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gastephens

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Everything posted by gastephens

  1. gastephens
    I love looking at this picture so I thought I would share. 200 '02s on 02-02-02 at the BMW Factory in Spartanburg, SC.
  2. gastephens
    I have seen it called several things but yes, the torsion bar is the bent threaded rod that locates the lower suspension arms front to aft. It goes into a bushing on the lower arm and also into the front suspension bushing.
  3. gastephens
    Car wasn't driving straight so I replaced the lower suspension arms. That helped but it still drifted left. The front bushings for the torsion bars looked pretty crunchy so I replaced them too. It is a bugger to get them out since the front valence is in the way. The FAQ shows a tool made from PVC pipe but this method is way easier. Hook a 6" C-clamp in the hole on the bottom of the frame rail extension. Tighten down to push old bushing out. Put the new bushing in place and use the torsion bar to pull it into the hole. Then use the C-clamp to finish pushing it into position. And yes it does make a difference. Car runs true now!
  4. gastephens
    The "Flying Coffin". I think esquife means both coffin and skiff so it is a clever pun since the car looks like a boat. I think it looks pretty cool but my wife saw the picture and said 'Ewwww'. To each his own I suppose.
  5. gastephens
    Harry, Say it ain't so! I know you loved that car so I am sure you had a great reason to sell and I am sure there are more old car adventures in your future. All the best, Glenn
  6. gastephens
    My bet is on a clutch slave cylinder also. That is a pretty easy job that will cost you $60 if you do it yourself. You will need a friend to help you bleed the system when you are done. In the meantime, if you put in fluid (into brake fluid reservoir) and pump the pedal you should get enough pressure to disengage the clutch and drive the car.
  7. gastephens
    It is also possible to put the connector on the bottom of the fuse box off by a pin. Ask me how I know this! If that happens, the lights will not work right. That is a symptom. Glenn
  8. gastephens
    You are correct, it may be a grounding issue. Is the ground strap on the engine? Does the starter turn and it just does not fire the plugs? If so, I would check to make sure 12V is getting to the coil. If it is not, then start tracking the power back to the ignition switch and then to the fuse box to see where it is getting interrupted. You could also jump from battery 12V over to the coil to get it started and find the wiring issue later.
  9. gastephens
    Mr. Henderson, Sorry to hear about the gall bladder. I will help if you like, including trailering if necessary. Glenn
  10. gastephens
    I also doubt the transmission is stuck. It could be a brake but my bet is on a stuck clutch. That often happens when a car is in storage. The clutch master or slave may have gone bad and allowed the clutch hydraulic fluid to escape so you can't disengage the clutch. Try topping off the reservoir and then pumping the pedal a lot to get enough pressure to disengage the clutch. It is also likely that the clutch plate is stuck together. With the car in gear (which it likely already is), get a friend to help you rock the car back and forth while pressing and releasing the clutch pedal. If this does not work and you want to move the car, pop the transmission into neutral. Be aware that you might not get it back into gear to try the procedure above.
  11. gastephens
    That is an interesting insight. There are a ton of squaretails out there floating around in kind of beater condition. I assumed that was because all the roundies were restored but it could be that the squaries were just built to last. Actually it is probably a bit of all of these: They build a boatload of squaries although only for a few years They are not as old so less chance of destruction Roundies got restored Roundies rusted into oblivion Big bumper cars can take a hit
  12. gastephens
    I like taking the Miata to Home Depot and loading 8' 2x4s through the rollbar down to the passenger floorboard. Freaks people out when you pull up to a little car with a bunch of stuff. No imagination.
  13. gastephens
    Here is my theory on 2002 valuations. Most older cars are purchased as a non-essential play car rather than transportation. As such, the things that matter most are the least practical - power, open top, wild colors, and rarity. And a general rule is that the top of the line models when new will be the most desirable models later, only amplified. The 2002 is somewhat unique in that it is a very practical collectible car which divides the values down the middle. Many 2002 owners actually use their cars for transportation. They will choose based mostly on practicality and that will often mean a dependable, simple, and less expensive carbed car. Those who have other transportation will care less about practicality. They will want an Inka tii and can generally afford to pay more for it, driving up the values. This from a guy who completely restored a big bumper non-tii for non-daily transport! Boy am I stupid.
