tires and wheels first timer

[msperber]

hi, got my 02 from the orginal family, 75 model, highly modified and a blast to drive. Thanks for a wonderful site, it has helped with turn signal problems, short under the fuse box, rear brake lites, speedo and a host of other little items. I also joined the local North Carolina 02 group, super group of guys with a ton of info. My car serial number is 2366189, it has twin mikuni's, 4 sp metric mechanic 44lcr gearbox, big brake kit, 320 rear drums, 304 cam 3.9 final drive, turbo radiator, 6al with pertronix, Stalh header, minilite wheels, ground control camber plates and 195/60-14 azenis, R bilsteins with unknown rate front and rear springs. OK the questions, finally got the speedo working, not really acurate, got a 5 sp for a swap, do I calibrate the speedo before the swap or after, the final drive will not change just upgraded to lsd. The second question is I have heat but no fan speed at all. Switch first or fan. Which do I start with. Thanks

[Anthony]

If your final drive stays the same then you can go ahead and calibrate. How far out is it? You can use the following calculator to determine this.

http://www.rmahc.com/speedcalculator.html

As for the fan that is a tougher question to answer. I personally have found that the motor tends to wear (brushes etc) and they can often be re-habilitated by encouraging them with a piece of wood or a screwdriver and some spray lube which is safe for electrics.

If you are concerned about the fan read the re-hab article.

http://www.bmw2002faq.com/content/view/28/32/

Great reading for sure! Not nearly as daunting as you would think.

[Mike Self]

You have a speedo/odometer that's meant for a 3.64 final drive (what all '75s had) and it's been replaced with a 3.90, so it's always gonna be off (speed and mileage). The easy way to fix is get a speedometer head from a '76 and install it. If you want to reset the odo so it's accurate to your car, go for it. You'll never get the odometer to read correctly otherwise, and the speedo will be a real PITA to remove the needle (a very delicate task) and reset it so it's accurate.

Someone's bound to have a 76 speedo for you.

good luck, and keep posting...you gonna be at Vintage in the Vineyard in May?

cheers

mike