introduction How'd I do? Picked up my first 02 today

[RamcoNorris]

After searching for about 6 months I was finally able to buy a reasonable 2002 today. The car is in fairly good shape and is complete considering it was a daily driver and has been out of commission for a few years. The slave cylinder arm is broke so I have yet to drive it but hope to have that sorted out soon. The only rust on the car is in the spare wheel well and a little on the lower drivers door, other than that it is only surface rust where the paint has worn. Solid floor boards, rockers and pillars. It was in an accident at some point so has some dents in the rear drivers quarter panel and is keeping the door from properly lining up and closing but not a concern at the moment. The plan is to get her up and running, polish the paint and a good cleaning on the inside. After that I'm sure I'll find plenty to do to it. Can with a box of all the original engine components that have been removed or the years and the missing trim pieces. Title stats its a '72 but looking up the VIN it looks like a '71, can anyone confirm?

 

How'd I do for $3,500?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 7, 2016 by RamcoNorris

[LikeStig]

I think you did well! A couple weekends of TLC and you'll have the start of a nice car. Start hiding the next $3,500 right now and get to it! 

Edited September 7, 2016 by LikeStig

[Conserv]

The accurate, yet generalizing, VIN decoder operated by the BMW 2002 Club of Columbia shows it to be manufactured some day from April to December 1971:

 

http://www.bmwclasicos.com/vin.php

 

Thus, we can't opine on the model year on the basis of that data, since the 1972 U.S. model year starts on or about September 1, 1971.

 

My VIN cheat sheet, however, shows VIN 2577438 as manufactured on September 1, 1971.  Thus, we can be pretty comfortable that your car, VIN 2577554, was manufactured after the start of the new model year.  So you've purchased a 1972 model U.S.-spec car.

 

You should nonetheless email your car's VIN to BMW Archives (info.grouparchiv@bmwgroup.com) and request their data on the car.  It will confirm the precise manufacturing date and original color, presumably Malaga.  The Archives data is maintained on a simple calendar-year basis, however, and will be mute on the issue of U.S. model year.

 

Congratulations.  It looks like a lot of car for the money!

 

Regards,

 

Steve

 

Edited September 7, 2016 by Conserv

[Mike Self]

Welcome to the 02 ownership fraternity/sorority!  Nice find.  

 

By the VIN your car is a '72.  As best we can tell, carbureted US spec '72 models begin with  2576876 +/-;  therefore your car is a very early 72.  Does it have three or four levers for the heater controls, and are they illuminated?  The four lever controls were a running change sometime during 1972; I'd have to check my parts book to see when.  Interestingly it has the "hook and loop" seat belts vs inertia reels--about the first '72 I've seen so equipped.  But the front seat recliner brackets are black painted vs chrome; at least some early '72s still have the chrome adjusters.  Another example of BMW just using up what they had in the boxes along the assembly line

 

Looks like a good sound car with no rust in those critical areas--rear inner fender wells, rockers and lower cowl, so if you're lucky some serious cosmetics to the paint and trim and you'll have a nice car.  02's look really nice in Malaga, too.

 

mike

[RamcoNorris]

20 minutes ago, mike said:

Does it have three or four levers for the heater controls, and are they illuminated?  The four lever controls were a running change sometime during 1972

 

 

 

Three lever heater control

[TobyB]

...it got clouted pretty hard in the back.  That'll take a good tug and some hammering to get pulled back out- but it can be done.

Heck, if I can do it, anyone can (I started with something pretty similar)  I'd do that early on in the process-

it's your crumple zone, so you want it un crumpled...

 

Yes, early 72- while the details can be changed, the 12- fuse box is nice, and the wraparound bumper was a '72' starting feature.

 

t

 

[m42002]

Nice find, and looks like numbers matching.

Jealous.

[vinceg14]

Looks great and well bought considering recent prices. 

[RamcoNorris]

12 hours ago, Conserv said:

My VIN cheat sheet shows VIN 2577438, however, as manufactured on September 1, 1971.  Thus, we can be pretty comfortable that your car, VIN 2577554, was manufactured after the start of the new model year.  So you've purchased a 1972 model U.S.-spec car.

