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Information on modifications and repairs to Body and Interior of your BMW 2002 and Neue Klasse car. Hoods and bonnets, trunks and boots, fenders and wings. Submit an Article if you have something to share.
Pramono
How many of you out there have experienced a bent door panel or dinged up door moulding because the door doesn't stop when opened? Another annoying thing is the loud popping noise when you try closing the door after. Many of you have most likely experienced this, which is caused by a broken door check/stopper or the U-bracket at the A-pillar.
 
However, the door check/stopper can be easily replaced - The part is still available, but the U-shaped bracket is another story. It's not easy to repair, because that bracket is welded on the inside of the A-pillar, reinforced from inside during assembly. If you try to weld a U-bracket at the surface of the pillar, it won't be strong enough; you would only be welding it to the sheetmetal. Welding it properly is an expensive process: You must remove the door weatherstrip and carpeting if you don't want to burn them, as well as requiring spot painting after.
 
I've thought about how to repair the broken bracket and came up with a bracket design using a reinforcement plate from inside. This design makes it easy to install and is very strong. A zinc-plated bracket is mounted on the outside of where the old bracket is, and a reinforcement plate is installed with a special holder/rod through an access hole from the interior's kick panel. You won't need to cut any additional holes - There is a factory oval cutout about 2 inches by 3 inches.
 

Left side bracket repair set shown; comes with: Reinforcement plate with mounting rod & studs, U-bracket, guide pin & 2x 6mm nuts. Available for both sides.
 
INSTRUCTIONS
To start with the installation, mock up the outer U-bracket piece as best as you can with the old holes where the door brake bracket used to be. Use a punch to find the center of the mounting holes; from there, use a drill bit that is big enough to fit a 6mm stud. Move to the inside kick panel and begin lifting the carpet away - You should be able to see an oval hole that will give you access to the sheet metal at the bracket mount.
 
Guide the reinforcement plate with the rod holder through the access hole and mount the plate through drilled holes. The reinforcement plate has two mounted 6mm studs. The rod has a unique angle that will make it simple to install the plate. Guide the studs through the pre-drilled holes; once the stud is visible, slide the U-bracket through the studs and install & tighten both nuts. Leave the rod holder intact for now. Connect the door check/stopped to the U-bracket and secure it with the supplied pin and C-clip. After testing the door operation and everything looks well, you can remove the holder rod by twisting & rocking it back and forth.
 
Undo the C-clip, remove the pin and any broken pieces. You should be left with two rectangular holes where the old bracket used to be. Align the bracket with where it should sit, and then mark the two holes where the studs will go through. You will need to drill out these holes to accept a 6mm stud, each. Next, pull back on the interior kick panel carpeting and begin to wiggle the reinforcement plate up and through the holes. Be sure not to separate the rod until the plate has been secured and door operation has been checked.
 
Mate the U-shaped bracket through the studs and install the provided nuts. Align the door brake rod between the U-bracket and slide the pin through. Applying some grease on the pin would help the door stopper rotate more freely. Lastly, secure the pin by installing the C-clip at the bottom. You're done!
 


 
The whole process/job will take about 30-45 minutes each side. No welding; just drilling two holes for mounting. Now there will be no more popping noise or damaged door panels and/or moldings. You can paint these in body color prior to installment. These repair kits will be available soon and will either come in sets or for individual doors (left or right). You can contact me through my email at [email protected] if you are interested. Thanks again folks for taking the time to read this, and hope this will be something that will help give you that extra peace of mind for your '02!
 

 
How it breaks
 
The original bracket was made using a stamping method, bent into the shape it needs to be and then spot welded onto the body's sheet metal. Over time, as the door is opened & closed (as well as other factors, such as exposure to the weather), the joint has become weak over 40+ years, causing the welds to crack and eventually separate/break from the sheet metal. The constant pushing & pulling of the door brake and its detents certainly don't help as well. The reason that our reinforcing plate is indented is because sometimes the old bracket may not break off cleanly.
      
hegedus

Odometer Repair

By hegedus, in Body and Interior,

Written by Curt Ingraham Tuesday, 06 June 2006
(edited by Scott Sislane 4/12/2020)
 
If your speedo still works, but the odometer has stopped paying attention, you have the classic 2002 odometer failure. You can take it to a speedo shop and pay $75-150 for a repair, or pick up a used instrument cluster at a swap meet or salvage yard for less than half that. Chances are, if you are skilled with tools and patient, you can fix it yourself for free.
Rear of the Instrument Cluster  
Repair Instructions:
 
Remove instrument cluster from dash. While speedo is still in cluster, loosen big nut on back (circled in green), center of speedo. (just loosen it, do not remove it yet) Remove the 6 screws circled in red, remove the tachometer to left, then remove the speedo from cluster. Handle carefully. Resist temptation and do not touch needle or face. Now with the speedo out, remove big nut and washer from back of speedo, and remove the speedo from the back plate. Odometer Gears Notice that: Speedo cable input on rear drives speedo. Shaft from speedo to odometer drives odometer number wheel shaft; Odometer shaft drives a big aluminum-colored gear at the end of the odometer number wheel stack; Odometer is not turning because that big gear is slipping on the number wheel shaft;  Number wheel shaft is held in position by friction with big gear. Gently slide the number wheel shaft back and forth a very small amount to verify that it is loose. Find a temporary replacement shaft of slightly smaller diameter, such as a nail or machine screw. 2" finishing nail being used  Here is a 2" finishing nail being used to drive out the number wheel shaft. It's the perfect width and length. Replace number wheel shaft with temporary shaft (2" finishing nail) as follows: Identify end of number wheel shaft withOUT the gear. Place end of temporary shaft against end of number wheel shaft. Slowly and carefully press temporary shaft in, forcing number wheel shaft out. At this point, temporary shaft is in, number wheel shaft is out, and number wheels are still in place. Locate position on number wheel shaft where big aluminum-colored gear normally sits. A polished band likely exists there. Verify gear location by holding shaft against number wheel frame. With a center punch or cold chisel make a very light impression on shaft at gear location. This distortion should be large enough to fit tightly in 2" nail in place  gear, but small enough to pass through number wheels using finger pressure. Please note: I had previously advised fixing gear to shaft with super glue, but that repair doesn't last nearly as long as the distortion method above. Try replacing number wheel shaft in odo frame. Keep number wheel shaft end against temporary shaft end. If number wheel shaft won't go through odo frame or is tight in number wheels, distortion is too large. File slightly. If number wheel shaft slides all the way in easily, distortion is too small. Punch it again. When distortion is just right, shaft will stop sliding when distortion reaches gear, and will not go into gear with finger pressure. Repair the shaft Use channel-lock pliers or a small vise to press shaft firmly into position in big gear. Leave a very small gap between odometer frame and small brass gear at other end of shaft. Verify that numbers on number wheels align correctly with rectangular hole in speedo face. Remove shaft between speedo and odometer by removing one screw. Turn number wheel shaft with fingers and verify that wheels turn smoothly, and ten's digit advances when one's digit goes from 9 to 0. Replace speedo-to-odometer shaft. Replace back plate, washer, and nut (finger tight) on back of speedo. Clean speedo face with careful puffs of canned air. (If more cleaning is needed, use water and lens tissue.) Replace speedo in cluster, engaging trip odometer reset shaft.  Reassemble cluster. Tighten big nut on back of speedo, noting alignment of speedo face. Reinstall cluster in dash. Test speedo and odometer. You can do this by using a drill and a hex drive. Simply insert the hex drive into the input drive, and start drill. Make sure it turning in the proper direction - CCW. Reinstall under-dash panels.  
 
 
Chris_B
The task of refurbishing a BMW 2002 heater box may be intimidating for the newbie, but is well within reach of almost anyone willing to put the effort into the job. Because this refurbishment procedure includes work with potentially dangerous materials, parts, and tools, many of which could cause personal injury to you or a helper, as a prerequisite to doing this job you should be familiar with basic car repair and use of tools and workshop equipment. If you have any doubt about the meaning of, or your ability to perform, any part of this procedure, please get help from someone more experienced, or have this work done by a qualified mechanic familiar with the 2002s.
This article covers the procedure for refurbishing the newer (>1972 model year) 02 heater box. I have noted certain differences in the controls and boxes in the different model years, but this is not intended to be an exhaustive treatment of the subject- I may have missed a few of the differences in the earlier cars in this description.
 
Figure 2: Illustration showing a cutaway
schematic of 02 heater box and major
components. HOW THE BMW 2002 HEATER BOX WORKS
General. The purpose of the heater box is to provide ventilation to the passenger compartment. The air can be heated and directed to the windshield and/or the passenger compartment footwells. Header Image shows an external view of the 02 heater box with the defroster air hoses/vents and coolant hoses. The footwell vents are at the lower corners of the back of the box (not shown above, but see Figure 11 below for a good view of the vents). Box and Air Plenum Description. The heater box is roughly rectangular in shape and approximately 13” (330 mm) wide, 8” (203 mm) high, and 7” (178 mm) deep. The box is mounted from inside the car behind the console. The top of the box, including the fan cage and coolant hose hook-ups, protrudes into the air “plenum.” This plenum is a chamber that runs the width of the car between the top of the firewall (back of the engine compartment) and the base of the windshield. There are slot-shaped openings across the rear of the hood over the plenum area. When the car is moving, the air is forced through these slots into the plenum and into the heater box through the fan cage opening. The multi-speed fan (AKA, blower) at the top of the box may also be used to move air into the box when the car is not moving and/or the flow is otherwise insufficient for defrosting, heating or ventilation needs. Suffice to say, when the car isn’t moving, very little air will enter the box unless the fan is on. See Figure 2 above for an illustration of the box, and Figure 3 below for photos of this area in the car. Note: The plenum is intended to be sealed from the engine compartment so that only fresh air from outside the car enters through the box. There are seals on the body at each side of the plenum, on the underside of the hood, and at three drain locations at the base of the plenum. Note that many 02s need maintenance on these seals. You should check the condition of your seals and replace if necessary. This is critical to keeping fumes out of the passenger compartment. Heater Core. The heater box contains a heater “core,” which is a mini-radiator through which engine coolant flows when the valve on top of the box is open. Thus, the core is the source of heat in the box- when the coolant is at operating temperature (~180˚ F) and the valve is in the open position (see description of controls in paragraph B(5) below), any air moving through the core is heated. Air Flow Through the Box. Air Pathway. Air enters the box through the fan cage at the top of the box and flows through the heater core and the fresh air bypass, and out of the box through the defroster and footwell openings (if the respective flaps are open- see flap description below). The air pathway through the core is always open; however, because of the small size of the air passages in the core, air moving through the core encounters more resistance than air moving through the fresh air bypass. (See Figure 2 above for an illustration of the core and the fresh air flap.) This is why the heater controls cause the fresh air flap to open as the coolant valve is closed and vice versa- when the fresh air flap is closed, all air moving through the box is forced through the core so that it may be heated (see description of controls in paragraph B(5) below). Flaps. Airflow through the box is controlled by three sets of flaps inside the box: (i) the “fresh air” flap is at the top of the box just under the fan, and when open provides a route for air moving through the box to partially bypass the heater core; (ii) the defrost flaps in the front (middle) chamber of the box control air moving out of the box into the defroster hoses to the vents at the top of the dashboard; and (iii) the footwell flaps control air movement out of the box to the footwells, on each side at the rear of the console under the dash. Figure 3: Heater hoses and valve
locations Heating and Ventilation Controls. The coolant valve and flaps are controlled by levers on the right and left side of the steering wheel (see Figure 8 below). The temp control lever on the right side operates two cables; one operates the coolant valve and the other the fresh air flap. When the heater temp control is in the “cold” position, the coolant valve is closed, preventing coolant from entering the core, and the fresh air flap is open, allowing air to bypass the core and move more freely through the box for ambient temp (unheated outside air) ventilation. Thus, the heater system can be used for ambient temp ventilation without heat, when the defrost and/or footwell controls are in the open position, and the temp control is in the closed (cold) position. The individual levers on the left side operate the defrost and footwell flaps, which can be opened and closed independently. The fan (blower) is controlled by a lever on the right side (newer cars) or a pull switch on the dash (earlier cars).  
  RECOMMENDED TOOLS AND MATERIALS
Materials
BMW factory coolant (antifreeze) Caulking, for sealing heater box to sheet metal at body mounting point. I recommend 3M Strip Caulk Epoxy, JB Weld, part no. 8265-S Grease, synthetic rubber/plastic safe; I recommend Permatex Ultra Disc Brake Caliper Lube P/N: 24110 Grommets, 6 ea. rubber, 7/16" outside diameter, 5/16" groove diameter, 3/16" bore, 1/32" groove width; note that grommets are available in different materials. Harder materials are better for this application [flap hardware pivot bushings] Grommet, 1 ea. rubber, 9/16" outside diameter, 7/16" groove diameter, 1/4" bore, 1/16" groove width, for heater valve cable where it exits box at valve] Foam, firm closed cell, self-adhesive, 1.25" x 3/16" [for flap seals] Foam, firm closed cell, self-adhesive, 1/4" x 3/8" [for heater core seal] POR-15, clear, 1/2 pint Rivets, 6 ea. aluminum, 3/16" diameter, 1/4" grip range (e.g., Stanley # PAA64) [for securing top of box to bottom sections] Solvent, 3M Adhesive Remover or equivalent. Vinyl cleaner; Lexol Vinylex or equivalent rubber/vinyl cleaner/conditioner Washers, 6 ea. #10 brass (3/16" bore, 1/2" outside diameter) for use under rivets Tools
7mm combination wrench or socket 10mm socket 1/4” ratchet driver with 6” extension Battery filler bulb Drill bit (3/16" recommended) and drill motor Pliers, bent, needlenose, such as Stanley “84-008 - 7-7/8" Insulated Bent Long Nose Pliers” Pliers, standard, such as Stanley “84-000 - 6-1/2" Insulated Combination Pliers” Pliers, Vice Grip-style, such as the 6”, bent-nose model Vice Grips “6BN” Rivet Gun (available from many sources, from $10); I recommend the Stanley MR100CG- readily available, lower-midrange price (~$25) Screwdriver, flat blade .5” blade width Screwdriver, Phillips, #2 size Safety glasses/goggles  
 
