robsanab

I'm one of those who actually like the big bumpers... I also like the euros. I may collapse at least the front one which does look a little too out there.

Since I drive mine everywhere i like parallel parking without worry of someone denting my chrome ones or my grille. I can park into some very tight spots. The euros, although I prefer the looks, just don't do what bumpers are supposed to do.

So, I don't hate the big ones enough to make the change myself. I'm not looking to lighten my car. I like the utility of them. I don't think they are butt ugly as other's do. Hell, i get people stopping me and loving my car ALL the time... with the big bumps, fading paint and the rust.

it's not a right and wrong thing... if you have read all the posts you will notice there are many variables. One person's experience may be different due to various factors as well as environment. That is why CD(I sold it!) has always stressed ALL the other things that need to be looked at as well.

THAT BEING SAID... I took in all those considerations... even after having perfectly tuned and adjusted the engine myself and then taking it to a well versed professional BMW mechanic that has owned and raced 2002 for 20years... I am certain ALL the variables have been addressed.

I even started with a new carb jetted per the prescription to work with. I also had an old leaky stock jetted carb to compare it to.

MY results: It runs very good... not THAT much better than my old carb, but A LOT worse gas mileage. AND IT IS NOT because I'm having so much more fun with it as CD has implied. I'm a very methodical, engineer kind of guy. I know how to evaluate things.

So, what I am thinking of doing is trying the Nelson method (thanks for that, i remember reading it long ago but forgot about it) or take this new carb back to stock jetting and play with it from there (thing is I didn't want to play anymore, that's why I went with the CD jetting).... or I may even go with FI for cold starts and other reasons.

I mainly like classic styling and fun driving...

yes! your idea will work. I had a seasoned Bimmer mechanic do mine using new stock cables... somehow he lengthened the threads with some fitting.

I'm sorry, i am out of town so can't look at the car to tell you exactly what he did. BUT, you are on the right track. You don't have to cut anything or buy any special cable.

It will be a while, but If I can figure out just what he did... I'll post it for everyone's benefit.

the ones from partstrain.com (aka, usautoparts.com) for 40+ bucks.

just installed them... two things I'm not sure about... they are kind of hard to describe and I don't think pictures would help... so bare with me...

1) The seat belt end that attaches at the same point along with the retractable device: Originally this end bracket was longer and pivoted freely from behind the retractable device, so as to adjust to the proper position when the seat belt is buckled (so that the belt fabric is not twisted). The new belt's end bracket is much shorter and the mounting hole is smaller so I can't use the original bolt with the shoulder on it, so as to make it pivot properly. For now I put some extra washers between the device and the seat belt end so as not to pinch the seat belt fabric and then positioned the seat belt end so that the belt is in the proper position when buckled and therefore not twisted.

2) The seat belt buckle: The attachment end is made to mount flush one way... but that positions the buckle to where the buckle button is on the INSIDE not on the outside as it should be. It works but doesn't seem right. When installed the other way, you can tell that the end is not flat up against the mounting point on the tunnel.

Make sense? So, those that have installed these... what was your experience?

what did yall do about these issues? I think mine is installed safely and they work slick, but I'm not totally pleased with either of these issues... would like to fix them if you have suggestions.

thanks a bunch in advance

Rob

hey skipsfcr or anyone else with this belt... can you tell me the length of the cable buckle?

I have come to realize that if it is too long or too short from stock (which I think is 18" or 19") you basically need two hands to buckle up.

I called up the company and they were clueless.

those with these installed... can you still buckle up with one hand?

let me know I need to get these soon!

thanks

I know I ought to do this the right way... but only a couple years ago I refurbed my heater box, put in a new fan and had the heater core cleaned and pressure tested... now I smell a leak I'm afraid. Although I don't see anything seeping out of the box... I do smell antifreeze occasionally as I run the heater.

what do you recommend for sealing small radiator system holes?

I also have all new hoses and new radiator, so if those additives are ultimately unhealthy maybe I don't want to use them... still if there is something safe I'd rather do that than take the heater box apart again.

what make ARE those wheels... they are not minilites and the center looks different from panasports I've seen... the spokes look sharper than others... I really like them... look to be 15"... anyone know???!

what's the story on Bosch alternators... new versus remanufactured... are new still available? I upgraded to a 65A (AL41X) Bosch reman that only lasted 2 years. Just out of the warranty period... pisses me off, especially since it cost me a tow, and due to the timing had to have someone else replace it! AND I had just outfitted it with urethane bushings!

Are Bosch reman's suppose to be the best? (Remanufactured are all I see from shopping online)

How have yours held up?

Any better alternatives?

when I get around to it, I'm taking it to a radiator shop who said they could 'boil it out' like they do radiators. can't remember the price, but it was cheap... seemingly well worth such a potentially nasty and hazardous job.

my weber 32/36 water chokes works slick. hit the pedal once, start and idles at about 1000 briefly then a couple hundred rpm more... then after a while up to where I set it at about 1700. car's all nice and warm when I get in.

Really?!... cool, so that is the first I've heard one of those kits working for someone... maybe they have improved them from the past. So you would recommend the one from JC whitney? I haven't looked are there different ones to choose from? which one do you have?

with common wet foggy windows almost year round and occasional frost in the winter it's something I'd use often here. Really it's a saftey item as well. I HATE it when I'm walking or biking to work in the morning and almost get run over because someone has decided they can see fine looking out their little 2 foot square foggy port hole in the front windshield.

thanks

I have power to mine but too many breaks in the elements. They do make a very expensive conductive paint material (permatex and similar) that repairs breaks... but i have heard this doesn't work or last... the little bottle doesn't have enough to just paint the whole thing.

