Good DIY Projects on a 2002?

[Seth Horwitz]

15 minutes ago, AustrianVespaGuy said:

I rebuilt the head on my first 2002 in my college dorm room, using my roommate and a set of hex wrenches to compress the valves!

 

Man, I miss college. I never did anything quite that impressive in my dorm, though I got good at throwing things at my roommate who insisted on reading the newspaper on his bed at 8AM when my first class was at Noon, but I still miss it. 

[ray_]

Most of the things here:

 

https://www.bmw2002faq.com/articles.html/technical-articles/

[Vicleonardo1]

Uh did I miss changing spark plugs in this list?

 

How about rolling the fenders with a heat gun and a baseball bat? When you are finished you and the kids could shag a few fly balls. 

[Mitch_M]

3 hours ago, '76mintgrün'02 said:

 

 

muffler delete

cut wheel arches / install flares

add big wide shiny wheels

cut springs

bumper delete

add air dam

install driving lights

delete knee and belt line trim

replace all bulbs with LEDs

add speakers to door panels

Excellent suggestions, because in 5 years you can teach the following:

- Installing a muffler

- Installing new springs

- Align replacement fenders

- Filling screw holes

 

And in case you're wondering, I definitely did NOT cut out my muffler in favor of a cobbled together straight pipe, cut the springs because I wanted the front lower, almost cut my fenders to fit big shiny wheels, or install driving lights by cutting holes in my bumpers (to be fair, though, the PO did it first). Nope. Didn't do any of those things. That was, um, a friend.

[Jimmy]

8 hours ago, Mitch_M said:

Excellent suggestions, because in 5 years you can teach the following:

- Installing a muffler

- Installing new springs

- Align replacement fenders

- Filling screw holes

 

And in case you're wondering, I definitely did NOT cut out my muffler in favor of a cobbled together straight pipe, cut the springs because I wanted the front lower, almost cut my fenders to fit big shiny wheels, or install driving lights by cutting holes in my bumpers (to be fair, though, the PO did it first). Nope. Didn't do any of those things. That was, um, a friend.

 

Don't forget "search online for parts to replace the ones you ruined, avoid getting screwed by scammers"

[thinksound_mike]

13 hours ago, Mike G said:

A pedal box rebuild will teach them strategic profanity. 

Heater box was much higher for me if we're counting the numbers of times profanity was used.

[Mitch_M]

2 hours ago, Jimmy said:

 

Don't forget "search online for parts to replace the ones you ruined, avoid getting screwed by scammers"

 

Getting screwed by scammers is an important step, though. It’s all part of the process. 

[BarrettN]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned selecting tasks where the advantages shine of having small bodies to contort under a dash or a child's small hands being able to get into small spaces. 

 

That's what my Dad used us kids for! (That and jobs at our body shop where the flat rate didn't pay well and the regular employees didn't want to do them). 

[wegweiser]

I think the single best bang for the buck improvement you can make on a 2002 is as follows:

 

Remove door panel and clean / re-lubricate window guides and all sliding parts.

 

Replace worn or missing lock rod grommets. These are about the size of a pea, and there are 3 per door. They're the culprits behind almost ALL door rattles

 

Remove and clean / re-lubricate door latch assemblies. 

 

Parts / materials required:

 

small disposable paint brushes (acid brushes or flux brushes are great for this. Cut the bristles down to 6-10mm to make them stiffer

 

lock rod grommets (6 per car) Part nr: 52 20 8 238 999

 

brakleen, lots of rags, lacquer thinner, etc

 

Aerosol lubricant. I steer clear of lithium grease, as it turns in to clay over time. Also - WD-40 is a "meh"  lubricant - but it's great for D...isplacing W...ater. If you want to get fancy: Wurth HHS-K or bicycle chain lube is great stuff for this project. Sprays on thin to get into crevices / mechanisms...then sets up firmly to stay in place. 

 

Look for broken pieces of old door brakes while you're in there. 

