Blogs

Ignition Investment - UPDATED

After reading good things on the FAQ and reviews around the web, I decided to invest in a Summit Racing 'MSD' CDI ignition. I have to say, this is an impressive package. EVERYTHING about this product (build quality, instructions, part numbers, specification, installation kit etc) screams that this is an MSD product. If MSD are not making this, or getting a cut out of Summit, I would be very surprised and I would suggest that MSD need to get a better lawyer. http://www.summitracing.com/int/p

May 31

Carburettor Conundrum

Having spent some time sorting out my ignition, I was pretty happy with how my car is running. The idle is a lot more stable than it was before but I can still detect a slight miss fire occasionally. Coincidentally to finishing the ignition I noted that I had a problem with the water choke on my 32/36. This was normally as regular as clockwork but for some reason had stopped engaging. I took the air cleaner off to watch the operation of the choke and while I was there I looked down into the

May 31

Pump Up The Jam - UPDATED

The bushes were shot in my alternator, it was quite noisy and the 'L' light would glow slightly while the engine was running. To be fair, it had no charging issues and this could be high resistance somewhere in the wiring. I had tightened the fan belt as this was quite slack and I could see the alternator deflect due to the poor bushes which had turned to mush. Following this I had noticed a small dribble of coolant coming from my water pump so I assume that the extra load from the fan belt may

May 31

Rubber Fetish

When I took the glass out for paint, I knew I would not be reusing the front and rear windscreen seals. The old ones were throughly perished and the filler strip hard hardened into a brittle state. After reading the many reviews of Uro seals Vs BMW windscreen seals, I elected to go with BMW even though I went Uro with the door seals. My reasoning, apart from saving money was that the door is capable of adjustment but the windscreen is not. I started with the rear screen first and tried to f

May 31

A Quantum of Solex Part 2

Following on from my blog entry on fitting these carbs and the various things I had to work around (mainly related to the Cannon inlet manifolds) I thought I would post a separate entry on rebuilding them and a third for tuning and adjustment. There is so little information available on these carbs, I am hoping that someone else may find it useful. Resources The FAQ of course but specifically a few diagrams posted by CD and JGerock. The Haynes manual has some information

May 31

A little inspiration.

Last year, through a friend, I had the pleasure of meeting Robert Egger, the creative genius behind Specialized Bicycles. He was an awesome guy, and I think this article describes him perfectly... https://rouleur.cc/editorial/egger-specialized-fun-creative-director/ Besides us both having an industrial design background, there was another common thread between us... BMW 02 ownership! Robert had recently completed his project car and I got the chance to get a look at it up close.

May 30

Recaro Refurb

I've had a couple of questions about the seat upholstery on my project car, so I'll provide some additional details... First of all, the car came to me with a set of VW GTI Mk2 Recaros installed. I immediately loved the size and support of the seats, but the blue velvet just wasn't quite the look I had in mind. 😉 Given all the work ahead, it seemed kind of silly to target the seats as one of the first pieces to complete, but it really helped me "anchor" the rest of my choices. I

May 29

Our Friends Electric

One thing that had always bothered me about my car (and 02's in general) is the wiring arrangement in the engine bay between the battery, starter, alternator and feeds to the fuse box and ignition switch. Given the large amount of unfused wiring involved in this lot, it somehow still managed to be as ugly as sin and generally let the car down as being a bit of crappy engineering. Things like this get my goat, multiple wires jammed into an inappropriate crimp terminal.

May 26

Other Parts for the build.

Some of the other parts I've collected for my "restoversion" of my 1968 1600-2. Picked up these custom 15" MIM wheels from the buy/sell section of the forum as the owner was upgrading to BBS basketweaves. I think the gunmetal centers and polished lips will work well with the Etna blue and provide a slightly more modern look as this is certainly not going to be a "period" correct restoration. I got a chance to check them out on chargin's car in the BMW corral at the historics at La

May 25

1973 02tii Restoration

Project Complete!

Finally the project is complete! Here are some photos and description of the final product. As you can see, I had the side markers and reflectors deleted. I also got rid of the knee height rub strip. I installed euro turn signals and new short stainless bumpers with the integrated euro plate lights. I sourced earlier bumper brackets to pull them closer to the body. I purchased new rain gutter trim, rocker trim, tail panel trim and badges. The beltline trim is m

Djthom

May 25

Elektro - MG?

As reported in my first post, I intend to build my 1968 1600 into a full electric conversion while retaining the character of the car that we've all come to know and love. It's a great idea, and one that I owe much credit to my father for planting. My Dad has always been into British cars. He owned Triumphs, MG's, and even a XKE Jaguar when I was young. There were always projects in the garage and you always knew where to find Dad... Fast forward 20+ years, and he's still at it.