Any input for a 2002 newbie

[TobyB]

Gotta say, having several 60's vintage cars with disc brakes, that the BMW version is the best by far.

 

The chromed pistons almost never die, and as long as the pots aren't too much of a mess, the things

ALWAYS seal after a rebuild.  If your pistons look that bad, I'd get a new master 'while you're in there'-

then a coupla $15 wheel cylinders, new rear rubber lines, and all you have to do to your brakes ever again

is change the fluid every 2 years or so.

 

Brakes are good.

 

t

 

[Bibm5]

Gotta say, having several 60's vintage cars with disc brakes, that the BMW version is the best by far.
 
The chromed pistons almost never die, and as long as the pots aren't too much of a mess, the things
ALWAYS seal after a rebuild.  If your pistons look that bad, I'd get a new master 'while you're in there'-
then a coupla $15 wheel cylinders, new rear rubber lines, and all you have to do to your brakes ever again
is change the fluid every 2 years or so.
 
Brakes are good.
 
t
 

I am am completely rebuilding the front brakes along with new rubber lines all the way around and new brake cylinders in the back. I flushed the master cylinder and replaced the rubber grommets where the lines connect and it seems to function well but it is on the secondary list of possible replacements to happen.
I replaced all fuel lines in the engine bay and and made my way into the trunk. Pulled the tank, getting ready to clean and reseal it. Getting ready to replace the rest of the fuel lines and sending unit o-ring when I noticed the filler neck is torn so now I have one of those on the way. I would not have guessed they were as expensive as they are but I guess that's how supply and demand works.
I found a broken glass pipe in the trunk (not surprised considering the dead head in the window) and a penny from 1974 (same year as car) which I deem to be lucky and will be making into a Keychain!
I also made some new floor panels out of some. 1/4" oak I had laying around. The cabinet maker in me is wanting to stain and clear them instead of carpeting as I originally planned. Someone please tell me how corny that is so I don't do it... I will be sandblasting and repainting the trunk before all said and done.

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['76mintgrün'02]

 

sealing the plywood is an important step, whether you carpet it or not, imho.

if you enjoy seeing it, then don't cover it.

 

Corny is fine, I put one of those blue foamy camping mats in mine, to keep stuff from sliding around.

 

The difference between plywood and the elephant skin, in terms of slipperiness, is probably not a lot, but either can be covered with something non-skid, such as carpet.

 

The plywood can always be covered later.

I say stain/clear... it's what you do, so it will be eeeasy.

[dang]

Okay, I read the responses on the first page and skipped to the end.  This car doesn't look that bad to me with the photos provided.  Its very complete, a little odd to see early hubcaps on a late car but other than that its not bad at all.  Keep it, fix it, enjoy it, use it to make your M5 seem that much faster!  You'll find that the 2002 will get more attention than your M5 because most people don't know what an M5 really is.  A 2002 you can't miss...

[Bibm5]

I figured I would post a progress report. I'm not sure if anyone is really even interested but at least this thread can serve as somewhat of biography of the car down the line...

 

So far I have completely rebuilt the front end suspension, tie rods and brake components. I've changed the fuel filter and all the fuel lines in the engine bay and some of the coolant lines (surprisingly some seem almost "new-ish"). Replaced inner and outer wheel bearings and new wheel seals (first set of wheel seals... Wrong size. Ordered another set... Wrong size. The 3rd time I just went to autozone and had the correct ones in the next day!)

After the front end I got myself into the trunk and pulled the tank and got everything sandblasted and wire wheeled where needed and dug out old seem sealer and resealed seems. I was a little nervous about what I might find down In the spare tire well after reading about how that is a place rust likes to destroy. Lucky me I had only surface rust and a little pitting so it cleaned up well. After that I sprayed the trunk in hammered black ( I figured it would never be perfect so I didn't want a smooth finish.) I even sanded and resprayed the jack. After the trunk was painted I installed split loom tubing on all the wiring. I ended up ordering a new fuel filler neck (seemed way overpriced but 100% needed) because mine was thoroughly dry rotted and also new o-ring for the fuel level sending unit.

After I pulled the gas tank I wire wheeled it which uncovered several weak spots which developed into full on holes from what I assume was rain water coming through the trunk weatherstripping. I flushed the tank several times and let it sit for a few days. After thoroughly letting all gas fumes make their exit i welded up the holes, coated the entire area with 2 coats of jb weld and then sanded everything smooth and repainted it. A couple days after that I used por 15 to seal the inside of the tank. I tested it before sealing and had no leaks so I feel more than confident in the tank after sealing it.

After that I moved on to the rear end. I pulled the entire rear subrame and all components in one go (super easy!)

Got everything disassembled and cleaned up (rear diff was very stubborn, had about a 1/4" of what seemed like tar on it) finally got it sandblasted, grinded and scrapped clean and repainted. Had one wheel bearing that was frozen on so It had to be cut off but other than that the rear has been for the most part trouble free. I would have the rear reassembled but I realized I forgot to order rear wheel bearings so they are on the way now.

