Hitting the dyno on Thursday! Waiting for a 911 to get out the way!
This is going to be off the hook! Get ready for some awesome, gas burning, piston screaming video!
(ignore the caddy. Feast your eyes on the countach in behind.)
I don't know what you guys think but I would say the '02 is the prettiest of the bunch!
Headliner done...
I decided to paint protect the nose, leading edge of the flares and the lower half of the rear quarter behind the wheels.
The nose will chip like crazy, given the geometry. Can't be helped. The stuff is nearly invisible...
Back in my garage for some final trim, rear quarter windows and a bit of electrical. Big step.
Car in the 3M shop for protection
Back home (ya, that feels good!)
Seam on the car...
Big week this week. So nice to see the sun visors, rear view mirror and dome light back in where once was open metal.
Some pics to enjoy.
On to 3M plastic paint protection. I have had a few of these cars now and the nose, being the neg angle that we have all come to love, just collects stones. I am having the nose, leading edge so the wheel flares and the lower half of the rear quarter behind the rear wheels done. I am also putting strip across the back of the trunk
The joy we all share over a morning coffee, a nice sit in front of a beautiful view...
Final buff, Sept 26
Headliner, Sept 30th
Beltline, flares, windows- when the snow flies! 2017 will be the year on the road...
It has been exactly 2 years since I took the first bolt out of my '75 '02 and began down the restoration road. I will be nearly complete at the end of August. I want to get the clear coat buffed up and need to get the headliner in still.
I was going for August but I decided to pull out and rebuild the back end as well. I was going to do this later to spread out the joy but it didn't feel right so I just did it. This delayed me nearly 3 week's as I waited for the sandblaster and p
Today was a really big big day.
I assembled the transmission and engine together. Then I pulled the subframe and mounted the engine on the subframe.
I am going with the bottom up install. I did the lower the engine in method last time and I really hated it. This was so so much easier. Fully dressed motor ready to be lifted in!
Beautiful motor. Love it!
Its home awaits
I chromed up my Golde sunroof track 2 years ago when I started taking the car apart. I laid it in today to see what the fit is like. Looks great and fits great
if you have been thinking about this to give it more pop and get rid of the ugly oxidation, I say go for it!
Had to get the wiring harness in so the headliner could go in. Put the rear lights on with the squar'y chrome strip. Very pleased.
More polishing tomorrow. Then I can put the flares back on and get them out of my living room because that is where '02 parts belong when not on the car
Fun getting these through the firewall again. Mensch!
Painless classic wire covering. Bit of work but way worth it!
Just because i
Those of you following are probably surprised to this fairly dramatic change of direction. After much deliberation, it felt wrong to push this car into the popular colour of white. I felt obligated to make this car something that it is, a 1975. '75, was a time of bell bottoms, leisure suits, tee's and fun colours.
So, an icon needs to be an icon...
What at a pig of a colour to paint with. The pictures below are after 5 coats of this super transparent paint and 5 coats o
2015 has been a big year of progress for the 2002 project, particularly the body. 2014 was a year of disassembly and cleaning... so much cleaning. In fact, my favorite tool of 2014 was my parts cleaning basin while the favorite for 2015 was my Lincoln MIG 140 welder!
My hope was to have the body in paint by the end of 2015 but it is looking like that is going to be more like Feb 2016.
It took awhile to get things going (winter is about snowboarding for me and it ended with a concussion which p
I struggled to put the torsion bars in for the trunk lid. Turns out, I am not alone on this and I see many have given up and resorted to a stick, leaving the torsion bars out.
Here is a video I put together that I hope helps you get some space back in your trunk and get your lid opening smoothly.
Good luck!
Quick update pics on the blocking and sanding. Almost time to put the front sub back on and get it out for final paint! As is stands, completely smooth and all the lines a looking good.
Got to go over the engine compartment with 400 yet and then it will be time to fit the hood and trunk.
Always tough to see the work done in these shots but you can see the lines at least.
I decided that I wanted to do a real wood console. I bought a big block of amboya wood and got to work on it with the router.
I used the follower on the original decorative cover for the instrument panel to make a template. This took awhile. It needed to be really accurate so everything would be properly centered and I needed to adjust the tabs to make sure the decorative spacers to close the gauge gap worked properly.
Instrument Panel
The template
PS. If you want one, let me know and I
Low and behold, after sand blasting, I found 2 lovely plates face welded onto the front of my car. They were not sealed so the lacey rust had begun below and behind these plates.
Much of the rest of the structure of the nose below the grill didn't look the best so, desicion time again, new nose or fix this one. Well, in my view, the front end of these cars is one of the many important defining, iconic features.
Needs to be done right.
~Therefore, new
--------------------------------
With the cage removed, putting on the skin goes really smoothly. I still need to do some fitting but here is a peek at the car with the roof sitting on the cage of the vehicle. Coming along, as they say!
In the next week or so, it will be welded and epoxied down. I am going to try a product 3M has to "glue" in the window frames and the drain troughs. I will weld the tabs on the inside of the roof.
If anyone has experience with the glue for this application, give me your feedback. I will share
After a long cold winter, finally I can get back onto the 02 Alpina build again!
The project this week was the front floor pans. The driver side was rusted out and the passenger side had some decent surface rust on it.
I got the front floor pans from Wallothnesch.
The floor panel were really good. Thicker gauge metal.
Here is the link.
http://www.wallothnesch.com/karosserie-blechteile/bmw-1502-2002-turbo.htm
Penske parts carries lots of body parts in the US. I got some parts from t
A Modern Interpretation of a Classic
My friends are starting to call this project "DJ's Physical Essay of the 2002"
Here is why and I need your help.
Clean and Original
I am putting all the original bits on the car. To get a sense of it, I have NOS vent windows (big find), new original chrome belt line, new side mirrors, new door handles, new square rear brake lights... You name it, it is all perfect chrome and perfect rubber.
Modern body
I personally feel that the Turbo is the body styl
I have been out enjoying Canadian winter so not too much has happened since December. Besides, who really wants to be working outside in -15 degree C weather...
Anyhow, need to update the roof work...
Tools this time
-Handheld grinder
-4" metal Tyrolit cut off wheel that can also go on the grinder
-Dremel with metal cut off wheel for those tight spaces.
Roof Clip, car removal.
Now, I do have to say, doing the clip first did make this a whole lot easier. I went with grinding the troughs ag
My Alpina rebuilt motor finally arrived from Germany on September 22nd. Very exciting day. I waited 2 years for this gem and now the work could begin to prepare its final home, a 1976 2002 California car with a sunroof, 5 speed tranny, LSD, and volvo 4 pot brakes.
Now, this build is going to be about perfection. All new hardware (which I have found is incredibly cheap to do, just requires a bit of patience), full colour change and every pc of mechanical hardware reviewed, powder coated, fixe