REMOVAL OF HEATER BOX FROM CAR
Safety first! Disconnect your battery by removing the ground cable and securing it out of the way so it won’t accidentally make contact with the negative terminal on your battery while you are performing this procedure. Drain coolant. With the motor cold, open the coolant control valve (set the heater to the "warm" position inside the car) and drain a pint or so of coolant from your cooling system. You can do this by using a large syringe or battery filler bulb (available for a couple of bucks at your local auto parts store...). Alternatively, you can remove the drain plug or lower hose from your radiator. If you do this, I suggest you let the coolant drain out completely out of the radiator. This is an excellent time to flush your cooling system- the procedure for which is outside of the scope of this article. If your coolant has recently been changed, you can save the coolant for re-use if you drain it into a clean container. If not, then collect and recycle or otherwise dispose of the coolant properly- if your system contains ethylene glycol antifreeze, the coolant is poisonous and particularly dangerous to pets or kids because of its sweet taste. Disconnect heater hoses. Disconnect the coolant hoses that run from the motor through the firewall, to the heater core inside the air plenum (see Figure 3 above for pictures of this area). You may want to put a cork or wadded-up paper towel into the heater core outlet to keep coolant from spilling when you remove the heater box from the car. Note that the heater valve may be left in place and removed with the box. Simply disconnect the inlet hose where it attaches to the valve on the right side of the box. If you return the heater temp control to the "cold" position, you won't need to cork the inlet. Use care when removing the hose from the heater valve, because of the plastic mounting bracket for the valve (part of the box top) Figure 4: Under Dash Panels tends to become very brittle with age. Note that this mounting is not strictly necessary- the short length of hose connecting the valve to the core is generally strong and stiff enough to keep the valve in position; alternately, you can either fabricate or buy a sheet metal support bracket that can be attached to the stub of the broken, original plastic mount. Remove under-dash panels. Put on your safety glasses and remove the under-dash panels with your Phillips screwdriver. I recommend that you keep your hardware organized by putting the screws in a container like a coffee can or margarine tub. This will make reassembly infinitely easier when the time comes. Take out the glove box. Remove the three small (8mm head) bolts that attach the glove box hinge to the firewall. Note that the heater box can be removed without first removing the glove box, but you will have better visibility and clearance if you do so. You will be able to see these bolts if you lie in the passenger footwell with your head as far toward the front of the car as possible. Look up at the back of the glove box and you will see the hinge. You may have to move the right defrost vent hose slightly to have a clearer view. Access is somewhat difficult because the hinge is at the top of the rear part of the glove box, but a 1/4" socket driver with a 6" extension will do the job. After you remove the hinge bolts, support it at the Figure 5: Glove box hinge bolt
location back, open and drop it into the passenger footwell and remove it to a safe storage location. Remove console. Remove the center console as a unit. It is held in place by only 2 screws- one in an angle bracket that attaches and locates the upper right side to a sheet metal finger at the bottom of the dash, and another that is hidden beneath the inner console base panel, which is a flat piece that fits inside and forms the bottom of, the console. This deck sits in the bottom of the console, held in place by a tight fit with the sides (no screws). After you remove the locating screw from the top of the console, you should be able to move the console to one side a bit and insert your fingers or some flat object between the transmission tunnel and the side of the console, pushing the base panel up several inches at the end toward the shifter. Then, you will be able to see where the shifter surround is attached by a single screw to the sheet metal of the transmission tunnel. Remove this screw. After you remove these 2 screws, you can pull the console back a bit from the dashboard and you will have clearance to reach over the top of the console and use your -bladed screwdriver to pry off the connector from the back of the emergency flasher button. Note that in early cars the hazard switch is not mounted in the Figure 6: Upper console attachment console, so this step does not apply. If you have gauges, a radio/head unit or other devices mounted in your console, you will need to disconnect such devices at this point. Remove the shift knob by unscrewing it (counterclockwise), and pull the console back, up and over the shifter. Remove the console from the car and put it in a safe place.  Remove control panels/cable control levers. Pull the knobs off of the control levers, straight out and toward you as you sit in the driver's seat. Remove the bezels (faceplates). This is the least intuitive part of the job- the faceplates snap into the opening in the dash by the friction fit of nubs on each side of the plate. Use a wide, flat blade screwdriver, ruler or similar tool and Figure 7: Hidden console screw gently pry them out toward you at the right or left edge. You should place a thin, flat piece of wood, plastic or metal at least 1" wide between the edge of the vinyl dash material around the opening and your pry tool, in order to avoid damaging the dashboard when you pry. When you pop out each bezel, remove the light bulb attached to the backside and put the bezels in your safe storage location. After you have removed the bezels, you will see a screw on each side of the opening; these hold the control cable assemblies to the under-dash sheet metal. Remove these screws, and push the control assemblies back into Figure 8: Control panel disassembly
on later cars the dash a bit. See Figure 8 below for pictures illustrating this process. You should now be able to reach under and pull the assemblies out and down under the dash. These assemblies will remain connected to the heater box by the control cables, and will ultimately be removed with it when you pull the box. Just make sure that they do not hang up on the under dash wiring as you pull the assembly out from under the dash. For later cars, the right heater control includes the fan speed switch, which must be unplugged from the wiring harness at the switch before the right control assembly can be removed from the dash area. Note: in earlier cars, the fan speed control is mounted in the dash near the instrument panel. Disconnect the other end of this harness where it plugs into the lower, left side of the heater box. Note the position of the wires carefully for reinstallation. The ground wire is obvious (brown, per BMW standard) and the connector only allows correct reinstallation; however, the other wires (individual wires for the different fan speeds) each have the same kind of connector, so you may want to draw a diagram of the connector, using the wire colors as a guide. If your digital camera has a macro mode, take a picture of the wires before removing them. Figure 9: The left (defroster and
footwell air) control assembly  Remove the heater box. Put some old towels under the heater box area on the transmission tunnel, and in the footwell. Unless you have plugged the heater core inlet/outlet completely, you are likely to spill some coolant when you wrestle the box out of the car. The heater box is held in place by a 10MM nut on a stud on each side of the box. These nuts are accessible from under the dash. Shine a light up under the dash where the box is mounted behind the console area, and you will see them. Remove the two 10mm nuts and pull the box down toward you. You may have to push it through from the top, but be careful not to damage the plastic cage around the fan; it will probably be brittle. If your box has not been removed for a long time (or ever), it will be pretty well stuck to the sheet metal opening by the remnants of the seal around the top of the box. Just keep gently pulling/pushing until the box starts to drops down from its mounting point on the underside of the air plenum. Then maneuver the top of the fan cage out of the opening in the firewall. Remove the box, with control units and cables connected, from the car.  
 DISASSEMBLING THE HEATER BOX.
Figure 10: The three pieces of the
heater box shell Box sections. The box is comprised of three sections: the top (which includes the fan and motor), the front lower section (which includes the fresh air flap that controls airflow through the heater core, and the flaps that control airflow to the windshield [defroster] vents), and the larger, rear lower section (which holds the heater core and includes the flaps that control airflow to footwells). In the remainder of this article, the three box sections are referred to as the “top,” “front” and “rear” sections. Remove the heater control valve. Take the valve and short rubber hose off of the heater core inlet on the right side of the box by (if your valve mounting bracket is intact) removing the two bolts with 8mm heads holding the valve to the plastic mounting bracket, and loosening the hose clamps. Be very careful, because the mounting bracket may be brittle and will likely break with any lateral pressure. Remove the control cable from the valve lever arm by loosening the 7mm nut on the bolt that secures the cable to the end of the arm. Remove top. Remove the top section by drilling out the rivets fastening the top to the front and rear sections. Use a drill bit that is about 75% of the diameter of the rivet head. Drill straight into the center of the rivet head until the head separates from the body of the rivet. Sometimes the rivet will begin to spin as you drill into it, so you will need to immobilize it by grabbing the bottom of it with a pair of pliers. A small pair of Vice Grips-type pliers works best. After you have drilled off the head of the rivet, the bottom piece of the rivet should fall out. If the bottom piece does not fall out, use a small punch to gently tap it out of the hole. (Note: use care and only gentle pressure when drilling out rivets; the object is to remove only the head of the rivet- if you slip with the drill or push it through the hole in the heater box after the rivet, it will enlarge the hole and/or crack the box, making it more difficult to fasten the top of the box to the front and rear sections on reassembly.) I suggest that you brace/support the edge of the box with a piece of wood, such as a short length of 2x4 so that the wood backstops the plastic of the box when you drill the rivets or use a punch to knock out a rivet. After you have removed the rivets or other fasteners, remove the top by grasping the edges carefully and gently pulling it up and forward to move it off the heater core inlet/outlet, which is curved toward the front of the box. When you have pulled the top up enough to Figure 11: Lower section/rear of the
heater box showing the clips and
footwell vents. clear the heater core inlet/outlet, reach in and remove the two fan wires from the resistor assembly at the left of the rear section by pulling the wires carefully off the spade connectors. Also, as you pull the top off the box, the heater valve control cable must be pulled through the grommet in and separated from the top. After you have separated the top from the lower sections, put it out of the way in your safe location. Remove clips. You will find three spring steel clips around the lip at the back of the box where the front and rear sections of the box are joined. These can be slid sideways off the mounting tabs of the front and rear sections by gently tapping the clips to the left or right with a small hammer or a large punch and hammer. This works much better than prying the clips off over the lip of the box sections, which is likely to crack the case and bend the clips. Preliminary separation of front and rear sections. After you have removed the clips, you can separate the front section from the rear section by pulling the two sections apart, removing the cable clamp from the left side of the front section (this is the anchor point for the two cables that control the defroster flaps in the front section and the heater flaps in the rear section), and the control cables from the fresh air flap and the defroster flap control rod in the front section. Figure 12: Front and rear sections of
the heater box separated Remove control cables. Look closely at the end of the control cables where they connect to the flap and flap control rods, respectively, and you will see that each cable end is attached with a small coil spring-like structure that fits over a nub on the flap or control rod. This coil is attached only by friction fit on the nub and can be removed by pulled it off the nub. I suggest using pair of standard pliers or needle-nose Vice Grips, and grasping the cable end from a 90 degree angle (i.e., perpendicular); rock it back and forth toward the end of the "nub" while exerting pressure vertically, and it will come off. Complete separation of box sections. After removing the attachment points on all cables, you can remove the front section and put it in a safe place. If you are not very familiar with the control cable routing, now is a good time to label each control cable, indicating its attachment point. The cable for the heater control valve is obvious because it does not have the coiled end piece. You will note that the cables for controlling the defroster and heater flaps enter the box on the left and are clamped to the front section, and the cables for the valve and fresh air flap enter the box through a large, double hole grommet at the top right of the rear section, where the cables are clamped just inside the section. Figure 13: View of a resistor heat shield, showing the
core and fresh air flap (closed) at top Remove heater core. Lift the core out of its mounting slot. The core will likely still contain coolant, so be prepared to drain the coolant and either re-use or dispose of it properly. Note the aluminum heat shield at the lower left of the core mounting slot; this shield protects the plastic from heat generated by the nearby resistor assembly. Make sure that it goes back in place when you are reassembling the box.  
 
