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Wednesday, May 31, 2017

E21 No Start, No Crank Ignition Problem: Solved!

My poor neglected 1977 320i slick top has been suffering from a no start no crank issue, that I first noticed about month ago when I went to move it around in the driveway.  Over the last couple of years----I do not drive it much---- it has had an intermittent issue where it just cuts out for no apparent reason, and then starts right back up immediately. Part of the reason that I haven't driven it much lately is exactly that:  I don't know why it wants to cut out like that, so I don't trust it.
This is my 1977 320i as it appeared when I first bought it in 2008.  It is a 'slick top', converted to carbs by previous owner, Recaros, Nardi wood wheel, MOMO rims, front strut bar and Stahl headers. 

I have some plans in the works----- ssssh, not a word!---- so I decided I needed to address this E21 issue at long last, since I may be needing to .... er ..... move it to an undisclosed location for a bit.  Wink wink.  Nudge nudge.

I had a nagging suspicion that this was an ignition problem.  This was something that I dealt with years ago on my 1979 323i, at which time I replaced the entire ignition switch and cylinder, solving the problem.  Not a bad job if you don't mind working on your back, over your head, under the dash, feet lapped over the driver's seat!  Not to mention the difficulty in finding a replacement ignition switch for a car that is over 35 years old!

So I was kinda hoping it wasn't an ignition switch problem!



 Here are a couple of engine bay pics, sorry for the poor quality.  Yup, that's yer starter, right in there!  Stay tuned for a demo of an Old School technique to jump the starter.  ;) 


I should mention that the battery has been mounted in the trunk.  So I hooked up the battery charger to the positive connector mount under the hood, and grounded it to the body.  I let it charge for a bit, and then tried the ignition.  When I turn the key to 'start', dead silence.  No click, nothing.  I tried the lights.  Taillights come on and flashers work, but no headlights at all.  Hmmm.

Battery is charging, so headlights should be on, shouldn't they?  I spun all the fuses, and reseated all the relays. No change.  I tried  hooking up my remote starter switch to the starter to see if that would give it some life, but nothing there either. Not a click or a spark or anything.  It has been a while since I used that little tool, so I thought.... maybe I wasn't hooking it up right.

Time to go Old School!

I haven't done this in years, but back in the day, it made me a hero more than once.  Most notably when my girlfriend at the time got stuck with her 1967 Mustang Fastback!  I crawled underneath it with my trusty Craftsman screwdriver in the parking lot at Sears, oddly enough, jammed it into that starter, shorting the ignition, and that sucker roared to life! That was enough to get her to her dad's dealership where they replaced the starter.  She thought it was a miracle, and I declined to disabuse her of that misapprehension, to quote George Costanza!  ;)

But I digress.  I have recently acquired a very large ----ok huge---- screw driver.  And I thought this may be the perfect time to put it to...... we'll, let's call it an 'unlabeled' use.  You can see it in the pic above, but here is a better view, as I put it into action.
The head of the screwdriver is actually large enough that I can short the battery power connection on the starter to the ignition switch connection (with the key in the 'on' position) to test if the starter will crank.


I should note that I am doing this carefully, since I have the battery charger hooked up to the positive mount and grounded to the body.  

Houston, we have contact!  We have liftoff!  The solenoid and starter engaged, cranking the engine over beautifully.... although it still wouldn't start.  (It hasn't run since Christmas, or so, and it was always a little hard starting after it sits for a while.)   A little starting fluid in the carb got it to fire sufficiently to satisfy me that this wasn't the problem.  

Starter and solenoid are working as they should, so thatt leaves the ignition switch to be tested.  

I climbed into the car, and removed the lower cover of the steering column.  As I started to reach around toward the ignition switch, I spotted a little spark coming from the lower end of the ignition cylinder where the switch connects!  And this is what I see!

Whoa!  The wiring of the ignition switch is separated from the base of the ignition switch! Whoa!  There is your problem, son!  The intermittent problem noted earlier was because this wiring was gradually separating fem the switch itself, and as I touched it, it literally fell completely off in my hand!  
That is NOT supposed to DO that! 