  14. gastephens
    I think you can do a lot better than that for the money. Rust repair can get very expensive very fast and once the tinworm bites it never lets go. 2002s are still pretty common. Look a little longer and buy a better one. You will be happy that you did.
  15. gastephens
    I pulled into the Home Despot parking lot between a new 3 and a new 5 series. When I returned there was a guy trying like hell to fit a leaf blower into the trunk of the 3 series. I had just bought a giant shelf unit and a couple of bags of seed. I smiled at him as my '02 trunk easily swallowed the huge items. I said "this is when BMWs actually had trunks" and drove away laughing.
  16. gastephens
    Before hotrodding the motor I would make sure it is in good condition by doing a compression and leakdown test. There was a thread recently on how to do that. Search for compression test. That will tell you if the cylinders are equal and have reasonable compression (150 psi or thereabouts). The leakdown will tell you if your rings or valves are good. To get the actual compression ratio, you would have need to have all the engine build specs. You can't really go from PSI to ratio. I guess you can assume it is stock or just a bit higher if the head has been shave a couple of times.
  17. gastephens
    What cam and compression are in the engine? More carb and better breathing will help any car but you will have to address the other areas to make best use of the sidedrafts.
  18. gastephens
    Just be careful at the hardware store. Make sure you get the right grade, length, and thread. Many stores still have good stuff but a lot of stores these days have cheap Chinese junk. Also note that in some cases you also need to have fasteners that do not have threads all the way along the shank. A long time ago I bought a large assortment kit of Grade 8 AN fasteners (bolts, nuts, washers, nylocs, etc.). I have supplemented it with other sizes that my cars like. It was not cheap but I grin every time I need a new bolt and I can walk over to the bin and pick up the exact right part, all shiny and new.
  19. gastephens
    That looks perfect. I am just about to do mine. I am concerned about shortening the bellows. How did you cut them and what glue did you use?
  20. gastephens
    I have ordered lots from them. They generally ship pretty fast (1-2 days on popular stuff) but it can vary depending on the availability as you would expect.
  21. gastephens
    One of the guys had a camera and took pictures. He was going to do a story for Grassroots or Classic Motorsports. Roundel would be a good choice also. I will look up their email addresses.
  22. gastephens
    BBS-RA or knockoffs. I just bought a set of 14 inchers.
  23. gastephens
    You could have a water leak or it might not start if you removed a necessary wire or got water somewhere where it should not go but I don't think you can hurt anything with what you did. The car should run better with the Pertronix. If it ran well before, it should run well now. If it doesn't make sure the parts inside the dizzy are tight and the magnet is on straight.
  24. gastephens
    Alright. We need another '02 in Atlanta. I've been pretty much all over mine a few times so feel free to shoot me an email if you need something. Glenn
  25. gastephens
    I thought some of you west coasters might appreciate our little classic car cannonball, the Damn the Torpedoes Challenge. We have been doing this thing for 10 years now. It is open to 50 cars from 1975 or older. It is run like a classic rally. It has stages and the lowest cumulative time wins. Each team has a driver and navigator. You are given some clues to find a checkpoint located somewhere in a city. You have to figure out the destination and plot your own route there. When you arrive you get the clue to the next checkpoint and so on. It starts in Athens, GA and ends in St. Marys GA, near the Florida line, usually about 400 miles. There are only 2 rules: No interstates allowed and if you get a ticket you are out. This year we have at least 2 2002s entered. Winners include a 2002 (not me unfortunately), a Shelby Mustang, a GTO, a Porsche 911, a Mercedes 450SL, and even a Triumph Herald. Basically it is a great excuse to get our old cars out, run them hard, and have a huge party with some fun people, pretty much just like the original Cannonball. http://www.angelfire.com/super2/ellisracing/dtt.html
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