What did you do to your 2002 today !

[VWJake]

Things went pretty pear shaped today. I had planned to modify the air cleaner on the blue ‘73 today. Instead, the new rear drums arrived so I changed gears and started doing brake work on the blue car. Turns out that even with the adjusters all the way in the drums are tight on the shoes ( Brembo drums/ centric shoes * I think* ). So I need to see what’s wrong there. Doesn’t matter at this point anyway because I disassembled the master cylinder only to find that there is pitting in the bore that won’t hone out. Argh... Then I thought, “To hell with it!” I’m gonna work on the Chamonix ‘73. Interlopers had other ideas for about 2hrs. Oh well... I did manage to replace the bent drivers side subframe bolt, made several repairs to the replacement LR floorpan, and began fitting said pan to the car. I still need to recreate the flange and repair the inner rocker before installing the pan, but I am making forward progress! 

 

[VWJake]

Good day in the shop today. I cranked out 2 Weber air cleaner conversions. The blue ‘02 has a 32/36. The Chamonix ‘02 got a 38/38 to replace the O.G. Soled and a modified air cleaner to fit it. I also began removing some “broken” smog devices from the Chamonix car. 

 

 

 

I also made a new flange for the replacement L/R floor pan in the Chamonix car. It’s nice having sheet metal brakes, a shrinker/stretcher, and notchers in the shop. I’d still be building that flange if it wasn’t for those tools. 

 

 

 

 

 

[tomorrowcalling]

New suspension today,  out with the old , in with the new. The new front struts are very close to the tire, but they do clear.

[Simeon]

Took my car out for a road test following replacing the steering box, adjusting front wheel bearings, replacing the passenger side wheel bearings and stub axle. I also adjusted the drum brakes. 

 

Very happy with the car dynamically. Steering, handling and braking all feel fantastic. The car is as tight as a drum. Now it’s got me thinking about up rating the sway bars now (I did notice that one of the two year old rubber sway bar bushes (bought from W&N) looks positively perished. If I am going to have to swap those out (for urethane) then I may as well change the whole bar. 

 

Put that that on my long list of jobs to be done. 

[SydneyTii]

“If I am going to have to swap those out (for urethane) then I may as well change the whole bar. “

mmm been thinking about upgrading mine as well, not sure what to go with?

The Ireland ones or just a thicker bar from any of the usual suspects....

Postage will be a killer, wish we had someone onshore to use!

[Simeon]

I was thinking about 22mm front and 19mm rear from Suspension Techniques. The Ireland ones look good but I am concerned that I would get pinged for some ADR infringement or other when getting inspected. They look a little too much like a ‘modification’. 

 

I might try a wanted ad on the Facebook group. The young guys are always playing with their suspension so there might be some second hand (and in country).  This is a few notches down the post before I get around to this. I am starting to get my air con parts together!

[Doug Riparetti]

13 minutes ago, Simeon said:

I was thinking about 22mm front and 19mm rear from Suspension Techniques. The Ireland ones look good but I am concerned that I would get pinged for some ADR infringement or other when getting inspected. They look a little too much like a ‘modification’. 

 

I might try a wanted ad on the Facebook group. The young guys are always playing with their suspension so there might be some second hand (and in country).  This is a few notches down the post before I get around to this. I am starting to get my air con parts together!

What a bummer when restrictions are placed on modification to ones personal vintage car, another reason I'm thankful for living in the USA. (Other then the ridicules smog rules in California)............ 

 

Regarding the sway bars, if allowed, go with the I.E. 22mm front and back. Install the links on the front holes for the front bar.

 

For the rear sway bar, from the back of the bar to the backside of the link, 2-1/2", that's a good comfortable balance.

 

Good luck,

 

Salute'

[Jimmy]

4 hours ago, Doug Riparetti said:

What a bummer when restrictions are placed on modification to ones personal vintage car, another reason I'm thankful for living in the USA. (Other then the ridicules smog rules in California)............ 

 

 

In Aus they can modify their car, but if the car "appears modified" it can require a separate certification/exemption. Depending on the car, that may be a can of worms the owner doesn't want to open.

 

Unlike a lot of states here where the government doesn't get in the way of people happy to risk your safety along with their own as they roll around in high-speed garbage. 

 

 

[Vicleonardo1]

 

So in Australia, if it "appears" modified, then it is a problem but if it "appears" stock it is OK.

So, I would get a set of IE sway bars and paint them flat black, (maybe even sprinkle some rust colored paint on them) get some black urethane bits,  run the car through some mud before inspection and call it stock....

 

Hey,  I grew up a Catholic school kid, If I wasn't breaking the rules, I was always pushing the envelope...

 

Cheers! 

[Simeon]

1 hour ago, Vicleonardo1 said:

 

So in Australia, if it "appears" modified, then it is a problem but if it "appears" stock it is OK.

So, I would get a set of IE sway bars and paint them flat black, (maybe even sprinkle some rust colored paint on them) get some black urethane bits,  run the car through some mud before inspection and call it stock....

 

Hey,  I grew up a Catholic school kid, If I wasn't breaking the rules, I was always pushing the envelope...

 

Cheers! 

 

Yes, you can do whatever you want with your car here if you have the money and ability to convince an independent engineer to sign off that it’s OK. There are a number of Australian Design Rules that have changed over the years and your car must continue to comply with the rules in place when your car was new. There is a separate aluminium plate stamped with a list of these rules riveted under the hood. If you want to modify the car away from the spec in place when built, then the work needs engineering approval in terms of design and quality of execution. 

