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Full of surprises. A 72 tii from the northeast


stymee

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I've been making some steady progress and thought it was about time that I started a blog here to share my learning experience with the rest of you.

1972%252520BMW%2525202002tii%252520THS-0

I drove my 1972 2002tii home on 10/21/10. She looks great, runs great, handles great, brakes great. All of the electronic stuff works, even the clock and AC. I have a ton of receipts from the previous 2 owners who have shoveled a BUNCH of money into her over the last 11 years. So, now that I'm over trying to justify my impulsive purchase (never, ever fall in love with a car before you go look at it), it was time to get to work.

Here's my post from a couple months ago when I thought the end of the world was upon me: http://www.bmw2002faq.com/topic/109458-new-year-floorboard-discovery/. Thanks to all for the encouragement!

I will post the highlights here in the blog. Here is a picasa link to all of the progress pictures.
https://picasaweb.google.com/stymee/BettyIsFullOfSurprises#

A BIG thanks to the 2002faq and all of the members, there's no way I would have had the courage to tackle this without y'all. I have worked on my cars all my life, but have very little experience with rust repair. I am generally not one to be afraid of trying new things, so here we go...

Edited by stymee

1972 Verona tii - "Betty"

2002tiiRear.jpg

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First order of business was gutting the interior. I found this somewhat amusing (after I stopped crying):

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Then I cried some more:

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After removing all of the carpet, padding and that nasty sound deadening tar backed stuff, I was left with a frankenstein of a driver floor pan!

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Removing that stuff was not too bad. I wanted to use the dry ice method, but of course I couldn't find a close source until after I had already removed most of it with careful application of my air hammer and a somewhat crispy cold morning here in NC.

The rest of the interior didn't look nearly as bad (notice I didn't say good):

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The worst part (so far) is the completely deteriorated drivers side inner rocker. Not sure where it all started, I'm thinking the giant hole in the front column may be part of the problem ;)

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There are a ton of poorly protected repairs that rusted away. Many of the repairs look pretty old. Interesting, much of the original metal (what's left of it) is in pretty good shape. At this point, I was trying to figure out where to start.

1972 Verona tii - "Betty"

2002tiiRear.jpg

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The best part of any project is buying stuff. I placed an order with the folks at Walloth & Nesch. I was mainly after the column repair panel and a floor pan, since those are hard to find here in the states. They were very nice to work with and shipping was fast and reasonable.

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Thanks to 2002tii-restoration.org for the awesome write up on the column replacement. Granted, my work will never approach the quality of Martin's, but I will do my best! My first idea was to get the new column piece tacked in so I could get a better idea of how the inner rocker and floor would tie in.

First I cut the pieces connecting the inner panel to the column.

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Then I took some measurements so I could put the fender bracket back in the right place.

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Fender bracket removed. I now know the joy of drilling spot welds! Note the various repairs that had been made in the past. This is a reoccurring theme.

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Column removed!

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I think this looks like a fossil!

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1972 Verona tii - "Betty"

2002tiiRear.jpg

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I have some welding experience, but nothing with metal this thin. I practiced a lot of butt welding with some 22 gage steel. It is way harder than I thought it would be. Trying to get a good solid weld without blowing holes in metal that thin is very tricky!

I got distracted by a whole in the inner fender, so I decided that was going to be my first welding assignment.

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Form the patch and trim to fit.

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Welded and blended!

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You didn't think I was going to let you see my welds all raw and naked did you?

1972 Verona tii - "Betty"

2002tiiRear.jpg

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Next was an area behind the column that had some non-factory ventilation.

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Patch cut and fit

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Tacked in

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And seam welded. The thicker metal is definitely easier to butt weld!

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Not sure what is underneath the patch in the upper left of that last picture, but I will probably cut it out and take a look-see at some point.

Fast forward to the column tack welded in. Once the rocker/floor is fixed I will remove the column and give everything a good sanding and coat of POR15/weld thru primer before I button it up for good.

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Next stop is the floor/rocker area now that I have a good reference for how things will tie together.

1972 Verona tii - "Betty"

2002tiiRear.jpg

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I was a little worried about how rigid the car would be with the floor and rockers cut out, but since nothing was tied together in the first place I figured sitting on 4 level jackstands under the subframes, she should stay straight. I took a bunch of measurements and will continually check alignments with the door as I go.

First order of business, yank that pedal box! This was not as bad as I had feared. With the door off, you can reach both sides (barely with my short arms) of the clutch master cylinder bolts/nuts. Air tools really helped.

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Here is one last shot of the old floor with the pedal box out.

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Another big surprise! I think something small and furry had made a home of the frame rail, look what came out of it when I lopped it off! (yes that is bird seed mixed in with the dirt and rust!

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Here are the tumors after removal

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And a shot of the big gaping hole that is left

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Here are a couple shots of the inner rocker after I cut out more tin worm. I am amazed at how clean the inside of the outer rocker is. I'll take it where I can get it!

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I coated every surface I could reach with POR15. I used some glue brushes attached to the end of some stiff wire to get into the hard to reach areas. Here is the inner rocker prepped and ready for it's patch. I sanded the POR15 from the weld areas and applied 3M weld thru primer.