CLEANING AND REFURBISHING INTERNAL PARTS
Service heater core. Take your heater core to your favorite local radiator shop and have it pressure tested, boiled out, and repaired (if necessary). If you have a leak in your core, a repair can be quite expensive. You may want to try to source a good donor core from someone who has a spare heater box, or from one of the many '02 parts sources/recyclers. Note that, although all '02 heater boxes are basically the same, there are 2 different-style heater cores. The primary difference is the size of the inlet/outlet pipes on the core (and therefore, in the valve and hoses)- 15mm OD for the earlier and 18mm for the later. The cutoff for the transition is roughly in the '71-'72 timeframe. It is possible to convert from the early, smaller pipe core to the later, larger pipe core, but if your core does not leak, there is no compelling reason to do so. Inspect the top section. When tackling this phase of the operation, start by inspecting the top section of the box. There are several items that may need attention. There should be large, soft rubber grommets mounted in the holes for the heater core inlet and outlet. The purpose of these grommets is to seal around the heater core pipes, and they should be intact and pliable. Mild deterioration can be treated by removing the grommets from the top, cleaning them with a strong cleaner and then applying a liberal coat of Vinylex. If either grommet is too deteriorated to provide a good seal, order a new set from your favorite OEM parts supplier. Note also the small grommet through which the heater valve control cable passes. If this grommet is deteriorated, replacement grommets are readily available at your local hardware store (see materials list above). Inspection, cleaning, and replacement of fan. Testing a fan motor. Bench test the fan motor mounted in the top with a +12V DC power supply, capable of providing at least 5 amps. Note that if you use your car battery as a power source, great caution is necessary. Lead-acid batteries give off hydrogen gas, which can explode if ignited. Only use a battery as a power source in a well-ventilated area; use jumper wire assemblies with shielded clips on both ends to avoid shorts/sparks. Attach the leads to the battery first and then to the fan wires. This will keep any sparks that may be generated at the fan end and away from your battery. Place the top of the box on a flat surface or on its side, so that the fan blades will not hit anything when they spin up. Polarity is unimportant for this test because the purpose of the test is to determine whether the fan spins freely, quietly and without vibration. Note, however, that reversing the connection of the wires will cause the fan motor to spin in the opposite direction. One specific test you should perform is to rotate the top of the box quickly through a 180 degree range of motion (e.g., turn the top on its side) while the fan is spinning, being careful of the spinning blades. This will simulate lateral G forces on the fan and may help identify a problem with the bushings in the motor if any noise or vibration becomes evident. If your fan motor is slow or won't run at all, lubricate the bushings at each end of the motor with a small amount of machine oil or other light lubricants, and spin the fan in both directions to loosen up the bushings. Inspect Brushes. You also should inspect the brushes in the fan motor, visible in the motor through the top of the fan cage, where the wires connect to the motor. The brushes are sufficient for continued service if you can they are at least 1/3” (~8.5mm) long.  Figure 14: Clips that hold the fan
motor in the fan cage  Removal of the fan from the case. If your brushes are OK and your fan motor spins quietly and without significant vibration, you can use it with confidence in your refurbed box. If it doesn't, now is the time to replace it with a new motor/fan or a good used assembly. If you need to remove your fan motor, or just want to clean and lubricate it, remove the four spring-steel clips around its periphery. These clips are accessible from the outside of the top. Remove the motor by disconnecting the two wires attached to the motor, then popping off the clips with a screwdriver, (make sure to observe the position and orientation of these clips carefully before removing- the bottom of the clip is "u" shaped and hooks over the bottom of the motor case), and moving the motor down and out of the cage formed by the top section of the box. Caution: do not pull on the fan blades during this process! The fan is attached to the motor shaft with a plastic bushing and it will come off the shaft if excessive pressure is applied. Also, the fan blades are balanced specifically for each fan/motor assembly. Your fan may have little clips on the blades. These are balance weights- do not remove them from the blades. Cleaning and lubricating fan motor. Vacuum the dust off/out of the motor, and, if you haven't already, lubricate the bushings at the top and bottom of the motor with some light machine oil (e.g., 3-in-1 or sewing machine oil), applied on the shaft at the outside of the bushings. Also, you may find that your fan blades are rusty. This rust will probably not affect the operation of your fan, but you can remove it by using some light sandpaper or a wire wheel mounted in a bench grinder. If you do this, I suggest sealing the motor with plastic food wrap or masking tape beforehand, to keep the dirt and metal particles out.
When you are cleaning the fan blades, you need to use a great deal of care to not bend them, particularly if you are using a bench grinder. Each blade must be at the same angle and level- otherwise, fan imbalance will result. After you have removed the rust, put a light coating of sealant on the blades to prevent a reoccurrence of the rust. I suggest POR-15 clear. Do not allow any drips to form or you may destroy the balance of the blades. Before replacing the motor, clean the top section in accordance with the "Clean the Box" section below. Reinstallation of the motor. Reinstall the fan/motor assembly by inserting the motor back into the "cage" of the top section. When you put the motor back in the cage, be sure to orient the top of the motor so that the power terminals are facing in the correct direction so you can hook the wires back up. Reinstall the clips and reattach the wires to the spade connectors on the motor. Figure 15: Footwell flaps and control rod Inspection and Cleaning of Front and Rear Sections Inspection of flap hardware. Inspect the flap hardware in the front and rear sections carefully, including the flap mounting brackets, flap control rods, flaps, and bushings. Unless your heater box has been rebuilt recently, the odds are that all of the hardware in your heater box will be well oxidized and rusted, your flap foam will be history, and your flap pivot bushings will be in fragments or dust. Control rod structure and components. The defrost and footwell flap control cables are attached to control rods, which are used to move each set of flaps. Each control rod is attached to a flap at each end by an eyelet formed by the end of the rod. Each eyelet is held on the end of the flap shaft by a round spring clip. Underneath, the spring clip is a round, hard-plastic spacer that acts as a pivot point/bushing, and keeps the control rod oriented and positioned correctly at its attachment point on the end of the flap shaft. Fortunately, these hard spacers are almost indestructible and can be reused. Figure 16: Closeup of defrost flap
hardware
Remove the round spring clips by using a pair of pliers, grasping the clip at a 90 degree angle and rocking it back and forth until it comes off the end of the flap shaft. It may be necessary to pry the spring clip up off of the hard spacer a bit by using a flat-blade screwdriver. After you have removed the clip, you can lift the control rod off of the flap shaft and remove the hard plastic spacer. Put each spacer and all other hardware in your designated hardware container. Flap removal. Use your needle-nose pliers to bend the tabs holding each end of the shaft of the fresh air flap slightly to the right and left. These tabs are pretty flexible, and it doesn't take much right or left deflection in order to clear the ends of the shaft for removal from the remains of the bushings.
Remove the defroster flaps, which are mounted in the bottom of the front section. You will need to remove the three rivets that attach the flap bracket to the box. Use a small (3/16" works well) drill bit and drill the back of the rivet off from the inside of the box. If the rivet spins while you are drilling, grip the head with a Vice-Grips or similar pliers. When you have drilled the rivet material down to the bracket, push the remainder of the rivet through the bracket and out of the box. After you have removed all three rivets, you can lift the bracket and the flaps out of the box. Note the presence of the flat washers on the flap shaft, under the bushing/flap bracket.
Remove the footwell flaps in the rear section, using the same procedure as above for the defroster flaps: drill out the three rivets and remove the bracket and flaps from the box. Again, note the position of the flat washers on the flap shaft, under the bracket. Cleaning box case. After you have removed everything from the plastic heater box case sections, clean them with some mild detergent and a soft-bristle brush or cloth. The resistor assembly in the rear box section may be submerged in water- just make sure to rinse off any soap. To clean the top, use a damp, soft cloth, or remove the fan motor before putting the top into water. Most heavy dirt can be removed with Simple Green or Castrol "Super Clean" cleaner, but some vigorous scrubbing may be required. Use cause- the plastic in most old boxes is brittle and may crack if handled roughly. After washing the soap from and drying the box, apply Vinylex over all surfaces, except the resistor assembly; remove excess with a towel. Figure 17: Clear POR-15 on
cleaned-up hardware Cleaning and protecting flap hardware. Inspect and clean each flap, control rod, and flap mounting bracket. It is likely that all of the original seals that were on the flaps will be mostly deteriorated or gone entirely. Clean the flap surfaces with 3M adhesive remover or a similar solvent to remove all traces of the original foam and adhesive.
Your flap hardware will likely be in various stages of oxidization/rust and will need cleanup before the application of the new foam and reinstallation. By far and away, the easiest way to remove the rust is to use a bench grinder with a stainless steel wire brush. The next best alternative is to clamp the hardware in a vise and use a drill motor with a wire brush or other abrasive wheel, like a 3M flap or bristle brush, to grind off the rust. These are available in various sizes and abrasive qualities. If you do not have access to power tools, then use a wire brush, sandpaper or steel wool to remove the rust. After you have removed the rust, I highly recommend sealing the surface of the hardware to prevent a reoccurrence of the rust. My favorite product for this purpose is POR-15. POR-15, like many paints and similar products, is a potentially dangerous chemical. Please follow the instructions for use included with the product. Figure 18: a footwell flap with new foam
installed Installing foam on flaps. Each flap needs a soft seal around the edges to close off airflow at the opening covered by the flap. The original foam provided by the factory was an open cell, fairly light-density foam. I suggest using a higher density, closed-cell foam as a replacement. Selfadhesive foam makes installation simple, and it is readily available from your local hardware store for home insulation (sealing doors, windows and the like). Cut the foam to the size and shape of the flaps. Foam wide enough to cover the flaps with one strip is hard to find. However, narrower strips are easy to apply so that the result is almost seamless. Replace flap bushings. Replace the pivot bushing for each flap. In the case of the fresh air flap, there is a bushing on each end, seated in the tabs at the flap opening on the front box section. See the materials list above for the correct size rubber grommets to use as bushings. The bushings mount in the flap brackets. You will need to lubricate each bushing with rubber lubricant before reinstalling the flap in the bushing, and you will have to insert and install each flap shaft into each bushing before you re-install the flap mounting hardware in the box. I suggest using synthetic brake caliper grease for this purpose. See Figures 15, 16 and 17 above for pictures showing flap pivot bushings installed (and greased up with red synthetic grease…) in the box. Figure 19: JB Weld applied to case
crack Repair case cracks. Check for cracks in your heater box case. Most cracks in the plastic heater box case can be repaired with a good epoxy like JB Weld. Rough up the plastic on the edges of the crack with a medium grit sandpaper. Work the epoxy into the crack and thoroughly cover both sides of the crack with the epoxy, to a distance of at least .25" on each side of the crack. Let the epoxy dry before you do any more work with the box. Heater control assemblies. Your heater controls may be dry and oxidized/rusty. The control assemblies originally had an anodized surface, but in older cars/cars more exposed to the elements, the anodization may deteriorate, allowing rust to set in. The oxidization and rust can be removed with steel wool or fine sandpaper, but I like to use the stainless steel brush/bench grinder combo. After rust removal, clean and lubricate the entire assembly, especially the control lever pivots, with a light oil or dry spray lubricant. Then, lubricate the end of each cable- move the cable out to the extent of its travel and lightly coat each end with grease. Move the cable in and out to make sure that there is no excess grease at the end and that the cable moves freely. For cables that remain stiff and hard to move after this procedure, try dripping some solvent into the end of the cable between the cable and cable housing, letting it run down into the cable housing, to remove dirt build-up. Then, do the same with your spray lubricant. If the cable is still difficult to move after this process, you may need to replace the cable. The cables, referred to as “Bowden” cables, remain available from 02 parts suppliers. Figure 20: disassembled coolant valve Coolant control valve. Inspect your valve; check for easy movement of the valve mechanism inside by the body by moving the lever arm back and forth. If the valve movement is excessively difficult, the valve can be disassembled by removing the C-clip (see Figure 20 below) and cleaned. Clean the O ring seal with solvent and then with Vinylex. Use a bit of synthetic grease when reassembling. If the O ring appears to be flattened or worn, you can find a replacement at your local hardware store by taking the O ring in and matching the size. The valve is made of brass, so if you are interested in cosmetics, the valve may be polished up nicely by the ol’ wire brush/bench grinder setup. After polishing, coat the valve with a clear protectant like POR-15. Reassembling the Heater Box. Reinstallation is more or less the reverse of removal. If you have any problems, read the instructions for removal again, and note the comments about the position of washers and hardware. Flap reinstallation. The fresh air flap can be reinstalled after installation of the pivot bushings (grommet) on each side by placing the flap shaft into the grommets and bending the side pieces back in place with a 90-degree angle to the shaft. For the defrost and footwell flaps, reassemble each flap set as a unit outside of the box (flap pivot bushings installed in bracket, with top flap shaft inserted through brackets- remember to install a flat washer on each flap), and then set each of them into the box to attach the flap-set bracket to the box. The brackets can either be re-riveted into the box or attached to the box using small pan-head screws the diameter of the original rivets. I recommend using rivets for a clean, original appearing installation, but if you do use screws, make sure you use all stainless hardware, with self-locking nuts and flat washers on the outside of the case. Make sure to lube the bushings and the pivot holes in the case where the lower flap shafts insert well with synthetic grease. Reinstall control rods and cables. Reinstall the flap control rods by first placing a hard plastic spacer/bushing on the end of each flap shaft, lubricating the bushing with grease, installing the control rod over the bushings, and securing the control rod by pushing a spring clip onto the end of each flap shaft. Then, install the appropriate control cable by pushing the end of the cable onto the respective cable attachment point on each rod. In the case of the fresh air flap, attach the cable directly to the flap as per the original setup. Temporarily rejoin the front and rear box sections, hold them together and work the cables to make sure that cable movement is smooth, the flaps seal properly and the new foam fits well and does not bind on the edges of the flap openings. Now is the time to make sure that the control cables are properly adjusted, so that the flaps open and close all of the way, with the control levers correctly positioned at the control heads that mount in the dash. Adjustment is performed by positioning the cable housing clamps properly at the mounting point on the box and at the control head. If everything works OK, you are ready to complete the reassembly of your box. Reinstall heater core. Place a thin strip of closed-cell foam around the bottom and sides of the heater core (put it where the original foam was located... you should be able to see the mark on the core from the original foam) and slide the core into the mounting slots on the sides of the rear section. Make sure to reinstall the aluminum heat shield over the plastic slot nearest to the resistor assembly (see Figure 13 above). Reassemble box sections. Join the front and rear box sections and reinstall the spring clips in their original locations on the lip on the rear of the sections by sliding them on from the side. If any of the clips seem loose after installation, you can remove the clip and bend it together a bit with pliers. Position the top of the box and reconnect the two wires from the fan motor to the connectors at the resistor assembly in the lower part of the box. These connectors are polarized and so can only be reattached correctly. However, just for grins, you may want to spin up the fan with your +12V power source connected to the outside of the box at the resistor pack. This will also allow you to check each resistor/fan speed. Make sure that air is moved into the box by the fan. Test fit the top by operating the fresh air flap to make sure it does not impact the fan blades. Rivet the top to the front and rear box sections. I recommend using stainless or brass washers under the rivets, which distribute the load around the rivets better (preventing case cracks) and help compensate for enlarged holes. Coolant valve. Replace the short hose piece between the core inlet and the coolant valve, unless your original hose is in pristine condition, and install the valve. If your case mounting bracket is intact or you are using a metal bracket reinforcement (as described in paragraph D(3) above). Connect the lever arm from the valve to the control cable. Move the control cable back and forth to make sure that the lever arm is correctly installed. The valve should be closed when the cable is pulled in (lever at control assemble pushed fully to the left, and open when the cable is pushed out (cable moves out of cable end at valve; lever at control assembly moved to the right).  
REINSTALLING THE REFURBISHED HEATER BOX INTO THE CAR
The reinstallation of the box is the reverse of removal. Be careful to seal the box against the opening in the plenum with some 3M Strip-Calk, silicone caulk or thin, closed-cell foam. Leaks around heater boxes are a common cause of rust in the firewall and floor area, so extra attention to this area is worthwhile. Reinstall the hoses, and tighten down the clamps. Open the heater valve and re-fill the cooling system with a 50/50 mix of distilled water and BMW coolant. Start the motor and add any additional coolant needed to top off the system. Warm up the car and make sure nothing is leaking. Enjoy!
 
V3.0 Addendum by @jgerock:
I have confirmed that the new replacement Behr heater fan with Bosch motor (made in Spain) has reverse polarity as compared to the original Bosch German motors. Looking at the motor with the (2) terminals facing you, the left-hand (Male spade) is negative (-) and the right-hand (Female) is positive (+). While "bench testing", I connected my new fan up to the original wires (red + from left-side of the resistor board and brown - from the right side of the resistor board) and it turned backward, blowing air out of the box. The fan blades may be slightly different on the new assembly, which may interfere with both the plastic cage and fresh air flap (when fully opened). I'm having trouble getting clearance after multiple "adjustments" to the blades. The red plastic bushings that secure the fan to the motor shaft may push apart from each other, causing the fan to become wobbly (See note 2). Make sure they are pushed up tight against the fan. When re-installing the top cover (with fan) to the main housing, leave the (2) large heater core tube grommets off until you have positioned the top onto the box. I found this method is much easier. To fit the large grommets, start by fitting them at a sharp angle to the cover, then use a small flat-blade screwdriver to carefully work them into place. New seals are definitely needed when you are re-doing your heater. Pre-fit the small grommet for the heater valve in the cover, then fish the cable through the grommet while tilting the cover down into place. Instead of using rivets to hold the top cover to the box, I purchased some brass hardware from Lowes'. I got this idea from Keith Kreeger's website, www.my2002tii.com. Here is what I used: (6) 10-24 x 1/2" long round slotted machine bolts (12) #14S flat washers (above and below the box) (6) 10-24 nuts Instead of using foam weatherstripping on the cover to the body, I'm going to use EDPM Rubber weather seal ($ 6.28 from Lowes'). MD # 63669 5/16" x 19/32" x 10  
hegedus
Re-padding the stock '02 seats is a time-consuming but worthwhile procedure. While most people will simply upgrade to some nice Recaros when their original seats have had it, many prefer the original look or simply can't yet afford to go with some replacement Recaros. For these people, re-stuffing the original seats is a great option.
 
In my case, I re-padded the front seats in my 1975 2002 for about $35 worth of foam and a few evenings of work in my spare time. The first seat I tried took about eight hours, and the second one was about six hours. Although it took a while, the results are great and I got to clean and condition the seats while they were out of the car. Parts/Tools Needed:
Foam pads from upholstery shop or crafts store (more on these below) X-acto knife Needle-nose pliers Flat head screwdriver Phillips screwdriver FAT Phillips screwdriver for the side screws Sockets, spanner set, or crescent wrenches Optional: some 1/4" car headliner foam to put under horsehairs (if you are refitting them)  
For new foam pads, I bought some 2" foam from a fabric/crafts store. Measure your seats & backs and add a couple inches either way- you will be trimming them to fit. For me, it cost approx. $35, which isn't bad compared to the cost of Recaros. This was the very flexible upholstery foam...the kind you can squeeze to "zero." They had white and green, and I went for the green, which seemed denser. The thickness of the foam will depend on the condition of your existing horsehair pads and whether you want to reuse whatever is left of them. Mine were close to gone, especially the driver's seat, but still all one piece. I chose to refit the horsehairs under the foam, so I only needed the 2" thick stuff. If your horsehair pads are completely gone, then you will want to get thicker foam.
 
