Ryan's 1974 M2

[oh2ryan]

Hey guys and gals,

I wanted to start a little project thread for the build of my 1974 BMW 2002 to document and share the transformation.

I bought this 2002 one year ago in Chico, CA. I bought the car from the original owner who reached out to me when he spotted my WTB 1974/75 BMW 2002 ad. The car had been sitting in storage for the last 20 years, and was kept in wonderful condition. The car came to me rust free, with blue plates, 3 sets of original keys, a stack of records from Chico BMW, and the original title. What was changed was the paint; owner had it painted Chamonix from Malaga.

Originally, I wanted to 5 lug swap this car but enough sense has been talked into me and I’ll be keeping it 4x100. The 5x120 components are heavy and require so much modification that I’d be removing much of what makes the 2002 so fun. The goal will be to keep the car light and responsive, and this theme will carry on throughout all parts of the car.

What’s in store?

S14B23- Euro Headers, Aardvark Racing oil pan

Getrag 245- Built by Aardvark racing for the 2002 S14 swap

Custom K&N CAI system for the 2002 S14 swap

16x7/8 Alpinas

E21 Recaro Seats

Rear Euro bumper

I still need:

Custom built 3.91 small case LSD

Coilovers

Big Brake Kit

Turbo fender flares/ front valance (flares are a maybe)

And much more!

Here is how it all started:

2002 seen with original owner in the background!

I put her in the barn for a year, and just pulled the 2002 out this week.

My dog Hurley overseeing the tow.

Towed the car up to be washed off briefly before going under the knife in the garage.

Garaged.

Shot of the engine bay and that lovely M10!

Finally, what’s in store sitting next to the 2002 in the garage. Thanks again Ryan for providing the engine and accessories to make this S14 swap possible.

I’ll post up some shots of the wheels soon. I haven’t had time to mock them up on the car and figure out what tires sizes will be possible. I guess that will depend on the flare size and suspension set up though.

I am hoping to get the S14 transplanted in the next few days and begin to tackle the wiring job soon, Ill be following the Aardvark Racing swap manual closely to accomplish this.

Stay tuned from some M2 fun!

Edited July 28, 2014 by RCM3

[oh2ryan]

Got the M10 out!

 

 

 

Here's a shot of the Alpinas (Special thanks to Mike). I'm thinking of having them sent out to be refinished. They have some minor curb damage and need some new paint.  

 

 

And one more pic of the S14 and transmission. Theyre super clean, can't wait to drop them in today/ tomorrow. 

 

[danco_]

Did you get the package I sent you?

[oh2ryan]

Not yet, hopefully it arrives tomorrow. I want to thumb through that swap guide before I drop the S14 in. Just in case there are a few things I can do in the bay while its open.

[Kineticz02]

Looks nice man keep it up

[M3M3]

it is a whole lot easier to freshen up the brake master,booster and hard lines while the engine is out...

 

also...get your electric cooling fan and radiator situation figured out before you put the engine in.

 

and any rad support cutting for the air intake.

 

and the routing for the wiring harness.

 

and cutting the hole in the firewall for the ecu plug.

 

and the denting of the passenger side floor for the header

 

and...

and...

and...

and...

and...

 

unless this initial engine install is just a test fit.  I know mine was in and out several times as part of the "installation" process.

 

is the only mod on the 245 tranny the crank sensor mount?

[oh2ryan]

it is a whole lot easier to freshen up the brake master,booster and hard lines while the engine is out...

 

also...get your electric cooling fan and radiator situation figured out before you put the engine in.

 

and any rad support cutting for the air intake.

 

and the routing for the wiring harness.

 

and cutting the hole in the firewall for the ecu plug.

 

and the denting of the passenger side floor for the header

 

and...

and...

and...

and...

and...

 

unless this initial engine install is just a test fit.  I know mine was in and out several times as part of the "installation" process.

 

is the only mod on the 245 tranny the crank sensor mount?

 

Thank you for the advice. I realized this and held off on dropping in the engine. Ill wait a week or two until some more parts come in before I do a test fit on the S14. 

[jgerock]

Adding to your list:

 

Check steering box mount on subframe - reinforce now

Replace all front suspension bushings

Service/rebuild steering box

Replace brake fluid reservoir flex hoses to master cylinder

Are you going to shorten the cooling pipe above the exhaust?

