Suspension swap on my '69 1600-2

[diggin02s]

Guys, I need a little advice. What do you think would be the best candidate for a suspension swap onto (or underneath) my 69 1600-2, an e12 or a e3? I plan on using the front and rear suspension. I realize there will need to be quite a bit of fabrication but, in the end the pros out weigh the cons. What do you guys think?

[bcthomas122279]

I think it would be an insane waste of time and energy to replace a quite serviceable suspension with another obsolete and heavier one. I have a friend who beats up on E36 & E46 M3's with an 02 running Ireland coil overs.

[scestes]

Having just removed, refreshened, and reinstalled my rear subframe, I don't see a point other than just to say I did it. Everything fits back there very neatly, and if you really want get insane with adjustments, you can get camber kit to adjust the pitch of just about any component you want back there.

[deutchfiend]

I think it would be an insane waste of time and energy to replace a quite serviceable suspension with another obsolete and heavier one. I have a friend who beats up on E36 & E46 M3's with an 02 running Ireland coil overs.

i think you just found your answer.

[diggin02s]

Fellas, fellas. I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel, or do this for the ooh ah factor. The reasoning is that I want to run Alpina flares, the Bavaria suspension is roughly five inches wider than the 2002. It uses the same suspension design as the 2002. It has four wheel disc brakes that are already larger than a 2002. It has five lug wheels that have larger hubs ( I know the front hubs are the same as a tii). So, I don't need to run some wheels with a crazy offset that destroy the wheel bearings just to fill the flares. Besides, didn't the factory racer use alot of Bavaria suspension parts? It seems to me that using this suspension gives you all the desired performance pieces wrapped up in an OEM package with a moderate amount of fabrication for installation.

Let's face it, a 2002 is not going into the Smithsonian any time soon so, let's have some fun with these things and maybe experiment a little.

[deutchfiend]

whats the main purpose of this machine?

[diggin02s]

Weekend toy/ racer. Not for daily use.

[TobyB]

Me, I'd use the trailing arms off of an E21,

put some disc brakes and coilover shocks back there,

then maybe swap the front tubes for larger diameter

struts onto a set of tii spindles, early 5er style front calipers,

and go from there.

Those Alpina flares are actually not big enough to run a 9.5" cantilever,

so I'd be surprised if you'd want to limit your tire widths by moving the

hubs that far out... well, unless they're the late G3 flares...

That's my take. It looks a lot like what I'm racing, except

that I need more FLARE!

since you asked...

t

[diggin02s]

Thank you very much for your reply. You have very sound advice. I'm still trying to work out the track widths and offset requirements before I dedicate myself to bodywork.

Thanks again, Steve

[Schweineback]

Like pointed out above, you can use E21 323i rear swing arms. It will widen your rear wheel track by about 20mm (2x 10mm). And they have disc brakes on 'em.

[jfrank_21]

Has anyone ever swapped an E30 FRONT SUBFRAME onto a 2002? I like the idea of rack and pinion along with the E30 lower control arms and E30 brakes. I realize that the steering, swaybars, and control arms would require a lot of fabrication, but this will be a track car.