Restuffing Procedure:
The following assumes that all '02 seats are constructed basically the same, but as I mentioned my car is a '75. First you want to take the seats out, remove the rails, and then dismantle the hardware. There is a reason why this took so long, and that is because you want to be careful with your old seat materials!
 
Pull the covers off slowly...they are attached by a series of metal hooks on the frame. Pry the hooks up to make it easier, and be careful, they're sharp 'n' rusty! I just used my hands to pull the vinyl back, afraid that pliers would tear it.
Cut the foam to fit, with a little overlap. If you want (I didn't think of this till after I was done) you could get even thicker padding & custom cut the "wings" of the seats, for a more "Recaro" feel.
 
I took some car headliner foam (about 1/4" thick and a few extra bucks) and sewed it to the spring frame to make a base for the old horsehairs so they wouldn't shed into the car.
 
Refit the horsehairs (if you are re-using them), then place the foam into position. Putting the seat covers over the stuffing is a wrestling match, so get yourself pumped up! I managed not to tear the vinyl, but you should check your covers and their seams and make sure they're strong enough for the stretching. If they're dry & brittle, it might be a different story. I wasn't able to re-pad the headrests (the stems were pretty rusty & didn't want to move...and they are still semi-comfy, so I skipped 'em).
 
Start with the front of the seat, and then work your way to the back, hooking along the way. You have to work with the material and the foam to keep it in place. When you're about three-fourths of the way back, grab the front of the seat and pull the cover towards the back, coaxing it into place. At first, I didn't think there was much leeway at all for stretching. Then I got a little brave and figured out how to coax the cover. It does give a bit...you just gotta work it along. By far, this was the most aggravating part; I found talking to the seat helpful!
 
Before you put the seats back into the car, it's a good time to clean 'em up a bit with a brush and your cleaner of choice... not to mention a GREAT time to crack a cold one! Reassemble the rails hardware, then bolt the seats back into car. I used a couple of washers under the front rails to 'lift' the front of the seat slightly (provides a better driving support...a cool tip I got from the message board).
 
If you want to try extra padding in the lumbar area, go for it. But the funny thing is that when the seats were back in place, the lower half of the seat back felt much thicker and supportive. I don't know how that happened, but the lumbar support was instantly built-in and noticeable! It was such an extreme difference at first, I didn't think that I could lean all the way back and drive at the same time! Shows how bad off the original padding was! Now, I sit upright and drive, and it feels GOOD!
 
Anyway, one size of foam did the trick for support and comfort. Though I did think of getting 1/2" or 1" pieces to add to specific areas, I just went for one size and it worked out fine. It also followed the natural design of the original seat, which isn't exactly the most ergonomically fine specimen, but it's adequate enough for straight posture (and the '60s design rules!).
 
I do want to try beefing up the bolsters sometime, especially now that I've done it before. It's a "crazy" project, but well worth it on that next drive...very comfy! I plan to do the rear bench next...and can't wait! I'm just amazed that I took on the project, and it came out nice! I still dream of Recaros, though. I hope this helps and if you have any questions, please post them to the Forum!
duckdudess
I recently recovered a set of e21 Recaros for use in my 1970 2002.  The rear seat was in great shape with black factory basketweave vinyl.  I wanted to match the pattern with the recovered seats in the front and began to research the alternatives.  The goal was to find a source with as close a match as possible, both in pattern and feel.  The feel is subjective since the original vinyl on the rear seat was somewhat hard after 50 years as was the passenger's front seat, but the weight/quality of the original vinyl was noticeably different than that used when I previously had the driver's seat recovered locally.
 
I contacted several suppliers, received samples from each and eventually selected #1010S Black basketweave from GAAH in North Hollywood.  I also used their smooth vinyl #0005 Black.  It felt the best, my calipers measured it as the thickest and the pattern, while not exactly the same as the original, was close enough that without a close inspection, it looks like a good match to the original rear seat.  More on that difference below.
 
I considered these sources:
 
BMW - they still sell the basketweave vinyl.  The sample was 1 yard which was the minimum quantity. It was OK, but no better than any of the domestically produced vinyl alternatives.  A FAQer got a good price on the resale.
 
World Upholstery - 150 Basketweave.  Pattern was fine, embossing a little faint, material weight similar to other domestic choices (lighter weight).
 
Global Upholstery - R120 Basketweave.  Very similar  to GAAH vinyl.  Slightly more distinct embossing. Looked almost the same thickness as GAAH, but maybe a little thinner and I liked the feel of the GAAH better,  Also, while I called and spoke with Global Upholstery, I received the sample and business card from Steven Sperling who has an eBay store called zoomzoomzoom-ing.  Lots of forum discussions that raised some concerns.
 
GAAH - #1010S Black Vinyl ""Basketweave" looked and felt the best and their smooth vinyl #0005 is also a very close match to the original.  This basketweave was the highest priced at ~$75/yard. However, the material is not a major cost in the job, it's the labor. No surprise. GAAH also has an "In House" basketweave pattern, but it must be intended for other Euro cars because it's not even close to the BMW version.
 
A couple of notes for those of you that have basketweave seats and are considering a recovering project.
- The primary difference between all of these patterns and the original vinyl pattern is that the original has vertical seams or lines every couple of inches  that may have simulated what actual stitching may have looked like had then been used.  None of the patterns I found, included that sold by BMW
had that feature.
- The basketweave has an orientation. If you look closely, there are rectangular bar between the divots. The original seats had the long part of the rectangles parallel to the sides of the seats. So running front to back on the seat bottom and bottom to top on the back.  I mention this because it apparently takes 2X the replacement material to sew them like this, but if you don't, or don't tell the upholsterer, you're going to get fronts that don't match the backs, which defeats the whole purpose.
 
Last, as many before me have testified, a shout out to Dave Varco is warranted. He did the seat work and it is truly spectacular. They feel and look like they are new.  I would never send a set of seats, or refer a friend, anywhere else.


Stevenc22
Having recently completed my air conditioning system, i thought i would layout what it takes to install your own modern air conditioning system. Air conditioning is one of those mysterious things that everyone is afraid of when in actuality its not much more complicated that the coolant system on an M10. There is a liquid that gets pumped around a sealed system and as it expands it cools and then we compress it again through the compressor, lower its temperature though the condenser and then repeat the process.
A basic air conditioning system is made up of the following components.
Evaporator (The unit that mounts in the vehicle and has your AC controls and vents)
Compressor and mounting bracket
Condenser (The radiator that mounts at the front of the car in the engine bay)
Electric push fan
Hoses and dryer
I will discuss what you need to know about each component:
 
EVAPORATOR
This is going to be the toughest component to track down because you cannot buy a new unit. 2002 did not come with air conditioning from factory and so you have to track down an aftermarket unit from the 70's that was installed into the cars by the dealer. You need to source a used Clady, Behr or Fridgeking evaporator / center console though the for sale forums. Any unit you get should be pressure tested and the expansion valve replaced.

This is my Behr system. The systems all look different and different people prefer the looks of different systems.
The evaporator produces a large amount of water when it operates and the evaporators have a water drain hole in the bottom. You will need to drill a hole through the top of the transmission tunnel to install a rubber drain hose so that the water doesn't flood your interior. The switches for the evaporator should be cleaned, checked for electrical function.
 
Remember old evaporators use flare fittings. Modern hose kits are O ring kits. You will need flare to O ring adapters that are used with flare fittings in order to convert the flare fittings to O ring fittings. #6 and #10 flare adapters.
https://nostalgicac.com/fittings-hose-kits/flare-adapters/6-flare-to-o-ring-fitting-adapter.html
https://nostalgicac.com/fittings-hose-kits/flare-adapters/10-flare-to-o-ring-fitting-adapter.html
 
You can also buy copper crush washers which go into the flare adapters to help with the seal if your flare ends aren't in pristine condition.
 
 
COMPRESSOR AND BRACKET
We will keep this simple. The old system compressors are much larger and heavier than modern rotary style compressors. Dont even bother with an old compressor. Buy a modern Sanden 508 compressor. You can buy genuine Sanden for $250 or a chinese knockoff for $130-$150. You will need a V belt model and these can be gotten from Ebay or http://nostalgicac.com/.


Very important. The Compressors must be filed with oil. There are different types of oil and some oils are compatible with old style freon (R12) and some are compatible with new style freon (R134a). Since R12 can no longer be obtained you might as well plan on using R134a freon which mean Pag or Ester oil.
 
Compressor uses 6oz of oil after you fully drain all the shipping oil from the unit.
 
The bracket is easy. The Clardy system came with a bracket that fits the Sanden 508 compressor but also luckily a 2002faq member is now making an excellent bracket which can be bought from hobiedave.
http://www.bmw2002faq.com/topic/82340-custom-made-ac-compressor-brackets-sold-out/?hl=hobiedave
 
 
Blunttech now also sells a Sanden 508 bracket
 
https://www.blunttech.com/shop/replacement-parts/climate-control/1448btkt
 
CONDENSER
The condenser is simply a matter of size. The bigger the better but you need to factor in how big can you fit into the nose of the 2002 and whether or not you are willing to cut the support bars to fit a larger condenser.
A 9" x 12" condenser fits perfectly with no cutting however that is definitely considered on the small size. They make 10" x 18" condensers which might just fit without cutting but i have not tested this. You will need to decide how big you want to go here.

You will need to mount this to the front of the nose, there are condenser mounting straps or you can zip tie it in depending on how much drilling and modifying you want to do.
 
FAN
You will need an electric fan on a relay kit to blow air through the condenser. The fan should be sized appropriately to fit into the nose of the 2002.


I used a 10 inch fan which in my opinion fit perfectly. Don't forget to power the fan directly from the battery with a relay kit since it draws a lot of amps.
 
HOSES AND DRYER
People get scared by the plumbing of the AC system, but its actually very simple. There are standard AC hose sizes and certain sizes go between certain components.
You will use #10, #8 and #6 size hose in your install.
The #10 runs from the evaporator to the compressor. The #8 runs from the compressor to the Condenser. The #6 runs from the condenser to the dryer and then back to the evaporator.

Ebay and http://nostalgicac.com/ sell "Hose Kits" which include the hoses, connections, safety switch and the dryer. Buy a universal kit and it should have everything you need!

The safety switch measures freon pressure levels and cutoff the system if levels get too high or too low. It gets wired in series with the AC controls and compressor.

To make your own AC lines you will need a crimper tool. I used this one and it worked great.

 
 
I also used a substance called Nyloc with all my o ring fittings. Its a type of AC sealant and you coat the O rings in it before tightening and it helps to minimize any leaks. This stuff is option but recommended.
 
Once everything is installed you will need to have the system charged with freon by a professional AC shop. But if everything goes to plan you will have good cold AC for under $1000.

 
 
 
EDIT:
 
If you wish to charge the system your self, you will need a proper 3 line gauge set ($35 on ebay) and a vacuum pump ($50 on ebay)
 
Attach the low and high pressure lines to the AC system, attach vacuum pump to yellow line and start vacuuming. Open low pressure side valve on gauge and allow pressure to drop to -30psi. Vacuum for 30 minutes to remove moisture and air from system. Close low pressure valve and remove pump. Make sure system holds negative pressure for 30 minutes to ensure no leaks. Afterwards attach a can of Freon to yellow line. Start car and turn on AC to max. Open low pressure valve and let Freon into system. Low pressure should jump up to 60 psi but then the compressor should kick on and pressure will drop down to below 20. Note that the compressor pulley always spins but only when the clutch kicks in and the center part of the pulley is spinning is Freon being pumped!
 
System will likely need 2 cans of R134a Freon (Maybe a little more. 3 cans is too much). We want low pressure of about 30-35 psi and high pressure around 250 on a nice day. (Pressures vary by day time temperatures). Remember to close the low pressure valve when switching Freon cans. Also the gauges pressures sometimes take a while to settle so add the 2 cans and then rev the motor up and let the system cycle a bit before deciding if pressures are right or if more is needed.
 
A system with too much Freon will not cool! More is not better!
 
Stevenc22
My torsion bar never worked on my car so i recently set about to convert the hood to gas struts.
 
I ordered 20" extended 30lb struts off amazon (12" closed) and 10mm ball studs
 
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00Y3H1AQE/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MXYP21F/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 
The top and bottom brackets are made out of 1 inch thick wall aluminum L bar.

 
 
The bottom bracket is a 7 inch piece of L bar with an M8 hole to attach to the old mount and another M8 hole for the 10mm ball mount to attach. The Ball mount should be drilled towards the top so the strut can clear underneath as it rotates.
 
The L bar was also bent slightly to push the ball stud 10mm closer to the engine bay and bolted in and stuck down with 3m tape.
 


 
 
 
The top bracket is a straight piece of L beam 12 inches long. I used the end cap off the old torsion bar as a template to draw in my dill holes. The drill holes are situated to make the bracket angle backwards about an inch towards the hood. This raises the shock off the fender when closing the hood. The 10mm ball stud is just drilled in on the end.
 
