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Hi Jerry-- My late '73 had reflectors mounted above the rear bumper when I took delivery new from the dealer. While some may debate the aesthetics of all of the NHTSA-encouraged (required) reflectors and marker lamps, there is no doubt they improve safety by letting others see your car more effectively on a darkened night. That's why, on my restored '74tii that was "cleaned up" by the restorer, I added retro-reflective tape inside the front and rear turn signal assemblies and some LED rear side markers (also inside the tail lamp assemblies). If the reflector part of your tail lamps is not in optimum condition you might consider applying retroreflective tape (red or white) on those surfaces to help the overall reflectance and also act as a retroreflector if your parking lamps are off at night. I found some at a NAPA car parts store for less than $1.50 for a nice piece you can trim to size. Larry

Hi-- When you replaced your Guibo did you lubricate the centering bearing that centers in the Guibo, located on the end of the driveshaft? If dry this can sound like a nest of crickets at certain speeds. I use Redline grease although the BMW manual suggests Longterm-2. Larry

Hi-- I replaced the OEM fuel pump in my late '73 with a Facet electric pump after 3 failures with less than 100K miles on the odometer; the electric pump(s) were more reliable but not perfect. I still recommend them: low pressure, mounted with a filter, behind the gas tank. And they are small so carry a spare, perhaps in a box under your rear seat. I understand that the Pierburg brand mechanical pump may be more reliable than OEM, especially if intended for an M30 (6-cylinder) engine. Larry

Hi-- If you remove your pedalbox pad but choose not to replace it, be sure to cover the now exposed holes with duct tape. While some may consider an occasional glance at the tiny window of road passing under their car to be amusing, the leaves, rocks, silt and water that will join you in the cabin is less amusing. I figure that was one reason the PO of my car commented that he never drove it in the rain! Larry

I installed some LED Stop-Turn-Tail bulbs recently, sourced from SuperbrightLEDs.com. I found them to be a bit brighter than my existing incandescent bulbs (eyeball photometry only; visibly clean lenses, decent reflector surfaces and no darkening on proper OSRAM and Narva bulbs but possibly the grounds need cleaning). I choose 1156-R3W and 1156-A3W, as a previous check of the 1156-ALx3 bulb left me unimpressed with the lateral intensity. A big problem with LED replacement bulbs is meeting the wide test points for the SAE/NHTSA photometric test, allowing the lamp to be properly visible off-axis (both laterally and vertically); I am comfortable with these 1156-R3W lamps. I also used 1156-R1W-G bulbs for the tail lamp replacements, since this should be dimmer than stop lamps to allow differentiation from stop and turn function. This S-8 bulb barely fits in the reflector of my square taillamps and would probably also replace the same G6 bulb in a round taillamp. Yesterday on our Eastbay Drive I observed some LED stop lamps sourced from [02for2]. Frankly I liked them! They were brighter than OEM from any angle I saw and they were redder than the current orange-red automotive LED's I am aware of. I prefer this color, but it may be a disadvantage for a color-blind driver looking at it (Ever talk to a color-blind Teamster? That is good for an interesting anecdote or two). Now I just need to live with my new bulbs and check periodically to see if the electronics fail sooner than expected, a typical problem with "Lifetime" products. Larry

Tom-- Thanks for coordinating this drive; I think all of us had fun, even my panting dog. I encourage anyone taking photos to post at least a few, showing a fun time on a hot day! Larry

Tom & Matt will not be alone; I expect to be there for at least the first part of the drive. Larry

Hi-- I used a Stewart Warner 100 PSI electric gauge for a while, but every 2 years or so the sender failed. I think somehow, even in Arizona with 10-40 oil, a pressure bleep was over the sender range. While the mechanical gauges look great there is always a little oil seep somewhere. I finally concluded I like the VDO 150 PSI electric gauge, even if it does only have a 90 degree sweep. Larry