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Welded in! I think I'm starting to get the hang of this.

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Next was the area to the front, it had some complex bends. I learned that shaping 16 gage steel is not easy, especially with my limited tool set.

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So, after a few hours of sculpting, here it is.

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And in place

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And welded

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Now we are ready for the floor!

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Just tacked in for now while I figure out what to do with the frame rail. I plan to fabricated it from a single piece of 16 gage. I will form it to fit the floor and reinforce it to the existing stub. More to come, thanks for watching.

1972 Verona tii - "Betty"

2002tiiRear.jpg

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Good job! You're not cutting corners there.

There may be something helpful for you in my blog too if you haven't seen it yet.

Tommy

http://www.bmw2002faq.com/component/option,com_forum/Itemid,50/page,viewtopic/t,309762/

Thanks for the kind words! Believe me, I have spent A LOT of time in your thread, probably have been through it at least a dozen times. Your car is beautiful! If any of my repairs turn out half as nice as yours, I will be thrilled.

This being my first real project, I am not going for a show car restoration and don't plan on selling it. I just want it to be super solid, safe and reliable so I can drive it until I die.

1972 Verona tii - "Betty"

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Stymee - guess what... I have a Verona 1972 tii named "Mater" just down the road from you in Davidson. Mater is in pieces waiting for me to complete his rotisserie - then it is off to the soda blaster. Would love to hook up with you some time and swap info. Looks like our cars were about 892 apart in production... and they ended up less than 20 miles from each other 39 years later. Small world.

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Stymee - guess what... I have a Verona 1972 tii named "Mater" just down the road from you in Davidson. Mater is in pieces waiting for me to complete his rotisserie - then it is off to the soda blaster. Would love to hook up with you some time and swap info. Looks like our cars were about 892 apart in production... and they ended up less than 20 miles from each other 39 years later. Small world.

And I thought I was the only lurker around here! Seems like everyone else is much further east of here.

It really is a small world. Mater, what a great name! My "Verona" is definitely more on the tomato side of red than it should be. I'd love to come down and check out your project, and lend a hand if you need one. Click that email button next to my profile and drop me a line.

Dave H.

1972 Verona tii - "Betty"

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Great project man. Funny that all of these people are popping up here in NC. I am just down in Charlotte!!! The car is looking great. If you ever need a hand or just want to shoot the breeze let me know.

73 colorado orange 2002 in restoration

owned for 30years

71 2002 gone to parts heaven

72 2002 Malaga Sisters

05 Mini S Moms

FAQ member # 31

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Hey Just stumbled on your thread. Great job!!! You (and the other guys who chimed in) will have to join up with us on our events. Just had the kick off drive this past Sunday of in the Asheboro area just east of you

Look forward to seeing you out on the roads Check out the NC 02 Group website at www.02group.org. Next event is right there in Charlotte, cookout at Brooke and Shanes on March 19th

Keep up the great work You will be on the road in no time!

Cheers

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Hey Just stumbled on your thread. Great job!!! You (and the other guys who chimed in) will have to join up with us on our events. Just had the kick off drive this past Sunday of in the Asheboro area just east of you

Look forward to seeing you out on the roads Check out the NC 02 Group website at www.02group.org. Next event is right there in Charlotte, cookout at Brooke and Shanes on March 19th

Keep up the great work You will be on the road in no time!

Cheers

Thanks for the invite, I signed up on the site and plan on meeting everyone at the cookout. Will y'all let me in if I show up in a Mini? It's the closest thing I have to a bimmer that is driveable at the moment ;)

1972 Verona tii - "Betty"

2002tiiRear.jpg

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Ok, made lots of progress this weekend! Here is the new frame rail. It is much easier to work with paper than 16 gage steel. It took me about 5 minutes to make the paper version.

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The 16 gage steel version? How about 6 hours over the course of a week. Here it is, with a fresh coat of POR15. It's a little bumpy, but it is strong!

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Here's a shot from the top after plug welding in the frame. I added a lot of weld around the stub of the original rail.

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Here's a shot underneath. I have since welded up all the seams in the rail.

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With the frame rail all nice and solid, I moved on to the floorpan. And finished up the butt welds all the way around. This was a blast! Call me crazy, but welding is the reward for all the cutting/shaping/forming/grinding it takes to get panels to fit.

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I finally had some welds I felt good enough about to let y'all see them before I ground them down. Not great, but I am definitely getting more comfortable.

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Another shot of the whole floor, this time with the last patch to the corner. I got this far and then ran out of wire, DOH!

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Quick trip to Lowes for more wire (I use .025 on my Lincoln Handy Mig). I think this turned out real nice.

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Then I went a little crazy and welded every seam. I tried to take my time and jump around to keep the heat under control. That whole area is battleship solid now. I need to finish cleaning up all the welds, but it's late!

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It is pretty satisfying to have her all sealed up again. I bet she is more waterproof now than she has been in 10 years (or more!). I can put a jack under the frame rail and the whole side of the car comes up together. Solid!

Next step will be to pull the column panel back off so I can prep everything with POR15 and weld thru primer. Once that is welded in for good, I will start working on the inner rocker towards the rear. Stay tuned!

1972 Verona tii - "Betty"

2002tiiRear.jpg

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