nevadainMN

I've got a set of 1st generation VW GTI wheels laying around the shop. I was thinking they'd make good track wheels for driver's schools. I could mount up some cheap R compounds and save my street tires for the street. They are 14x6 et 38. So they sound promising. Anybody tried them?

I pinched a front caliper line a couple weekends ago and the Napa a few blocks from my house had a replacement. It was a couple inches longer, but beggars can't be choosers. And i live in a sleepy little bedroom community so its not like I have one of those big distribution Napa centers. Take the old line with though. One of the bleeders on my master cylinder was stripped. That was a much bigger problem. Finally got lucky and found a 320i at the picknpull. Had an event the next day so I couldn't order them. 4 hours of searching, calling parts places and driving to the parts yard and retrieving the needed valve. Two days later I found the old cylinders in the bottom of the box the parts came in. I thought I had thrown them away. So I had the damn bleeder i needed all the time. Aaaargh!

Bav Auto has the plain rotors for $44 each so a few bucks cheaper. I went with their slotted and drilled ultimate rotors, but they were about $80 each. I like the look though. Sometimes searching for 323i rotors gets you better results. They all used the vented rotor you need.

There's been one on ebay on and off for at least a year now. I was wondering why someone would convert it to propane. Now here's something you don't see every day. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/65-BMW-Roaster-2-seat-convertable-car-Cusom-2000-cc-rim_W0QQitemZ330227871950QQcmdZViewItem

I bought synthetic horsehair padding for my seats from http://www.a-1foam.com/ They sell it by the yard or foot. It was cheap compared to the precut stuff. Looks like the horsehair but its made out of green rubberry coated stuff. Check with a local upholstery place. They likely carry it.

You guys are all missing the silver lining. If he gives up the car, in a dozen years or so when she is "old, loud and makes funny noises" she can't bitch when he trades her in on a newer model. You can't pass this opportunity up. And Blunt I seem to remember you telling me that you used to park that monstrosity of a pickup you own between one of your 02s and the kitchen window so your wife didn't see it. :-) - Tony

My neighbor put one of these up a couple of summers ago. Took him the whole weekend. I could hear him over there cussing and swearing. I had to keep the kids inside all weekend. He had to have 12 hours of assembly into the thing. First thing Monday morning the city stops by and tells him that zoning won't allow him to have a second outbuilding on his property and he had 48 hours to take it down. To this day no one in the neigborhood dares talk about it in his presence.

Cool!!!! I have been coveting old wooden boats for a few years now. All the ones I have looked at are of a similar design, but inboards (I love the cool burbling idle of the flat head V8 with the exhaust just at the water line) But your outboard is awesome. Better seating arrangement without the motor in the middle of it. (What's the HP rating on the boat?) I have been hesitant to pull the trigger because everyone keeps warning me about the maintenance. But I know eventually I will weaken to the call. Congrats. - Tony

Interesting, so there was once two sport mufflers. I suppose as sales declined it was easier to just catalog one and the short bumper version could work on both where the large bumper one would have to be shortened for the earlier cars. I can see where the larger muffler would give a deeper sound. I wonder if there was any performance difference. You'd think the smaller one would flow freer, but I can't imagine there would be a significant gain or loss either way. Only one center section, so the tubing must be the same size for both. Of course none of this has answered the original question. Sorry.

I agree with this wholeheartedly. Do not settle for what the insurance company is going to offer you up front for either your personal pain or car. And don't sign anything or cash any checks until you are whole. My E30 M3 was totalled about 2 years ago and the initial insurance offer was $6,500. It took 6 months and a Judge to get $14,500 out of them. I didn't get hurt thank goodness so I did it on my own. Since you were injured I would definately consider getting a blood sucking personal injury lawyer if they lowball you up front. Or at least threaten to. As much as I dislike them, they will know how to maximize your compensation and protect you if the pain doesn't go away in a week or two.

You may be confused on this. Bav auto carries both a replacemnt Ansa Muffler and a Sport one. I got the Sport Muffler. It has the single outlet that splits into two. It also says Ansa Sport right on it and all the paperwork that came with it refers to it as an Ansa Sport. Plus I saw a 70s era Ansa Sport on another car and it was the same design as mine. Plus Ansa's website shows this as the "Ansa Sport" muffler. The replacement Ansa muffler has only a single outlet. Looks oem. Are you sure the one with a larger diameter pipe and dual outlet wasn't actually for another application? That's how their 318i and 325e mufflers were built.

I am sure we wont get it in the US, but I have been longing for a Smart ever since I drove a friend's up in Canada. I didn't put myself on the US waiting list, but I would definitely jump for a new Isetta.

This is a doable swap right? I know the S14 is the hot ticket for 02 swaps, but the S14 is an expensive, high maintenance engine. I know, I owned one. And if you break something they cost huge dollars to fix. Plus they aren't all that easy to come by. It's a great swap for a lightly driven or track car, but not what I would choose to put serious miles on. The M42 however, except for the profile gasket problem on the early ones, is fairly robust and turns out just shy of 150hp with a performance chip, weighs only about 50lbs more than an M10 and can be had for a few hundred dollars. (I just bought a 95 M42 complete with all accessories, intact wiring harness, Dinan chip and lightweight flywheel for $250, although its destined for an e30 project not an '02.) It seems like a good way to get a big jump in horsepower in an engine package that is everyday driveable. I'm no mechanic so if I have to go out and buy or have built a 150hp M10 I assume it will cost me at least $3,000-$4.000 and not be nearly as everday reliable. Plus for that investment I could slap a Downing Atlanta Supercharger on my M42 and be turning out S14 Horsepower without the expense of maintaining the S14. So other than the unfair (IMHO), bad wrap the M42 has gotten, is there some other reason we don't see more of these in '02s?

