Do I keep it stock or do plus 1, plus 2 upgrades?

[Hywyflyr]

archive.ziparchive.zip

 

1. HI, new user here. 
2.  
3. After many years of not having a running '02 the body shop is nearing completion. This is a full rebuilt starting with the bare shell of a 1973 Agave  2002. I hate taking a car this far apart but between the rust and previous accident damage it was in for a dime in for a dollar. Now my dilemma is do I keep it stock or do basic upgrades? Most people don't realize how good these cars were stock with just a set of Bilsteins and good tires. But, the siren call of cams, carbs, headers, lowering springs and wide rims keeps calling. Tie me to the work bench! What do people think?
4. Uploaded photos but not sure I did this correctly.

 

[OldRoller]

Unless you are building a street flash or plan on autocrossing/racing build it stock. Once rolling you can sort what you want to improve or change. You will have lots of 'teething' issues to handle initially. Springs, tires and wheels are easy. Build a good running, solid and stopping canvas and go from there. 

[M3M3]

its your car.  who cares what others think.  build to car to make YOU happy.

[JsnPpp]

Absolutely do what makes you happy. However, if even a little bit unsure, just build it stock and "upgrade" it later once it's all sorted. Then, you can feel the difference each item brings later. Fun stuff. A bit more money, sure, but like you said, you are already in for (10) dollars and it's a journey.

 

I too have not driven my 02 in years. It will be driving in 2024.

 

Jason

[NYNick]

You're going to lose money on the restoration. That's a well known fact. Modifications, especially the visual kind, will affect value. Minor suspension mods, like springs and shocks won't affect it much, but the marketplace likes OEM.

 

Of course it's your car, so you should build it the way you want. Just bear in mind the further you modify, the further from top dollar you will be when it's time to sell. If you have no plans on selling, ever, then who cares?

[visionaut]

FYI - your pics must be in that attached zip archive. It’s usually better to upload/attach images that are directly visible in your posts (use jpeg/png format) vs. as an archive…

[Mike Self]

Were it mine, I think I'd do the handling improvements first--springs, shocks, larger sway bars, etc.  And decent tires, if you can find 'em.  If the suspension bushings look tired, do them too, but I'd avoid urethane suspension bushings for the street--except for those associated with the sway bars.   Then enjoy the improved handling.  All those improvements are relatively easy to do yourself and are neither terribly expensive nor will tie up your car for very long, especially if you do 'em a few at a time.

 

Once that's accomplished, you can think about the more expensive and time consuming engine/trans mods.  But you might find that minimal engine stuff (Weber carb, perhaps a 123 dizzy) might be all you want.  Without major expense, your 02 will never be as fast off the line as a modern Corolla, but if's great fun to drive a slow(ish) car fast...

 

mike

[Tdh]

2 hours ago, NYNick said:Modifications, especially the visual kind, will affect value. Minor suspension mods, like springs and shocks won't affect it much, but the marketplace likes OEM.

 

 

Not sure I agree with this 100%. Tasteful, easily reversible mods sometimes elevate the value of a 2002. Especially if you keep/offer the original parts for sale with the car. 
 

I make that statement while fully admitting that I don’t enjoy driving a stock 2002 from a handling standpoint. 

[Pablo M]

If it were me (and it is, isnt it given my own project lol), I would first restore it to stock assuming that involves just putting parts back together. Then drive it and sort out the bugs. Make it a reliable runner first.

Then I would address better handling, by first upgrading all the bushings and ball joints. Freshen everything up. Then based on how you're driving it, its purpose, upgrade to sway bars and shocks/springs. I would only consider coilovers if you need a low look and want that much better handling, from lower ride height. 

After that, address better stopping. Either by upgrading to tii brakes or the big brake kits available for non tiis. I have a kit I will be selling shortly if interested (new IE big brake kit using volvo calipers, still in boxes). 

I would do all of this before addressing power. 

[bmw_e30]

i wanna see pics of this car

[GasProcessor]

My opinion with these cars is to keep them stock (at least until EV conversions become economical). The stock wheels, suspension, and cam might not be as fun as aftermarket, but the older I get the more I value comfort over performance. I used to modify and beat the crap out of my BMWs when I was a kid (and I quickly learned how fast things break when you do that), but as grown man these days I trust the way the BMW engineers set up the car’s engine, wheels, tires, and suspension from the factory. There are mods that can improve the car (restomods), but in my opinion they aren’t in the departments you listed.

 

That said, I’m a regular driver and I use cars strictly as street vehicles, and I’m the type that drives an automatic transmission (so the classic BMWs I pick are really nice and had gentle owners). I also want to say that I mainly like classic BMWs from the 70s and 80s for their styling (I like boxy bodies and chrome trim and round headlights), small size (you should see my 1989 325iX compared to my little sister’s 2017 320i), and big greenhouses.

 

My 2 cents on this question

Edited November 10, 2023 by GasProcessor

[theNomad]

It can sometimes be more expensive/easier to keep it stock than to get the "upgrade" parts. At least as I've been building on a strict budget.

[tech71]

21 hours ago, Hywyflyr said:

Uploaded photos but not sure I did this correctly.

 

Try reloading the Pics on to the forum as Jpegs or something so we can open/view them on the forum.

I for one have no interest in downloading a file to my PC from an unknown source, its sketchy!

Cant really comment cause I dont know what state the car is in.... stripped down to the body? Rolling stock? engine in or out? Good usable engine or???  Give us something to work with here

Edited November 10, 2023 by tech71

[Son of Marty]

If the car has been sitting apart for awhile your going to need all new brake parts so decide if you want to upgrade them now or stay stock, replace the shocks with your choice of Billies or Konis.

Everything else you can mod to your tastes after you've driven a bit.

[NYNick]

4 hours ago, Tdh said:

Not sure I agree with this 100%. Tasteful, easily reversible mods sometimes elevate the value of a 2002. Especially if you keep/offer the original parts for sale with the car. 
 

I make that statement while fully admitting that I don’t enjoy driving a stock 2002 from a handling standpoint. 

The problem with this is that what I consider tasteful you might consider gauche and vice versa. Anything apart from stock reduces the buyer pool little by little because most people default to thinking that the way the factory made the car was "best". I disagree with this myself, but the market has proven this time and time again with every marque I can think of for the majority of sales.