Getting an old '02 running

[lobf]

Hi folks- 

 

I acquired my grandpa's old '71, bought new in the Bay Area, and left in my uncle's front yard to deteriorate for a couple of decades. 

 

I've cleaned it out, replaced and rebuilt a few parts, but I need some help in progressing further. 

 

I'm currently patching up some holes in the gas tank with JB Weld, since the car only runs if you pour gas straight in to the carb, and I was figuring maybe it was a vacuum issue. If patching these holes doesn't work, though- where to next? (I already bought a new fuel pump too, and tested it, so I know it works). 

 

On that note, I think it's got the original solex carb on it- probably in need of a rebuild at this point. Is that something I can do at home, or is that dumb? If it is possible, where can I order a rebuild kit? 

 

And lastly- I'm pretty sure the drum brakes are goners, but my shop wanted $600 to do the drum brakes on my daily driver 2002 since they say the parts are super rare now: can anyone verify? Is there an affordable and relatively decent drum brake kit for these things still around somewhere? 

 

Thanks so much! 

 

 

 

 

[Mike Self]

14 minutes ago, lobf said:

I'm currently patching up some holes in the gas tank with JB Weld, since the car only runs if you pour gas straight in to the carb, and I was figuring maybe it was a vacuum issue. If patching these holes doesn't work, though- where to next? (I already bought a new fuel pump too, and tested it, so I know it works). 

You'd do better with that gas tank to either find a replacement (make sure it's the same as your '71, as there are different tanks used according to the years), or remove it (easy job) and take it to an old-line radiator shop to have it patched properly with soldered-in brass patches.  However, if the leaks are along the seam that joins the two halves together, you'd be better off to find another tank.  Should be plenty of rust-free ones in S. CA. 

 

To get gas flowing once you have the tank repaired do this:

• replace all the rubber gas lines--especially if they're cloth covered--they are original and probably cracked or porous--with new rubber lines:  tank to plastic fuel line in the trunk, and in the engine compartment, fuel line to pump, pump to carb. 
• Before hooking everything up, take a can of carb cleaner and squirt it into the plastic fuel line at the firewall, and keep squirting 'till it runs out in the trunk (put some rags there to sop up the liquid).  That should clean out any crud, varnish etc from the line.

20 minutes ago, lobf said:

On that note, I think it's got the original solex carb on it- probably in need of a rebuild at this point. Is that something I can do at home, or is that dumb? If it is possible, where can I order a rebuild kit? 

 

If it's a 1 bbl Solex, they're really easy to rebuild--get a kit, let the disassembled carb take an overnight swim in one of those gallon cans of carb cleaner you buy at the auto parts store, and reassemble with new gaskets--and a new accelerator pump diaphragm.  Just take pictures or make a sketch of how things come apart so you get it back together correctly.   Good learning experience if you've not done a carb before.

 

22 minutes ago, lobf said:

And lastly- I'm pretty sure the drum brakes are goners, but my shop wanted $600 to do the drum brakes on my daily driver 2002 since they say the parts are super rare now: can anyone verify? Is there an affordable and relatively decent drum brake kit for these things still around somewhere? 

All the parts for the rear brakes are readily available:  drums, shoes (probably on exchange) wheel cylinders etc.  Again a pretty easy repair to do yourself.  Lots of tutorials on the FAQ.  Two bitchy tasks:  freeing up the stuck brake shoe adjusters and reinstalling the W-shaped spring that holds the shoes in place at the bottom.  But plenty of advice on how to do both.  

 

Plenty of parts sources:  for BMW specific stuff, Blunt or Maxmillian; for generic things (brake parts, carb kits etc) besides those two, Autohaus Arizona, Rock Auto, Pelican Parts, even your local auto parts store. 

 

Bottom line:  go for it and learn about your new car.  

 

mike

[lobf]

26 minutes ago, mike said:

You'd do better with that gas tank to either find a replacement (make sure it's the same as your '71, as there are different tanks used according to the years), or remove it (easy job) and take it to an old-line radiator shop to have it patched properly with soldered-in brass patches.  However, if the leaks are along the seam that joins the two halves together, you'd be better off to find another tank.  Should be plenty of rust-free ones in S. CA. 

Okay, I'll look in to getting it patched. The old radiator shop in Santa Monica closed a few years back now... I'll need to find another.

 

Is this not something that a general welder could / should handle? 

 

 

26 minutes ago, mike said:

 

To get gas flowing once you have the tank repaired do this:

• replace all the rubber gas lines--especially if they're cloth covered--they are original and probably cracked or porous--with new rubber lines:  tank to plastic fuel line in the trunk, and in the engine compartment, fuel line to pump, pump to carb. 

 

Indeed, I've got the cloth covered original lines- they feel like they're made of copper at this point. 

 

I checked Ireland, but does anyone sell a set of these? 

 

 

26 minutes ago, mike said:

 

If it's a 1 bbl Solex, they're really easy to rebuild--get a kit, let the disassembled carb take an overnight swim in one of those gallon cans of carb cleaner you buy at the auto parts store, and reassemble with new gaskets--and a new accelerator pump diaphragm.  Just take pictures or make a sketch of how things come apart so you get it back together correctly.   Good learning experience if you've not done a carb before.

 

Wonderful, thank you. Is there an easy way to identify the carb? 

