To Snorkle or not Snorkle - Opinions please

[net30]

I've got my 73 tii in the shop for a complete re-paint 2763480. I've read all the posts about if it's appropriate for a tii to be snorkled or not - but if you were in my shoes, would you drop the extra coin and have the snorkle removed? If it's removed, knowing it was once there and now removed - doesn't that somewhat diminish the intended originality? Oh such problems....................

[jerry]

i intend to remove the snorkles on my tii's when i'm in that position. but that's just me. the fact that you manipulated it doesn't detract in my opinion if done well. it's akin to removing side marker lights.

edit: in the event that your tii has its ORIGINAL nosepiece and it just so happens to have a snorkel, i would NOT remove it. period.

[AndyS]

Should be that much to get rid of it.

[net30]

If the car has been painted once before, how can you tell for sure that the nose piece is the original?

[Kidasters]

It doesn't really matter. Only to the fanatics.

If you want it gone, remove it. Otherwise - whatever.

[cj]

Since you're at that point, just get it done.

[Chamonix72]

I don't know you from Adam, but if you're asking this question, then it matters to you. It sounds like the kind of thing that will bug you every time you see it. If I were in that position, I'd go ahead and do it. It can't add that much to the cost.

[jmon0261]

I would go Snorkel free.

But if you do, say it Loud and Proud !

[AndyS]

LOL

[73tiijeff]

Hmmm. My '73 tii also has a "snorkel" that to the best of my knowledge appears to be original. There is no evidence of nose replacement on 2763064, so I believe that BMW may have had a shortage of tii specific noses at the time of production. There is some controversy over these noses being original but the paint on the inside of the nose is original appearing on mine. It will remain with the car during my ownership.

Best Regards,

Jeff in Yakima

[Samplemaven]

I removed the snorkle on mine as I had the opportunity...and was repainting everything on the car. Its removal was really a low cost operation and I'm very happy with the results.

[eurotrash]

Can't they just remove the tube, hammer it flat, and cut a round plate from it to weld into the hole? Seems like little effort in the grand scheme. Its probably one of details that may burn your arse every time you look at it later...

[Senna27]

I removed mine (cut and weld) when I replaced the nose. I like clean look.

[kris]

Mine has it, I didn't remove it during the resto, and now it is on my list of things to do. I think it would look cleaner without it...but the nose on my car does not look to have been replaced.

There has been a sprinkling of discussion that maybe some "late" roundie tii's left the factory with snorkel noses. My car was built in the second last month of 73 production. Is there any real information on the possibility that the snorkel noses are original within certain production windows?

[BarryA]

Can't they just remove the tube, hammer it flat, and cut a round plate from it to weld into the hole?.......

above the tube, the edge bulges up a bit - on the non-snorkle tii's I've looked at, it appears that bulge is missing from the area where the snorkle would be. If my perception is correct, getting the proper contour will require a bit of "sectioning" and reshaping of that area of the nose panel in addition to filling the hole. If so, and that section is NOT reshaped, it would be a dead giveaway that the nose panel had been modified, at least to someone who's looking at the small details.