New Member - 1972 BMW 2002

[JJ Drive on]

Hello, I have lerked on the forum for a while and finally picked up the car.   Luckily, free from my father in law with 99,000 miles and two owners.  All orignal from what I can tell other than some unusual repairs.

I finally made the decision to completely tear down the interior to check out the body, and ultimately replace all worn components. A full restoration does not make sense as it will be a daily driver in the summer.  My decision is not final and I am building my buget around the below plan, assuming help with the frame (if needed), engine, and of course a professional painter.

• Remove all rust as possible
• Seal the full body and frame, hoping for good luck on this part to avoid cutting and welding.
• Paint color to be decided
• Leave interior stock, but add sound insulation, new carpet, and maybe headliner.  Still trying to understand the additional guages and where to hid the ECM, maybe upgrade the radio.
• EFI conversion
• Upgrade all electrical and power for current and future additions
• Upgrade suspension and brakes as needed, plus sway bars if needed
• Five speed conversion for Highway driving
• Add 292 cam and other comonents pending compression and air flow.  
• Porting I am still learning and have a good contact for an engine guy

Ideally, added horse power under 150 is a benefit and still learning all of the ins and outs.  I have read a fair number of 318i conversions but I don't like the down draft.  The ITB's seem interesting, although a fair amount of mods seem to be required for TPS and MAP alterations for a Jenvey system or Dbilas.  Maybe I have not found the correct one yet.  So much to learn.  I wonder if a TI manifold can work with a single throttle body but have not researched.

I plan to log my adventure, as my mechanical and electrical knowledge is moderate at best.  It would be great to hear similar restortations, ideas, and suggestions. 

 

Photos to come soon with a few in my bio.

 

Thank you for your time.

[aldo.navarro.13]

Congrats. Welcome to the club.

Your plan sounds like an excellent one.

[Mark92131]

31 minutes ago, JJ Drive on said:

It would be great to hear similar restortations, ideas, and suggestions.

 

It all comes down to how ambitious you are and how deep are your pockets.  My 1970 BMW 1600 restoration started with a decent shell, but basically needed everything else, drive train, interior, trim, glass, etc.  I stripped it down and set it off to paint and body, got it back 18 months later (Covid).  During that 18 months, I prepared for its return, powder coating the subframes, rebuilding the suspension, researching options and ordering parts.  Like you, I wanted to upgrade ignition and fuel delivery, so all my research and planning was in preparation for that outcome.  I ran separate power distribution for all non-stock upgrades (fan, fuel pump, ECU, O2 Sensor, Injectors, Fast Idle Valve, Etc.).  I had 2 engine options (S14 and M10) and built both for EDIS-4 wasted spark ignition and and ITB's so I could swap them if needed.  When I got the shell back in late 2021, I started installing all of the components and parts.  My New Year's resolution is to have it running and driving in 2023.

 

Lots of good folks are on this site that will take the time to guide you through this process.  When you get your photos, start a Blog so we can follow your progress.

 

Welcome and good luck,

 

Mark92131

 

 

[AceAndrew]

Welcome to the faq, sounds like you’re contemplating a fun, tasteful build!  You may want to consider changing out the stock seats as they are horrible for the spirited driving your anticipated car seems equipped for.

 

look forward to you starting a blog on here so we can follow your progress!

[SydneyTii]

Welcome!

+1 on Andrew’s comment, I love the look of standard seats but comfort wise not so much, and there is little to no lateral support especially on early seats….

 

[Markster]

3 hours ago, JJ Drive on said:

Hello, I have lerked on the forum for a while and finally picked up the car.   Luckily, free from my father in law with 99,000 miles and two owners.  All orignal from what I can tell other than some unusual repairs.

I finally made the decision to completely tear down the interior to check out the body, and ultimately replace all worn components. A full restoration does not make sense as it will be a daily driver in the summer.  My decision is not final and I am building my buget around the below plan, assuming help with the frame (if needed), engine, and of course a professional painter.