Anyone on the FAQ own the dark green '02 parked at Portland and 43rd ave south this morning? I was in a huge hurry so I didn't have time to stop and admire.

As Bill said the 74 lid will have the roundel on it, meaning it has the attachment holes in it. The 72 will have the roundel on the rear panel. so by swapping them you will end up with a 72 with 2 roundels and a 74 with none. My 72 has a 74 lid. I took the rear panel roundel off and put two little plastic plugs I got at the hardware store in the holes to keep the rain out. It will work until I get around to painting it. Then I'll fill the trunk holes and put the roundel back in its original location. Two roundels was a little overkill for me.

Here's another chart that shows actual cars in the color. not sure the availability is accurate though. Its from the Canadian club. http://www.bmwccbc.org/resources/teile/BMW-current-colors.pdf

The E30 318i and is was only available in 1991 (the convertible carried over to 1992). Generally the coupes are "is" cars with the sport package. Meaning they have sport seats, a trunk spoiler, a deeper lip spoiler (although most have long since been knocked off on a curb) and a limited slip differential. I think the sedan could be had with the sport package, but most did not have it. There is lots of cool aftermarket stuff, so i wouldn't worry about how the car is equipped as much as what kind of shape it is in. Buy one in the best condition you can and then upgrade the suspension. You can get sport seats and an lsd at a junk yard.

If you stay in the southern US a daily driver 2002 is a practical possiblity. If you end up in a big northern city then you probably are going to want something to back up the 02. In that price range a VW Golf or Jetta is an obvious option. Also a well kept e30 would be very reliable, RWD and a great car. Get the 91 318is and it will get about 25 mpg too. not so obvious (low budget)- 2002-2005 Neon R/T. Not the turbo SRT but the sport package model. You can easily find a nice one in the lower end of your price range and Dodge did a good job on the suspension. Decent sport seats. 16" wheels. It actually reminded me a lot of an E30 except for the front wheel drive. Pretty basic as far as options, but great to drive. Insurance was pretty reasonable too (unlike the SRT4). And before I get a bunch of responses laughing at my suggestion of a neon, please remember he had an Oldsmobile on his original list. not so obvious (high budget) The new Mazda3 is my vote for the modern incarnation of an e30. Great handling, well built, cool interior (you gotta see it at night with the gauges lit up). I'm not sure if the early ones have depreciated into the top end of your range, but if they have, definately worth a look. A lot more amenities than the neon. Stay away from the Audi (the Jaguar of German cars in my opinion - they break too often and are too expensive to fix.) Forget about working on them. Audi/VW loves to invent special tools for their cars. You can easily get a well kept e36 BMW in that price range. I just find them boring. E36 M3s are starting to fall to around 10k, but they are generally high mileage rats. And you are back to killer insurance if you are in your early 20s. Good luck! P.S. I've had every car on this list except the Mazda, plus the Mini and Audi from your list (although it was an A6). If I was going to adhere to your budget and more modern 2002 principle I'd go with the E30 318is. Blast to drive, great forum (m42club.com), easy to work, very reliable, etc, etc. I've have one and its the best e30 after the M3. If you simply asked me what would be a good daily driver if you were to keep your 02 as a toy car then I'd say check out a Scion xB. Sporty handling, great mileage, and unbelievably practical. It has limosine like seating space and you can fold the seats down and pack it like a suburban. I have a trailer hitch on mine and tow my fishing boat to the lake, and use a utility trailer to haul my lawn mower in for repairs etc. Plus its a Toyota so it never breaks.

Check out the slotted ATE rotors from Tire Rack. $31 each. Great rotors.

I have a set of the vented ultimate rotors that I ordered for my big brake upgrade this winter. I ordered them mostly because they look cool (pun unintentional and somewhat unavoidable). If I were ordering the solid rotors I'd go with the slotted ones. Drilling a crapload of holes in a solid rotor doesn't seem like the best idea to me. Remember brakes are heat sinks, by removing a bunch of metal you've reduced the heat sink capability of the rotor and decreased the friction area of the pad. With a solid rotor I don't think the holes are going to provide enough venting to make up for the metal you remove. By contrast the slotted rotors remove very little metal but provide most of the benefits of drilling. I had ATE power disks on a five series and loved them. Whether they are worth twice the cost is your call.

If its still wet you can throw it in the freezer for a few weeks (?) Freezing doesn't actually stop the evaporation process so it will eventually dry out even though its frozen. (ever notice old ice cubes in trays shrink?) It will take awhile though. this is how the library in my town salvaged most of their books when they got flooded. If it has already become a dried out rock, then I think you need to order a new one. It is best to store the manuals in the glove compartment rather than the driveway. :-)

I bought a set for my e30 convertible and love them. You've got to remember they are seat covers and not reupholstery kits. They fit very nicely, but aren't perfect. The photo they show is a pretty good depiction. The sport seats are the toughest because of all the angles and deep contours, but they came out looking pretty good. The back seat looks nearly factory. I paid about $300 for a set of front sport seats, rear convertible seat and an extra set of headrest covers for the rear headrests. You can't beat the price. If its a show car you aren't going to be happy. If you are looking for a nice, cheap (relatively) set of seat covers for a driver, then these will do the trick. The biggest problem is that I never realized what crappy condition the side panel vinyl was in until I covered the seats.

Colorado orange with Flat black above the belt line crease (except for the CF hood) and big Alpina wheels. That would be cool.

French ebay? It seems to me France was the primary legislator of city lights.

Calm and peaceful??!!! Did you not read the Dick versus Jerry Van Dyke bruhaha about 10 posts up? - Tony