FB73tii

I've never seen a chevy/ford swapped into a 2002, but various swaps have been done, including an early M5 engine which is pretty big. I seem to recall someone doing a BMW V12. Depending on power levels you'll need to figure out the diff as well. British cars seem to be popular for swaps, perhaps this website will have some useful info: http://www.britishv8.org/ You've likely come across these: http://bringatrailer.com/2013/06/14/v8-powered-1969-bmw-2002/ http://www.autoblog.com/2012/04/16/bmw-2002-makes-for-one-unique-rat-rod-w-video/ http://www.e30v8.com/ Conversion to steering racks have been done on the 2002, as Marshall said, use search for this. By manual brakes you mean no booster, correct? Search on "alpina" brake pedal box setup, they bolted the master cylinder right to the pedal box. Or do what I did on the track car --Tilton overhung pedal setup, balance bar and Wilwood brakes all the way around. Here's a highly modified 2002 engine swap with the transmission mounted in the rear of the car for better weight distribution. The link is a pic of the underside of the car. Lot's of details given on the website on the custom diff mount, etc. http://www.2002twinturbo.com/images/overview/10.jpg I am curious about the level of build you plan and if this is for street, show, or track.

Joe...welcome to the FAQ community and great story on how you came into 2002's. So...what happened to that '74? Sounds like you have the interest, aptitude and experience to make this a great project. It's been sitting only 7 years and needs a simply needs a master cylinder? Someone here can point you to a cylinder that will work. I say change all the fluids, clean the carb(s), fix the brakes and take it for a drive! Drive it for a while to get re-familiarized and then decide what level of project you want to take on. There are plenty of restoration threads on the FAQ. Here is a recent one, though a bit different because you have more history with your car and better know the condition of the body. Where To Start On Restoration ? http://www.bmw2002faq.com/topic/148146-where-to-start-on-restoration/ With regard to engine work or swaps, again you need to figure out what you want to end up with and what your budget is. Here are a couple recent threads: Bang For Your Buck Go Faster Mods http://www.bmw2002faq.com/topic/147599-bang-for-your-buck-go-faster-mods/ "quicker" Acceleration http://www.bmw2002faq.com/topic/148358-quicker-acceleration/ Here's a link to a few bare metal restoration thoughts and photos of my cars, including my recent '69 2002 acquisition: Getting Back Into My 02... Going Down To The Sheet Metal And Back? http://www.bmw2002faq.com/topic/145180-getting-back-into-my-02-going-down-to-the-sheet-metal-and-back/ Best of luck with the project!

Yep, copper pipe cap from the local hardware store, pushed into a short section of hose and held by a hose clamp fits into the common sizes of radiator hose. Not so sure for the smaller hoses. You might think the cap needs a bead or lip to hold solid, but I have not found this to be the case.

That, or a railgun! .....oh, you said simple. Here's a good thread that covers a number of areas. Diff, flywheel, and reducing weight are all a good places to start. Bang For Your Buck Go Faster Mods http://www.bmw2002faq.com/topic/147599-bang-for-your-buck-go-faster-mods/

This page has a number of diagrams in pdf form: http://www.2002tii.org/kb/246 Best of luck with the project(s)!

Yes, the rod is a bit long but I ran into a different problem on my race engine--the body is too long if you use really thick aftermarket head gasket. To make my 11.5:1 pistons work it turned out I would either need to flycut the piston valve relief pockets (will do next year) or raise the head with a 0.120" MLS head gasket (which I did this Fall to be able to run the car) for sufficient V/P clearance. This pulls the timing chain way tight, I had to bend the rubber -coated timing guide ear just to relax tension enough. Then every time I put in the mechanical adjuster it got too tight. I shortened the rod portion twice to no effect. Then I realized the outer threaded body is longer than stock and that was pushing the plunger piston in when tightening. I ended up just putting in an oil pan plug and that worked perfect for now. I did two things to avoid oil weeping from the adjuster threads, and ran the engine about 2 hours with no oil leaks before V/P contact killed it this summer. (1) coat the threads with a non-setting sealer like Hylomar; and (2) drill holes in the bottom of the aluminum pocket that holds oil for the stock hydraulic timing chain tensionser. Perry Genova gave me this tip, but it means you need a new front cover if you ever go back to the stock tensioner. I recall another way to accomplish the same effect (mechanical tensioning) for less $$ (but more hassle) is to just remove the spring from the stock tensioner and pack washers of the appropriate diameter and thickness in its place until it provides the tension you want. Would require some very thin washers to get perfect, so not only can you index your spark plugs and safety-wire bolts holes, you can index your chain tensioner!

