1971 Roundie First Start in 20 Years

[jackm]

I followed all the guidance I could find on starting after such a long time sitting in storage: new oil, plugs, coolant, and ran clean gas from a external canister into the fuel pump, to avoid any dirty gunk in tank.

 

Here's the video story. Plan to do a complete restoration, so next steps will be pulling the engine for a rebuild while I tackled front and rear suspension, then interior and then body and trim on a mostly shell. Maybe the very next step is going to be scouring two decades of dust and grime off everything. Other advice, tips and suggestions? I've got the 2002 Restoration Guide, the Haynes book, and getting to know all the video blogs, parts sites and more. Hope this community can be part of the story I'm planning to do on the whole process.

 

 

Edited December 12, 2021 by jackm

['76mintgrün'02]

24 minutes ago, jackm said:

Plan to do a complete restoration, so next steps will be pulling the engine for a rebuild while I tackled front and rear suspension, then interior and then body and trim on a mostly shell. Maybe the very next step is going to be scouring two decades of dust and grime off everything. Other advice, tips and suggestions?

 

Congratulations.  Welcome to the forum/madness.  Washing it sure looks like it will be satisfying.

 

My suggestion is to go through the brake system, fuel system, put new tires on it and then drive it !  Get some time behind the wheel before you take it apart. 

 

Put some miles on it and then do a compression test/leak down test.  That engine might not need rebuilding yet.  It sounds good from here.

Tom

[esty]

what makes you believe the engine needs to be rebuilt?

 

[zinz]

AWESOME!!

 

 

You will love it even more when it's had a thorough cleaning!  Clean the fuel system and refresh the brakes and you'll be on the street in no time.

 

Ed 

[bavariaboy]

Great work. Inspiration for anyone with a similar car. Keep us posted.

 

Steve

[bavariaboy]

agree with esty, why a rebuild? She started so quickly the second and third times. Could put the test cup of coffee on the battery and it would barely quiver.

[jackm]

Engine is original and got this from the owner who bought it new in 1971 ( in fact I've have the original bill of sale). 85K miles, so maybe this won’t need a full rebuild? One restoration expert friend suggested at least pulling the engine to make it easier to restore engine compartment and rebuild the front sub assembly. 

 

I do like the idea of driving it a bit to get a feel for all the others systems. One brake shoe was virtually welded onto the drum, so that will definitely need attention.

 

Thank you all for the input — keep it coming since this is my first e10, and first vintage car in a long time  — and hope this time of the year treats you all well.

Edited December 14, 2021 by jackm

[Son of Marty]

Maybe try this,

1 Good bath.

2 Rebuild the subframes, brakes,  and clean and paint the engine compartment, don't forget to reinforce the driver side engine mount.

3 Clean engine and fix any oil leaks.

4 Clean up the interior.

5 Drive it for a while and fix all the little things that need fiddling.

6 Do any paint and body work needed.

7 Research any mods to the engine to fit your style.

8 If you are going to raise the compression ratio with new pistons the go ahead with your rebuild if not you could just have the head rebuilt. 

[esty]

i've owned my 76 for all but the 1st 2300 miles...it has the original, unopened drive train.....no smoke, no unusual sounds, still runs and drives like it did in 76...we have rebuilt front end and brakes and made a few minor upgrades but nothing near rebuilding the engine

 

if it ain't broke, don't fix it

 

[bavariaboy]

The twin pipes sticking out the tail end suggest a custom exhaust. Probably too old to save, but all the hangers, etc will be there for a lovely Ansa system.

[dlacey]

It's a BMW engine, only dismantle it if it's broken. Best invest your money in fuel system, ignition refresh and brakes/suspension. At 85kmiles (or even 185kmiles) it will run fine on fresh oil [abuse by overheating/over-revving excepted]

[zinz]

Might check out all the Technical Articles here on FAQ. Maybe start with this one? ?

 

 

[2002iii]

Congratulations You've started your journey down the rabbit hole that is restoring an old 02!!!

 

That engine sounds fine, you don't need to rebuild it. I would spend my money on a weber 32/36 carb and all the suspension bushings and brake parts your going to need.

 

It looks like you have a great father son project. Between the 2 of you and all the knowledge on this forum you should be able to fix that old beauty up.

 

When you go to replace the drum brakes on the rear you might want to upgrade to the larger 320i drums.

 

Definitely check out the articles section and please use the search function before you ask questions that have already been answered.

[tomphot]

Here's my story as the 3rd owner of my '72 Tii.  

Original owner had put 187,000 miles on the car.  He had installed a 3 gauge package on it and saw that he was loosing oil pressure.  A friend who owned a BMW dealership told him that that he could get a new Tii engine built for him cheaper than it may cost to fix it.  So in 1987, he installed a new engine.  He then installed all of the original bits etc.  Started the new engine and the pressure was low.  He then changed the oil pressure sender and everything was fine.  15,000 miles later, he parked the car in one of his garages in the '80s until a friend talked him into selling it to him.  He never drove it and I was able to buy it 6+ years ago.

I was then told that the original owner still had that engine sitting in his garage and he would love to have me pick it up.  I did that and it sat in my garage for 6 years.  I finally decided to rebuild and install.

After the machine shop got done and we looked at the original block, pistons and everything on the head, that engine could have been sprayed off and reinstalled with no problems.

So now I have an extra Tii engine built in '87 by BMW with 19,000 miles on it sitting in my garage.

Edited December 13, 2021 by tomphot

[jackm]

On 12/12/2021 at 1:55 PM, bavariaboy said:

agree with esty, why a rebuild? She started so quickly the second and third times. Could put the test cup of coffee on the battery and it would barely quiver.

It does seem to run remarkably well, so you all may be very right that rebuilding the engine right away might not be the best play, and I should also probably try to get to know this as a driver, at least a little bit, before I dive into the rest of the restoration...