Hi Don-- You might also post on the BayArea 02 Group page. Some of us read that first and with fewer posts yours is less apt to get lost in the other conversations. I do not recall the fellow originally from Kentucky. but the person selling parts could have been Mark Siefert from the Santa Cruz area. Last I heard Mark worked at Burrell School Winery. Larry

Hi-- I'll note that after 36 years with a '73, I still reach for the turn signal on the RIGHT side (of my '74 tii) occasionally. Somehow it looks like BMW and other manufacturers were sinister to put the turn signal switch on the left. Larry

Hi Rover-- I had Talbot mirrors on my late '73 since a month or 2 after I bought it in July of that year; I have 2 (expensive) new ones ready to mount on my tii. See Tom Jones' photo of my '73 just a couple of hours before my accident: the hood location is optimum. My first Talbot mirrors were small, round clear flat glass that cost $10 each from MG Mitten, and after careful adjustment (a helper makes it a lot faster) I could see specific blind spots. Then I replaced them with Talboval mirrors; those had the larger head with convex, blue glass. One of them was smashed about 1980, and I had to purchase the replacement directly from Talbot in Berlin. After my accident I still have one of the Talboval mirrors in pretty good shape (except for the mirror retainer plastic piece, which is NLA from Talbot,of course, so I made something that works). My preference is the small round head with tinted convex glass, allowing a wider field of view. I recommend them! Larry

Thanks to all of you for your kind words and for posting your photos and photo links! Turning the pages of this "scrapbook" helps everyone recall the neat cars and people we saw and chatted with at S&S-13. Larry

Hi-- I recommend a Facet (now owned by Purolator, located in Elmira, NY) electric fuel pump. I found the OEM mechanical pumps seemed to last 25-30K miles (including the one in my late '73 when I bought it new, and 2 others). The Facet Cube pumps are not failure-free, but last longer. I think 1 reason some failed (sourced no-name from JC Whitney) is they could have been 7psi instead of the 2-4psi that works better. I always used a fuel pressure regulator to provide low pressure to the Weber carburetor. I had one failure with a broken diaphragm; I think it may have been caused by then-new gasahol, although Facet engineers say they are in recent decades totally compatible with ethanol. However they do need a 75 micron or better intake filter (I used a simple paper filter as from a 1960's American car). My latest Facet pump was a Posi-Flow (fits the same footprint as a Cube) which pumped flawlessly. An excellent location is immediately behind your gas tank, on the tank mounting ledge. There is room to run and turn the tubing from the tank and filter then connect to the thru-car tube. Neoprene fuel tubing provides flexibility to hook the 1/8" pipe fittings (1/8-27) to the metric tube and tube barb. I used 16 gauge vinyl-insulated wire for the switched +12Volt wire, running from the fusebox through the car into the trunk (Facet says their pumps draw about 2 Amps or less). Some people suggest an oil-pressure cutout switch although I did not need one; it could delay getting gas into a dry carburetor bowl. In my opinion a spare fuel pump is a good item to carry in your car (maybe in a box under the rear seat); that way if you have a failure you do not need to reroute the windshield washer tubing to your carb to get home!

Hi-- Spark plug dielectric grease is primarily intended to prevent high voltage from welding a connector to the metal center sparkplug contact; it also helps prevent rubber covers from sticking to other parts. It is, in addition, a key item in lamp life tests to make the old lamps can be removed from their sockets when the test is complete. A good metal contact should be tight enough to push aside the grease when the spark plug, light bulb or even a quick disconnect is assembled or screwed in; the remaining grease will help prevent contact corrosion that could cause an intermittent contact after extended use. But make sure it does not lubricate a contact point so well that it will shake loose after driving a while.

