New Member...73 Bavaria...

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e3er

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Hi,

I recently joined this forum so I thought I'd put in an introductory post. I'm not sure how strict or welcoming this forum is with e3 owners, so I thought it best to post in 'off topic first'.

My name is Chris, and I own a 1973 BMW Bavaria 4-spd. It was sold new in Arizona, and was in the same family from 1976-2009 when I bought it. It hadn't run since 1989, and was still wearing CA blue plates and tags to prove it.

Much work has been done, but its still on the original drivetrain, and I don't plan on changing this anytime soon. The car is slowly being built for distance road rallies, one step at a time. I'm hoping to get some good advice here on various mechanical issues as time goes on and issues are encountered.

This is also my first e3, but I've also owned misc. other BMWs incl. 2 e12s, 1 e28 and 1 e34 ALPINA B10. I currently also own 2 Skodas, and leach off of my wife's Mazda3 in the off-season.

Some quick pics...

Bavaria-16.jpg


Bavaria-SpringThaw2010-1.jpg


Bavaria-SpringThaw2010-6.jpg


Bav-M30-1.JPG


Bavaria-SpringThaw2010-3.jpg
 
Stevehose

Stevehose

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Welcome, there are a few other e3's here and lots of others who know about the cars if you need any insight on stuff.
 
CSteve

CSteve

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Lucky Dog! This is the most beautiful 4dr BMW has built to date. I have owned a couple. Currently down to just one Coupe, a 74 CSi.

Since we share almost all mechanicals and virtually nothing else, the more knowledgable guys on this forum, always generous with their time and advice, will be more than helpful.

Any suspension upgrades, shocks, bars, springs will help immensely. I have been running a Petronix electric ignition for years pushing my coupe around the track at driver's schools. Never blinked. Google Carl Nelson in CA. He is the man!

Your car looks to be in fine original condition.

Steve ONeill
 
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gary bellamy

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New Member 73 Bavaria

Welcome chris. Very nice looking Bav you have there.It appears your in
[ Beautiful BC ]. Nice to have another Canuck on the forum. I am in Newmarket Ont. I am aware of only two others on the forum Pamp in BC
and DCoupe in Alberta. Anyway cheers and enjoy your Utimate Driving Machine. :-D


Gary 73 Chamonix
 
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pamp

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Malahat

Is that you on the Malahat? Kind of the grapevine hill for island boys...
Aha...my mistake...Sea to sky by the looks...been a while since I drove that one...hairy in the day.
Welcome aboard.
 
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e3er

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Hi,

Thanks for all the welcomes.

I'm curious what the go to parts are for (assuming same parts for e3/e9):

1. radiator/fan/water pump upgrades.
2. sway bars

It has the original (or really old) rad which so far has worked fine with no over heating issues (someone told me that the thermostat was set differently given it was an AZ car) but its something to think about for longer trips.

The car also has a new set of Konis which make it much stiffer, but sway bars woudn't hurt (but no biggie either - I'm not auto-Xing it and bodyroll is fun...in moderation).

Also, what do you all think of a 3.10 LSD? It has the factory open diff now, but something geared (and LSD) more for hwy is something I'm looking into...

Thanks,
Chris
 
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x_atlas0

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e3er said:
Hi,

Thanks for all the welcomes.

I'm curious what the go to parts are for (assuming same parts for e3/e9):

1. radiator/fan/water pump upgrades.
2. sway bars

It has the original (or really old) rad which so far has worked fine with no over heating issues (someone told me that the thermostat was set differently given it was an AZ car) but its something to think about for longer trips.

The car also has a new set of Konis which make it much stiffer, but sway bars woudn't hurt (but no biggie either - I'm not auto-Xing it and bodyroll is fun...in moderation).

Also, what do you all think of a 3.10 LSD? It has the factory open diff now, but something geared (and LSD) more for hwy is something I'm looking into...

Thanks,
Chris
Click to expand...

