Dug Nichols

Collective genius, I'm pulling the driveshaft on my '71 to get at the transmission which needs to be re-sealed. Any tips on getting at the nuts on the rear end of the propeller at the differential? No room for a socket and not much room to leverage a box wrench either...

6" Hella 4524

Vintage Cibie with one amber one white as done in Europe

I ran into similar issue and what helped me was to put a jack under the front of the motor and jack it up to the point where the dizzy (cap off) was almost on the firewall. (loosen motor mounts!)

I put Kumho Solus TA11's on last Fall right before hibernation. Haven't had a chance to really drive them yet so can't report on handling... Reviews fairly strong and price $72 ea @ https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Kumho&tireModel=Solus+TA11

I'm with polished not painted as well.

FWIW (and we've already determined that it's worth dick, so I'll just offer my own opinion/musings here ) my '76 mintgrun got a DIY 5 speed swap four years ago after owning it since 2002, and that is definitely in the top 3 of upgrades I've done in terms of driving enjoyment: recaros, suspension upgrade, 5 speed. Worth noting that for the first twelve years I focused on cornering upgrades vs a 5 speed, and not a single regret as I love a spirited drive when I can find it. (but damn I love having the 5 speed for highway cruising) Now, the '73 sahara I picked up this past Fall from the original owner (in the photo) is a numbers matching survivor. As will be with any vehicle that had limited driving for a while it's got a number of issues around oil and transmission leaks that still need to be addressed. In the Fall when changing the tranny fluid a metal piece came out that was bigger than a fleck, which has me a bit concerned for how long this original 4 speed will keep running, even after I replace all the seals on it this Spring. I've been contemplating whether I would 5 speed upgrade if indeed the tranny goes bad, and I still don't know, but I'm a bit more compelled to try and keep it original on this one... Maybe it's because I already have one that I've done mods to and this is "the original" car I have, maybe it's because it's a number-matching roundie that's unmolested and almost all original and it seems like the "right" thing to do. Not sure.

Finally got to work on the odometer which started slipping on the way back from last year's Mid America and was completely done turning by the end of last Fall. I got the shaft out just fine w/ a 2" finishing nail in it's place. On tapping the shaft in the correct spot I got a little too zealous and put a slight bend in it. I bent it back, looked pretty darn straight. It fight in nice and snug and I thought I was golden. Put a drill on the back and spun it up and the trip odometer does exactly what it should do! But the single mile digit on the main was counting tenths of a mile along with the trip odometer... well that'd be a way to rack up the miles fast! Decided to go for the spare cluster I've been hoarding for almost 20 years and swapped that speedo in, in entirety. So, fixed! But on the lookout for a speedo shaft to replace the bent one for next time in X years when I need a spare. Any recommendations?

Is your valve cover Mintgrun to match??!

When I autocrossed I was required to strap my battery in so I used a roof rack strap which I had in the trunk. It's still on there, even though the battery has the shelf. In the '71 I picked up last Fall the battery didn't have a shelf and it was just sloppin' around. I did same thing with a roof rack strap and it is quite secure. But the above belt-usage is definitely the high-grade way to go! Real leather :)

For increased aerodynamics, one might attempt to completely separate the cross bars and whatever attachments by the virtue of height separation -- albeit from inefficiently large vertical blocks. Full disclosure: - those weird extension thingies were key to getting the rack on the '71 squareback (covered, behind) over it's factory rack (to put on bike racks) - I still have and use all of the parts, from this photo taken in 2002, minus the weird extension thingies, which I have but don't use

+1 on the Yakima 1a. Also that bianchi-looking green on porsche faded yellow (not verse in my p colors) against cape-cod style shingled abode there!

Here's my '76 Mintgrun, photo from this recent Fall. Original paint, 280k documented miles. Other than a repaired driver's door from a light side hit that shows where a poor repair/paint job happened, it is near-perfect. I bought it from the original owner that always garage kept it with a cotton cover and stayed on top of washing and waxing, as have I. As others have mentioned, the early metallic paints didn't hold up, but others are more than capable if well cared for.

I know you said you the MINI Countryman S All 4 wasn't the cup of tea you're looking for, but have you tasted it? I absolutely love my 2012 All 4 six speed. It's a BLAST in the snow, with Traction off and Sport mode on it's incredibly fun. Want to perfectly drift a corner? Just tap a little harder on the gas and you (and the car) know what to do. I get a hard time from my fam every time they're riding b/c it's so fun to do. It handles beautifully. Now, on the dry (and salt free) I'll pick the 02 any day, but in the snow this is my fav, over the wife's e46 325ix (too much oversteer, otherwise pretty fun) or the '09 A4 Avant (lifeless steering with electronic assist, oversteer, traction control that never truly turns off). If you haven't taken this era Countryman for a tour in the wet wild and wicked, I'd recommend giving it a whirl.