 

With something like a sway bar, the engineers would need to confirm that all of the new hardware, links etc can take the forces. With something that’s adjustable like the IE bars, they also need to confirm that this holds true for all combinations of adjustment. Of course you can take the chance and fit it, hoping that the guy that does your yearly safety inspection doesn’t notice. The safety inspections  are outsourced to local workshops who are certified by the state government and is variable in its coverage. Some people might just wave it through and some might be extremely diligent. You may also be ‘defected’ by the police if THEY don’t like your modification, which at the very least needs you to go to a government testing station to get it lifted. You just can’t tell what will happen, so for the sake of sustainability it is easier to either comply or at least look like you are complying in a way that is unlikely to be examined in any depth by a local shop owner / inspector. 

 

The tests really concentrate on safety stuff like structural issues, brakes, steering and suspension. Overall it is probably a good thing as it keeps some badly conceived (and implemented) ideas off the road. It also provides a protectionist leg up to local parts businesses as they will have their products tested to comply with various ADR rules whereas other global manufacturers may have never even heard of the system. If you are then choosing a product you are then lead to buy the local product as they can produce a certificate that you show when getting inspected. 

 

One example of this is seat belts. There is a local Australian/ New Zealand standard on construction of seatbelts. This specifies a number of things differently in terms of stitching and construction to other common international standards. If you buy aftermarket seat belts then they have to comply and have the appropriate label stitched into them. If you buy a new car then they can be fitted with whatever belts the manufacturer chooses because the manufacturer makes the declaration that the car complied with the ADRs in its totality. If you need to replace the seatbelt and you can get the same part from the manufacturer then you are OK. If you can’t, or won’t, then you need to get a compliant belt from the local approved supplier (or take risk of being defected/ fail an inspection). 

 

The annoying thing is that I am an  engineer (albeit an electrical engineer ?) so that’s a closed shop too. 

[Doug Riparetti]

3 hours ago, Simeon said:

 

Yes, you can do whatever you want with your car here if you have the money and ability to convince an independent engineer to sign off that it’s OK. There are a number of Australian Design Rules that have changed over the years and your car must continue to comply with the rules in place when your car was new. There is a separate aluminium plate stamped with a list of these rules riveted under the hood. If you want to modify the car away from the spec in place when built, then the work needs engineering approval in terms of design and quality of execution. 

 

With something like a sway bar, the engineers would need to confirm that all of the new hardware, links etc can take the forces. With something that’s adjustable like the IE bars, they also need to confirm that this holds true for all combinations of adjustment. Of course you can take the chance and fit it, hoping that the guy that does your yearly safety inspection doesn’t notice. The safety inspections  are outsourced to local workshops who are certified by the state government and is variable in its coverage. Some people might just wave it through and some might be extremely diligent. You may also be ‘defected’ by the police if THEY don’t like your modification, which at the very least needs you to go to a government testing station to get it lifted. You just can’t tell what will happen, so for the sake of sustainability it is easier to either comply or at least look like you are complying in a way that is unlikely to be examined in any depth by a local shop owner / inspector. 

 

The tests really concentrate on safety stuff like structural issues, brakes, steering and suspension. Overall it is probably a good thing as it keeps some badly conceived (and implemented) ideas off the road. It also provides a protectionist leg up to local parts businesses as they will have their products tested to comply with various ADR rules whereas other global manufacturers may have never even heard of the system. If you are then choosing a product you are then lead to buy the local product as they can produce a certificate that you show when getting inspected. 

 

One example of this is seat belts. There is a local Australian/ New Zealand standard on construction of seatbelts. This specifies a number of things differently in terms of stitching and construction to other common international standards. If you buy aftermarket seat belts then they have to comply and have the appropriate label stitched into them. If you buy a new car then they can be fitted with whatever belts the manufacturer chooses because the manufacturer makes the declaration that the car complied with the ADRs in its totality. If you need to replace the seatbelt and you can get the same part from the manufacturer then you are OK. If you can’t, or won’t, then you need to get a compliant belt from the local approved supplier (or take risk of being defected/ fail an inspection). 

 

The annoying thing is that I am an  engineer (albeit an electrical engineer ?) so that’s a closed shop too. 

How about motor swaps?

[Simeon]

1 hour ago, Doug Riparetti said:

How about motor swaps?

 

There are rules around percentage increases in capacity that you can follow and need no engineering as long as the engine has come from the same car. Or you can swap in something like, to use the 02 as an example, a tii injection engine or even a (factory) turbo engine as long as you show that things like brakes and suspension have been enhanced to (or are already at) the same level as the car you take it from. A straight 6 swap would probably fall foul of this, even if you claimed that they were installed in ‘future generations’ of BMW and you didn’t exceed the capacity limits. 

 

After that you can do what you like as long as you can get an engineering certificate. There is quite a big hot rod community here in Australia (Google the ‘SummerNats’ festival in Canberra which is actually going on now for many examples). These guys make a big deal out of the engineering process and most states actually have special rules for hot rods based upon pre-1940’s bodies / chassis (or replicas). 

[Martijn 647]

Hans surprised us with an exploded clutch master cylinder yesterday! Got to work taking it out, as well as the slave cylinder. Rusted in reeeaaal good. But we got the back seats in, so now we have a place to sit and contemplate our life choices.. 

[MrAdams]

 

Putting my puzzle together...

Put

[zinz]

On 1/11/2019 at 10:13 PM, VWJake said:

Turns out that even with the adjusters all the way in the drums are tight on the shoes

 

New shoes almost always need the top edges sanded down a bit to get the drums to clear. No biggie. I’ve also found the e-brake lever can be manipulated a little more to give more clearance. 

 

Ed