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Mark92131

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  1. Mark92131

    DIY Yellow Chromate Zinc Plating

    By Mark92131,


    DIY Yellow Chromate Zinc Plating
    I promised some details on my attempts to do my own Zinc Plating, figuring "How hard could it be?".  Well, if you have oodles of time like I do, (recently retired), it can be a fun and satisfying part of your restoration journey.  The hardest part is ordering all the supplies and pieces you will need to get the results you want.  I learned some things that should save you time and money if you decide that this process is for you.
     
    Supplies
    There is a laundry list of things you will need to secure before you are ready to plate.  I will provide links to some of the items I purchased, but feel free to shop for better pricing.
     
    DC Power Supply, I ordered mine on Amazon, no longer available, but there are comparable ones for around $50.00 Crock Pot, I ordered one to heat my degreaser before the Zinc bath, but found that cold degreaser works just as well.  This crockpot was 1.5 quart and not appropriate for large parts.  If your wife has a bigger one, buy her a new one and use her old one. Zinc Anodes, I bought these zinc sheets off of Amazon and cut them to size.  Lots of options on Amazon. Timer, You can use your Iphone, or buy one of these.  I found that most of the plating process, except for the Zinc bath is under 30 seconds, so one thousand one, one thousand two works good. Drying Hangers, I have some low steel racks in the garage, so I used these hooks to hang plated parts for drying on the underside of the racks.  You just need space to hang your parts while they dry. Copper Wire, You need lots of wire to connect your parts to the Negative side of your power supply.  I use 14 Gauge the most, easy to bend, fits into small holes. Zinc Sulfate Monohydrate, adds Zinc to the Zinc bath, speeds up the process of activating your bath. Disposable Gloves, keeps the oil on your fingers off of your parts. Fish Tank Pump, I run a cheap Amazon Fish Tank pump in my Zinc Bath to keep the solution flowing over the part. Distilled Water, you can't have enough distilled water.  Buy 6 gallons to get started. Distilled White Vinegar, you need a 1/2 gallon, found in most grocery stores Epsom Salts, I bought some at WalMart, you will need at least 16 Oz. Karo Lite Corn Syrup, found in most grocery stores, you will need at least 1/2 cup. Caswell Zinc Brightener Additive, this makes your Yellow Chromate pop. Caswell Yellow Chromate, you can get other colors, but Yellow works great, 4 Oz makes 4 Gallons Buckets, I bought 2 gallon buckets with lids, you will need a minimum of 5. Muriatic Acid, you don't need a lot, you'll need a 5% solution for etching the fresh zinc part and a bath of full strength for removing the zinc from old parts. I got mine at Home Depot. Degreaser, you need to degrease your parts before plating. Spray Bottles, I use distilled water in spray bottles to eliminate the need for rinse buckets. Tupperware, I used several sizes to degrease and acid strip parts prior to plating. Copper pipe, I bought a piece of 1/2 inch copper pipe at Home Depot, cut it long enough to stretch over the 2 gallon bucket and flattened the ends with a hammer. Bench Grinder with Wire Wheel, I had a cheep 6 inch Harbor Freight Bench Grinder and bought a wire wheel for it. Media Blaster, I bought the Harbor Freight freestanding cabinet during one of their sales, they have a portable one that is pretty reasonable.  
    Preparing the Zinc Bath
    Take one of your 2 Gallon buckets and fill it with 1 gallon of distilled water and a half gallon of distilled white vinegar.  Slowly add 1.5 cups of Epsom Salt while stirring until completely dissolved, (you can add more Epsom Salt as long as it dissolves completely).  Slowly add 1/2 cup of Zinc Sulfate Monohydrate while stirring until completely dissolved.  Add 1/2 cup of Karo Corn Syrup and 2 teaspoons of Caswell Zinc Brightener and stir.  You can drop a piece of Zinc in the bottom of the bath and wait a few days until the vinegar dissolves the Zinc into the solution or you can speed up the process by taking a sheet of Zinc, securing it to the inside of the bucket (I cut a 1/2 strip on the side of the sheet with a 1/2 inch remaining on the cut and folded the strip to create a hook over the lip of the bucket).  Attach the Positive and Negative leads from the power supply to the Zinc sheet and immerse it in the bath making sure the power supply leads are above the water line.  Turn on the power supply, dial in 2 Volts, you should see bubbles coming off the Zinc sheet as Zinc molecules are released into the solution.  You can run this until the entire sheet is dissolved.  Turn off the power supply, prepare a new Zinc anode sheet on one side of the bucket, and connect this Zinc sheet to the positive lead on your power supply.  Take the 1/2 inch copper pipe, place this across the top of the bucket and connect it to the negative lead on your power supply and you are now ready to plate.
     
    Preparing the Etching Bath
    Take a 2 Gallon bucket, fill it with 1.5 gallons of distilled water and slowly add 1.2 cups of Muriatic Acid for a 5% solution.  Take a felt pen and write 5% Muriatic Acid Solution on the Lid and Bucket.
     
    Preparing the Yellow Chromate Bath
    Take a 2 Gallon Bucket, fill it with 1.5 gallons of distilled water and add the appropriate about of Caswell Yellow Chromate concentrate for 1.5 gallons.  Take a felt pen and write Yellow Chromate on the lid and bucket.
     
    Preparing the Yellow Chromate Rinse
    Take a 2 Gallon Bucket and fill it with 1.5 gallons of distilled water.  Take a felt pen and write Yellow Chromate Rinse on the lid and bucket.
     
    Preparation, Preparation, Preparation
    Like painting, plating is 90% preparation.  Here's the steps I use...
     
    Take the part that you want to plate and put it in glass bowl or tupperware container filled with enough Muriatic acid to cover the part.  This will strip any old Zinc coating from the part.  When the bubbling stops, carefully remove the part with a plastic spoon and place it in a strainer and rinse with water, blow dry with compressed air. Media blast the part to remove any rust, scale, etc. Use the wire wheel on the bench grinder to clean the part until is shines like new. Take a 10in piece of 14 Gauge Copper Wire and twist it around the part so it makes a solid connection with the least amount of copper wire actually touching the part.  The copper wire prevents the Zinc from bonding with the part, so keep this in mind while securing the part with the wire.  Also consider how the part will drain, you will want solutions to flow off the part. Set the part aside until you have enough parts prepared to run a reasonable batch.  
    Let's Plate
    Take the parts you are going to plate in this batch and place them in a container of degreaser.  If you went the crockpot route, bring the degreaser up to temp and place the parts in the heated solution for 15 minutes before plating.  Instead of having a separate bucket for each rinse step, I use one bucket and a spray bottle filled with distilled water to rinse each part.  Take the first part out of the degreaser, hold it over the bucket and spray it clean using the spray bottle of distilled water.  Put the part in the Zinc Bath about 6 inches from the surface and wrap the end of the 14 Gauge wire around the 1/2 copper pipe, suspending it in the middle of the bucket under the solution.  Check to see if the positive lead is firmly on the Zinc anode plate and the negative lead is firmly on the copper pipe.  Plug in the fish tank pump and secure the discharge air hose so it doesn't hit the part or pop out of the bucket.  Turn on the power supply and set the Amps between 100ma to 1 Amp depending on the surface area of the part (80 - 150ma per Square Inch of surface area).  The Volts will be typically under 2 Volts at that amperage.  The key to this step is there is no set time for the plating process, you need to monitor your part carefully by pulling it up and observing how the process it progressing.  Put on your gloves, if you see that the copper wire is preventing the plating process, move the wire and put it back in the solution.  What you want is an even, bright grey coating of Zinc without dark spots.  The longer you leave it in, the heavier the coating and this will lead to parts that are dull and rough.  The process happens quickly (usually under 2 minutes) so you need to check it constantly and put it out often to check when the part is fully coated and at the peak of bright grey.  When you reach this point, pull it out of the solution and turn off the power supply.  Unwrap the wire from the copper pipe, suspend it over the rinse bucket and spray it with distilled water.
     
