1972 Bavaria - Full build and swap

[e30strube]

I've wanted to make a build thread for a looooooong time now as I started taking my car apart about 8 years ago. Full disclosure... the car is basically done already This will be a bit of a look back and this isn't the normal build.

Some basics... this is a 1972 Bavaria that spent most of its life in California. I bought it and brought it to Texas about 10 years ago. What I did...

Mechanical
M30B35 swap, megasquirt with wasted spark, the factory 5 speed that came with the engine (1989 735i motor), custom driveshaft, e28 rear end and LSD, individual throttle bodies, high flow pump in the fuel tank to AN lines throughout, DW fuel pressure regulator, electric SPAL fans, E36 mishimoto radiator, American Autowire universal harness

Suspension
Airlift struts/bags, Accuair controls, Wilwood front brakes, e28 535 rears, 2002 booster, braided stainless brake lines

Body
Shaved trim and side markers, Audi Nardo grey

Wheels
Hayashi Racing / HRE Techno R, 501 (circa 1984), completely rebuilt, 17x8.5 and 17x9.5

Lots more that I'll touch on with the pictures.

This is how it sits today...

 

[e30strube]

Disassembly starting... the car had damage to the hood and the front fender, so replacements were found.

Off to paint

"New" hood, trim holes welded in and sanding started.

 

[e30strube]

Actual paint and primer...

I "shaved" the engine bay even more after this... but this was the first pass at it.

 

[e30strube]

Initial reassembly... engine installed, but would come back out several times. A guest appearance by my son who was inspecting. This is where the build started snowballing into doing more "while I'm there".

I started cleaning up the interior to prep it for an application of Lizard Skin sound and thermal coating. This really made a difference in both, while also making the interior metal look great (even though it would just get covered up).

Full body harness removed... I found lots of broken wires and connectors. The American Autowire kit is behind the pile. More on that later.

I used dry ice to remove the factory sound pads. This worked really well and no rust on the floor boards.

Starting the application of the Lizard Skin... simple protection all around the car. This stuff is really thick and has no overspray.

 

[e30strube]

More pics of the interior... seam sealer and Lizard Skin.

Kid Batman's approval...

Got the trunk also.

Doors go back on

I pulled the engine sometime in this period and started to clean it up and get it assembled.

 

[e30strube]

A little out of order, but just before the interior work, I had the engine bay cleaned up even more.

This was "re shaving" the engine bay. I removed the factory rain tray and the firewall was completely smoothed, as was most of the engine bay. I also removed the factory latch system and would replace it... that solution comes later.

Before...

After...

With the engine out, I was able to clean it up. A fancy engine stand to help with the process also. This is pre clean....

Cleaned and primed...

And painted...

 

[e30strube]

Initial engine assembly... initial because I would eventually change up the intake manifold and replace several of these pieces.

Engine back in for the last time.

 

[e30strube]

You can see the door panels in the above pic... it was coming together while the engine was still out.

Black, perforated head liner...

The wood pieces on the door panels will get re-veneered later.

 

[e9Leveque]

This is a CRAZY set of photos! I have to say that although I’m not generally a fan of the slammed and heavily modded car look, you have done an impressive job with the machine here. I’ve never seen that type of engine bay rework and as someone currently “reattaching” all of the things that go onto the walls of the bay, I have to ask where those things are mounted. Engine looks brand-new as well, nicely done

 

[e30strube]

Good transition into the engine build...

Test fitting the coolant hoses.

And the booster... I modified the pedal box to shorten the tube piece that comes in the engine bay. This gave plenty of clearance and would help later when I installed the individual throttle bodies.

The engine harness was redone and would be routed to a single firewall connector.

Also started to mock up mounting the coil, as well as the heater core connections...

 

[e30strube]

Made a bracket and started actually mounting things...

Coming together... fuel pressure gauge mounted to the lines, an hoses running to the fuel rail, wiring mostly in place. I redid the fuel lines under the car as well... all new NiCp lines.

Out of order again, but fuel line test fit...

 

[HB Chris]

How do you get fresh air and airflow to the heater?

 

[e30strube]

I don't... I switched to an aftermarket AC/heat setup. In this case a Restomod air, recirculating unit. In hindsight, this required way more work than I expected and I don't know that I would do it again. Generally, a form over function situation with the air. You can see the factory mount for the AC/heat box.

This is behind the unit... you can see the ECU wires coming in, as well as the heater core connections on the left, and the AC lines on the right.

Driver side...

 

[e30strube]

Back in the engine bay... mounting more stuff.

Coolant reservoir with a pretty simple bracket, power steering reservoir, and the electric fans. Dual fans fit better than a single larger unit.

New hoses to the power steering reservoir. I used adapters to get AN lines from the factory steering box to the B35 pump, and then to the aftermarket reservoir.

 

[e30strube]

Other end of the fuel system... I used a Holley high flow fuel pump as it came with a tank "sock" that seemed like it would help with the fuel pickup since there was no baffling, as well as a new fuel level sender in the factory pump location. The cutout was already there for the new pump, so that worked out pretty well. I had the fuel tank cleaned and then I repainted it before install.

 

[e30strube]

Back inside the car...

I used new sound proofing/insulation throughout. Dash was also put in.

No final pics, but the entire interior was covered.

Starting the body harness. While the wires are fully labeled, getting the universal harness to tie into the factory switches for things like wipers, headlights, etc. took a while. The BMW engineers were not thinking "easy" when it came to wiring. I did get everything to work though.

Getting the ECU in. I used a Dakota Gauges fan controller (nice unit) and a distribution block for power.

Battery relocated under the rear seat. Circuit breakers installed as well. The Braille batteries are tiny.

 

[e30strube]

More wiring...

No pics of the lights going in, but they're Dapper Lighting LED lenses in the factory mounts. New wiring throughout.

And they work!

Getting the gauge cluster together.

Speed Hut gauges. I updated the idiot lights to LEDs. I made a mount and then attached it to the back of the factory cluster. I changed the wiring for the turn signals a bit in order to get it to work with the new fuse box and wiring. Incandescent bulb for the alternator light as I understand that one uses the resistance as part of the check.

Getting closer on the interior.

 

[e30strube]

Routing the rear wiring... lights, air suspension, fuel, etc.

Center stack... I wanted to use the factory console, but also add accommodations for gauges. I removed the vents and made the piece shown below. I did realize afterwards the ash tray would no longer work and had to come up with something for that.

A little texture paint and black, and it looked pretty much the same as the factory texture. Voltage, wide band O2 and oil pressure.

 

[e30strube]

More interior stuff...

Getting the center console ready for speakers in the normal grill locations. I filled in the holes and then recut for the speakers.

I decided to go with a bluetooth controller for the "radio" instead of a normal headunit. This was for space and aesthetics.

More texture and paint. New hazard switch as well. I'll use these grills as the front facing AC/heat grills.

I also made a panel to cover the old ash tray. I didn't account for the wiring for my AC controls (will show that later) and the gauge wiring.

Onto the carpet prior to console install... went in pretty easily. Was a little confusing as to what went where.

 

[e30strube]

Back to the engine bay... this was my solution to going from the pusher style gas pedal to a pull style cable on the B35. I used pieces from the OEM Bavaria, but modified them to mount the actual cable.

Then I shortened the brake booster rod to get it in place.

I used an e21 clutch master cylinder due to the outlet location. I also made a bracket to mount the reservoir. This style kept leaking and I would eventually replace it. I also used a Wilwood adjuster. Brake lines are rerouted throughout to hide them.