I already had parts sitting around for the '68 that I knew I wanted to use on the '69, so great, at least we aren't having a massive project shift.
My plan for the wheels was simple: remove all of the polished bolts: one becuase they were improperly polished or chromed, and replace the rear hoops with 1 inch depth hoops that i'd aquired in Germany. I was hoping for a staggered look like more modern BMWs. It also got rid of two hoops that were damaged in shipping (bite me DHL).
Note to self, tr
So I remember the first time I really noticed an 02. I was driving my Mk1 GTI up the block to my girlfriend's house. I was about 19, in college. The car that drove by me was a Red square tails; a '74 tii I later learned. It was beautiful and it was amazing. It represented a perfect blend of style, utility, and the best thing was it wasn't the 1980's style box I had been driving...was currently driving. So, i followed the guy home and watched him pull the little 02 into a garage next to a giant M
...So the glow of being a new 02 owner came off almost immediately...
The good
It was complete (mostly, and it wasn't original and that was okay, I was never hoping for the lawn at Pebble, but i was hoping for the dirt at Laguna...)
It ran (mostly)
It had a new windshield
It had the short diff and a new subframe
It had a 2002 engine from a 75 (again, complete, minus he smog gear)
It had been painted in the last 5 years and i couldn't see any rust, maybe it was rust free?!?!
Magnet test s
So the decision was made. The 02 went up for sale.
It sold in 5 days with a full disclosure, I'll admit I was amazed. Dr. Kwan took care of all of the details, and he was awesome. Of all of the people I have met in the local community he is one of my favorite people. He really saved me. I know other people have had different experiences with him, but honestly he has been nothing but helpful to me. A broker is a broker though, it is important to always do your homework and always go for the PPI
Ok, so here is the part where i reference a plan, but you'll also realize that in each post I've yet to reveal a plan.
I want to say there is a method to my madness. I want to say something about knowing; and having a designers mind toward things, but that would be absolute BS.
I had a lot of inspiration between Performance BMW, the FAQ, my time modifying VWs and Porches and Audis...but largely I just dove in.
Let's be clear, there's no plan at this point. Learn from my mistakes, because I ca
So, I went to Burlingame.
I was amazed.
I took it to Beamers in Redwood City had the PPI done.
I paid cash. A week later the Dr. dropped the car off to me in San Jose.
It's a 1969 1602 that wasn't exactly original, but it was in great shape. Someone had done the conversion of the engine to a 1974 bottom end and a 1980 121T head (seems like a rather odd choice for this car, but it seems to work, if anyone has info on that specific head, I would welcome knowledge...I've heard they aren't exact
So, I was irritated that I had been down this path for a few months with not a plan in sight.
I was buying stuff. I was modifying stuff. I had no order to anything. Of course one project led to something else. As seen in my previous post; swapping out carpet led to cutting and welding.
I had a couple of magazines knocking around while I was waiting for my son to be born a few months back. I actually think I was most inspired by a tub that a guy in Scottland bought for 500 english pounds drove
Back at writing finally. It’s weird because I am looking back on this build from almost 4 years ago, but it all seems to be coming back to me fast and with a lot of detail.
So we last left off we me cutting and welding some of the rust. You will also see with these various shots me doing dumb things like cutting out the original seat rail towers.
There was a lot of time spent trying to get the various elements of a custom brackets correct. It was all a big hassle. I won’t rehash all of the det
Here is where things landed. With a little self deprecation comes a little pat on the back. Wouldn't want everyone thinking i was a complete hack.
As you can see it did end up a-okay. Just took about 18 months. More on these details as we go. Sorry, spoiler alert...