A note of caution--if you use a ton of force on a breaker bar be sure to wear safety glasses. They can and do break! I didn't realize one could fit a thin-wall socket on with the nut-plate in place. I have a deep impact socket I ground down that won't do that, but a Craftsman 30mm that might. I can imagine wedging the socket in would make the plate bind and removal difficult.

Bummer about the housing. At Watkins Glen a few years back we a modern BMW that was not making the power it should on track. IRRC it was a 3 or 5-series from Canada. After a bunch of investigation a mother squirrel and several young squirrels were found to have made a home in the air box. Despite the drive down from Canada and several track sessions, they were all fine and were released to a nearby wooded area.

It is correct if the locking lever is long and resting on the ground As said above, you can't get the 30mm socket in there if the nut plate is still in. Thus is has been removed already. UPDATE: Apparently you can get a thin-wall socket on with the plate--I stand corrected. I am not aware of any reverse nuts on the 2002. The standard term is "lefty-loosy, righty-tighty", or turn the nut CCW to loosen as viewed from the top of the nut, same as all the other nuts on the car. BTW, +3 on using a bit of heat from a propane torch (or MAPP) to break the hold of the locktite that has most likely been used based on the difficulty of breaking loose that nut. Any progress yet? --Fred '69 & '74tii

Now that is dedication and attention to detail! I just re-did the safety wire on my '69's CV joints (thanks for the diff, Grice!) and not all of the holes in those 24 bolts were in the optimum place. I've heard of indexing spark plugs, but indexing safety-wired bolts is a whole new level --Fred '69 & '74tii

Great topic for discussion! If you are just replacing the stock harness and don't need significant modifications to address any unique needs, buying a stock harness may be best. The reason being that if you ever sell the car, an "I made it myself" wiring harness might concern some buyers about future reliability. That said, if you are so inclined I think it would be a great project. I did the harness for my race car, but that is a lot simpler as many circuits are eliminated and it is fully custom anyway. I did my harness the low-budget way with spade terminals, but I hate those and if I did it again I would try using all Weather Pack or similar connectors. The problem is all our relays and the majority of connections are spade-terminal based, it would take a lot of custom work to eliminate all that. I have an example of a very nice harness made by the supplier of my soon-to-be installed EFI slide throttle setup (photo below). He used all Weather Pack/Bosch/GM fittings, mil spec wire, and a bunch of other things to make it really robust. There is a 36-pin connector for the bulk-head pass-through. He builds these for prototype cars (DP) and they are not cheap. What I need is to find a good source for high quality switches and connectors. Lots of good stuff from aviation suppliers, but expensive as well. Looking forward to the discussion, Fred '69 & '74tii

Nick, can you tell us more about the car and post some photos? What do you ultimately want? A nice dependable daily driver, a very nice dependable daily driver, a high-performance setup, a concours car, or something else? And more importantly, what does it *need* now? Rather than build a budget from bottom up, think about what you want to spend from top down. Also think about the time frame--can you do it in phases at $3k/year for 10 years, or in larger or smaller chunks? As folks have said, there are many ways to approach this, both in terms of level of detail and sequencing, and costs can vary from several thousand to several tens of thousands. You won't get it all done in a year no matter what, and I know folks that have taken 20 years to complete their project and could not drive it until done. So you have a range from "rolling restoration" to "concours". As to your specific questions: New paint = rust repair + new trim = $3K to $20K+ Interior = carpet, headliner, door panels, stereo, steering wheel = several $K Wheels = stock refurb to 3-piece BBS = Several $hundred to several $K Engine = do-it your self basic rebuild to all-out turbo/EFI/etc = $1K to $20K+ I am in the camp of making sure the shell is good before investing too much in the project. Since you have only had the car 6 years there is a lot that can be hidden under the paint--rust, bondo, deep structural rust, etc. I did my first body resto on the '73tii, removed everything (trim, glass, interior) but left engine in (should have taken it out) and trailered it to the body shop. As with all body/paint work not under your direct control, it took several more months than originally estimated, not due to the car, but "Joe was sick today" etc. Body shops make money from crash repair, not full paint jobs. Did the headliner myself, a real pain. The second resto was the full bare-metal build of my race car (see my avatar photo). So that is everything all at once, but I used an existing engine. Took three years and an estimated 3000 hours of my time. If I am worth $25/hour for this type of work then that is $75K in labor, plus about $10-$15K in parts and final paint (hey, there's that $90K figure!). I learned a lot, but it was exhausting and hard to motivate in the third year. So, I'd say don't do everything at once! Best of luck, Fred '69 (rolling resto race car) & '74tii (ongoing race car project)