 

 
 
I added a 3/4 inch square cross brace to the hood to give the hood rigidity when opening and closing or else the hood tends to webble wooble when being opened or closed. The bar is 54 1/4 inches long and cut exactly to length the fit between the brackets. It is then bolted in place with a M8 bolt and nut and really makes a good difference opening and closing the hood. Be careful, the cross bar just clears the fender by 1mm so your hood clearances need to be spot on or the cross bar could hit the fender.
 

 
hegedus
Two Piece Dash Removal Procedure
Written by Chris Blumenthal Monday, 05 September 2005
Disconnect your battery by removing the ground cable and securing it out of the way so it can't spring back and make contact. Safety first!
Instructions:
Disconnect your battery by removing the ground cable and securing it out of the way so it can't spring back and make contact. Safety first! Remove the fiberboard underdash panels. Put your safety glasses on before this part of the procedure... you would not want an errant screw falling in one of your eyes. First, label or mark the panels with numbers on masking tape or the like. This will help you remember which panel goes where when it is time to reinstall the panels. Alternately, if you have a digital camera, taking pics of the layout before removal will help you get everything back in straight. Remove the screws holding each panel in place, put the screws in a container like a coffee can or plastic margarine tub, and put the panels in a safe place. This advice regarding putting fasteners and other small bits in a secure container applies to this procedure in its entirety. You will find that reinstallation of your dash will be infinitely easier if you haven't lost any of the bit and pieces, and they are all in one, convenient location. Remove the glove box. Remove the three small (8MM head) bolts that attach the glove box hinge to the sheet metal bracket attached to the firewall in the passenger footwell. You will be able to see these bolts if you lie in the passenger footwell with your head as far toward the firewall as possible. Look straight up and you will see the bottom of the hinge at the rear of the glove box. You may have to move the right dash vent hose slightly to have a clear view. Access is somewhat difficult because the hinge is at the top of the rear part of the glove box, but a 1/4" socket wrench with a 6" extension will do the job. Remove the console. The console can be removed as a unit. It is held in place by only 2 screws- one in an angle bracket that attaches and locates the upper right side to a sheet metal finger at the bottom of the dash. The other screw is hidden beneath the inner console base, which is the flat piece that fits inside and forms the bottom "deck" of the console. The base is just sitting in the bottom of the console (no screws). After you remove the locating screw from the top of the console, you should be able to move the console from side to side a bit and insert your fingers or some flat object between the transmission tunnel and the side of the console, pushing the base panel up several inches at the end toward the shifter. Then, you will be able to see where the "console tray" (the piece on which the shifter boot mounts) is attached by a single screw to the sheet metal of the transmission tunnel. After you remove these 2 screws, you can pull the console back a bit, and then use a screwdriver to pry off the connector from the back of the emergency flasher button (Note: in early cars the hazard switch is not mounted in the console, so disregard this step). Remove the shift knob by unscrewing it counterclockwise, and pull the console back, up and over the shifter. Remove it from the car and put it in a safe place. Remove the screws that hold the front of the dash to the underdash sheet metal. All are obvious except for the two behind the upper steering column trim piece. Remove instrument panel. Get on your back in the footwell on the driver's side of the car with your head pushed up against the clutch and brake pedals, and shine a flashlight straight up under the dash. Still have your safety glasses on? You should be able to see the round aluminum nuts on each side behind the instrument panel pod, and the spot where the speedo cable is held to a threaded attachment point on the back of the speedo with a round, aluminum end piece. Both the aluminum nuts and speedo cable end piece are intended to be removable by hand- you should be able to stick your hand up under the dash, loosen and remove the aluminum nuts and the speedo cable end piece with your fingers. First remove the speedometer cable attachment, and then the round, knurled, aluminum finger nuts that hold the instrument panel in place. If you cannot loosen by hand, use an appropriate tool (a simple pair of pliers may work best). After you have removed the nuts and speedo cable, pull the instrument panel gently forward, just enough to gain access to the back of the panel. You will need to remove the wiring harnesses attached to the back of the instrument panel (a circular plug connected to the left rear of the panel, and a wire connected to the right rear) before you can completely remove the panel. These wiring harnesses can be gently pried off with the end of a long, thin flat blade screwdriver inserted between the connector and the instrument panel. It may help to shine a flashlight behind the panel to get a better view of the wiring attachments. After the wiring harnesses have been removed, you can pull the instrument panel up and out of the dash board assembly. Remove the 8MM dash attachment nuts from behind instrument panel. There are two studs from the upper part of the instrument panel that insert through the sheet metal on the right and left side of the instrument panel pod- remove the small nut on each. Note that you will have to remove the lower switches from the dash around the instrument panel in order to gain access to these nuts. Remove the wiring harnesses from behind the switches around the periphery of the instrument panel area. If you are removing the upper part of the dash completely, you will need to disconnect and remove all of the switches that are mounted in the dash around the outside of the instrument panel area (e.g., switches for lights, wiper speed, rear window defroster, etc.). Grasp the connectors on the rear of each switch and pull off toward the front of the car. It should be fairly self apparent how the switch assemblies come out, but here are a few clues: for most of the switches, the knobs screw on and off. After you have removed the knob, you will see that there is a bezel with slots at the base of the shaft of the switch. These bezels are nuts that are threaded on to the switch and hold it in place in the dash. Take a small, flat blade screwdriver and a hammer and carefully thread the bezel off of the switch by lightly tapping against the left side of the upper-most slot (you will want to move the bezel off the switch in a counter-clockwise motion). Note: extreme caution is appropriate with this procedure; if you slip with the screwdriver, you may damage your dash. After you have removed the threaded bezel from the switch, the body of the switch assembly will pull out from the rear of the dash into the instrument panel pod area. You can then remove it from the car. The power socket (OK, cigarette lighter as it was known in the day...) can be removed by unscrewing the cylindrical piece that is mounted on the rear of the socket. Remove the nuts from the studs on the far right and left of the upper dash piece. These studs are part of the upper dash piece, but point toward the floor and extend through two holes in the lower dash piece and the sheet metal under the dash. Look under the dash at the far right and left, approx. 3" from the side and front, and you will see a small nut attached to each stud that must be removed. Hint: you will have to lie on your back and look straight up at the bottom corners of the dash to see these studs/nuts. Note that you cannot remove the lower dash piece until you have removed the nuts from these studs, and pushed the upper dash piece up on each side to move the stud out of the way of the hole in the lower dash piece. Loosen the clamps from the vent hoses attached to the front of the dash. On each side of the dash, there are vents that provide the defroster air at the base of the windshield. These clamps are attached to a sheet metal extension behind each plastic vent; the vents are attached to the dash. Let the clamp drop off of the vent so that vent is no longer constrained by the clamp/sheet metal. You are now ready to pull the top piece of the dash up. You may find the front of the dash (toward radiator) to be a bit wedged under the windshield, but the bigger problem in getting the dash out may be that the far right and left sides of the upper dash piece are stuck in. You may need to get under the dash and push up on the studs in order to break each side loose. Then, you can tilt the front of the top piece up a bit toward you and pull the whole thing up and out. You may have to move the dash around a bit to get the lower part of the vents on each side (which remain attached to the dash when you remove it) to clear the sheet metal underneath. After you remove the top piece, the bottom piece should just pull right out toward you. Installation, as they say, is the reverse of removal. Note, however, that there are two locating pins attached to the dash near the center. These pins fit into sheet metal slots that are attached to the bulkhead at the base of the windshield. You will see them when you remove the dash. When you reinstall the upper part of the dash, you will need to align the two pins with the slots and tilt the front of the dash down so that it fits under the windshield seal. Note: on later cars, the dash is attached at the same points with two screws; it is necessary to remove the windshield in order to gain access to these screws.
Good Luck! If you have any questions please post them on the FAQ message board!
1Eighteen
I really struggled installing these seals, they are a real barsteward to fit and there are a few tricks that are not immediately obvious.  So, I have decided to share "my" method, it may differ from your method, but it works, so please if you've done it a different way, that's fine, so long as it works for you.
 
Firstly tools I used:
 
Nylon hammer
Razor blade
Plastic trim tool set (Ebay - less than $2)
Sharpie pen
Hole punch tool
 

 

 

 

 
By far the most difficult and most important part of this installation is getting the 'kink' part of the frame installed correctly.  If you don't do this, it will fail, when you install the interior 'U' trim, as the pressure will pull it back out of the frame and you'll have to start over !!  Not funny, trust me, I know...... it really pisses you off !!
 
So, the basic method is as follows:
 
I won't go into removing the old glass in detail, but if you haven't yet done this, beware of the retaining pin, that holds it in behind the B pillar rubber seal, if you go pulling and then pull harder because it won't budge, it will eventually shatter.........I know.......I just know OK.  There is just one pin and it is towards the top of the B pillar.
 
If you have fitted the metal B pillar glass channel, remove it.  You will see why later.  Take the seal and first, fit the lower horizontal portion into the chrome trim, this is generally a good fit and shouldn't need trimming, just ensure it is a nice fit and you have pushed it into the recess of the chrome trim.   DON'T TRIM THE SEAL AT ALL YET AT THE B PILLAR END.
 
                                                           
 
I found the next bit crucial if you want the seal to remain in place.  You need to take the razor blade and trim the seal, on the inside edge, where it sits in the kink, otherwise when you bend it to fit, the inside edge splays out and makes it virtually impossible to fit into the frame.
 
Just mark the area where it kinks, and shave off the edge.  Don't worry, it won't affect the seal, or be noticeable once installed.
                                                          
 
You are now ready to start installing the seal into the frame.  Don't do this in isolation, push the interior 'U' trim into place on the inside, at the same time, working a few inches at a time, this will ensure the seal fits correctly and means you find out right away, if something isn't right, rather than wait till after you thought you'd finished !!!  Use your plastic trim tool, to start pushing the seal into the frame, starting at the very bottom.  Work a couple of inches and you'll almost be up to the kink area, then stop and go about 3 inches above the kink and start working back down towards it, pushing the rubber into the kink at the same time.  It is vital that you now ensure the interior 'U' trim, is fitted correctly and snugly and as it should be, use your nylon hammer to tap everything into place and don't move on until you're happy that this area is fully fitted and won't pull out later.
 
 
                                                I used this tool, it takes quite a bit of force to push the seal behind the frame.
                                                          
 
                                                                  You should now have something resembling this
                                                        
 
So, now you're happy with this area, go ahead and work the rest of the seal into the frame work up towards the B pillar.  Just work it slowly and remembering to also fit the interior trim as you go.  Stop every 6 inches and give the seal and trim a few taps with your hammer, to settle it into position.
 
                                                     
 
Once you get to the B pillar, you'll need to trim the seal.  I just used my razor blade for this, it was easy.  You need to judge where to cut for yourself, but for obvious reasons - don't go cutting I too short !!!!
 
                                                 
 
Once you have the seal in place, pat yourself on the back, go and make a coffee and rest your hands, because they'll most likely be killing you from all that pressing in of the rubber !!!
 
The next bit might differ from other people's methods, but trust me, it works and it makes life easier.
 
Basically, rather than fit the B pillar glass channel and rubber to the car and then fit the glass.  Fit everything TO the glass, then the whole lot to the car in one hit.
 
So, take the metal channel and temporarily refit it to the frame, with a couple of screws, then fit the new rubber piece and centre it between the other seal, you'll notice the outer bit of rubber will need to be trimmed, do it later when the glass is fitted, so you know it's correct.
 

 

 
The reason to fit these now, is to mark for a new hole, for the glass retaining pin, as the holes in the new rubber are most likely not in the correct place !!!  So, go ahead and mark where the pin would go through the rubber.
 
Then take your hole punch tool and punch a couple of new holes for your new split pin (not supplied).

 
Now fit everything to the glass, including the opening handle (if it was removed).  The pin is inserted from the inside, as shown, but I don't think it would matter too much which way !!
 
                                                                                 Scuse the grubby fingers !!

 

 

 
Now carefully push the glass into position on the B pillar, paying attention to the rubber seal sitting correctly. Once inserted, whilst holding the glass, reattach the opening handle to the C pillar (thus ensuring the glass won't fall out).  I did mine without a rear window, so it was simple, but if you have a rear window installed, you might need someone in the car to help out.
 

 
Now, on the inside of the car, pull back the B pillar rubber trim to reveal the metal channel and the holes to secure it, using the self-tapping screws.
 

 

 
              Refit the four screws and push the rubber seal back into position, then trim off the excess rubber on the outside.
 
                                                                                            Hey Presto.....You're done.... Congratulations !
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
M2M3
I am putting in an Esty carpet kit, so i figured i would take some pics along the way. any suggestions to make this process better are appreciated!
When you get the box with the kit in the mail, open it up and check out all the cool pieces.
Do not lose or misplace one and think Esty forgot to put it in the box. She didn't, you lost it.
?
I used Esty's posted instructions as a guide.
Things you need:
-the carpet
-3m super 90 spray adhesive
-set of misc clamps from Lowes
-razor knife
-good pair of scissors
-marker
assuming you already removed entire interior, put down Rammat and put down a layer of Ensolite..

Start with the back piece that goes under the rear seat. you will have to trim the center tunnel
opening to make it 1/4 in larger. once you get that to fit, trim the outside edges as they will
need to conform to rocker shape. the top of the piece will be too tall. fold it over the top of the metal wall,
mark where the back part of the wall is, and trim off the extra. will be around an inch.

now get out the super 90. spray back of carpet and reat seat support (including the top). wait two minutes.
CAREFULLY place the carpet in place, starting with the center. work out to the sides. this adhesive is
unforgiving. once you touch it together, it is stuck. once the front is stuck, clamp the top vertical part, then
fold over the top and clamp it down. in about 10min you can pull the clamps off.

next comes the rear side rocker pieces. this did not need much trimming. i just aligned the top unfinished edge
with the door edge. needed to cut about one inch slit at front and rear of the seat support to allow carpet to
fold down. kit i have put carpet all the way accross the seat mount with the vinyl hanging on the inside. now is a
good time to cut the hole for the seat slider lever....and poke holes for the seatbelt bolts!
the gluing part of this...i only put glue on the top and first inch or two down the sides. this makes the side
panel sort of a flap that allows access to wiring and gas line without ripping up the carpet.


next is the front rocker pieces. on these the only trim i did was cut a "V" for stress relief in the top front
part about 6in back. if you test fit you will see why. the back of this piece should overlap the rear piece by
about 1/2in. i glued this the same way as the rear rocker piece, just the top and about an inch or so down the
sides.


next comes the kick panels. these in clipped the top back 1/4in of the nice edging off to make it fit easier under
the pinch welt. install is pretty easy. jam it as far up as it will go and align the back edge with the door
opening edge. on the drivers side don't forget to mark and poke holes for the hood release lever. the upper bolt
for this actually needed a little "V" cut in the edging. it helped to clamp the back edge until the glue set.



that is as far as i have got so far. more tomorrow when i put the center tunnel piece down....
carpet install....part 2
ok, so the side pieces are in, time to do the mother of all carpet pieces the center tunnel section.
first, go buy a second can of super 90 adhesive. the first one is about to run out.
next, look at the area around the gas pedal on the floor and the center tunnel. do not layer on the padding or
sound deadener in either place, especially if you have or ever want to put a 5 spd in. the extra thickness will
interfere with the gas pedal and the room for your shoe between the brake and the tunnel.
esty's center piece is pretty close, but you will need to make a bunch of adjustment all around. start at the back.
the back of the piece against the rear seat support is the reference. i had to elongate the brake lever opening at
the back of the opening. be careful if you widen the opening, it is deceiving, you really don't need much.
i also had to make some cuts around the seat support to get it to rap nicely.

the gear shift hole was right on.
the front and around the edges is where you need to get creative. a number of stress relief slices and "v"'s need
to be cut to allow the carpet to lie semi flat.

also need to make cut to fit around the gas pedal mounting points.

now that you have all the trim and shaping done...here comes the fun part. how to you get this ungainly big piece of carpet covered in glue and place accurately? the trick is not all at once, and don't cover everthing with glue! you really only need glue on the top of the tunnel and slightly down the sides. i laid out the piece upside down and marked in cross-hatch where the glue will be eventually be needed.



when putting the piece in, start from the back and apply the glue in sections. don't cover the entire thing with glue! i first did the section from the e-brake back. sorry, no pic's of this part. my patient wife was getting the camera when i stuck it down.
next did the rest of the piece. put the tranny in 4th gear to give the hole in the carpet a clear shot on down.
adding glue



and sticking it down



it really helps to have a second set of hands at this point to carefully place the carpet and hold it down until the glue sets.
end part two.
-------------------------------
carpet install - part 3
at this point you have two options. you can flip up the sides and spray glue under there to stick them down, or you can leave it as is. i think i will leave the center section as is. i made enough stress relief cuts that it actually hangs nicely. once the center console is in, it will be fine. leaving the flaps unglued also makes it easier to run wires underneath.

