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Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Safety First: Homemade Stands

We haven't discussed this issue in a while, but this message never gets old.  Be safe out there, fellas.  I haven't been under my car for any significant work in a while, but I am now about to undertake some serious work to my 1989 325ix:  the automatic transmission failed (275K) on Thanksgiving Day.  I have been debating my options, and the bottom line is that the auto tranny or the transfer case (which is good), at the very least,  has to come out, regardless. 

Since I don't have a lift, I will be doing this work under the car.  Anyone who doesn't recognize that this is dangerous work is just ignorant, or not paying attention.  You may recall a series of posts here last year after the tragic death of a local young man, Christian Klorczyk.

http://baurspotting.blogspot.com/2011/03/time-out-public-service-safety-message.html
http://baurspotting.blogspot.com/2011/03/time-out-public-service-safety-message_23.html
http://baurspotting.blogspot.com/2011/03/jackstand-safety.html
http://baurspotting.blogspot.com/2011/03/jackstand-safety-ii.html
http://baurspotting.blogspot.com/2011/04/another-avoidable-tragedy.html
http://baurspotting.blogspot.com/2011/04/video-falling-jack-stands.html
http://baurspotting.blogspot.com/2011/04/surprise-are-ratchetting-jack-stands.html
http://baurspotting.blogspot.com/2011/04/jack-stand-safety-iv.html
http://baurspotting.blogspot.com/2011/04/safety-first-safety-last-safety-always.html
http://baurspotting.blogspot.com/2011/04/texas-man-killed-under-car-lift.html

So, you know where I stand:  safety first, safety last, safety always.  I have taken a cue from bimmerforums member 'potenza' in preparing for this tranny work.  I am in his debt for the pics of the homemade wooden stands he built for his car.  Here are some pics of the set up I have built in preparation for working under the car to remove the tranny/transfer case on my 1989 325ix.  I  built the wood stands yesterday, and lifted the car onto them this afternoon.   I apologize for the poor pic quality... I took these pics late in the day with my iphone.  The rear wheels are supported on  six (6) 2"x10"x24" slabs, nailed and screwed together, with a 2x12x24 base, and 2x8 or 10 chocks screwed to the base.  The rear wheels cannot move.  The rear wheels are therefore about 10 1/2" off the ground.

The front wheels are supported on steel ramps of approximately equal height to the rear supports.  The front wheels cannot move forward, but they can move backward....  although the rear wheels cannot move at all.  I may yet build a second set of stands with built-in wheel chocks for the front wheels, similar to what is now suppporting the rear wheels.  Again, I apologize for the lousy pic quality. 

Since I am not working on any wheels, this set up seems to work fairly well for my purposes.  It is solid, and it would take a lot of torque (more than I am capable of, I am sure) to move the car off its perch.  I will probably still add some redundant support with jack stands, etc., just in case. 







I offer this in memory of Christian Klorczyk. 

I am also indebted to his father, Frederick, for his committment to safety for all of us, and to 'potenza' for his pics of the homemade wooden stands which I used to make mine.  Be safe out there, fellas.  It can happen to you.  Trust me on this. Read the links above if you don't think so.



Monday, December 26, 2011

Baurspotting Hits 100 Countries!

We are both flattered and humbled to announce that Baurspotting has now spread to 100 countries around the globe! While we recognize that this accomplishment may only mean that we have found the one guy in each of those 100 countries with too much time on his hands, it is still a great accomplishment, and testimony to the love for, and the interest in, these great little cars! For a listing of the 100 countries, and the dates when we first saw them on Baurspotting, check out this post:

http://baurspotting.blogspot.com/2011/12/global-baurspotting.html

Happy New Year From Baurspotting, Everyone!

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

New Hampshire Baur Spotted!

(This was previously posted on the "Wanted:  Crushed or Alive" page, but we haven't had any luck locating yet, so I decided to cross-post it here.-----Ed.)


Ok, folks. Here is a beauty that was spotted on Facebook. Totally unknown to us here at Baurspotting, but we would love to find it! We have Our Man in New Hampshire (The Pooleman from E30 Bimmerforums) on the case! Any help is appreciated!
Seen in E21 Legion facebook, posted by John Ermody.



Has anyone seen this Baur?  Please email me if you know anything about it:  tom82baur@gmail.com

Monday, December 12, 2011

Baur TC1 Cabriolet Specs from Octane Magazine

I found these specs for an inline 6 in the UK magazine OCTANE.

From Octane Magazine

Model specs




1979-1982 BMW 3-series Baur Cabriolet

Overview

The BMW 3-Series was another landmark car for BMW – as it took the best bits of the ‘02 Series and refined them for the 1970s. Huge sales success followed, while the numbers 325 become something of a legend. The Baur cabriolet, introduced in 1979 further extended the appeal of the range, even if its bulky roll-over bar marred the open air feel. But there were positive benefits – it felt solid, and had ample crash protection. Sales were slow, though, no doubt because of the high price. Rare today, after many examples fell prey to the effects of rust.



£N/A in UK

£5500

£4500

£2250

£650


Performance

9.5secs

31.3secs

116mph

123bhp

125lb/ft

26mpg


Engine

in-line six

normal

petrol

electronic fuel injection


Chassis

Independent, MacPherson Struts, coil springs

Independent, semi-trailing arms, coil springs

front-engine RWD

rack and pinion

metal monocoque

Five-speed manual



Dimensions


4325mm

2570mm

1645mm

1380mm

1104kgs


The info above is from the following link:

http://www.classicandperformancecar.com/front_website/octane_interact/carspecs.php/?see=3364

Sunday, December 11, 2011

New Baur Found and Identified!

I received an email tonight from Ryne in Texas, who has purchased the gold Baur from Shady Hills Fl:




The Baur plate is: #4486. This Baur is NOT listed in the International Baur Registry, so it qualifies as a NEW FIND! Congrats to Ryne and we look forward to hearing more about it!

Ryne mentioned that he first learned about this Baur here:

http://baurspotting.blogspot.com/p/baurs-for-sale.html

Ryne, (1rdmanahan1 in bimmerforums) you may recall, already owns this Baur:

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?p=23187293#post23187293

Sunday, December 4, 2011

NEWSFLASH: Another Baur Found!

Toyotech from E21 bimmerforums posted this Baur plate in Facebook "E21 Legion" tonight.  He mentioned this Baur about a year ago, saying it was located near a relative's house in Tempe, AZ, and today he was in the area and nailed it!

Kudos Toyotech!  Baurhunter of the Week! 

It appears that the Baur number is not listed in the International Baur Registry, so it qualifies as a New Find..... although we have had a rumor about it for a year.

Congrats again to Totyotech, and we look forward to hearing more about this new US TC1 Baur!



More pics, courtesy of Toyotech in bimmerforums!




Toyotech: 
0