Learn me E21 BMWs

I impulse bought an '83 320i. It's not rusty, but it's very brown and very slow... but it was also very cheap.

Anybody have any inspired ideas for it?

sell it to me?

83 is last of the line for the E21s.. should have a 1.8 M10 engine. The suspension is based on the 2002 and has little in common with the E30.

and Rust is your enemy

Well it's not rusty...

What can be done to make it faster?

This might give you some ideas - http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/reader-rides/656/

Oh, and get some pictures up when you can . I like E21's.

There was a 323i available in europe with a baby six. With some work you could install the engine out of a 325i in your car, I think the crossmember has to be replaced.

If cost were no object, I'd try to swap-in a (circa 1991) E30 318is engine with a supercharger, just like the one featured in GRM awhile back.

I think the E21 is better looking car than the E30. Nice score. I'd say measure the engine bay and find a second equally cheap but newer BMW and swap whatever fits. V8 or V12 out of old 7 series or even the BMW sourced V8 can be had in cheap Land Rovers (do I have my info right?). E36 318 would probably be more reasonable. Keep it in the family; stick with BMW.

See the search button? We've had at least three discussions about the E21 in the last two years. IIRC, one was on the archived "old" board. The archive button is below and to the left of the search button.

Just busting your balls. Congrats on finding a non-rusty one, it's a car I would very much like to own.

I'm not sure if he still has the car but I used to love seeing it out.

stuart in mn wrote: There was a 323i available in europe with a baby six. With some work you could install the engine out of a 325i in your car, I think the crossmember has to be replaced.

I had one of those, and if someone hadn't hit me I'd still have it. What you want is the M20 engine, the same one offered in the E30 6-cyl cars.
http://www.kormanfastbmw.com/e30engin.htm

Stay away from etas.

The front crossmember is different, I don't know how hard they are to find these days. The E21 transmission is also different from the ones in the E30, IIRC.

EDIT: found a link.
http://www.e21bmw.net/graymarket/library/swap2.php

I would drop in the M42/44 from the 318is/s/ti/z3 1.9, mega squirt it, and call it a day engine wise... instant gain of about 40 hp and reliable as a brick. You can even mod the engine to get more HP

You definatly want to work on the suspension. these cars were set up soft from the factory and are what gave BMW the reputation for snap oversteer

mad_machine wrote: I would drop in the M42/44 from the 318is/s/ti/z3 1.9, mega squirt it, and call it a day engine wise... instant gain of about 40 hp and reliable as a brick. You can even mod the engine to get more HP You definatly want to work on the suspension. these cars were set up soft from the factory and are what gave BMW the reputation for snap oversteer

x2. My 2002s would always come back (although I don't think I ever owned a stock one), but I spun the 323 once just because I wasn't ready for it. Go stiff enough to hold her down, even if you leave the engine stock. I had a girlfriend back in the day with a US market 320i, and it snapped on her once as well (she was a BMWCCA member, and took a couple of their schools, so she caught it).