Hi Burndog-- I'll be too busy to be your proxy, but you might try a duplicate post to the BayArea 02 group; some of us have that on autofeed. Larry

Hi-- I tried that with windshield sealing RTV (more liquid that the normal stuff) the last time I had a smog test; I knew they would check the vacuum retard to see if the RPM changed with vacuum. It worked for the test, then I put back my 005 distributor with a working diaphram. But no emissions testing for almost 2 decades! Larry

Hi-- Wurth used to make a good satin black in a spray can, but it may have been non-VOC compliant and therefore discontinued. One vendor of that stuff (but probably no longer) is Goodspeed [http://www.goodspeedmotoring.com/aerolos-wheel-paints-and-primers/trim-paint/]. They have the SEM paint mentioned before. Most likely there are many other vendors, like Eastwood. Larry

Hi-- With your driveshaft out, pack lightly with good grease; I like Redline. This bearing can get a little noisy if it gets dry. You will know that if you think a nest of crickets made a home in your transmission at certain speeds (like 35 MPH). I suspect the centering bearing restricts excessive movement in the guibo, helping to extend its life. Larry

Hi- The Swap & Show has a few vehicles come & go during the day (Note: to show your car or have a swap area you need to register during the 9-10 period), but most stay at least for the raffle. If you arrive later than the registration period you are free to park in the paved area (East of the swap area) and walk around, looking at cars, parts or even patronize Angelica's Taco truck. Even during the clean-up period a number of cars (and drivers doing the cleanup) hang around. Larry

Hello-- Are you talking about control arm spacers or decamber plates (or both)? Decamber plates mount on top of the spring perch to the strut bearing and are about 3/8" thick; as I recall they are supposed to give 1/2 degree less camber. You might post in Parts Wanted, as some of us have suspension parts available. Larry

Hi Steve-- Thanks for your hard work rejuvinating the FAQ site! I noticed you found our new logo and posted it atop the BayArea 02 Forum-- thank you! Larry

Hi-- Welcome to the forum! Probably someone not far away has a used 4-speed but I do not know exactly who. If you do not get a prompt response on the BayArea02 regional forum take a look at the Parts for Sale forum and also post on the Parts Wanted forum. Some vendors also should have one or two, which could come with a short warranty. Double 02 Salvage and Dave Varco (Aardvark) come to mind. I hope you can make the Swap & Show on 18 may at the Brisbane Marina! Larry

A few more details as we sprint to the Swap & Show in a month. -Registration is on-site only, 9-10AM, $20 to show or swap. -We have shirts coming, Polaris colored with a neat design. -Besides our usual cars to see, parts to swap, friends (old or instant) to talk to and our raffle, we are adding BMW2002FAQ_LIVE to discuss your questions and dispense tips. We are, as usual, looking for some volunteers to help with setup and takedown; let us know if you want a few extra raffle tickets in exchange for a bit of your time. Larry

Hi Scott-- I looked at European Enterprise about 2 years ago; I have heard some good comments. I have yet to ask Roger to correct the cracks in my hood paint, but I would take my car there. I did see Evan Chong's Malaga 02 undergoing complete bear-metal fenders-off repaint, and I was impressed with the effort and what I could see at that point. If you go it is a gated driveway between Texas Gas and Public Storage; call first. 3401 San Pablo Dam Rd, El Sobrante, CA 94803; (510) 262-9977 Paul Gommel had his Charmonix tii repainted by Andy Shenk in El Cerrito; Paul has some opinions. Precision Autobody in Lafayette repainted my late '73 20 years ago, but in less than a year their bodywork staff was gone (their shop was turning into an office building). Although the car looked good and the Malaga color match was superb, the next year their relocated shop in Concord had to repaint my hood and trunk lid (RUST from water-based primer; everything else looked good for 16 years). About 5 years ago Magnussen fixed a 3"x4" dent in my front fender (Honda that turned without looking); I could not tell there had been any work done and the PPG paint was a great match. I think they left Walnut Creek but may still be in Dublin.

Hi Nelson-- To participate in the Swap & Show-13 plan to be at the Brisbane Marina by 9:00 AM on 18 May. As last year we will charge $20 to register and sell. Be sure the check the Bay Area 02 Forum [http], where we will post additional important details, and also look at [www.bayarea02.com]. I'll plan to see you there!