I was actually greatly relieved to discover this, because it now all makes sense! 

AND..... since I have a complete spare lock, cylinder and ignition switch with wiring that I saved from the 1978 320i that I scrapped last year... this problem is easily rectified! 

So now my task is to simply swap in the new one!  That will be a bit of a pain, since I will have to deal with those damn shear bolts again!  But all in all, this was a great little afternoon project which resulted in discovering the source of the problem!  

And that is ALWAYS a Happy Ending!  ;)






One Small Step For A Baur, One Giant Leap For Baur-Kind: People's Choice Award at The Vintage!

Hagerty People's Choice Award Winner:  1974 2002 Cabrio Targa by Baur!

Pics from American Drive. 

Here it is, folks!  1974 2002 Cabrio Targa by Baur.  The 2017 Hagerty People's Choice Award Winner!  Baurspotting is very pleased to see Baurs getting some richly deserved recognition!  Ain't she a Beauty?  The Vintage is one of the largest vintage BMW gatherings in the US, if not the largest.  There were over 600 BMWs in the show.  So it is a great honor to have this Baur chosen as the People's Choice!  Kudos to Vance et al for bringing this Baur to prominence, and to the People at The Vintage for making such an excellent choice!   Baur Power!   ;)  



Here is the Baur being prepped for the show by a person we believe to be his dad.

Hoistitng the Hagerty People's Choice Award!  






Here is a brief video in which the Baur appears, along with a number of cars in the collection:   18539647_1637891992906529_2886387296163069952_n.mp4



Vance is from Georgia, and this car is part of remarkable collection which you can view on Instagram and elsewhere under the name rarecarcollector.  The collection is located in Alpharetta GA, in the facility shown below. 




https://www.instagram.com/rarecarcollector/

Here are some pics from the Instagram site: 



This Baur, btw, was recently imported from Australia.  Here it is, fresh off the boat in the Port of Savannah, when it was first imported.






Congratulations to Vance Stepp, and welcome to Baurspotting!
















Bosnia and Herzegovina: 1981 BMW e21 323i BAUR For Sale!

Thanks to Darija Rajić in Venice Italy for posting this link in Facebook today.  The ad is for a project  Baur in Bosnia Herzegovina.  It appears that there are a couple of parts cars also.









Translation by Google Translate:
BAUR is in the process of restoration, the car has completed 80%, you need to paint, neatly prepared for painting. No rust, not rotten, it is substantially changed as for the sheet metal, in original condition. A car is taken care with lots of love. The car 323i, '81 years, all original, which can be and personal look.

With the car go two more e21 in original condition. 316 with service book, with skeins 100 000 km (Croatian papers), the car is on the menu. 318i has siber and should work.
With the car go many rare spare parts of transmissions, engines, gear, dashboard, bumpers, moldings, sheet metal and the like.

-Dijelimo NOT FOR SALE, PARTS GO TO AUTO

Contact number 063 / 636-657 for more information!

ONLY ONLY NEW




BAUR je u procesu restauracije, auto je zavrseno 80%, potrebno ga je ofarbati, uredno je pripremljen za bojenje. Nema hrđe, nije trul, sve je izmjenjano sto se tice limarije, u originalnom je stanju. O autu je vođeno racuna s mnogo ljubavi. Auto je 323i, '81 godina, sve originalno, sto se moze i osobno pogledati.

Uz auto idu jos dva e21 u originalnim stanju. 316 sa servisnom knjigom, sa predenih 100 000 km (hrvatski papiri), auto je na meni. 318i ima siber i trebalo bi ga raditi.
Uz auta idu mnogi rijetki rezervni dijelovi, od mjenjaca, motora, trapova, instrument tabla, branika, lajsni, limarije i sl.


-DIJELOVI NISU NA PRODAJU, DIJELOVI IDU UZ AUTO-

Kontakt broj 063/636-657 za vise informacija!