    Next, open the 5% Muriatic Acid Etch bucket and immerse the part swirling back and forth for no more than 5 seconds.  Immediately pull it out and spray it over the rinse bucket with distilled water.  Put the lid back on the Muriatic Acid Etch Bucket, open the Yellow Chromate Bucket, immerse the part and s l o w l y swirl the part back and forth for a count of 15.  This leaves a "gel" coating of Yellow Chromate on the part, but it is fragile at this step and can be easily scratched or dispersed.  Pull it out on 15, it should be yellow, but not too dark yellow and luminous, not dull.  Carefully dip the piece in the Yellow Chromate Rinse bucket (1.5 Gallons of Distilled Water) for three dips and then hang it up to dry.  You can use a hair dryer or heat gun on low to speed the process of removing the excess water and drying the part.  Wait 24 hours before installing.
     
    Conclusions
    I have 2 boxes of Fasteners, nuts and bolt, brackets and assorted hardware from several 2002's I have parted.  If I could find a plater that I could ship this hardware in a flat rate box and get it back in yellow chromate at a reasonable price, I would do that.  But for this restoration, it was more the challenge of could I get some reasonable results at a reasonable cost if I was willing to take the time to learn something new.  Mission accomplished.  I hope this writeup helps someone fulfill their DIY dreams.
     
    Mark92131
     
     
     











  2. Mark92131
    So I received a huge box from Bridgewater BMW last week containing the now back in stock Rain Gutter Trim.  God knows how much it actually cost to ship because they only charged me $18 from CT to San Diego, CA.  The price with shipping was $199, but I think the car looks naked without the full compliment of trim, so money well spent.  Installation was challenging to say the least.  I started with the driver's side, removing the radio antenna mast so I would have room.  I used some silicon grease on the newly painted gutter and after reading multiple posts on this process, started at the curved "A" portion.  This didn't work well for me, the bends down the "A" pillar and down the back of the car seemed radical with the curved portion attached.  What did finally work was starting at the back of the car and working forward to the curved section, carefully positioning the trim so it matched the curve at the "A" pillar.  The trim at the rear sticks out about a half an inch from the end of the gutter when the curve is lined up correctly.  Once the trim is correctly positioned on the "A" pillar curve, it can be rolled and forced on to the gutter as it goes down the "A" pillar.  Both the hood and door need to be open to have enough room to get the trim pushed down on the gutter.  I did notice that as the gutter moves below the level of the hood, it turns in slightly towards the "A" pillar and hook the end of the trim, holding it securely. After doing the driver's side, the passenger side was a snap. I am still debating if I need to buy a tool to pinch the trim on the gutter for a tighter fit, but I think it looks so much better than the naked look.
     
    Thanks,
     
     
    Mark92131

  3. Mark92131

    Sway Bar Installation

    By Mark92131,

    I purchased a set of front and rear sway bars from Ireland Engineering for the cab a while back but never got around to installing them.  Over the Christmas break I decided to pop them on the 1975 to eliminate some of the body roll on my 1975 BMW 2002.
     
    My experience was typical of most owners that have done this modification.  The rear was a pain in the ass.  I ended up sanding the urethane bushings down to get enough clearance to re-install the stock clamps.  Even with the sanding, getting the bolts started required using a longer bolt in one of the holes and "C" clamps to get everything lined up.  I ended up stripping 3 of the original bolts and needed a couple of trips to home depot to source new bolts.  This would be sooo much easier with the rear subframe out of the car, but I managed to get them in.  With the bar in and centered, I did notice that IE must have made a change to the linkage to the bar.  In some of the photos on the web of previous installations, the heim joint was bolted to the outside of the aluminum fixture connected to the bar.  On my linkage the heim joint was centered between the aluminum fixture.  When I installed the linkage though the support holes and tightened them up, they angled in towards the differential and not straight down as expected.  I am assuming that this is correct for the centered heim joint.
     
    The fronts were super easy and went in without a hitch.  The hardest part was removing the stock front sway bar and figuring out how to remove it from the suspension.  I set it for the stiffest setting, front hole and took it for a test drive, drives like it is on rails.
     
    Mark92131



  4. Mark92131
    So, in order to get my car finished, I needed to address the beltline trim issue... buy new or restore the original pieces.  I had the original set from the car and a spare set that I purchased earlier.  Between the two sets, I had enough pieces for a relatively ding-free complete set, but far from something that was shiny and new.  I looked into having King of Trim restoring these pieces, but at $60 per piece, $600 seemed pretty steep for used trim.  I looked into buying new and the best deal I could find was around $900 from Wallothnesch after shipping.  There was also the issue with the new trim curved pieces not fitting properly for the hood and trunk.  So here's what I did.
     
    I ordered new trim from Wallothnesch for all the straight pieces for about $315 shipped DHL, (the 2 curves pieces for the hood are about $200 each) and decided to restore the curved pieces for the trunk and hood myself.  So I did a lot of research on stripping the anodized coating off of aluminum and came up with a plan.  First off, I needed something to immerse the long trim pieces in a bath of Caustic Soda (Drain Cleaner)... my solution, a $9.00 inflatable kiddie pool.  I positioned the pool outside my house, half on the curb and half on the street to create a pocket for maximizing the depth of the water,  Fortunately, I have a storm drain right in front of the house to support emptying the pool after I was done.  I filled the pool with 8 Gallons of hot water and 2 cups of Drain Cleaner from Lowes to achieve an approximately 2.5% solution.  Even at 2.5%, this stuff will dissolve the skin off your bones in short order so be careful, rubber gloves, eye protection, etc.
     
    I popped in all my trim and watched it bubble for 30 minutes.  After the 30 minutes were up, I dumped the water down the storm drain, rinsed the pieces with water, refilled the pool with clean water and poured in 8OZ of white vinegar to neutralize the Caustic Soda.  This was probably overkill, but I didn't want the Caustic Soda to continue to react with the now bare aluminum.  The trim was re-rinsed with water and left to dry in the sun.  The dry trim had a smooth dull white finish.  Now comes the fun part...
     
    I took each piece inside and polished them with Mothers  Mag and Aluminum Polish.  The trim will turn black as the polish does its job and then can be buffed to a shiny mirror finish, just like new.  I thought about spray painting the finished trim with Clear, but decided to just wax them to keep the aluminum from oxidizing over time.  That way, I can polish and re-wax as needed, without worrying about the clear coat going dull over time.
     
    I hope this helps someone else facing the same issues.
     
    Mark92131
     
     






  5. Mark92131

    Fresh Nevada Paint

    By Mark92131,


    Fresh Nevada Paint
    This car was delivered to Classic Auto Body and Collision in Ramona, CA on May 27, 2020.  I got it back yesterday on my birthday, November 17th, 2021, almost 18 months later.  Carlos the owner told me it was probably the last 2002 he would work on.  He was painted numerous cars for Bill Holmes at Bavarian Rennsport, he painted my Mintgrun 75, but will now concentrate on insurance work which is significantly more profitable.  Originally, we negotiated $4800 for a complete paint job with some minor rust repair (there was rust in the front valance under the battery and under the rear side windows).  This was a little more than the Mintgrun paint job, but that one didn't include the trunk, interior, underside or engine bay.
     
    When we started, there was another BMW 2002 in front of me in the queue and that delayed the body work on my car.  It was a Tii and required tons of metal work which took months to complete.  Eventually that Tii's owner decided to paint his car elsewhere, so I was next, right?  Wrong, the Pandemic was in full tilt and my car sat languishing under a tarp in the yard.  Even after the Covid-19 case load numbers improved, Carlos couldn't find anyone that wanted to sand primer and weld metal for a living, thanks Biden!
     
    When things returned to some semblance of business as usual, my car moved from the yard to the garage and the body work started.  Once the car was is primer, it was time to finalize on the color.  This was the most difficult part of the process, what color should I pick now that a full paint job provided the freedom to change to any color I wanted.  Part of the decision was based on the interior color, (Tobacco), which isn't as universal as Black, but not as limiting as Marine Blue.  So I had Carlos spray out samples in the following colors (E21 Reseda Green, E21 Opal Green Metallic, Baikal, Florida, Turkis, Derby and Nevada)  The first five paint codes were available in PPG, Derby and Nevada however, were only available in Glasurit.  Of course the $4800 price was for PPG paint, so sourcing Nevada and Derby, if picked, was going to be on my dime.  It was close, but I decided to go with the original color of the car, Nevada, to give myself some wiggle room on a later decision for going the restored original look, or full resto-mod.  Of course, Glasurit had just introduced some new water-based paint lines (Glasurit 90 Line) that were less expensive and offered the Derby paint code, but not Nevada.  Nevada was only offered in their most expensive paint (Glasurit 22 Line) which ran about $1500 with Activator and Reducer for the 1.5 Gallons Carlos needed to paint the entire car.  Remember the guy that had the Tii in front of my car?  Apparently, when he pulled his car from the shop, he left a gallon of 3M Dynapro undercoating that Carlos used on my car as a credit (+ $200) for not having to buy the PPG paint.  So total cost was $4800 (Less $200 + $100 Undercoating) + $1500 in Glasurit paint, activator and reducer, so $6000 all in.
     