SO... I'm looking for a small 12volt fan/heater to mount on the back shelf to see if that works... jc whitney has one but i have not committed myself to that yet... still looking around... I figure if the unit I find is no more than 8 amps... which I think is the fuse size for the defroster... I could just hook it up there and use the defroster switch too. If i get around to it, and it is a success, I'll post.

Rob

ah ha!! just noticed that one out of six does indeed have a sleeve covering as advertized!! I'm sure Ireland will send the one's they meant to send to me. I'll call them tomorrow.

yes, my words were wrong... the "teflon" is what the tube core is made out of.... but some companies put a covering on them.

The type of abrasion that I've heard about is grime working it's way in thru the braid and possibly grinding a hole in the teflon core. But that was probably something i read on a manufacturer's website. I can hear by some of your experiences that it's probably nothing to be too concerned about... just clean out the wheel wells every so often.

I agree... I would want to see it... that's why I was thinking of a clear plastic coating. Again... I have never used plasti-dip or equal (they have a dip and a spray i believe)... but I've seen clear coating advertized.

true, probably nothing to really worry about without a cover. Although some manufacturers do sell them that way. I just figure if it's cheap to keep them more bullet proof and clean looking, why not.

Just got some S.S. braided brake lines... they are the kind WITHOUT the teflon covering over the metal braid. I thought these were supplied with the covering but alas they are not (I'll call Ireland and whine about their misleading website description... that said, they are good quality and best price around... and they got the stuff to me quickly, efficiently and friendly).

Would plasti-dip or similar be good to keep dirt/mud from working it's way into the braid and chaffing? I've never used any of it... is it truly sturdy and flexible enough for this application?

I'm going to get a gauge/radio console panel from parker performance for my daily driver and was wondering what 3 gauges you find most useful.

I'm planning on a voltmeter and oil pressure for sure... but for the 3rd gauge I'm thinking either water temp or a clock (I don't wear a watch) rather than oil temperature. I'm not sure what a oil temp gauge would tell me... how do you read yours. Not getting an oil temp gauge would also save me $60 because I wouldn't need that dual sender adapter that enables you to mount both oil temp and oil pressure senders.

what do you think?

so the general consensus so far seems to be that...

1) The FAQ article states sort of a minimum of things you may have to replace (they're cheap so just have them on hand).

2) To rebuild a box complete it will cost about $100 (according to 2002haus... which I found out even includes pedal pads, that rubber boot, some of the metal parts and such).

3) Or you can buy a totally refurbished one if your entire assembly, even the box itself, is in crappy shape for $175 from 2002AD.

If the above is true, maybe a little addendum should be written to the pedal box refurb FAQ? of course it DOES say "refurb" and NOT "rebuild". Was just a little confused. Now, after reading yalls emails and getting to study the box last night, I think I see things more clearly.

thanks all!

so the general consensus so far seems to be that...

1) The FAQ article states sort of a minimum of things you may have to replace (they're cheap so just have them on hand).

2) To rebuild a box complete it will cost about $100 (according to 2002haus... which I found out even includes pedal pads, that rubber boot, some of the metal parts and such).

3) Or you can buy a totally refurbished one if your entire assembly, even the box itself, is in crappy shape for $175 from 2002AD.

If the above is true, maybe a little addendum should be written to the pedal box refurb FAQ? of course it DOES say "refurb" and NOT "rebuild". Was just a little confused. Now, after reading yalls emails and getting to study the box last night, I think I see things more clearly.

thanks all!

you mean they sent it to you all built already? If so, did you send yours in for rebuild or do they send you one complete and you sent in, what, the pedals and box like you would a core swap?

the FAQ gives a list of about 6 various bushings and 3 springs to replace (for a total of about 35 bucks it says). Rob at 2002haus sells a ‘kit’ with some more stuff in it... sells for just over $100. He says it includes some metal sleeves (?) as well… I didn’t ask specifically what all is included.

What is your experience with the pedal box rebuild? Does it typically require more than what the FAQ recommends?

Rob is definitely in the know about such things... and I for sure want to have all the parts needed once I dive into the project. I guess I just want to know why these other parts aren't mentioned in the FAQ... maybe they aren't really needed.

Should I only order just what is listed in the FAQ and save some money? What do you think?

side note: Furthermore, when I called Carl Nelson at LaJolla... he said he doesn't have a 'kit' because usually the box just needs a good cleaning and it doesn't need any new bushings. He said these bushing are "big" and don't wear out easily (that's why I ended up calling Rob). What do yall think about that?

Cool thank you... that helps confirm my suspicions... I think I will try to open up the dizzy somehow... don't want to drill a hole in the cap just yet. Any other suggestions would be appreciated

do you typically use some sealant on these gaskets? both of them or just the gasket between the insulating block and the engine block? If so, what kind of gasket sealant is your favorite?

also I notice some special insulating washers under the fuel pump nuts ... do those typically need replacing?

I want to have everything I need before I take the pump off...

thanks!

I stumped the band??!!?? Just one smart-alick comment. I know I need to make things shorter and more concise... I get excited and then carried away.

Nope, just noticed... not even many views. Hell... "what colour is Derby?" even got more hits than mine.

I must use a more attention grabbing title next time like... "what's this wurth on Ebay?" or "best 2002 upgrade?" or "REALLY pissed OFF at (insert vendor here)" or "Esty is a bitch ho and Al stinks like cheese".

maybe I'll try again later... I think it's a relevant question/inquiry... it even intrigued my BMW crazed mechanic who at first thought it could be an output problem with the coil... until it checked out OK and then we talked to the Crane tech.