 

26 minutes ago, mike said:

 

All the parts for the rear brakes are readily available:  drums, shoes (probably on exchange) wheel cylinders etc.  Again a pretty easy repair to do yourself.  Lots of tutorials on the FAQ.  Two bitchy tasks:  freeing up the stuck brake shoe adjusters and reinstalling the W-shaped spring that holds the shoes in place at the bottom.  But plenty of advice on how to do both.  

 

I've done the drum brakes on my daily driver years ago, I remember that fucking spring. Thanks for the tips, I'll get some new parts. 

 

26 minutes ago, mike said:

 

Plenty of parts sources:  for BMW specific stuff, Blunt or Maxmillian; for generic things (brake parts, carb kits etc) besides those two, Autohaus Arizona, Rock Auto, Pelican Parts, even your local auto parts store. 

 

Bottom line:  go for it and learn about your new car.  

 

mike

 

Welp, this answers some of my previous questions, I'll check those! 

[Son of Marty]

1 hour ago, lobf said:

Indeed, I've got the cloth covered original lines- they feel like they're made of copper at this point. 

 

I checked Ireland, but does anyone sell a set of these? 

You don't want or need the cloth covered hoses, unless you are building a car for show, it really old technology. Just use ethanol resistant gas hose sold with the internal reinforcement sold by the foot. 

[Mike Self]

5 hours ago, lobf said:

Is there an easy way to identify the carb? 

If your car is in fact a '70, and unless a PO has replaced the OEM 1 bbl Solex with a two barrel manifold and a Weber 32/36 2 barrel carb, the Solex is gonna be pretty obvious. 

 

Remove the air cleaner:   The carb beneath will have a single barrel and say "SOLEX" on the top.  

 

mike

[GerryD]

Gonna need some of the tips here. My uncle and I are looking at a '76 2002 that needs lots of TLC.

[halboyles]

17 hours ago, lobf said:

If patching these holes doesn't work, though- where to next?

There is one other possibility for a fuel leak causing air in the line:  the sleeve on the fuel sender.  See below.  Send me a PM with your mailing address and I'll send one to you.  

Also attached is a shot of how to do a PM on the blog.

Fuel Sender Tube Sleeve Replacement.pdf

[lobf]

16 hours ago, Son of Marty said:

You don't want or need the cloth covered hoses, unless you are building a car for show, it really old technology. Just use ethanol resistant gas hose sold with the internal reinforcement sold by the foot. 

 

It's more about making sure I get the right size. Can I get that tubing at autozone or a similarly generic parts store? 

[Mike Self]

15 minutes ago, lobf said:

Can I get that tubing at autozone or a similarly generic parts store? 

Yep, just be aware of the sleeve at the gas tank pickup tube, and the different size inlet and outlet nipples on the fuel pump.  While you're getting the hose, get some mini-geared hose clamps to keep the fuel lines firmly attached at every junction.  Mechanical fuel pumps would much rather suck air than gasoline, so the smallest leak or porous spot will keep the pump from functioning properly, or at all.

 

mike

[Son of Marty]

Throw in a fuel filter between the pump and carb.

[lobf]

A local radiator shop said my tank was too corroded to patch. 

 

Unphased, I brought it home, applied a much neater and even couple of layers of JB weld with a rubber brush, and right now am in the middle of my homemade compression test, made of some Flex Tape, some electrical tape, a rubber glove, and a bike bump. Seems to be holding right now

 

If it holds for a while, I'm going to brush on a bit more epoxy to the outside, and then sand it down and paint the bottom of the tank so it looks smooth. 

 

Next step is clearing the rust from the interior. Muric acid seems like a bitch to handle and dispose of. My dad mentioned some type of epoxy solution he coated the interior of a gas tank with, while rotating it on some kind of spit to apply evenly. Anyone familiar with this product? 

 

 

[Son of Marty]

There are many tank sealers on the market, I'll let others comment on the one's they have used, but the most important thin is to follow their instructions to the letter on cleaning and preping the tank, if the product fails it's a nightmare of clogged fuel filters and so on.

[tech71]

That tank doesn't look so bad but what's lurking on the underside??

[man_mark_7]

I've used Caswell on several motorcycle tanks which were heavily rusted. They have held up great for over 4 years now. To get the rust out of the tanks I used acetone and short drywall screws with plenty of shaking to knock any scaly rust loose.

 

Good luck!

[lobf]

6 hours ago, Son of Marty said:

There are many tank sealers on the market, I'll let others comment on the one's they have used, but the most important thin is to follow their instructions to the letter on cleaning and preping the tank, if the product fails it's a nightmare of clogged fuel filters and so on.

 

Thank you for the heads up, I now have the right term to at least search google with, and I will make sure to carefully follow their instructions. 

 

6 hours ago, tech71 said:

That tank doesn't look so bad but what's lurking on the underside??

 

The underside was an absolute mess until I scrubbed the hell out of it with a scouring pad. I'll post a photo in the morning. 

 

What was more concerning were the large chunks of what appeared to be ceramic (I'm sure it wasn't ceramic, but whatever the hell it was had a similar sort of look, but crumbled more easily than fired clay) that I poured out of the tank when I took it out of the car. 

 

5 hours ago, man_mark_7 said:

I've used Caswell on several motorcycle tanks which were heavily rusted. They have held up great for over 4 years now. To get the rust out of the tanks I used acetone and short drywall screws with plenty of shaking to knock any scaly rust loose.

 

Good luck!

 

Thank you, I can give that a shot. I should rig up a spit... 

 

Edited July 29, 2020 by lobf