You need to check which rad you have in the first place, as there were at least 3 types: standard, standard with AC, and tropical. The standard is a bit less than an inch thick. The standard with AC is about 1.5" thick. I have never seen a tropical unit, so I can't say much about it. The older rads are actually rather valuable, as they are completely metal, down to the end tanks. A later M30 9-blade engine fan and clutch also really help.

Ireland Engineering makes a good set of sways, as does Carl Nelson.

As far as the diff goes, as I recall, it should have a 3.45 open stock. A more common upgrade is to switch to a 5 speed overdrive transmission, used in later cars. The Getrag 265 is the preferred option for power handling, "rebuildability", and the mechanical speedo drive. That will give you a .81:1 5th gear, and bring your highway RPMs down to about 2000-2500. If you are dead set on the diff, though, the more common unit is a 3.07 from US E24s. They are relatively easy to find in LSD form, even as a side-loader unit like you have. Remember that the speedo is driven by the trans, so to have an accurate speedo, you have to change the internal gearing when you change the diff ratio.
 
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G-Man

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Here's my 70 E3 2800

http://www.coupeking.com/product_id-407.html

It has a birthday this week

The BMW 2800 VIN 2308632 was manufactured on December 18th, 1969 and
delivered on March 12th, 1970 to the german BMW dealer Stapelmann in
Düsseldorf. The original colour was Granada, paintcode 023.

How it ended up in Southern California in the early 70's, I have no idea. No federalization was ever done, it came over pre-gray market era. It still has the speedo in KMH. I bought it from a lady in the San Fernando Valley of LA who inherited it from her father. She wanted nothing to do with a car that had no AC or PS, manual windows and a manual gearbox. She wanted it gone, I bought it for $300. It is literally rust free. When I bought it, the interior and paint was trashed by the CA sun but the body was straight and rust free. I'll take sun damage any day over rust and salt damage. Coupe King, Carl Nelson and Bill Holmes in San Diego helped me restore the car.

As for my radiator, I had a local radiator shop in So Cal build me a 3 core radiator, it never gets hot. E12 sway bars will also bolt on to an E3.

My 74 tii also has a birthday this week

The BMW 2002 tii US VIN 2780763 was manufactured on December 18th, 1973 and
delivered on February 22nd, 1974 to the BMW importer Hoffman Motors Corp. in
New York City. The original colour was Sahara, paint code 006.

What are the odds of two of my cars being built on the same day, just four years apart? I should go buy a lotto ticket.

G-Man
 
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e3er

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xatlas - thanks for the info, it should be enough to keep me going for a bit. My interest in a LSD is more for the benefits of an LSD rather than gearing - but given that an LSD will probably have a different ratio from my stock diff, I was debating which direction to go. There is a 3.10 local available supposedly from a Euro model, which is why I mentioned that ratio specifically.

Mike - very nice Bavaria - it looks terribly clean.

G-Man - please don't take this the wrong way, but I want to make sweet sweet love to your 2800 in the most serious of ways...very cool.
 
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Buffarea

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e3er, what an absolutly beautiful car. To say I am envious would be a gross understatement. Please continue to update us with your escapades.
 
jmackro

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3er:

One parts source you may find helpful is Mesa Performance here in Orange County. Mike and Spence there know early BMW's thoroughly - they know what parts interchange with later BMW's, have sources for used parts, and basicly are a great resource for keeping cars like your Bavaria on the road. Find their contact information at: http://www.mesaperformance.com/ - they are more of a "call 'em on the phone" kind of business that another Amazon.com
 
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e3er

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Hi Jay,

Thanks for the parts tip!

Regards,
Chris


jmackro said:
3er:

One parts source you may find helpful is Mesa Performance here in Orange County. Mike and Spence there know early BMW's thoroughly - they know what parts interchange with later BMW's, have sources for used parts, and basicly are a great resource for keeping cars like your Bavaria on the road. Find their contact information at: http://www.mesaperformance.com/ - they are more of a "call 'em on the phone" kind of business that another Amazon.com
Click to expand...
 
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