Amazing custom BMW 1600 Ute / Pickup Truck!

Well, I have seen some custom BMWs in my time, but this one has to be one of, if not THE best yet... a 1600 chopped into a 'Ute' or pickup-truck to the layman. Whoever built this deserves a trophy of some sort, though I am in no doubt it has won at a won at a show or two so it probably already has.

Not only is the job seamless, which you don't often see with cut-up open-back car conversions, but it also features colour-coded rollover / grab bars (to re-stiffen the shell up I would imagine) and wooden-strip work around the deck like an Italian slipper-launch boat! Absolutely stunning... is all I can say.

Awesome off-road E30 Ute / Pickup HERE!

Easy-E had an 8 Series! Get in!

Of course he did!

"Drivin' down tha street in my 840... checking the error codes... slappin' my forehead!" - as he probably sang a few times in his career! (Actually he had an 850, but it didn't suit the lyric. Let's hope he knew where to check for holes in the fuel-lines and had a loud stereo to cover up the valve-chatter. I jest; his was new when he had it.) R.I.P Easy-E!

Other celebrity BMWs:
Will Smith E28 5er
Elon Musk E21 320
Britney Spears E36 M3
Bob Marley Bavaria New Six

Will Smith had an E28 5 Series!

Of course he did! "The Men in Schwarz II!" He actually has a BMW Club USA enamel badge on his grille! They still exist... check them out here - BMW Car Club of America.

Perhaps he is picking up fares while dressed as a New York taxi cab??

"I'm the MC, he's the DJ and this is tha WHIP!" Big ups, Smith.

Other celebrity BMWs:
Easy-E 840i
Elon Musk E21 320
Britney Spears E36 M3
Bob Marley Bavaria New Six

BimmerCode Tutorial - Quick & Easy Guide

BimmerCode is becoming quite a popular and effective application for coding / programming your BMW on the fly using your phone or tablet, which may prove easier than setting up a working DIS laptop. You can get the app here on their website - https://bimmercode.app

It's not just injector-codes we are talking here, BimmerCode can be used to adjust almost every parameter of your F and G series BMW, even down to atmospheric-light colour combinations.

Here is a great video tutorial by Arnold Chang from Youtube, demonstrating the software on his new F30 M3 he bought. Nice.

Photo of E34 5er Production Line, Munich, circa 1990

Check out this BMW Munich factory photograph of the E34 5-Series in production during the quality-control process. It would have been taken around 1990. I wonder if the workers in the foreground by the Henna Red car are smiling just for the camera, or if they are actually just that happy to be doing what they are doing. I choose to believe it is the latter, but either way just look at the full compliment of moustaches...
As for the guy stood to the rear of the blue model behind - check out those grey slip-on shoes! I think he took these from pop-star Falco's personal collection. Der Kommissar ist on der floor! The shop floor that is... Clearly these were the days before 'Health & Safety' madness and mandatory steel-toe boots and hi-vis.
What a great photo and man, do I feel like getting an E34 sometime soon. Shame they are shooting up in value here in the UK.

BMW Bosch L-Jetronic Fuel Injection - Strip-Down / Maintenance Guide + Diagrams [E30, E21, E28]

Throttle Housing:
1. Disconnect the cables (1, 2 or 3) as applicable - Fig. 1.
2. Pull off the vacuum hoses, the coolant hoses (1 and 2) - allowing the coolant to drain - and the air hoses (3 and 4) from the throttle housing - Fig. 2.
3.Remove the vacuum hoses (1 and 2), and the air hose (3) and pull off the multi-pin plug (4) - Fig. 3.
4. Remove the fixing nuts and take off the throttle housing. Do not separate the throttle switch from the housing, as a special gauge will be required to adjust it when refitting.
5. Refitting is a reversal of removal. Use a new gasket and bleed the cooling system.

Throttle Vacuum Control:
1. Pull off the hose (1), release the nut (2) and remove the vacuum control (3) - Fig. 4.
2. When refitting, adjust dimension (B) to between 32.8mm and 33.2mm (1.291" and 1.307") using screw (4).
3. Adjust dimension (A) to between 2.6mm and 3.0mm (0.102" and 0.118") using screw (2) - Fig. 5.

Control Unit:
1. Open the glove compartment and pull the pins from the retaining straps.
2. Remove the screws and place the glovebox cover to one side.
3. Depress the retainer (1) and pull out the multi-pin plug (2) - Fig. 6. Remove the control unit.

Air-flow Sensor:
1. Release the clamp and pull the duct from the air-flow sensor.
2. Disconnect the multi-pin plug, unscrew the fixing nuts and withdraw the sensor.
3. Refitting is a reversal of removal. Renew the seal if necessary.

Temperature Time Switch:
1. Pull off the plug, then unscrew and remove the switch.
2. Refit the switch using a new sealing washer.

Coolant Temperature Sensor:
1. Pull off the plug and unscrew the sensor. Refit using a new sealing washer.

Cold Start Valve:
1. Pull off the plug (1) and disconnect the fuel line (2) - Fig. 7.
2. Unscrew the mounting bolts (3 and 4) and withdraw the valve.
3. Use new seal when refitting.

Fuel Injectors:
1. Unscrew the four injection tube bolts and push the tube upwards until the fuel injectors have cleared the guide in the intake manifold.
2. Pull off the plug (1) and take out the circlip (2) - Fig. 8.
3. Take off the fuel injector.
4. Refitting is a reversal of removal; use new O-ring seals.

Throttle Shaft Return Springs:
1. Disconnect the throttle, kick-down and cruise-control cables. (The latter two where applicable.)
2. Remove the retainer (1), washer (2) and disconnect the linkage (3) on the lever (4).
3. Raise the lever and turn it to relieve the spring tension.
4. Remove the lever.
5. Remove the spring.
6. Disconnect the spring (1) and unscrew the nut (2) - Fig. 9.
7. Remove the washer (1) and lever (2) - Fig. 10.
8. Remove the sleeve (1) and spring (2) - Fig. 11. - also the wave washer.
9. Reassemble in the reverse order to dismantling and adjust in the following way - Pull off the tamperproof lock (1) and loosen the screw (2) until the lever (3) no longer rests on the screw - Fig. 12.
10. Place a finger on the lever and tighten the screw until the lever just begins to move. Turn the screw a quarter-turn more and refit the tamperproof lock.
11. Adjust the throttle, kick-down and cruise-control cables (where applicable).

Injection-system trouble-shooting guide here - https://www.beemerlab.org/2020/12/bmw-bosch-fuel-injection-system-trouble.html

Bosch L-Jetronic injection-system overview / diagram here - https://www.beemerlab.org/2019/11/e30e28e34-bosch-l-jetronic-fuel.html

E30 Stance - Steel wheels or modern wheels??

E30 wheels is a magnificent topic of discussion, so lets have a couple of different takes on wheels for the old 3er...

By far the most common wheels to bestride the E30 are cross-wire / BBS styles. and beyond that owners tend to stick to solid period styled alloy wheels like Azev-A five-spokes or Borbet C. Personally I think the old-school BMs look best with steel-wheels such as the almighty Weller competition wheels, as in the pic above, especially with a lowered car. These are built for heavy-duty dirt-track racing and off-road and I think give a lowered E30 the best squat / rat look.

At the other end of the spectrum, here are some ultra-modern Japanese-style alloys on a 325is. I am not 100% on who makes these, but they look very much like RAYS Volk or Rota wheels. You don't see many wearing rims like these, certainly not done well anyway, but why not? Sharp lines suit sharp lines and the 3-box shape combined with large modern alloys gives the E30 a very purposeful look and go-kart stance.