    I must admit, the Glasurit 22 Line looks great, like it was dipped.  The paint has that slight hint of olive undertone that really sold me on this color.  I am really happy with the result.  It took more time than I ever imagined, but I am smitten to have it back in the garage and excited to get farther down the road to restoration.
     
    Mark92131











  6. Mark92131

    MVP Rear Bumper Installation

    By Mark92131,


    MVP Rear Bumper Install
    So originally, the car came to me without bumpers.  But I wasn't worried because years before, I traded a spare LSD for a complete set of newly re-chromed bumpers for a pre-74 car.  These bumper pieces came to me in a custom-made wooden crate and although I had seen pictures, I didn't actually take them down from the rafters and out of the crate until just recently.  So after un-crating them, I realized that it was a mixed set of beautiful chrome bumpers, the front bumper was from an early car (no rubber strip holes on the end pieces) and the rear was from a later car (long end pieces and rubber strip holes on all three pieces with matching bumper horns).
     
    Well the rear bumper wasn't going to work from my 1600, I wanted the short ends with no rubber strips.  So now what?  Here's what I did.  I ordered the rubber strip and clips and rubber pads for the rear bumper horns from Wallothnesch so I would have a complete rear bumper.  I sold that complete rear bumper on the FAQ and ordered a custom bumper from MVP.  MVP only made the early bumpers with the euro license plate lights in the center section.  I got them to make me a set without the license plate light holes, (new product now available).  Unfortunately, they were backlogged from Covid and these would not be available until March 2022.  So I went ahead and ordered my set in early January.  So now I needed the correct rear Bumper horns.  Fortunately, a gentleman @Sgtskid was selling/parting 2 1600's and I was able to purchase a set of correct rear bumper horns from him.  While I was waiting for the MVP bumper to arrive, I sent the bumper horns to Chrome Plating USA for refurbishment and ordered all the necessary mounting hardware from Wallothnesch.
     
    After a few weeks of delay, I finally received my new bumper from Taiwan and was very pleased with the quality of this part.  I did have some issues with the assembly that should help others with this task.  First, I forgot to order new rubber for the rear bumper horns, which delayed my assembly while I waited for these from Germany.  Second, the Wallothnesch nuts and bolts kit had the wrong length carriage bolts for the bumper horns, so I found some stainless steel ones on Amazon (US Bumper Horns need M8 x 70mm).  Also, I ordered Part # 51125470060 from Wallothnesch.  If you are using MVP bumpers, you don't need to use 51125470065, MVP welds these pieces to the center section of their bumpers.  I suppose you could use 51125470065 on top of the welded piece, but you would need even longer bumper horn carriage bolts and the bumper would sit an additional 1.5" from the body.  I had 2 sets of 51125470060 brackets, one black and one silver zinc.  I went with the zinc set because the M8 hex bolt was easier to thread than the set with black overspray, more on that later.
     
    Now that everything was here, I decided to bench assemble the entire bumper and then mount it to the car with the four M8 hex bolts that hold it from inside the trunk.  The space between the inner two mounting holes on the body is 32.75 inches center to center.  When I assembled the bumper for the first time, with the end pieces snug against the edge of the recess on the center piece, the inner holes on the 51125470060 were only 32" center to center.  What I had to do was loosen the carriage bolts holding the end pieces and pull them outward until the bumper horn carriage bolt was positioned on the far outside of welded in 51125470065 piece.  This leaves a gap between the center piece and the end pieces that is barely covered by the bumper horn.  I was able to stretch the distance between the mounting brackets to the required 32.75" using this method, but this would not be required if MVP welded their 51125470060 part farther out on the center piece to provide 32.75" between the inner mounting holes on the bracket with the end pieces tight against the center piece.  This would allow the bumper horns to sit correctly on the end piece and the center piece.
     
    With help of my son, we slid the bumper on to the end piece carriage bolts and rubber spacers on both sides and secured the bumper with the four M8 hex bolts inside the trunk.  We did have some issues securing the last outside bolt on the driver's side.  It turns out that one side of the bracket that holds the captive nut was not tacked down and bent out allowing the nut to spin inside the cage.  I was able to bend it back enough to get the nut to stop spinning until the M8 hex bolt caught the threads.   Polished it up with a soft cloth and admired our efforts.
     
    Thanks,
     
    Mark
     
     
     
     
     
     



  7. Mark92131

    Pedal Box Progress

    By Mark92131,


    Pedal Box
    Since the car has returned from paint, I have been trying to wrap my mind around the tasks, and order of tasks, required to re-assemble the car in a timely manner.  I would like to get this project to the roller phase, so re-installing the subframes seems like a good idea.  I am still on the fence with S-14 or M10 motor choices, but lately have been thinking that selling the S-14 and using money to build a nice injected (Jenvey) M10 with MicroSquirt for engine management might be a better strategy.  So while I contemplated on these choices, it was time to start on something, soooo Pedal Box!
     
    The pedal box currently in the car was in decent shape, no rust holes or corrosion.  It was missing the lower rubber cover, the brake pedal return spring, booster, master cylinder and stop light switch.  I disassembled everything, media blasted the parts and painted the pedals, box, and booster brackets in Satin Black.  I had a spare non-Tii Booster from another car, so media blasted it and painted it Flat Black for some contrast.  I used RealOEM to order the missing hardware, ordered new nylon bushings for all the pedals, clutch master connection, and new nuts, bolts and washers from Belmetric.  I splurged and bought the brake booster pivot upgrade from IE an a new FTE Clutch Master Cylinder from eBay.
     
    After all the appropriate hardware arrived, I reassembled the box, only to disassemble it again to use it as a template to make a gasket out of a sheet of 1/4 inch neoprene I ordered from Amazon.  With the gasket made. I reassembled the pedal box for a final time and with the help of my son, installed it in the car.  I assembled the booster on the booster brackets loosely, installed the brake booster pivot and connected the booster to the pivot (easier to install the "bitch" clip).  I took this entire booster assembly and installed it loosely so I could adjust the position of the brake pedal in relation to the clutch pedal by screwing the brake pull rod in and out of the forkhead at the pedal box.  This took some trial and error to get the clutch and brake pedals in the same plane with the brake booster pivot pin installed, but worth the effort.  With everything lined up, I tightened up the nuts and bolts, installed the stop light switch and declared job done.  I need a gas pedal and will probably splurg for the lower rubber cover from Wallothnesch, but those will need to wait.  Next project, brake lines.
     
    Mark92131
     
     





  8. Mark92131

    Front Subframe Restoration

    By Mark92131,


    Front Subframe
    I took my rusty front subframe over to my brother's house and he welded in the IE subframe reinforcement plate.  The front subframe received the same powder coat treatment as the rear, RAL 7043.  I had both of them done at Anocote Powder Coating in Mira Mesa.  They also did the ST Sway bars and knocked the surface rust off of my rotors and drums for about $300 all in.  Assembly was pretty straight forward, new rubber stock bushings, new heavy duty IE control arms, new OEM Idler Arm bushings, DIY Yellow Chromate Zinc coating on the hardware, new IE Sway Bar End Links, and new center link track rod.  The steering box wasn't leaking, so I cleaned it up, installed a new rubber steering coupler and remounted it.
     
