Anyone into restoration of old cars.

Dundee,

I'm part way through recovering my 1980 BMW 518 i. I have all the bits, just waiting for some better weather.

I'd add a pic but don't know how you do it here. Doesn't appear to be a 'browse' function.
BMW nice, does it need much work to get it back to how you want? What about rust. I am in the same predicament here with the weather. It's Autumn here which is usually not bad but it's been wet for over a week now and my car lives outside.
 
It's quite bad in places. But not irredeemable.
It was a plague car right from the beginning. I should really have taken it back to the place I bought it when it wouldn't start the morning after. But being a mechanic it seemed a waste of a potentially good car.
Just had to renew my shield gas bottle.
If I can find a way of attaching a pic I will do.
 
HAL's old BMW...?
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Yes it is. Exactly the same model, colour and trim. An E23 Pinin Farina body.

I wonder how many owners know that bodywork is Italian.;)

How did you get that picture here ?
 
Well...I found the image by Google search.....then I left clicked on that image...which will bring it up again then right click and it asks you what you want to do,,,click on open image in new tab...click on that tab at the top where it will apppear and then left click on the image and click on copy image address then come here and click on that image window in your reply box and insert that copied address.
There are other ways but that usually works for me on most images.
 
Dr Wu,

Thanks for the method. I'll give it a try later.

Dundee,

Keeping it standard. They did come with BBS alloy wheels as an option, but I prefer the old steelies.
I may change the engine though. It has the 1.8 Litre Petrol injected motor it came with, but I would like to put a Diesel in it. The obvious choice would be the BMW unit. But that is (I think) a common rail system. They need a better grade of Bio Diesel than I make. So I may go for a 1.9 Citroen XUD engine.ls as an option. They are not so fussy.
 
You make your own Bio Diesel. Wow that's cool.
Do you use fish and chip shop oil as the base. How much cheaper is it.
 
I use used Veggie oil. Also have a stock of chicken fat from when I worked at the chicken processors. Animal fat bio tends to thicken at low temperatures, so it's best used in a hot summer.

When you factor in all the bits, Methanol, Caustic Soda and heat, it works out at about 30% of the price of Diesel. That is if you get the oil for free. I've never bought any old oil.

It does give you lower emissions when it comes around to test time.

I haven't bothered making any for the last year or so, but the price of pump Diesel is steadily rising here. So time to fire up the reactor.
 
30% is worth while. If it's not too hard to get the oil.. I have heard of people putting heaters in the tank to make the bio diesel a bit thinner.
 
30% is worth while. If it's not too hard to get the oil.. I have heard of people putting heaters in the tank to make the bio diesel a bit thinner.

That is a technique used by people who are running on SVO (Straight Veggie Oil) and not concerting it into bio.
Bio Diesel is pretty close to normal Diesel in viscosity. So there is generally no problem in normal conditions.
The old Mercedes 300D engines were ideal for SVO. What you have to worrry about with the Roto-Deisel and Lucas injector pumps is breaking the lift-pump vanes. The early Bosch pumps don't have that problem.
 
That is a technique used by people who are running on SVO (Straight Veggie Oil) and not concerting it into bio.
Bio Diesel is pretty close to normal Diesel in viscosity. So there is generally no problem in normal conditions.
The old Mercedes 300D engines were ideal for SVO. What you have to worrry about with the Roto-Deisel and Lucas injector pumps is breaking the lift-pump vanes. The early Bosch pumps don't have that problem.
Bloody hell you sound like you know your way around cars and injection. I have a henmi 6 in my project. Naturally aspirated petrol. I've been toying with trying to fuel inject it. I know I can do it off the shelf for about $2000. But I am tempted to diy it. Aussie falcons have throttle bodies that look like they would adapt. The sensors are pretty simple. Dunno. Thinking about it still. Be a fun project
 
My BMW has the J-Jetronic (might be K-Jetronic) fuel injection system that takes input from the throttle pedal and the Mass Air Valve to feed it's computer. The computer controls the electronic injectors.
It's not a straight forward job to change anything.
 
My BMW has the J-Jetronic (might be K-Jetronic) fuel injection system that takes input from the throttle pedal and the Mass Air Valve to feed it's computer. The computer controls the electronic injectors.
It's not a straight forward job to change anything.
I've seen some cars where you just about have to pull the engine out to get at a spark plug. Lol
 
The more modern cars are notorious for that kind of thing, particularly the transverse engine ones.
 
Kewl. My bus was in fairly good condition for a '79 after a sandblast, so all it needed was a body touch-up here and there and a fresh coat of paint. Didn't do it myself, tho.
You have a bus? What for?