New Member S. California

Thanks so much for the thoughtful responses and encouragement. I'm not a young guy but I got started working on cars later in life so still much to learn.
I think I mentioned this before, the car does run and drive. I'm currently fixing the little things that really negatively affect the driving experience: sloppy gas pedal linkage at the firewall, sloppy shift linkage, and possibly rebuild that break booster. Oh yeah, and there's a gas smell.
 
TedS said:
I think I mentioned this before, the car does run and drive... Oh yeah, and there's a gas smell.
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I missed that. Sorry. That's a real plus that it runs and drives now.

The gas smell could be the gas tank vent. The cap on the tank is not vented. There is a little hose that goes from the fill tube to a collection container on the right side of the trunk, and then from there to a carbon canister under the battery then on to a vacuum port. If that line is disconnected anyplace it can create a gas smell. An easy solution is to block that line at it's origin on the fill tube and use a vented gas cap.

Of course it could also be something more major like a leaking fuel line. Good idea to find the source of the smell and fix it.
 
HB Chris said:
Nope unfortunately.
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So does this mean if (hypothetically) I move to California with any 1968-1973 vintage cars (like my Alfa JrZ and e9s), I won’t be able to bring the cars ? So this Bavaria cannot be registered at all in CA? Seems to me this would make a 1968-73 classic car with a California title that much more valuable.
 
Bringing in from out of state where they are currently registered isn’t a problem. Out of country is or out of state with no title. That is why you see so many Montana LLC plates, they avoid their obligation to pay sales tax and then transfer in two years later.
 
Bringing from out of state to CA requires a VIN verification and a check for Federal compliance stickers to make sure it is a legal U.S. model. I had a mobile VIN verifier come to my house so registering should go on without a hitch as soon as the DMV reopens. I do have the out of state title along with a bill of sale. I was under the impression that the Federal sticker being scratched off mostly would disqualify the car for CA registration. I guess it's not like the VIN, which needs to be complete- just enough that it's understood to be a U.S. car.
Now, if it was a '76 then I'd be worrying about smog equipment at this point or I'd be registering it as non-op.
 
The CA DMV is unaware of VIN tables and instead requires a letter from BMW. Good luck with that as I think email is not official enough for them.
 
bavbob said:
But...the Bavaria was built only for the US market, no?
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Well yes, the name "Bavaria" was unique to the US market (the lore is that Max Hoffman dreamt it up). But I'm sure that BMW made e3's for other markets.

So in theory, you could show the DMV people your e3's "Bavaria" badge on the decklid, and they'd say "Oh yes, - obviously a US delivery car". But they aren't paid to think; they're paid to say "no".

TedS said:
I was under the impression that the Federal sticker being scratched off mostly would disqualify the car for CA registration.
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Are replacement stickers available? Restorers apply reproduction stickers to cars all the time for things like oil filter canisters. Obviously applying a Federal sticker to a non-US car would be a no no, but what about doing it as part of a restoration? 30 seconds of Google searching led me to this Ford sticker that's openly available for 12 bucks:

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As far as my particular Bavaria goes, I did have a mobile VIN verifier come to my house so it's now possible to register it in CA once the DMV opens. The sticker was a possible issue but it turns out there was enough left.
 
jmackro said:
Well yes, the name "Bavaria" was unique to the US market (the lore is that Max Hoffman dreamt it up). But I'm sure that BMW made e3's for other markets.

So in theory, you could show the DMV people your e3's "Bavaria" badge on the decklid, and they'd say "Oh yes, - obviously a US delivery car". But they aren't paid to think; they're paid to say "no".



Are replacement stickers available? Restorers apply reproduction stickers to cars all the time for things like oil filter canisters. Obviously applying a Federal sticker to a non-US car would be a no no, but what about doing it as part of a restoration? 30 seconds of Google searching led me to this Ford sticker that's openly available for 12 bucks:
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The DMV doesn’t even if a BMW was ever sold here new, you are right, they aren’t paid to think.
 
Update:
Turkis Bavaria successfully registered and sold.
Found a Chamonix '73! This is a one family owned car with original window sticker and pink. Looks like original paint with surface rust showing through kind of all over. It looks like a 15-20 year old beach car. Not bad, though. Underneath and structure look good.
The previous owner is a solid guy who noticed steam coming out of the tail pipe after running for a while and found the coolant tested positive for combustion gas. The head is stamped '77 which is interesting. I'll be looking into a replacement head first thing. Compression is even across all cylinders- 150, 150, 150, 155, 155, 155. Oh, and it's an automatic so I'll be collecting manual swap parts- probably 4 speed.

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I love velour seats. They make it seem so much more "old European car" to me.
 
Just heard back from BMW Archives- July '72 production date. Brushed aluminum tail panel, btw.

I like the cloth seats too!
 
TedS said:
Just heard back from BMW Archives- July '72 production date. Brushed aluminum tail panel, btw.

I like the cloth seats too!
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Love the velour, especially the light grey. Go for a five-speed if you plan any distance driving at all. Lovely car, one of my favorite models. We have good taste.
 
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