 

Grab some heavy plastic and re-insulate the door shell to protect the cardboard of the door panel from moisture - 3M Spray adhesive works well for this. 

 

the original door panel clips were white and used small grommets. The new ones are a green one-piece affair and grip tenaciously. There are about 24 per car. 51 41 1 870 718. 

 

Now is a good time to clean and lubricate the delicate lock cylinders / levers and everything else in there. 

 

The improvement in civity and rattle reduction is dramatic. Super cheap. Immediate gratification....Worth it! ?

[flagoworld]

15 hours ago, Seth Horwitz said:

 

I’ve intentionally avoided all talk about this project? I thought fixing this was usually due to rust repair. (I’m hoping this doesn’t jinx me into needing it done.)

 

Oh uh... there can be rust between the heater box and the frame, but mainly I was referring to the foam and all that inside the box.

[Vicleonardo1]

After a long lecture to the boys about the satisfaction of taking pride in a job well done. Additional lessons about vetting mechanics because there are many scammers out there, then I think the following projects would be ideal. 

 

Appropriately aligning and installing a 5 speed and LSD, including judicious use of a BFH. 

Redoing horrible rust repairs. 

Appropriate use of seam sealer. 

Repainting a horrible paint job. 

Replace gaskets. 

Appropriate timing and tune up

Appropriate 32/36 carb setup

How to reinstall and charge AC, including the front console. 

How to install a radiator without bending every fin. 

How to install and secure a shift boot. 

How to install trim. 

Fix mysterious tears in a new carpet. 

Roll fenders. 

 

I will drop my car off next week.......

 

 

[Seth Horwitz]

2 minutes ago, Vicleonardo1 said:

I will drop my car off next week.......

 

 

 

I’m in NY, and they’re in NJ. That’s a long drive. 

[Jimmy]

4 minutes ago, Vicleonardo1 said:

After a long lecture to the boys about the satisfaction of taking pride in a job well done. Additional lessons about vetting mechanics because there are many scammers out there, then I think the following projects would be ideal. 

 

Appropriately aligning and installing a 5 speed and LSD, including judicious use of a BFH. 

Redoing horrible rust repairs. 

Appropriate use of seam sealer. 

Repainting a horrible paint job. 

Replace gaskets. 

Appropriate timing and tune up

Appropriate 32/36 carb setup

How to reinstall and charge AC, including the front console. 

How to install a radiator without bending every fin. 

How to install and secure a shift boot. 

How to install trim. 

Fix mysterious tears in a new carpet. 

Roll fenders. 

 

I will drop my car off next week.......

 

 

 

Ugh. Have you disclosed the identity of the butchers?

[Vicleonardo1]

11 minutes ago, Jimmy said:

 

Ugh. Have you disclosed the identity of the butchers?

 Not yet. Still accumulating and documenting the vast array of screw ups.

 

What I gave above truly is a partial list. The body work is so bad, I may have to find a shell and start over. (not kidding). But I don't want to disparage anyone until I have all the information I can gather. That would include talking to him and his cronies to get their side of the story. (after I get over the fact that I paid them a lot of money to destroy my car). 

I believe their list may be as follows: 

 

I had a stroke, I lost vision in one eye, the welder was not working correctly, I didn't know that you could use too much Bondo, I didn't know that seam sealer should not be used on exterior parts, my dog was dying, I don't know why the sealer on the pedal box isn't setting up, I didn't know the drive shaft was hitting the shift tower, you didn't say that I couldn't drill a hole in your AC console, what do mean by pinging? ...etc.

 

But I may start a blog of what not to do when hiring a restorer to work on your car. It will be photo rich...

[zinz]

Here's a few that will fill up a weekend:

 

Clean all the electrical ground locations on the car (this will exorcise many gremlins)

 

Flush and replace all fluids; coolant, brakes, transmission, differential, engine oil.

 

Learn to adjust the rear brakes and emergency brake lever.

 

Ed