So, this is my first go at making a blog, posting on this site, and most importantly, my first go at taking a car down to nothing and building it back up (eventually). It is also my first BMW, and thus my first 2002. I have had a love affair with these cars since I saw one parked on the street in Minneapolis near my old apartment. I've always been into cars and have had a few, all of which I modded or worked on in some way. But as my first true tear-down and rebuild on a non-operational car, I figured this would be the time to document the process. I've been lurking and learning on this site and others for awhile, and I'm excited to finally contribute.

My wife's uncle lives in central Illinois on an old farm and has 10 or 12 old euro's just collecting dust, mice and rot in and around a couple of free standing garages. After a couple years of asking, I finally caught him in a mood to sell and purchased the beauty you see below. She's a little rough, but the body's square and with very little rust past the surface - but I won't really know until I get it all apart. I got her shipped up to me on a flatbed and had some buddies help me roll her into the garage. 

It's been unseasonably warm in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area this week, so yesterday I spent a few hours in the garage taking stock of the situation and starting to disassemble. Got the hood and trunk lids and most of the trim off. Took off the front wheels so I could get to the inner nuts for the corners of the front bumper. So far I've just had one stuck bolt, but nothing else has been too much trouble. Hoping to do some more this week if it stays warm enough to work. Along with working on the car I'm hoping to heat and insulate my garage some time soon.

And it appears that she was originally a maroon or deep red color. Someone did a pretty poor job of painting it white, but I guess I should be thankful, as it may have saved her from additional rust and corrosion. And my plan is to bring it back to bare metal, so whats a few rattle-can layers on top of everything else?

Anyway. Pictures are what everyone wants, so here you go. I'll try to keep up with posting as I make progress, but it's going to be a long haul.