jerry

there's the aluminum VIN plate riveted to the inner *right* fender just forward of the firewall.

there's a stamped VIN on the inner *right* fender (not left as i mistakenly wrote above) aft of the VIN plate, kinda in line with the windshield.

the engine number should match and is located on a flat surface just above the starter motor.

another VIN plate is riveted to the top pad just forward of the steering wheel

and if you're lucky, you should see an embossed decal on the driver's side door on the aft surface just below the door catch.

since you asked 'from a collector's viewpoint', i'd have to say it is absolutely not adviseable.

i once bought a salvage titled 73tii that was, for the most part, a very nice appearing car. i was horrified when i was waiting at the DMV inspection line to discover that the left front inner panel was replaced thereby eliminating the original VIN body-stamp.

i couldn't sell that car fast enough. i broke even and the next buyer didn't care.

that was a 'live and learn' experience for me.

as stated earlier, it probably makes more sense to swap bodies or keep looking rather than embark on an expensive rust repair if you can't do the work yourself.

i'm interested in the upper firewall and lower portion of the front windshield opening if anything's nearby. worth a try to ask before embarking on custom patch pieces...

let me know. thanks

jerryallsmanATyahooDOTcom

you might try pushing the bundle forward from the inside of the cabin. the grommet can stay put. you might have to disconnect the wire plug from the instrument cluster and perhaps the wiper relay and turn signal relay (going from memory). there's a metal tie wrap that can be pried open as well. wiggle away. rewrap 4-5 inches of the bundle when you're done, too.

the bay area is a big place....

coffee will get a visit in town to check a car out

beer money will get you within a restricted radius

but it could take a fair bit of coaxing to dodge traffic and navigate distant counties.

your request is very open ended.

heck, i've passed on Craigslist bargains cuz i didn't want to deal with the drive.

you should be more specific on location, there's a ton of us out here to choose from depending on distance, hassle-factor.

now.... if you've found a rust-free 72tii sitting in grandma's garage, for a pittance, SUUUURE, i'll take a look for you

that certainly addresses the aerodynamic issues.

that would make a GREAT bay area daily driver.

you can get the wood all shiny and such but i'm afraid you're SOL on the BMW emblem as it is fused glass with brass highlights. i can't spell the technique properly but it's call clossenei or some such...

i've got one of those knobs too :-(

i'll toss this out there for consideration:

a year or so ago i brought an OEM manifold to work to hog out the manifold to mimic the peanut manifold as used on a 38/38. I believe the Cannon manifold is also hogged out for use with the 38/38 carb.

the gearhead i talked with told me not to do it if i was intending to use it with the more common 32/36 carburetor. it had something to do with the draw of the air through the carburetor and some other comments i don't recall.

i took this person's advise at the time. just sharing what i heard. YMMV.

i intend to remove the snorkles on my tii's when i'm in that position. but that's just me. the fact that you manipulated it doesn't detract in my opinion if done well. it's akin to removing side marker lights.

edit: in the event that your tii has its ORIGINAL nosepiece and it just so happens to have a snorkel, i would NOT remove it. period.

great photos!

i forgot about the location of the tranny reverse switch, as i've been dealing with 5 spds lately. i've never dealt with the 'neutral safety' switch.

looking at your last picture it appears to be routed along the bottom tranny mount and is not connected.

i think i may just repair the blue/white & black/violet wires and merely wrap up the other pair and not worry about their embrittled state.

thanks for your help

it's a dismal day in the Bay Area so I decided to pick up where I left off on the refurbishment of the 73tii wiring harness.

the wire loom that goes from the driver's side floor and through the tranny tunnel (demarcated by the presence of a rubber grommet), has TWO pairs of wires, one pair, blue/white & violet/black is broken. the other pair is brown/black and black.

I'm guessing the blue/white &violet/black is for the reverse sensor switch on the tranny.

