Need help settling an argument.

[76Scott02]

Did the early tii's (72) ever have a snorkel in the core support?

[hanksjim1]

click site search in the upper right corner of the site page, type "snorkel" and hit enter...many threads on this and IMO, no real consensus...

[Mike Self]

reason I can think of for a tii having a snorkel nose would be if the factory ran out of non-snorkel noses while assembling a batch of tii's. They woulnd't shut down the assembly line for that, so a few might have really been factory built with a snorkel nose.

The only way to confirm that would be to find a tii with a known history--and original sheet metal--that has a snorkel nose. I've seen a few very early US tii's (VINs below 2760100) and they all had smooth noses.

For you ti folks out there--they don't have snorkels either, do they?

cheers

mike

[76Scott02]

Ran the site search. Very helpful, thanks.

[Cyclone101]

For you ti folks out there--they don't have snorkels either, do they?

mike

Mine doesn't, and they are not supposed to.

Regards

Jacques

[SteveJ]

reason I can think of for a tii having a snorkel nose would be if the factory ran out of non-snorkel noses while assembling a batch of tii's. They woulnd't shut down the assembly line for that, so a few might have really been factory built with a snorkel nose.

Very plausable. We know that the QA process was not super stringent by looking at underhood decals. Also, hearing the stories of what MG/Rover used to do in the day...if it fit, keep the line moving. We'll make that one a "manager's car".

[vinceinIL]

No snorkels on tis from the factory that I've ever heard of.

vince

[fourtii]

Vince is correct, the Tii's never had a snorkel on the front panel from the factory. The replacement panels even "back in the day" never offered a "non snorkel Tii" you had to get a snorkel as a replacement.

You can always cut the metal from the left side on a parts car or scrap front panel then cut and weld it on the snorkel side to make it look original.

[tjones02]

In my lifetime of growing up in an active SF Bay Area BMWCCA family, traveling across the country to many O-fests, all in 2760007 as the family car... Then becoming a BMW mechanic specializing in '02s.... Of the literally thousands of '02s and Tii's I've seen; I have never actually seen in person or pictures any real, original Tii with a snorkel nose.

I have seen a few Tii's over the years where the owner claimed that the snorkel nose was original, but they weren't the original owner and I could see obvious evidence that the car(s) in question had a nose job. One was even a round light car with a late (square) nose... Those types are just trying to get people to believe that their car has never been in an accident and don't actually know how to tell the difference if it was or not.