I pulled the driveahaft out to swap the carrier bearing and realized the the u joint is staked in so I sent that off to the drive shaft shop. They will replace the ujoint and install the carrier bearing and balance the shaft. While I had that out I figured I might as well replace a few shift bushings. I'm gonna stop by a hardware store today, hopefully they will have some that work because I don't really want to pay $10 shipping for what seem like .25 cents worth of plastic.

By the way... I have decided to keep this car forever. I wasn't really feeling in love with it at first but I came across a picture of one that I really liked so it is my inspiration. Yes, some people may think that I'm ruining it but now that Ive pulled the bumpers and trim (trim was dinged up a lot) I'm really digging this thing! I removed the rear side marker lights and I'm going to pull the fronts also. I'll also remove the antenna, i order a hidden antenna that gets wired up in the dash and stays concealed.

I still have a long list of things left to do but getting closer every day!

 

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[zinz]

WOW!  You aren't wasting ANY time.  Good job.

 

Mint has a bronze top hat bushing fix for the shifter that replaces the plastic ones. I think he got them from ACE Hardware and trimmed them down to fit?

 

Ed

 

...welding gas tanks.... hmmmm

[PaulTWinterton]

I'm sure others would agree that your motivation and progress is inspiring.  Fast-track restoration.  Good for you.

 

Only recommendation I have: go to Lowe's and get a gallon of matching polyurethane sahara paint to do your trunk.  Less than $30.   It's thick and adds good protection to vulnerable areas.  It's also aesthetically better IMHO to paint the trunk the same color as the body.  I also think it's acceptable to use a roller and brush to apply the paint in the trunk.  I repainted the spare tire well, gas tank area, underneath the trunk and the inside of the nose of the car.  Areas that are rarely seen, but take a lot of abuse.

 

 

 

 

[Bibm5]

I'm sure others would agree that your motivation and progress is inspiring.  Fast-track restoration.  Good for you.

 

Only recommendation I have: go to Lowe's and get a gallon of matching polyurethane sahara paint to do your trunk.  Less than $30.   It's thick and adds good protection to vulnerable areas.  It's also aesthetically better IMHO to paint the trunk the same color as the body.  I also think it's acceptable to use a roller and brush to apply the paint in the trunk.  I repainted the spare tire well, gas tank area, underneath the trunk and the inside of the nose of the car.  Areas that are rarely seen, but take a lot of abuse.

 

 

 

 

I agree about the matching colors. After I get all mechanics sorted out I'll come back around to body work and paint. The trunk was just so gross I couldn't leave it like it was[emoji13].

 

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[Bibm5]

WOW!  You aren't wasting ANY time.  Good job.
 
Mint has a bronze top hat bushing fix for the shifter that replaces the plastic ones. I think he got them from ACE Hardware and trimmed them down to fit?
 
Ed
 
...welding gas tanks.... hmmmm

I was thinking of using metal instead of plastic but I wasn't sure it would cause binding or shifter noise. I'll have to start thread hunting.
Welding on the tank wasn't actually that bad at all. I really like my skin and hair so I made good and sure it was thoroughly flushed and had plenty of time to air out before I started! In a perfect world I would have just tossed it and got a new one but it seems like these tanks don't come cheap and I can think of several other things I would rather spend $500 on!
I think it actually came out pretty nice myself!

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[iinca]

nice job so far. your in overdrive and I've been watching...

 

stay stock. no cheesy stained trunk boards! lol your not building a rat rod are you?

Go grey/stock style vinyl and keep the value up..just my 02

 

Edited October 5, 2017 by iinca

[Vicleonardo1]

Starting at the first page. I will have to disagree with a lot of people here.

I would flip this car. I will take this rust-bucket off your hands...as soon as you are done with it...

 

Very impressive work on your part. Nice job. See how these cars sneak up on you and you find yourself developing a fondness for them? 

Just wait for all the thumbs up you will get once she is back on the road. 

 

Cheers! 

[robspeed]

Quote

I have decided to keep this car forever.

 

 

Ahhh... this brings me back....  I would LOVE to find an 02 like this.  Again.   ....

[zinz]

21 hours ago, Bibm5 said:

I'll have to start thread hunting.

 

Here ya go...

 

 

Peter has a good write up as well.

 

 

[Bibm5]

 
Here ya go...
 
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Peter has a good write up as well.
 
 

Thanks!
I stopped at an ace hardware on my way into the shop this morning and was lucky enough to find some brass hat bushings that were almost a perfect fit. I'll stick them In before I reinstall the driveshaft and hopefully that will help out a little with sloppy shifter. I don't want to invest a lot of $ or time into this driveline because my 1-3 year pipe dream plan for this car will include a motor, trans and diff swap (s2002). If i dont end up going in that direction I'll end up rebuilding the shifter properly.

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[dhr.vdw]

Lol I've seen MUCH worse cars saved by people in my country (Netherlands), I mean this does not even look bad to me, why would it be bad? Check out my car, I mean I got holes and rust and bad metal everywhere and I'm saving it plus I payed twice (2k euros) for my car.

 

Nice car I'd say, also many people told me the 02 is easy to begin with (since you're not beginning...). Good luck on the car, it's a nice project if u ask me!

 

Ps, picture of an example of how shit my car is.

 

Cheers JP

Edited October 6, 2017 by dhr.vdw