the floor mats really don't need to be glued at all, the set nicely in place and don't move around.
here are some pics with the floor mats in place.




note, getting the drivers side around the pedals is not that bad. clutch on first, then brake, then push it way down and twist it 45deg to the left. gas pedal stub should slide on at this point. once the mat is down, use a razor knife to make two front to back slices over the gas pedal studs to let them poke through the carpet.
there is one place where i will ask Esty for her opinion on fit. maybe it is my car. the pass side front floor mat looks like it could be an inch thinner on the tunnel side with maybe a little more curve. as you can see from the pics, it bunches up just a little. since is is nicely trimmed in black,i did not want to make a stress relief cut in it.


there are still some details i need to finish, like poking holes for the seat belt bolts and the seat mount bolts, but the install is 95% done. i will refinish the seat mounts before getting to the little details.
------------------------
with the exception of the pinch welt, I finished the carpet install. wow, what a difference!! Esty's carpet kit came out great.



overall, very happy with the Esty Carpet Kit! It was not that difficult to install, and her sense of humor in her blog instructions was great! highly recommended if your 02 needs new rugs...
?
hegedus
Written by David Duncan
Wednesday, 07 September 2005
Repadding the stock '02 seats is a time-consuming but worthwile procedure. While most people will simply upgrade to some nice Recaros when their original seats have had it, many prefer the original look or simply can't yet afford to go with some replacement Recaros. For these people, restuffing the original seats is a great option.
In my case, I repadded the front seats in my 1975 2002 for about $35 worth of foam and a few evenings of work in my spare time. The first seat I tried took about eight hours, and the second one was about six hours. Although it took a while, the results are great and I got to clean and condition the seats while they were out of the car.
Parts/Tools Needed:
Foam pads from upholstery shop or crafts store (more on these below) X-acto knife Needle-nose pliers Flat head screwdriver Phillips screwdriver FAT Phillips screwdriver for the side screws Sockets, spanner set, or crescent wrenches Optional: some 1/4" car headliner foam to put under horsehairs (if you are refitting them) For new foam pads, I bought some 2" foam from a fabric/crafts store. Measure your seats & backs and add a couple inches either way- you will be trimming them to fit. For me, it cost approx. $35, which isn't bad compared to the cost of Recaros. This was the very flexible upholstery foam...the kind you can squeeze to "zero." They had white and green, and I went for the green, which seemed denser. The thickness of the foam will depend on the condition of your existing horsehair pads and whether you want to reuse whatever is left of them. Mine were close to gone, especially the driver's seat, but still all one piece. I chose to refit the horsehairs under the foam, so I only needed the 2" thick stuff. If your horsehair pads are completely gone, then you will want to get thicker foam.
Restuffing Procedure:
The following assumes that all '02 seats are constructed basically the same, but as I mentioned my car is a '75. First you want to take the seats out, remove the rails, and then dismantle the hardware. There is a reason why this took so long, and that is because you want to be careful with your old seat materials!
Pull the covers off slowly...they are attached by a series off metal hooks on the frame. Pry the hooks up to make it easier, and be careful, they're sharp 'n' rusty! I just used my hands to pull the vinyl back, afraid that pliers would tear it.
Cut the foam to fit, with a little overlap. If you want (I didn't think of this till after I was done) you could get even thicker padding & custom cut the "wings" of the seats, for a more "Recaro" feel.
I took some car headliner foam (about 1/4" thick and a few extra bucks) and sewed it to the spring frame to make a base for the old horsehairs so they wouldn't shed into the car.
Refit the horsehairs (if you are re-using them), then place the foam into position. Putting the seat covers over the stuffing is a wrestling match, so get yourself pumped up! I managed not to tear the vinyl, but you should check your covers and their seams and make sure they're strong enough for the stretching. If they're dry & brittle, it might be a different story. I wasn't able to repad the headrests (the stems were pretty rusty & didn't want to move...and they are still semi-comfy, so I skipped 'em).
Start with the front of the seat, and then work your way to the back, hooking along the way. You have to work with the material and the foam to keep it in place. When you're about three-fourths of the way back, grab the front of the seat and pull the cover towards the back, coaxing it into place. At first, I didn't think there was much leeway at all for stretching. Then I got a little brave and figured out how to coax the cover. It does give a bit...you just gotta work it along. By far, this was the most aggravating part; I found talking to the seat helpful!
Before you put the seats back into the car, it's a good time to clean 'em up a bit with a brush and your cleaner of choice... not to mention a GREAT time to crack a cold one! Reassemble the rails hardware, then bolt the seats back into car. I used a couple of washers under the front rails to 'lift' the front of the seat slightly (provides a better driving support...a cool tip I got from the message board).
If you want to try extra padding in the lumbar area, go for it. But the funny thing is that when the seats were back in place, the lower half of the seat back felt much thicker and supportive. I don't know how that happened, but the lumbar support was instantly built-in and noticeable! It was such an extreme difference at first, I didn't think that I could lean all the way back and drive at the same time! Shows how bad off the original padding was! Now, I sit upright and drive, and it feels GOOD!
Anyway, one size of foam did the trick for support and comfort. Though I did think of getting 1/2" or 1" pieces to add to specific areas, I just went for one size and it worked out fine. It also followed the natural design of the original seat, which isn't exactly the most ergonomically fine specimen, but it's adequate enough for straight posture (and the '60s design rules!).
I do want to try beefing up the bolsters sometime, especially now that I've done it before. It's a "crazy" project, but well worth it on that next drive...very comfy! I plan to do the rear bench next...and can't wait! I'm just amazed that I took on the project, and it came out nice! I still dream of Recaros, though. I hope this helps and if you have any questions, please post them to the Message Board!
COPYRIGHT 2002, BMW 2002 FAQ, Rob Shisler and Steve Kupper. All Rights Reserved.
 
Additional detail for beginners like me (mataku527):
- I used a combination of the green foam mentioned above and nu-fiber, which is reportedly similar to horsehair.
- Detailed breaking down of the seats procedure below, I found this order to be best:
 
First take the seats off the rails, there are two 10mm bolts on the front and 2 on the back rails:
 
 

 
Remove the side covers on both sides.  They are quite fragile.  The upper is held by a small tap, pry it off carefully.  
 

 
Remove the larger screws on the upper half:

 
Remove the wired connection from the upper half to the bracket.  For this part, it is easiest if you keep the upper half of the seat upright and open up the bracket away from the seat:

 
Pry up the circled part, it is only pressure inserted into the bar going across the bottom of the seat.  You have to line it up when reinstalling.:

 
Remove the spring clamp:

 
Once you do that, you can pull the whole bracket off and remove the rails.  
David Layton
While we have driven my 73 tii a bit this summer with the revised the ride-height, suspension and wheels tires; the motor was not quite right.  Performance was down and Jacob Marley was rattling the timing chains. 

In late September, my chief mechanic and brother Chris decided for various reasons to pull the motor, drop the sub-frame and transmission.  This was going to give us the opportunity to clean up the engine bay, revise any questionable wiring, totally clean the accumulated oil and grease and make any repairs prior to repainting the engine bay in Atlantic.  This will resolve the issues around painting the engine bay when the car was to be painted this winter.   (The hoist he put in his garage a couple of years back has been a great investment.)

While the motor has been out, the timing chain and oil pump chain and sprocket were replaced; after the timing marks, including the K-fischer pump, were painted in yellow.  We suspect that Scrooge’s late partner was rattling the oil pump chain as there was a full knuckle’s slack and back stagger in the alignment with the oil pump sprocket.  The stagger was from the sprocket which had been attached with the spacer between it and the nut in front causing wear on the back side of the teeth.   Chris found the correct answer on the FAQ, the spacer goes behind the sprocket and the planets were now aligned.
 
While the motor is sitting on the stand, we replaced all of the Kugelfischer hoses with Ireland silicone items.  Replacing these would have been ‘difficult’ if the motor was in the engine bay.  The Oil pan was in need of paint, so it was removed, stripped and repainted as were the sides of the block.  The oil pan was clean of metal and the crank looked fine.  Crank and bearings looked good, so these were not disturbed. 

We have also attached a new Sanden 509 AC Compressor on a Hobie Dave Bracket.  The AC will be new items under the hood flowing to a Behr Evaporator and Console.  The car had a Frigiking unit with a Sanden compressor that had a packed up clutch on a heavy dealer bracket.  As the Frigiking lines run dead center over the transmission, we are going to seal these up, clean up the metal and paint.  The lines for a Behr run a few inches to the right of the heater box (also being rebuilt).  We are taking many suggestions from Rob Siegel’s book and will use hose fittings on the firewall rather than running the AC lines straight through the firewall.  

Now to what’s behind the curtain where Carol Merrill is standing…..

The old firewall padding was pulled away revealing a rust area above the pedal box that had been partially patched from behind.  There is a bit of surface rust all along the firewall with bits of the foam and glue residue.  The firewall matt has been the perfect sponge to hold water against the firewall for the last 45 years.   I figured that somewhere in the project, there was going to be a rust surprise, here it was.   Left unnoticed it would have been a nastier surprise sometime next year when the pedal box would have begun to flex.
 
I now know why the engine was so loud.   Pedal box rebuild and shift linkage kits were ordered.  This will also lead to the pedals, pedal box, brake booster and support getting cleaned and painted.

Fortunately, Chris has a 72tii project (0440 – Colorado) which entailed the acquisition of a couple of parts cars.  One of these is a ’74 carburetor that is slowly returning to nature but the piece of the firewall above the pedal box was sound.  So a patch was made with this cut of firewall flank steak and pedal box surround was cut from 16 gauge steel.
 


 
 
And the patch is welded in and primed and surrounded in 3M paintable sealant.
 
We also put down the sealant in all of the crevices where water likes to collect and sit on both sides.
 
The sealant excess will be cut away and after it is painted over will blend it and keep the water out of the seams.
 
Inner Fender cleaned up.  Note the bead of 3M sealant where the inner fender and the frame rail meet.  This was done throughout to eliminate the collection spots.
 
The Firewall repaired with POR rust converter on the surface where water collected behind the firewall padding.  (In the background is one of the two parts cars.)
 
 

Primed Firewall.  The 2 new vertical holes are for the firewall fitting for AC lines.  System will use Behr Evaporator and Console.  Two holes over the transmission were from the earlier Frigiking AC and these will be plugged.    
 
The Painted Inner Fender.  The garage lighting and the camera flash makes the color appear lighter than it actually is.  In the sunlight, the color compares well with an original Glasurit paint chip book.
 
Engine Bay ready to sit for at least a week before we start re-assembly.  We have a new factory firewall pad and the various gaskets and clips.  Throttle linkage is being upgraded with one of Harry’s play-less Pull Rods, new return spring and bushings.  This will also be the time to sort out the wiring and add the wires for the new air conditioning.  Other items to tackle before the engine comes back include replacing the parking brake cables and the rear transmission mount.  
  
02 FAQ Blog on firewall.docx
Pramono
How to Reuse Heater Motor Metal Fan Blades
 
The replacement heater blower motor is no longer available as a complete assembly; only the blower motor itself. Many of us would like to keep the original metal or aluminum fan blade, but it’s almost impossible to remove the fan blade from the old/seized motor without destroying the pressed in the plastic bushing that the fan sits between. By this decade, any of these bushings have also become brittle and separated. If you have a very early metal blade that came with the set screw, then you may be able to transfer and reuse the blade if the set screw is not rusted out.
 
PRDesignSF has been proud to offer you the plastic fan blade that adapts to the new motor. Since there is a lot less weight for the motor to turn, it puts less stress on the motor, allowing it to last longer while providing almost the same airflow.
 
For those who would like to save and reuse the metal/aluminum blades, we have created an adapter screw from stainless steel that will work. Now you will be able to reuse the metal blade and make it look more original.
 
Here's a quick guide to removing the blade safely without destroying it. The one thing that you do not want to do is attempt to yank the blade off the shaft; you will damage the blade. The metal shaft needs to be cut off and press out. You could reuse the plastic bushing if they are still in good condition, or if you do not want to take a chance for the bushing to become separated in the future, you can use the new adapter screw that we made.
 

With the motor out, separate the plastic body housing by prying the tabs and they will split up.
 
Remove the press-in clip at the end of the shaft and cut the upper support arm bearing housing. This is to create some space for you to be able to cut the shaft.
 
 
Now you can pull the internal parts out, including the stator, from the housing. There is a square clip at the back of the bearing support arms; pry it with a screwdriver and the support arm will become loose, but still attached to the shaft. It’s seated in a spherical race. You should be able to move it around to create enough space to cut the shaft now.

 

 

With the shaft cut off, turn the fan upside down and support it with a 14mm deep socket. Now, you can use a punch to drift the shaft out. The bushing will be separated and the fan will be free.
 
The plastic bushing consists of two separate parts, the top half features a built-in key to lock the blade, and the bottom half to keep the upper bushing from coming off the blade by pressing into it.
 
You can clean up the blade, but be very gentle with an aluminum blade: It’s very easy to deform the blade.
 

 

 

 

The adapter screw is very easy to install. Twist the adapter through the fan center hole and tighten it with the nylock nut. Use an 8mm Allen and 14mm socket to tighten the adapter screw. Tightened to 16-18 Ft-Lb.
 
 

Mark approximately 5 mm from the upper fan body to the shaft; too far out and the fan will interfere with the fresh air flap. You can also tell if you’ve put the fan at the right depth if you have the chamfered edge slightly sticking out from the adapter.
 

Tighten the set screw using a 2mm Allen into the shaft. Because the set screw is cupped, it will bite into the shaft and secure it. Be sure to use thread locker (medium strength) on the set screw to prevent it from backing out. You could also apply a dab of paint on the top of the set screw to provide additional protection from backing out.
 

Optionally (Recommended), you can also cut a divot into the shaft to provide a flat area for the set screw to sit in; it’s still a good idea to apply thread locker onto the set screw.
 

 
To test proper blade orientation, power up the motor (Male -, Female +). When the blades are facing you, they should be turning counter-clockwise. If you feel a lot of vibration (Light vibration is acceptable), then most likely the blades were not straight. Looking from the side of the motor, check if all the blade’s center ridges are 90 degrees (perpendicular) to the shaft motor, otherwise, they are out of balance.
 
