My new 1981 320is

[Black Knight]

hey everyone, im new to bimmers... i had a 1964 falcon ranchero, but sold it for my 1981 320is(lowered, racing suspention, etc.) black paint, black leather seets (recently re-done $900 per). i love this car but I would like to be more educated in it. will have pics up later today

oh yeah, and i got the car from my grandpas buddy for 2k

[Black Knight]

heres the pics i promised
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y14...y/DSCN0446.jpg
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y14...y/DSCN0441.jpg
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y14...y/DSCN0437.jpg
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y14...y/DSCN0436.jpg
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y14...y/DSCN0434.jpg
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y14...y/DSCN0433.jpg
please talk to me about it....things i should know, general ino, ect...(im only 17)

[Aether]

Oh my God did you get a deal.
The seats look unreasonably good. The paint looks..well not perfect, but better than my paint, which is newer and an easier color to keep clean - so pretty awesome is a safe judgment.

I know the stock engine was an M10 1.8 SOHC 8v, with like 101hp and 100lb-ft. You got what I believe was one of the best years for the E21, and what I know was the best model. Chain-driven, that's cool. It may have what's called a dogleg transmission, which has particularly close ratios and is pretty sought after. You'll know because the shift pattern will be odd, and I think only the doglegs in E21s were five-speed (the rest being four).

I clearly don't know much about these.
But it looks cool, so who cares about performance.

Have fun.

[Black Knight]

thanks for the info. It is a dogleg 5 speed.

what could i do preformance wise, chips and stuff like that.

[Ivan]

nice ride. very clean.

[Aether]

Engine performance?
Once again I have no first-hand experience, but from what I've read the M10 isn't easy to squeeze power out of. If you just want to enjoy the car more, I'd say get a short-shift kit, a pleasant-sounding exhaust & stereo, some well-behaved tires, and a moderate roadgoing suspension. If you absolutely need more power, I know Turner Motorsport sells a Schrick camshaft, and I believe Ireland Engineering has some high-compression pistons and maybe a few other goodies for an M10. But you'll probably find mostly internal (read: expensive) stuff like that, not many bolt-ons.

That is a seriously great-looking car, I hope you're real happy with it.

[Kyytsis]

M10 is just anoher engine - upgrades are available.

I really don't know that much about US spec cars, but raising compressions with good pistons and then installing performance camshaft and setting engine management should give you decent power.

You can forget all air filter, chip etc. mods they 're useless - so if you are not willing to change engine components then just use quality OEM parts to keep the car running.

Cheers,

Ville

Btw. Damn thos US bumbers are UGLY.

[gotKRAUT]

Originally Posted by Kyytsis

Btw. Damn thos US bumbers are UGLY.

i know safety is a B!TCH aint it :lol:

[gotKRAUT]

Originally Posted by Kyytsis

Btw. Damn thos US bumbers are UGLY.

i know safety is a B!TCH aint it :lol:

congrats on a steal of a purchase...Euro Bumpers are a HUGE cosmetic must for that car

[JoeMadoo]

Thats a beauty car. Life is good when you're 17 and have a bimmer :-). If you're anything like me, (poor high school student), you'll learn your way around ebay to get parts and stuff.

[Black Knight]

I have checked out the local website for used and new parts (craigslist.com) but they dont have much. where can i find a nice boddy kit or euro style bumper? i have GOT to loose this one.

[ZQ8Dude]

Originally Posted by gotKRAUT

i know safety is a B!TCH aint it :lol:

yes they are, but not because of the bumper. My buddy had a 79'. He got hit at 60-70 by monte carlo of some sort. crunched the entire rear part of the unibody...bumper didnt even have a scuff in it(LOL!)