10 speed...this truck was designed primarily as a cross country hauler...thus the 10 speed with a higher gear ratio...because my father's application called for lower ratio gears, hauling heavy equipment on secondary road, he purchased a similar bolt on 5 gears...the close ratio getrag looks similar...with this same idea...

after a coat of paint . . .

as my friend phil quotes my father...as a jim'ism...here's a jim'ism for the day...a coat of paint covers a multitude of sin...

i travel about an hour to my girlfriend's house and typically i bring a little something with me when i go there so that i can get something done on the car while i am away from home where the car is at in the garage...tonight i brought the header with me...it had some light surface rust on it because it had been setting for some time...i used a scratch/scuff pad and got all the surface rust off then applied lacquer thinner to clean off the dust and grime after scuffing it...hung it up with a clothes hanger and it really did turn out nice...for a spray can!!!

headers before paint . . .

earlier this summer i picked up some parts that had been sitting in a garage for some time from another hobbyist who had a change in plans and project priorities this header was part of that "lot" sale. . . dual weber 40/40 DCOE carburetors were also included in the deal as well this linkage kit . . . i am not sure that i will use the linkage kit long term but probably just for the initial install we'll see but the linkage seems a little on the lighter side when compared to this linkage from ireland engineering (stay tuned for more on that a little later) . . .

btw . . . i have had significant success with the people over at ireland engineering with the parts list for the engine rebuild . . . i am very satisfied with the quality of the parts received . . . the knowledge of the technical sales guy . . . the cost was also significant too . . . but i do think that you get what you pay for . . . and in this circumstance it is particularly true . . .

anyway, this is the "before" picture of the headers . . . i wanted to have a high heat ceramic coating but i couldn't find anything beyond a powder coating available . . . i ended up going to the local auto parts store bought 2 high heat spray cans. . . prep for paint is on the agenda for tonight . . .

throaty, and angry . . .

e21 . . . the legion continues

the driving machine . . .

fresh paint...back to the machine shop after line boring, and honing...

i have been down with the flu for a little over a week...the machine shop had finished boring the piston cylinders, and the mains for the crankshaft...the problem was that it was just sitting there waiting for me to paint it before the finish work at the machine shop could be completed and re-assembly could begin...and i had the flu!!!

after numerous attempts at fitting a new head on this block the final head was untouched, never machined or decked outside of the factory...it was a stock head that had never been off the engine...when i opened the box that it was shipped in the fresh grease marks indicating the fresh removal was apparent...the guy at maximillian importing delivered what they promised...the block had not been "worked" either...and that is both the good news and the bad news...the piston cylinders were stock bore...and the piston selection was a significant decision because my initial thoughts were to install new factory cast/flat top pistons...however, after some research i discovered that the cost for a lower compression, under performing piston (read that as non-european configuration) was greater than a higher compression, more efficient piston...that made the decision easier yet instead of a .25+ bore over standard, the more efficient domed top pistons were .40+ over standard...that still could permit a second cut to .50+ which is more traditional for a second rebuild...but i had some reluctance nevertheless...bottom-line: i got over it!

ok, so it wasn't the typical head gasket...instead it was head failure

virginous, freshly bored, and honed .40+ ready for paint

do dirty hand = a clean heart?

the other day i gave the 320i a significant portion of my attention...and as i worked on the car i noticed that as the day progressed and my hands touched so many of the dirty things in my life/garage...and yes, there are other dirty things that are not in the garage...i noticed that my hands became increasing dirty...after a day of applying my hands, my mind wandered...how my hands had become dirty as a result of the machinery i had touched...the machinery had become filthy over the last 31 yrs...i also have a 1929 model a ford roadster...that was purchased when i was 12 yrs old...with my father in mt. airy maryland...my hands were like his in that they were soiled...he lived in a world of dirty hands...machinery was the focus of his peers too...

after thinking of the many memories i had with him i began thinking about old other father's...ancient ones...who lived closer to the ground...in an agricultural society...not a mechanical society...and certainly not in an information society...i thought about how generations before me came from societies of dirty hands...their hands were soiled but it was not grease it was soil...

this week for the first time i have considered wearing gloves the next time i do mechanical work so that my hands are not soiled...this might be evidence of my migration from one cultural foundation to another...much like the church is transiting from/out of evangelicalism (modern) into something postmodern...so it seems with the church...changing...morphing...from movement to movement...as it is in the garage...

a day of new beginnings . . .

ok so i started this blog with the anticipation that i would track the dismantle and assembly of the 320i . . . thus far i have been far more consumed with the actual work instead of documenting the steps involved i have been busy either working or recovering from the work . . . so . . . today is a day of new beginnings . . .

at around 5:45 tonight jonathan, noah, and owen were in the driveway working on the installation of kenwood speakers into the back of jonathan's honda civic . . . as the frustration was peaked to the point that dad was needed for direction the brown ups truck came into sight . . . that's unusual because where we live is at a cross roads and when i saw the brown ups truck i knew he was headed to our house . . . he had 3 boxes for us . . .

the 3 boxes were filled with new engine parts from ireland engineering . . . schrick cam (292) 4 new domed pistons, stainless steel valves, schrick dual spring valve springs . . . new rod bearings, new main bearings, a new over sized aluminum radiator, lots of small stuff that the rest of the family just thought, "ah, yeah great, more bolts and stuff" . . . little did they know . . . and last but not least . . . and oil cooler!! . . .

...some assembly required

with the engine at the machine shop and a cylinder head that is acceptable finally secured...i fitted the radiator...and the oil cooler to the front-end...

this is the part of a restoration process that for me is the most fun...opening boxes with new parts and fitting them to the project...cool stuff...

Cylinder #5 Like a fish hook hurt to remain, so it hurts to remove...thanks to Maximillian Importing Company this head met factory specs! FINALLY!!!

paint, sand paper...and a job well done...

compared to the sheet metal i had worked on before this, this car is SOLID...but the clear coat on this car was badly peeling...but for the much of the car the paint was original (bonnet, top, trunk deck, front fenders)...so we began removing the clear coat, and the corral red base coat paint...in preparation for the new paint...

while doing this preparation work i discovered "the" rust on the car...i pulled the trunk deck and the truck deck rubber seal and discovered that over the years water had settled beneath the trunk seal and rotted the lip that carries the rubber seal...coming from a 1920's and 1930's restoration era cars this is very insignificant but still an undesirable find...

i am somewhat committed to replacing the original corral red color but from time to time my mind flirts with colors like black, steel greys, and other colors to numerous to mention...

my son Jonathan really enjoyed sanding...i know that sounds crazy..but there is something very fulfilling about doing something that you can see your completed work in a short time frame...he did a great job...

cylinder #4 and a lesson on why the term "flea-bay" is instructive

i think that i am desperate at this point searching for the long lost head for my M10...anyway, i find this head after getting a referral from a typically "reliable source"...and i find out that the company i am talking to only sell heads...this is there only business...this is singularly what they do...i call and after a through interview i order the head he offers...which of course the salesman assures me is a great head...long story shorter...i get the head shipped to the machine shop i am using...the guy from the machine shop gets the head several mornings later and he calls me and says david...i think you better come down to the shop and look at this head...i rush to the machine shop... 4 welds!! ... and a helicore sitting in 2 cracks at the spark plug seat...shaking my head that was my lesson on why they call often call ebay...flea-bay...

spraying on tintable truck bed liner

cylinder head # 3 (Ok, this is already getting old!)

cylinder head # 1 & 2 (Oh yeah, a previous rebuild? Ha!)

purple power verse gunk

the greasy side vs. the shinny side

what i think will be a "mild" restoration (or so i thought!)