• Remove all rust as possible
• Seal the full body and frame, hoping for good luck on this part to avoid cutting and welding.
• Paint color to be decided
• Leave interior stock, but add sound insulation, new carpet, and maybe headliner.  Still trying to understand the additional guages and where to hid the ECM, maybe upgrade the radio.
• EFI conversion
• Upgrade all electrical and power for current and future additions
• Upgrade suspension and brakes as needed, plus sway bars if needed
• Five speed conversion for Highway driving
• Add 292 cam and other comonents pending compression and air flow.  
• Porting I am still learning and have a good contact for an engine guy

Ideally, added horse power under 150 is a benefit and still learning all of the ins and outs.  I have read a fair number of 318i conversions but I don't like the down draft.  The ITB's seem interesting, although a fair amount of mods seem to be required for TPS and MAP alterations for a Jenvey system or Dbilas.  Maybe I have not found the correct one yet.  So much to learn.  I wonder if a TI manifold can work with a single throttle body but have not researched.

I plan to log my adventure, as my mechanical and electrical knowledge is moderate at best.  It would be great to hear similar restortations, ideas, and suggestions. 

 

Photos to come soon with a few in my bio.

 

Thank you for your time.

wait - before we say congrats to this plan the old guys/ owners can become pretty attached to our stock machines.  Did you get permission from your father in-law?  

[norrinradd]

Welcome ! As a fellow '72 owner you will have fun !  Start with the brakes ! Make it stop before it goes too fast ! Dual webers are fun , too ! Listen to the big boys on here; they've seen it all !

[2002iii]

Pictures or it didn't happen!

 

Your plan sounds good, but it's a lot easier to plan than execute.

 

There's tons of great information here, the search function is your friend. Check out the articles section for the factory BMW repair manual and many other helpful articles.

 

Start slow with just getting the motor running, brakes, suspension and steering. Then you can worry about upgrading everything else.

[Son of Marty]

If you build your engine with a 292 cam and 9.5 pistons I wouldn't do porting, BMW did a great job there and at this level of build it's easy to go backwards, port matching the manifolds for sure and reliving the valve pocket a tad will do you fine, in MHO anyway.

[Pablo M]

Welcome! I’m relatively new here too, having picked up my 72 2002tii a couple months ago. 
I agree with above-brakes first, then go-fast stuff (starting with suspension). Keep in mind the car is 50 years old so lots of the rubber parts, particularly bushings, need refreshing. 
This week I’ve been doing just that-bushings and brakes. 
if it’s a daily read up on dual carbs more. They’re high maintenance and may not be to your liking in the long run, for a daily. Although if it’s just summer might be ok. I’m in SoCal so will daily mine all year. 
looking forward to seeing your progress. 

[MarcD]

A stock rotating assembly with a synced 32/36, fresh ignition, and a 3.91 rear make for a really fun car.  My butt dyno has a hard time justifying the money for dual 40's or efi after driving a properly tuned downdraft on a stock motor. Add a suspension refresh and some sticky tires and you're all but guaranteed to violently sling your groceries around in the trunk on your way home from the store. 

 

A set of E21 recaros make all the difference in the world if your budget allows.

[JJ Drive on]

Thank you for all of the comments and I attached the photos. Excuse my garage as I am still clearing out space.  Getting my third stall ready is an ongoing process which I hope to complete by the end of January.  New tools, tool box, storage cabinets, heater for the garage, etc. 

 

The car was running last June and my father in law tried again before I picked it up. He said it turns over but the choke is stuck.   

[MarcD]

Well damn. That car looks really good. Sweet dryer vent.

Edited January 2, 2023 by MarcD

[Mark92131]

10 hours ago, JJ Drive on said:

The car was running last June and my father in law tried again before I picked it up. He said it turns over but the choke is stuck

 

I would ditch the dryer vent hose for the correct part as MarcD points out.  Buy a rebuild kit for the 1 barrel Solex.  Replace that Blue Coil with one that isn't internally resisted (Black Coil) so it works with the Ballast resistor and drive that sweet original car until it really needs a restoration.

 

IMHO,

 

Mark92131

[thehackmechanic]

Nice-looking survivor car. My two cents: The 18-24 months it'll take you to execute your plan are 18-24 months you'll be without a running driving 2002. In the meantime, you could be driving something that's had a little sprinkling of rolling restoration dust—a light sort-out, a fresh suspension, maybe a new Weber, and you can be the guy driving a 2002 and smiling like a Cheshire cat.