Mike Self

Are you referring to actually reassembling the housings themselves (reattaching the headlight holder to the mounting plate, re-stretching the springs, etc) or simply reattaching the assemblies to the car's body. If the latter, I wrote column on reattaching and centering the assemblies, and also how to tell the left housing from the right--yes, they're different and difficult to tell apart if you didn't mark em left and right. cheers mike

Can't help on the collar, but if you want to use the Petri wheel on a 2002, the contact plunger is pressed into a hole in the steering wheel hub, and the contact ring is set between the upper and lower halves of the steering column surrounds. The larger 6 cylinder cars (sedans and coupes) had just the opposite setup: plunger on the steering column, contact ring on the back of the steering wheel. Most factory wheels have both the plunger hole and two small screw holes for the contact ring, allowing the wheel to be used on both 02s and the 4 door sedans (E3, E9 etc) and coupes. The plunger, I suspect is the same one used on the OEM (US spec) factory wheels, as I've used that one on several different aftermarket steering wheel hubs. And the contact ring is part of the steering column, so you need to use the factory part. mike

Sure looks like 2002iii's conjecture--ground for the temp and fuel gauges in the instrument pod. It would have a ring terminal on one end to go under the attachment nut on the gauge's backside, and a push on terminal if ganged with the ground for the heater. The heater's ground (on the terminal block) is female terminal, while the hot leads are male, so the wire's terminals make sense... mike

You do realize that you have un-created the structure by drilling those welds out. As with all unibody constructions, welded-together parts are what gives the body structural strength--in this case, the inner fender wells and the quarter panel stamping should actually be joined by welding (yeah, I know that seam is a haven for rust!). Sealer does not replace the rigidity made by those factory spot welds. Please understand, your car isn't gonna fall apart because you drilled those welds out. But you did weaken its structural rigidity in that area. mike

The chageover was sometime during the 1972 model year. I've seen early 72s with chrome hinges, and later-in-the-year production with black. I suspect that the changeover occurred over a period of time, as the factory ran out of chrome hinged seats in various colors, they started installing black painted ones until all color interiors had black hinges. I believe the changeover was one of BMW's cost-cutting moves, as this was the time when the mark was jumping in value vs the dollar, and BMW was worried about pricing itself out of the US market. The 2002 that cost a bit over $3k in 1968 was close to $4k by 1973, and over $6k by the end of production in 1976. mike

Easiest solution: go down to your local hardware store or Lowes Depot and buy a foot or two of clear (flexible) vinyl tubing whose ID is the same diameter as the cable's OD. Cut off an inch or two slice, slit it with a box cutter, wrap it around the cable and then secure cable and sleeve with a zip tie. Project complete... mike

Mine went bye-bye many years ago. However, if you do this, you'll need to plug the place where the vent hose enters the carburetor, then plug the nipple on the gas tank where the other end of the vent line is attached to the tank. That has to be plugged or it'll tend to siphon gas out of the tank. mike

If the fit is still a little loose, try opening out the bolt holes just a little, then press down on the cover 'till it's a close fit, then tighten the bolt. mike

I'm gonna guess that car #1 has been repainted--very thoroughly but repainted. Reseda didn't come out until E21 days, so some few years after this car was built. Take a close look at the data (VIN) plate--it's mounted upside down, which may mean it was removed during the repaint and then replaced backwards...just a guess though. Also look at the top of the front strut bearings--it looks like a ring of Reseda paint on the rubber lip of the bearing where it touches the fender. Usually CKD cars are shipped with the body shell completely assembled and in primer; at the assembly plant the rest of the sheet metal is attached, the body is painted and then running gear and trim is attached. I'm sure the folks at BMW Classic could tell you how CKD BMWs were assembled in Portugal, Israel and Uruguay. You might also check with Munich to see if Reseda was used on another BMW model in 1971, and if the Portugal-cars were painted locally, could it have been a special order. I agree with Son of Marty -- what you see in the trunk of #2 is sloppily applied contact cement. If you look closely, the fabric that's applied to the inner fender wells on those Portuguese-assembled cars is quite different (taller and laps over the seam) from what the Munich factory installed. And it appears to be the same thin material used on the trunk floorboards, not the thicker, backed material used by the German factory. Even though the color probably isn't correct, I think #1 is the best of the three. Let us know what you think after you've seen 'em in person mike PS--a 1600 should have silver side and center grille bars...none of these do.