    I disassembled the front struts, gave the tubes and hubs a nice repaint in Krylon Satin Black.  I installed new races and wheel bearings and ended up installing new Bilstein HD struts, Eibach springs, new upper strut bearings and fixed front camber plates.  I used the POR-15 Caliper Refinishing Kit in Silver.  I was a long multi-step process and I was not blown away with the end result, but it should keep them protected and looking nice for a while.  I cleaned up the hard brake lines and installed new OEM rubber brake hoses.
     
    I won't install the front struts and the new IE Tie Rod Assemblies on the subframe until I'm ready to put it in the car.  With those pieces installed, the front subframe is too heavy to move it by myself.  My plan is to assemble the subframe on a rolling cart, install the motor and trans in the subframe, roll it under the car on my MaxJax lift and lower the car into position to bolt the subframe back in.  The other option would be to assemble the subframe, motor and trans on the floor under the car on the MaxJax, lower the car and then use the engine picker to pull the whole subframe up into position to bolt the subframe back in.  We'll see which method wins out in the end.
     
    Mark92131







  9. Mark92131
    This car has had more carb upgrades than all of the other 12 BMW 2002's I have owned.  We started with the original 1 barrel Solex, to a horrible Weber 34 ICH, to a Weber 36/32, to a Weber 38/38, to a Weber 45 DCOE 152 and finally to a Weber 45 DCOE 152G.  During the final upgrade to the 152G, I decided that the cable-based throttle control that came with the TEP Lynx package (https://www.racetep.com/bmw-m10-2002-320i-single-sidedraft-weber-kit.html) should be upgraded at the same time, so I started reading all the FAQ posts on the subject and reached out to a couple of FAQ members that had upgraded the throttle linkage on their Lynx manifold setup... Crickets!  So this was going to be an exercise in trial and error.
     
    I started with a Universal Single DCOE Linkage kit from Pierce Manifolds (https://www.piercemanifolds.com/product_p/99006.104.htm).  From the description, it looked like it had everything I would need to convert my cable throttle linkage to a top mount crossbar linkage.  After the package arrived, there was an immediate issue, the holes on the Lynx manifold are 3/8" - 16 pitch and the rod ends in the kit are 3/8" - 24 pitch, so they don't/won't screw in.  OK, easy fix, I just need an adapter stud with 3/8" - 16 on one end and 3/8" - 24 on the other.  I actually found a kit of 5 on Amazon, (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003QZG3H0/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1), ordered them up along with new 3/8" - 24 female 5/16" rod ends from McMaster to match the rod in the kit.
     
    In my original setup, I fabricated a throttle return spring using the top mount linkage holes on the Lynx manifold.  Now that that area was being repurposed for the crossbar linkage, I needed another solution for the return spring and purchased DCOE EXTERNAL SPRING KIT LT5000 from Pierce Manifold and installed it on the new Weber 45 DCOE 152G.  When all the parts arrived, I assembled the new linkage and found that the lever connecting the stock throttle rod to the pedal box throttle linkage wasn't long enough to reach the rod end, so I used a piece of stock steel from home depot to extend the lever, (first photo).  Another issue was the rod in the kit was only 11" long, so the lever controlling the stock throttle rod was at the very end of the rod and the levers in the kit were not very robust, (flexible).  The result was very disappointing, too much flex, not enough throttle opening and not the smooth action I was expecting at the gas pedal.
     
    My first thought was upgrading the levers to the longer, more robust aluminum versions from Pierce Manifolds, so I ordered 2 of BILLET THROTTLE LEVER 3/8 SHAFT 32000, without realizing that these won't fit the 5/16" rod from the kit.  When they arrived and obviously didn't fit the rod, it was on to Plan B.  Let's just upgrade everything to 3/8", so I jumped on McMaster and ordered a 12" 3/8 Rod, 3/8" - 24 Female threaded 3/8" Rod Ends, and 3/8" Shaft Collars for my setup.  I also ordered a new 8mm Ball throttle lever for the DCOE, because the one from the kit had a stiff action.  If you were starting from scratch, these are the 8 parts I ordered.
     
    1. BILLET THROTTLE LEVER 3/8 SHAFT 32000 - $28.65 x 2
    https://www.piercemanifolds.com/product_p/32000.htm
     
    2. DCOE EXTERNAL SPRING KIT LT5000 - $32.24
    https://www.piercemanifolds.com/product_p/lt5000.htm
     
    3. DCOE Throttle Lever 45041.009 - $18.40
    https://www.piercemanifolds.com/product_p/45041.009.htm
     
    4. JPS adjustable rod 75500.100 - $22.50
    https://www.piercemanifolds.com/product_p/75500.100.htm
     
    5. Rotary Shaft, 1566 Carbon Steel, 3/8" Diameter, 12" Long 1346K11 - $7.58
    https://www.mcmaster.com/1346k11
     
    6. Ball Joint Rod End, 3/8"-24 Thread 60645K34 - $3.78 x 2
    https://www.mcmaster.com/60645k34
     
    7. Set Screw Shaft Collar for 3/8" Diameter, 303 Stainless Steel 6462K14 - $3.86 x 2
    https://www.mcmaster.com/6462k14
     
    8. Hard-to-Find Fastener 014973217150 Automotive Studs, 3/8-16 x 3/8-24 x 1-1/2 - $10.04
    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003QZG3H0/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
     
    After receiving all the parts and assembling them (see pictures), the results didn't disappoint, the action at the gas pedal is instantaneous and snaps back perfectly.  No stretch or lag from the cable setup.  The billet lever to the pedal box throttle rod was still too short, so I extended it as before.  I treated myself to a pair of new air horns from Corsa Velocita  https://www.corsavelocita.com/store.  
     
    I hope this helps someone looking for the same upgrade.
     
     
    Mark92131




  10. Mark92131

    New Shoes...

    By Mark92131,

    The scope creep continues on the 1975.  I sold some parts from my stash and had a tidy sum in my Paypal account so I splurged on a set of Rota RB's and some new Toyo 195-50-15 Extensa HP tires from atw-tires on eBay.  After they arrived, I test fit the rims and then took them down to Performance Tires for mounting and balancing.  All in, about $800.  I had a new set of lug nuts in my stash that I bought from IE a couple years back, so I used them for this installation.  My original inspiration for this build was a car recently restored by CoupeKing.  It featured beautiful Mintgrun paint, deletion of the side marker lights and knee trim, tucked bumpers and a custom interior, (first picture).  I left mine a little more stock.  It is sitting a little high in front but we are getting close to the look I want.
     
    Next up, rear seat restoration and gutter trim installation.
     
    Mark92131


  11. Mark92131

    Slogging through the Electricals

    By Mark92131,


    Electrical Testing
    I promised myself that before I started messing with the ECU setup and the related electrical systems to support it, I would sort out all the electrical gremlins that were original to the car.  Little did I know that was going to a lot harder and take longer than I could ever imagine.
     
    When I hooked up the battery for the first time after completely removing the wiring harness, I had some pleasant surprises and some "what the hell" moments.  First off, when I turned the ignition key for the first time, lights on the dash lit up and the wiper motor started running and not parking.  You could tell it was trying to park, but the momentum would take it through the park gap and it would restart and park again.  I unplugged the wiper motor and started going through the electrical system.
     
    Headlights
    The headlights on the early cars are not wired through relays for the low and high beam operation, but I thought why not upgrade!  I found a super easy fix for adding relays by ordering a pre-wired solution on Amazon that plugged into the driver's side headlight socket and provided relays for both low and high beams.  I just connected a ground wire, mounted the relays and connected the passenger side headlight socket. Pulled the headlight switch, low beams came on, pulled the dip switch on the steering column, high beams came on, the blue dash light came on, everything working correctly!
     
    Flashers
    I mounted my emergency flasher switch in the hole on the lower steering wheel shroud that normally houses the manual choke.  With the ignition off, pulled the emergency flasher knob and the knob started to flash and the front and rear turn signals were flashing and the turn signal indicator in the dash was flashing, all good here!
     
