Project 2002 Singapore

[louissingapore]

Yes, we're slowly but surely getting there. Having had her engine bay painted and various chassis bits cut out and replaced with fresh metal, it was time to shift the project back into the workshop for numerous other things to be sorted out before a final trip to the bodyshop for paint work in her new shade.

As you can see, the rear Konis and H&Rs are in (along with rebuilt rear drum brakes) but still missing the driveshafts and rear differential.

Apart from the rear axle, what else is there to do in the not too distant future? Well, the interior and the engine needs to go back in and along with it, the brand new wiring harness from Autosparks. Thereafter, the rebuilt gearbox with fresh new synchros and the refreshed front axle.

Here's a look at some of the work that has gone on "under the covers".

Don't worry, it'll be painted black later. Can't leave it looking like this I reckon. It ain't pretty but it gets the job done.

An existing frame rail that wasn't too rotted, so it was kept.

On the other side though, the old rail was fully rusted out and had to be replaced with a fresh new piece.

Some parts of the lower sills had to be replaced due to rust.

 

Here's an example of the layers of old paint currently on a door. Over 40 years of history right there. Don't worry about the rust here, the doors are being replaced with brand new pieces.

 

Here is the engine bay after a bare metal sand down.

There's still quite a bit of stuff to sort out but it was nice to see the 02 yet again. After dropping off the brand new roof rail trim and trim installation tool and finalising the engine cam cover's colour with my mechanic, I figured I'll need to change the car's name as well once finished. "Alicia Silverstone" just doesn't work anymore with her new upcoming hue. I also got a glimpse of my final bill. It's rather er... significant. Stay tuned.

[louissingapore]

Update for today:

I totally get it, it's a process that in every project such as this, there are bound to be setbacks, delays and unforeseen issues cropping up ever so often. That said, I still can't help but feel a sense of despair and disappointment whenever a particularly major one rears its ugly head.

Since I was dropping off another car at the workshop, I figured it was a good time to take a look at Project 2002's ongoing progress. Looking at the current state, I'm quite doubtful the car will be done by the end of this year.

So what's the big problem now? Remember that beautiful brand new working Harness from Autosparks? Turns out the RHD harness which I specifically ordered, paid for and waited an extra long time to receive is actually an LHD harness and is way too short to be used on my RHD 2002. Seriously, how could they have made such a massive blunder? It's something I seriously cannot fathom. How could anyone the very basics of an order so very very wrong?

I sure hope something can be done. Looks like I'm gonna be even more out of pocket on this one. FML.

 

[louissingapore]

Not much updates for now, Covid has affected the workshop where my 2002 is at quite badly in terms of manpower and thereafter my own mech and his entire family got hit with the vid, I also don't really want to push them due to such circumstances. 

On a lighter note, my wheels are here! 

Project 2002: You better Work | GARAGE36

GARAGE36.WORDPRESS.COM

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It has been quite some time since I last updated anything with regards to the '02 and today's not really going to be different, with Covid pretty much crippling the workshop my 2002 is currently sitting in, it doesn't seem like the car will be back together anytime soon. On a much brighter...

▲

"Built to order" Work Equip 40s have finally arrived after more than half a year of waiting since I made the order (back when I optimistically thought the 02 would already be out and about).

 

Nonetheless, the wheels were here and I picked them up when I sent my Toyota Mark II in for another set of spacers.

 

 

While I might have had a couple of cars up till now, this is only the second time that I'm buying a brand new set of wheels and the first time making a custom order, so I was honestly quite excited (though my wallet would probably disagree).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not gonna lie, straight out of the box, the brand spanking new set of Equip 40s looked sweet.

 

 

 

 

While these wheels are currently gaining in popularity, I first fell in love with them back in 2017 at the Tokyo Auto Salon when they were first unveiled. I wouldn't have imagined that one day I would actually buy them for myself!

 

 

 

 

Even the insides looked cool with little details I used to not even notice. Love how it's still so clean, enjoy it while it lasts I guess.

 

 

 

 

I do wonder if I should have gone with a slightly more aggressive setup for the rears though.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Perhaps a tad more dish might be perfect for the rears. But, what's done is done and I can't change anything right now. Going one offset up (or down) will most likely require some rear wheel arch rolling on the 02 as well, so this might be the best compromise.

 

 

 

 

It will probably be a while until I can get these mounted so until then, into storage they go.

 

[dang]

Just curious.  I visited Singapore a few times years ago on business and my friend that lives there said it cost more to own/operate a classic than it does a late model car.  Is this still the case?  I know when I was there the government was discouraging owning a vehicle.

