Not Really a Conclusion.
Day 77 – Fully assembled.
Hood
Things To Work Out
My A/F gauge stopped working, the fuse had blown, I replaced the fuse but the readings are not good, it almost constantly displays 19.0 (which doesn’t make sense). I contacted support, recalibrated it with fresh air but something is still wrong. It will be bench tested...eventually.
Still trying to tune the Webers but without the O2 sensor things are even more difficult. The engine idle speed, upon cold start-up is super slow, like 300 rpm and it struggles to stay alive. So I increase the idle speed with the idle speed screw, but once it warms up the motor speeds up to 2,500rpm. Not cool, man, not cool.
The Oil temperature gauge is powered but the temp doesn’t increasing, need to check the wire for continuity (from the sender to the gauge).
Throttle cable adjustment, there’s a little unwanted slack on the cable, no big deal.
I currently have the rear bench delete installed but I’d like to get a rear bench, you know for all the bitchez I’ll be picking up.
New aluminum gutter trim is no longer NLA, so I got my cousin at BMW to hook me up. Should be in, in a couple of weeks... if he comes through.
Spin
Decisions
Front end
With the front bumper deleted, I find the front end lacking a something to keep it from looking like a watercraft. I bought the Ireland Engineering Front Air Dam in January (2016) with plans of installing it unpainted (with the ‘Turbo’ rubber trim and rivets). The black plastic matches the rear bumper. I still need to put a little more thought in to this and probably won’t do anything until next spring. I also need to decide between adhesive and rivets.
I was also was thinking about installing some (yellow lens) driving lights. This is why I pre-wired a switch in the center console and a wire sitting behind the grill just waiting for some action.
Lower Stainless trim
I think the car looks better without them, so I will search from flush some plastic plugs and paint them Verona red.
BBS RM Center Caps
BBS center caps have always been a thing with me I find the wheels look better without the ring/large center cap so I ordered some small centers to fit in the smaller hole, maybe that with a combination of painting the center black, we’ll see.
I’m always on the lookup for some light 13” wheels.
Conclusion/Thanks
Is It Really Finished?
Of course not, it will never be. I'll always be finding new things to change, improve, repair... that's the whole fun of owning a "project."
I re-installed the trims on the hood and was ready to install it on the car. The installation/adjustment took longer than expected but it’s done now.
I actually prefer the side profile of the car without the hood, more sleek.
Things To Work Out
My A/F gauge stopped working, the fuse had blown, I replaced the fuse but the readings are not good, it almost constantly displays 19.0 (which doesn’t make sense). I contacted support, recalibrated it with fresh air but something is still wrong. It will be bench tested...eventually.
Still trying to tune the Webers but without the O2 sensor things are even more difficult. The engine idle speed, upon cold start-up is super slow, like 300 rpm and it struggles to stay alive. So I increase the idle speed with the idle speed screw, but once it warms up the motor speeds up to 2,500rpm. Not cool, man, not cool.
The Oil temperature gauge is powered but the temp doesn’t increasing, need to check the wire for continuity (from the sender to the gauge).
Throttle cable adjustment, there’s a little unwanted slack on the cable, no big deal.
I currently have the rear bench delete installed but I’d like to get a rear bench, you know for all the bitchez I’ll be picking up.
New aluminum gutter trim is no longer NLA, so I got my cousin at BMW to hook me up. Should be in, in a couple of weeks... if he comes through.
Spin
I took the car out for an official “everything is assembled” drive around Dorval, mostly a scenic route drive from my place to my parent’s. I was slightly rushed because I had dinner plans but things felt good, no unexpected vibrations.
Decisions
Front end
With the front bumper deleted, I find the front end lacking a something to keep it from looking like a watercraft. I bought the Ireland Engineering Front Air Dam in January (2016) with plans of installing it unpainted (with the ‘Turbo’ rubber trim and rivets). The black plastic matches the rear bumper. I still need to put a little more thought in to this and probably won’t do anything until next spring. I also need to decide between adhesive and rivets.
I was also was thinking about installing some (yellow lens) driving lights. This is why I pre-wired a switch in the center console and a wire sitting behind the grill just waiting for some action.
Lower Stainless trim
I think the car looks better without them, so I will search from flush some plastic plugs and paint them Verona red.
BBS RM Center Caps
BBS center caps have always been a thing with me I find the wheels look better without the ring/large center cap so I ordered some small centers to fit in the smaller hole, maybe that with a combination of painting the center black, we’ll see.
I’m always on the lookup for some light 13” wheels.
Conclusion/Thanks
Would I do this all again?
Yes, but I would have liked to know what I was getting into when I bought the car… although, if I knew, would I have bought it, probably not. So, one could say things worked out well.
Should you do it?
Yes, I went in to this project with limited mechanical knowledge (possibly an understatement), I didn’t know things. Now, well, I still don’t know things but I have completely disassembled and reassembled a BMW 2002. There is still a lot to learn about this car especially in the engine bay but if you’re not afraid to get your hands dirty, DO IT! Whether you restore an old BMW or an old Kia, I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy it.
Yes, but I would have liked to know what I was getting into when I bought the car… although, if I knew, would I have bought it, probably not. So, one could say things worked out well.
Should you do it?
Yes, I went in to this project with limited mechanical knowledge (possibly an understatement), I didn’t know things. Now, well, I still don’t know things but I have completely disassembled and reassembled a BMW 2002. There is still a lot to learn about this car especially in the engine bay but if you’re not afraid to get your hands dirty, DO IT! Whether you restore an old BMW or an old Kia, I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy it.
Is It Really Finished?
Of course not, it will never be. I'll always be finding new things to change, improve, repair... that's the whole fun of owning a "project."
Merci!
Thanks to Kosta & Ernest (& Mike), especially for helping with the disassembly. I know it was tough for them to come give a hand during the reassembly since they both had a newborn, together, obviously. Although Kosta was very helpful installing the PITA sub-frames. Ernest still hasn't seen the car since it's been back from paint .
Thanks to the good people on BMW2002FAQ, really a fantastic resource.
Thanks to everyone who followed my build thread!
...an even bigger thanks to those who liked my posts!
... ...and an even bigger thanks to those who posted comments!
Thanks to the good people on BMW2002FAQ, really a fantastic resource.
Thanks to everyone who followed my build thread!
...an even bigger thanks to those who liked my posts!
... ...and an even bigger thanks to those who posted comments!
...and finally, here are a couple of shot from a little drive on October 30th (before the Nov 1 winter storage).
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