    Turn Signals
    This is where things started to go south.  When I signaled for a right turn, I might get single flash or a couple of flashes and then nothing, and nothing on the left turn, nothing at all!  I had read that if the emergency flashers work, then the flasher relay was probably good and something else wasn't working.  Well the flasher relay was original and the cardboard on the back was torn in half, exposing the circuit board, so I started with an EL-13 Flasher upgrade.  I bought one off of eBay and a relay harness, wired it up and plugged it into the stock flasher relay connector.  Nope, still no turn signals.  OK, let's check the turn signal switch!.  Pulled off the upper and lower covers on the steering column, pulled the switch, got out the multi-meter and checked the continuity between pin "54" and the "R" and "L" pins.  The "R" was good, but there was no continuity between "54" and "L".  Tried cleaning it, still no good, bad switch.  So back on eBay looking for a replacement.  Wow, pricing on used parts is getting stupid high!  I finally found two switches on German eBay at a reasonable price, but no shipping to USA.  I tried contacting the seller, but crickets.  In desperation, I reached out to @Seb on the FAQ and asked him for a favor.  He agreed to purchase the switches for me and ship them to me in the US.  I can't thank him enough for helping me source these parts.
     
    A couple of weeks later they arrived.  I check the continuity on both switches, all working properly!  I installed and connected one of the new switches, turned on the ignition and pulled the switch, nothing, now what?  After checking and re-checking the wiring diagram, there had to be an issue in one or all four of the inter-related systems that controlled the turn signals (Emergency Flasher Switch, Flasher Relay, Turn Signal Switch, Ignition Switch).  I eliminated the Turn Signal Switch, because I just checked it, and worked backward from there.  In order for the turn signals to work, power needs to get to pin #54 on the turn signal switch.  I tested this with the ignition on and got nothing on pin #54, so something wasn't working on the flasher relay or the emergency flasher switch.  I decided to pull those 2 components, remove the wires, re-verify the connections and clean and re-crimp all the connections.  The "AHA" moment was the connector to the flasher relay, it was really dirty and loose.  I popped the female spade connections out of the plastic connector and cleaned them up and squeezed them for a tighter fit.  When I was all done, right and left signals worked, flasher relay clicked and the light in the dash flashed, all good right?
     
    Not quite, this car, like the Euro cars has a parking light feature, which allows the user to illuminate the right or left side of the turn signals when parking the car on the side of the road in the dark.  The bad part of this feature is that one can accidentally set it during the day and not notice and come back to a dead battery.  It runs off power through the ignition switch and operates with the key off.  For some reason, my parking light feature wasn't working.
     
    Ignition Switch
    So, in order to get the parking light feature to work, I need power at the turn signal switch pin "P" with the key off.  I checked the continuity of the wire "grey" between the ignition switch  and the turn signal switch and it was good. So, maybe the switch was bad?  I bought a used one from @BLUNT just in case, and pulled the existing switch to inspect the wiring.  Well none of the wires were on the right terminals, except for the "grey" one.  I put the red wires on the "30" terminal, green wires on the "15", black wire on the "50" terminal, and the grey wire on "P".  With the ignition off, pulled the turn signal stalk down and the left turn signals came on, moved the stalk up and the right side turn signals came on.  I may wait until the used ignition switch arrives and compare the key position detents between the 2 switches and see which one is better before buttoning the dash up.
     
    Wiper Motor
    Back to the wiper motor now that the turn signals are sorted.  I pulled the wiper switch out of the dash to test the continuity in the various positions.  Pin "53a" the blue/green wire is always hot with the ignition on, it provides power to the green wire on the motor.  When the wiper switch is pulled out to the first (slow) position, there is continuity from "53a"to pins "53" (black wire) and "53b" (yellow wire).  When the wiper switch is pulled out to the second (fast) position, there is continuity from "53a"to pin "53" (black wire) and NOT to"53b" (yellow wire).  This didn't make a lot of sense assuming the yellow wire was the slow circuit, so I assumed the switch was bad and only pin "53b" should have power in the first (slow) position, so I bought another switch I found on eBay.  I also begged @AceAndrew to sell me one of his spare wiper motors just in case mine was bad, and he came through as always.
     
    While I waited for the new/old parts, I tested a couple of old wiper motors I had that I assumed were bad because the yellow wire (slow circuit), would not spin the motor when power was applied, but would when the black wire (fast circuit) was powered.  When just the green wire was powered, the motor would spin, but you could hear the motor try to park as it spun past the break in round parking mechanism.  Duplicating the conditions of the switch, I powered all three wires (green, black and yellow) and found that the motor would spin slowly.  I pulled the yellow wire and the motor spun faster.  I powered all three wires again and then pulled the black and yellow together, simulating the switch being pushed in to off, and low and behold, the motor spun a second and parked.
     
    So why was my wiper motor running when I turned on the ignition?  Well, it was turning because it wasn't in a "parked" position when the green wire got power, and the momentum of the motor kept taking it past the break in the round parking mechanism.  It also had a break in the hair-thin yellow wire that connects inside the windings of the motor, but I didn't discover this until I installed the new motor.  With the new motor installed, I turned on the ignition, pulled the wiper switch to the first position and the motor began to spin slowly. Pulled the switch out to the second position, the motor spun faster.  Back to the first position, the motor spun slower and switch pushed all the way in, parked and stopped.  All good?  Not so fast...
     
    Windshield Washer Pump & Delay Relay
    On the early cars, the turn signal switch stalk operates the windshield wipers and the windshield washer pump by pulling it towards the driver.  This action grounds the Delay relay which triggers the windshield wiper motor to activate for 10 seconds, and also grounds the windshield washer pump so it squirts fluid on the windshield.  Pulling the turn signal switch stalk towards the driver did nothing on my car.
     
    So I started testing the system components starting with the Delay relay.  My car was missing this relay when I bought it, but I managed to source a used one, but never tested it.  I checked continuity to pin "31b" from the ground wire on the turn signal switch and it was good.  I built a quick bench test with a relay connector, a light bulb and my 12V power supply to test the function of the delay relay and it was working great.  I also bought a delay relay replacement for the courtesy light in a Dodge that also works well (stays on a little longer than the BMW unit.  Hit me up if you have the same issue and I'll get you more information.
     
    https://youtu.be/nHdE3jCRns4
     
    With the Delay relay sorted, it was time to look at the pump motor.  My VDO washer reservoir was not typical.  Instead of having a hose connection and nubs on the bottom to hold the pump platform, my pump motor screwed directly into a hole in the bottom of the reservoir.  The motor was toast, with power through it, it would not spin.  How was I going to find a replacement, it obviously wasn't a BMW part.  Technology to the rescue!  I downloaded the Google Lens app to my iPhone, took a picture of it and up came pictures of the exact motor.  Turns out it fits many Ford and Dodge models from the 70's, so I ordered a replacement for a 1970 Thunderbird from eBay.  When it arrived, I screwed it into bottom of my VDO reservoir and hooked it up to the Delay relay.  When I went to test it, I would pull the turn signal stalk and after a second delay the wiper motor would engage, run for 8 - 10 seconds and stop, but I couldn't understand why the washer pump motor wouldn't run for the 8 - 10 seconds.  Typical operator error, I finally realized that you must pull and hold the turn signal stalk to run the washer pump motor until enough water was on the windshield and then when you released it, the delay relay would let the wiper motor run for an additional 8 - 10 seconds.  DUH!
     
    Miscellaneous
    While I was waiting for parts, I did manage to install my oil catch can.  On the S14, the OEM Oil Separator sits on top of the bolts for the driver's side motor mount.  I removed the Oil Separator, but still needed a solution for the valve cover vent.  I took the stock hose that runs from the valve cover down to the oil separator and cut it in half.  I plugged the cut end with a 10 A/N barbed fitting and then made a custom 10 A/N hose to run between the 10 A/N barbed fitting to the 10 A/N fitting on the oil catch can.  Turn out nice and matches the oil cooler.
     
    On to the Fuel Pump and ECU Testing and Setup.
     
    Mark92131
     









  12. Mark92131
    So, for people that are contemplating a "lite" restoration for their BMW 2002, I created a spreadsheet of the parts I needed after a repaint of my 1975 BMW 2002.  It is not a comprehensive list, but covers most of the items needed to re-install trim and seals after a windows out re-spray.  All in all, I spent about $2000.00 in parts including shipping and taxes.  The spreadsheet includes part #'s and sources after some extensive research on trying to find the best price on these items.  I hope you find it useful.  I also included some pictures of the re-assembly process as it slowly progresses.  Ironically, there was another 1976 Mintgrun BMW 2002 49 State Car in Bill's shop keeping mine company during the re-assembly process.
     