With this, now you have the option of reusing your metal/aluminum blade or plastic blade. Either metal (Used) or plastic fan blades can be purchased from our store as well. Contact us at www.PRDesignsf.com or email [email protected] Happy ’02 motoring!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
M2M3
first, cut small three sided access hole in kick panel. this has been detailed on faq before.


next, create new support for bracket from some flat stock and bolt the bracket to the flat stock.


then paint it, of course

drill holes in A-pillar to mount it to

bolt it in from the back. i put two washers between the bracket and the A-pillar to match the distance the oem bracket holds the flat bar away from the body.


hook it up

done..door works good as new, and may be stronger than a weld job....
NOTE - update several years later, this mod is still working fine. no issues.
HENRYNBMW
I was very happy with the results of "Flock It", a kit for restoring the interior glove box surface. Cost 25.15 and looks like I have enough flocking for another glove box. I picked gray flocking, and the kit comes with a simple pump and some glue. Cleaning the surface was the hardest part, and I used "Goof Off" adhesive cleaner, and sand paper and a metal putty/spreader scraper. They recommend to cover surface with latex paint before using the glue, I used black. Spread the glue and used the pumper to disperse the fine gray flocking evenly and generously. After letting it dry for a few day I cleaned off the loose flocking. I have been very happy with the result and the flocking is not flaking or lifting and looks a ton better.
http://www.flockit.com/index.php/products/suede-tex/mini-flocker-kits.html


Driv3r
So I know that the heater valve/fresh air Bowden cable is still available but I couldn't find the two flap cables. So initially I restored my heater box with old cables because they were working. But the thought of those cables getting rusted and stuck again, was daunting.
 
I've decided to do a research on alternative options. The oem metal wire has 1.4mm diameter and it's not so strong. The wire cover itself is made of metal spring and vinyl skin but over time, rusty metal cause friction and eventually wire or lever get stuck.
 
I decided to search for a stainless steel wire in bigger diameter that would strengthen the lever force and basically won't rust. So I went to local hardware store and bought stainless steel wire in 1.6mm diameter.
 
To replace the old wire cover, I chose Shmano brake line sleeve. It's made for mountain bike application with extreme brake use conditions and is much more resistant and durable than the oem cable. It's available in most colors (of course I went with inka!) for around $6 meter. The brake sleeve has 5mm external and 2mm internal diameters. Be aware of fake copies out there!
 

 
After using the stainless steel wire with Shimano sleeve, I notice a complete improvement with almost no friction. Here is a comparison:
 

 
The hardest part of copying the oem wire was the swirled attachment tip to the lever shaft. Stainless steel wire was really hard to bend and it came coiled under tension which made it harder to bend in opposite direction but I finally figured it out. Using a screwdriver with same diameter as the lever shaft, hold the wire with a plier over the screwdriver and use your thumb to bend it around the screwdriver.
 

 
Then cut the excess with wire cutter. Once you master these, the rest is self explanatory.
 

 

 

 

 
The lever movement has improved to better than the oem part and will last longer. I can move levers with my finger nails. I hope this help so many of members out there looking for better, more reliable and cheaper alternative.
 
Cheers.
 
 
heinemann
These are some photos of my repair of the badly damaged 3 piece dash in my 1600 project. I wasn't willing to spend $1500 on a new old stock dash, so dropped less than $200 to fix the old. Plus, I just wanted to see if it was possible.
Items needed:
1 x horrible Dash
Breather filter, mask rated for toxic fumes
2 x Cans Padded Dash filler
Glazing putty – your preference
Assortment of putty knives and body filler spreaders
Metal mixing tray
Assorted grits of sand paper 300-800
Texturizing spray. (I would not go this route again, but rather spray the dash matte black and then flock it.)
The dash in the sunlight really shows the extent of the damage. Thing about southwest cars is the body tends to hold up well, but everything else goes to pot -- rubber parts, seats, gaskets, dashes, etc.








Large pieces needed to be removed to get down to a stable foam base.








The dash was very badly damaged. I picked off the overlay material and worked down until I found stable foam underneath.


More deconstruction


The nitty gritty -- used Padded dash filler. This stuff does exactly what it is designed for. It is quite expensive though. A small can is $24 and I needed two. Additionally, you must wear a carbon filtered respirator / air filter. The fumes are very toxic. I used putty knifes and body filler tools to apply the product.


After filling and worked with fine grit sand paper, can’t remember the exact grit, but don't get too aggressive, or you'll undo all your work.


Here is the instrument cover reworked with the padded dash filler, glazed and sanded.
Applied glazing putty to provide a nice, smooth surface.


I also used a texturizer spray from SEM called Clear Texture Coating. It is probably the worst product in the world - the nozzle clogs constantly, and it sprays fine mist and large globs at the same time. So I knocked it down with a few brisk swipe of fine grit sand paper and then finished the dash in an interior matte paint that sprayed a little too glossy for my taste, but...


The end product. I gave it a good test squeeze and couple of good pokes to see if the stuff would crack and it holds up really well with a good deal of pliability. The padded dash filler really is an impressive product. I may use it to repair my sun baked Nardi Steering wheel. I may still flock the dash board, if it’s cost effective.


Xhrismar
my new exact fitment stereo console... check out the construction planes if you want to inlcude it on your car!... hope it be usefull for you!...
Dear '02 followers.... Im new in this site and i didnt have idea that you were writing on my post!.... Im gonna put more photos of the console and about the other questions.
I used MDF wood of 10mm thickness....
Covered of syntethic leather, easy to found in my country (ECUADOR).
The stereo support is secured to the side panels with two fasteners in each side.
If you guys have any question let me know!...

Driv3r
Yes, I've been trying to source this spring part number 54129634112 with no success.
 
So I've decided to make my own. Credits to Harold for telling me that he also made his own and it's been working great.
 
I visited the local store and the only thing that matched the mechanical description was a zinc plated "R" clip in 3/16".
 
Using a picture I had of a genuine W Spring, I used two pliers and bent the R to W spring. It might not be a perfect W, but it's W enough! Just remember, the key is to use a good quality R clip.
 
It works perfectly as it should.
 



Another step closer! [emoji482]
Pramono
For those of you who attempt to fix your own heater box, I’m pretty sure you know what I’m going to be writing about.. A while back, I wrote an article about how I created a heater valve reinforcement bracket (you can see it by clicking this link). Since I’m still in this area of repair, I just wanted to give some ideas on how to repair the broken ribs on the heater fan cage.

This is what a fixed fan rib cage looks like.
 
The heater fan is mounted on the top section of the heater box with four clips. It is seated in a housing that we called the fan cage housing, since it looks like a cage. The cage consists of protective plastic ribs to prevent large debris entering the fan/ heater box, however, leaves and small debris are still able to go past these ribs. The factory did not make a screen or smaller openings to block the debris, thinking that airflow would be restricted. The ribs are made out of plastic, and as we all know, they become brittle from age and break, leaving even a larger opening (See picture below). Now there’s going to be even more debris entering the box! Nobody wants leaves and dirt blowing into their cabins, so I have found a way to fix these, that will make it look like the original again. I didn't like the idea of installing a screen, since it might restrict the airflow and is tricky to install. Besides, this way, it will make it look almost original again.
 

This is what the heater box looks like before being repaired. Imagine all the debris and leaves that have gotten through over the years!
 
Here is an inexpensive and simple way to fix it, and hope you may have some of these common tools. These what you need:
 
Materials required
• Coat hanger
• Epoxy/adhesive
• Paint/ Spray Paint
 
Tools required
• Cutter
• Pliers
• Marker pen
• Dremel Tool
• Burring bit

You will need to do this repair while the box is out of the car. Besides, I’m sure you wouldn’t want plastic bits flying into your box and core!
 
Step 1. Get a coat hanger and cut the straight part (this is what you will be using for this repair). Using either your hands or pliers, bend the section to match the curvature of the missing/ broken rib. Mark and cut the rod slightly longer than the length required (You will need to trim this later to the exact length). Cut and make as many as you need to replace the broken ribs. (See picture below)

Note: There are none of the shortest ribs where the fan motor mounting clips are located; they were left out on purpose to leave clearance for the clips.
 
Step 2. Get your dremel tool and attach the bit to cut/make an indentation on the vertical cross section on both sides where the ribs were connected once. Cut just deep enough so that the coat hanger will seat flush into the cut. (See picture)

 
Step3. Using your cutters, cut the rod to make it fit between the two cuts that you made earlier. (See picture)
 

 
Step 4. Place the new rib and align it so that it will line up both from top and side, and then apply epoxy to the end piece of the new ribs (see picture…).

 
Step 5. Sand, clean, and paint the new ribs (or the whole housing if you plan on doing a refurbish), and voila, you now have a new “unbroken” fan cage again! (See picture)
 

 


 
This is the final product - A fan housing without anymore broken ribs on the cage!
 
Thanks for looking, and have fun repairing your fan cage!
Driv3r
I've used the whole afternoon trying to restore my vent window mechanism. As you all know, the unit is sealed and generally replaced with an alternative working mechanism when it stops working or become harder and harder to turn. I had 6 pairs of these in my spare part stash so decided to pickup the worst and try to refurbish it. This method worked for me and made the mechanism movement feel like new. You're welcome to follow this process if you decide to refurbish your window vent mechanism. Please ensure you clean the unit from any dust, oil or rubbish before this overhaul. Here it goes:
 

 
1) So the unit is sealed. The main housing is made of aluminum so you cant just pry it trying to remove the sealed cap, it will brake the housing (trust me, I wasted 2 units already!). Grab a small flat head screwdriver and a small hammer. Gently tap the aluminum edge around the sealed cap to widen the edge. Be gentle or it will crack.
 

 
2) Try distributing the pressure evenly. Once the edge is wide enough, use a screwdriver to pup the cap off. (Note where I use the screwdriver, its the strongest point)
 

 
3) Once the cap is off, use a small screwdriver or a nail and patiently pick all dried out grease. I used a brake cleaner (spray can) to get rid of old stubborn grease.  It wont leave any residue since it will all evaporate almost immediately. You don't have to do this. You could just clean by picking what you see.
 

 
4) I used a heavy duty, water resistant, long lasting general purpose grease with extreme temperature rating (non petroleum). The vent mechanism is very similar to steering box mechanism. Apply moderate amount of grease and push it in between the gears then move gears back and forth using the knob.

 
5) There is a small grease pan under the horizontal gear shaft. Repeat step 4 until you see grease coming out of the top of horizontal gear shaft. This means the bottom grease pan is full. (Try not to over fill). The vertical gear shaft has a small play (moves up and down by 1mm). Using your small flat head screwdriver, try getting some grease under the vertical gear shaft by pushing the other end of the shaft from outside of the housing. This will help smoothing the movement.
 

 
6) The vertical gear shaft is supported by a small tension bar from outside where the vent window frame is inserted. Remove the holding screw and tension bar, use small amount of grease on the inside of the tension bar and reinstall (do not over tighten the screw).
 

 
7) Now put the cap back on and gently tap the edges inward with a hammer. You're Done!
 

 
Now, when I finished doing this, I noticed a small amount of grease under the vent mechanism housing where the horizontal shaft is. Looked closely and noticed there is a small hole possibly made for inserting grease occasionally or in major service intervals.
 

 
But you need to clean out the dead grease before using this grease hole. Most currently available used vent mechanisms have dried out grease and in need of complete clean out anyway and you wont need another overhaul anytime soon!
 
I hope this process is useful to any member. Cheers
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
hegedus

Tii Clock Repair

By hegedus, in Body and Interior,

Contributed by Mars Friday, 22 December 2006
Here's how to repair your Tii's dash clock. This method only applies to the early 2002tii clocks (1972-1973). 1974 Model Tii's used a newer electric version. Typically these clocks hold up very well and are quite reliable (although not very accurate when in operation). The most common cause of failure is a fused wire that blows over time. The following below will show you how to fix this most common of causes. This is to be used for reference purposes only. This instructional how to is not to be held liable for any damages caused to your vehicle. Use at your own risk!
 
First thing needed to be done obviously is to remove the clock from the dash. This can be rather difficult as there is limited room to work with. There are a number of ways to try and get in from behind the clock and which one you choose will vary on how big or small your hands are. Access from behind through the glovebox is the most common, but certainly not the easiest.
 
Another option is to move out the console. This is the best way as you will be able to get in from behind the clock and underneath better.
The third option for those with small hands (or who have an assistant with small hands) can reach from the top of the dash through the buzzer hole cutout (if your model has the buzzer, not all do) and loosen the screws that hold the clock together.
 
The clock has a small bracket that holds it in place and uses two plastic (or metal) thumbscrews. To remove the clock reach behind with one of the methods above and loosen the thumbscrews. Be ready to catch them as they most likely will fall due to the limited hand room behind the clock.
Here is a view of the clock from the floor up and behind the console. The glove box was also removed for this picture. This pic shows the black plastic thumbnail screws that hold the clock in place.
 
Once you successfully loosen the screws the clock will simply pop out towards you. Be sure to grab the bracket the screws go into so it doesn't get lost behind the console. This is another reason I recommend removing the console. After popping it out, simply undo the light bulb, power and negative wires.
Take note of which wires go where. The ground wire (brown) goes to the left of the bulb if you are looking directly from behind the clock. The bottom wire (red) with the spade connector is the power wire (12v +). It can be confusing as the ground connection has a 12v engraving below it. This is not an indicator of which connection goes where but rather an indication that it runs on 12v +. This usually confuses most folks.
 
Once out, the next few steps that follow are the most difficult. To gain access to the clock's internal workings you will need to remove the front bezel. This is usually a black trim ring in front but for some it may be silver (such as on the early Ti models). Carefully using a thin flat head screwdriver begin to pry up from under and behind the bezel. Take your time. Patience will be your friend here as you don't want to damage the bezel ring.
After slowly going around a few times you should be able to pop the ring off of the clock. Here is a pic of the clock with the front bezel removed. Take note that the ring has notches in it that match a notched area on the inner bezel of the clock.
 
Next, loosen the nuts at the rear of the clock. The nuts are made so that the screws run through them so you will not be able to just use a screwdriver. You can use a small flathead and get at the nuts from one of the sides or a lightweight set of pliers to remove them if they are stubborn. Then, after loosening the nuts slide the clock from out of it's metal casing.
Now with complete access to the internals of the clock begin inspecting the clock slowly. Look over the clock near where the copper coil is and around that area but towards the top of the clock. You should see two small tabs. If they are not connected chances are this is the cause of your clock's failure. These tabs normally have a small wire that connects the two and acts as sort of a "fused jumper".
 
All that remains is to solder the two connections back together with a small wire. Use a low temp solder and take your time. I recommend using an 18-20 gauge wire. After that, make sure that you clean the clock well. Use canned air spray to blow out small particles and be sure to check the needles in front as they can sometimes bind and prevent the clock's movement. In the pic to the left you can see where the solder was made and where the tabs referenced above are located.
 
Putting it back together is the reverse of the steps you took above to take it apart. When reinstalling the front bezel, again, take note of the notches and line them up to the clock. With the notches in place I used a small set of needle nose pliers and very carefully crimped the bezel back over the casing.
With the notches in place I used a small set of needle nose pliers and very carefully crimped the bezel back over the casing. Here is what it looked like after it was reassembled.
 Reinstall the clock to the dash. Make sure your ground connections are sound as poor ground is also another common cause for the clocks not to work properly. That's it!
ClayW
How to Install a Headliner in a BMW 2002

*All the typical warnings apply. Be careful. Don't cut your fingers off. Read the labels on all tools and chemicals and try not to maim yourself.

