jerry

I love most '02 colors, but that one leaves me cold..in person it's probably much nicer looking...just looks like plain old "gold" to me. :-)

John

i wasn't much of a fan of Ceylon, but the more i look at it the more i really like it somehow. don't know if i'd like is as much on a POS. maybe that car would look fine in any color.

still can't ever see why 02's were ever painted Sienabraun or Schwartz. they seem so wrong.

i fell into that trap after having completely restored a '74. many thousands of $ and new paint. i didn't drive it too much and it stayed under covers most of the time. in fact, my brother got to drive it from Indianapolis back to SF, with his wife on a meandering trip and said it was a great car to drive. i myself put maybe 4000 miles in 8 years before eventually giving it to a "charity". i'm glad to be rid of it now and vow never to treat a car as a display piece.

who are you saving the car for, your heirs, or the lucky person who buys it from you at much less than you have into it...?

keep it away from salt at all costs, but let it see rain, mud and sleet on occasion. driving 'em is much more satisfying than merely looking at em. i'm not advocating abusing it, but show cars just don't do anything for me.

i don't know your local market in texas, but here in the SF Bay Area, with what appears to be an honest representation of it, i speculate this is a $3500 car tops and probably would sit around at that price. it would probably move quicker at $2500. i know, it doesn't seem fair, but you acknowledge that paint is poor and no mention of whether new rubber has been installed. and there's alot of these to choose from.

btw, whatever became of that 02ti you mentioned awhile back?

i figured i might as well post these photos of my paintjob. these were taken the following day if i remember. it's been about 2 weeks now and i haven't been able to work on it since. i've deferred real work around the yard while struggling to get paint on this car.

up next is colorsanding up to 2000 grit followed by polishing. i really didn't have the paint gun set up properly, but now i know for the next time.

i'm calling this color "paint-clerk Malaga" it's a variation of the Malaga i actually wanted. it has darkened somewhat but it's still not a true match. fortunately, the only remaining 'real malaga' will be under the dash.

sometimes, we do crazy things.

this was one of my crazier moments. it was a time in my life when i thought i wanted to simplify myself by reducing my 'stuff'.

it was right after the tsunami hit in the indian ocean a couple years ago and i was gonna sell this car but at the last moment decided to donate it instead to a "charity" out of Santa Rosa, CA (Amicus Curie, avoid him). turned out to be a scam charity, but once i signed it off, it was theirs. i wasn't even allowed to buy it back. it included a flawless 2-piece dash, extra tii motor, distributer, unused BimmerParts Co carpet kit and more.

i'm over it and in fact, the car's engine was always a dog.

the other car i regretted selling was a '74tii that recently sold on ebay about a month or so ago. it was a souped up hot-rod that turned up 6 years after selling it.

you own more than two 02's

you check this website daily

you look at forlorn 02's like stray puppies or kittens.

you respond to posts of a non-technical/instructive nature

i'm guilty as charged of items 6,7,11,13,15,and 18 and the above

click here:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BMW-2002-2002A-2002-2002a-2002tii-BMW-2002-automatic-No-Reserve_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ42601QQihZ018QQitemZ280043092564QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

i think he is talking about a Chevy Vega

HA!!

oh, right. totally went past me.

the Vega, GM's answer to the Ford Pinto. i remember em.

, they tend to rust like Vegas. ...

gotta admit, you lost me here, but then again, the only time i've been to vegas was on a layover at the airport. is Vegas a rusty place or do Targas not rust?

i want it just slightly less than windshield shattering stiff

just a friendly comment...

every time you take compliance out of a system (suspension, in your case) you are merely transferring all those shock loads to some other component. be it engine mounts and/or brackets, welds on the trailing arms or brackets or even welds on the body sheet metal, such as doors or trunk seams. so, as you stiffen up a car you need to add to your habits of inspection of weak points.