 

You should nonetheless email your car's VIN to BMW Archives (info.grouparchiv@bmwgroup.com) and request their data on the car.  It will confirm the precise manufacturing date and original color, presumably Malaga.  The Archives data is maintained on a simple calendar-year basis, however, and will be mute on the issue of U.S. model year.

 

According to BMW, my car was manufactured on September 3, 1971 and delivered to Hoffman Mortors Corp in New York City on September 6, 1971. Not sure how it made it from Germany to NYC in 3 days but that's what they said. 

 

It is the original color, Malaga.

Edited September 7, 2016 by RamcoNorris

[Son of Marty]

The car transferred to Hoffman before it went on the boat as they all did back then, the car looks to be in good shape with the original engine good buy.

[thehackmechanic]

Yes, as Mike and Steve pointed out, a Modell 71 car (lower trim, blackface gauges, larger non-recessed dashboard switches) but with the 121 head. Must've originally had the one-barrel, from that air cleaner looks like it's been Weberized. Very cool.

 

With that metal Klippan belt loop, does it have the "shortie" console and the round gearshift lever? It must, right? Will that belt loop fit around the longer console and square shift boot that's supposed to be in the Modell 71s?

 

Very cool.

[AceAndrew]

1 hour ago, thehackmechanic said:

With that metal Klippan belt loop, does it have the "shortie" console and the round gearshift lever? It must, right? Will that belt loop fit around the longer console and square shift boot that's supposed to be in the Modell 71s?

 

I have seen two other instances where the early klippan hoop setup found their way onto early Modell 71's as Mike mentions.

[Conserv]

2 hours ago, RamcoNorris said:

 

According to BMW, my car was manufactured on September 3, 1971 and delivered to Hoffman Mortors Corp in New York City on September 6, 1971. Not sure how it made it from Germany to NYC in 3 days but that's what they said. 

 

 

As Son of Marty pointed out, that "delivery" is solely delivery of legal title (ownership) of the car from BMW AG to Hoffman Motors Corp, a New York corporation.  And the New York City reference refers solely to Hoffman Motors' legal domicile, not a U.S. Port of Entry (PoE).  You'll need an original window sticker or import documents to discover the PoE (although if you know the delivering retail dealer, you can perhaps guess the PoE).  Shipping from factory to U.S. retail dealer took anywhere from 6 to 12 weeks, depending on ship schedules, weather, PoE, distance from PoE to retail dealer, etc.

 

Regards,

 

Steve

 

Edited September 7, 2016 by Conserv

[Conserv]

2 hours ago, thehackmechanic said:

Yes, as Mike and Steve pointed out, a Modell 71 car (lower trim, blackface gauges, larger non-recessed dashboard switches) but with the 121 head. Must've originally had the one-barrel, from that air cleaner looks like it's been Weberized. Very cool.

 

With that metal Klippan belt loop, does it have the "shortie" console and the round gearshift lever? It must, right? Will that belt loop fit around the longer console and square shift boot that's supposed to be in the Modell 71s?

 

Very cool.

 

It appears to have the long console (interior photo of front seats), as we would expect of a Modell 71, despite the Klippan belts -- which, I agree, are likely original.  (Stated differently, who would remove retracting Autoflug seat belts -- even ones that operated poorly -- in order to install "spaghetti" belts?)

 

The 121 head -- this one appears to be a 121ti head, cast in June (6 nubs) 1971 -- survives until the spring of 1972 (recall all that nonsense regarding the mid-year tii changeover from 121 to E12 heads) so I wouldn't be at all surprised if this is the original head.  And, yes, that is certainly a Weber carb on the car currently, replacing the original single-barrel Solex.

 

Regards,

 

Steve

 

Edited September 7, 2016 by Conserv

[plape]

My 1972 car is VIN 2577101, just a few hundred away from this car, is just like it, including the Klippan belts (now replaced), long console, 121ti head, wraparound rear bumper, 3 lever heater controls, 12 fuse box, black painted seat hinges. 

 

Good foundation to build on if you can straighten out the rear quarter panel. Looks like the spacer rings are still there under the strut bearings.