If your 2002 is in need of a headliner, a professional shop can do the job for $500-1000. I've heard of people bringing their stripped car in with the parts in hand and only paying $100, but I haven't yet found that shop. So, the following is a guide to install a headliner in your 2002 in your garage. It's entirely within the ability of a moderately capable mechanic. What I'm getting at is: If I can do it, so can you. I suggest that you read through this entire guide before getting started on this XX-day job.. Gauge for yourself if you want to take it on.

To begin, there is only one variation in the headliner: sunroof or no sunroof.

Tools, Materials and Parts Needed

Parts:
1X Headliner
-Sunroof p/n 51441804085
-No Sunroof p/n 51447480140
10X Headliner Bow Grommets p/n 51447780135

Materials:
Contact Cement
2X Small Cheap Paint Brushes
5X Cable Ties
1X Pack of Stick-on Cable Mounting Tabs (next to the cable ties in Home Depot or Lowes)
Epoxy or JB Weld
183X 1" Binder Clips - Yes, 183 of them. I suggest buying in bulk from an office supply website
A few 1/2" binder clips - Not entirely necessary, but you'll see how and where they can be helpful
 
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o143/clayweiland/1967 1600/100_1428.jpg

Tools:
Wire Cutters
A Good Pair of Scissors
Latex or Nitrile Gloves
Exacto or Small Utility Knife
Patience
Relative Sobriety

Day One:

1. Remove the front and rear windshield - Remove the lockstrips and gently push the windshields out. this might be a good time to consider new seals and lockstrips, if they're old.
 
***EDIT: Once you remove pull handles, visors, etc. put their mounting screws back in and install the headliner over them. This will make locating them MUCH easier later.

2. Remove the rear side windows.

3. Pull the window and door seals out of their tracks. You can leave the bottom half in. You'll notice that the door seals are glued in below the beltline. As far as I can tell, BMW designed them this way so that you can replace the headliner without having to buy new door seals.

4. Remove the handles, sun visors, dome light and the rearview mirror. Take note of their positions for installation later.

5. Remove the existing headliner. It's held up with glue along the edges and five bows that span the underside of the roof. Be careful not to bend the bows too much. For the non-sunroof models, there is a cardboard piece along the top of the rear window. The headliner attaches to this ans the gap between it and the roof creates a vent for positive air pressure in the cabin to escape; in the sunroof models, it attaches to the window edge. If your cardboard is damaged, find or make a replacement.

6. Install whatever soundproofing you may have had in mind. You don't really need it; BMW didn't use any. But hey, who doesn't like upgrade overkill?

Optional but recommended step: Bow Retainers

The headliner bows have the ability to swing down and sag the headliner if everything isn't perfectly installed. Mounting tabs to the roof allows the securing of the bows. This makes pulling the headliner tight a lot easier and ensures that the bows won't sag. In short, do it.

7. Peel the sticky backing off five of the plastic mounting tabs. You'll be using a better glue than the weak adhesive backing.





8. Install the grommets and the bows without the headliner.

9. Mix up the epoxy and glue a single mounting tab directly above the middle of each bow.

10. Remove the bows and leave the tabs to cure overnight.


Day 2: The Quickening

1. Put on the gloves. Keep changing them if they get dirty. The headliner is off-white cloth, so it will pick up dirt with ease. Unlike the rest of your 2002, the headliner is not easily cleaned.

2. Lay out the headliner and slip the bows into the loops.





3. Measure the bows and the headliner to center them in the loops. Cut the loops to expose the ends of the bows. You'll see later how you'll need to cut the the loops further, but just cut enough to expose the ends for now.





4. Insert the middlemost bow, with the headliner hanging from it, into the grommets and mounting holes.



5. Make a tiny slit with the utility knife just below the mounting tab.



6. Slip a cable tie through the slit and through the mounting tab. Tighten the tie to a loose loop. This is not a mounting point. This tie is meant only to limit the rotation of the bow.



7. Repeat steps 4-6 for the rest of the bows.





**You are now going to stretch the headliner into place. DO NOT USE GLUE DURING THIS STEP.**

8. Get out your stash of binder clips and start clipping the headliner WITHOUT GLUE along the top of the rear window cardboard piece. Start at the center and place a clip every six inches or so. Make your way along each side, moving from the center, down each of the C-pillars (the rear roof supports).





9. Next, move to the front. Stretch the headliner forward and clip every six inches or so, starting from the center. Don't pull everything too tight; incremental progression is the key.

10. Clip the door and window edges along each side.

11. Where you are clipping to curves, you'll need to cut slits perpendicular to the mounting edge. Start the cuts one per curve, understanding that minor adjustments will be made. Be careful not to cut too far. Cut short if need be; you can always cut more later.

12. Continue adding more clips; go for one every 3 inches, all the way around, making minor stretching adjustments to take the wrinkles out.

13. When it comes to the places just below where the headliner bows meet the edges, the loops will create undesirable "tents".



You need to further cut the loops some more from above the headliner. You can carefully use the knife or carefully pull the headliner to tear the existing cuts. Either way, go incrementally so that you can work out the wrinkles.



14. For the non-sunroof models, at the top corners where the cardboard ends, carefully cut the headliner to transfer from the cardboard to the C-pillar edge.



*Note that I glued some green foam to the C-pillar to go under the headliner. This isn't necessary, but I thought it created a nice, smooth detail.

15. Continue clipping and incrementally stretching until the clips are side-by side, leaving no gaps. This is where you may use a few,smaller clips in tight edges. Be sure to have all of the wrinkles worked out before moving forward. TAKE YOUR TIME. You want the headliner to be properly tight by the time you finish.







**For sunroof models, you will need to cut out the sunroof section and clip throughout this section as well. I have never done one of these, but I suggest completely stretching and clipping the entire headliner before cutting the sunroof hole. When you have the entire headliner stretched and clipped, cut from the top and start at the corners, creating an “X” in the sunroof section of the headliner. Making this hole will likely create a few wrinkles; restretch and clip from the sunroof section only until everything is as smooth as it was before you cut the “X”. I would guess that this would require an extra 90-100 clips.

Now to start the gluing.

1. With the contact cement and a brush ready, remove only five clips at a time. Brush the glue on both side of the edge, as well as the cloth. This is very important; gluing should be on both surfaces before re-clipping.

**IMPORTANT!** The glue tends to make the headliner "swell" a little, so be prepared to make small adjustments to remove new wrinkles. Be patient and take your time.

2. Move along the windows, doing only five clips at a time. Do the rear windshield first, then the sides, and finish with the front. TAKE YOUR TIME.



*For non-sunroof cars with the cardboard edge, glue the entire excess headliner onto the top of cardboard. You might need to use a screw driver to shove it in there; just make sure that you don't glue the headliner to the roof.



*I used a method of flipping one arm of the binder clips up once they had been re-clipped onto a glued section. This was, I could keep track of how far I had gone.



3. Once you finish, marvel at your accomplishment and reward yourself with a beer.



A and B Pillar Sections:



The factory way to mate the white headliner to the pillar was to glue the headliner in first, then glue the black pillar sections over them. In the case that you a either reusing your black sections, or just don’t want to pull them up, you can carefully tuck and glue the headliner under itself. Be careful and use gloves.

I folded the black part over to make a nice edge, then glued and clipped them.





The B Pillar transition will be covered by the C-shaped molding, so pull it tight to get rid of the wrinkles, trim it and cover it with the moulding. You might put a little glue in there, just for good measure.



Days 3&4: Wait.

Resist the urge to move forward until the glue has dried. Really, don't touch it. If you remove the clips too soon, you run the risk of having the edges come undone. If that happens, you'll never get all the wrinkles back out. Be patient and find something else to do.

Day 5: Unclipping Time!

1. Now that the glue has dried for a few days, remove a few of the clips and test the dryness of the glue. Due to varying temperatures and humidity levels, the glue may be completely dry or it could still be wet. Be your own judge of just how dry it needs to be.

2. Remove all of the clips.

3. Using a good pair of scissors or a utility/Exacto knife, carefully trim the excess headliner just beyond the glued-down part.



4. Reinstall the rear side windows and their seals. *Install the seal first, then the window.*

5. Push the door seals back into their slots.



6. Reinstall the black C-shaped moulding that presses over the headliner edges.

7. With clean hands or gloves, find the places for the handles, sun visors, dome light and rearview mirror. use the knife to cut a small “X” where each screw will go. For the rearview mirror, cut an “X” across the small, rectangular hole; the mirror pops in with little carefully articulated pressure. I you have a 1966-67 1600 (like mine in the pictures), you’ll have pulled the headliner over the plastic mirror receiver. You’ll need to cut a slit through which the blade of the mirror will slide.

For 1966-67 1600’s only











The late-1600 and all 2002 mirrors mount with a press-in style mount. Just cut an “X” over the rectangular hole and press the mirror in.

8. You may have some wrinkles left in the headliner from the material being folded up in the packaging. To get rid of this, you can use a hair dryer. I suspect that steam would work even better, but I had no steam-gun, so I used a hair dryer.







This takes a little time, so be patient.

9. Reinstall the windshields, being careful not to pull your new headliner out while pulling the seals over the edges.

 
 
hegedus
Written by Bob Hildebrand Wednesday, 07 September 2005 Installing Late Shoulder Belts in Early (pre-'72 Cars)
Parts Needed:
Set of late Inertial-Style '02 seatbelts (STRONGLY! recommend buying a new set, for say, a 1976 model)
Set of eight nuts and bolts (SAE 7/16" / 20tpi bolts and nuts will work just fine)
Four pieces of 3/4" x 1/8" flat steel stock about 3" long each
Access to a welder

The benefits of installing later-style inertial-reel three-point belts in early cars are obvious once you've lived with the early belts for a while! It is definitely a worthwhile upgrade, but there are a couple of things that may cause you to hesitate: 1) drilling, and 2) welding.
The first thing you need to do is get some late-style seatbelts from a '72 or later car. It is probably worthwhile to get a NEW set of belts, or at least ones that you have checked thoroughly for wear, fraying, signs of stretching. You also will need the metric nuts that will fit the anchor bolts that are stock to the 02. You will need eight of them total, as well as the bolts to go with them (in case the belts didn't come with hardware). [We will be getting exact specs on the hardware ASAP -Ed.] Also, you'll need some flat steel stock approx. 3/4" wide and 1/8" thick, about a foot worth of it which you will cut into four 3" pieces. You'll also need access to a welder. I prefer a 110v wire-feed MIG, which are available for rental or you might enlist a buddy who has one and knows how to use it. MIG welding really isn't that hard, it just takes a little practice and basic knowledge on how to use the machinery.[Watch for an upcoming feature on basic welding techniques! - Ed.]
To get down to it, remove the carpet, front seats, and rear bottom seats from the car. Also remove the black vinyl "fabric" that covers the "B" pillars where you will be mounting the shoulder belt anchors. Measure down from the headliner retaining strip about 6" and mark for drilling along the centerline of the pillar. You may want to individually adjust where you put these if you are an especially large or small person, or even put more than one hole so you can move the anchor from one to the other for some adjustability later on. (It's probably best to make these measurements, etc., before you remove the seats.)
Next, mark the inside rocker/frame rail near the floor, just behind the front seat. Use the new seatbelt retractor as your guide for marking this hole. Try to get it lined up on a vertical plane with the hole you're drilling above in the "B" pillar for the shoulder anchor. At the same time, try to mount it as low to the floor as possible so that it is out of the way of rear-seat passengers as they enter/exit the car.
You are going to have to drill four holes that will be big enough (5/8?) for the metric nuts to pass easily through but smaller than the 3/4 inch steel plates. I used a step bit and drilled progressively larger holes just until the nuts fit through.
Once you've got the holes laid out and drilled, you're going to practice weld. If you're already a decent welder, then you're just going to WELD, but for those who are just learning, this is a great way to get a little practice in before you melt any actual '02 metal. The idea is to weld the metric nuts to the 3/4" x 3" pieces of steel. These will in turn be welded to the various mounting points in the car. If you're wondering why I don't just use 1" stock instead of the 3/4" it's because the 1" would be too noticeable once installed. On my car, the 3/4" is barely detectable. Up until now, I'm the only one who knows it's there!
Before you begin, drill a hole in the center of one of the strips just big enough for the retaining bolts to pass through but leaving enough material to weld with on the flat stock. Secure the nut to the flat stock by tightening a bolt on. This will serve to both clamp and center the nut for the welding. Then, weld away! Make four of them.
Now all that's left to do is weld them to the car. This was the hardest part for me. Welding in an un-stripped car is Very Scary. BEWARE of the plastic FUEL (!) line running next to the pass-side rocker! You can either remove it or just make sure it is sufficiently shielded/covered/ or sent on a nice holiday to The Bench. Take the time to ensure that EVERYTHING is covered/protected. I mean EVERYTHING: windows, floor, any and all plastic, even the windshield! (I have some bizzare pits in mine that I can't account for so maybe it was the welding!)
Go overboard with covering and you'll never regret it. I used cardboard, which worked well for me. [spray with some water!?! - Ed.] The sparks cool pretty much immediately but not so fast that they won't melt the hell out of any uncovered carpet. Don't ask me how I know that.
Naturally you'll want to grind down to bare metal any area to be welded. A clean weld is a strong weld. I started with welding the "B" pillars because they were easier to get to and got me into a rhythm for the rest of the work in the car. Use the big C-clamps to place the anchor bars/plates (whatever you want to call them) with the nuts well centered and sticking into the inside of the pillar itself. This will come close to providing a "flush" appearance once everything is ground clean and covered up.
Welding two different-thickness pieces of metal together is probably one of the most tricky operations. But by playing with the recommended settings on your particular welder, you should be able to get decent results. Remember that at this stage the prettiness isn't as important as the ultimate strength of your anchors. You are going to grind/contour it to make it more flush-appearing anyway, so don't kill yourself trying to get a "perfect bead". Next, do the rockers. Carpet will be covering this area, so just go for the strongest result. CLEAN and rustproof both sets of welded areas with some good rust-killing primer and then paint it.
Now you're done with the scary part! The existing point of attachment down low on the rocker just in front of the rear seat for the original seatbelts works well to attach the fixed end of the new seatbelt assembly. The new point just ahead of that one is for the inertial-locked retractor assembly, and the new mount on the "B" pillar is for the shoulder loop. Be sure that when mounting the retractor that it is as level as possible and very tight so that it works smoothly. I had a 73 and this installation on my 72 appears identical other than the unused point of attachment along the side interior panel in back. Once I replace that with one from a 73 it will look totally stock.
On a final note, be aware that this type of surgery on a perfect original car will probably affect its collector value. Just something to think about if you have a particularly nice original car. That said, I plan on keeping mine and am very happy with the far superior/more convenient seatbelts! If you have any questions, please just post them to the Message Board!
COPYRIGHT 2002, BMW 2002 FAQ, Rob Shisler and Steve Kupper. All Rights Reserved.
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