[dlacey]

https://onemotoring.lta.gov.sg/content/onemotoring/home/buying/vehicle-types-and-registrations/car/classic-car.html

 

14 minutes ago, dang said:

cost more to own/operate a classic

 

Import costs are high - 100-200% of market value, and then usage is restricted to 28 days a year. Cars must have a Electronic Unit to enable recognition by Singapore's electronic Road Pricing system, i believe there's some issue with older vehicles with only 6V electrics or Magneto/Carbide technology that cannot support the Unit....

[louissingapore]

10 hours ago, dang said:

Just curious.  I visited Singapore a few times years ago on business and my friend that lives there said it cost more to own/operate a classic than it does a late model car.  Is this still the case?  I know when I was there the government was discouraging owning a vehicle.

 

It depends. If the classic is registered as a regular car (with black license plates), then yes it is going tobe quite expensive to maintain as road taxes are higher for older cars (beats me why). BUT if said classic vehicle is on a "classic plate" (the red and yellow plates you see rocking on my car), then not really. 

 

Yes, it is true, import taxes are high and depends on the "declared value" of the car. But other than that, all other taxes for cars registered as "Classics" are much much lower than those of regular cars. Though if you are planning to import a classic into Singapore, it has to be 35yrs of age or older (which sucks alot more than the 25yr rule the US has). I shall go into usage later.

For some insight into vehicle "taxes", to register a brand car in Singapore one must also purchase a certificate of entitlement (COE) that is tied to the car and is bidded on twice a month, for brand new cars, that COE is now sitting at (an astronomical) USD$45k - USD$64k. To register a classic car which you have imported (on the classic car scheme), your COE payable is 10% of the current COE value, which means, "only" USD4.5k - USD$6.4k.

Road tax payable is also cheap at approx USD$200 a year and insurance is also roughly around the same USD$200 for whatever old banger you have. 

Usage for classic cars is a downer at only 28 days a year initially (you get coupons for each day you want to use the car for), though you CAN purchase additional coupons for approx USD$15 per day up to a max limit of 45 days in total (inclusive of the original 28 days). 

So yes and no. Also, with prices of old cars shooting up recently, it has gotten quite costly for newcomers to the hobby. Previously cars on "classic" registration were relatively cheap to buy since few wanted them due to their usage restrictions, and I luckily picked up my 2002 for fair $$$ just before prices started going up. 

The ERP (congestion charge) device is not really an issue for my car so I cannot comment on that. 

[louissingapore]

I know, I know, if you think it still looks pretty much the same as before, you're right! While not that much has progressed since my last update, there is some good news in the fact that with manpower issues (due to Covid) slowly starting to resolve themselves, work has once again restarted on the '02.

 

While it was nice to once again have a look at the car, my reason for dropping by was much more practical because this arrived in the mail very recently.

 

 

No, it's not a brand new set of floor mats, well, at least not yet. Having ordered a full set of mats from Coco Mats (after Karo Japan totally fudged up my original plans), they sent me this, a pattern verification kit with the template for my car's floormats. I'm guessing with this car being RHD, they wanted to get things right before starting production. Smart.

 

So with the kit in my hands, a visit to the workshop to test fit the templates was in order.

 

 

With the Mark II parked up, it was also the first time I had both cars side by side. Quite a strange pairing no?

 

 

After Autosparks UK's total mess of a job sending me an LHD harness for my RHD order (after months of waiting and no service recovery in sight), my mechanic now has the very arduous and time-consuming task of rebuilding an entire harness with whatever we currently have. Autosparks, what a sham. It wasn't cheap either.

 

I will highly not recommend them if you are living outside of the UK because if they mess up your order like mine, you are pretty much out of luck.

 

 

Regardless, I was here to do some test fitting (and badge measuring), and kudos to Coco Mats, the fitment was as perfect as it can be even though there wasn't any interior to speak of.

 

 

Some additional photos to give you an idea of what my car looks like inside the cabin.

 

 

I also took the time to match up the colours of my floor mats against my car's new colour. I know I wanted to keep it a surprise but it's been so long that I think I'd rather share it, though it doesn't really come across very well in photos.

 

 

Here's a better look. I think they work well together.

 

 

After a quick friendly chat with my mechanic, it was time to head off. Hopefully, it will look different the next time I drop by for a visit. We are still months away, but... Fingers crossed!