I AutoX'd my mostly stock '76 and had a blast. It has bigger sway bars (22/19), IE stage 1 springs, unknown shocks, and 185/70 r13 tires. Yes, a little bit of body roll -- here's a photo on one of the hardest corners on the track that day. +1 on the seat -- I have recaro's and the extra side bolster, and pulling the seatbelt TIGHT, is key. Also, put a strap around the battery!

I’ve been very happy with Yokohama Avid T4. I like to DRIVE it

I haven't gotten into mine with a screwdriver yet to see how far the rust has penetrated, but seems pretty clear I'm going to need to replace more than just the outer panel. From the looks of the diagram: https://www.wallothnesch.com/en/karosserie-blechteile/bmw-1502-2002-turbo/katalogbild-41-03.html It seems fairly certain I'd need at least the rear portion of the Outer Sill (or perhaps just replace the entire thing), but what I can't tell either from the diagram or jerry's awesome write-up (https://www.bmw2002faq.com/forums/topic/143721-rocker-panel-replacement-in-2-weekends/) is if I'll need the Inner Sill as well.

Boom! Didn't know about W&N. And yep, they have the exact panel piece to weld in. Thanks @mike !

Hey group, I’m looking for a rear quarter panel to patch in on newly acquired ‘73 with a rust issue at the lower section. Planning on cutting in just the lower section front of the rear wheel / below the belt line trim. I’m not finding a good source via internet searching yet and wondering what the hive here recommends?

Did a first sort-out on the newly acquired '73 Sahara, including some detailing work which made it shine in and out :). Took it out for it's first drive and came across the train tracks and building here which seemed like a nice background for some photos.

@mike Nice! Thanks so much for all the great info. That completely makes sense regarding the rust in between seams, given what he told me about replacement work. And that seems right about the ignition as well. There's a ballast resistor in the signal path that I don't have on my Mintgrun nor have seen on others i've owned. I'll take more pictures of this situation after I pick up the car tomorrow and suss it out a bit more. VIN is 2586844 @Conserv yep! It's a bmw original trunk mat. There's also a very old set of cocomats that are worn completely through at the driver heal Anyone know a good welder in Minneapolis? :)

I made a deposit commitment on this nice very original '73 today! Always have wanted a roundie, and I love a good clean original unmolested car. The second owner bought it in '78, stopped driving it about 15 yrs ago, and put it in a semi-heated garage (we're in MN) and would take it out 2 - 3x / yr over these last 15 years. Seems to be a very nice example of a numbers-matching car with mostly original paint, original interior, all trim bits, seems-to-be strong drivetrain, plus a few upgrades: Weber, Ansa, Bilsteins. It started fairly quickly from cold start, drives well (at low speed in neighborhood, but got into all four gears, and no 2nd gear worn syncro!), has a slight miss at idle, has good compression across all four cylinders (within 7% of each other, between 120 - 128), drives straight and brakes don't pull. Fluids in good shape, etc. Ansa sounds pretty awesome (actually considering swapping it with my Mintgrun's stock exhaust). Seems a fairly straightforward sort-out here on mechanicals, though one super funky thing: --> there is a three-way switch connected to the distributor which current owner states the same mechanic who upgraded to Weber put in when an electronic ignition was done so that the car can be run on points OR electronic ignition. IS THIS A THING??? Interior is in good original shape. For a survivor with no replacements, maybe even a very-good. Rear seat has zero foam left above the springs, driver's seat has a single tear and worn but not terribly so, a crack in dash, and a center console that's no longer stock but could get there easily. Rust is in the spare tire well, but seems like it will be a simple job of wirebrushing/removing and then POR15. The entire rest of the car shows very very little signs of rust, particularly for a car that hasn't been coddled but instead just mostly sat in a garage in MN where weather / humidity fluctuates so much. Undercarriage is darn near zero rust, nothing in the shock towers, trunk, pans, rear or front window seals, the usual places. Nothing. But then there's a big 'ole rusting driver's side rear rocker! It's so strange that this one spot is gone so badly, when otherwise nothing else really is affected. In talking to the owner, he stated that three out of four corner panels got replaced over the years from fender benders, and that the hoods and top are original paint, and the entire side was sprayed to match when the new panels were put in. I'm wondering if perhaps this happened because the left rear panel wasn't installed properly and water intruded in front of the left rear panel?? Whatever the cause, I haven't tackled a rust issue like this before and am strapped for time right now so will likely look to hire this out vs learn and do it myself (which would normally be my preferred). Having not done this, I'm not sure where to start in terms of the right type of person to look for to help me do the job. Any pointers from anyone?? And because we all like photos... here's what I got today during my inspection.