My question:

Are the brown/black & black wires supposed to pass back INTO the handbrake switch from the tranny tunnel?

these wires are embrittled and oily. i will be splicing pliable wires in their place. it's the location of the rubber grommet that has me confused on this.

my reference harness does not have the extra pair of wires so i'm guessing it's from an earlier 12-fuse car.

nice...

i can't tell if it's fjord or turkis or?

cars like this, i find VERY appealing.

we're dying to know the VIN.

it couldn't have found a better caretaker.

the *thought* of all the work just to keep those rims semi-clean is enough to scare me away.

q-tips anyone?

i have an idea how they'd look on my car,.... after a couple months

please list your mailing address so that i may send to you $8000 in cash, before anyone else beats me to this unbelieveable deal.

i can hardly contain my excitement over this unique opportunity

i'd be willing to bet your money that you most likely have the later style that comes with the blue plastic sleeves.

really....

don't sweat it.

All packages shipped out priority mail this morning!!!!

keep an eye on your mailbox

josh, i was wondering about you.

i thought your email was a typo on the list. YMAIL

i used gmail and i did not get an 'undeliverable' error message, so i suppose there's another joshua out there wondering what he supposedly purchased....

your set's earmarked and will be sent with the others as soon as i get a roll of packing tape. would have had them out today, but couldn't find my roll of tape.

i'd sure like to get some of this felt. i'm a firm believer in trying workable alternatives. are you willing to publish the source or would you prefer that we inquire through you?

either way, let me know

jerryallsmanATyahooDOTcom

Back when you could still regularly find 02's at the junk yards, i used to enjoy discovering various kludged-together fixes on these wonderful cars. to me, it was a sign of an engaged owner willing to take matters into his/her own hands. i look at it in a positive light. of course, not all kludged-together fixes are equal and some are probably downright dangerous, if not criminal.

silicone sealer gobbed all over a cracked windshield rubber was a fairly common one. i've used bailing wire to secure a muffler with a missing bracket... and i reluctantly used a screw to keep a rocker trim piece on (yep, i confess. it hurt to drill the rocker panel, but i did it).

To the folks who are in this group buy, i just emailed each person from the list i have. if you did not receive an email from me it could be because i 'fat-fingered' your email address or some such. if you did not receive an email from me let me know. details are described therein.

There are a total of 17 sets. That's a great showing of support.

you got a great deal. i was very tempted to buy it on the spot, but level heads prevailed. enough projects. where do you live?

if i could offer any advice, it would be to keep this car dry and protected and do your homework (school and autobody repair) first. don't rush in. if there is any chance that you could source a disposable parts car, do it. i spent this past summer literally drilling the spot welds off 2 1/2 parts cars i had, for body panels. that exercise taught me more about how these cars are put together than anything. i am in the process of replacing the DS floor rail and front floor panel of one of my cars. it took me two years of pondering and fretting but now it's just one step at a time and very satisfying work, once i actually started.

you are in a tough position as you are currently an engineering student. THAT should take priority.... but i'm guessing you are methodical and analytical at heart and a good candidate to take this car on when the time comes.

Unfortunately my cars engine is in the previous owners ti, but would like to trade it back once this engine is overhauled, and the block i have now is not from a Ti, but the 121t head is unknown to me.

either, offer to rebuild your engine and exchange it for the original engine or offer to BUY his current car.

tough decision as to whether to wait until you've restored your ti shell first or make the offer now.

but i'd sure as heck want the original engine in a VERY BAD way....

Hey guys,

Just an update, I am the new owner of a 2002 ti!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Admittidly in a crude condition, but it is mine.

The chassis no. is: 1691398. The original colour is colorado, but it is verona atm. But i will restore it back to its original colour.

The car has rust everywhere and is in dire need of restoration, but I just couldnt let this chassis rust away.

Oh, and, i did get an engine with it. It has all the ti goodies on(intake, exhaust, dizzy) but the thing that bithers me is that the numbers doesnt match and the head says "121T" not "121Ti". Has anybody ever seen that?

I will post pix bit later.

Ragards,

Jacques van Staden

check the engine block number and report back. if it starts with 168 or 169 you'll know that at least it came from a ti. as for the head being a 121t, you know that you've got either bathtub pistons or flat tops underneath. as far as i know, the 121, 121t, 121ti heads are essentially the same. perhaps they increase the exhaust valve size on ti variants, but i do not know for sure.

oh, and congratulations. i like to see folks save cars from returning to the earth, especially semi-rare ones. several years ago i was offered a complete ti for $800 but i had to export it from canada and it was not registered and the winter snows were approaching. i regret not getting that car. oh well....

that's my secret fantasy every time i turn the ignition on in my 02!!!