Edited May 12, 2022 by louissingapore

[louissingapore]

 

Having bought parts for my Toyota Mark II, there was no way I could neglect the 2002 right? Of course not! So along with a brand new Momo black edition, some other parts have arrived for the old girl. Yup, a brand new front strut bar because, why not?

 

If you're thinking it's been some time since my last update on the 2002, you're not wrong. Getting the car's wiring done up has been an extremely time-consuming process for the shop but I'm very happy to report that the wiring is almost done! Here's most of the wiring already in the car.

 

 

In addition to that bright red bar, here's another new bit of period-correct engineering for the car.

 

 

Brand new Weber 32/36 carbs.

 

Along with a tiny little air filter.

 

These things look pretty alien to me so luckily I'm not the one installing them. I'll probably botch the job.

 

Having dropped them off, they are now in the safe hands of my mechanic. The 2002 still pretty much looks the same but hopefully with the wiring loom now in, the rest of the build can continue as planned. Fingers crossed!

[louissingapore]

Welp! Turns out the previous shipment of parts was probably nowhere near the last as another issue cropped up soon after dropping off my Webers. Cue exhibit A:

 

 

Notice anything amiss? Yup, my brand-new Weber 32/36 will not fit my intake manifold! While this could have been a mistake on my part, it really wasn't, because that intake manifold should not have been on my car! That is an early 2002 or 1602 manifold, and not something that should have been on my later car. I guess someone, somewhere, years ago did a sneaky swap and took my original larger intake off!

 

So, it meant ordering yet another part and kudos to Ireland Engineering, they delivered the goods and I got my brand new reconditioned part in a week!

 

 

With said part in hand I headed over to my mechanic once again for a special delivery!

 

 

It's always fun to snoop around whenever there's something interesting in the shop.

 

 

Here's the previously mentioned offending manifold. No what that's gonna work.

 

 

New intake manifold, meet new Weber. New Weber, meet new intake manifold. Let's do a test fit!

 

 

Lookin' good. Finally!

 

 

While I was there, I also had a look at the head which after opening up seemed to have taken some internal damage somewhere in its life. So, it was sent to be skimmed and whilst not perfect, it is still serviceable and we will continue to use it since we are not looking to build a race engine or trying to make bulk power.

 

 

The rest of the engine also looked to be in pretty decent shape with the pistons and valves still good for use.

 

 

Here's the old carb vs the new one for comparison. I'm guessing there will be a noticeable difference once fitted.

 

 

This will be retired to the bookshelf.

 

 

Here's a look at the freshly painted valve cover! This was actually an idea by my mechanic and initially, the lines and BMW text were painted black but I insisted on getting them sanded down to have the exposed silver metal showing. I think it looks really sweet!

 

 

The shop HAD to park this 328 next to my car. This right here, is pretty much the dream garage pair don't you think?

 

 

The 308/328 era Ferraris will always be my childhood heroes. Such beautiful lines. Just looking at these cars brings back memories from when I was just a kid.

 

 

 

Luckily for me, dreaming is free. 1 out of 2 ain't too bad I guess. From hereon, let's pray things will move ahead smoothly (fingers crossed) as I will need to get the car ready for inspection by the end of October. Here's hoping!

[louissingapore]

Engine is finally back in one piece! Now for it to go into the car. Lol.

 

 

[dlacey]

That dizzy looks like an unrestored relic, you invested a lot in carburetion, it's surely worth giving the dizzy some love? Slop in a worn dizzy will affect idle & pickup and can seriously impact the drivability of the engine. Get the play out of the shaft with new fibre washers, change the springs and it will transform.

[louissingapore]

haha ya,  I had the internals rebuilt about 2 yrs back, but it does look pretty rough on the outside. 

Maybe I'll drop in one of these in the future: 

BluntTech Industries • 123\BMW BLUETOOTH TUNABLE DISTRIBUTOR FOR M10 ENGINES

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The 123\BMW-4-R-V bluetooth tunable distributor is designed for M10 engines, in the BMW 1600, 1602, 1602Ti, 1800, 1800Ti, 1802, 2000, 2000Ti, 2000Tii, 2002, 2002Ti, 2002Tii, 2002Turbo, 316, 318...

 

Edited October 5, 2022 by louissingapore

[GerryD]

That's one fun project!

[louissingapore]

Taking wayyyy longer than I expected though

[louissingapore]

Engine's finally in! Awaiting everything to be fully wired up before we can get it started and thereafter it will be off to the paint/bodyshop again for a full respray.

 

Slightly cleaner undercarriage, some new bits, some old bits just heavily cleaned up.