My '73 Bav

73 E3

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I'll take some pictures over the weekend. I have the stock steel wheels on right now until I have it aligned. I just swapped over the front strut inserts from the KYB's to Bilsteins last night and I'm doing the rears tomorrow. I have a bunch of little odds and ends coming from Carl Nelson that should be here the end of the week. Plus up here in NE all we've had this entire month is rain :evil: . Carl is sending me a new distributor cap and rotor for my 008 distributor with the pertronix ignitor I got from MattP. I'm also reverting back to the Bosch ignition wires instead of the BavAuto ones, anyone interested in taking them off my hands ? :lol: I recently did my motor mounts and tranny mount with factory rubber mounts but I'm thinking about switching over to poly mounts to stiffen things. I'm putting in the new diff mount when it comes in too. Well here are a few pics of the underside of the Bav while it was up on the lift.
Passenger side front wheel well:

Downpipes to supersprint (that collector gets hot:lol: )

Tranny:

The "newer" rear bumper and the Supersprint tips

This was back in march when I test fit the wheels and tires. Notice the snow in the background.

Keep in mind these are all snaps from my camera phone, I'll take pics with a real camera soon.
 

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blumax

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New look of your original Bav--

Frankly--IMHO--I liked it's original appearance better on the steelies with the pristine rings and caps--all factory

I have a set of BMW turbines from a Coupe with a new--never on the ground--set of Pirrellis that I had planned to mount on my Bav--but when set side by side on the car the original look was better--they now languish unused in my garage as my rings and caps on my BAV are also as new--and now with 74K original miles--looks right and drives great and handles very decently.

My unsolicited take on an original Bav--

They are becoming very rare beasts. They were also the finest performing, handling sedans of that era that would run circles around the MBZ 280 S. That led MBZ into dropping in their new 4.5L big V-8 to give them a performance edge over that upstart from Munich--and while sedans have never attracted the following or romance of a Coupe they are a better driving machine and ride for distance travel and the trunk is massive for storing bodies--so maybe in Chicago the demand for elegant sedans of the 1970's will become in vogue and up their value when the "Chicago mob does its thing".
 

73 E3

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Thanks for the input Murray. I'm not parting with the factory steel wheels/beauty rings/hubcaps, they're staying tucked away in my garage and if I decide to put them on for a show or whatnot they're always there. I'm still waiting on some parts before my wrench work is done for the short term. I took the car out for a spin today after monkeying with the ballast resistor and vacuum hoses. I'm glad to say that the motor is running like a champ and the oil consumption is WAY down compared to a year ago when it had the breath of life given to it. Here's two pics I snapped this morning at a local car/part swap meet (Amherst, NH). The car rides great now with the Bilsteins in place of the KYBs. I also scooped up a set of NOS stainless/chrome wheel arch trim from Bavarian Autosport's clearance bin for $40 that I need to install :lol: (look identical to CSL wheel arch trim but made for E3) Next step: Some big green sway bars to match my big green springs :twisted:
 

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gazzol

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This is the first time I've seen this post, what a lovely car congratulations!
Glad to read about the oil consumption, your problem might have been that the rings were stuck in the grooves due to corrosion, it might be worth using a oil flush the next time you drop the oil to see if it can't speed up the unsticking process. Simply pour the flush into the engine before the oil is changed and run the motor for 20-30 mins before draining. Another thing you might want to try before removing the head is a seal conditioner, this stuff is added to the oil also but in this case do it after an oil change, it contains chemicals which soften the rubber seals in a motor. I've used these type of treatments on customers cars with some excellent results so its worth giving them a go. The brand I use is called Forte but they're not available in the states but I can reccomend an American brand called BG.
 

73 E3

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I spent a few hours yesterday giving the Bav a good cleaning. I'm still waiting on the tiny T-bolts that hold the C-pillar trim on so they're still not on the car. But nonetheless here are some fresh pictures that weren't taken with my cell phone. I apologize for the number of pictures :lol:
 

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Buffarea

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What a very nice looking car you have there. I appreciate the fact that it is a Bavaria as they are obviously a rarity, as well as places you can post one and have it be appreciated.
 
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If anything, there are too few pictures of your Bav, the most beautiful sedan BMW ever built.

The best thing about the '73s (coupes and Bavs) is they have the unique Mae West style front bumperettes, rather than the more common Katherine Hepburn style.

Congrats on having such a fine example of a great car.
 

73 E3

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Thank you for the positive comments. Unfortunately for the Bav I think it's only managed its way out of the garage once this year. I've had quite a busy summer between college graduation in May and finally landing a job in early July. Between putting miles on my motorcycle (BMW K75S) and 2 VWs, I haven't had much 'leisure' time to just take the E3 out and enjoy it. Hopefully next season will be a bit more eventful for the Bav, and I hope to show up to some of the NE vintage shows/meets. I'm far from finished with this kraut.
 

73 E3

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Phemisg,
After a quick google seach it does appear that these 100+ wheels are indeed Octavos. I've come to like these wheels more than their 14" Alpina counterpart. Perhaps I'm drawn to them because of their rarity (I doubt there are many sets left out there in serviceable condition), and the fact that they are a period-correct aftermarket item.
 

JohnHein

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Most beautiful Bavaria I have seen in a long time. It is good to see that you can generate a little lust amongst this tough coupe crowd.

If you will indulge a story - and maybe a continuing thread about "my first BMW experience" - I was in high school in 1972 and one of my friends had his mom's Bav out on Friday night. Bear in mind that this is Oklahoma City; not too many Beemers around. My friend had a few too many I get to be a designated driver of the Bav. 17 years old, never been in an exotic anything and the then proud owner of a '63 bug! Are you freaking kidding? I am there baby as that Bavarian dream car fires up. Nothing like I had ever seen before. That was no bug, no Detroit muscle; just pure German subtle class. It is an experience that I can still remember vividly.

As I understand, these were very expensive and exclusive. You could have had a big Cedes, an ultimate Caddie or any performance luxury available in the area. My folks ended up 4 years later with 2002. I got one later myself and now have coupe.

But even still, that Bav experience, on a Friday night after the football game, a couple of cold ones and a "roll your own", Led Zep on FM, it will never be any better.
 
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