    Thanks,
     
    Mark92131
     
     
    75MintGrunBMW2002Parts.xlsx




  13. Mark92131
    During the Facetime inspection of the car pre-purchase, I did have the owner pull the trunk boards to inspect the tank and spare tire well and everything looked good over the phone.  Now that the car was back, I decided to take a look in person and clean up any issues.  Unfortunately, the carpet pad in the trunk runs under the rear battery brackets and makes it very difficult to remove the trunk boards.  The good news, the trunk boards are flawless.  I'm not sure if the 5 machine screws holding down the trunk board covering the gas tank are factory stock, but my Cab has them also in the same relative positions.
     
    After pulling up the gas tank side, I cleaned up the area, but was really impressed on how little cleaning was needed to highlight the Mintgrun paint.  The spare tire well was equally clean and tidy with the original Michelin tire intact and untouched.  Everything cleaned up nicely...
     
    Thanks,
     
     
    Mark92131
     
     
     





  14. Mark92131

    Heater Box Restoration

    By Mark92131,


    Heater Box Restoration
    Now in theory, living in California I could have just re-installed the original heater box and prayed it didn't leak.  But this wasn't going to work in the anal retentive world I live in.  So time to crack open that box and get it right.  Chris Blumenthal documented this process in a beautifully illustrated article in 2006 and Auto Dynamik in San Francisco has assembled a restoration kit with all the parts you need to get this job done.  Now the Blumenthal article outlines the process on a later heater box, and my heater box is the early 3 lever version with the smaller valve, so there were some differences that I had to adjust for.
     
    Cracking it Open
    Right off the bat, there were some issues.  First, the plastic bracket that holds the heater valve was cracked and when I gingerly removed the valve, a large piece between the hole for the lever and the lower bolt hole fell off in my hand, not good!  Second, I could barely turn the fan blade on the motor, so I either needed to get it freed up, or a new fan motor was in the cards.  I drilled out the rivets holding the top panel, removed the three clips that holds the rear panel to the front panel and opened up the box.  What a mess, leaves, spider webs, dead bugs and surface rust everywhere.  All the rubber grommets/bushings for the flaps were gone and all the foam on the flaps was missing in action.  I didn't want to completely strip the box, just wanted to clean it up, so I carefully pried up the 8 "washers" holding the control rods to the flaps on the front and rear box sections and left the cable coils on the control rods intact.  I did remove the cable coil on the long fresh air flap on the rear box section so all three sections could be separated.  Lastly, I removed the cable clamps on both sections so the heater control levers could be worked on separately.
     
    Fixing the Issues
    Now I could have dropped some change on the restoration kit from Auto Dynamik, but along with the anal retention is a bad case of frugality.  I bought a $10 set of grommets off Amazon which had the 6 grommets I needed for the flaps and the 2 grommets I needed for the holes for the top where the heater core outlets exit.  I started with fixing the heater valve bracket on the top section.  I used JB Weld to glue in the missing piece and repair the cracks.  Although it went back together fine and seemed pretty ridged, I though it needed additional support so I came up with a clever fix.  If you go back to my radiator hack, the two bottom brackets I used to hold the radiator are exactly the right width to fit the plastic bracket for the heater valve.  It isn't tall enough to cover the top mounting hole, but my repair was lower on the bracket.  I took this bracket, did some bending, trimming, drilled holes for the lower valve mounting hole, the lever hole, mounting holes and installed it on my top cover.
     
    The motor was toast.  No amount of lubrication was going to get it to spin again.  When you applied 12V, the bushes would spark, but no joyful spinning.  I used the Auto Dynamik fix to purchase a Porsche Fan, Bosch, part # 0 130 007 002 for around $60 and the $6 Granger plastic computer fan, part # 5JLL6 and drilled it 15/64 for a press on fit.  Worked perfect and used the original clips to mount it back in the top section of the Heater box.  Replaced the wiring and this piece was done.
     
    After washing out the front and rear sections of the heater box, I stuck them on the blast cabinet and cleaned up the metal pieces, checked the heater core for leaks and cleaned and painted it.  I found a grommet that fit the flaps, beveled one side to a 45 degree point and popped them in.  I bought a roll of 3" x 10', 5mil adhesive-backed neoprene foam on Amazon and cut out all the pieces for the flaps and installed them.  I had some 1mm neoprene that I used for wrapping the edges of the heater core.
     
    Re-assembly went pretty smooth. I reattached the cables to the front and rear sections and control rods to there appropriate flaps.  The 3 clips connected the front and rear sections and the top was reattached using 5mm hardware.  The heater valve was assembled last using some 5/8 heater hose to make the connection between the valve and the core.  I needed to do some trimming on the plastic bracket to allow the lever to swing freely because the support bracket increases the thickness, but only a couple of mm.
     
    Installation
    I'm waiting on some parts (defroster nozzle for the driver's side and some bezels) so I can finally install the dash, but the heater box will go in next week.
     
    Thanks for reading,
     
     
    Mark
     
     
     
     








  15. Mark92131

    Bumper Refurbish

    By Mark92131,

    The car has been sitting inside at Bavarian Rennsport in Ramona for a couple of Months while Bill works on cleaning out some of the backlog.  The windows are in, front lights, grills, front turn signals, marker lights and seals replaced, but the bumpers needed some attention before re-installation.  I picked them up last Friday, brought them home and was planning on sanding off the annodized finish and re-polishing.  After cleaning them up, they were in remarkably good condition, so I waxed them and will be returning them for installation and a tuck job.
     
     

  16. Mark92131

    Installing Seatbelts in my 1970 BMW 1600

    By Mark92131,


    Installing Seat Belts
    This subject has been covered a lot, but after searching through dozens of posts, some key questions never seen to get answered.  My car originally had Klippan's installed front and back.  I originally thought about finding a nice set of Klippan seat belts and installing them for the originality, but couldn't find a set that was nice enough and had all the original hardware, covers, hooks, etc.  While searching the endless posts on Klippan seat belt installation, I determined that there is no roadmap for the combination of bolt lengths, bolt types (shoulder, full thread),  washers, wave washers, bushings, covers, bolt caps, and hooks needed to install the Klippan seat belts, because the Klippan system isn't covered in RealOEM.  So I needed to move on from that option, which takes me to my next issue.
     
    Many have converted their Klippan system to the "no-weld" Peacock method by mounting the 3-point retractor under the back seat and using the 2 original Klippan mounting points (below the rear side window and on the rocker between the seat mount and the rear seat) to connect the other 2 belt mount points.  I didn't go this direction because I felt the belt would sit too low for me (6'3") and the anchor connection on the rocker between the seat mount and the rear seat would interfere with access to the back seat.
     
    So this leaves me with either a generic 3-point solution or something OEM like a Repa.  Both will require adding anchors to the "B" pillar and on the rocker directly below the "B" pillar, but I am good to go on that front.  I found some 7/16-20 fine thread spot weld nuts that I will weld directly to the "B" Pillar and rockers to provide anchors for the seat belts.  I ended up drilling 13.5mm holes in the "B" pillars exactly 42mm above the bottom of the rear side window frame and 13.5mm holes in the rockers directly below the anchor point on the "B" pillar.  I'll weld these anchors in next week.  See test fit picture below.
     
    Now here's where it gets confusing.  Everyone references RealOEM for how the hardware is arranged for mounting seatbelts in the car.  It does provide some details on this hardware, but not important aspects like the size of the NLA bushings and what material they are made of.  The most perplexing issue with RealOEM, is it doesn't show where the retractor fits in the stack of 10 hardware pieces?  Does it sit between #17 and #18 bushings in the RealOEM diagram?  I have also found that some installations have a plate that keeps the retractor vertical to the "B" pillar anchor with tabs that fit in slots on the back of the retractor.  Is there a part number for this plate?
     