The car piloted by Jenatzy looks like a torpedo mounted on a flexi-flyer. It is in fact an electric car. In 1901 Porsche developed the first gasoline-electric hybrid automobile, so the Prius is nothing new. Here's a link to more on the Jenatzy car. http://www.gizmag.com/le-jamais-contente-first-land-speed-record/23094/ I sure would not want to go over 100 mph in a car with skinny tires, no doors and no top. Those pilots were brave! Thanks for sharing! --Fred '69 & '74tii

Never heard of this concern so I did a quick Google. I expect you will be fine unless it sits there for months, but I am not a metallurgist or chemist so cant say for sure. I put the best answer first: http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c4-tech-performance/613170-after-antifreeze-mixed-in-with-the-oil-does-that-ruin-the-engine.html BEST ANSWER The most common problem with oil/water mixture is bearing damage to the soft metals IE copper/tin due to the acidy ph level created. This takes time, and heat to happen not to mention some more time and combustion gases.OTHER ANSWERS If you let it sit there for quite a while the bearings would start to rust up from the sugar in the coolant Contrary to what was mentioned here, it does not contain sugar what it does do thats bad is attacks the coatings on the bearing shells. if left for a while coolant/water/oil form kind of a sludge that should not be run as it will stop up your oil pump. --Fred '69 & '74tii

Yeah, the air gap between the rotor and inner caliper walls may be critical for cooling. If the hot rotor was right up against the caliper (from track use), I could see fluid boil being more likely. --Fred

I am not down on nitrous, but don't know much about it and associate it with a short boost of power rather than sustained power for say several hours of mountain driving. Didn't know it was used in airplanes--perhaps you can educate us or provide links with the real scoop. I have heard of very small shots used to spool up turbos to reduce lag, that sounds cool. What are the economics if used continuously? E.g., how many $$ per hour? And at what point do you need to do internal mods to handle the added power? Thx--Fred

Damn, now I need to add a turbo-encabulator and run the thing on nitro-methane just to keep up with you guys. --FB

Interesting idea. Hard to know if the structural rigidity would be compromised, as all the meat would have to come off of the outer nubs. The 528i calipers (E12) for the 2002tii vented conversion simply add a spacer between the two tii halves to get the width. One could wonder if BMW considered just machining the nubs as suggested, but decided not for either safety or cost reasons. The spacers and O-rings are likely cheaper than machining already made parts. So another idea is to put together a spacer, O-ring, and longer bolt kit. Some people say never split the calipers, but I have done it before and don't see why not. But fabricating a nice flat spacer to the right dimensions is likely more hassle than getting just 528i calipers when using tii struts. --Fred '69 & '74tii (both with vented rotors)

Hmmm...I wish someone told me that 20 years ago. And here I was planning to invest in a JATO for my 2002 --Fred