SAMO ISKLJUČIVO NOVA

https://www.olx.ba/artikal/25757621/bmw-e21-323i-baur/

Thanks for posting Darija Rajić!

Monday, May 29, 2017

UPDATE: Small Baur World Department!! Some Assembly Required 1969 BMW 1600 Voll Cabriolet in San Anselmo

UPDATE May 29 2017:  Small Baur World Department!*  

This is an update to our post last night entitled:  "Some Assembly Required Department:  1969 BMW 1600 Voll Cabriolet project - $5000 (san anselmo)"

I received the following message from our friend and fellow Baur owner, John Margherita, late last night:
"Tom,

Pretty sure I owned that car 25 years ago. The one car I'm sorry I ever sold.

Here's is a picture from the day I sold it in 1992. I sold to a guy in San Anselmo CA and took a partial trade for a 1974 2002tii.
Really sad to see it in this condition. Wish I was still on the west coast."

"This is the buyer driving it away."  25 years ago! 

I sent John the following:
 "Amazing, John! Please let me know what you find out. I am revising the Baurspotting blog post to include this info as we speak! I will await verification.... hopefully he will respond in a timely manner."

And I awoke this morning to find this message from John:
"Verified! Here is his response:"


Hi John, 
Yes, this is the car I bought from you.
I had a great run with the car for the first 10 years I had it. It was getting pretty shaky on the bumps so I bought a car with a rust free floor pan and had an excellent body guy doing the work until he got sick.
There is a bmw guy I met last year who may undertake the rebuild that thinks someone named Misha owned this car and says it had a musical history. I don't recall anything you mentioned about that when I bought it. Thought of trying to contact you but you beat me to it. 
Wish me and the car luck. If you want to undertake the job, let me know and I'll sell it to you. No one has fully committed at this point.
Best,
Al"

Small Baur World, indeed! Thank you, John! 

And there may be more!  "Misha"..... who could this Misha be?  Well, it occurred to me that I had heard that name before.....Mikhail Baryshnikov was known as "Misha'. That might be worth looking into. Just saying'.  ;)   

We are actively seeking any info on the Provenance of this Baur Voll Convertible! 

So stay tuned, folks!  

Here is the link to our previous post on this Baur, posted yesterday.
*http://baurspotting.blogspot.com/2017/05/some-assembly-required-department-1969.html

UPDATE to the Update!  11am May 29, 2017.  John M.just posted this message in Facebook, regarding the speculation around "Misha":

"Nope. I knew the Misha he asked about. Guy named Misha Sky from San Mateo CA. He had a red Baur 1600 as well. Don't know what happened to it. I bought mine from a guy who drove it from Colorado to San Francisco.
Here's what it looked like when I got it in 1988."



Oh, well, so it isn't Baryshnikov, but still a great story!  A Small Baur World blast from the past!  Thank you, John!  I love this stuff!  ;)   

Sunday, May 28, 2017

Some Assembly Required Department: 1969 BMW 1600 Voll Cabriolet project - $5000 (san anselmo)

UPDATE May 29 2017:  Small Baur World Department!*

Thanks to Michael Hilber for reminding of this craigslist post that recently appeared in the San Francisco Bay area.  I had seen it, but it has been a busy week around here, and it slipped into the foggy recesses of my memory.

1969 BMW 1600 Voll Cabriolet project - $5000 (san anselmo)  



The operative word here is "PROJECT"!

Here is a pic of this 'once and future' 1600 Voll Cabrio!  Before it was disassembled.  Like.... completely. 

