Hello! Thanks for stopping by the website, and checking out the blog. This is the first of hopefully many, many future blog posts. That being said, let me introduce myself, and Classic Bimmer Bits.
Who Am I?
I’m Seth. I’m a husband, father, composites engineer, and, most relevant to this website, a huge E30 (and vintage BMW in general) enthusiast. I’ve owned two E30’s, an E21, and a 1974 2002. I love old BMW’s, in case that wasn’t readily apparent. I love the quirkiness, the looks, the thoughtfulness in design, the way they drive, the relative ease of working on them, and lots more. Since college, I’ve done all of the work on my cars. I’ve built up a pretty large mental database of trivia and knowledge about E30’s in particular. It occurred to me one day that with the amount of time I’ve spent scouring the internet for info on work I needed to do, and the amount of knowledge I’ve gained from all of that work, that I might be able to help other E30 owners. I think most of us who are into these cars like to work on them ourselves; that’s half the attraction.
What is Classic Bimmer Bits?
Thus was born ClassicBimmerBits.com. I created this site to capture the work that I’ve done, and am regularly doing, on my cars. I’ve been tinkering on the site over the last 6 months or so, to get it to the point it is now, with a few write-ups available, and tons more to be documented. My hope is that it’s helpful to you if you’re reading this post. My goal in this blog is to regularly write about information that’s not captured in the technical how-to’s. That could mean anything from history and trivia about E30’s, to car problems I haven’t yet solved or general musings on what life is like with a daily driven E30 (a Zinnoberrot 1989 325i currently).
Who Cares?
When I was considering starting this site, I asked myself frequently, “Why should people listen to you about working on their E30’s?” I’m not an ASE-certified mechanic, or a BMW employee, or even an “expert” on old BMW’s. But I think maybe those things are exactly why I can be helpful. I’m a shade tree mechanic, which I think describes most of us with E30’s. If we had loads of money, we’d probably be driving M3’s or 911’s, and paying someone else to work on our cars. But the E30 community is made up mostly of people who love driving, and aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty. Because I’m not a professional with a lift and a shop full of professional tools, the way I work on E30’s is the way most of us can work on them – in the garage or the driveway, with a decent set of tools that we’ve collected over time. That being said, I don’t believe in skipping steps or doing shoddy work. I’m a senior engineer in an aerospace company; my whole work mentality is built around doing things the right way, every time.
Can you Finish this post already, seth??
I’ve spent my whole life taking things apart and putting them together again, from Duplo’s as a toddler, to aerospace composite parts and equipment as an engineer now. I don’t want to sound arrogant, but I think I’m pretty good at it. So I think I can help you work on your E30, the same way I work on mine. So, welcome to the Classic Bimmer Bits blog, I hope that you find this blog helpful and a little bit amusing, and that you find the how-to pages to be easy to follow, well written, thorough, and achievable. Good luck working on your car!
help me!
By the way, this site only works if it’s helpful to you. Please don’t hesitate to comment below with your thoughts, ideas, or questions. And if you like what you’re reading, subscribe to get updated when a new how-to or blog is posted.
Thanks,
Seth