Early 1972 2002tii 80k Original Miles Very Very Solid $7000

[thehackmechanic]

Many of you know me through my Hack Mechanic column in BMW CCA Roundel magazine. That doesn't mean I know more than you do, but it does mean that you can trust me to describe the car and answer questions truthfully.

I'm getting ready to sell this car in the spring. I thought I'd give y'all a crack at it before I subject myself to the vagaries of CL and eBay. I had this car posted here before, in the fall, at the overvalued price of $8500. I had overestimated its value for a number of reasons (I had sold a 73 tii for $9000 in the spring before the economy went south, and I had thought that this car had all original paint and original body panels, which it does not). Since then, I've done a bunch more work on it, including having the rust hole in the floor patched, ordering a tan carpet set I haven't installed yet, and installing brand spanking new Bilstein HDs all around. I think, as-is, you could pry it from me for about $7000. But just to be clear, I'm not out of work, and I don't really need the money, at least not yet. I am, however, about to get insanely busy, so this is a little window of opportunity for me to put a line in the water again for interest in the car.

This is jewel of an early '72 tii, VIN 2761350, complete with those wonderful close-in pre-2 1/2 mph bumpers, intact fuel injection with black plastic intake plenums, and 10:1 pistons. The time-worn phrase "restore or drive as-is" applies, I think, particularly well to this car. The photos below were taken after I literally just wiped it off with a damp towel. It'll pop when the rubber is dressed and the chrome is cleaned.

The shock towers are perfect. The frame rails and rockers are fine. The discoloration on the left rocker is not rust-through; I've since hit it with a wire wheel and brushed on some tan Never-Rust (great stuff -- like POR15 but not as nasty to work with).

The car is very, very solid, but is not 100% rust free -- there is a hole at the corner where the left inner front wheel well meets the rocker, but that's really about it in terms of rust-through.

There was a hole in the driver's side floor, where the posts for the accelerator pedal should be. I had a patch welded in so the car can be presented with a working accelerator pedal.

There is some rust blistering through the Sahara paint in a few places (bottoms of front fenders have very small bubbles; doors have some rust blisters behind the trim), but it is still a very pretty car; most of the paint is shiny and lies very flat. It's in this condition where if I pull the trim off and try to sand down the blisters, the whole car will probably need to be repainted, (although the tan Never-Rust I found is close enough to the Sahara paint that isolated splotches of Never-Rust may not look too bad). Originally I was absolutely dead-set against having the car repainted, as I was convinced that the paint was original, but after closer examination, I now can see that both front fenders, the right rear quarter, and almost certainly the nose have been changed (although the nose and fender welds are just beautiful). Thus, whether to repaint the car is, I think, less of an issue of violating originality and more a simple economic choice. Really the question of how much to do to the body should go to the next owner. Me, I'd spray some oil-based undercoating like Waxoil everywhere, keep the car dry, and leave it largely in its "survivor" state. I would throw bigger sway bars on it, and put those beautiful original seats in clean dry storage and replace them with some tan Recaros for daily driving.

The car has 82k miles on it, and they are probably original. There is a repair receipt from 1983 that lists the mileage as 74986, and a Delaware title from 1990 that shows the mileage as 80055, so it is plausible. I bought the car last fall from a guy up in Portland ME, who bought it from a friend of his, paid $800 for a major service (oil, brakes, tune-up), then lost his heart to a fastback Mustang and sold it. Judging from the mouse nests and acorns I've cleaned out of the car, I don't think it's seen many miles the last 15 years. Other things that make me think the mileage is real are the presence of the original riveted ball joints and the little plastic cap on the back of the screw that holds on the cold start relay.

When I bought it, it was nearly undriveable due to flat-spotted dry-rotted 165 tires and a horrible driveline vibration that I traced to a loose guibo that had ruined the transmission output flange. I replaced the flange and the guibo and put on some bottlecaps and reasonable tires and now it's smooth as silk. I've done some work (belts, bushings, Redline fluids, etc) to make it driveable, and it's pretty nice -- it's quick and quiet. There's 190 to 200lbs of compression in all cylinders. It starts right up and runs well. It doesn't munch second gear. I've done basic R&R on the fuel injection (replaced the belt, adjusted the warm-up regulator, synchronized the pump and throttle body). It's still running a bit rich, like every tii I've ever owned.

The car has a brand new set of Bilstein HDs front and rear. I should've replaced the shock tower bushings and the riveted ball joints while I had the struts out, but I decided I had to stop somewhere. The radiator looks a little funky, but does not leak and seems to cool the engine ok. If I were going to depend on the car, I would give it the obligatory cooling system replacement. But the car is very driveable.

The interior of this car is just beautiful, marred only by the obligatory dash crack and the water-stained rug on the driver's floor from the hole behind the accelerator. I have purchased a new rug but have not installed it yet. Even the trunk is pretty. The car not only has the original owner's manual and supplement, it also has the tool kit.

The headliner has no tears. The door panels have the most intact chrome I've ever seen.

The trim on the car is very presentable. I replaced the front and rear Roundels and, as I said, put some bottlecaps on it. The total effect is, shall we say, vahry nahce.

I should sell this car before I fall even more in love with it than I already have. As I said, I thought I'd give you folks first crack at it before I go the Craigslist / eBay route. I could easily keep working on it and drive it more, but I'd like to get about seven grand as it sits today. I have many photos of the underside of the car and up under wheel arches (solid as Gibraltar), and close-ups of of the blisters in the paint; I'll be glad to zip them up and send them to any interested parties. The car is registered and insured and sitting safe in my garage here in Newton MA. If you're serious and you want more information, best thing is to call me at 617-365-8303 (I travel a lot for work and don't always check the e-mail that the 2002faq notifications are sent to), but please no calls during business hours; only after 6pm EST.

--Rob Siegel

[Guest Anonymous]

Thanks for the photos. The best original, intact trunk photos I have seen and will be use for completion of my '72 trunk resto. Good luck with the sale. This car appears to be a deal.

_______________________

Roger

'72 Malaga

[M3M3]

assume thiis is the car you wrote about in this months roundel? nice story on how you found it.

[Guest Anonymous]

Rob, i go straight to your column first thing every month! Good luck with the sale, as i type this, my first 02 is getting prepped for my by the guys over at Sports Car Resto in CT. Looking forward to reading the trials and tribulations of the sale in your column in a few months...

[thehackmechanic]

Thanks Jim, I really appreciate that. Good luck with your '02. To a large extent, cars are one of the mirrors that we see ourselves in. Enjoy seeing yourself in yours!

[2760847]

Miles have to be real. Must have been garaged. Would it be possible for a car parked on the street in Bruins country to survive with a Flyers sticker in the window? Cool car, I wish mine was so well preserved.

[JackF]

OOOOH noooo! I'm in Westborough. Gotta look. I need a tii to kinda round things out! To late to call this evening. If you see this, give me a call tomorrow at 617 834-8751

[134alb]

Rob

We spoke & exchanged emails a few months ago. Is the car still available?

Steve P.

[Guest Anonymous]

Hi... Looks like a nice car. I am building one too and desperately need one injector. Can you help me?

[Guest]

I have a few used spares.

ncampbell@grandecom.net