    I will probably be asking Santa to bring me a set of TRW / REPA seatbelts from Germany.  I've been a pretty good boy this year,
     
    Thanks,
     
    Mark92131
     
     




  17. Mark92131
    So, last time, Carlos had sent me some photos of my car in the booth in the process of getting some fresh Mintgrun paint applied. Well, after comparing the photos to my expectations for Mintgrun, I thought the color looked off, too milky/minty. I called Carlos and expressed concerns and asked him if it was going to darken up with more coats. He assured me that the color would look different outside when complete and clear coated, but my gut couldn't shake the bad feeling that this was not going to be a happy ending. To make sure that Carlos and I were on the same page on my expectations for final color, I sent him a picture of the Mintgrun BMW 2002 on eBay that was restored by CoupeKing and offered to contact them for the paint code they used to produce that exact color. Carlos said he would take a look and let me know.
    A couple of days later, I was playing golf at Mt. Woodson, just outside of Ramona and after the round, thought I would take the short drive over to Carlos' shop to inspect the color first hand. To my surprise, my car was out of the booth, being sanded and prepped for paint. Apparently, after seeing the photo I sent over and comparing the my car's fresh paint, it was obvious that something was amiss. Carlos contacted the paint distributor and confirmed that there was a mix-up in the formula for the paint code and had sent the wrong color. So the timeline was set back a week, but in the end, the car should be wearing the proper Mintgrun color.
    I attached a few of the pictures I took as the car was getting stripped of the wrong color and prepped for the with right color, along with a photo of my expectations for how the car should look when complete.
    Thanks,
    Mark92131
  18. Mark92131

    2 Steps Forward, 1 Step Back

    By Mark92131,


    Odd and Ends
    In my last blog post, I covered some of the work I did on getting the Pedal Box and brake system sorted.  Then I saw a FAQ post on firewall insulation and thought that I should probably install one while I have room in the engine bay.  Unfortunately, most of the Pedal Box work needs to be removed to get the firewall insulation pad under the brake booster bracket on the firewall.  While I waiting for parts, I was tempted into bolting on some shiny bits to make it look more like a car.
     
    Beltline Trim
    I went through my stash and managed to cobble together a complete set of beltline trim.  I had new trim pieces for the trunk and used pieces for the rest of the car.  I was originally planning on stripping the Anodizing and polishing the used pieces, but ended up ordering a new set from Wallothnesch and a beltline clip set so everything would match on my fresh Nevada paint.  I found a nice video on the process of installation from RS Garage and used most of their tips.  I ran into an issue with my clips, they would not install in the holes because my painter was too zealous with the paint gun and added too paint.  After some careful drilling and re-sealing, I was able to open up all the holes too their proper diameter to successfully install the clips.  There is a issue I discovered with the RS Garage video.  At the curve in the trunk and hood, you need the long metal clip to connect the center pieces to the curved side pieces.  The next hole on the curved side pieces also gets a short metal clip, (the video shows a plastic clip in this hole.  You can tell which one it is, because it has a smaller diameter than the rest of the holes.  After I figured this out, everything went smoothly and there is nothing better than hearing that trim snap on.
     
    Rear Tail Lights
    The original tail lights were faded and did nothing for the new paint, so I sprung for some Uro replicas.  I ordered the Red center ones because they looked more 1600/Euro and they were significantly cheaper than the amber centered ones.  So here's the rub... I couldn't see putting new lenses and seals on the tired tail light housings, so I began the anal retentive task of restoring the housings as well.  I stripped them down, sand blasted the housings, masked them off and shot the back with Hammer Textured Silver and the insides in Chrome.  New bulbs and new white plastic mounting nuts and back on the car.
     
    New License Plate Lights, Emblems and Script
    I bought these a while back so on they went.  Another very pleasing installation.  The MVP License Plate lights were good quality, but I modified them to use the proper hardware to bolt them on the car, (required drilling out the light assembly).  I wish they would use the proper single slot screws to secure the covers, instead of the philips.
     
    LSD and Half Shafts
    Next week I am finishing the setup of my MaxJax, so I should be ready to get these subframes in the car.  I anticipation of this, I need to get the Differential ready for its final home.  I drained out the old 90 Wt and added fresh Redline.  I installed the rebuilt Half Shafts with spacers and ordered all new hardware to secure the Differential to the subframe.  I didn't like the bolt length specs off of Realoem, so I just measured the original hardware and ordered new stuff.  I sand blasted the differential support bracket and gave it a nice coat of Krylon Satin Black.  Ready to go next week.
     
    Left and Right Water Deflectors (Rain Gutter Trim)
    I ordered a new set of Water Deflectors.  The driver's side was on in 5 minutes, the passenger side took me 2 hours.  Apparently, somebody at Wallothnesch decided to have a sword fight with the right side piece and it was twisted in the section that curves down to the "A" pillar.  I did finally get the piece untwisted enough to make the curve down the "A" pillar and hook at the bottom.  Some very slight stressing of the Anodized coating, but only I can see it.  E-Mails to Wallothnesch suggested I file a claim through UPS, but the packaging was unmolested.
     
    Rocker Trim
    Years ago, I ordered a set of Rocker Trim by mistake thinking I was ordering Water Deflectors, (they are on the same diagram on RealOEM).  I pulled down the box in the rafters, expecting those rocker pieces to be in there... Nope, one ugly driver side rocker trim with overspray from a car I parted 10 year ago.  Where were my new rocker trim pieces?  I think I sold them because I thought I wouldn't need them.  I even though I could clean up the ugly driver side rocker trim and order a passenger side.  Nope, I can find Drivers side pieces for $70-$80 new, but the passenger side piece is $150+.  I will probably try the MVP reproduction set, but they look very shiny compared to the OEM pieces.
     
    I try to do something on the car everyday, but mostly I spend my time just ordering parts and cleaning parts I can't order, or can't afford.  I hope to get the subframes in the next couple of weeks, but we'll see.
     
    Mark92131
     
     







  19. Mark92131
    So I made one more trek to Carlos' shop in Ramona to check out the corrected paint code for MintGrun. The car was out of paint and getting a final cut and buff. The sections that were complete (roof), had a very nice smooth shine in a color that was a very spot on match to the original paint color. We elected not to paint the trunk interior and blended the top of the engine compartment with the original paint on the sides. The paint in the trunk and the engine compartment blend well with the new fresh paint. It does look slightly lighter than the MintGrun paint on the CoupeKing restoration, but it could just be the photos.
    The car needs some serious clean-up after all the work performed. After cutting and buffing the paint, it's going back to Bavarian Rennsport to have its trim, glass and bumpers re-installed so I can drive it home to finish the interior and engine bay clean-up.
    I took some pictures of the car out of paint to share.
    Thanks,
    Mark92131
  20. Mark92131

    Fresh Mintgrun Paint

    By Mark92131,

    The car is in the paint booth getting some fresh coats of Mintgrun paint sprayed on it. Carlos the painter managed to snap a few pictures in the middle of this process. I should get the car back from paint on Wednesday next week. After it cures, I'll start the process of replacing the trim and tucking the rear bumper to match the front.
    Thanks,
    Mark92131
  21. Mark92131
    So, a bitter sweet end to my 1975 BMW 2002 Mintgrun Lite Restoration has the car being shipped off to its new owner in Dix Hills, NY.  I really enjoyed the journey and although it is not practical to own 2 2002's with a 3 car garage, I look forward to finding another car to work on.  Just don't tell my wife!
     
    I hope the new owner enjoys this car as much as did and starts a new blog on his journey.
     
    Mark92131



  22. Mark92131
    It would be hard to install nice new seats and stare down at the tired original carpet, so I splurged and bought this World Upholstery Tan Carpet Kit from Captain Manly on the FAQ.  It arrived today and I think it will look good with the new seats.  When I get the car back from Bavarian Rennsport, I'll strip out the old carpet, remove the tar, lay down some FatMat and install it.  Hopefully, it isn't too different than Esty's Kit.  Thanks Captain Manly!  The scope creep continues...
     
    Thanks,
     
    Mark92131
     
     



  23. Mark92131
    While I was installing my sway bars, I noticed that the lower spring pads were installed improperly, (the notch in the lower pad wasn't lined up with the bump on the lower spring perch).  The flat part of the lower pad was riding on the spring perch bump and it was beginning to crack at that position.  Probably not the end of the world, but it just bothered me knowing that the springs weren't installed properly.  After a few days of stewing, I decided that I would feel better if I fixed this small issue.  Really, how hard could it be, unbolt the lower shock bushing, drop the trailing arm, spin the lower shock pad into position and repeat for the other side.
     
