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About this blog

More than 15 years ago, I was living in L.A., and my 1973 2002 had been reported as a "gross polluter" by some nimrod tree hugger, because it was blowing smoke on decel.  I needed to get it fixed to avoid a second citation, but apartment living meant I did not have space to work on it myself, so I took it to a well known 02 specialist to have an in-bay refresh done on the bottom end, and install a rebuilt cylinder head.  Not even 6 months after the work was done, the bottom end developed a death rattle and I had to park the car.  That was the last time it moved under its own power.  Through various moves over 15 years I have often thought I should just sell off the pieces I had collected, but my wife would always refuse to let me sell.  She knew I would regret not having my little '02, so we have hauled the shell and all the parts around all these years.  I can't thank my wife enough for being so steadfast in keeping it.

 

This blog is all about the rebuild journey of my 1973 2002.  The goal is to complete it as a resto-mod that can be daily driven, but is track focused.  There will be some pretty unique stuff going on, and I am super excited about how it will all turn out.

Entries in this blog

On to the cylinder head

I did a lot of deliberating and discussing with my machinist before committing to the full internals parts list for the build.  Now the bits-n-pieces are starting to come in, but the pistons and rings will take some time to get made.    Sooooooo....... the first assembly to get some love will be the cylinder head.  The pile of parts below will soon make for one, well built up cylinder head.  That's a set of stainless VAC valves, HD dual springs, and rocker locks, along with the KM Cams

DaHose

DaHose

Next Steps - Internals for the Engine

After going over the mechanical parts, my machinist found a non-repairable crack in the crank.  So after a few weeks of searching, I purchased a stock dimension 2 liter crank from 02 forum member pjp90.     I also picked up a set of forged steel rockers from KM Cams in Sweden.   More hard parts are on their way as well.  

DaHose

DaHose

Make the body work!

So I have made at least some progress with getting the body ready.  I completed the modification of a tiptisserie that Roundeie inherited to me.  Now it can be broken down, and even shipped to the next person who might need it when I am done.    Using my scissor lift, I was able to lift the body into the air, remove the entire rear sub-frame, and the body shell has been mounted to the tiptisserie.  The teardown continues.  

DaHose

DaHose

Engine Parts = Sexiness!!!!

At this stage in the game, the complete head, block and crank are all at the machine shop just waiting for the rest of the parts to show up.  My machinist will be getting some custom piston rings made, as he has his own special recipe for increasing efficiency.  He also did not want to start cutting on anything, until he had pistons in hand, so he could be 100% sure of every measurement we are working with.  To that end, allow me to present a veritable smorgasbord of M10 engine internals.  

DaHose

DaHose

Engine Damage Triage

Ok.  Now that the engine is completely apart, the full scope of the damage is clear and next steps can be planned out.   Here you can see that the bearings are all worn, and the #1 conrod. journal is roasted.  Remember that this is an engine with less than 5000 miles on it since the bottom end rebuild.   For good measure, here is a closeup of the burned journal, then one of the main bearings ( #1 on L).     This is what the conrod bearings loo

DaHose

DaHose

Day 1 - Inspecting the carnage

I have decided that the place to start is the engine.    First off, let me tell you that if you don't have a 1/2" cordless impact, you NEED to get one.  This jobbie was $225 on sale at Harbor Freight.  It performs as well as tools that cost three times as much.     When I took off the head, it looked good, and the pistons don't show any real signs of wear or skirt slap.     Everything will be cataloged, bagged, and stored in separate bins, but

DaHose

DaHose

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