Finally picked up my '72 2002 project.

[SpecRaceM5]

Well after a lot of waiting, I had given up on the thought of ever seeing the car I had mentioned a month or two ago. Then one day I came home and it was in the garage. My friend had put a deposit down and I am purchasing the car from him. The guy he got it from was doing a bunch of work on it and it was taking quite long. Finally we were waiting on one seal and he just had it towed over. It is a 1972 2002. White exterior blue interior. All in all, I am happy with it's condition. It is all there for the most part, and there is minimal rust. No previous restorations to deal with. The motor fired up after a little persistence and after that it would fire up and idle with ease. The main problem right now is the auto trans. It was re sealed and I finished it off with the dip stick o ring. I hooked up the shifter linkage and we fired it up but it did not move. We jacked up the rear and tried again and still no movement from the rear wheels. After several attempts and some hand starts we got the wheels to turn under the cars own power and lowered the back end on the ground. At first it needed a little bump to start moving and gradually got better. The only problem was no reverse. So we drove it around the block a bit and the thing got better and better. Went to the local car wash and hosed it down. Had a minor hick up leaving the wash, but were able to get home without a tow. The next morning however my friend was surprised with a huge puddle of what looks to be all of the trans fluid. I don't know why it is leaking, but I am very disappointed. Instead of wasting my time fixing the leak and then trying to figure out why the transmission is still slipping a little and completely in reverse, I have decided to go straight for the 5speed swap. Hope to have the car up and running again before the end of the year. Here are some pics.

Cheers,

Brian

[Jimbosocal]

Brian,

Congrats on your recent purchase! Your car looks like the cousin of mine! How far are you going to take your restoration?

After driving my car now for a few months, I can appreciate you wanting to convert yours to a 5-speed. That extra gear makes a difference.

I'm looking forward to more pictures as you progress.

Jim

[SpecRaceM5]

I am not 100% sure yet. I think once I finish restoring my 1991 M5, I will go all out on the 2002 and turn it into a track car. Right now I just want to get the thing going. School is really the only thing holding me back right now.

[Guest Anonymous]

No, please keep it original. It is an automatic. Not that many of those left.

[napa02]

If you really want to save the automatics, then step up and offer the man a wad of cash for his "rare" car.