3-Series (E21, E30)Chat relating to the BMW 3-Series from 1975-1983 and 1984-1991 line. Specific models: BMW 315, BMW 316, BMW 318, BMW 318i, BMW 320/4, BMW 320i, BMW 320/6, BMW 323i, BMW 320i. E30 Family models include: BMW 325e, BMW 325i, BMW 325is, BMW 325ix.
Thanks for the kind words regarding my car. By the time I was six years of age, my Dad had taught me the fine art of car detailing. Since I was a teenager, I've been detailing mostly European cars. Hence why all of mine are kept so clean.
On the 320i, the wheel and bumper finishes are original. I was very lucky because the previous owners of this car kept it garaged since it was new. Which saved the clear anodizing on the bumpers. But the rear one is showing signs of weather checking in some spots on the top side. If your clear coating is too far gone, you have a few options. Two of them are to paint them either the matching body color (which looks great) or silver. Another way is to remove the bumper rubber or mask it off really good. Then, spray Easy-Off Oven Cleaner on the top side. Let it bubble then rinse off. That will remove the clear anodizing and leave the bare raw aluminum exposed. It'll look horrible at first and dark gray. But with some Mother's Aluminum Polish (or Blue Magic or any other decent brand), you'll be able to buff the bumpers to a state that's actually better looking than new and to the point of looking like chrome. One of my friends did that in the early '80s with his 5-series Bimmer. Turned out quite nice. The only downside to that is the constant polishing of the bumpers to retain that look. Or, you can coat them in clear again. The choice is yours. In a perfect world, I'd replace mine with Euro spec bumpers. But I can't afford 'em because I'm on a shoestring budget. So I keep them original and clean. I tucked in the front bumper a few inches, cut the side bellows, and painted the side reflectors satin black. If your clear coat isn't too worn, you could also try bringing it back to life using 000 or 0000 grade steel wool. Stuff is great for bringing back metal surfaces and won't scratch. That's what I used to bring my engine components back to looking new.
Fine grade steel wool is also good for restoring the finish on any other raw metal surfaces throughout the car. Like the differential cover on the rear axle.
The wheels were extremely dirty with brake dust build up and road grime when I acquired the car. For that, I used a concentrated degreaser that I get from Smart & Final. I dilute it down with water and put it in a spray bottle. Works great for keeping tires black and cleaning alloy wheels. The initial cleaning was like you posted... a few minutes per wheel. After that, it's been easy to keep them maintained.
Same degreaser helped me get most of the car cleaned, like the trunk area.
My car was all original except for having the wrong shift knob and an incorrect homemade (lame looking) exhaust outlet. I replaced the knob with a more era correct model and had my local muffler shop cut off the previous outlet pipe and we made a custom one that exits the bodywork much better. Then, I ordered a factory chrome tip from my local BMW dealer for $12 and had it spot welded on the pipe.
The rest of the car had stickers on the bumpers and windows. And was not really kept clean to my liking. So, after a week of degreasing and detailing everything, I was able to bring the car back to a presentable state of being. It's now being used as one of my two daily drivers. So far, it's been a great car. Very easy to work on and I was able to replace the reverse light switch, converted the headlights to Hella H1 & H4 beams, added fresh metal BMW logos to the wheel center caps, repainted the wheel wells and rocker panels black, and replaced the rear center BMW badge on the trunklid.
Good luck with your car and post up some pics when you get it all dialed in. Or any further questions on keeping it cleaned/detailed.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 82_320i
Rennsurfer,
i have a 320i jus like yours except mines safari bage and dosent look ne were near as good as yours does! nice car bro
yea my power mirrors work but the switch for some reason is inverted, meaning up = down, left=right....you get the point. and two questions how did you get your rims and bumpers to look so nice? my rims have shit on them that i could get off and i sat there with a tooth brush for 30 min each. and your bumpers look good redone or original. if original how do you keep them looking clean? i cant get mine to shine up at all
-SNAKE
__________________ Cheers,
Mark
1982 320i 5spd.
1987 Volvo 245DL Estate 5spd.
1967 Volkswagen Beetle 4spd.
Too many surfboards & skateboards to count.
Last edited by Rennsurfer : 07-18-2008 at 10:23 AM.
Your car has got to be the best E21 I have ever seen.
