'38 BMW by juddman

5 minute(s) of a 27 minute read

Indeed!

There's a '41 coupe with the 335 engine in MA and my own 327 has the early VW headlight conversion, as does the one that was immediately ahead of mine on the assembly line. During that car's restoration I noticed many detail similarities between my own car and that one, so I emailed the shop doing the work and it turned out that the two cars have consecutive chassis numbers. That one is 73272 and mine is 73273. 

http://www.jellybeanhotrods.com/38bmw.html

http://www.jellybeanhotrods.com/38bmwUnveil.html

OK, but there were a few details such as the dashboard configuration with the pentagonal radio opening and the cigar lighter and 326 type ashtray on the far right side that indicate the fact that this is a relatively early production model like my own.

1-24-2015

Ian - What a lovely 328! Thank you for posting the photos. As RU22 says, the 327 is about 600-lb heavier than the 328 so there definitely is a weight penalty performance wise, but it doesn't matter to me. RU22's 315/1 does really look like a beautiful car. Hey, it looks like I'm not alone in having a project 327 here - check the white one from Ukraine a few threads up.

2-19-2015

Just a quick note: Doug has updated and expanded his website to include other projects he's been working on. The link is below. If anyone needs the services of a skilled and trustworthy fabricator, I recommend Doug without reservation. He is exceptionally bright, thorough, and straightforward. 

https://sites.google.com/site/cyganrestorationfabrication/

4-25-2015

Squint and perhaps use your imagination a little and it starts to look like a car...just maybe.

Not an awful lot at the moment, though I do have a new wiring harness for the car. The plan is to rebuild the drivetrain & other mechanical bits starting from the hubs and working inward and upwards from there. Once the car is home - later this year - I plan on getting going on some of those things. 

Time has been at a premium lately, however. I work at a startup tech company, I have two young children, and my in-laws have needed assistance lately. 

It'll grt there as time and finances permit!

4-26-2015

I'm sure there will be some waiting for bits and pieces, but most mechanical bits don't seem too tough to get. I do have the advantage of knowing the last guy to drive the car and he said that aside from the engine being worn, the rest of the drivetrain was smooth and quiet.

I'm not doing a restoration as much as a renovation. If there are bits that can be cleaned up and used as they are, that's what I'll do. For example, the gauges appear to have some age on them but they're functional. They're getting cleaned, lubricated as needed, and they're going in as they are. The steeting wheel looks really worn but is uncracked, so it's not being touched.

I already have some spares and there's certainly enough to keep me busy in the event that I'm waiting on some piece of unobtanium.

I appreciate your thoughts and experience very much. Time and funds are being spent on the body right now because without that being sound, there's little point to the rest of it. The body and wood are only being repaired to the point of being sound and presentable, not to anything approaching aesthetic perfection. That would involve significantly more work. There are old repairs on both the body and frame that are visible but are being left alone because they're part of the car's history and they remain sound. 

With that said, I have inherited my dad's view of mechanical things. He was a mechanical engineer for Grumman Aerospace for 35 years and his cars were rarely beautiful specimens. They often achieved high mileages and ran well despite being driven hard and fast for hundreds of thousands of miles, however. For a long time I too have driven ugly cars that work really well. He often said that at 100 mph in a snow storm at night, only certain things matter.

I am far more interested in having the mechanical aspect of the car robust than I am in shiny paint but my finances are limited to tackling one task at a time and putting a nicely rebuilt drivetrain into a car with a rusty frame and rotted wood doesn't make sense to me.

It'll be a strong car. My goal is to get as close to building a 90 mph car as I can. I also plan on using it as an occasional commuter and (hopefully) managing a speeding ticket with it. It'll just take time. 

I'm supporting a family on one income and that ain't cheap 75 miles east of Manhattan.