Took the long backroad home tonight. I passed this church that I've seen a few times before but never got a chance to stop at. The field stone makes it interesting but I couldn't get the right shot to take advantage of it. I'll have to stumble on it again!
There are so few car events north of Boston. So when a local 2002 owners group planned a small meet 30 minutes away I had to join no matter what. Would they mind the 02's younger brother joining in? Not at all as it turns out. I texted my friend and former co-worker Doug who... Continue Reading →
My new daily driver: 05325iT/5 (2005 E46 325i Touring RWD 5-Speed). This is a pretty rare combination and coveted by BMW fans. Most E46 wagons are Xi automatics, which I have little interest in. Immediately previous to this I had a Toyota Highlander so it's great to be back in the daily BMW world.
This is a Public Service Announcement: front strut mounts must be assembled a certain way. When disassembling my front struts I was curious why there was this groove cut into the upper spring plate: Obviously this was cut by the upper strut bearing but there should be no contact between them. Flipping the spring plate... Continue Reading →
I couldn't stand the excessive front wheel gap and ride height so I made plans for 2018 to install H&R Sport springs. I could have hit the road after only swapping springs but this was the opportune time to overhaul the rest of the front suspension - control arms, tie rods, steering damper, and bushings.... Continue Reading →
UPDATE: I found one on eBay for $100 and am in the process of painting and installing it. ### I'm looking for the E21 320is front spoiler (airdam). If you stumble across this site and have one to sell, please get in touch with the form below and I'll get in touch with you. Thanks!!!
The 323i made another appearance at the Boston Chapter BMW CCA Concours. Again in the Display class (not judged). The 323i was made for trips like this. 3rd and 4th gear freeway cruising up until the city. Lots of heavy acceleration followed by cruising. It's easy enough to drive around the city but not having... Continue Reading →
A bit of retro cool from when pinstripes were rad. I think the translation from Dutch is something about the clothes matching the car.
I just realized that the 323 is my third car designed by Paul Bracq: 1969 Mercedes 280SL (my Grandfather's): 1972 Mercedes 280SE 4.5: And the E21: Bracq is a French industrial designer and has been called the "father of BMW's modern design." In addition to the E21, Mercedes W108, and Pagoda above Bracq was the... Continue Reading →
The C191 plug connects the fuel injector harness to the rest of the electrical system. A bad C191 plug can lead to all sorts of problems - hard starting rough idle lack of power fault codes for fuel injectors or temp sensor The location of the C191 plug makes it susceptible to water. Check out... Continue Reading →
Doug I.
E21 323i BLOG 