the energy has to be dissipated somehow. perhaps a sore butt is one means. maybe this could be construed as an excuse to grow a big heavy butt as a shock wave dissipator. pass the cake and ice cream, please

my guess is that you are looking at removing the bottom strut 'swing arm' (don't know the true name) connected to the bottom of the strut housing. if you are lucky you'll be able to blithely snip the safety wire and effortlessly remove the three 'special' bolts holding it on.

if you've got a stubborn bolt don't force it or you will probably shear it off then your carefree attitude will take a sudden turn for the worse. probably a good idea before wrenching any of those three bolts to clean first and spray a liberal amount of your favorite oil soaker-type stuff-in-a-can. a little heat might help too.

oh yea, you might need to remove the tie-rod end, but i'm not sure. if you have original ball-joints they're installed from the factory with rivets. then, you'll definitely want to liberate the 'swing arm' from the tie-rod end in order drill out the rivets while secured comfortably on your workbench.

and if you shear off one of those bolts....

then you'll be removing the entire strut assembly and possibly utilizing an extractor or drilling it out with the help of a drill press as i've had to do on one occasion.

This is for whomever goes searching through the archives trying to find excess info on assembling the stub axles. THE BEARINGS SHIMS MUST GO BEHIND THE OUTSIDE BEARING!!! Unlike what one of the postings say, the bearing shim cannot go on the outside or inside.

thanks for taking the time to write your procedure down. your wording in the above quote is a little confusing though.

i think with a post as thorough as yours, it may have helped readability if perhaps you could have numbered the steps or used bulleted steps. there's a lot of info to digest.

just my opinion. thanks again for posting. this also deserves photos and inclusion into an FAQ topic i think.

i got my start with mechanics working on my own bicycles as a kid. if you've done the same, you are ahead of the game. if you've found a very nice original condition 02 that hasn't been modified extensively, count yourself fortunate.

as you've read posts there's certain recurring themes and a search of archives is helpful.

consider this your 'go get 'em' pep-talk. a cared for 02 is a wonderful thing to have. original paint is helpful in assessing the true condition of the car and not be seduced by one with issues hidden beneath glossy new paint.

have fun. if you have a place to care and nuture this car you won't be disappointed. if you have to park it on the sidewalk on a busy street it will likely rebell against you.

i myself am partial to the 6-fuse cars.

click here:

http://www.bimmers.com/02/faq/engine.html#cylinder_head

[

What dash chrome pieces ?

I have 2 big boxes of chrome trim, i may need a picture of what is realy needed and then i will look.

thanks for looking

i have sat on the sidelines during many of his posts and gleaned info i didn't know. i especially enjoyed the threads relating to S14 stroker M10s.

keep asking the "ignorant" questions. there's enough knowledge to be passed along to keep your posts of value to the likes of people like me.

in fact, perhaps a compilation of data could be assembled on various topics and the tidbits validated by proxy as Otis is toying with in his Laws thread.

Any engineers educated in metal fatigue want to chime in?

.

well, since you asked...

as stated in an earlier reply, steel does not have a fatigue endurance limit such as aluminum has. in other words, as long as the applied stress due to bending (while cornering) is below the fatigue limit you should have unlimited cycles. if you reach the fatigue limit you would have a finite number of cycles before a crack would initiate.

several factors influence fatigue curves, such as surface condition and heat treat/hardness. temperature is assumed to be relatively stable.

fatigue curves are generated for a particular alloy by testing samples (rotating bend specimens or tensile specimens) at several cyclic stress levels and counting the cycles to failure. intuitively, as the stress level increases the cycle count decreases. however, for steels, there is a stress level below which fatigue failure is unlikely to occur.

however, if you have corrosion pitting or any other stress concentration, such as metal scoring due to abrasion, then you effectively increase the effective stress at those locations. this is what i have observed on the left-hand side engine mounts which are prone to cracking. the bracket is made of stamped steel with a very sharp edge. both my examples showed fatigue cracks emanating from the sharp corner created during the stamping process. an easy fix to have reduced (maybe not eliminate) the tendency to crack would have been to deburr it.

i'll stop now, i couldn't help myself.