Bingo! Taking weight out not only helps the car accelerate quicker, it lets it stop (decelerate) quicker, too. Unfortunately, to keep all the amenities of a street car it generally costs money to loose weight. We had a thread on this a few years back with lots of good suggestions including lighter seats, fiberglass body parts, lighter engine parts (S14 starter) etc. You can make a spreadsheet to see how power-to-weight changes and what the equivalent "HP increase" is that you can gain from loosing weight. In some cases you may see it is cheaper to loose weight than to upgrade the engine. Also, the lighter a car gets, the more impact dropping the marginal pound makes. E.g., a 1 lb drop from a 2000 lb car is a greater percentage drop than a 1 lb drop from a 2500 lb car. For example, let's say your car weighs 2500 lb and has 100 HP. The weight-to-power ratio is 25 lb/HP. If you took 100 lb out of the car the weight-to-power ratio would be 24 lb/HP. That is the same weight-to-power ratio you would have if your car still weighed 2500 lb, but you increased engine output to 104.17HP. The question then is which is cheaper to achieve the same effect, removing 100 lb or adding 4.17 HP to the engine. For comparison, a BMW Z8 weighs 3494 lb and has 400 HP, for a weight-to-power ratio of 8.7. A highly modified M10 engine with 230 HP in a 2000 lb race car will have roughly the same weight-to-power as the Z8. Also, taking out rotating mass (wheels, tires, brake rotors), unsprung weight, and weight above the roll center is a good thing for performance and handling. Now I am not suggesting taking out a hole saw and cheese-holing your rear subframe and trailing arms (I have seen that done on a race car), but this route is something to consider. On my track car I strive to get every gram of weight out that I can. --Fred '69 & '74tii (about 2000 lbs/each with full cages)

I believe the ball is at 25° BTDC on all M10 flywheels. The difference is the RPM it is measured at, my tii liked to be at about 2400 RPM, but one time on a dyno it made better power at 2750 RPM at the ball. I am unclear to what your confusion is. If you set the engine (not running) such that you can see the ball 1/2 cut off in the slot, the TDC mark on the crank pulley should not be at TDC, but 25° before TDC. The flywheel only goes on one way and the crank pulley only goes on one way and the ball is fixed so there should be no issue. Clear as mud? --Fred

Welcome, you've come to the right place! As with any major purchase, take your time and do your research. Also, define your priorities--daily driver, show queen, race car? Stock, tastefully modified, gonzo? Stock carb, performance carb, fuel-injected? Will you work on it yourself? How deep is the pocket book--prices have really gone up for cars in good shape but there are still good deals to be found. As you might know, rust is a real issue for these cars, take someone who knows 2002's with you when you go to look at them. A few books folks recommend are: --BMW '02 Restoration Guide --The Restorer's Reference BMW 2002 1968-1976 Best of luck in your search. --Fred '73tii (RIP), '74tii & '69

Well if there are no clearance problems it really does not matter how you put the distributor in. A long as you rotate the distributor such that the rotor and the #1 spark plug contact in the cap are coincident at the point you want the spark to fire. If the engine is at TDC by the mark on the crank pulley then the #1 cylinder has already fired since spark occurs well before TDC (as you have found, 25° BTDC @ 2200 rpm seems to work for your engine). If it ain't broke don't fix it... --Fred '69 & '74tii

Well the tii and turbo came with boxed trailing arms so as far as the factory is concerned they are fine for road cars. I am not aware of any differences over the years, I do not believe parts numbers changed at all. It is true that an old set of tii arms can hide rust--more likely if the car was driven on salt-treated roads. If I had a factory new set the first thing I would do would be to tape up all the openings, pour in some POR-15 and slosh it around to coat the inside. If someone did a good job boxing some standard arms it would be hard to tell the difference from factory. I would look at how smooth the bend of the inner added plate is and look at the fit of that inner plate at the bushing bosses. If welds are really pretty would likely be non-factory! I made my own boxed arms recently and as others have said, one must be very careful they do not warp from welding--the ends tend to pull in toward each other from the heat and cooling. A good jig is required...and in my case a 20-ton bottle jack to correct minor fit problems. Fred '69 & '74tii

For a question about vehicle titles call your local department of motor vehicles and tell them your story. After they stop laughing they will tell you there has been some miscommunication or misunderstanding by one or more parties. Or you can just do some research. This quote from Wikipedia may be informative: Many illegal street races of the 1950s, glorified in movies, featured racing for vehicle titles, henceforth the popularity of the term "racing for pink slips," --Fred '69 & '74tii