1977 BMW 3-Series

320i Coupe

6 - Cyl.

Manual

5461151

Gasoline

1977 BMW E21 320i Dinan/Alpina Look/Eribuni - California Conversion – Titled as an original 1977 BMW 320i **BEING RELISTED DUE TO LOCAL SALE FALLING APART!** This is the first year for the BMW 320i. This car sports a very rare wide-body conversion, with striking Alpina and M3 combined looks all round. The wide body kit is one of only 12 ever made (Confirmed by Eribuni.) It is a heavy fiberglass not too thin like my former famous 1982 320i (The Dietel Alpina 345i Turbo). I have only ever seen 1 other Eribuni kited BMW 320i car (a 1980) and that was in England (in shambles none-the-less.) The car was built in 1996 by a guy named “Eddy”, from a 1977 BMW 320i, into what the California Bureau of Automotive Repair calls “An Upgrade” from one car into another. California now views the car as a 1990 525 2.5 L. The California Bureau gave it a new Vehicle Identification Label (VIL: for emissions purposes) with the number of: N4200467, While retaining the vehicles original VIN of 5461151. It is painted in an iridescent Mercedes Blue/Green (changes a bit in different lighting – between Lapis Blue and Rich Bluish Green.) The paint is nice and deep, but not perfect. The large fenders have a couple of minor issues in the rear ones only, and some minor rock chips on the front air dam. Please see the photos for those details. I have the cracks covered with a clear - racing industry - body repair tape (to keep any moisture out.) The engine is a rebuilt M20 6cyl (2.5L), with porting and polishing on the head, a Dinan Chip, and an E30 5spd transmission. The springs front and rear springs are Dinans, and the rear shocks have been valve matched to the coil spring rates by Bilstein’s California Shop (which I had done personally to tune the rear suspension.) The front end of this car has the vintage approach to the rear wheel lift the race cars are famous for . . . it has the “double stacked sway bars!” (19mm directly over 21mm - which I also personally added.) The odometer currently reads 039,657 and is not accurate (because of the recent conversion.) When you cross a 320I, 4 cyl. 4 spd, into an M20 6, and a 5spd . . . you loose the mechanical speedo capacity of the original BMW set up. So, what has to be done, is a 533 speedo has to come into play and be installed in place of the 320’s original to accommodate the “magnetics” (or electronic) of the 525’s. What I have done in the interim, is I bought the VERY LAST 320i “Chopper-Wheel” Set up from Hardy and Beck who handled those crossovers back then (it is installed.) I bought a 533 Speedo off eBay about two years ago, but the person lied, it was from a 325 and won’t work. I have done a sheet based speedo system for longer drive that have calculated MPH based on RPM’s in 4th and 5th gears (how ingenious eh? It works!) Driving a car like this makes those troubles worth it! Also, it has a 5 series wiring harness with a Lamda Sensor, and 5 Series Computer. The tires are made up of “massive” 345/15 rear and 285/15 front C82 Dunlop Bias Ply Racing Rubber. The racing wheels are custom aluminum, and can fit on a modern tire machine and do not require disassembly to change the rubber. It has the rare front disc brake carry over from the 2002 tii. The rear end is a 3.90 LSD. This car has experienced some SCCA Autocrosses to get everything sorted out (this is my standard practice in finding and rebuilding 3 series BMW’s e21 to e30s), and this car is grunt tough. It burns no oil and the car and motor has maybe about 14K miles on it. The center drive line is nicely reassembled for vibration free cruise and race speeds. This car is a very vintage looking BMW used for show, SCCA auto-crosses and is a sincere hoot to drive to the edge. It has a huge stereo in it (which I never used.) The car weighs 2900# (1500/1410). The interior of the car is really nice. The 320 dash has no cracks in it and it has really sweet “Flow Fit” Fabric Racing seats with that vintage look, with a Momo racing wheel. The Battery has been relocated to the back, and there is a manual power cut-off switch hidden under the hood. These early 320i’s in this shape are hard to come by, and with the body treatment, this has the vintage Alpina and Grupe 5 look. I have people cheer as I drive by. I am not sure if it is how it sounds, or how it looks, but I am pretty sure it is a combination of both! I’ll throw in a Simpson 3 Point Racing Harness – Specifically for the 320i. Needs: It needs the right passenger door adjusted, it is a little tight at the latch. Minor Cracks in Fiberglass will need to be addressed at some point in the future. I also wanted to put in some rubber guards in the door sill base area and I didn’t cut the passenger one quite right. No biggy, heat up, remove, and replace. Speedometer conversion discussed above. I think it needs a new starter, starting to go. Easy to get to. Affordable. Slight bend in the Drivers Side Wheel Lip (See photo - Done by the tire shop) – Doesn’t effect performance nor looks (just slightly on the look) It has a minor fuel pump issue, I’ll have that squared away at the time of the sale. It could use a larger radiator – but I also have an extra coolant tank from the Dietel/Alpina car that will go with it. It came without a clutch fan, I installed one, it helped, but a bigger radiator will help. The stock temp gauge could be bad – I bought a nice racing one I haven’t installed yet, but that will go with it. I used a digital temp gun to monitor temps when Auto-Xing. Enjoy the pictures and enjoy videos! This is a RARE CAR – RARE OPPORTUNITY! Video 1 (Inside Car at Autocross – Helena Airport): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtDsfOKktlQ&feature=player_embedded# Video 2 (Exterior Car at Autocross – MSU Campus): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1xKtf9jNso&feature=related Call: 406-451-8099 for additional questions . . . The car is for sale locally, so I reserve the right to end the auction early. On Mar-29-10 at 21:18:26 PDT, seller added the following information: The California that was issued in 2003, titled this BMW as a 1977 BMW with the vehicles original VIN No. of 5461151, which is consistent with my titling of the Car in Montana as a 1977 BMW 320. I have a copy of the Calfornina title issued in 2003. And the clear title from Montana issued in 2006. On Mar-30-10 at 09:53:22 PDT, seller added the following information: SEE ABOVE PHOTO OF BOTH TITLES (California & Montana) On Mar-30-10 at 10:18:19 PDT, seller added the following information: SORRY: I could not remove one photo and replace it with another at this point. PLEASE USE THIS LINK TO REVIEW CA & MT TITLES: http://www.dpreview.com/galleries/9229147674/photos/224380/033010-ca-mt-titledetails