1976 Rolling Restoration

[smassoni]

This will be a journal of the partial restoration of my 1976 California 2002. I say partial now, but I know I have big dreams for it in the future (or possibly another '02, if the body on this one turns out to be more heartache than heart-throb). I figure it's best to post it here, so the experts can read it and assess it, rather than it's current blog-home.

Some background on the vehicle I'll list here and also at my rarely-updated website devoted specifically to the car www.prest-rat.livejournal.com.

I'll begin by stating here and now that I am NOT a mechanically-inclined person. I, like many people, have owned a series of random cars that would get me from point A to point B with little attention or interest from me, barring my first 3 cars back in the late 80s which included a 1975 Super Beetle (tetanus trap), a 1970 Beetle (still, outside the '02, the love of my life), and a 1971 VW pop-top camper (think an '02 is a $$ pit?).

This car was manufactured in January of 1976 in Munich, VIN# 2378461; original color was Jadegrun, a color that I see listed as being used almost exclusively on Targas. However, I discovered that it had a very poor respray who knows how long ago, the color being lighter and slightly more metallic than the original. It is a Getrag 4-speed, with (non-functional) AC and of course all the regulation smog equipment weighing it down.

This vehicle was a single-owner California car; the seller worked at CalArts in the 70s, and this vehicle was owned by them for the first 6 months of its life while he drove it, and then purchased it from them. It even still has the dealer plate-surround on the rear "Tom Ray" in Los Angeles.

The PO put on most of its 119k miles in LA between 1976-1980; he then drove the car to Naples, FL, where he lived for a year, and finally up to western MA where it would essentially sit for 28 years. This car has had but one mechanic in those 28 years, and he informed me of some of it's more interesting history, including when he first saw it in 1981 it had over 80k on it already; so that's 40k in 28 years, or roughly 1500 miles per year.

This car was COMPLETELY stock, including the old 2bbl Solex, original steel wheels (well, the tires weren't the originals, fortunately!), the spare (which doesn't look as if it's ever been touched), right down to the old split vinyl seats, original Blaupunkt radio, even what looks to be an original fuel filter in the old woven fuel line!! Ok, some of this stuff is stock that should have been changed LONG AGO. Like the coolant hoses, gaskets, fuel line, alternator, fuses, etc. You can put your jaw back in place now...

In the next post will be the preliminary pictures (once I size them correctly) and some more tales of wonder and woe....

[smassoni]

As promised, some preliminary pictures.

The first you see in the series are the day of purchase...if only I knew then what I know now, I wouldn't have given him nearly as much for it!

As you can see, there's mild body rust, particularly around the trim, and the pics don't show it but the gutters....oh, let's not even mention those. One thing we have to keep in mind is that this car has spent the last 28 years of its life in the Berkshire hills (I won't call them mountains) of New England, mostly parked under a tree! It's remarkable I could drive it home 60+ miles! I must have been very brave or very stupid...

I may be talking like this is a heap of junk, but compared to many others out there.....

[smassoni]

Some engine pictures; this is the engine in it's ORIGINAL state, only the red rag in the carb is my addition at this point. Sorry in advance about the quality of the pictures, it's a cheap Canon PowerShot in a dark garage...

As you can see, the fuel line in the engine had plumbing insulation around it covered with heat-resistant foil; somebody was scared of the fuel igniting! I found out why....under all that crap it was the original narrow-gauge fuel line within the woven hose, and cracked to hell. Hmmm, anyone smell gas??

Soon after these pictures were taken, I discovered a leak (or several) in the coolant lines, and determined I needed to replace the whole coolant system. In fact, pretty much everything in here is in the process of being replaced/rebuilt.

The purchases for the car up til now include the following (all new parts):

4 Nokian Hakka 2 winter tires, studded 403.59

Hood and Trunk badges 30.00

Various OEM hoses, clamps, pulleys 108.65

320i Radiator (plastic and aluminum) 199.95

80C and 71C thermostats (good to have a backup) 40.00

water pump 44.95

Bosch AL89X Alternator 104.95

New voltage regulator 36.95

Weber 32/36 Carburetor 399.95

Battery cables, fuses, ignition wires, blue coil, fan 180.00

Head gasket set (everything above the cylinder head) 65.00

Center grill (had to BREAK the old one off) 150.00 (ouch!!)

5 meters 8mm fuel injection grade fuel line (spooled) 34.95

Hella 500 6" Amber Fog Kit 72.00

SS Exhaust from Ireland Engineering, including 4:1 street/race header, ceramic coated 798.00

More OE gaskets, tools, bolts, hardware, manuals, etc. than you could shake a rocker arm at.

Keep in mind that this stuff has been accumulated over the course of almost three months on a graduate student's budget, and installed with all the mechanical skills one would expect from a molecular geneticist....

Everything is in right now except the fuel line replacement and the exhaust system, both of which are in transit as we speak, and the fog lights, which I need to run out and get some missing bolts for.

So I've tried to mix a few exterior niceties (including an expensive car cover) with the mechanical necessities. There's a lot yet to go, and I'll be posting it all here. Tomorrow I'll post some of the mechanical mishaps I've had, as well as the pilot drive report.

[justinevert]

Don't need a torch to cut our the tray. I cut my battery try out with a cutting wheel, the welds are easy to reach. Then I would get a rear brace with battery holder from Top End Perfomance and a E30 battery cable. Not very hard to do and helps with the weight and gives you more space to work in the engine area.

Hope that helps

Justin

[smassoni]

Hey Justin, thank you for the tip! That's just the sort of thing I've been wanting to do, but it seemed too "complex"! You make it sound easy...that plus I wasn't sure where to get the harness. Glad to see someone is looking at this slow project.

Cheers

[saaron]

Hey-

I was perusing this project blog section of the site...I can relate to your lack of experience on the mechanical side. I appreciate your bravery and the fact that you totally rescued a 2002 from certain oblivion, from the sounds of it.

I like that color - when I was in college, there was a car just like yours that I walked by every day for a couple of semesters. It was unusual, so I liked it.

Keep up the good work.

Scott