[

What dash chrome pieces ?

authentic 2002ti's were differentiated from the typical 02's by small details such as a band of decorative chrome across the dashboard. it was located at the position of the heater levers and included a built in ashtray.

as i understand it, very early 1602's also had this trim. the trim is plastic with chrome mylar coating.

thanks for looking.

Oh Roundel table is much but and more feasible than my "circquare" table, which will go down as brillantly failed idea. I do like the if it can be DIY clause, because I know there are cases where either the sheer time or fact that what i would do would be terrible or wrong need to be redone. Resulting in a lack of 02 enjoyment time.

ok, i'm having a fair bit of difficulty deciphering what exactly you are intending to convey with your post. i'm thinking a couple strategically placed commas, an article or two and a sentence subject would help.

i'm thinking your typing fingers couldn't keep up with your train of thought.

anyhow, if laws are to be determined, they must be clear. we do NOT want to invite litigation in the future... (although that might be a source of income for some FAQ members and we'd all hope that any such income stream would be duly spent on 02 efforts). perhaps this could be a sub-section rule.

put me on record for wanting a vinyl upper steering wheel column cover w/o a VIN plate riveted to it, ie, no rivet holes.

while you're going through your pile, if you come across any dash chrome pieces or an early sport OEM steering wheel...

if you have one you'll sell and ship email me

thanks

jerryallsman AT yahoo DOT com

How long did it take you total? How many base coats / clear coats? I had considered doing it myself on my 72 - which I believe will be flat black.

i couldn't count the hours (mostly weekends), but been prepping it since May (including stripping to metal). at least 150 200 hours if i were to guess.

next time i should be able to shave alot of time off because of wasted effort.

3 basecoats and 3 clears. i was told that too much paint would lead to cracking down the road.

1. painting a car sucks

2. painting a car is alot of work

3. painting a car is a commitment, either time or money or both

4. actually completing a paint job is very satisfying

5. having a clean, well lit space to paint would save a lot of grief while wet paint is being applied

6. the color of the base primer affects the final appearance/color of the actual paint to a large extent.

7. don't trust the paintshop salesman to accurately match the existing color.

8. don't mark flaws in bodywork with a black Sharpie pen

9. don't paint a car in a shirt that you wore while ever holding a cat previously.

10. did i mention that painting a car was a lot of work and there's a reason why professionals charge a lot for it?

i finally finished painting my car last night and finished cleaning up by 8PM. i painted the hood and trunklid outside while spraying the car/doors in my makeshift booth. i'm generally pleased with it overall but will not post photos until it's been colorsanded. my 'Malaga' color turned out more brick red than maroon but i'm calling it malaga on general principles.

attached couple photos including an 'oh shit' on the hood. it was painted exactly like the trunk, only exception was that it was left outside today and this morning was misty. it looks like haze appearing where the coating is thickest. the appearance of water drip suggests the morning dew had something to do with it. it looked fine when i left for work. oh well....

can't wait to pull it out in the sun and see how it looks.

you DO NOT need a BFH to remove those bearings. you DO need a good size (1/2-5/8 dia) brass, teflon, or PVC drift to bang them out with a normal sized hammer or ball pein. a few well placed FIRM blows (don't worry) will do it. i've inspected my bearings under a stereoscope after removal and they looked fine, no dimples, scoring or spalls. reinstall (only after thoroughly cleaning and inspecting and regreasing) using a 1.5inch PVC coupling as an insertion tool to bang against the outer race. works great.

you have one nice looking car. is that fjord blue? one of my favorites. my daily driver was originally fjord blue until a PO changed it to Maaco dark metallic blue....

someday...

i like the removal of the lower trim. cleaner appearance and less chance for corrosion at the holes. your stereo looks like it should overpower any wind noise. i've been driving mine without a radio of any sort for over a year now. just haven't gotten around to it i suppose.

so,....

you gonna invite us all over to work on our cars???!!!!

your lift and a steam cleaner would make short work of degreasing the underside. i promise to clean up after myself. no, really....

if i ever get through the building permit hell, i'm gonna save up for one of those.