After the initial excitement of purchasing my E21, reality set in as the first major challenge reared its head in the form of obliterated engine internals. Part two of my journey is all about overcoming challenges, namely, the unexpected engine issues that turned my project into a full-blown mission. But as any car enthusiast knows, setbacks are just opportunities in disguise and all of the downtime left me a chance to focus on the details. This part of the project also includes my decision to swap to Weber carburetors, a powerful paint correction detailing session, and the importance of small changes that make a big impact, like adding euro bumpers and wheels.

Solving the Engine Problem Was Step 1

As you’ll know if you read Part 1, a couple of days into owning my E21, I was out on a typical drive when disaster struck. The engine, which had been running reasonably well up until that point, suddenly made the worst noise I’ve ever heard and left me without an operating project. After some basic troubleshooting, I found there was nothing to do but rebuild or replace it. As I assessed the damage and weighed my options, I realized this was an opportunity to rethink my potential plans for the car as the engine was basically a blank canvas. I’ve always wanted to run Weber Carburetors, so maybe there was a place for them now. I decided to start looking for a new engine as I didn’t want the added expensive of a rebuild at the time. With the BMW M10 engine being in production for multiple decades, finding one should be fairly simple. As you would expect, I found one immediately on Craigslist. However, this was no ordinary M10, this one already had Weber 45s on it and was tuned and ready to go. The owner decided to do an M42 swap and was selling as a kit with a 4-1 Stahl Header as well. A hell of an upgrade if you ask me. I headed down about an hour from my house to his shop in Eugene to pick it up the parts.

This Craigslist hero was an E21 hoarder in all ways possible. He had at least 6 including 2 Baur models which are extremely rare. Not to mention, even more E30s, with tons of engines, interior bits, and some unobtainium parts including an original E21 euro rear panel. After a quick chat, we made a deal and I managed to fit the engine in the back of my MK1 Tiguan at the time. A tight fit that my wife was not a fan of, but I made it work, and nothing leaked thankfully. I made the journey home and left the engine to rest in the garage while I contemplated the rest of my plan and life’s decision. Also, at this point, I didn’t know how to swap an engine. Probably should have thought about that first.

Throttle Response, Throttle Response, Throttle Response

Putting the new engine back in should have been relatively straight forward as it was the same model engine. However, with the addition of carbs, the fuel system would need to be revamped entirely including bypassing some fuel electronic. Deciding to swap the stock mechanical fuel injection for a set of Webers was not a decision I made lightly, but it was one I knew would pay off in the long run. Weber carburetors have a reputation for delivering better throttle response, increased performance, and a classic, mechanical feel that’s hard to replicate with modern fuel injection systems. For a project like this—where keeping the spirit of the car intact is as important as improving its performance—Webers felt like the perfect choice.

The car went through various iterations and ideas until, ultimately, I landed on the idea of swapping the carbs for Weber 40s. The 45s I had worked, but I was running a 1.8L and not a 2.0L, so they were a little big without additional engine work above my par grade. I found someone to take the original 45s off my hands and was able to swap for brand new 40s for not much difference in cash.

The conversion wasn’t too complicated, but at the time I had ZERO idea what I was doing. A true trial by fire. I needed to swap fuel pumps, remove the return lines, add a pressure regulator, and remove any trace of the K-Jetronic system that was no longer needed. Often the case with projects like these the installation process was more involved than I anticipated. There were plenty of trial-and-error moments, late nights spent tuning, and a fair share of cursing at stubborn bolts. It seems ridiculous now, but getting the engine installed with a working fuel system took me the better part of 2.5 years. From ordering parts to troubleshooting issues I didn’t understand; the process was far from ideal but I did it and I learned from it.

With the carbs finally mounted and the fuel system buttoned up, I was ready for the car to be back on the road. However, the engine problems didn’t stop there. To be clear, having the new engine in the car with carbs versus having the engine running in the car with carbs are very different prospects. I’ll review more details of the engine troubles in Part 3. Trust me, there is a lot to cover there.

Breathing Life Back into the Paint

With the engine plan in motion, or quite literally not-in-motion, I turned my attention to the exterior. In between engine problems and lengthy parts orders, I decided to keep myself busy with smaller projects on the car to bring it back as close to new as I could. The E21’s paint had seen better days; years of sun exposure and neglect had dulled its once-glossy finish. Enter another journey into professional level paint correction detailing. I spent hours meticulously buffing, polishing, and sealing the paint, and the results were nothing short of transformative. Learning tons of new techniques and applications to get the paint back without destroying it was rewarding to say the least. Shoutout to Larry at AMMO NYC for inspiring me to learn. I highly recommend watching his channel even if you have no plans to learn how to detail. There is something satisfying about watching a car transform, especially when you don’t have to put in the hours and can watch from the couch.