Thanks, Witeshark. What I don't get is where did all of the E21 cars go? Up to the early '90s, they were everywhere on the roads of So Cal. Now, I never see them. Mine is literally the only daily driver that I see. I've only seen three on the road in the last year. One was a really worn out '83 white S model and the other two were just as beat. I was able to talk to the guy with the S. I wish there were more of 'em in my area. I see E30 cars from beaters to really nice ones all day. Nothing wrong with that, as I like all Bimmers. I just can't believe that no one drives E21s anymore. Plenty of 2002 cars on the road here. Even when I display my E21 at the Cars & Coffee events on Saturday mornings, I'm the only E21 owner present. Lots of other exotic and rare Bimmers show up. Weird stuff.
I'll take photos of some of the cool cars at that C&C event. The images can be seen on their site: Cars and Coffee™ Forum go to the Irvine Pictures & Video forum, then scroll down till you see the threads started with my screen name (Rennsurfer). Some sweet old and new Bimmers show up there. I either show my E21 or my '67 Volkswagen Beetle.
__________________ Cheers,
Mark
1982 320i 5spd.
1987 Volvo 245DL Estate 5spd.
1967 Volkswagen Beetle 4spd.
Too many surfboards & skateboards to count.
Last edited by Rennsurfer : 07-18-2008 at 10:44 AM.
i have to agree with white shark!!!! thanks for the help....oh what is the degresser called? do yout hink spic and span would work? the original trunk gasket on my car was trashed and it caused the tools in the kit to rust and that foam gasket is totallt shot and disgusting. i can get all the tools off of bavauto.com but i am having trouble finding the gasket.
oh you kno that black trim piece that covers the windshield wiper motors. i painted mine black also and i hit the rustyish screws and the minor rust on the panel with some naval jelly, which is great by the way...... and i paintedthe screws black to match and the ones that were silver i painted more of a creme to match my paint since they were sitting on top of it. yes ill wash my e21 then put some pix up. might b a while i have to get it running again it waont start at the moment
oh and were did you get the plastic black caps for you strut towers? mine are cracked and cant find new ones
Sorry... but I just now saw your post/question. The black caps, like most the car, are original. I got lucky when I found this E21... hence why I bought it about a year ago.
Hope that you're able to find some caps. I'd check all of the usual online BMW sites. If you're in So Cal, try Mesa Performance in Costa Mesa, CA. They stock a lot of hard to find stuff for BMW, Porsche, and Mercedes Benz cars.
__________________ Cheers,
Mark
1982 320i 5spd.
1987 Volvo 245DL Estate 5spd.
1967 Volkswagen Beetle 4spd.
Too many surfboards & skateboards to count.
What did you do for the Hella install? Did you have to mod the original equipment?
No mods at all... been using Hella lighting since my first car in 1979. The only time you'll need to alter wiring and add a relay is when you're going with higher wattage bulbs and/or extra lighting.
__________________ Cheers,
Mark
1982 320i 5spd.
1987 Volvo 245DL Estate 5spd.
1967 Volkswagen Beetle 4spd.
Too many surfboards & skateboards to count.
No mods at all... been using Hella lighting since my first car in 1979. The only time you'll need to alter wiring and add a relay is when you're going with higher wattage bulbs and/or extra lighting.
Sorry it took so long to reply, but that four letter word w_rk keeps me away too long sometimes.
After you click on their link, go to the left menu and click on Hella horns & headlights. You'll find the headlights on the horn page if you scroll down just a little. Click on the Hella lights and you're there. I'm sure you'll be able to Google their lights just about anywhere, if you prefer somewhere else. There's was the first place I looked for you.
Hopefully, you find a set. They're GREAT lights!
__________________ Cheers,
Mark
1982 320i 5spd.
1987 Volvo 245DL Estate 5spd.
1967 Volkswagen Beetle 4spd.
Too many surfboards & skateboards to count.
Last edited by Rennsurfer : 06-30-2009 at 11:47 PM.
After you click on their link, go to the left menu and click on Hella horns & headlights. You'll find the headlights on the horn page if you scroll down just a little. Click on the Hella lights and you're there. I'm sure you'll be able to Google their lights just about anywhere, if you prefer somewhere else. There's was the first place I looked for you.
Hopefully, you find a set. They're GREAT lights!
Finally back from being on the road forever (it seems that way anyway). I checked out the link, but noticed the lights are NOT approved for road use, only off road. Is this a problem?
The AutoGuide.com network consists of the largest network of enthusiast-owned enthusiast-operated automotive communities.
AutoGuide.com provides the latest car reviews, auto show coverage, new car prices, and automotive news. The AutoGuide network operates more than 100 automotive forums where our users consult peers for shopping information and advice, and share opinions as a community.
SNAKE 
Linear Mode