+1. That's a chunk of the OEM cloth-covered hose--the rubber cracks and becomes porous but you can't see the deterioration as it's hidden by the cloth--until it gets saturated like in your picture. Replace with a short length of modern rubber hose and make sure it's tightly plugged, or even better, get a proper cap for that line and clamp it in place. Then if it still leaks, replace the rubber o-ring that retains the sender assembly. Get the factory part, not an o-ring from the hardware store, and grease it a little with some silicone spray or grease so it doesn't bunch up when you twist the sender to lock it in place. mike PS--make sure you don't have other sections of that cloth covered hose elsewhere in your fuel system... mike

I somehow have to believe that the rough running and the locked brakes (you said it wouldn't move even in neutral with the e-brake off) are somehow connected. The only way they would be is via the vacuum booster for the brakes. The stated fact that the car could be pushed after things had cooled down makes me even more suspicious of a somehow connection. Did you make sure the check valve between the vacuum booster and the manifold is functioning properly? If it's stuck open it'll cause all sorts of weird things--like too much air into the engine and locked brakes... mike

To quote the Far Side cartoon, "She's startin' to look good, Vern..." Nice even welding job--not that easy with a mig and thin sheet metal. mike

Just a little more information, please...tii or carbureted? If the former, does this pump replace the OEM tii electric pump? And if the latter, is the mechanical pump still functioning or has it been bypassed/eliminated? Usually an electric pump is installed in a carbureted car to replace a dead mechanical pump, or to quickly refill the carburetor when the car's been sitting for awhile, thus eliminating having to prime it. And I'm hopeful that the braided cloth-covered hose in your third picture is no longer actively involved in fuel movement; if original it's way past it use-by date and should be replaced. mike

You have to push really hard to engage the clips at the front edge of the rear seat cushion. If you had the seat back re-stuffed and the shop was over-enthusiastic with the stuffing, it makes reinstallation even more difficult. You could try bending the clips on the cushion just a little so they'll go over the riser a little easier, then once you have them in position, sit on the seat to pop the clips in place. mike

That should work so long as the rubber channel is (1) on a smooth surface (2) will compress properly when the tank is bolted down so that there aren't gaps between the hold-down bolts and (3) you make sure the paint is fully cured so the rubber doesn't pull the paint up after you install it. mike

Didn't need to. The lock housing is soft diecast zinc, and the stainless steel self tapping screw made its own threads. The only way to release the locked steering is to remove the lock! Either that or unbolt the steering shaft from the steering box at the small "guibo" that connects the two. Then you'll be able to at least straighten the wheels to get it up on a flatbed, but someone will have to attend the wheels as the car's being pulled onto the flatbed to keep 'em straight. mike

At least on older American cars, those splined drums were removable. They were either fastened with small Allen head set screws, or there was a small puller (Trico or Anco tool) to pull 'em off. But I think Jim is correct, they may be hard to remove on those BMW arms without one of those small pullers, and even then maybe not. mike

Try using a pair of ignition pliers (tiny Channelocks) to bend the nub up just a bit, slide the clip(s) past and then bend it back down again. The jaw angle on those little pliers can bend the rim without damaging the outer part that you see. Worked for me... mike

That rust around the gas tank opening is the result of using a foam seal between tank and body. Suggest using strip caulk--or at lest closed cell foam strips--when you reinstall the gas tank to prevent it from happening again. I caught that on my car years ago when I had to remove the gas tank to repair a hole from a kicked up piece of metal puncturing the tank. Scraped all the rust, used rust-inhibiting paint and re-sealed with strip caulk. No problems since... mike

The drill bit I used was just the tiniest bit larger than the hole in the middle of the roll pin, so it went in 3-4 mm and then the drill's torque overwhelmed the grip between the roll pin and its hole, so the pin/bit started to spin. At that point I slowly pulled the drill--with the pin firmly stuck on the bit--out of its hole and thus freed the lock cylinder. IIRC I replaced the roll pin with a thin sheet metal screw to make removal easier the next time. At the time (30 or so years ago) I figured that no one is gonna be stealing a 18 year old car... The "tab" is a little paper sticker that the factory stuck to the back side of the ignition switch, and also to the inside of the door handles. It has the code for the key, so if you know your door lock(s) still use the same key as the ignition (as they did from the factory) if you can find the sticker, at least the dealer--or possibly a good key shop--can make a new key from the code. This code was also stamped on the keys supplied with the car when it was new. And...if you take a door lock off to find the key number sticker, just take that to a locksmith and he can make a new key from the door lock. Easier to remove than the ignition switch--especially if it's giving you trouble trying to remove. mike

When I went to drill that roll pin out, it caught on the drill bit (I was using one that just barely went inside the hollow pin) and started spinning. I was able to pull the pin right out, still spinning and caught on the bit. You did disconnect the electrical switch part of the lock assembly before trying to remove it, didn't you? And did you check the back side of the lock for a little paper tab with the key number on it? mike

And it's even more fun when you can figure out a way to fix something that wasn't meant to be dismantled and repaired! mike

Mike, if you're seeking just the splined end that holds the wiper arm to the whole wiper assembly, I don't think they're available separately--at least there's only one part number shown on RealOEM for each wiper pivot. However, those splined ends are pretty universal in terms of diameter, and there may be another German car (VW, Porsche, Audi) that uses the same size splined ends that are available separately. Might be worth a look... mike

If you want a shakedown cruise/adventure in your 1600, bring it to Mid America (Eureka Springs AR--a bit of a drive from VT but do-able) or Vintage in Asheville...lotsa folks drive to Vintage from New England so you could probably join up with a caravan. We have one going to Mid America from SW Ohio... mike

Am also interested in sources, "just in case" as my '69 has all clear glass and is on its third (or fourth, I forget) windshield from flung stones. It was hard enough finding a clear heated backlight... mike