Here is a pic of this Cabrio at the present time. Some assembly is required.  ;)  Remember:  installation is simply the reverse of removal.  So this should be a piece of cake, right?  Riiiiiiight!  ;) 



Here are the seller's comments:
Please read the entire ad first before responding. This is a sad story.
For skilled body shop, body person or person with deep pockets.
Not for the amateur or easily intimidated.
Car was disassembled by a professional body man for donor floor pan replacing and rust repairs.
Sheet metal was blasted and painted with epoxy primer.
New rear inner and outer wheel houses were fitted to the donor body pan.
All spot welds drilled out, new rockers with rectangular steel channel added for rigidity.
Then the body man got Lymphoma and had to stop the project.
I had hoped to have another body shop complete the project.
That particular shop put me off on another job for several years and the owner is now in jail.
I have recovered the car twice now from both body shops and it is still in pieces.
At this point I have decided to move on and place the car up for sale.
The car needs someone younger or with more energy and skill than I have.
Needs some panels to be fabricated where the rust dissolved them.
I have the interior, drive train wiring and canvas top.
Seats are cloth and vinyl in good condition.
Has 1600cc engine and 4 speed transmission.
Car was basically stock without mods.
Also have a box with new glass from BMW.
1682 of these full baur cabriolets were made between 68 and 71 by BMW.
Clean title non oped in my name. Price is firm.
Send me a reply if interested describing your skills and or desire to own a rare BMW
Please respond only if you have the ways and means to re assemble the car.
I would estimate it to be several hundred man hours for full restoration.
I have a work record of work done to this point totally almost 160 man hours disassembling this and the donor car's bodys.
Prices are now on the rise for these rare BMWs making the project viable financially.
First photo is from before the car was disassembled.
The body parts were sand blasted and sealed with epoxy primer.

    https://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/cto/6148026950.html
    This project is not for the faint of heart, but I really hope someone will take up the challenge.  A red Voll Cabrio sold at Amelia Island Concours a couple of years ago for over 70 grand.
    Thanks for the reminder Michael! 
*UPDATE May 29 2017:  Small Baur World Department!*  
I received the following message from our friend and fellow Baur owner, John Margherita, late last night:
"Tom,

Pretty sure I owned that car 25 years ago. The one car I'm sorry I ever sold.

Here's is a picture from the day I sold it in 1992. I sold to a guy in San Anselmo CA and took a partial trade for a 1974 2002tii.
Really sad to see it in this condition. Wish I was still on the west coast."

"This is the buyer driving it away."  25 years ago! 

I sent John the following:
 "Amazing, John! Please let me know what you find out. I am revising the Baurspotting blog post to include this info as we speak! I will await verification.... hopefully he will respond in a timely manner."

And I awoke this morning to find this message from John:
"Verified! Here is his response:"


Hi John, 
Yes, this is the car I bought from you.
I had a great run with the car for the first 10 years I had it. It was getting pretty shaky on the bumps so I bought a car with a rust free floor pan and had an excellent body guy doing the work until he got sick.
There is a bmw guy I met last year who may undertake the rebuild that thinks someone named Misha owned this car and says it had a musical history. I don't recall anything you mentioned about that when I bought it. Thought of trying to contact you but you beat me to it. 
Wish me and the car luck. If you want to undertake the job, let me know and I'll sell it to you. No one has fully committed at this point.
Best,
Al"

Small Baur World, indeed! Thank you, John! 

And there may be more!  "Misha"..... who could this Misha be?  Well, it occurred to me that I had heard that name before.....Mikhail Baryshnikov was known as "Misha'. That might be worth looking into. Just saying'.  ;)   

We are actively seeking any info on the Provenance of this Baur Voll Convertible! 

So stay tuned, folks!  

Thursday, May 25, 2017

Ebay UK: Dismantling E21 323i Baur in Birmingham, UK

For sale, parting out in Birmingham, UK.  Thanks to Gianpaolo Rosino Bruni for alerting me to this!


BMW E21 323i baur Dismantling breaking spoiler lsd 5 speed alloys 316 320 rare














































Full car breaking, most parts available I have Many meny other spares and its time to let some stuff go
16 Doors
5 bonnets boot panels etc.
Engines
5speed gearbox Conversion
open diff AND limited slip diffs LSD
Seats trim glass crome trim
Uncracked dashboards
Full BBS body kit
3 sets of 5 Original 13" alloys
Genuine 15" alpina alloys
Power steering set up
Also have 1 e21 project for sale

Seats sold and back headrest.....


