1983 316 Revitalised

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sskoda
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1983 316 Revitalised

Post by sskoda »

Long time ago (2013 or 2014), I found an online advert for an E21 316 that was lying in a farm shed about 15 miles from me.
I rang up and went to have a look. I expected it to be rusty but it turned out to have absolutely no rust anywhere at all. I couldn't really see under it but I could feel and there was no bad bits.
The seller (the farmer) told me that he had had engine troubles so laid it up in 1990. He sent the block away but was told it was too far gone to fix, and it was never sent back. Then someone asked and he sold them the gearbox. Then it was pushed into the corner, and things put over it, around it, on it, and it stayed there for many years. He also told me that someone else was interested in it, and I asked them was it [guys name] and it was. I knew this guy - he was fixing up a rusty one and wanted a shell to cut up. I had refused to sell him my project 320i. Instead I sold it to someone from miles and miles away who was going to restore it - only a few days before. Only a week from selling one E21 project to buying another one!

Anyway I agreed to buy it but the challenge was getting it out of the shed! I didn't want to see this one cut up either.

I have no pictures from this time but once i brought it back to my workshop, well it ended up sitting in there, and "then it was pushed into the corner, and things put over it, around it, on it, and it stayed there for many years"... well, I was gathering up spare parts for it in the meanwhile.
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Last year (2015) I did a little bit of work to it, got around it, cleaned up any of the dirty bits, few areas of surface rust on things like the brake servo linkage, found and fitted headlights, things like that.
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I ran into registration problems around then. It took months to sort - I had the old plates and of course the VIN but no papers, and when I applied for them, the DVLA had no records. It's an original Northern Ireland car and when our licencing moved from Coleraine in NI to Swansea, they "lost" "just 4%" of the database/records, which apparently was an "acceptable" margin. Given how many cars are in NI, it was about 40,000 records! Including one of my other cars which I was using every day...
I had HPI checks done, I sent them pictures of the VIN and plates, and was having no joy at all, when suddenly I found an old style log book stuck inside the car, and with that I was able to prove it had been registered before and got new papers, with the original plate.

After all that I ended up buying another car for spares to get a gearbox. Once that arrived, it was all go.

Engine rebuilt and fitted
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And the wonderful joy of seeing it move by its own power for the first time in 15 years...
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The paint was poor and it had dents but I decided to leave them alone, rather than restore completely this rust free car with only 76 thousand miles. It didn't seem right to restore a car that was sound, not like one that needs welded up, so it kept all its little dents and scrapes.

Every single part of the brakes was replaced, and new fuel pipes, and replaced bits of old wiring, and then everything worked good.
The idle never went right, up and down and no end of adjustment - I think the carb was not so good any more. But it runs better when warmed up, and passed the MOT first time.

The steel wheels were letting it down, needed refurbished and new tyres but i thought it might suit some alloys, and then somebody local advertised these so I picked them up for it
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And took these pictures recently.
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Some of the dents
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and it is still rust-free
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And last week I sold it, to someone who has been looking for one and will look after it I hope, for a fair price I think, maybe cheap but that's ok. It took a few years, but from birth in 1983, to going to sleep in 1990, to being alive again with a new MOT in March 2016, I think it's a nice story and I'm pleased to have been involved with bringing it back.


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uwbuurman
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Re: 1983 316 Revitalised

Post by uwbuurman »

Thanks for sharing!! Great story!
It's the man next door!

1978 BMW 323i
1980 BMW 528i maior restitutio
1987 BMW 325iA cabriolet
2006 BMW 320d touring High Executive
2015 BMW 320dA touring xDrive High Executive ///Msport
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Manitoba
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Re: 1983 316 Revitalised

Post by Manitoba »

Great story indeed! Thanks, enjoy your little true barnfind!

Greetz,
Walter.
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Peter V.
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Re: 1983 316 Revitalised

Post by Peter V. »

Nice barnfind indeed.
Gr Peter V.

.Some say he eats nuts and bolts for breakfast, all we know is he is called the carburetorman.

BMW E21, 1981 320/6 Ascot Grau.
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uwbuurman
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Re: 1983 316 Revitalised

Post by uwbuurman »

He's sold it, Walter!!
It's the man next door!

1978 BMW 323i
1980 BMW 528i maior restitutio
1987 BMW 325iA cabriolet
2006 BMW 320d touring High Executive
2015 BMW 320dA touring xDrive High Executive ///Msport
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Manitoba
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My E21(s): '80 323i, 5-speed manual Kastanien rot
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Re: 1983 316 Revitalised

Post by Manitoba »

Oops, didn't read the last lines... In that case I hope the new owner will be around here sometime and tell us about his adventures with this barnfind.

Greetz,
Walter.
sskoda
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Re: 1983 316 Revitalised

Post by sskoda »

I did enjoy it, but it was very different experience from the M535i I use every day.

Delivered it yesterday. Buyer bought it because it was nearly the same registration as his father had on a 315 when he was young.
Had a 1990 535i Sport picked up on the way home, so onto the next project :)
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Duracel79
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Re: 1983 316 Revitalised

Post by Duracel79 »

Nice to see a survivor being brought back to life :thumbsup
1982 323i (S54 "Test Mule" - to be rebuilt into M20 powered track car)
1983 316 (Taiga Thunder - The refined S54 Race car)
1982 635csiA (New project)
1985 728iA (For Sale)
2004 330d Touring (The Daily Hack / Tow Car / Load lugger)
105e
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My E21(s): 83 316 manual

Re: 1983 316 Revitalised

Post by 105e »

And I bought it!!!!!!!!!!!
After being on this forum nearly every day since I bought the car,I have just found this story..

I'm so far pleased with the car,haven't drove it very far so far as It needs a clutch and my work shifts have changed,so less time off.
But hope to sort problems out very soon.just want to lower it and would love to change maybe to a single headlight grill.
Last edited by 105e on Wed Jul 27, 2016 4:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.
sskoda
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Re: 1983 316 Revitalised

Post by sskoda »

Hey!
That's funny, I haven't been on here since my last post above but just came on today for a nosey and you've posted the evening before...

The original clutch did look to have plenty of meat on it but must just be bad from sitting around so long

Really glad it found a caring owner
105e
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My E21(s): 83 316 manual

Re: 1983 316 Revitalised

Post by 105e »

The clutch had no meat left on it at all and had marked the flywheel.
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