I started with a deep cutting compound to scrap away all of the oxidized paint. The faded orangey mess started to fall of the car with ease and I had to stop myself from really getting into it as the paint started getting thin. With some highspot on the car showing some of the undercoating, I started getting more and more precise with how far I wanted to take the single-stage paint back. After getting the hang of it, I managed to remove all of the bad paint off the car and started focusing on bringing the scratched up paint back with a less abrasive polish. The results were astonishing. I couldn’t believe the difference the polished look made. I removed more than I should have but in my mind, the paint was already ruined, might as well make it look good. I’ll take shiny deep red with patina over faded chalky orange all day.

The deep red looked brand new from about 10 feet away. Even though its not perfect by any means, polishing was leaps and bounds cheaper than a fresh paint job so I took what I could get and gave it a good wax to finish it out. The faded, tired exterior was now gleaming, showing off the classic lines of the E21 in all their glory. It was a reminder of just how powerful detailing can be—sometimes, all it takes is a bit of elbow grease to bring a car back to life, no matter how far gone it is.

Minor Changes, Major Results: The Euro Upgrades

As I continued to make progress exterior, I started looking at the smaller details that could elevate the look of my E21 even further. At the time, I was heavily invested in the BMWCCA Oregon Chapter. So much so that I was the nominated as the Communications Director for about 4 years. One of the main benefits of getting all emails about the BMW club, was that you get all emails from the club members. Just ask my dad about the killer deal he got on a manual 2002 e46 330ci for about $6K. Long story short, I got reached out to about a member who was liquidating a failed attempt to restoration a 1979 323i that was imported. The rust got to be too much and a $10K bill just for rust repair ended all hopes of a future. Bad news for the owner, but great news for me. Since this was a euro import, it just happened to have, pardon my french, a SHITLOAD of euro-spec parts. I met up with him and made an offer he couldn’t refuse.

For $2200, I scored front and rear euro bumpers, a genuine BBS front valance and rear spoiler, euro smilie headlights, a rear strut brace, an extra front grill, and oh yeah, 15×7 original E21 spec gold BBS RS wheels. I cannot stress how much of a come-up this is. Macklemore would be proud. I took it all home and made a game plan for how to get it all installed. The front spoiler was going to be an issue as it wasn’t in the best condition and needed to be painted, I decided I’d leave that to the professionals at a body shop in the future. I wasn’t ready to drop additional money at the moment so to the parts shelf it went. The rest, I tried to get on the car as soon as I could. I spent the next few weekends getting them all installed.

The rear spoiler was simple enough but by far the most stressful. After deciding roughly where to mount the spoiler, I put down some painter’s tape and put a little bit of paint on the bottom of the mounting bolts. Barely touching the tape in the rough area I wanted with the painted bolt gave me a place to drill. Nothing makes you reconsider a car mod like drilling into bright polished paint. Never have I been so scared working on a car. I spooled up the drill and went to town. There was no going back now, but I didn’t regret it then and I still don’t now. I think the results speak for themselves. I was just bummed I installed a brand new rear emblem about 2 weeks prior that no one will ever see. Once the spoiler was installed fully, I shifted my focus onto the bumpers.

These are a bit tricky as they were never designed to go on a US-spec car. Thankfully, Eric Dye of Satisfied Industries made some adapter brackets and saved my life. With some light drilling, and a few hours of complaining, I manage to get them mounted up, and the car has never looked more transformed. For those unfamiliar, the US-spec bumpers on E21s are larger and stick out more, due to regulations at the time. With the bumpers sitting about 6 inches closer to the car, the “sharknose” vibes are excentuated and give the car a much slimmer, more streamlined look. A lot of people hate on E21s but I am a firm believer that they have never seen a euro-spec one. The difference is night and day.

The E21 now looked more elegant and true to its European roots. It’s amazing how such a minor change can completely transform the overall appearance of the car. It served as a reminder that the little details often matter just as much as the big changes when it comes to creating a car that feels cohesive and well-thought-out. I felt so proud to see it in my garage. I had to mentally ignore that it didn’t run. Which reminds me, at this point, it still doesn’t run.

Any Progress Is Progress

Part two of my E21 journey was all about moving forward and making the best out of a shitty situation. The engine failure that could have derailed the project became an opportunity to make meaningful improvements, like swapping to Weber carburetors and new headers. Paint correction detailing brought new life to the car’s exterior, proving that sometimes the most powerful changes are the simplest ones. And adding various euro parts were another small tweak with a big payoff, enhancing the E21’s classic look and feel.

With the car now looking the part and ignoring the fact that I pushed it into the street for the above photo, the only thing left to do is make a last-ditch push to get the engine going. The journey is far from over, but with each challenge or opportunity, I should say, my E21 project has become more of what I envisioned—a tribute to classic BMWs. Learning new skills and having a medium to showcase those was something I didn’t think about when originally buying the car. The journey of project car ownership takes you places you never expect, but that is where the fun lies. Its not solely about driving the car. Its about the skills you learn, the people you meet, and the satisfaction of checking a box off the to-do list. Stay tuned for part three, where we finally get the car running and the E21 makes it to its first car show. Sort of…