07466577084

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-E21-323i-baur-Dismantling-breaking-spoiler-lsd-5-speed-alloys-316-320-rare-/272680864226?hash=item3f7d0bc9e2:g:yfYAAOSwo4pYIIxt

Thank you, Gianpaolo! 

Monday, May 22, 2017

Baurs at The Vintage 2017

UPDATE May 23, 2017 from Don Bower, the owner of the beautiful Schwarz (black) Cabrio Targa pictured below in this post:  
  1. The black 72 Targa is ours -- Julie and Don Bower, Athens, GA. Recently imported from Italy and still running the original tags (GA tag in the trunk).
    The blue 74 is also a Targa from GA (can't recall the owner's name). It was a recent ebay purchase imported from South Africa, and it was awarded the Vintage People's Choice Award.
    The red/white 700CS is owned by Ryland and Sissy Owen of NC.The 700 Cabriolet was restored by, and is owned by, Patricia Schwarze of Florida. There was also a Bronzit '83 323 TC for sale by David Harrison (Harrison Motorsports) of Atlanta.

    Thank you for the info, Don, and congratulations to the owner of the Fjord Cabrio Targa that won the Hagerty People's Chioice Award this year! Here they are!   Pics by American Drive:


    This is a BIG DEAL, folks!  A Baur Cabrio Targa wins the Hagerty People's Choice Award!  That unusual 'form follows function' roof design is starting to get a little recognition! The Baurs are destined for "Collectible" status, and this award is another small step along the way!  Kudos to the owner (we would love to contact
    him!), and also to Julie and Don Bower, whose Schwarz Cabrio Targa follows!  Way to represent Baur, folks! 

    Here a few pics by Rodney Middendorf:












This was the weekend for The Vintage, formerly known as The Vintage in the Vineyards.  For the second year in a row, it was held in the Asheville, NC area (Hot Springs).  We were not in attendance, but we have tracked down some Baur pics from the event. 


First, we present some pics from Lissa Rickman, because she is The Hardest Workin' Woman at The Vintage once again!  Awesome, Lissa! 


700 Cabrio by Baur! 










Gotta love this pic from Rodney Middendorf:  Wegweiser, Wendy, Lisa Otwoprincess, the 700LS Baur Cabrio and the Fjord Cabrio Targa by Baur that won the Hagerty People's Choice Award!  And all in the midst of a bunch of other folks and cars that I cannot identify, of course.   You captured a Great Moment at The Vintage, Rodney!   Kudos! 
We spotted Jeff Dreibus' TC2 Baur in this group! 

Here it is! 






M1 by Baur!  This pic above and the two following pics were taken at the BMW headquarters in Greer, SC. 




M1 and Concorde!   Nice one, Lissa!  ;)


Black Cabrio Targa at right! 


Italian turn signals!  


Blue Voll Cabrio! 






Thank you, Lissa!  Awesome job! 

Here are more Baur pics from The Vintage, taken by Lisa Otwoprincess! 
Is that a beauty, or what! And a great pic, Lisa!  Kudos! 




More 700 pics! 








If this is a 1964-5 700LS...... then it is a Baur!  ;) 

Thank you for posting the pics, Lisa and Lissa!  ;)

Newly discovered Baur at The Vintage, from American Drive:  
This is, of course , a very familiar Baur to us, which we have featured in Baurspotting a number of times.
Here it is back in 2013,  at left when it was owned by Bruce H., alongside its twin, Baur 3596, owned by Will Bryant, also in Atlanta.   The color is actually Kastienrot.  ;)

This is Baur #2175, as listed in the International Baur Registry:




Pics below by Robert Kadunce



Thanks to all who have contributed these pics, and congrats again to Scott Sturdy for such an excellent job in presenting such a wonderful event!  ;)