    After getting the rear up on jack stands, I started with the passenger side first, removing the wheel for better access.  Supporting the trailing arm with the floor jack I removed the lower shock nut and gave the shock a few bumps to move it off its mounting spindle.  This is where things went sideways.  Instead of the shock coming off in one piece, the metal bushing stayed on the mounting spindle and the shock and the rubber bushing popped off.  OK, that's not good, I'll need to fix that later.  Now that the shock was off, I slowly dropped the trailing arm with the floor jack to free up the spring.  Apparently, the ST rear springs are not significantly shorter than stock, so I break out the spring compressor to free them off the pads.  After some serious sweaty wrangling, I managed to spin the lower and upper pads to their proper positions while keeping the spring ends in their appropriate notches on the pads.  OK, now how do I get the metal bushing back in the rubber bushing on the lower shock mount?  I tried every trick I could think off, liquid soap, c-clamps, installing the metal bushing on the mounting spindle and trying to force the rubber bushing over it).  The last "trick" actually compounded the problem by popping the rubber bushing out of the shock.  Now what?
     
    After a few deep breaths and some quiet thoughts about how much I love these cars, I went to the trunk and removed the top nut holding the shock to remove it (after finding an allen wrench to fit the top of the shock shaft).  With the shock removed, I used a fender washer and my vice to press the rubber bushing back into the shock.  Then I used a long bolt, nut and that fender washer to press the metal bushing back into the rubber bushing.  I cleaned up the "Billy" which was almost new and re-installed it on the car.  I repeated the same process on the other side, but was very careful not to repeat the metal bushing removal by loosening up the top nut on the shock to give it some freedom to move.  I ended up just removing the shock completely to clean it up before re-installing.  My 20 minute quick fix turned into 6 hours of sweaty struggle.
     
    I only have a few more things to complete and I will call this one done.  My plans going forward are unclear.  This car could be a candidate for my S14 swap or it could go on the block to buy my neighbor's 75 Polaris car for the S14 swap.  Next up, 123 Ignition for the Cabriolet.
     
    Thanks,
     
     
    Mark92131


  24. Mark92131

    In the paint shop

    By Mark92131,

    So, when I purchased this car and drove it down from Fresno, CA, I knew it was going to need some fresh paint to get it to a presentable state. The car had a slight encounter with a SUV that had damaged the trunk lid and driver's side tail light. It was also suffering from a rusty patch of missing paint on the roof, of unknown origin. Luckily, the former owner had a replacement pristine trunk lid from a Polaris car that was included in the sale.
    I had the car up at Bavarian Rennsport in Ramona for some work that I was too lazy to do myself, tie rods, center bearing, shifter bushings and Bill Holmes suggested I use his painter in Ramona to do the body work and respray. I had seen an example of his work on a Atlantik Blue car and it looked great, so I had Bill drive the car over to Carlos' shop after he was done with the mechanical repairs. I visited the paint shop a couple weeks ago to review the problem areas with Carlos and finalize pricing and the timeline. This is not your pristine painting operation by anyone's standards, but he seems to produce very quality work and he knows these cars. We settled on a price for a glass out repaint with all trim and bumpers removed, and damage repaired with a timeline of 4-6 weeks. Thanks to the dry Inland Empire weather, the only rust on the car was under the front and rear window rubber, behind some trim pieces and below the back seat rear windows.
    Attached are a few pictures I took as they were preparing the car for paint next week.
  25. Mark92131

    No More Whining!

    By Mark92131,

    The howling from the differential's pinion on deceleration was ruining the driving experience for me, so I decided to address this issue over the Thanksgiving holidays.  I found a used open 3.64 differential on Craigslist from a gentleman in Chula Vista for $100.  He had two, but one was missing the output flanges, so I elected to take the complete one for my car.  After a can of engine degreaser and some vigorous scraping, I was able to get most of the gunk off of it to expose the rusty housing.  This one was an early unit (bolts securing the output flanges), so I would need to make some modifications before bolting it to the stock CV joints.  The flanges on the early units are not threaded, so I needed longer hex bolts and nuts to secure the inner CV joints to the output flanges on this differential.  A quick trip to Marshall had everything I needed.  This differential also was sporting the rear cover from a 320i, so I am assuming that it was swapped out for an LSD unit sometime in the past, and I could just swap the rear cover from the whiney one.  After masking off the output flanges and Input flange, I gave it a nice coat of etching primer and 2 coats of gloss black paint.
     
    Removing the Old Unit
    My Ansa Sport exhaust was shot, so took a sawzall and cut it off to give me some extra room.  I unbolted the resonator at the down pipe and pulled it out as well.  Removing the old differential was more work than I anticipated, mainly because I jumped the gun and unbolted the inner CV joints first.  In hindsight, I should have left the CV joints attached and unbolted the input flange and the driveshaft first.  Once the CV Joints were unbolted, I couldn't use the transmission and emergency brake to lock the driveshaft to remove the four 17mm nuts from the input flange.  There isn't enough room to get a socket on these nuts and the box end wrench wasn't long enough to get enough leverage to break them free.  I ended up buying a set of long handle box end wrenches from Harbour Freight and wedging a pry bar under the input flange to restrict it from turning while I broke the nuts free.  Once the driveshaft was uncoupled, the rest was straight forward, 4 bolts securing the differential to the rear subframe and 2 nuts securing the rear cover to the differential hanger.   I drained the gear oil and with some gentle wrangling it dropped out with support from my floor jack.
     
    Installing the New Unit
    I pulled the rear cover from the old unit, cleaned it up and gave both surfaces a thin coating of RTV.  I placed a new gasket and bolted the 2002 rear cover on finger tight and let the RTV set for an hour before torquing to spec.  After it was cured, I filled up differential was new gear oil and torqued the fill and drain nuts to spec.  I spent this downtime cleaning up the rear subframe, CV joints, differential cradle and other areas covered in muck.  I used the floor jack to get the new unit off of the floor and then angled the front by hand to ease it into the differential cradle.  With some wrangling, I managed to move it forward enough to clear the differential hanger in the rear and attach the two nuts on the differential hanger to hold the differential's rear cover.  I left these nuts finger tight in order to line up the 4 bolts securing the differential to the subframe and the input flange to the driveshaft.  Once I had the 4 bolts securing the differential to the rear subframe in place, I used the longer hex bolts and nuts to attach the inner CV joints to the differential's output flanges.  With the CV Joints attached, it was easy to lock the driveshaft in place using the transmission and emergency brake so I could torque the 4 bolts holding the driveshaft to the input flange.  Once the driveshaft was secured, I torqued the remaining nuts to specification.
     
    New Exhaust
    Fortunately, I had a couple of used stock resonators in my parts stash, so I took the least rusty one and gave it a nice coat of grey primer to clean it up a bit.  After some searching, I decided to order a stock Ansa center exit for a replacement to the fake Ansa Sport I removed.  It arrived sans box, wrapped in plastic, with the mounting tabs badly bent.  Some trial and error was needed to bend them back to their original positions so they would line up with the stock mounting tabs.  I splurged for a new metal ring between the resonator and the down pipe and a new set of shorter nuts and bolts.  I attached the resonator to the exhaust down pipe, but left the bolts loose so I could adjust the resonator's clearance over the subframe and the connection at the muffler.  I attached the rubber exhaust hanger to the rear mount on the body, then inserted the mounting tab on the rear of the muffler into it.  This one mounting point for the muffler gave me some room to slip the front muffler pipe onto the connection to the resonator.  Once everything was connected, I slipped the rubber exhaust hanger on the muffler's mounting hook and then slid the top portion onto the front exhaust mount on the body.  I used a 1 7/8 exhaust bracket to secure the muffler to the resonator and used the floor jack to hold the resonator/muffler connection to clear the subframe and level out the muffler between the gas tank and the spare tire well.  Once everything was clear and level, I tightened up all the nuts and removed the floor jack, added the new chrome tip and the job was done.
     
    I took the car out for a test drive, no more whine and the exhaust note is very pleasing.  Next up, instrument panel LED lamp replacement and IE sway bars...
     
    Thanks,
     
    Mark92131
     
     






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