richdnyc

Me and my Amazon green'74 at the late, great David Lumbra's 2002 Restorations in Eugene Oregon

The reviews have been terrible, but I’m wondering if there’s any good ‘02 content?

Look what’s hiding between that hulking Oldsmobile and that ginormous 747! (I think I see a Bavaria on the right too)

I'm looking for a fellow '02er in Los Angeles (or anywhere not too far from there) to look after my Amazon Green '74 for a few months beginning in April (or May). My friend who's been storing and looking after it is moving away at the end of March, and I'd like to find someone with space to keep it who's also willing to drive it occasionally. It currently lives close to LAX in a secure, semi-enclosed space, which I'd prefer, but I do have a car cover, so I'd consider an outdoor situation too. I just need more time to figure out whether to sell it, move to California, or bring the car back East. I'd just rather not put it in dead storage where I know it won't be happy. The car is a driver that's been serviced over the last several years by L.A. area '02 gurus Jack Fahuna and Tom Cleave. P.M. me if you're interested or know anyone who might be. Thanks one and all for your help!

I have two WAY-too-long-delayed 2002 goals for this year: 1. Live in the same city as my car (either move it to me or me to it—more complicated than it seems) —and— 2. Finish my long-simmering documentary film on the ‘02 and the wide array of wonderfully devoted ‘02 people!

If you’re in SoCal, Santa Monica Lock and Safe, on Pico and 22nd, is great. They do a lot of vintage European car lock work. They just re-keyed a used door cylinder for my ‘02, and they can also cut the original steel key blanks.

First thought it was a squarie that someone had eurofied (looks great with 0 mph bumpers, flush turn signals, stock steelies, and no beltline trim) but the rear badge said 1502, so I assume it’s the real deal. The owner got in and took off so quickly that I didn’t get a chance to chat him up, but he was probably in a rush to get to the Lime Rock vintage fest, just a few minutes away.

FYI the current, damaged seal is attached to the rear of the roof opening (i.e. not the s/r panel itself). Since I'm not sure what type of glue was used to attach it, would that same solvent remove something other than contact cement? I'm planning to put the new seal on the rear of the panel itself, assuming I can get all the residue off the current location. I have to adjust the sunroof height anyway, so I thought I'd do that while the panel's out.

3m 08008. $18 for a 5 oz tube at Bezosmart Also, what’s the best way to remove old seal/residue? Would the 1oz tube be enough for just the rear seal?

In what issue of the Roundel did this appear, Mike?

Cool, thanks. I was concerned that I might need the tool to get the first end back into the gasket after I slid the clip over it.

Is there a trick to this, and/or would I need to buy a lockstrip install tool? I have an extra clip, and the lockstrip has been in place for a while, but I can see a 1/4 inch gap between the ends.

I have new left and right under-dash panels, and am planning to mount four-inch speakers in them (prior posts say that’s the largest size that’ll fit). Questions: Where on the panels themselves is the best location to mount the speakers to make sure there’s enough clearance behind them? (The available speakers are all just under two inches deep). What’s the easiest way to cut holes in the panels? What’s the correct hardware to use to mount the panels themselves (I only have the outer two panels, not the one that goes under the steering column or the other smaller ones)? Maximilian sells a $60 hardware kit for all the panels plus the console, but I only need enough for the outer two pieces. FYI I’ll be hooking these up to the original Blaupunkt Frankfurt stereo. I know this option isn’t acoustically optimal, but I want to make this relatively easy and cost-effective. Thanks for any advice!

Thank you!

Does anyone know how long these pieces are, or would someone be kind enough to measure his/hers? I'm away from my car and want to order some chrome vinyl wrap to redo them. Thanks in advance.

Thanks for all the suggestions, but I've now called every mainstream and classic car insurance company, and the bottom line is that you can get agreed value only on a classic policy, and you can only get a classic policy if you insure another car on a regular policy. I do have a regular policy for liability, as well as comprehensive and uninsured-motorist coverage, but I'm limited to actual cash value in the event of an accident or total loss/theft. The only legal workaround, it seems, would be to buy and (conventionally) insure a cheap second car, and then change my '02 policy to classic. In the meantime, I'm going to look into preventive measures like a third brake light, a kill switch, and maybe some kind of locating device. (P.S. N.B. Stated value is no better than actual cash value, as the insurer has the option of paying the lesser of the two in the event of a claim.)

I'm not familiar with Lucian's story. What kind of coverage did he have? I will talk to them again, but the cost of the comprehensive coverage on my standard Geico policy (about $15/year) suggests that they consider the car to be a random 47 year old clunker and would pay out accordingly, i.e. actual cash value, which they define as replacement cost less depreciation. That gives them a lot of wiggle room, though I suppose, if I were to get an appraisal in advance, I could use that as evidence if I were to have a claim, but they might laugh at that and tell me I should have gotten a classic policy. You'd think they'd be willing to insure it for a higher value, even as a primary car/daily driver, if I were willing to pay a higher premium and I were able show evidence of its comparable worth, but it doesn't seem to work that way with regular policies. If I get nowhere, I'd consider one of the suggested workarounds, or some variation, e.g. buying an actual clunker, insuring it cheaply, sticking it in a barn in the middle of nowhere, and getting a classic policy for the '02. The clunker part would be easy, the barn part less so. It's crazy. I can't be the only person in the world in this situation, but I suppose it's a desirable problem related to '02s increasing in value. I paid very little for my car upfront (both the first time I bought it, in 1993, and again in 2007 when I found it and bought it back) but i've put a lot into it, so I'd like to try to get it protected for what it's worth.

Thanks, Steve. I'll try that. I may be wrong, but from what I've been able to find out so far, you can only get agreed value coverage with a classic car policy.

Update: every company I called has a requirement that you own another car, insured in your name, as a daily driver, so if your '02 is your only car and you want more than actual cash value coverage (i.e. next to nothing) you're out of luck. American Collectors was the only one I could find that was flexible on the storage arrangement (in my case a shared garage under an apartment building) but they too insisted on the primary car requirement, even though I live in a different city where I don't have, or need, a car. It's frustrating and infuriating, but I may have to sell my car as a result.

I wanted to use Hagerty. Their premium was low and the coverage was good, but they balked at the storage setup (I had to send them photos). There’s a locked gate and the car isn’t visible from the street, but their concern was that others in the building could have access to it.

Thanks, Mike. Will try them.

(I searched past threads about this topic, but none seemed to address my specific issue) Has anyone here been able to get classic/vintage agreed value comprehensive/collision coverage if your '02 is your only car, and it's not stored in a private, stand-alone garage? I've been unable to find an insurance company that doesn't require both that you own another (i.e. primary) vehicle, and that you have a separate, locked garage for your classic. It's frustrating because I live in New York (where I don't need a car) and my car lives in Los Angeles (long story) so even though it gets driven very little and is in a secured, albeit shared, parking garage (under an apartment building), companies like Hagerty and Chubb classify it as a daily driver if you don't own another car, and they don't consider a storage situation like mine to be sufficient. This is a desirable problem, as '02s are only increasing in value, but right now I'm only one accident or theft away from a total loss. Thanks

What about doing the opposite, i.e. is there a way to get it to light up when you start the car? Everyone who rides in my car loves the old-schoolness of that thing.

Really? What gave you that sense?