Double check the exhaust header to steering idler arm clearance - may need some sledge hammer adjusting on the pipes.

What exhaust system are you going to use?

 

[oh2ryan]

Forgot to mention that the 245 trans has a modified bellhousing to accept the larger M3 clutch/ flywheel in addition to the relocated sensor mounts. Aardvark Racing did all the work on this transmission, the PO ordered it new and it still hasnt seen any miles.

[oh2ryan]

Adding to your list:

 

Check steering box mount on subframe - reinforce now

Replace all front suspension bushings

Service/rebuild steering box

Replace brake fluid reservoir flex hoses to master cylinder

Are you going to shorten the cooling pipe above the exhaust?

Double check the exhaust header to steering idler arm clearance - may need some sledge hammer adjusting on the pipes.

What exhaust system are you going to use?

 

I will be ordering the bushing kit soon, looking at the more solid bushings vs the softer rubber OEM style.

 

I havent looked into the coolant pipe above the exhaust and if it needs to be modified further. I'm still going through the boxes of 2002/S14 ready parts that came with the engine. 

 

As far as exhaust, I have a Sebring muffler that was on an ACS E34 M5. I'll be centering it up out back. Its longer and thinner, has a single inlet and dual outlets. In between the muffler and the euro headers I'm still thinking about my options... 

 

Thanks for the other "while the engine is out" pointers!

 

-Ryan

[Tommy]

Great project going on!

I think your wheels would look great with the small Alpina flares discussed here :  

http://www.bmw2002faq.com/topic/146595-smaller-alpina-flares/

 

The green car at least has the correct ones.   

 

Tommy

Edited May 2, 2014 by Tommy

[M3M3]

Forgot to mention that the 245 trans has a modified bellhousing to accept the larger M3 clutch/ flywheel in addition to the relocated sensor mounts. Aardvark Racing did all the work on this transmission, the PO ordered it new and it still hasnt seen any miles.

But the stock 245 Trans bellhousing fits perfectly over s14 clutch and flywheel without any modification needed......

Sounds like all that was done is to mount the crank sensors.

If you have not done so already, suggest spending some time reading through s14 build threads like mine, MassiveLee's, and Blunt's.

Edited May 2, 2014 by mlytle

[oh2ryan]

But the stock 245 Trans bellhousing fits perfectly over s14 clutch and flywheel without any modification needed......

Sounds like all that was done is to mount the crank sensors.

If you have not done so already, suggest spending some time reading through s14 build threads like mine, MassiveLee's, and Blunt's.

I didnt realize that. I was going off the booklet that came with the trans that says inner surface of the bellhousing was "radiused to clear the larger clutch" used when swapping the S14. It goes on to say that approx 1/8inch of aluminum was removed to give added clearance. Guess they do that just as a precaution then?

 

I have been looking through the builds above^. My parts needed list is constantly growing. Invaluable info in those build threads.

[oh2ryan]

It has been a while, but I just dont have the weekend time like I was hoping to have to dedicate to this project. Here is what happened this last weekend:

 

First I removed all the front suspension; I wanted to get the front sub frame out to inspect it before the new components were installed. A common failure point on the 2002 front sub frame is the driver side engine mount, mine had two cracks forming. This would be a big problem, especially with the S14 plans. I ordered the sub frame reinforcement parts from Ireland Engineering, this included the motor mount piece and the large plate to reinforce the underside of the frame. Since I was planning a trip down the street to Ground Control, I brought these parts with me hoping to find someone with some nice welding skills. I was acquainted with one of the fabricators there and he was happy to take care of my welding needs. First step though, get those 40 year old bushings out.

 

 

Got the frame back and had to admire the beautiful welds.

 

 

After having it sandblasted and cleaned up, I primed it and painted it. I wanted to have it powder coated, but that would have delayed the S14 install even longer. The paint can always be touched up if need be. Putting the engine hoist to good use.

 

 

Next came time to re assemble the control arms. First I cleaned them up (along with the other suspension pieces), painted them, and started to press in the new bushings. I ordered the complete 2002 solid bushing kit from Condor Speedshop. Remember, this 2002 is being built to be a fun car to take to class/ work/ wherever as an alternative to my other DD. I do not mind the increase in NVH that comes with the many pros offered by these bushings. 

