Mild build thread E21 323i

[gearheadgreg]

I bought this as an almost-finished project from a local car guy. The paint and bodywork was done, and very well IMO, and the interior was almost done, but the suspension and engine needed some help.

It had an older set of coilovers with Bilstein shocks and struts, but one of the fronts was blown. 323i had a larger diameter housing and strut insert than a 320i, but apparently the same as an E30 - something like 47mm vs. 45mm. Before ordering, I decided to measure to be sure. Glad I did - were the smaller 45mm inserts.

It had an upgraded front sway bar, but no rear sway bar, which made zero sense, so I bought an aftermarket adjustable sway bar that matched the front one. The threads on the end of one end of the front bar weren't perfect, so I'll chase those before installing a new nut.

Also ordered a set of braided brake hoses for a 323i and some cool carbon front pads. Well, the hoses I got were for a 320, so only a 4 hose set instead of a 6 hose set, and the retailer wouldn't make it right, so I'll order another 323i set, use the rear hoses and sell the remainder as a normal 320 set.

The PO couldn't get it to run, so it got a rebuilt Perma Tune ignition box. When that didn't change anything, he bought a Euro 320/6 carbed intake manifold which uses a Zenith or Solex 4 barrel carb, and adapted a Weber 38/38 2 barrel carb to it. When that didn't work, he replaced the distributor, which fixed it, lol.

The 2 barrel carb didn't sit right at all, in my mind. I plan on reinstalling the CIS injection, but until then I bought a square bore to spread bore adapter and a small Edelbrock 4 barrel carb, and modified the adapter slightly to fit the manifold.

The dual exhaust was routed to the back, but missing the finishing ends and tailpipes. Need to make those. He had a rear mounted battery in a home made tray, not bad, but he had a battery that placed the terminals *very* close to the rear sloping seat bulkhead. I purchased a different battery with the terminals on the other side so it's safer and easier to service/jump, etc.

The trunk is still in the original color, so I bought Monstaliner bedliner in black, and scuffed all the paint in the trunk. Will do that soon. The factory wood spare tire cover was broken, so I made another one in slightly thicker/stronger plywood and painted close to the factory grey color.

The new door seals are a bit short, so I plan on splicing in a piece to make them fit well. The grey carpet is awesome, the headliner is awesome, the recovered dash is awesome. It's missing the center console trim stuff, so I'm making that, and will add some gauges and a stereo. The door panels and rear decklid are not cut for speakers, and I'm not going to do it, so I have to figure out a speaker solution that works - either invisible or period.

Once I get it tuned on the new carb, I'll take it to the tint shop to have some mild ceramic tint done to help with the summer light and heat. Then drive and enjoy.

Oh, I sold the BBS wheels it came on because they were a little out of period for me, and installed some Alpina replicas.

[gearheadgreg]

Oh yeah - and because I simply love the look, I removed the factory quad 5.75" lights and bought a Kamei 7" & 5.5" big/little light setup. Haven't finished installing, as I have to slightly modify the brackets slightly because they are from a VW Cabriolet, as the originals are almost impossible to find. I also painted the lenses yellow, just for looks.

I purchased an E30 M20 5 speed trans to use (it has a 4 speed). It doesn't have a mechanical speedo output, so I'll use a GPS cable driver (thank you technology). I also want to get a 3.91 rear end, and maybe a gleason/torsen limited slip? And a short shifter - think the factory Z3 one might work? Lots more to do, but I need to drive it!

[Matt at Pelican Parts]

We need more BMW builds on this page! That is a beautiful E21 with an amazing exterior. I find when the car is in overall great shape it makes the mechanical repairs feel less tiresome.

As far as I know, the Z3 or E46 ZHP shifters are still the best know OEM choices around but there's plenty of aftermarket choices and with the E30 transmission I'd assume that gives you plenty of options.

Please keep us updated and post more pictures!

-Matt

[gearheadgreg]

Thanks Matt. I have a Z3 shifter in my E46 wagon 325xi - really like it. I won't worry about the shifter until I get it running again and back on the ground. Then I'll make sure I have everything for the 5 spd swap and do it in a weekend, borrowing some lift time. Just found a couple 318 4.11 diffs - one LSD, one open....

[onboost]

Originally Posted by Matt at Pelican Parts

We need more BMW builds on this page!
Please keep us updated and post more pictures!

-Matt

I'll be adding a couple sometime in the near future.

Paul~

[gearheadgreg]

Well, adapting the Edelbrock/Weber 4 barrel to the Euro 320/6 manifold took more time and work than I planned (doesn't everything?) but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
The stock 323, LHD throttle cable was too short to use with the carb setup, so I bought a RHD cable and it's perfect.

THe carb linkage is a little overkill-heavy duty, but at least I know it won't fail. I really want to put the CIS back in, but just want to drive it first.

Will get the carb set up and then the suspension at least bolted back together soon so it is driveable, then start knocking stuff off the list. I did get a 4.11 gleason/torsen limited slip to go with the 5spd, so it should be spritely to drive.