 

 

Next step was to do the same with the sub frame and start the rebuild with the new and refreshed parts. I had ordered a 2002 steering box refresh kit from Ireland Engineering a while back and began to tackle that job also. Started with a tear down and lots of cleaning.

 

 

It was a fairly straight forward job, I was defeated when it came time to removing the Pitman arm from the steering box. I tried everything but it would not budge. Since I am at my parent’s place with a more limited set of tools, I ran it down to a 4x4 shop to have the guys work some magic on it. Three second later it was removed and the job could begin. I did paint a few pieces that looked like they could benefit from some recoating and once everything was clean and dry I reassembled the box. Filled it up with some Red Line GL4 fluid as instructed and it was ready to go in with the sub frame.

 

With that done, I put the sub frame together on the bench.

 

Next up was installing the frame. This was an easy job and it was not met with any challenges.

 

 

I took a step back and realized that it was finally time to get that S14 dropped in to test fit it. Following others who have tackled this job long before me, I took their advice and “massaged” a few areas to make sure everything cleared. One such area was the passenger side front foot well. This area needs to be pushed in about 1 inch to allow for the headers to clear the outer sheet metal. It needs a little more work and them some paint. I was left with about 1mm of space between the downpipe flange on the Euro header and the foot well.

 

 

Before lifting the engine, I assembled the painted motor mount arms and mated them to the S14. They would be landing on the already installed Condor Speedshop solid motor mounts. These bushings are beautiful, and very robust. I did have to drill out and enlarge the sub frame mounting holes for the block style motor mount to get the larger studs to fit through. This was published before I bought them and I was happy to do it to get a little more strength in a critical part of the car. You can see what I mean in this picture, they're a great upgrade. With these parts installed I was ready to finally install the S14.

 

Getting the S14 ready, chaining it up and leveling it with the lift bar. 

 

Dropping it in, a few very tense moments, but it went in smoothly.

 

 

With the bolting down of the engine, my 1974 2002 has officially become an M2!!!

 

 

 

 

Had to take a shot of me, my buddy (in black) who came up to help with the engine installation, and that gorgeous S14 sitting finally in the bay of my 2002.

 

 

With the stress subsiding after hoisting that expensive piece of metal in the air, I began to check over some more areas that past swappers have had to deal with. Most people have to dent the lower down pipe to allow the steering track rod to clear it when attempting to turn the wheels.  It essentially swivels and travels both up and down, and left to right when turning the steering wheel. In one wheel position, the track rod wants to occupy the same space as the standard US header, but my Euro headers seem to clear no problem. So no denting was required here. Great news!

 

After looking over the other spots, my S14 seemed to be clearing everything no problem… UntiI went to slide in my Ireland Engineering aluminum radiator. The radiator itself is beautiful, the installation was not. I managed to slide it in, but I have >1mm of space between the water pump and the radiator. Time to figure out another solution… This mystery remains unsolved for now. I did not get a picture because I thought I was smashing the radiator for a second and I wanted to quickly get it out safely.

Finally, I was left with another Ireland Engineering part, the front sway bar kit. It’s a 22mm bar, and mounts using drop down aluminum blocks and spherical endlinks with urethane bushings. Installation of the blocks took some persuasion in an area on either end of the sub frame, but after banging out a few small spots the aluminum blocks went right in. I got the bar installed also, it’s an older version of their current sway bar, but it looks just as effective. I have the bar connected to the control arms for now, it might soon be connected to the strut housings after Ground Control is finished modifying them soon.

 

 

More will be posted soon. I need the suspension back from Ground Control (I still need to work out a few details with them), Aardvark transmission fitted with the Massive Lee brackets and Aardvark shift plate, complete rear suspension overall and LSD installation, and the dreaded wiring job to all the new components…

 

And after that, the brakes, wheel refinishing, and interior work.

 

Stay tuned.

Edited June 30, 2014 by RCM3

[M3M3]

Did you grind off the nose of the water pump for rad clearance? Did you massage the rad support to push it fwd?

Also easier to figure out wiring paths and hole in firewall for engine harness before installing engine.

Good test fit! Now take it back out for more fitting fun! Keep at it!

Edited June 30, 2014 by mlytle